Author Notes: This marks one year since the release of this story's first chapter along with celebrating the beginning of Summer 2018. I wanted to ensure that this chapter would be ready in time for the anniversary. I always do my best to ensure my active stories have a chapter released in time for their anniversary, and I'm proud to maintain that streak. While I do wish I had released more chapters of this story, other things came up. The Persona 5 anime caused me to prioritize "Into the Fog," but I made sure to work on this story.
While the game between this chapter and the previous one has been has been wide, I'm glad it hasn't been the widest gap. I have hopes to produce more chapters prior to the end of the Summer to further capitalize on the Summer like setting for this story.
As I promised, this chapter will continue where the previous one left off. We will see Velvet and Eleanor have their long awaited rematch. Both of them will be going at it using their skills and not relying on anything besides their ability to use their weapons. I figured I would make things 'simple' so to speak. Additionally, I figured it would be a duel that the both of them would decide to agree on since they aren't enemies anymore.
I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter and you will provide reviews after reading. Your feedback support is always greatly appreciated.
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Spoken & Unspoken Words
Chapter 4 – Things are Different
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Nothing is constant
Change is inevitable
For better or worse
/
It was nighttime on a small deserted island that had remained untouched by both the Abbey and Daemons. In fact, it was an island overlooked by almost everyone except for the Aifread Pirates who made this island their vacation getaway. It was a getaway that Velvet Crowe decided to take advantage of. She knew they had the time for it.
With Artorius and Innominat's plans for global suppression temporarily halted, Velvet's group had a respite. Velvet decided that for once, they would use it to take a vacation away from fighting the Abbey as well as potentially causing mayhem and destruction. Their first day had gone smoothly. Everyone had a good time at the beach, and they enjoyed the cookout as well. However, the day was not yet over for Velvet.
Aside from a few lookouts, everyone in the Aifread's pirates as well as 'Magilou's Menagerie' were resting at their camp. The cool night air filled the atmosphere, and everything was peaceful and quiet. At least it was everywhere except for the plateau where Velvet and Eleanor were having their duel.
Clang!
The sound of metal clanging and ringing upon impact could be heard as they fought. Eleanor was using her trident spear while Velvet was using her blade gauntlet and shoes. They were fighting with their real weapons and using their fighting skills to win the duel. Neither were using their special abilities to fight as Velvet's left arm remained bandaged, and Eleanor did not call upon the additional power Laphicet could provide her.
"Heyah!" Velvet jumped up sideways in a spinning motion while the blades connected to her shoes shot out.
Eleanor held up her spear horizontally above her head as she attempted to block the oncoming attack. Eleanor felt the force of the blade coming down in the pole. The force of Velvet's jump attack nearly caused Eleanor to buckle her knees, but she withstood the attack and pushed her weapon upwards.
This forced Velvet's body back. The blades in her shoes retracted as she landed on the ground. Instead, she unlocked the blade in her gauntlet before resuming her offensive. She swung her sword with a horizontal strike and Eleanor was forced to defend herself with the pole again.
"Grh …" Eleanor gritted her teeth upon blocking the attack.
Velvet then moved away. She held out her hand and taunted Eleanor. "Come on, 'Crybaby Exorcist'! I thought you were better than that!"
"…" Eleanor remained silent as she tightened her grip on her spear. She took a deep breath before the Exorcist then launched her own offensive.
Velvet smiled before she swung her blade again. A loud clanging sound could he heard when Velvet's blade landed between the head blades of Eleanor's trident type spear. Both combatants' blades were crossing with the other. It was a deadlock.
"Grh …" Both combatants were gritting their teeth. Their feet were firmly placed on the ground as they attempted to vie for superiority. Both could feel their muscles flexing. The next move would determine the victor.
Eleanor broke the deadlock when she stepped back. She then launched her spear in an attack against Velvet. It was now or never.
When Eleanor broke the deadlock, Velvet did not step forward nor was she caught off guard when Eleanor backed away. Velvet actually withdrew her blade back into the gauntlet after Eleanor broke off. In that brief second, Eleanor's eyes widened when she saw Velvet grinning. Eleanor didn't have a chance to react.
Velvet sidestepped to avoid the spear attack. She then hit Eleanor's body with her own, Velvet's shoulder hit Eleanor's chest. The hardness of Velvet's shoulder stunned Eleanor who was forced back, but Velvet wasn't done. She reactivated the gauntlet blade and struck directly at Eleanor's spear which she was only holding it with one hand.
Eleanor's eyes widened upon feeling the impact on her spear. "No!" Eleanor cried out as she felt her fingers lose their grip on the pole of the spear. She saw the spear fly away from her hands as it spun away and landed on the rocky surface.
Before Eleanor could do a thing, Velvet spun her body around and kicked her foot up into Eleanor's stomach. "Gah!" Eleanor gasped and her eyes widened as she felt Velvet's foot dig into her stomach.
