im late i know dont hate me
Hazle Valentine
After Reverse was defeated, it occurred to Caribs Garrard that staying with the Amberground government was probably the stupidest thing a man could ever do. He had a feeling they knew about his double-crossing anyway – he could tell by the knowing, dark looks his higher-ups gave him, and he knew that if he stayed, he might just lose his freedom and mobility altogether. He knew what they did to people who didn't comply. Therefore, he resigned using an excuse of an illness – more specifically, a growth in his knee joint, and they let him go with airy condolences and empty thanks. Caribs couldn't actually believe that they let him off so easy; they didn't even take any of the money or incentives that he'd received over the years. And so, Caribs grew complacent, spending his money as if more would sprout from his garden. Hazle stayed with him as well – Caribs could still afford to pay him, and he wasn't willing to lose such valuable protection just yet.
However the truth of the matter only revealed itself to him in the midst of a fire. In the middle of the night his bungalow had "inexplicably" burst into flames, and Hazle had shaken him awake from the depths of sleep, carrying him together with their coats, and jumping out of the window. Caribs was too dazed to bring his valuables along with him, and Hazle had only three pouches of gold coins that he had managed to bring with him. Later, as his house burned to ashes, Caribs cursed Hazle at the top of his lungs for not bringing more than that, "surely you could have brought a bag as well!"He fumed, and Hazle could do nothing but apologize. Upon further investigation of the remains of his house Caribs found a ring of damp earth around the burnt wreck. His eyes narrowed as he rubbed the damp soil between his fingers. Arson.
At that moment, fear and paranoia crept into him like thieves in the night, and after pacing about for a few minutes or so, Caribs snatched his coat from Hazle, putting it on with trembling hands (it wasn't just because of the cold), and hired a carriage to take them as far away as their money could pay.
Eventually, they ended up in a barren town far from the capital, almost at the border between there and Yuusari. Caribs didn't have much money left, and the hole in his pocket was beginning to burn. Unaccustomed to living simply, the shabby motels and dry, unsavoury foods were hard for Caribs to swallow – the beds had mites and the stale bread he ate scratched at his throat. However, he had always managed to pay Hazle's wages when the time came – at that point, he needed protection and company more than ever, and Caribs thought it a miracle that Hazle hadn't deserted him yet.
However, as the days went by, Caribs was reduced to his last pouch of gold coins, and realised, with a heavy heart, that he only had enough to support one man from then on. Deciding that it was for the best, Caribs brought Hazle out onto the main road one evening and told him that he should just leave, actually, and find a better-paying employer than he. Upon hearing those words Hazle frowned, a dark shadow falling over his usually bright eyes.
"I have no money to pay you," Caribs told him. It wasn't fair to keep Hazle like that, since he couldn't pay him – of course, he was Caribs' dingo, but above all, he was human, just like Caribs was. A cold gust of wind blew, and Caribs put his hands into the pockets of his cloak as Hazle held on to his hat. "I have enough to send you to a bigger town where you can go where you want, but that's it," Caribs continued, pale lips set in a barely-concealed grimace.
Hazle seemed to be deep in thought - he wasn't bright, Caribs knew, but surely the concept of money and wages was easy enough for any man to understand. But just then Hazle's eyes lit up, and he boldly looked at Caribs, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wolfish grin. Hazle placed both rough hands on Caribs' shoulders, taking the other man by surprise – and guffawed right in Caribs' face.
"Don't be stupid! I might be just a dingo, and I'm not that sharp, but I know a friend when I see one!" Hazle boomed, his unnecessarily loud voice ringing in Caribs' ears uncomfortably. Still, Caribs understood and he smirked, weathered, grateful eyes shielded behind purple-tinted glasses. So, he wasn't going to be the only fugitive there, then.
"Do as you please," Caribs said, and Hazle threw his head back and laughed, broad chest heaving as his laughs rebounded off the buildings like claps of thunder. Caribs adjusted the collar of his coat, his hands suddenly itching for something to touch, and he began to grin himself. Fleeing with a friend was certain to be infinitely better than fleeing with a dingo, after all.
I will see you all again maybe in a few months' time no promises (this is my Very Important National Exam year and I might not have time at all to do this -gulp-)
ALso, thank you all very much for the wonderful reviews! They're all v heartwarming to read.