Felinis:...once more in the spirit of my hw load is hell and I don't want to be responsible I wrote light angst. Heavy Flynn based angst to come... Also someone in this story is going to lose an eye. I won't say who or why but someone is definitely losing an eye...
"Patty!"
The scent of iron and ozone coated the air as she watched the massacre on the ship. Why was this happening? It was a routine job like any other so why was this happening to her ship and her crew?
Fire, someone had started a fire and smoke was filling her lungs along with the heavy globs of red light. She grabbed the hand of a young man pulling him away from a monster lunging at them.
"Get to the hull and stay there." Patty wheezed as she thrust open the door and shoved him down. "All men that can still act focus on getting us out of this mess."
Her body was struggling to act as needed as she ran for the wheel with the hopes she may be able to steer them out of whatever it was that was happening. Patty jumped and pulled out of the way of a woman who fell from the mast noting the empty cavity where her head should be.
It had started off like that. One crew member exploded showering blood and gray matter and then another and another till one's eyes turned bloodshot. Monster- they had turned into actual monsters of hell. This was some sort of curse that the red mist brought in or something. Patty wasn't sure but she had to get everyone out of here.
They had to live. "Seifer, get everyone somewhere safe till we're out of this storm."
"No way, someone has to keep you safe while you steer the ship." A silver-haired man clad in red and black.
"And who will keep everyone else safe?' She fired her gun at one of the former humans charging towards them with an open mouth full of fangs through the chest. "A captain goes down with her ship but not the crew. I can handle myself here- Now go!"
BOOM
Patty's eyes flew open as she heaved on the bed her mouth tasting of old vomit. "Patty! Oh, good you're awake."
It was Karol. A familiar face in all the chaos her mind had conjured till she fell asleep. "I… how long was I out?"
"Four-maybe five hours." He counted on his hands. "I made sure to keep watch for when you woke up. Are you okay? What happened? You started screaming earlier and we were worried."
Patty swallowed and gripped at the edge of her overcoat carefully. "I remembered my past. Part of it in the very least."
It was broken but it was hers and the only thing that held her back was the dissonance between the her in her memories and the Patty she was now. Her perspective had felt different and she'd been called captain of all things. Was she…? Then what about the memories she already had?
Who was Patty in reality?
"Was it bad? You looked scared," He sat next to her and took her hand gently. "Sometimes I have nightmares and I get so terrified I start screaming so it's okay if you were. Everyone gets scared of dreams… or memories."
"I thought you hated being a coward?" Patty hums gripping tighter and enjoying the soft warmth.
"Well, yeah. There's nothing good in getting scared, but lately- lately, I can't bring myself to worry over a little fear. There's too much to let all that weigh me down you know." He's definitely changed in the past few weeks for the better. It still doesn't fix the real problem though that Patty is facing but she also understands that right now what's happening is a bigger dilemma than her own and she won't let it bring the group down. For now, she'd focus on organizing her memories and who she was.
Besides, she had a feeling she was close to the truth of it all.
"Thank you. I'll be fine, I don't really remember the dream that well," Patty hums and the door opens to reveal a stray Yuri. She'd be lying she said seeing him wasn't upsetting. It reminded her too much of her memories and watching him just move was miserable to watch. The poor man was falling apart and they could only pray for a miracle. "Ah, Yuri! Darling, how ye fairing?"
He smoothly collapsed on the ground doing his best to hind the fact that he's been limping since they got there. His feet aren't shaped well enough for upright walking and while she can't explain it the muscles aren't lining up the way they should. "Oh ya know, same old same old. Good to see you up Patty."
"Good to be up." Patty looks between the boys and notes a clear tension in the room and looks at her clothes noting the vomit. "I'm gonna go wash up. Rest my weary bones for a good nice hour."
When the door shuts behind her the two are left in an awkward limbo of not knowing what to say. There's so much to unpack that they have very little words other than a forced shrug between them and a grimace trying to come off as touching.