The force of Velvet's attack was so great that it caused Eleanor's feet to briefly leave the ground before she would roughly land on the rocky surface of the plateau that would've ripped into her skin if she wasn't wearing her Exorcist uniform. Eleanor had her eyes closed as she skidded on the surface.
"Grh … crap …" Eleanor groaned in pain as she put her hand on her stomach. Velvet really got her good with that last attack.
When Eleanor opened her eyes, she could see that Velvet was standing over her. Before she could get up, Velvet held out her blade inches from Eleanor's face.
"…" Velvet didn't say a word as she stood there holding the extended wrist blade.
Eleanor sigh, "You win."
"Hmph." Velvet grinned before she pulled the blade away from Eleanor. She commented, "That was more satisfying to hear you say that than I thought it would."
"Aw damn …" Eleanor leaned her head back onto the rocks in defeat. "I can't believe I lost again."
"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she pointed her blade at the downed Eleanor again as she playfully commented, "I guess some things don't change do they?"
"Ugh …" Eleanor groaned, "I really thought I had you that time."
"It'll take more than that to beat me, but it was still a good duel." Velvet withdrew her blade as it retracted into the gauntlet attached to her wrist. Velvet leaned forward and offered her hand to Eleanor. "Here."
"Heh." Eleanor smiled as she took Velvet's hand. "At least it ended better than the last one."
"It wouldn't be that hard." Velvet remarked in a deadpan tone.
"Hmm …" Eleanor scratched the back of her head as she reluctantly replied, "That's true …"
Velvet crossed her arms and advised Eleanor, "You really should heal yourself, Eleanor. Unlike me, your body is a lot more vulnerable."
"Right." Eleanor activated her arte to heal herself as Velvet arms remained crossed while she watched the Exorcist.
"…" While Eleanor was bathed in her arte's healing light, Velvet briefly glanced at her bandaged arm before looking back at Eleanor.
After Eleanor healed herself, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No." Velvet uncrossed her arms as she asked, "You're good now right?"
"Yeah." Eleanor answered, "I'm all healed now. Do you need me to heal you too?"
Velvet looked away and grabbed her left bandaged arm with her right arm as she told Eleanor, "I'm good. I'm not as vulnerable as you."
"Hmph." Eleanor activated her arte regardless as she remarked, "I knew you were too stubborn."
The light of Eleanor's healing arte enveloped Velvet's body which caused her to feel warm. It was one of the only things that could affect how her body felt. She could feel the light scratches on her body suddenly disappear.
"I knew you had some scratches on you." Eleanor grinned. "You really should be honest about things like that Velvet."
Velvet shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, fine. I will."
"Heh." Eleanor chuckled, "You and Laphicet really are a lot alike aren't you."
"He is kinda my nephew after all." Velvet quickly realized what she said as she looked away from Eleanor and lightly bit her lip, "…"
"That is kinda true." Eleanor remarked, "There's nothing wrong in mentioning that. If things had gone the way they should've, I'm sure you would've been a great aunt to him."
"Mmm …" Velvet glanced away as she thought to herself, "Should've? How should they have gone? How could things have really turned out …"
"Um …" Eleanor held up her hand as she tried to think of something else to say.
Velvet waved off Eleanor's hand. "Forget it. It's all in the past now." Velvet walked away towards the protruding rock on the plateau as she looked up to the night sky above.
"I'm sorry Velvet. That's not what I …" Eleanor reluctantly turned away as she said,, "I'm going to head back …"
"Huh?" When Velvet noticed Eleanor was moving away, Velvet held up her hand and called out, "No! Don't go back yet!" Velvet's mouth was left agape and her eyes widened upon realizing how desperate she was. She didn't have much time. When she saw that she had Eleanor's attention, Velvet immediately looked to the sky and pointed up before Eleanor could look her way, "Don't head back yet. Look up there."
"Hmm …" Eleanor looked up to see it was filled with stars.
They had seen these stars before, but this time, it was just the two of them. There was no party going on around them. They weren't fighting their war against the Abbey. No one was attempting to capture or kill them. It was a tranquil moment. A moment they were free to sit back and enjoy the view.
"…" Eleanor couldn't help but smile as she admitted, "It really does look nice."
"Yeah …" Velvet sat down on the protruding rock and asked, "Would you want to watch it a little longer?" Velvet patted the side of the rock and said, "Here."
"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment before replying, "Sure. Sounds good to me."
The two remained sitting back to back to each other for a while before Velvet said the next word, "You know … The sky … It seems a little different. Being able to look up at the sky without being on the move."
Eleanor remained looking up at the sky as she replied, "Yeah. It's kinda nice being able to sit around and just admire the stars like normal people."
"Hmph." Velvet glanced down as she softly remarked, "Normal people …"
"Yeah." Eleanor's face seemed as bright as ever as she kept looking up, "I guess it is kinda funny."
"Well I guess no matter what we are," Velvet looked up to the sky again as she finished, "we can still like the same thing."
"Hmm?" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Velvet.
