Felinis: Oh yeah... So I recently made a page because my mom kept saying I should make one. I don't expect anyone to support it and frankly I'd be surprised if you did. I don't right fanfic for anything other than character studies and to do weird shit to characters I love. I'll put up a link and all that, but hey that's cool.

"Yuri what's wrong?" The little boy pouts clutching his stomach. He doesn't want to say because it's selfish and in the end Yuri is just a freeloader. "Are you hungry?" Norien's kind blue pools stare into his as she plays with his locks. "I understand. You and Flynn are both growing boys so it's okay if you are."

"But… if I ask for more there won't be as much for everyone else." As always with a few kind touches and a simple smile that has always driven Yuri mad with how pure it is he finds himself asking for more food. He always feels hungry after an episode and he hates himself for it. Wordlessly she breaks her bread and gives him more than half of everything on her plate. It's often that Yuri wonders why Norien did such kind things to him despite being a stranger. She never had to and probably she'd still be alive if Norien had gone on pretending he didn't exist like many others. Flynn would probably have had more friends if he hadn't stuck around with the local halfer.

Yuri often hates himself because it was his fault nobody was around to help her when she on death's door. Yuri and Flynn had decided to play in their room that day since Flynn wasn't feeling that well. They heard her coughing and Yuri convinced Flynn it was fine for now. It was probably a small fit and she was fine. Yuri had just wanted to help Flynn forget how frail Norien was at the time. Yuri could hear the coughing and he said they should play because it was painful to see her this way. If he had gone to see her maybe there would have still been something they could do… They found her dead on the floor having suffocated on her own vomit. Disease is a terrible thing, but not for the reason most think.

It's not terrible because it is slow, no while it is a horror it is merely a part of it. Disease is dreadful, because a death in battle or an accident can still be pretty. To die in your sleep leaves you grace, but disease takes your dignity and shoves it up your ass. Norien died terribly. A woman in fevers who couldn't leave her bed shitting herself. In all likelihood, what had killed her had not been the disease but more the choking from being weak. That's the true horror of plague. That's the terror often forgotten from stories. Yuri has seen disease and knows it is anything but pleasant.

Flynn would have gone the same way… "Yuri, you look hungry." Norien says and his childhood home has melted away to the spring at Keiv Moc. "You should have some more." He shakes his head and Norien tsks. "You're a growing boy, Yuri." He watches and he thinks he might scream as his skin begins overgrowing with scales. "Isn't it lovely? You're coming into your own." He attempts to scrape them away like they're insects running across his body fruitlessly. His breathes turn shaky as he sees his hands stop obeying him. Those claws turn thick and like talons and his fingers stretch and grow beyond any form of logic. Stop! Please stop! Yuri's body is breaking and destroying himself and he feels every shift in his bones. He feels more horns grow and his body erupt in hellish pain as feathers coat what isn't covered in scales. This isn't happening. This a nightmare! Wake up! His voice screams as he feels the teeth in his jaw grow to the point he fears they might pierce his skull. Wake up! Yuri can't feel his legs…

WAKE UP!

Yuri is dripping in sweat from the dream feeling he might cough up his heart from how high in his lungs it is. Nightmares like this have happened before to him ever since he first grew the horns. Hellish dreams of becoming a monster and losing his mind. Yuri groans and clutches his head as he attempts to calm himself down. He looks at his skin and feels the surface with relief that everything is as it should be. Nothing has changed! Yuri can't fathom sleep so instead he just lays there till the sun peaks over the horizon.

Yuri clears his mind cooking breakfast and practicing his sword skills. Nightmares aren't worth spending time on, but cooking eggs is. The journey back to Dahngrest is rather short and they get back late midday. They enter the Union HQ in hopes of finally being able to get a chance to talk with Don. They unceremoniously enter his meeting room surprised to find Flynn there, but at this point Yuri should be used to the blonde being everywhere.

"So you've come back, have ya?" Don says turning over to them. Flynn seems even more surprised to see them than they are. "What, you two know each other?"

Flynn nods. "Yes, we're old friends..."

The Don snorts looking between them. "Ya don't say."

"I see you know Yuri as well." Flynn says glancing over at Yuri as if he's done something reckless in the last hour. Thanks for the vote of confidence, friend.

