A/N: I know I don't answer a lot of your guy's reviews ^^; but I do appreciate every single one!(I'm very socially inept, I never know what to say back).
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I'm glad all of you like this story so far!
Best Laid Plans
A D Gray-Man and Skyrim Crossover
Turned out, for one reason or another, Thonar had no intention of sending Allen and Lavi back to Cidhna Mine, nor did he plan on having them slaughtered on the spot for escaping. He almost seemed glad that they had escaped, even though he had been the one to send them there in the first place. As a matter of fact, it appeared he had expected it.
Their snooping around town and causing a stir had given Thonar both insight into some loose ends within "his" city and incentive to pursue them. He almost seemed disappointed that Madanach had not tried to escape with them, but otherwise pleased to hear they had swiped his key that would allow such escape, and now Madanach had no back doors to access, which left him trapped like an ill-prepared rat.
Thonar even had all of their things that had been confiscated while they were thrown into jail returned in exchange for the key they'd swiped, and sent along their merry way with a pardon from the Jarl. The first one to greet them when they made it back to Understone Keep was - perhaps predictably - Lenalee.
"Allen! Lavi! You're both alright!" the Imperial girl gasped, running and throwing herself at both of them. "I was worried about you both!"
"Lenalee..."
"We're fine," Allen placated, looking a little more uncomfortable at the contact, but also somewhat glad to see the girl again and that he seemed to be missed. "You don't have to worry."
"We-ll, mostly fine," Lavi said, thinking on his wound from the Sphere blade to his side. Lenalee glanced them over and spotted the scratches, furrowing her brows.
"I'll get both of you a potion to heal you right up," she promised, spinning on her heel and dashing off. The next to greet them was Komui, while Kanda sat somewhere off to the side, looking as though he couldn't care less.
"I hear both of you had quite the misadventure..." Komui hummed, likewise looking them over and taking in their disheveled appearances, but seeming relieved.
"You could call it that," Allen replied.
"Well, I'm glad both of you made it out. Lenalee and Kanda returned as soon as both of you were arrested and told me what happened. Seems you caused a stir that wasn't taken too well by those with special interests in this city..."
"Did you know about what was happening?" Allen couldn't help but ask, somewhat paranoid of the answer. Komui stared at him levelly, wise to what Allen was implying.
"I know that there's a great deal of corrupt practices when it comes to politics, some worse than others, and Markarth is no exception to this. Make waves too large too quickly, though... well, you saw what happened for yourself. With the proper finesse though, sometimes small, insistent ripples push things where they need to go."
Allen nodded understanding, a certain sense of relief washing over him at the man's words. At least it didn't appear - from what he could tell anyway - that Komui was in support of the Silver-bloods and the guards that worked for them. Getting in the way of powerful people's goals or desires, however, could be outright dangerous. Passive persuasion was much more effective than open rebellion, and it appeared that Komui knew this well enough.
"I'm sure, after the ordeal you've both had, that some good food would likely be appreciated."
Allen couldn't help but light up at the mere mention of it, having been so focused on surviving and escape that he'd almost forgotten food entirely.
"Yes, please!" he said, a little too eagerly, he realized afterwards, flushing slightly. Komui merely smiled amusement and led them to where they could change first and then eat and relax by the stream that cut through Understone Keep's ruins. Lavi recounted everything that happened to the others - well, almost everything, but Allen decided not to bring a few details up either - while he mostly sat off to the side and listened.
Sleep and proper beds were a godsend to the whitette after having gone so long without, between traveling, prison, traveling, then being thrown in prison a second time, even if it was under guard. Otherwise, they were very accommodating, and willing to give it all free. On account that he was certain it had to do with the fact that he was Dragonborn though, he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.
Should be feel happy, or annoyed? Would they even give a damn if it weren't for that? Likely not. People changed their attitudes about people when there was something in it for them, he knew that all too well. In this case, the gain was not being killed by dragons, while throwing him out to complete the task of doing as much.
