The journey through Noblecourt to attain the crystal ore for Barham was bound to be a simple one, but Therion frowned and shuffled his feet the whole way. He was hoping the scholar would actually keep to his word and not ask him for anything else after this, but Therion knew it was best to not dream about such things for the time being. He was exhausted already, and getting his hopes up was only going to drag him down more.
Once again, the fool's bangle continued to jingle with each movement Therion made, and even as he shoved his hands as deep into his pockets as they would go, he could still hear the sound. He didn't think it was ever going to leave him alone at this rate, and that did nothing but worsen his mood. He was glaring down at the ground just in front of his feet, trying to take out his anger silently so he didn't feel the burning urge to punch Barham and dislocate the man's nose as soon as they saw one another. The fool's bangle was too loud in his ears, and he was desperate to block out the noise even though it just kept getting louder inside.
Before Therion knew it, Alfyn had come to fall into pace beside him, and Therion perked up at the sight of him. This was enough of a distraction to block out the obnoxious noise for at least a little bit, and he was beyond relieved to have been given the chance to snap himself out of it briefly. Therion hadn't realized he was ever going to be put in the situation of wanting to talk to Alfyn, but he supposed there was a first time for everything.
"Stealin' here, stealin' there, stealin' pretty much everywhere... Heck, you thieves sure do work hard," Alfyn smiled. He was clearly trying to seem personable enough to make Therion open up, but the thief didn't say much as he continued to stare at the place where his feet made contact with the cobblestone below.
Alfyn still kept talking even though Therion was keeping up his silent. "And you're one of the best, right? You gotta have a massive stack of treasure hidden away," he went on, his grin still just as present as ever. Therion didn't know how Alfyn was able to stay so positive no matter what he was faced with; it was a bit uncanny, but Therion found himself oddly okay with it. Under most circumstances, he would have expected to hate being around anyone who was even remotely similar to Alfyn, but something about him was oddly charming, and it felt like the background noise that had become all too prominent in Therion's mind was finally starting to subside, even if it was just for a few moments.
Therion was able to pull out a coin subtly, and he flipped it with his thumb before catching it in midair and tucking it away out of sight once again a moment later. "Let's just say I'm prepared for retirement," he said simply. He did have a stockpile of leaves to act as a collective signal of victory from his past thieving exploits, but he kept stealing for the sake of his own entertainment. He enjoyed it, and what else was he supposed to do with his time? It wasn't like he had anything else to do.
He wished he hadn't had that thought process when he went to Ravus Manor, but it was too late for him to regret that now.
Alfyn smiled at that, but Therion could see his grin falter at the edges. "I... I see," he began to say, seemingly struggling to find something to say to someone so radically different from him. Alfyn didn't let this brief moment of awkwardness stop him though, and he kept going after just a few beats of hesitation and silence. "Anyway, one more task and our job's done! Light at the end of the tunnel, eh?" His grin had come back full force already, and Therion was left to wonder just how much passion and optimism could possibly fit into a single person.
That didn't stop Therion from snorting at Alfyn's words though. "'Our?' It's not like you're doing any thieving," Therion pointed out, though he supposed none of the other members of the group were doing the heavy lifting. Hell, they weren't even helping him when it came to putting up with Barham, and while Therion couldn't blame them and certainly didn't hold it against them, that didn't change just how frustrating it could get to do all of this alone.
Alfyn didn't let Therion's snarky comment stop him though, instead simply continuing to smile his way through the rest of their conversation the same way he always had. "Anyway, when the job's done, what say we go hit the tavern? I think we could all use a break after this, huh?"
Therion couldn't help but agreeing with that. He most certainly did want a break, but it didn't have much to do with the job at hand. Barham was certainly one factor in his frustration, but the larger issue bothering him was the conclusion he had come to before the mission began. Therion shoved the thought aside though; getting distracted would only hold back his aptitude on the upcoming mission, and he didn't want to falter now.
Regardless of the way his mind was spinning, Therion allowed himself to look into Alfyn's eyes, realizing just how calm he felt as long as he was able to spend time with the apothecary. He gave himself the chance to smile behind his scarf. "Sure. One mug... Your treat."
Alfyn seemed satisfied with that, and the smile that appeared on his face was so bright and passionate that it seemed fully capable of blocking out the sun. "I'll be looking forward to it. I hope we're able to wrap everything up with Orlick soon then," he replied. Everything about him was so perfectly friendly that it didn't even seem real. Therion felt something warm start to blossom in his chest, and he once again tried to hide in his scarf while simultaneously trying to convince Alfyn silently that was the opposite of what he was doing.