"We crossed paths during the assault on the city. Now then, what business did ya have?"

Flynn drops his head a little and Yuri takes this as a chance to parade in front of him. "We came to ask you about a man named Barbos of the Blood Alliance. It looks like he's the one behind the recent string of stolen blastia cores."

Flynn smiles. "Well, this might make things easier."

"You have a problem with him, too?" Yuri says raising a brow. Why would the knights be interfering with the guilds? If Barbos is causing trouble for the guilds the empire doesn't have much reason to interfere.

Flynn coughs and stands tall. "We have come to ask that the Union relinquish all ties with the Blood Alliance. Other guilds have begun to follow Barbos' example, abusing blastia in other areas and disrupting the order of society. If we can count on your assistance, I feel that together we should move to put an end to the Blood Alliance."

Don strokes his beard. "...Barbos. He's been testing the limits of my patience lately." The man leans back in his chair tapping the arm with his fingers. "Looks like it's time to remind that brute how a proper guild behaves."

"A clash between the guilds and the empire was avoided the other day, largely due to your intervention. However, if Barbos is left unattended, the relations between our two states may yet again be torn apart."

"That's not gonna be fun for anybody."

Flynn nods. "The time for stopping Barbos is now."

"Since we'd be cooperatin' with ya, I assume we'd be on equal standing with the empire in this." The Don says sternly.

"Yes, sir."

"Humph. If that's the case, a united front with the empire might not be such a bad idea." The Don turns to Raven who has drifted behind him. "Yeah, we'll deal with this together. Hey. Send a message to Belius. Tell her that Nordopolica's gonna help us."

Flynn's face softens in relief as he kneels in front of him holding up a paper. "I've brought a letter from His Highness Ioder."

"A secret note from the imperial candidate, huh?" The Don rips open the letter and looks it over. "Read it aloud."

Raven takes the note unceremoniously and recites the words. "If Don Whitehorse is taken out of the picture, we are willing to overlook the Union's responsibility in the Barbos affair."

Everyone's face drops in shock and Flynn gaps. "What?"

The Don burst out laughing and leers at him tossing the letter over. "Don't make me laugh!"

"...What...what is this?" Flynn's hands are shaking in shock and rage as the paper crumples in his hands.

"Looks like you and the young master see things a bit differently." The Don gestures and the guild men come up and grab his arms.

"There must be some mistake! Master Ioder would never say such a thing!"

"Show our guest here to his own private suite!"

The men pull him away and Yuri holds Estelle so she won't do something brash. "Don Whitehorse, please listen to me! This is some sort of trap!"

Flynn is dragged out and the Don thrusts upward. "All-out war with the empire! We'll take everything we've got and march on the imperial capital! Try and make a fool out of me?! I'll tear these little messengers limb from limb!"

The men in the room rally as they march out cheering praise for war and the Union. There's a panic between everyone else as they see that a war is on the verge of sparking. "I cannot believe that Ioder would give a letter like that to Flynn. There must be some mistake!" Estelle exclaims.

"We've met His Highness, too, and he certainly didn't seem like that kind of person." Rita notes picking up the fallen letter from the floor.

"But you heard the letter - it said to take Don Whitehorse out of the picture!" Karol worries as Yuri snatches the letter from Rita.

The writing looks a little sloppy for a noble. "So maybe it was sent by someone who wants to throw a wrench into what Ioder and Flynn are doing."

"But that's nothing more than a hunch right now."

"Yeah, you're right. The only thing we know for sure right now is that Flynn is in trouble." Yuri huffs as he tries to think of anything he can do. Flynn is too clever to just let a forgery wind up in his care so it has to be something else. He makes the excuse as they walk through the rowdy streets of losing his wallet and hurries his way back to the headquarters. He sneaks his way down the hall till he descends into prison giving the air a quick sniff. Yep he's here, brownies and nutmeg just like always.

The blonde is sitting there with his back to him with a calm demeanor that is far too zen for a man expecting war. Flynn doesn't even turn to address him and Yuri chuckles. "Thought I was being quiet, but I guess you heard me."

"So, you've come to have a laugh at me in this sorry state?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see what kind of expression being locked up put on your face."

Yuri leans on the bars wondering why Flynn is still staying put. "It doesn't hurt to be forced to view things from behind bars every now and then."

