Summary:
After a year of searching, Rita finally locates Raven, and has no idea what to expect of this new situation he's thrown them both into.
1
Immediately after Brave Vesperia defeated the adephagos, Flynn announced that Raven should likely disappear to avoid arrest. He was a traitor to the empire, a fact that had been overlooked up until this point. Rita was shocked, and the look on Raven's face reflected her own. She'd been sure there was something between them. Something neither of them had been willing to fully commit to until things were settled. The threat was over, she had preserved his life from the spirit conversion, her sixteenth birthday had passed during the commotion, making her a year older - which still wasn't "old enough" but she didn't care and had plans to convince him he didn't either. While Flynn continued to suggest he make a run for it while he still could, he locked eyes with Rita. "I'll find you when I can," he said softly, then turned and disappeared into the night.
She spent a year on little missions with Yuri, just the two of them so it wouldn't seem as obvious that their only goal was to locate Raven. They were always two steps behind him. Rita knew that Yuri had long ago given up on finding him, but he said nothing and helped her look anyway. After a year had passed, she set him free of this obligation. That was when Estelle sent word that Raven was at the castle, in a jail cell. The castle hadn't stopped looking for him either, and one slip up was all it took to be captured. Raven begged Estelle not to tell Rita that he'd been found on her back doorstep, fist raised to knock.
"I can't get you in to see him, I'm sorry," Estelle said in her letter. "Flynn said that they were going to offer him a deal, but that Raven won't like it." Rita thought that the old man must have finally gone completely crazy. Whatever deal they offered had to be better than rotting in jail, right? A week later, another letter arrived. "I think I can get in to see him. I'm going to talk to him, try to convince him to take the deal." Yuri tried to talk Rita into returning to Zaphias with him to see if there was anything they could do, but she already knew that there wasn't and refused to go with him. A month later, the last letter arrived. "Good news! Raven took the deal. He has agreed to return to the knights as Captain Schwann in exchange for full immunity. He is completely free now. My birthday party is next month, I'll have a room ready for you the week before. Please come, Rita! We're all looking forward to seeing you."
That fool! He had to be completely miserable living at the castle. She knew how much he hated his life there. She had no idea why he would go back to it. Did he think he was doing her a favor or something? This wasn't freedom at all! Rita was furious. Had she known this was the plan, she would have stopped Estelle from pushing him into it. And why hadn't Yuri stopped it from happening, couldn't he have just broken him out of jail or something?!
When the time came, Rita furiously packed her bag and headed to the castle ready to tear into Estelle… only to be greeted with a huge hug from the princess herself. How was she supposed to yell at her now? "Where is he?" she asked before anything else. "I need to see him." Estelle escorted her to the hall outside his suite, where that idiot LeBlanc was posted by his door. He tried to stop her from entering, until he realized the princess had come with her. Rita burst through the door ready to scream and throw things, until she realized he was in the middle of a meeting with Flynn and Prince Yoder. Raven (Schwann?) looked over his shoulder at the interruption. He looked… good. Really good. Her anger fell away to frustration and she flung her arm in front of her eyes, afraid she was going to lose it. Estelle gave her other arm a squeeze. "Pardon us for interrupting, Sir Schwann!" she said brightly. Raven collected the documents on the table into a neat stack and passed them back to Yoder. "Gentlemen, may we continue this later? It seems I have company." Yoder smiled brightly. "Of course. Come Flynn. Lady Estellise, may I escort you back to your quarters?" Rita never even heard if Estelle said yes or not. They were all just suddenly gone, and the door was shut behind her. She finally pried her arm off of her stinging eyes, unwilling to miss whatever was happening in front of her.
"Come in and sit," he said, gesturing to an armchair and sitting in the one across from it. She slunk into the chair and said nothing as she looked him over. He seemed thinner. Slender but built, she was willing to bet. Were the baggy clothes hiding this the whole time they'd spent together? His hair fell in soft waves, bangs falling into one eye. How could he look exactly the same and completely different at the same time? They both said nothing for awhile, and then he finally broke the silence. "You look well, darling." The voice was different, too. Full of composure. A little bit higher. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday again." She swallowed. "Right. I missed it again, too, I guess," she answered quietly. He nodded, and she couldn't take the seriousness any longer. "What the hell, Raven! Why are you doing this?" she shouted. He smiled gently, the little crinkles around his eyes showing. That was… much better, actually.
"It was the only way, dear. I can either spend my life here, or spend it in a jail cell. I figure at least here I can see everyone once in awhile." She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest, taking a defensive position. "It's still stupid." He propped his chin in his hand and sighed. "Well, it's done. I guess you'll just have to decide if you still like me this way," he murmured, raising an eyebrow. "I… I do," she said, turning away as she felt the blush spread over her cheeks. He let out a soft chuckle that sounded like music. "I need to go," she said, jumping up and bolting from the room.