In The Absence Of Sanity
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Actions speak louder than words. Like intentionally selling your soul, for starters. From caustic to chivalrous, a tale of companionship amidst the chagrin.
(Alice X Yuri)
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The Railroad
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Yuri wonders which is worse – losing your mother to a vicious herd of flesh eating zombies (who were formally your rather amicable neighbors) or watching your priest of a father be disemboweled in the name of justice right before your own two eyes.
This is what he ponders to fill in the silences left agape by a mute stricken, blanch faced Alice Elliot, complexion comparable to snow capped mountains or the pallor of opals. Occasionally she allows a mangled sigh to escape her lips – usually after some off color remark is made on Yuri's behalf – and usually concerning Alice's severe lack of weather appropriate panties.
She does not reciprocate the candor and Yuri actually finds himself wondering why.
He had just saved her life, after all. Surely some gratitude was called for. (And by gratitude, of course, he means physical displays of affection lavished onto him in great torrential heaps. Needless to say, his fantasies never come into being and he figures perhaps she'll lighten up once she forgoes the grieving process.)
"So," Yuri begins, voice reverberating off the metal sluices that lay embedded in the long forgotten trenches. "Do you, um, fight?"
"I can defend myself, yes."
Her voice is remarkably poised for someone who apparently has a penchant for passing out.
"Not what I was asking."
He catches her eyes as they travel to the worn leather Bible she had been carting around ever since the elaborate train rescue.
Yuri quirks an eyebrow at this, though it goes unnoticed by Alice, for the campfire doesn't provide enough illumination to showcase every nuance of her companion's face.
"I rely on the word of God," she continues, either to fill in the silence or to further elaborate her previous answer.
"What – do you dish out massive jugular based paper cuts or something?"
Alice does not seem to be amused.
Funny, because Yuri thought that last line was a pretty good one.
"Very well," she resumes, her countenance not betraying the turmoil that is going on inside. "I will show you."
Yuri finds himself taken aback by this, for such brazen actions seem contradictory to Alice's current demeanor.
Maybe she was just in the mood to kill something. Though such blood lust really couldn't be evident in a priest's daughter, could it?
"I – whoa, wait, what? This is … this is uncalled for! Not to mention completely un-Alice like!"
"You presume to know my usual disposition after a mere thirty minutes?"
Yuri figures it best if he let his brain function for a minute before replying to that one.
But thinking was never his forte, and the girl is off before he can piece together a coherent sentence.
"Wait a sec! Get back here!"
His demands are in vain, but no matter. This little dispute could prove to be amusing, which is why he doesn't argue when the voice inside his head tells him to follow.
Now Alice is all red and puffy looking (in stark contrast to the chalky visage she was sporting from before) and maybe that's because Yuri somehow managed to insult her father, her faith, and her god all in one fell swoop.
Bravo. It must have taken skill for that one.
And as he treks behind a fuming Alice Elliot, now only showcased by moonlight and constellations (which just make her look all the more pale – despite the fact she is currently flummoxed beyond words that are appropriate for her to say) Yuri takes the time to fully appreciate his companion's rather eccentric choice of dress.
The buttons. The buttons are a problem. There's too many. How can Yuri possibly unfasten so many buttons in less than thirty seconds? Not to mention that his dexterity is severely hampered whilst donning his metal knuckles. It was like the girl was wearing a fully body chastity belt – which makes sense, but also kind of sucks.
"Um. There's some wolves over there," he risks venturing, jabbing a finger for emphasis.
Alice takes the direction without so much as a nod, for she seems to be out for vengeance and Yuri can't exactly blame her. Though it may be an emotion that will be exceedingly short lived, it seems as though it will burn rather brightly while it can.
She charges into the battle head first – one of her many mistakes, as Yuri will come to learn – for she would serve better aid in the back, but right now that seems of little consequence to her.
He opts to let her go first, since she's already brandishing her very intimidating leather bound Bible – and, well, who wants to mess with that?
She runs up to the fiend, intent on taking the first hit, and grunts something high pitched and strained as she brings down her tome for full impact.
Twelve points. At the most. You got to be kidding.
"Oooh – you can hit in the double digits," Yuri croons from the back lines. "I'm really scared of you now, sweetheart."
Though it's not best to mock those who are mourning, he finds it difficult to restrain himself, possibly because he doesn't do sympathy and humor is the next best thing he has to offer.