"What the hell do you think you were doing, coming here with a letter like that?"

Flynn shrugs mischievously. "That was the red eyes' doing. They attacked after you left."

"You don't screw up like that. Was it one of your people?"

"Even if it was, the responsibility is mine."

Yuri smirks. Leave it to Flynn to keep a forgery on hand. "If the red eyes are involved, then Ragou's gotta be behind it all."

"But how do you know...?"

"At the harbor, we saw Ragou giving orders to one of their assassins."

"I hadn't heard about that."

"Do you know what they're trying to do?"

Flynn huffs less because he's thinking but more because he's probably been well aware of what Barbos has been aiming towards for a time now. "...Most likely they want to force a clash between the guilds and the Knights."

"That'd be bad. You think another one of those false letters went to the Knights?"

"Yes, to put them in a fighting mood."

Yuri rolls his eyes slashing the lock apart thrusting open the door. "If you know that much, then get out there and get the real letters back."

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to get rid of that damn lock." They both know that Flynn could have gotten out whenever he wanted. Flynn's known how to pick locks and break out of things since they were kids. "You've got to stay here."

Yuri glares at Flynn as he strides out of the cell. "What, and be your scapegoat? You're just itching to get rid of me, aren't you?"

Flynn's face is tense as he stops walking. "Yuri, if I don't make it back... You'll have to die in my place."

"Yeah... Don't fuck up." Yuri waves sitting down on the floor. What a drama queen! Yuri knows that logically he should be worried about the matter, but he trusts Flynn to work things out.

He hears the heavy footsteps after some time and a tsk. "Taking your friend's place in a jail cell? You lost your mind, son?"

Yuri snorts. "This coming from an old man who gets rid of his own guards on purpose."

"Humph. I had a special favor ta ask that rookie knight."

"You mean Flynn?"

"The rats that plan these sorta stunts usually like ta enjoy their handiwork from somewhere nearby."

Yuri crosses his arms leaning against the wall. "If you knew the letter was fake, why'd you fire everyone up like that?"

"If I didn't make a good show of things, whoever's behind all this wouldn't bother ta come watch. Besides, we've got a lot of hotheads around here who'd never let me hear the end of it if I didn't raise hell." Well now Yuri feels stupid for busting Flynn out when he was going to get free anyway. "So that's where it stands. Of course, if our friend the knight doesn't show up again, your life is mine."

"I know." Yuri thinks about everything that's going on and how both of these men are disturbingly put together yet are on different sides of politics. "Tell me one thing, though. What made you want to start a guild in the first place?"

"I realized I couldn't protect the things that were important ta me, playin' by the empire's rules."

"There have to be some things that were easier to protect when you were on the other side, though." The empire isn't perfect, but it has laws and structure. Things to keep people safe even if a lot of it Yuri hates. "Even in the lower quarter where I'm from, we still had the barrier to protect us."

"Sure, but were ya happy with just puttin' up with all the things ya didn't like? Did ya like having to where a collar and keep yer head low?" Yuri can't argue because he's always hated the rules in the empire. Always hated being below second class… "So if the rules the empire sets don't suit ya, you've got two choices. You can do like your friend is, and put everything you've got into changin' the system. Or ya can turn yer back on the empire, and live by the rules ya set fer yerself."

"That's pretty clear cut..." Yuri mutters thinking over the words. Turning his back on the system and doing as he pleases suits him fine. That's how Yuri has always been and how he's always wanted to be.

"...Yep. I think yer gonna have ta take responsibility for lettin' my prisoner go."

"You want me to do something besides rotting in this cell?"

"The sap who's been puttin' together this little show's gotta be somewhere in this city. I'd been plannin' on askin' yer armor-wearin friend ta hunt 'em down for me, but..." Of course…

"So what, you want me to find them?"

Don nods. "Your job is ta pay this debt back ta me. How ya go about it is up ta you. That young lady ya brought with ya is runnin' all over the place helpin' with the injured folks. Yer not the type ta be the only one sittin' around twiddlin' yer thumbs, right?"

"...Estelle. Huh, that sounds like her." Yuri can say he's proud of hard working she is. He walks out and heads to find his friends among the rallying townsfolk. He grins when he hears that Rita and Repede have already done some of the work for him.