Either way, Alfyn didn't seem to mind, simply keeping that ridiculous yet sweet smile plastered on his face as he kept walking. Therion took a few moments to try and compose himself, and he was glad he and Alfyn were at the front of the party's group so no one could see his face. He was equally relieved Primrose wasn't there to poke fun at him for getting embarrassed over something so small and ridiculous. That's what the entire situation was. Therion shouldn't have even been in this position to begin with. He shouldn't have been in Noblecourt putting up with obnoxious scholars or the ridiculous demands of butlers with too much knowledge of how the back-alleys worked, but there he was anyways.
Therion was able to find the merchant selling the ore without any issues as soon as he stopped letting himself get distracted by Alfyn's all too charming and conversational ways. He silently denied that Alfyn was charming at all as he honed in on the target, easily able to snag a crystal ore without the seller noticing anything was happening. He was too focused setting up his booth within the merchant square to realize anyone had even gotten close to him, and Therion was silently thankful so many people in Noblecourt didn't know how to look after their belongings. With that, he gestured for the rest of the group to follow him back in the direction of Barham's home, Alfyn shooting him a flash of a smile and a thumbs-up along the way. Therion dug a hole deeper in his scarf in response.
Luckily, his brief moment of being flustered by Alfyn's nonchalant behavior didn't last much longer than a few seconds, as once he had opened the door to Barham's home, Therion found himself holding back a bitter sigh. He set the crystal ore down on the counter next to the scholar, barely managing to restrain a glare as he watched the scholar continue to go about his regular work. "I got what you asked for," Therion said. Once again, he was over come with a sensation that he had been here before, and he absolutely despised it. He slid it across the counter casually, putting a bit too much force behind the action. "Catch."
Barham fumbled to try and grab at the stone before it could fall to the ground, his face growing all too pale at the idea of his treasure shattering. "C-Careful with that!" He examined the crystal carefully before smiling. His concern melted away as soon as he was struck with the revelation that he actually had something so valuable in his hands, and he smiled down at the ore. "Anyhow, thank you. At last I can begin my grand experiment!"
Barham turned back to his work, and Therion glared at his back. He wasn't able to hold back his frustration this time, and it felt as if the dam was finally snapping under the weight of the crap Barham had been pulling since they met. "Aren't you forgetting something, old man? You promised me a password," Therion practically snarled.
Barham nodded but did not look up from his work. "Cool your heels! The experiment comes first!" he exclaimed. He approached the scale and set the ore down on it, measuring the weight of it with a critical gaze and a careful touch.
Therion crossed his arms, shooting Barham a roll of his eyes. "I hope you don't think you can swindle a swindler," he said, his voice low yet filled with rage. Every word held a new threat, but he didn't allow himself to say such openly. Therion should have known better than to let himself believe Barham would uphold his end of the bargain so easily, but that didn't change the fact that he was beyond frustrated with himself for actually falling for it. He shouldn't have let his hope get the better of him; pessimism had brought him this far, hadn't it?
"Don't be ridiculous," Barham instructed of him, exasperation lacing his words. "Just be patient, and I'll uphold my end of the bargain!" He didn't even glance in Therion's direction for a second, too focused on going about his miscellaneous business to bother. It was like he thought of the thief who had done so much for him as little more than an afterthought, and Therion's eyes once again narrowed in his direction. Part of him dreamed of slamming Barham up against the wall just for the sake of taking out his pent-up aggression on something, but he knew that wasn't going to happen, not as long as he still needed the damn password.
The ruby dragonstone had better be worth all this damn trouble.
Therion's grip on his arms grew tight as he watched Barham continue to go about his work. He could see Cyrus was on the verge of saying something, but he was interrupted a moment later when Barham continued to speak. "Orlick and I have known each other since our years at the academy. We acquired that manor together as a place to continue our research," Barham explained. He was moving so quickly with effortless grace that Therion could barely keep track of him. "But he changed after coming across that dragonstone."
"How did you figure out it was a dragonstone to begin with?" Therion countered. It was a question he had been bouncing around in his head for a while, and he figured this was as good a time to ask as any.
"The subject of our research was magical artifacts, and the dragonstones are the greatest among them," Barham replied without missing a beat. He raised a small vial up to the light before swirling its contents around gently, his eyes cast down to the fire, seemingly not to be deterred in sharing his tale. "After we found the dragonstone... It was almost like he was possessed, his life consumed by his research. He wouldn't let anyone get near him, not even me..."