"So… how you've been?" Karol attempts to laugh as he fidgets with his gloves. It's not a lie to say that Yuri scares him in that illogical lizard brain sense with his appearance. Hell, the only thing human about Yuri is the basic shape of his body and even that is distorted. His fingers and toes are too short and they don't sit like they naturally should as instead, they seem to be trying to fan out for support rather than… well… Ugh, it's unpleasant.
There's also something, he can't name it but something, visually unpleasant and scalp scratching about how he doesn't seem to have hair anymore but there is still evidence of a hairline. It just keeps creating this dissuasion that Karol cannot stand.
"Fine," Yuri says leaning back on his elbows. "I'm fine."
Palatable Silence
"Sooo… you killed a man." They attempt eye contact and it's not fun for either of them.
Karol nods and debates on whether or not upping the count would be worth it to get out of this situation. "I mean, technically, I've killed maybe five people since I met you. Those were more accidents, but- yeah, I- I killed the Don."
"That…" Yuri seemed to bite at what was left of his ever-thinning lips. "That- I- Well, I'm proud of you for having the courage to take that step."
"Can we just not talk about this. Like, I know what I did and I accepted that choice. I'm living with that and I am totally fine with it. Not happy, but fine." Karol looks at his hands and thinks of the way the blood felt and the weight of the Don's body. He swallows trying to close those thoughts and focus on something else.
Like Yuri as he tries to get comfortable in a vain attempt to sit normally before giving up and just lying flat on the ground. "I want to talk about this. I just…" Yuri pushed himself up with his arms. "I was gone a month. A month! A fucking month- just that! And in that time all of you have had all of these experiences and hardships with me at a large chunk of the root of it."
"It's… ugh, look I'm not good with words." He huffed scratching behind his ears. "So- what I'm trying to say is that it feels wrong that I wasn't there and more wrong that all of you put so much effort into finding me. I mean, I've basically spent the entire time I've known you doing nothing but keeping secrets. Then there's the… well, you've seen me."
Karol expected this conversation and had been dreading it. What to do with Brave Vesperia and their friendship. How to deal with the need for secrets among friends. Last of course is the fact that at the end of the day Yuri may die from all this. Karol thought about it many times on the way over and knows that for the sake of his guild he needs to account for that and he knows how wants to go about it but he's waiting for all of them to be present.
"Yuri, before you got captured did anything else happen that would change how I look at you?" Karol waits for his answer as Yuri scratches the floor. "I deserve to know."
"I killed Cumore and Ragou in cold blood." Yuri's voice is steady. "I did it in cold blood and I'd do it again if I got to."
Karol feels a lump in his throat but he forces it down. "I see." He stands up and goes to a small table with a tray of fruit and water and starts pouring himself a glass. "I won't say I'm okay hearing that. I get why you did it and I'm not that angry but I think it's wrong that you felt the need to take action like that on your own without thinking about the guild."
"As a member, you represent us and what we mean to the world but more importantly you prove by putting your trust in us we can help you fight against problems like that without you risking yourself." Karol started on another glass. "Yuri, I like you a lot. You've never mocked me for just being me and you supported my idea from the start. I know that right now you might not stay a member for much longer but until then you are a part of Brave Vesperia."
He set a glass down in front of Yuri. "So act like it. Act like we're people you can ask for help and if we don't seem like it tell us so we can fix it together. Because I'm here for you."
Yuri smiled and took the glass before lightly pulling him into a side hug. "Thank you. I'll try… I still believe that what I did was right. I don't want to wait for the laws to change to fix a problem in front of me. I can't. Still, at the end of the day killing people and taking the extreme just makes me a murderer or a monster."
Karol rolled his eyes. "You're not a monster. What you did I can't say is right, but I also know why you did it. I can't ignore it and I won't. But, at the end of the day, I won't hate you for it."
It was a nice silence as Karol sipped his glass. "You should probably take a bath. Get changed and all that." Karol smelled his pits and grimaced.
"Probably."
"Take a long one." Yuri chortled as he glanced at Repede who'd been sitting quietly in the corner. "I'll spend it talking with this guy."
Karol stopped at the edge of the bathroom. "Wait… so Repede can read and you can understand him?"