"Somewhere up there, Innominat and Artorius are there waiting for us to come to them." There was no hatred in Velvet's voice as she spoke. If anything, Velvet sounded genuinely curious as she asked, "I wonder if they're looking down at us and wondering when we'll finally make our move. Are they playing 'wait and see'?"
"…" Eleanor knew these were eggshells, but she still blurted out the first thing she thought, "I couldn't tell you. I thought I could guess what he was thinking, but I guess I couldn't I um …" Eleanor bit her lip as she thought, "Damn it! What the hell was that?"
"You're not the only one." Velvet solemnly admitted, "I knew long before that day that he was sad, but I never would've imagined it went that far. I didn't think I was that clueless. In the end, I never really understood either of them even though I was with them every day."
"Velvet …" Eleanor turned her body as she remained sitting.
"Well I guess we shouldn't feel too bad about that." Velvet stood up as she said, "The prince and literally everyone else in the world, expect for a handful of the Abbey, had any idea about that whole 'Innominat Suppression Plan'. It shouldn't be a surprise that an 'Honor Student' and a 'Lord of Calamity' wouldn't be able to figure him out."
"Hmm …" Eleanor remained resigned as she looked down to the ground.
"Anyway," Velvet scratched the back of her head as she remarked, "If they want us to come to them, I say let's keep them waiting a little longer. They kept me locked up for three years. I don't mind forcing them to wait. We're still gonna be here for a few more days. Let's let Phi enjoy himself."
"Hmm …" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she looked over her shoulder to Velvet.
"…" Velvet took a moment before turning around and asking, "Are you enjoying yourself so far Eleanor?"
"Huh?" Eleanor looked up in surprise at the unexpected question. After taking a few moments, she was able to process the question and nodded, "Yes. I'm having a great time so far. This has been a great vacation."
"Glad to hear it." Velvet crossed her arms and looked to the side as she remarked, "You know. This is really a nice place." Velvet gestured to the plateau. "This is better than I thought it would be. We should try dueling here again." Velvet glanced to Eleanor before asking, "Think you'd be up for it?"
"I think that'd sound great." Eleanor happily suggested a proposal, "Let's make this a nightly routine for us. Enjoy our vacation in the day and duel at night."
"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she placed her hands on her waist. "So dedicated even on vacation. You really are a true 'Honor Student'."
"Hmm …" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she softly said, "Hey Velvet …" Eleanor softly called out.
"Yeah?" Velvet turned her attention to the former Abbey Exorcist.
"I've heard you call me 'Honor Student' before." Eleanor tilted her head as she asked, "Why do you call me that?"
"…" Velvet glanced away for a moment before looking back and crossing her arms. "Do you take it as an insult?"
Eleanor shook her head. "No. Not really."
Velvet uncrossed her arms as she glanced in Eleanor's direction and remarked, "It was never meant to be one. I've heard you talk to Phi about a lot of things like how much you've trained along with the other things you know. It was the first thing that came to mind."
"Really?" Eleanor inquired further.
"Yes." Velvet then looked up to the sky as she answered, "After seeing how you know a lot, it goes to show you did more than just training. You must've been pretty serious when you went to school or at least when the Abbey took you in."
A blush lightly formed on Eleanor's face as she looked away. "My … My mother did teach me a lot before she … but yes you're right. I did take my studies very seriously." Eleanor looked at Velvet as she told her, "I always wanted to travel the world to help people. I figured it was important to know a variety of things." Eleanor clarified, "You know about their history and culture. That way I can know more about people in general."
"Mmm …" Velvet nodded her head. "Makes sense."
"Yeah well …" Eleanor sighed, "… I know now how naïve I was for thinking that's all it took. Learning things from a book isn't enough." Eleanor looked at Velvet as she added, "And meeting someone once isn't enough to get to know them either."
"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she remarked, "You're less naïve now, so that counts for something."
"Oh?" Eleanor leaned forward as she inquired, "Was that supposed to be compliment, too?"
Velvet put her fists on her hips and looked away as a light blush began forming on her face. She sternly told the former Exorcist. "Take it as you will."
"Heh." Eleanor lightly chuckled as she smiled. "Okay. Then I will take it as a compliment."
"Whatever." Velvet shrugged as she continued to look away, "Fine by me."
"I definitely will." Eleanor remarked in a teasing matter.
"…" Velvet's eyes darted to Eleanor's spear and quickly asked, "You said you trained almost every day right?"
"Um …" Eleanor briefly taken aback by the question answered, "Yeah. Ever since I joined the Abbey."
"I guess that's one more thing we have in common." Velvet held out her hand with her sword gauntlet. "Ever since I became 'his' student, I've learned how to fight, so I could hold my own for … I just needed to know how to fight. I wanted to be strong."
Eleanor nodded, "I understand. Has our duel helped you at all?'
"…" Velvet lowered her hand as she replied with a grin, "It's been fun. So yeah it is."
Eleanor smiled as she stood up from the rock. "Glad to know you're having a good time. I'm up for another round if you are."