Therion couldn't help but pause at that, his posture growing tense. He knew all too well what it was like to be betrayed by a partner. He shifted his gaze over to where Alfyn and the rest of the group were standing. He didn't want to be betrayed yet again after all he had been through. He had learned in the past that trust was dangerous, always a gamble waiting to explode the moment you were least expecting it. It was a risk Therion would have never taken had he been given the choice to get out of it.
But he wasn't given a choice, and instead, he found himself getting more attached to the other travelers as time went by. His nails dug into his upper arm, and he desperately wished the topic would change to anything but the tragedy of Orlick and Barham. He could already tell how it was going to end, and he hated it from the bottom of his heart.
Therion could only hope history didn't repeat itself with him as the victim once again.
Barham didn't seem to notice Therion's brief hesitation though, instead glancing up with a small smile on his face. Everything about his expression was sad and bittersweet. "That's why I want to help you get that stone away from him," Barham confessed. "It's not meant to be held by our hands..."
Therion glanced down at the ground, his hardened glare softening. Barham hadn't exactly been doing him much help up to that point, but Therion found his chest twisting with sympathy for Barham's situation. He understood it all too well, and regardless of the frustrations Barham had put him through, Therion knew he wasn't going to be able to stay upset with him forever, not as long as there were so many direct parallels between them.
Once again, Therion wondered if the universe just enjoyed making him miserable.
Barham didn't look over to Therion as he next spoke, instead evenly looking at the wall ahead. "The password is 'the truth of all things,'" he said softly, every word sacred and dripping with sincerity. Perhaps Barham had recognized just how similar he and Therion were as well even if he didn't openly acknowledge it.
Therion perked up at that, and he nodded gently. "'The truth of all things...' That's easy enough to remember," he commented simply.
"Yes," Barham replied. "And take this with you too."
Barham turned around and approached Therion, pressing a small object into the thief's palm a moment later. Therion examined it carefully, seeming the way it gleamed purple in the limited lighting of the room. His eyes narrowed. "This is a key," he remarked bluntly. He could recognize the shine of the object easily as matching the appearance of the crystal, and when he glanced over, he could see that the oasis water, wyvern scale, and ore had all disappeared. That was all Therion needed to see to know what had taken place. "You used those materials to make this."
Barham nodded. "You're a natural-born researcher, boy," he smiled, though Therion admittedly had a few doubts about that. Therion's silent uncertainty didn't stop Barham from continuing though. "Now, the password will get you into the mansion, but the door to the laboratory can only be opened with that key."
Therion looked down at the key for a long moment, realizing just how specialized the edge of it was. That would have made it difficult to pick, and that would have lost him valuable time when it came to snagging the stone. He was impressed that Barham was even able to put together something so particular to begin with, but he knew it was because Barham wanted the ruby dragonstone to be as far away from Orlick the same way Therion did. They had different motivations, yes, but the fact of the matter remained the same in both cases.
Therion finished staring at his new gift after a few seconds, and he glanced up to Barham once again. "Makes you think he doesn't want anyone getting in. Not even an old friend like you," Therion remarked.
Barham sagged slightly at that. "Yes... We may have disagreed from time to time, but Orlick is still like a brother to me. My warnings may have been nothing but noise to him, but... I wouldn't be much of an older brother if I didn't nag from time to time," he murmured. He shook his head before looking up to Therion once again. "Passion is important in our line of work, but there's a fine line between that and obsession, and Orlick's crossed that line."
Therion shoved down the idea of just how similar a certain past situation had been to what he was currently faced with as he spoke once again. This was hardly the time for him to get caught up in his own thoughts, after all. The dragonstone was still waiting for him. "So this moving friendship-or maybe, brotherly love-is why you're so willing to help me?" Therion asked, pretending it wasn't just a distraction from everything else spinning around in his mind.
Barham contemplated his response for a long time, and Therion could already tell the answer was going to be complicated. "I wonder. Perhaps it's jealousy or hatred that's come to drive me," he said, his tone strangely nonchalant for such a heavy subject. "But those bygone days are precious to me even now. I know what I feel is true." He walked over to the counter where he had previously been working, thinking about everything he was saying for a long moment. The tension in the air was so thick that Therion could have cut it with his dagger if he so decided.
Therion shook his head, unwilling to yield any hints as to what was going through his head. "Tugs the ol' heartstrings," he commented instead, desperate to push all of this as far away from his train of thought as possible. "But my own reasons are more than enough to go through with this." He started to walk for the door, his hand reaching out for the knob. "Thanks."