Yuri gave a nod with Repede. "Yep. Can't be helped that everyone thinks the truth is a joke."
"Huh… That might actually be the weirdest part of all this." Karol means it. Monsters, magic and other garden variety weirdness he has a grasp on but talking to animals is around where his brain draws the line. He leaves silently after that with his head reeling about everything going on but he's also keenly aware of the feeling of grime under his fingers. So he takes to getting a bath so he can finally start feeling clean and refreshed for what's ahead.
Yuri flexed his hands and twisted his wrists a bit. Overall still a fair amount of flexibility still in them so that's good. He and Repede had already had a few talks since the reunion in quick passes so there wasn't much new for them to say. Except something that egged in Yuri about everything that was happening and his role in battle.
"I can't grip a sword." Yuri tried to close his palm but only succeeded in cupping a little. "I might not be able to walk upright at all soon."
"What do you plan to do about it?"
"I want you to teach me how to use a sword again." Yuri's tails bristled in frustration. "Everyone is going to be fighting and I can't be a deadweight."
It's another way this whole situation just feels like a self-conjured hell. If Yuri is incapable of using a sword then he's just luggage on a battlefield that can't be afforded. If he can adapt to do a style similar to Repede's then perhaps he can do something for a change. It seems he's often getting damseled whenever something important is going on because of his body and it's getting old.
"I'll try, but it'll be difficult for you to change forms so much."
Yuri stretched out and stood up clumsily boxing the air before stopping to catch himself. "I've got no choice. Sink or swim." He rubbed at the fur on his arm and felt his muscles. "I could try fixing a blade to my arm but I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to do that before I end up just using my claws instead."
"Claws are unrefined so you better not." Repede scoffed and unsheathed his knife and handing it off. "It'll be interesting to see how this goes."
"Yeah," Yuri snorted as he thought back to an adolescent Repede who was going through a punk phase. "It'll be interesting considering I taught you."
"Yes, and your methods were unrefined and all over the place. It was a miracle I ever learned at all." Yuri scrunched his nose, excuse him for not having a manual on teaching dogs the art of the sword. "Come on let's get started."
Judith found herself huffing for the umpteenth time over the span of the day as she ended up wandering around with nothing to do. They hadn't even met with the elder because of all the shit that was going on and the universe was refusing to give them a break. She kept moving outside in the warm air rubbing her arms up and down.
She always forgot this aspect of Myorzo. It was warm and humid but never a breeze and the air felt stale compared to the outside world. It wasn't something you'd notice at first especially if you stayed inside, but if you walked around enough slowly an itch of the stasis crept on your skin driving you into a small madness.
Judith loathed the feeling. A city as lazy and uncaring as the air where the outside world was a passing thought. A city called paradise that felt more like a prison for spoiled birds who had yet to notice the cage. She didn't notice Raven while she was walking until she bumped into him.
"Sorry." She said and Raven shook his head.
"No darlin', yer fine I just didn't notice." They were on a small ledged zone of the city where you could overlook the world below along with the wastewater pouring down. Kronos provided everything and that included a never-ending spring brought by the manipulation of water in passing clouds to sustain the people.
From here the ground looked so small and insignificant that it made sense why Krytians would forget to look beyond their home. "Is it always like this?" His voice was sharp and cold catching her only the slightest bit off guard.
"Unfortunately." Judith huffed again in frustration. "The people here are carefree while the air is trapped and the city might as well be dead."
The elder didn't even care enough to come ask what was taking so long with how little care he had. This was Myorzo Judith knew and it was home. Home in the way that if you live anywhere long enough even with disdain a pattern forms and an understanding of the surroundings.
"Any booze 'round here?" Raven groan leaning on the railing.
"Not much but probably."
Raven kept scratching his scalp and sighing continuously. "What's eating you?" She asked leaning up with him.
"I don't know what to do with anything these days." Raven let his head hang off against the rails. Something goes softly unsaid in his eyes as his gaze takes even further off into the distance. "It's always gonna be like this." A chuckle. "Ain't it?"