Velvet grinned as she stood up and welcomed the challenge. "Sounds good to me. I'm ready when you are."
"Just give me a second." Eleanor crossed her right forearm with her left elbow to stretch out her left arm. She then switched as she told Velvet, "I'm not going to let you get me this time."
"Heh." Velvet grinned as she held up her hand gestured with her fingers, "Come at me when you're ready. I'll be ready anytime," She curtly added, "Crybaby Exorcist."
"Hmph." Eleanor puffed her lips, "You better be." Eleanor finished stretching her arms. "I'm not going to lose again." Eleanor grabbed her spear as Velvet readjusted her gauntlet. Before they got started, Eleanor asked, "Same rules as before right?"
"I don't need to use this." Velvet held out her bandaged arm. Velvet confidently declared, "I have more than enough to take you down again."
Eleanor positioned herself as she playfully told her opponent, "Just don't go using it when you lose."
"Okay." Velvet readied herself. "Let's do this."
Eleanor grinned as she held up her spear. "Bring it."
/
It was another tiring fight. After it was over, both combatants were breathing heavily as they sat back to back to each other again on the protruding rock. Eleanor especially seemed spent.
"Aw man …" Eleanor said in dismay, "Give me a break … That's three times now …"
"Better luck next time …" Velvet did not appear nearly as exhausted as Eleanor, but she was tired.
"Just give me a minute …" Eleanor held her hands together to activate her healing arte to heal them both. It alleviated them for the most part, but they still felt some fatigue.
"That's much better." Velvet remarked as she flexed her fingers.
"I see the flower is still doing okay." Eleanor stated, "I'm glad you like it so much."
"What?" Velvet then reached up to her head and felt the flower was still there. "Huh…?" Velvet lightly blushed as she remarked, "I forgot to put it away …" She was grateful that her back was to Eleanor while her blush receded.
"Heh. Heh. You didn't notice?" Eleanor playful asked.
Velvet put down her hand as she replied, "No …"
"That funny, but how exactly did that flower stay in your hair?" Eleanor inquired. "I would've thought it'd fall out sometime during the fight."
"After you gave it to me, I tied it in my hair." Velvet answered. She put her hand in her hair and remarked, "Looks like it's still tied up tight."
"Glad to hear it." Eleanor replied, "It really looks good on you."
"Well …" Velvet stated as she looked back up at the night sky, "You did pick a good flower."
"You can thank my mother for that." Eleanor fondly replied, "She was good at things like that."
"I see …" Velvet merely replied.
"Anyway," Eleanor then stated, "I really thought I had you. You weren't using any of your powers or anything."
"It's for the better I don't …" Velvet looked at her bandaged arm. "It'd take the fun out of these little duels."
"…" Eleanor took a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, there have been two things I've been wondering about for a while."
Velvet replied, "Go ahead."
"If you unbandage your arm for anything, even to take a swim, would it …" As Eleanor continued her question, it became more awkward for her to ask which caused her to slow down.
Velvet didn't wait for Eleanor to finish asking, "It would turn into a Therion monster arm. It doesn't matter what I unbandage it for. It will always do the same thing."
Eleanor replied, "I'm sorry."
"Huff…," Velvet took a deep breath before assuring Eleanor, "… It's not your fault. Artorius and Innominat did this to me. Not you."
"…" Eleanor remained silent.
Velvet stood up from the protruding rock and looked at Eleanor and asked, "You're not going to tell me I shouldn't pursue revenge are you?"
"I couldn't." Eleanor stood up and looked Velvet in the eye, "Not after what the Abbey did to Kamoana and Medissa." Eleanor briefly glanced away before saying, "Not to mention what happened to me. I'd be an even bigger hypocrite if I told you not go have your revenge. Besides, you're not just doing it for yourself anymore."
"…" Velvet closed her eyes and reopened them before asking, "Then what was the second?"
"This is actually something I've been wondering about for the past week …" Eleanor asked, "When I almost let myself get consumed by Malevolence, why didn't you panic? You knew what would happen to Laphicet if I let that happen right?"
Velvet's expression remained the same as she asked, "Would it have helped?"
Eleanor shook her head, "No but …"
Velvet told her, "I didn't think you would let yourself fall."
"Huh …" Eleanor felt her face drop as she asked, "You had faith in me? Why?" Eleanor had difficulty looking Velvet in the eyes as she said, "I didn't do anything … I was going to fall … You and Rokurou were the ones that helped me …. I just kept …"
"We didn't do much either." Velvet interrupted the insecure Exorcist as she shrugged, "All Rokurou and I did was read a note Kamoana's mother left behind. You pulled yourself out of it on your own."
Eleanor attempted to weakly protest, "But still … I would have …"
Velvet firmly stopped Eleanor's protest, "But you didn't. That was good enough for me. That was good enough for Kamoana. You've been the big sister she needed."
"…" Eleanor was at a loss for words.