The battle continues, Yuri offering up a half hearted jab in the canine's general direction, scared of taking the glory of the kill away from the girl incase she needed it for therapeutic reasons.
He is later surprised to find that Alice has a severely lacking reserve of sanity. Three turns and she's already grousing about pure leaves, rummaging through the pocket's of Yuri's raiment – halfway to the land of Berserk Blonde Bimbos with no intent of returning anytime soon.
Well. Unless she can somehow manage to obtain some pure leaves, which Yuri doesn't carry in his jacket anyway (thus rendering this entire excavation in vain) and pretty soon she's prattling on about shiny lights and luminescent colors, which is never a good sign.
"Hold on a minute, will ya? I've got some stashed away in my shoe."
Alice does not hear him (or simply chooses to ignore his statement) and continues to paw at his large assortment of pockets, the innocent little crack whore that she is.
"Three sanity points," Yuri exhales, batting her delicate little fingers away from his body. Under different circumstances he would find this delightfully charming, but right now it was verging on the edge of homicidal. He wants nothing more than to redirect Alice's skinny little hands around her skinny little neck and squeeze there for release, because he has this thing about personal space on the battlefield and did not enjoy his unspoken restraining order being breeched. Proximity does not serve a Harmonixer well.
"Gods, what am I going to do with you, girl?"
It's a rhetorical question, of course, for he doubts she can even pronounce her own name at this point.
"Pure leaves?" she finds the lucidity to suggest – like an addict only capable of conveying their need for the chemicals needed to sate their cravings.
"Yeah. Yeah, I go that one figured out, hun."
The target in question – and by that I mean the wolf – decides now would be an impeccable time to join in the fray, and starts going after Yuri's opposite flank, which makes him instinctually dish out a kick of subconscious self defense, and the mammal is dead in a matter of seconds.
Alice, however, prevails.
Eventually he is able to reach into his shoe (though such is not exactly easy with Alice hanging onto his arm) and tosses a small handful of pure leaves at her, which was probably overkill but right now he did not care.
He watches and she slowly returns to the land of the sane, and has to refrain from allowing the itch in the back of his throat evolve into audible laughter, for Alice seems rightfully abashed by her previous actions and draws her weapon of choice close to her woefully underdeveloped chest for support.
"So. Does your weapon upgrade to hardcover or something?"
She glares, its intended vehemence received in full, and Yuri once again brings up the rear as Alice marches back to the campsite.
She says nothing for the remainder of their side quest.
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Back at the fire – which somehow managed to prevail despite the fact it was neglected for so long – and Yuri props himself up on a conveniently placed rock as Alice busies herself trying to clean off her now soiled clothing.
He says nothing until she begins to shine her shoes with the water rations.
"Hey! Whoa! What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?"
She looks up, genuinely perplexed by Yuri's inquisition.
"We need that for, ya know, hydration and stuff."
"But right now my shoes need it."
She did not just say that.
"Can't you use holy water or something? You must have that stock piled somewhere in your skirt."
Her eyes narrow to thin slits and she almost executes what could have been mistaken for a snarl if not for the lack of necessary lighting.
"One does not waste holy water on trivial things such as personal hygiene."
"…No. They just use the drinkable stuff instead."
Alice nods, as though in agreement with Yuri's sarcasm, which floats right over her waxen head.
He lets a sigh hiss through his teeth, figuring he'd let this atrocious act of waste go just this once, for the girl did just lose her father after all, and remains silent as Alice tidies up what is left of her black patent leather shoes.
When she is finished, she gives a small smile of satisfaction (intended for herself, not Yuri, but he likes to pretend) and rolls over with naught but the statement: "I am going to sleep now."
Yuri stifles another chuckle and decides to pull and all nighter and enjoy the view.
And by that he doesn't mean the stars.
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Author's Note
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I am writing this under the request of my mother, believe it or not, who not only games but has an unhealthy infatuation with the Shadow Hearts series. I ask that if you chose to review please leave no spoilers for the sequels (or prequels, if you want to include Koudelka) as I have not finished Covenant or New World yet, and just received the PSX game by mail through ebay.
(I have completed the first Shadow Hearts, however.)
That being said, later chapters will include obvious spoilers for the game, and will be in somewhat of a drabble like fashion as we track the process of the couple through out the rest of the game. To be divided by locale, since that is something I always wanted to try.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!