Suffice to say, after about a week passed, he was very hard-pressed to refuse what Johnny had made for him.
The helmet was the color of pearls and steel, not too large but covering the eyes and nose, more closely akin to a mask. The eye-holes were sealed but with the thinnest layer of malachite glass that only tainted his vision with the faintest green hue, almost unnoticeable. The body armor appeared to be made of the same pearl Moonstone and steel, but it was still surprisingly light, stitched together with an under-layer of leather for protection and black cloth above for aesthetic. If that wasn't enough, they'd even made him a new fur cloak, with a thicker collar of fur to keep his neck warm, and longer than his last. That was nice in and of itself, but on the inside of the pelt cloak was a layer of checker-stitched thick cloth like that he only saw on fine clothes for the wealthy, more than suited to keep him nice and toasty even in the most frigid of Skyrim's climates. It was truly some of the nicest artistry he had ever seen put into a set of armor in his entire life. It would almost be a sin to wear and use it instead of display it in a museum or behind a display case.
"This-... this is all too much," Allen mumbled, feeling put-on-the-spot and overwhelmed by the level of craftsmanship and generosity. Komui and Johnny only beamed at him as if they'd received a compliment from the Divines themselves, and he had no idea how to argue them down from the level of pleasure they got from his reaction.
Having been standing with his hands behind his back, Johnny stepped forward and scratched the side of his face bashfully, flushing.
"Hey, Allen? Hold out your arm for me, would you? The left one, I mean..."
Allen blinked, hesitating out of habitual wariness, before tentatively lifting his arm. Johnny smiled and slipped a glove and full sleeve over his deformed arm, messing with the fingers to get them fitted properly and tying the top of the sleeve to a piece of his armor just above the shoulder to keep it from falling. Looking at it more closely, he realized that it was designed to cover but still keep his claws free through small, stitched slits at the end. It even made the claws look like a part of the glove, rather than his own personal deformity.
"I-I know it bugs you, other people seeing it and all, but Lavi and Kanda told me that you use it to fight too, so I thought it'd make things easier if you could use it properly without having to worry about hiding it or keeping it hidden all of the time. If it doesn't fit properly or anything, just let me know, alright?"
Allen could only stare at him for a few moments in shock before smiling genuine gratitude as he fully inspected the level of care that had gone into that piece as well.
"Thank you..."
Johnny only smiled before he and his fellows went about making sure the others three were prepared and outfitted for their journey as well, the mutual decision being that they would set out the next morning after proper food and rest. It would be a long journey from Markarth to High Hrothgar, even on horseback.
Sitting at dinner, everyone else appeared to be in good spirits. Kanda merely sat off to the side of the room, near the door. Whether it was because he didn't trust Allen not to flee on his own or he merely wanted nothing to do with the festivities, it was difficult to tell. Everyone else chattered sociably, and Allen answered or replied as was needed and stayed silent when no one demanded a certain answer from him.
Even despite high spirits, he couldn't quite share them. The friendliness and generosity that Komui, Johnny, and everyone else felt bittersweet to him. It wasn't as though he didn't want to enjoy their company, but how could he, when they wouldn't enjoy his without being what they thought he was? If they had never learned what he was, if he had never learned what he was, there was no doubt in his mind that they simply wouldn't care for him.
They would spare no such thoughts to who he was or what he wanted, they would have simply let him die at the headsman's block. They barely seemed to spare the thought now, trying to force him into the roll of the fabled monster-slaying Dragonborn without asking him if he wanted it or not.
He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do, if anything at all. On the same note, could he just let innocent people get slaughtered, burned, and terrorized without doing anything about it, when he had the power to do so?
"You don't look like you're enjoying yourself very much," Komui noted, drawing Allen out of his thoughts. The man gave him a concerned look. "Something on your mind?"
Allen pursed his lips, looking elsewhere and pondering whether or not to admit to what he was thinking.