"I said it before, but I'll say it again. No one is perfect not even our mothers. If anything, I'm the best example of that. In fact, I'm the incarnation of that." Velvet sounded like she was boasting before sounding more sincere, "But you've done what you had to do for others. I have always …" Velvet couldn't help but think back to what she spoke with Magilou about earlier that night. It caused her to slow down before finishing her sentence, "… I believe it is admirable."
"…" Eleanor couldn't bring herself to say a word as Velvet spoke.
Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "You've stayed true to yourself. You've changed from who I met before. You have your own problems, and you've made mistakes, but you are still true to the person you wanted to be. I've always admired that about you."
"Velvet I …," Eleanor was at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say …"
"You don't have to say a thing." Velvet solemnly stated as she crossed her arms and looked away, "You don't need to say a thing at all."
"Thank you Velvet." Eleanor said with a smile. "Thank you for all you've done for me. I never could've done this without you."
"Idiot …" Velvet said under her breath, "… I'm the one who should be thanking you …"
"Um … What was that?" Eleanor took a step forward. "Did you say something?"
"It was nothing …" Velvet attempted to deny as she avoided eye contact.
"Hmm?" Eleanor neared Velvet who continued avoiding eye contact. "Don't lie Velvet." Eleanor firmly stated, "I heard you say something. What did you say?"
"Umm …" Velvet bit her lip. Her mind went back to what Magilou told her. "It was …"
"It was what?" Eleanor leaned forward.
"I …" Velvet kept finding the words getting caught in her throat.
"…" Eleanor looked at Velvet for a few moments before easing up and moving back. She looked down and replied dejectedly, "If it's that hard for you … I guess I'll just go back …"
When Velvet saw Eleanor turn around, it caused Velvet's heart to jump. It felt as if this could be her last chance to say something. Before Eleanor could walk away, Velvet said out loud, "Oh what the hell?! Eleanor there is something I need to talk to you about!"
Eleanor turned around and replied with an uneasy tone, "Okay …"
"Earlier, …" Velvet rubbed the back of her head as she attempted to think of the right words, "Magilou she um … She told me about how not saying things could um … how people regret 'unspoken words' …" A reddish hue began to form on Velvet's cheeks, but it was difficult to for anyone to notice at night.
"Hmph …" Eleanor admitted, "She's not wrong about that. There's plenty of …" Eleanor cut herself off when she saw Velvet was looking anxious. "I'm sorry. Continue."
"What I wanted to say was …" Once again the words were caught in Velvet's throat.
Eleanor leaned forward again, "Yes?"
"I … I don't think …" Velvet pounded her chest to clear her throat as she said, "I'm not sure if I ever actually said, 'Thank you.'"
Eleanor raised an eyebrow, "Thank you?"
"Yes, that's right. Thank you." Velvet repeated herself, "I just wanted to say 'Thank you.'"
"Thank me?" Eleanor was caught off guard as she asked in surprise, "What for?"
"Well …" Velvet reluctantly reminded Eleanor, "Remember after we escaped from Innominat and Silva's dragon form?"
Eleanor hesitantly replied, "Yes?"
Velvet stated, "I asked you to carry Phi for me."
It took a moment for Eleanor to get where Velvet was going with this. "Oh yeah … That's right … Because of the Malevolence."
"Yes." Velvet glanced down at her bandaged left arm as she stated, "My body was emitting it at the time. It wasn't safe for me to touch Phi at the time. Thank you for taking care of him for me. If I touched him …" Velvet tensed up as she closed her bandaged fingers, "… I probably would've killed him."
"Of course." Eleanor nodded her head. "I was more than happy to. I'd do it again too. He's like a little brother to me just like he is to you."
"I knew you would." Velvet replied.
"But um …" Eleanor hesitantly asked, "… why did you let me in on your problem?"
"…" Velvet didn't give Eleanor an immediate response.
"I mean … I …" Eleanor felt the need to double back as she explained, "You could have asked Eizen or Magilou to help Laphicet. Rokurou is a Daemon too, but he hasn't had that kind of problem, so he probably would've been okay. I'm sure even Zavied would've been willing to do you that favor. He kinda seems to like Laphicet, and he seems to have a …" Eleanor hesitantly added, "… certain respect for you. So why did you ask me?"
Velvet dryly asked, "Do you seriously think I could trust Magilou with that?"
"Mmm …" Eleanor didn't need to think hard on that one before she chuckled, "Heh … I guess not."
Velvet stated in a matter of fact tone, "Anyway, you were the best option."
"I was?" Eleanor was taken aback by the admission.
Velvet crossed her arms and looked away from Eleanor as she explained, "Because I knew you'd be able to catch on to what I was getting at, and I knew you wouldn't tell the others what the problem was either."
"…" It was Eleanor's turn to be silent.
"I … I also appreciate that you kept that to yourself." A blush began forming on Velvet's face again as she looked away.
"That was also something I was happy to do for you, but to be honest I was actually a little surprised you were willing to confide in me." Eleanor blatantly admitted.
"…" Velvet couldn't bring herself to say a word.