As soon as Therion's fingers grew close to the door, something in the back of his mind began to stir despite his attempts to shove it down. It seemed Noblecourt was still more than fully intent on opening old wounds, and he didn't think he was going to be able to get away from it this time. His fingers were shaking, and he was glad he had reached for the door with the hand that didn't have the bangle. Masking a noise like that would have been damn near impossible.
But trying to hide the fool's bangle from the world was the last thing on Therion's mind as he began to step backward through time. All this talk of friends, brothers, and partners had come a bit too close to home for him, and while Therion wanted his mind to be quiet, he knew that was never going to happen. Instead, he simply surrendered himself to his own memories, praying that perhaps he would be able to escape all of this eventually if he just let it run its course.
That was the hope, at the very least. Who knew if that would actually happen?
Therion and Darius were running through the streets of some town or another. Therion had forgotten which one it was after they arrived, and truth be told, he didn't particularly care enough to find out. He was much more focused on trying to get away from the city's police force so he wasn't tossed in another cell. He had managed to escape being caught since the night he first met Darius, but if he wasn't careful, he was going to wind up stumbling right into another awful situation. He preferred to keep his record of freedom going for as long as possible, and he wasn't going to let the guards of a city he couldn't even remember the name of get in the way of that.
Therion only stopped running when the pounding of footsteps behind him drew to a close. He paused and listened closely before sighing, the hair over his face adjusting itself with his breath. "I think we're in the clear."
Darius let out a hearty laugh at that. "Those Cianno bastards finally got what they deserved!" he declared all too loudly and all too proudly. Then again, those were two words that could be used to describe Darius in every situation. He didn't know the definition of the word humble, not that Therion would ever ask him to. Darius had every right to be so confident in his skills, and Therion wasn't going to be the one to pull him down from his perch.
Darius continued to speak, and he kicked a small pebble with a scuff of his boot. The rock went skipping and tumbling before coming to a stop out of sight of the pair. "Always struttin' around like they bleedin' own the place..." he muttered crossly. "I wish I could see their faces when they realize someone beat them to it. No matter how hard they look now, they'll never find our treasure."
The reason they had come here at all was because of a passive rivalry Darius held with this Cianno group, a band of thieves known for stealing anything they thought was valuable enough for them to want their grubby hands on. When Darius heard they were going after something of note near where he and Therion were, they immediately packed up and set out for the new destination. They were lucky enough to be able to beat the Cianno thieves there, and from there, it had been a simple operation. Therion didn't know much about the group, but he admittedly didn't want to. They could do whatever the hell they wanted as long as he was able to continue thieving on his own terms. As long as he and Darius were together, they were going to be fine.
Therion scoffed as he examined the countless riches they had managed to pick up from their latest heist. He felt like he was practically glowing in the presence of so much gold, and the gemstones lining the valuables certainly didn't hurt in the slightest. "Something this rare would be wasted on them anyway," he pointed out, holding up the necklace he was balancing on his pointer finger. It was lined in expensive sapphires, and supposedly, there were only a few of its kind in existence. In other words, it had been an easy grab for Therion, and the Cianno group had been left to eat his dust.
"You said it," Darius agreed with a hearty laugh. "Now we'll just sell this gem and-"
"Wait," Therion cut in.
"Something wrong?" Darius inquired, his voice edging on something dangerous. The risk only lurked beneath the surface though, and anyone who didn't know better would have thought there was nothing wrong to begin with.
"Where are the gold coins we stole? We said we'd split the spoils," Therion reminded him, pulling the gem on the necklace a little bit closer to his chest.
Darius was silent for half a beat before he began to laugh. "Sharp as a tack, aren't ye?" he asked even though they both already knew the answer. "It's not much, so I thought I'd just hold onto it and buy you a tiddly later."
It was clear that Darius was lying, but Therion didn't want to push it. He still had the vague imprint of bruises on his right arm from the last time he tried to pry into something Darius didn't want him involved with. Therion instead simply set his expression into something solemn yet unreadable. He didn't know when him and Darius romping around the continent doing as they pleased turned into a waltz for something greater-to stay out of danger-but he was tired of asking questions. He had given up on that a long time ago. After all, this was what he had always wanted, right? Something resembling love. "I see," Therion said bluntly. "Then let's celebrate with this tonight." Therion pulled a bottle out of his pouch, the label claiming it was a fine wine imported from the far reaches of the Sunlands. Therion wasn't old enough to drink yet, but he had been indulging in the wonders of alcohol ever since he met Darius. His companion had been enjoying them even longer.