"Where were you talking with the Don, Yuri? You were gone for a long time." Estelle asks as they head down the road.

"We had a nice little chat through some thick iron bars."

She gasps slightly and crosses her arms. "...Yuri, did you get Flynn out of prison by trading places with him?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Yuri waves. "Flynn would've been released even if I hadn't gotten involved."

"What do you mean?"

Yuri crosses his arms thoroughly annoyed at Flynn. "The Don planned all along to capture Flynn, and use him to find out who's behind this whole mess."

He sees the gears tick in her head. "So both the Don and Flynn know that there's someone else manipulating things?"

"Yeah. Why do I keep letting myself get caught up in this stuff?" Yuri groans in annoyance. "Now the Don's making me do his dirty work... What a pain!" He should have just left Flynn in there so he could deal with all this shit. Yuri is more than certain Flynn could pull a miracle out of his ass. They see Rita crouched behind some crates watching Blood Alliance men outside some bar.

They whisper on plans for breaking in when a new voice interrupts from behind. "I'll let ya in on somethin' good."

Rita jumps and tries to smack Raven. "...You again?"

"Hey, shouldn't you be over there with the rest?"

Raven leans back on the wall flicking some dirt from his ear. "Should be, but the Don's told me to watch over ya so that ya don't botch the job. Wanna come relax with me at the bar and hear me out?"

"We don't really have time to lounge around like that..." Estelle says pulling herself away from Raven's attempt to sling an arm on her shoulder.

"It'll be fine. You sound like you're wary of bein' tricked or something."

Rita puts herself in front and glares at him. "When you put it that way, you make it sound like someone's here to trick us."

"I can deal with getting tricked a few times. But I'm sure you know even a saint's got limits, right, old man?" Yuri says pulling Estelle closer to him because this man is a creep.

"Don't make that scary face. I told ya, I get it. C'mon youngin', smile for me. This way" Raven winks and gestures for them to follow him. Raven guides them to Sagittarius with a quick word to guard at the door to the Don's lounge. "This is where the Don meets with his distinguished guests and has private discussions over drinks."

"Are you telling us to just sit around and drink?" Yuri says looking over the bottles. These are some pretty fine brands.

"If yer' friend comes back with the real letter, we can settle the whole matter peacefully." Raven smirks grabbing a glass of what Yuri assumes is whiskey and taking a soft sip.

"Sorry, but I can't let Flynn act cool all on his own." Yuri says grabbing the glass and setting it down.

"We have to locate the person who started this commotion." Estelle says impatiently tapping her foot. "If Barbos manages to-"

"Now, now. Haste makes waste." Raven sings strolling behind the large desk and chair swinging open the door.

It's pitch black inside which is both ominous and cool. "Where does this go?"

"A complex underground canal stretches across this city." Raven smirks stepping inside. "Way back, when the empire was occupying the city, guilds hid in this canal and waited for an opportunity to counterattack."

Karol looks eagerly between Yuri and the door. "So you're saying, this door connects to that canal?"

"Exactly! So, let's sneak around right under their noses and size 'em up."

"So we'll ambush them using the canal. It's a detour, but it seems sound enough." Yuri grins following inside.

"That's what I'm sayin'! Aren't ya glad you trusted me?"

Yeah, no. Yuri doubts that he'd trust Raven if through some contrived plot twist, he turned out to be his father. Or was actually a member of the royal family. Basically, nothing in the world could convince Yuri this man was trustworthy. "I won't know that until we go and take a look."

"You don't have any confidence in me, do ya?" Raven sighs dramatically as Yuri grabs him by the collar pulling him along.

"Naturally, you're going to come along with us, aren't you?"

Raven pouts and lets himself be dragged along. "Oh man, and here I was totally ready to back out."

"We're just gonna give you a chance to show off a bit. Come on." Yuri rolls his eyes descending the stairs down into the inky blackness.

Felinis: Oh boy. PS3 dungeon part... I wanted to make so many out of place 4th wall jokes just because of that. I love how Flynn totally could have gotten that cell whenever, but was waiting for Yuri to show up. It's not like Flynn didn't have his sword on him. Flynn is fun to right because he's such a shining gentleman, but at the same time he totally knows how to play everyone.