Eleanor waved her arms as she said, "It's not that I don't appreciate you doing that. I was just … you know surprised that you did. It made me curious about why."
"That's because I …" Velvet reluctantly finished, "… I trust you."
"You …" Eleanor was taken aback again. "You really trust me?"
Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and asked, "Isn't it obvious by now?"
"Well … I thought … I was hoping you did, but … you know …" Eleanor couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.
"I know. I know what I said before." Velvet crossed her arms as she glanced away and said, "But things have changed since I said that. Haven't they?"
Eleanor nodded, "True."
"I'm …" Velvet shook her head and said, "I don't usually say this, but I'm sorry for what I said before. About not trusting you and always thinking that you were going to stab us in the back." Velvet let a sigh as she admitted, "I was wrong."
"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment to reply, "You weren't wrong for doubting me for a while. I was your enemy. For a while, I was considering handing Laphicet over to the Abbey, but traveling with you and the rest of the group changed my mind." Eleanor made sure to add, "I'd like to think for the better."
"…" Velvet once again remained silent.
"But wow. I mean just … wow …" Eleanor repeated in disbelief, "I can't believe you're seriously apologizing to me. To me. That's a real surprise."
"Eleanor." Velvet indignantly responded, "I think we already established that even I can feel bad about things."
"That's … also true …" Eleanor hesitantly admitted.
"Anyway … I'll just say it one more time." Velvet bowed her head slightly as she reiterated, "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be like that Velvet. It's not like you." Eleanor waved her hands.
Velvet raised her head as she told Eleanor, "I'm just doing what I should've done a long time ago." Velvet averted her eyes as she stated, "I was just too stubborn to do so."
"It's okay. Apology accepted." Eleanor began to reach out to Velvet as she said, "If anything I should …"
"You might want to be careful." Velvet warned Eleanor as her hand was about to touch Velvet's shoulder. Velvet continued looking away from Eleanor with a solemn face.
"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment before touching Velvet's shoulder. "I can take it, and I won't let it hurt Laphicet either." Eleanor smiled at Velvet as she assured Velvet, "Seems like you're fine right now."
"…" The feeling of Eleanor's hand touching her shoulder caused Velvet to feel warm. The hand was soft and comforting. She wasn't sure how to respond to it. She simply glanced at Eleanor's hand before then looking at Eleanor and replied, "… I guess so. Just be careful."
"Anyway, as I was saying, if anything I should apologize to you as well." Eleanor said while she kept her hand firmly on Velvet's shoulder.
"You …" Velvet took a moment to process that last statement. Velvet pointed at herself, "… You want to apologize to me?"
"Yes." Eleanor let go of Velvet's shoulder as she said, "You're not the only one who regrets saying something." Eleanor looked down as she told Velvet, "I remember calling you … well I basically called you …"
"It's fine." Velvet interrupted and brushed off the Exorcist.
"What …?" Eleanor looked up.
Velvet had her hands on her hips as she told Eleanor, "I don't need some kind of long drawn out apology. It's in the past. Things are different now."
"Even so …" Eleanor told Velvet, "I can't forget what I called you …"
"Then don't." Velvet stated, "I'm not going to forget anything. It's for the best we don't."
"Hmph …" Eleanor conceded, "You're right. We shouldn't. Speaking of not forgetting things, I remember something you said back on the ship." Eleanor had Velvet's attention when she said, "You mentioned how a few 'bizarre' things have happened on this adventure."
"Yeah." Velvet asked, "What about it?"
"Well … there's something I really got to admit." Eleanor stated, "I felt like things have been bizarre for me ever since the day I met you, but there's one thing that I feel that might be the most bizarre of them all."
Velvet tilted her head, "And that is?"
Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "Becoming your friend."
"What?" Velvet felt her body physically back away as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped.
"Heh." Eleanor seemed rather amused as she asked, "Are you that surprised?"
"Well …" Velvet took a moment to recover. "Huff …" Velvet cleared her throat before she bluntly admitted, "A little. I guess a part of me is just glad you haven't been trying to run that spear through my head."
Eleanor sarcastically replied, "Gee thanks."
Velvet crossed her arms as she replied, "Seriously though, I'm a little surprised you considered me a friend, especially after what we said back in that dream Aball."
"That was a while ago." Eleanor reminded Velvet, "A lot has happened since then. Things are different now." Eleanor ended that with a smile.
"Heh." Velvet nodded while keeping her arms crossed, "That is true."
"Yes." Eleanor clarified, "Things were getting better between us for a while, but I do think things really changed after we escaped from Innominat and that dragon. The way you trusted me with Laphicet meant a lot."
"…" Velvet remained silent as she uncrossed her arms.
"Before you only let me look after him out of necessity since I'm his vessel." Eleanor put her hand on her chest as she spoke with sincerity, "But that time was different. You asked me to look after him. You trusted me with him. You also trusted me to keep quiet about that Malevolence emitting from you. I knew you didn't want anyone else to know, so I didn't tell anyone about that."
"…" Velvet still found herself unable to say a word.