Judith doesn't pry, mostly because she thinks Raven won't let her, but she knows that look all the same. "Because at the end of the day it's the survivor that suffers." The survivor wades through loss and chooses what to lose and to hold on to the memories from the tragedy. The survivor gets the guilt and the sense of duty that comes with the making it out alive. Of being the product of a legacy built in blood and shame.
"Ain't that the truth."
"You seem the calmest out of all of though," Judith notes. "You never once were that surprised about Yuri's condition or anything."
"I knew his father." Judith blinks in shock going a smidge doe-eyed. "I met him a few times cause of my work. Didn't know what he was for some time."
"Does Yuri know?"
He stretched and walked away from the ledge. "Oh definitely. Tried squeezing me for information a few times but I never knew much… But I know about halfers in general."
"Like what?" She narrowed her eyes as they drifted nowhere slowly.
"That they end up like that. Thought it was an old proverb for a time." Raven said rubbing his scalp again. "I thought a lot of things were just stories." Unsaid are the words 'I wish it stayed that way' on his breathe. "I've seen a lot. For better or worse."
Judith's hand drifted the scar on her stomach. "Me too." That's why she wanted them to move things quicker and see the elder. Get along with everything to reach the end where peace that won't make her fidget lies. But they need rest and order, but all the same, she feels she's rested the entire time while recovering and she's itching for action.
A yell comes from a distance as Rita runs up huffing slightly. "Hey, Judith I need you!"
Oh?
"I need to go to my lab for equipment so I need you to fly me in. Time is of the essence." From the distance, Judith heard an angry shout from Estelle that Judith had an idea what it was about. "Now!"
Judith chuckled and lead her quickly down the dock despite the yells of Estelle in the distance. Motion, action, and just getting something done! Yes, this was good. The two jumped onto the boat in seconds Ba'ul laughing at her for being childish.
Immature while it was Judith would relish moments she felt young and free from tension. They were few and far between but she loved them and as the boat sailed toward Aspio she finally looked at her other attendant.
"Um, Estelle can get all fussy about me overworking." Rita laughed awkwardly before trailing off. "Honestly, I can't not work at a time like this my brain has a ton going on right now. I need to get started."
"Same." Judith smiled back and let the wind whip through her hair as the ship zipped through the sky.
I can go faster if you go inside the hull. If you'd like
That would be great. "Let's go inside. We'll get there faster."
"Oh… okay." Rita followed behind at a distance and she understood that as much as they had resolved most animosity between them things were never going to be exactly as they were prior even if that wasn't too much, to begin with. "Look, I- I'm only going to say this once so listen up; Estelle may be all for letting herself die if it comes down to it but I'm not for that and I never will be. I will stop you if you try, but I won't let blastia destroy this world either. I'm not letting Alexei get away with anything either."
"If you take on too many burdens you'll snap," Judith says turning on the cabin lights.
Rita crosser her arms and turned her nose. "I don't care. I'll take on everything if I have to."
"For Estelle?" Rita drops her arms and surprisingly doesn't break out into a fever of blush.
"I care about Estelle, but it's not that shallow." Rita huffs and places herself on against one of the port windows. "I don't want blastia to be abused and the world in turn. I helped the core creation project but I'll use that to let me fix things here and now. That's all I can do and it's what I will do."
"I'm not guilty and I'm not doing this just for one person. I'm not that weak of a person. But what about you? Is it just guilt for your father and duty to the planet or do you actually have a resolve someone else didn't force on you?"
Judith steams coldly and stands tall. "Excuse me?"
Resolve? Judith has more than anyone could think! She stands as a warrior fighting for this world while unloved. She had guilt at first guiding her but she was beyond that and her resolve was built on a love to save people. She loved this world and she loved the Entelexeia.
She loved Ba'ul and the people she's come to call friends.
Rita falters and blush covers her cheeks. "Sorry, that was too much. I've been thinking about this all too hard."
"It's fine." Judith isn't calm but she lets her face read as that despite the truth. No, this anger is foolish for her. It's a going to take some time to get to Aspio so they might as well get comfortable. "Wanna play dice?"
"Sure."