"This is all very nice of you, but... I feel like its just..." he trailed off, not sure how to continue without becoming rude, trying to figure out the best wording. "Are you only doing all of this because of my supposedly being Dragonborn?" The chatter was falling silent, the others watching him and making the teen suddenly second-guess speaking his mind. "I mean, none of you even really know, its simply a hunch at this point, and yet you're going to great lengths to go above and beyond what it feels like you'd ever do for me if it turned out I wasn't."
"Hm... well perhaps you aren't. I can't really say. It does appear that there are dragons running amok, however, and it appears as if you're going along with it even if it turns out that you might not be." Allen remained silent and Komui continued. "Dragonborn or not, we live in some very dangerous times, between living myths and civil war. If you intend on going to High Hrothgar, and maybe fighting dragons anyway of your own accord, what sort of person would I be to see little more than a child off to such perils without making sure they're as protected and prepared as can be? I think I'd be worse than a person who would only help you because of believing in some old fairy tail, don't you?" Komui questioned, smiling.
Allen looked uncertain, glancing between the others. Johnny and Lenalee smiled and nodded the same at him, backing up Komui's words.
"Besides," Lenalee added. "Dragonborn or not, it doesn't mean we can't get to know each other, right? You seem very nice to me, Allen, and maybe that's the circumstance that we met under, but it gave us the chance to maybe become friends that we wouldn't have otherwise had."
"I guess so..." Allen hummed, feeling slightly better. His eyes briefly lingered over Lavi, but the redhead didn't appear to have anything to say, merely offering him a shrug that was more disheartening than the white-haired male thought it would be, his eyes hardening for a moment, before he tore them away. "Sorry, I guess I'm just not used to this sort of thing."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with that," Komui laughed faintly. "But over time, I'm sure it won't seem so strange to you."
"Yeah," Allen returned, indulging more readily into dinner and drink, fancying the idea of finding a place of normalcy and acceptance that he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before, even though he was hard-pressed to believe it. "I do hope so."
Allen was surprised to find that, even though he and Lavi had given Thonar the key from Madanach, the door to the Markarth Ruins tunnel was still unlocked and easily accessible. Even though it had been a week, there didn't appear to be any effort to seal the exit off. Probably Thonar felt assured of victory.
Even though he had gone through the tunnel once before, it was still an unnerving place and he kept his senses alert for danger. He was happy to find that the door between Madanach's room and the tunnels was still in-tact, rather than sealed up.
"Madanach!" he called in a hushed voice. "Madanach!"
He heard movement and an angry hum. "I know that voice!" Madanach growled before appearing, Allen taking a step back, so as not to repeat being slammed against the bars. Now he was sporting a very fine few scars from Lavi's flames that he didn't have before, and perhaps a few other wounds that couldn't be accounted for from their escape attempt. "What do you want here? Come to gloat about your victory, you Nord spy?! Come to rub it in my face that you thwarted my plans so effortlessly? You, a child?" the Forsworn leader sneered. "I see they even decorated you up with fancy armor after you pulled that nasty trick on me!"
"I came to return this," Allen stated, fishing the key from his pocket and holding it up. Madanach's eyes gleamed with conflicted bitterness and disbelief.
"You can't honestly be serious?"
"I'm not in with the Silver-bloods, they aren't friends of mine. I just needed a way out, and I got it. This key belongs to you, though. Don't mistake me, its not the show of loyalty you wanted, and I'm not doing it for that reason. I'm just doing it out of decency."
"Decency!" Madanach laughed. "Is that what you call it?"
"I don't really care what you think of me," Allen stated, tossing the key to the dirt at Madanach's feet, then turning on his heel. "I'm leaving Markarth in only a couple of hours. You have your key back. Whatever you do with it, that's the business of you and your guys."
The older man watched the white-haired lad disappear into the tunnels, then bent down to pick up the key, checking it with the lock to make sure it really was the proper one and not a dud. The satisfying click caused him to smile with reluctant gratitude as he re-secured the door and readied his own preparations to escape imprisonment.
"Interesting lad, that Allen Walker... for a Nord."