"I'm not wrong am I?" Eleanor held up her hand and took a step forward, "I didn't meant to be presumptions, but we are friends now right?"
"Hmm …" Velvet answered, "To be honest, I never thought it. But after hearing you say all this, I guess we are."
"…" Eleanor's lack of satisfaction was present on her face when she frowned.
Velvet then corrected herself, "We are. We are friends."
Eleanor's frown quickly turned to a smile as she stated, "I'm … glad you think so too. It does mean a lot."
"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she couldn't help but lampshade the situation, "A Daemon and an Exorcist friends? That really is a bizarre combination no matter how you slice it."
"You're telling me, but it works." Eleanor playfully pointed out, "At least after they stop trying to fight each other and try to get along."
"Make no mistake, Eleanor." Velvet held up her right pointer finger as she bluntly told Eleanor, "We're the exception. Not the rule. We were just lucky." Velvet bluntly added with a shrug, "If you even want to call it that."
As much as Eleanor hated to admit it, "… Yet another true statement." The hint of sadness was evident in her voice.
Velvet rhetorically asked, "Have I ever lied?"
"No." Eleanor didn't hesitant to answer, "As much as I wished you were lying sometimes, you never did. You were always honest with me."
"Yeah well …" Velvet stated, "You can thank my sister for raising me. I knew from the start that 'honesty is the best policy'. I never hid the fact that I needed you all for different reasons, but things have changed. I'd like to think it has been for the better."
"Hmph …" Eleanor looked up to the stars in the sky as she stated, "This has been a rather 'Bizarre Adventure' from the very start. So many things I never thought possible or even knew existed ended up proving me wrong time and time again. I found out for myself just how small and naïve I really am."
"Even I was naïve to things too …" Velvet admitted as she looked up as well.
"However," Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "despite everything that's happened, all the highs, lows, and dangers we've been though, I have to say that when I look back on everything, it has been a lot of fun?"
Velvet looked down to Eleanor and inquired, "Fun?"
"Yeah, fun." Eleanor looked down to meet Velvet's eyes. Her voice was sincere as she told Velvet, "I know we've caused a lot of destruction and problems, but so has pretty much everyone else. I may not have always enjoyed it, but when I look back on these past few months it has been the best part of my life. I don't think I've ever been this happy since my mother died."
"Eleanor …" That was the only world Velvet could say in response. Her lips were apart as she found herself unable to say another word.
"I don't know if you heard me say things before, but I thought becoming a nun or an Exorcist were the only ways to give my life purpose after what happened to my mom." Eleanor seemed happy when she admitted, "But just like everything else, I ended up being completely wrong again. If anything, my life would've been rendered meaningless if I hadn't run into you. Now that I'm on the outside looking in, I realize I was just going with the flow. That is not what my mom would've wanted nor the younger me. I just never realized I was stuck in that flow before I met you."
"You were doing good things as an Exorcist Eleanor." Velvet assured Eleanor, "You didn't trick or force people into becoming Therions. Nor did you torture people for experiments like the Abbey did. Even when we were enemies, you weren't like that at all." Velvet added for emphasis, "You were good."
Eleanor shook her head, "That doesn't matter. They were doing that under my nose when I was with them." She held a fist over her chest as her eyes narrowed as her voice slowly began to fill with disgust, "They were committing their own atrocities, and I probably would've been used as their guinea pig, so they could commit more. I can only hope that after this is over that maybe we can start healing the world the right way."
"…" Velvet decided to remain silent again to let Eleanor finishing.
Eleanor appeared to ease up as she released her fist and her face softened. "After everything I've seen, I know both sides have done a lot of bad, but most people don't know what the Abbey has done."
Velvet bluntly remarked, "It might be for the better if they don't."
"Huh?" Eleanor tilted her head.
"Almost all of the ones responsible for the horrible things the Abbey did are dead now." Velvet pointed out a she curled her bandaged fingers into a fist, "They paid the price for their crimes. The only ones left are Artorius and Innominat. Once they're gone, things can start anew." Velvet held out her hand and gestured to Eleanor as she told her, "I'm sure someone like you could do that."
"Um …" Eleanor's widened. She took a step back as she asked, "You … you really think so?"
Velvet shrugged and shook her head, "I don't know for sure, but I'd like to think there's a chance." Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and asked, "There's always a chance isn't there?"
"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment to think.
"As long as we have out wills, I'd like to think so." Velvet stated.
"Yes. You're right." Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "I don't know what the future holds. None of us know, but I know we're going to keep fighting, so we can have one." Eleanor clarified, "So everyone can have one. So everyone can remain free from the cycle of Innominat." Eleanor declared, "It may not mean much, but I want you to know that I'm here with you until the end of the line. I'm not going to let Innominat sacrifice you or Laphicet, so he can have his way. We're going to win."
"Hmm …" Velvet took a step towards and Eleanor and did something Eleanor didn't expect. Velvet patted her on the shoulder. It was an unexpected, but not unwelcomed feeling. Her hand felt the opposite of what she would've expected from Velvet's cold personality even after she had defrosted. Eleanor could feel her cheeks beginning to burn.