Darius was all too happy to grin brightly at Therion's show of the drink, though something dark could be seen lurking beneath the surface. There was always something more when it came to Darius; Therion simply hadn't been able to see it the first time they met. But it was fine. This was just how Darius was. This was what love was supposed to be like, and that was all there was to it. "Yeah, let's!" Darius exclaimed, and Therion did his best to forget about everything that was creeping in from the corners of his mind to tell him there was something wrong. After all, Darius was his friend. Hell, Darius was more than that, and Therion knew it. There was no reason to believe anything Darius did would ever mean to hurt him on purpose... Right?
Therion was careful when he gestured for Darius to follow him back to the spot they had deemed their temporary hideout for as long as they were in town. "But don't let your guard down," he reminded Darius. Out of the two of them, Darius was the only one actually capable of getting drunk. Therion hadn't ever been able to even come close to losing his inhibitions, though he supposed that was for the best. Someone had to make sure Darius didn't get into any trouble when he got too tipsy, right?
Darius nodded, though he didn't truly seem to be acknowledging what Therion had to say. The thief's shoulders grew tense, and his grip on the bottle and necklace went tight. "The Ciannos will come for revenge at some point. They call themselves thieves, but they'll resort to violence if need be," Therion reminded Darius. He didn't know much about the group, but their reputation for vengeance was something that more than preceded them. If they thought something had been taken from them, they would do everything they had to in order to reclaim it. Therion had been wary about getting involved with a group so dangerous, but Darius had told him to just go along with it. Darius was good at convincing Therion when he had to; such was the way of their relationship, Therion had learned. That was simply how they functioned, and he doubted it would ever change.
Darius waved him off with a simple flick of his hand. "I know. Thanks for lookin' out, partner," Darius told him. The weight of the word was difficult to articulate, and Therion didn't think he knew what it meant anymore. At one point, they had simply been affiliates when it came to thieving, partners in facing a world that had turned its back on them so long ago. As of late, it had come to be heavier than he realized, and its power seemed to hang over his shoulders like a building on the verge of collapse.
Therion shrugged off his worries the same way he always did, not that he would ever admit it. "No problem. Now let's get moving."
Therion walked ahead as Darius paused for a moment. The redheaded thief watched Therion for a few beats before he shook his head and trailed after him. Therion chose to not see it; he had done that a lot as of late when it came to Darius' more questionable actions. Even when Therion was the one receiving the brunt of Darius' upset, he simply shoved it aside. After all, that was what partners did, right? They looked out for each other even when it wasn't easy.
The next morning, the bruises on Therion's arm were fresh.
When Therion finally snapped back to reality, it took him a long time to realize he was no longer in the town he was never able to remember the name of. He shook his head, looking down at the key in his hand and doing his best to pretend he had been examining it that entire time to make himself look a bit less suspicious. He didn't think anyone had bought his ruse, but he ultimately decided there were more important things to be done than thinking about Darius. After all, that was the past, and this was the present.
If anything, this only made Therion feel worse about the idea of Alfyn's sunshine smile doing so much to break through his defenses. The other travelers weren't much better, but Alfyn's grin stuck with Therion for reasons he couldn't describe. Everything about the other members of the group was so different from how his relationship with Darius had been, and Alfyn seemed to be the exact opposite of his former partner. The word felt like poison in the back of Therion's mind, but he couldn't allow himself to succumb to the sickness as long as there was work to be done.
Therion walked out a moment later, and the rest of the group trailed after him. He could feel their eyes on him, but he pretended to not notice. He had gotten good when it came to pretending he didn't see what was happening in plain sight. After all, how else would he have gotten this far?
A thief who chose to not see... What a twisted, sickening paradox he was.
Oh, I love this chapter so much. Wow.
After doing some thinking about it, I've decided that this story will be containing romantic pairings... Eventually. Since this story is very slow burn, you can expect the dynamics within the party (romantic or otherwise) to follow suit, so it'll be a long time before we even come close to that. I'm not even going to be tagging the relationships until we get closer to actually seeing them realized. Right now, it's character development time individually. We'll get to the other stuff eventually.
I'm going in a slightly different direction when it comes to Darius and Therion's dynamic, and this is something I've been planning from the outset. This chapter had a lot of subtle content when it came to what's going on there, but... Yeah. It's going to be dark. Then again, I feel like we all knew this story was making some dark choices. I think that was made perfectly clear the second we arrived in Noblecourt and Therion had an existential crisis. Such is the way of this story and my lovely (awful) little headcanons.
Anyways, when we next come together for an update, it'll be time to press on with Therion's story and get closer to the boss fight! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital