Over the years, there were many locations where Lann felt familiar with and there were many places he felt at ease. Of course, there were some locations where he couldn't relax and maybe it was the fact that there were blood-thirsty Fomors that wanted a taste of his blood. Other than those places, everywhere else was perfectly fine with the dual swordsman.
Except, maybe one place.
It was familiar, and yet, it was foreign. Even after so many years, Lann sensed a definite change in the surroundings that gave it an unsettling feeling. Then perhaps he could not feel at ease at this place, even if he knew it inside out. But the changes made it alien to him, so then even he had to admit that he was no longer familiar with the place.
Around this time of the year, Lann felt like he had to go back for a little bit, to this now unfamiliar place. The other five offered to go with him-well, Evie and Karok were always the enthusiastic ones so Lann saw it coming; the others, not so much-but he turned them down and reassured them that he would not be gone for long.
And he also reassured them that he wasn't going to go solo something dangerous, because Evie and Vella had exchanged smirks at the idea of Lann soloing something.
They probably wouldn't have taken him seriously if not for the solemn expression he had on his face when he patiently waited for Evie, Karok, and Vella to stop laughing and grinning. Fiona and Kai, on the other hand, took notice of Lann's sudden change of behavior and waited silently with him. The moment the other three realized that Lann really wasn't going to get himself killed, they immediately stopped and shot around curious looks.
"Don't worry," he said to them before he departed. "I'll be back to normal soon."
The five watched the back of his head as he headed down the path out of Colhen, towards Rocheste but the man had stated he was going further. It was odd to see Lann so somber; he rarely ever was and anytime he was serious, he never had such a pained expression. He tried to hide it, they knew this, but they didn't mention it. Even Fiona had a worried expression and she rarely ever showed such an emotion so plainly. The other four matched her face but in the end, they trusted their friend to be alright.
And Lann believed he would be alright too. He was not going to go and die in some raid or fight some Fomor that was too strong to fight alone. Sure, he had to admit he might underestimate his enemies but this time, there would be none of that.
It was a few days' time before he reached the recently unfamiliar place. It had been years since he stepped foot near it. The grass was overgrown in some areas and there were several flowers that grew here and there. Slabs of stone arranged themselves neatly over the wide field and Lann began walking slowly through the rows, reading the names to himself until he came across two in particular and settled down on the ground.
"Mother," he said, "Father...I'm back."
The village Lann grew up in was completely destroyed, and the wreckage had been cleared and a graveyard replaced its location on the map. This was why it was so unfamiliar, and yet it was, in a way, still familiar to Lann. The other survivors might have visited occasionally. Lann eyed a neat bouquet of fresh flowers lying beside a headstone a few rows ahead of him.
He suddenly wondered if he should have brought something with him to lay on his parents' graves and searched his pockets for anything he could give them.
"Sorry," he said to the headstones, giving them a weary gaze. "I don't have much with me."
A breeze ruffled his hair and he took it as a sign that they forgave him.
Situating himself into a more natural position, Lann sighed and absentmindedly played with the long blades of grass that peek out of the cracks in the marble of the graves. He was glad his parents had a nice resting spot and wondered, as a mercenary, that if he should die, would he also have a nice grave? There were many mercenaries that were killed in action and as far as he knew, many mercenaries were buried in unmarked graves.
Lann didn't like the feel of the deep frown on his face and he massaged the lower portion of his face in order to relax himself.
"I'd remember my manners you've been telling me to remember about, Mother," Lann said, "but I can't ask how your day was or how your health is. There's no need for that, really. So I'll talk about how my day has been." Pause. "Actually, it was boring. So I'll tell you about my life after your deaths, alright?"
"I'm a mercenary now. Father, you'll be proud. I've gotten stronger. I can protect the people I care about now. Actually...sometimes, they protect me more than I do them. My defense is still horrible. Father, don't laugh at me. I know you'll laugh at me, but it's not funny. There were so many times where I've been incapacitated because of it. And Mother? Don't worry. I know I've nearly died a lot but my friends are good at not letting that happen.
"I've never talked to you about my friends, have I? Then again, I've never came back to talk to you. I was always...I dunno, I just couldn't bring myself back until now," Lann sighed wearily. He then peered down at the ground, and then back up sheepishly. "Sorry about that, again. But anyway, my friends are trustworthy. In battle that is. Outside of it, there are a few in particular that I have to be careful around."
He recalled having to look out for random tripwires Evie set up around the inn. There were occasional times where Lann wondered whose side Karok was on when it came to pranks. And Vella, the newer member of his team, loved to tease any man that happened to be looking at her. He and Karok found this out the first time they met her but currently, he didn't have to worry so much since she was annoyed by the fact her charm did nothing to Kai.
"The first friend I made was Fiona. I've known her longer than most of the mercs in Colhen, since we were both new around the same time. She's stronger than she looks and Father? You'd love her defense. You'd probably even get jealous of it. She's so serious though, when I first met her. It was ridiculous, trying to get her to open up. I think that was my main goal when I first met her. She's still serious, but she knows when to appreciate humor. That's something, at least," Lann added, giving the headstones a grin.
"Mother? I told you not to worry, right? Because Fiona saved me several times. That shield of hers can take almost anything. She's my co-captain of our team, so she's very reliable. She's also one of the few people I trust in battle and outside of it."
Lann rolled his eyes. "Evie, on the other hand, she's different. She's still in her late teens though, so that may be why. She also keeps me from dying, Mother. A lot of people keep me from dying. But Evie, her magic is incredibly useful. She heals us, she can attack from afar, and she has a lot of useful tricks up her sleeve. And speaking of tricks, she's one of the many people you can't trust outside of battle unless you're her prank buddy.
"Do you want to hear the first time I met her? She ran into our fishing boat years back. I was twelve at the time, maybe? Father, I wish you taught me how to swim. I could have drowned. Evie ran into our boat and capsized us all. I honestly think she did that on purpose!" Lann laughed but deep down, he knew it was accidental. Still, it was a funny story to tell, even if the story was being told to the dead.
"My other friend, Karok, is a giant. Literally. Mother, those stories you read to me before bed wasn't all just myths and legends. Karok is not human. And you know what? He's my best friend. I mean, all of them are my best friends, but Karok is just the easiest to get along with. Everyone agrees, really. He's easy-going and friendly. Although...in battle? Father, imagine a huge man clashing with monsters the size of...a house, even!" Lann exclaimed, throwing his arms up for enthusiasm.
"He's incredibly strong so it's a good thing he's not easy to anger. But if he's ever angry..." Lann shuddered. "Last month, I accidentally slipped-oh, Father, I took up weaponsmithing, just like you-but um...I probably don't have your talent in it yet because I tried to repair Karok's cestus and it was a very expensive one. I probably should have let him take it to Ferghus, Colhen's blacksmith. Never again will I try to repair after a hangover. Ah, Mother, you didn't hear that."
Lann coughed into his fist, chuckling to himself. "Kai, the archer, is interesting. He's like Fiona when it comes to being serious, but Fiona's serious face is calming-don't tell Fiona that or she'll probably try harder to make it more aggressive-but Kai's face is very, very, scornful. He's not a bad guy at heart, honest. His past is just painful, according to him. It's kinda scary at first. Well, not really, but it's like he doesn't want to talk to you. And that's probably because he's not a talker. He speaks with very little words. I'm trying to get him to open up too, and I'm getting there.
"Battle-wise, though, his aim is dead accurate and he shoots very quickly. He also uses cross-guns so that he can shoot even faster. Pretty versatile person, like Evie. I can count on him to attack the enemy from far away so that it doesn't eat me or anything. Mother, don't freak out but yes, I've nearly been some monster's dinner before, and several times for that matter."
Lann paused and wondered that if his parents could actually hear him, he'd like to see their reactions. He laughed at the fact that his mother would really start to freak out and his father would probably roar with laughter at her expression.
"And then Vella, the new one. She's...not afraid to flaunt around and get what she wants. I mean, sure she can be like that, but she's not bad either. Kinda up-to-no-good sometimes like Evie, so she's one of the people you probably can't trust outside a battle. Just the other day, she replaced health potions with wine. You'd think that I couldn't fight but actually, Karok said I spun and sliced like a madman," Lann grinned. "So maybe I might drink wine before fighting." He shot a quick look towards his mother's headstone. "Um...Mother, you didn't hear that either."
"I still don't know her too well though, since she's new, but don't worry. In the end, I will be able to be better friends with her. Of course, it was hard at first because she stole my job. She holds two swords like me, Father! I told you that it wasn't silly. But luckily she doesn't wield twin spears. She's got chains. So I'm okay with her."
Lann paused again, and then he yawned. "They were worried about me. Before I left Colhen, they were concerned. That's a good sign, isn't it? To have people who actually worry for you? What more can I ask for?" He froze. "Actually, I take that back. If some of them didn't constantly prank me or other mercenaries, that would be great. But it wouldn't be as fun, would it?"
Lann glanced up at the sky for a moment. He realized that even if this location had became unfamiliar to him, the sky was still the same. His fingers wiggled into the ground that he had played on years and years ago as a child. The dirt was still soft. The trees surrounding the graveyard were the same from before and when he titled his head to the side to glance beyond the other end of the graveyard, he could see the orchards the old woman lived by.
"It's good to be back," Lann said suddenly, glancing back towards the headstones. "It's so different, but now I know that it's still the very same place that I knew. It won't be the same. It will never be the same. But that doesn't mean all the things that happened here never happened. Is that a good thing?"
Lann didn't expect an answer of course. He sat there by himself, pondering over his own words for a moment. He sat still for several more minutes and then he sighed, standing up. "I'm sorry I can't stay long, Mother, Father. I wish I can stay for a few more days but there's no inn around there. And besides," Lann gave the headstones a fond pat, "Tieve's making pancakes later this week and she promised to save me some if I didn't make it. My friends are all back in Colhen, and all the other mercs are too. Captain Aodhan is back there, and so is Marrec, Ceara, and hell, even Gallagher is waiting. I may have lost you two, but I'm not without family."
Lann stopped himself and took a few steps back, casually sticking his hands into his pockets as he glanced over his parents' names again. He was somewhat surprised to find small little seeds at the very bottom of his pockets and wondered if they were flowers. If they weren't, then he'd have a laugh about it the next time he came to talk to them if he found vegetables or something growing around his parents' graves.
He dug a small hole in between the two headstones and dropped the seeds in before covering it back up with dirt. Whatever they would grow into, he'd have to come back and find out.
Lann grinned. "Don't worry, Mother, Father. I have to come back anyway, if I have to check on the progress of the flowers. Or um...vegetables. I'm not sure. I can tell you, Mother, that I have no interest in gardening. Not when I was little, not even now."
The wind started blowing again and it felt cool to his touch. Lann felt much better, as if a heavy burden lifted off his shoulders. There he was, in his early twenties, and the pain of not visiting his parents in over a decade vanished just like that.
"Good bye, Mother. Good bye, Father," Lann said. "I have family waiting back in Colhen."
The wind died down and Lann made his long trip back home.