"Um …" Eleanor let herself feel distracted by Velvet's gesture, that she almost didn't heard what Velvet said next,
Velvet smiled as she sincerely told Eleanor, "I wouldn't expect any less from you. Needless to say, that does help … a lot more than you know."
"…" Eleanor remained silent as she heard Velvet's words. She smiled upon hearing them.
Velvet concluded with, "You really are a good person." She then let go of Eleanor's shoulder and walked past her. She softly said, "We wouldn't have made it this far without you … I wouldn't have …"
Eleanor's ears perked upon hearing something from Velvet. She immediately turned around, and asked, "What was that?
Velvet kept walking as she told Eleanor, "I said 'we should get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow.'" Velvet stopped and glanced over her shoulder to remind Eleanor, "Phi wants us to go fishing remember?"
"Right …" Eleanor conceded and followed Velvet back to the camp.
This was only the first day of their vacation. There was more for them to do, and they had this brief respite to do it. They would try to do what they could to enjoy the time they had left. None of them knew what would happen after they would leave. It was important to enjoy the moment, and not leave words unspoken. However, Velvet knew that while she spoke some of the words, there were still some that she had not.
/
Omake:
Eleanor: That takes care of the first day of the vacation.
Velvet: Yeah. It only took the author an entire year to go through the first day of this.
Eleanor: It wasn't entirely the author's fault. The Persona 5 anime was getting released this year, so the author wanted to make sure there were monthly updates ready for "Into the Fog".
Velvet: Yeah. I guess you have a point. Since we don't have an anime or anything, I guess we would be a little lower in the priority list.
Eleanor: The author does hope to complete this story this year. Let's hope we can make that possible.
Velvet: Let's try to give the author the support necessary then.
Eleanor: You know. On another note, I find it kinda interesting that the author decided to produce these omakes for most of the other stories partly based on the trademark 'skits' that you'd see in the Tales series.
Velvet: "Is that right?"
Eleanor: Yep. The author really loves our series, so it is pretty awesome that Tales of Berseria is the first Tales game the author decided to produce a fanfiction story for.
Velvet: Is that right? I wonder if we'll see other Tales games get the fanfiction treatment too.
Eleanor: Not right now. Seems like the author has other priorities right now.
Velvet: I can definitely see that.
Eleanor: Anyway, let's just stay focused on trying to complete this story.
Velvet: Be sure to support the author, or I'll eat you.
Eleanor: Velvet, Velvet. You don't threaten the readers. You need to ask them politely. (Bows head) Please support this story. I beg you.
Velvet: Now you're begging?
Eleanor: Fine. Let's go with this.
Velvet & Eleanor: Leave a review to support the author.
Velvet: It takes the author time to write this.
Eleanor: Be sure to let the author know you support that much.
/
Author Notes: The fight scene between Eleanor and Velvet was fun to write. I liked the duel they had in the game. I know that Velvet had those shoe swords, so I decided to briefly utilize them for this fight. In the game, Velvet is shown to defeat Eleanor by getting her weapon out of her hand and knocking her to ground. I decided to have Velvet do that again but with a different execution. It seems to be an effective strategy.
There were several changes to the conversation that Eleanor and Velvet had in this chapter, but I do feel a sense of satisfaction with it. Velvet decided to say some things that previously were unspoken, but some things still remain that way. Anyway, I enjoyed having Eleanor and Velvet go down memory lane during this chapter. It felt like an excellent way to have the two reflect on how much they have changed since the beginning as well as how they previous interacted with each other.
While I wouldn't be surprised if Velvet and Eleanor had certain conversations off-screen regarding certain issues, I decided to make them the forefront of their conversation here. I can definitely picture Eleanor feeling guilty when she referred to Velvet as being darkness incarnate before learning the truth. Likewise, I'm sure Velvet felt some regret for stating she doesn't trust Eleanor similar to how Eizen apologized to her. While it becomes clear that Velvet clearly trusts Eleanor later in the game, I wish we saw Velvet apologizing to her off-screen. At least fanfiction allows scenes like this to be made.
This chapter was fun to create between both the fight scene and their conversation afterwards. Additionally, I liked that I had fun with writing a chapter predominantly featuring only two characters. Seems like this story and "Sorrowful Peace" are the only ones I occasionally do that when I usually utilize far more characters. I always enjoy the variety, but I don't mind occasionally making the cast significantly smaller from time to time.
As much fun as I'm having with this story, I do know that I need to be gearing towards the end. I would like to think this mini-series project is about half way over. We'll have to see how the story continues to develop. Either way, I believe this story will reach its natural conclusion after a little bit more time. I hope to produce another update or two during the course of Summer 2018, and my goal is to complete this story before 2018 is over. Let's hope I make it.
Please be sure to leave a review for this chapter. A lot of work goes into writing these chapters, and your feedback truly means a lot. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon. See you next time.
