Chapter 26: Returning Home

The fact that the Forum made the decision to tell the public before any of the Scions could talk to them was an interesting turn of events. Saved them from that particular conversation, at least. Still, there was a welcomed relief at the Forum breaking the secrecy spell or whatever they called it. It would hopefully make future conversations easier.

Alphinaud and Alisaie getting to say their piece to their father was certainly worth the interesting timing of things. He echoed Y'shtola's words of praise, though he did so more directly, looping an arm around both of their shoulders and tugging them in close; a rather precarious choice of action as they made their way down another flight of stairs. "Proud of you," he muttered in the midst of their laughter and berating for nearly throwing them down the stairs (an exaggeration on Alisaie's part, really; beyond a wobble, there had been no real risk of falling), subduing their good humor only slightly. "Both of you. We all are."

The pair of them grinned at him. "We know," Alisaie said, as they both settled into his sides.

"Making sure our piece is said is hardly beyond our normal capacity," Alphinaud said, brushing the praise off as if it would quell the pleased embarrassment that was coloring Alphinaud's cheeks. "Even if it did take a bit of nerve and far too much time to formulate."

He chuckled, pressing his face into Alphinaud's hair. "Definitely worth the wait, if you ask me. Still, though," he let his words fall softer, filling the air between the three of them and no more, "you two have become amazing people and even if he'll never say it to you both, just know that we are all very proud of you and can't wait to see what you two manage as the years go on."

They pressed in closer at that, heads ducked but nonetheless happy.

For a good flight and a half, they walked like that until there was a tap at the top of his back and a glance back found him meeting Thancred's gaze. The man gave a small gesture to fall back and he nodded. He released his hold on the pair of them before they made it to the last flight of stairs, pushing them on to be swept up by the others. Thancred fell into step at his side in turn.

"Everything alright?" he asked quietly, his gaze on the others ahead of them.

"As well as they can be, all things considered." Thancred shrugged. "Was mostly hoping to ask a favor of you before we got too swept up in things." He raised an eyebrow at that and slowed his pace, seeking Thancred's gaze and got a chuckle for his efforts. Thancred waved his concern off. "Don't worry. Nothing desperate or dire, if that's what you're wondering. Not yet, at least."

He snorted. "'Not yet' being the key word there?"

Thancred pressed a fist into Echo'a's shoulder and shoved the miqo'te sideways. "Yes, well, I would like to say that I expect this conversation to be moot at some point but as we may have quite literally entered our final days…" The brief silence that fell between them was filled with the sounds of the city around them. Though folks were chatting, there wasn't the fervent panic he had half expected to now underlie everything. "The ancients went so far as to call it that for a reason. If so, then everything we did for Ryne, for the First will have been meaningless." Echo'a stopped walking and lifted a shoe as if he had to fix it, grabbing at Thancred's shoulder for stability even though he didn't need it. He was certain someone of the group glanced back but the gap between them continued to grow. Thancred in turn grabbed at the underside of his arm and kept talking. "And I can't accept that. I just can't. My mind won't allow for the possibility…and that could be a problem. When we're in the thick of it, I don't know if I've got it in me to be pragmatic this time. To run, even if running's the right choice. The only choice."

He dropped his foot back to the pavement as he straightened and squared off with Thancred, hand still holding Thancred's shoulder. "I can always plan to knock your ass out and drag you to safety if that's what you're asking for." He gave Thancred a hard look. "If you're asking me to ditch your ass in the heat of the moment, I will lie and agree and still knock your ass out and drag you to safety."

Thancred laughed, a good, full laugh, one that forced the man to move his hold from Echo'a's arm to Echo'a's shoulder just to stay upright. "No, no, nothing like that," Thancred happily assured him as the laughter died down. The grin still remained. "It feels almost excessive asking for it now, seeing as it's obvious you're already ready to follow through even if I didn't ask."

Echo'a grinned at him with a bit more teeth than necessary. "If I'm expected to make it out alive, I'm making sure as many idiots following me make it out alive too. I owe you all that much at the very least after everything."

Thancred's hand moved from his shoulder to his neck. "We idiots can't help following the biggest idiot around; after all, who else is going to save his tail when he gets in too deep?" Echo'a rolled his eyes in good humor even as Thancred's hand flexed against his neck. "I trust you and the other Scions with my life, and I'd like to think the feeling is at least occasionally mutual."

"It mutual," Echo'a cut in, serious. "I can't speak for the others but for me, it is. Without hesitation."

Thancred nodded. "And I'd never forgive myself if my stubbornness put them - and you - in danger. So if you see me turning a blind eye to the harsh reality," Thancred grinned at him, "beat some sense into me, would you?"

Echo'a mirrored that grin, though his words held sincerity instead of humor. "Gladly."

Thancred patted his shoulder before pulling away fully. "Excellent! Now I can breathe a bit easier. Which isn't to say that I will, given what we're up against."

Echo'a huffed a chuckle at that, agreeing as they started after the others. "I don't think any of us will until we are able to put this whole thing behind us."

Something must have lingered in his voice that he hadn't meant to be there because Thancred's arm looped over his shoulders and pulled him bodily into Thancred's side. Echo'a grabbed at the back of Thancred's coat in turn, grateful for the sudden comfort he hadn't realized he needed. "Don't forget to lean on us, kid. You're not alone in this."

Echo'a pressed the side of his face against the front of Thancred's shoulder. "I know. I'm trying."

Thancred's hand buried itself in his hair. It certainly made walking an interesting challenge but he wasn't about to break the contact now that he had it. Well, not until the annex came into view; Thancred gave him a squeeze before releasing him and they returned to walking side by side the rest of the way. To Echo'a's surprise, Y'shtola and G'raha were waiting for them, chatting just outside the door.

"Might I have a word with Echo'a?" Y'shtola asked as they started to ascend the stairs.

"If he's up for it," Thancred said, adjusting to bound up the last few steps and loop an arm around G'raha, who ducked under the contact but not out of it. "Come on, your Lordship. Let's go see where the others have wandered off to."

Echo'a snorted at the nickname. Even if Thancred was simply using it to put on airs, the happy little twitch of G'raha's tail was certainly good to see. The fact that G'raha didn't even complain about it like he had in the past probably spoke more of his willingness to give Echo'a and Y'shtola some space to talk than anything else. "I believe the twins and Krile were looking to discuss food options," G'raha replied even as those red eyes peeked over Thancred's arm back towards Echo'a, managing a little wave in his direction.

Echo'a offered a soft smile and a wave in return before the doors closed behind the pair.

"Hmmm. Nothing appears out of the ordinary."

Echo'a turned to Y'shtola, curious. "Was something amiss earlier?"

She shook her head. "A precautionary measure. You serving as a vessel for abundant Light in the First very nearly ended poorly. In your recent battle on the moon, you were almost certainly exposed to similar, if not greater forces. Fortunately, from what I can see, you and your aether are none the worse for wear." Her voice lowered, as if the next statement was more for herself than him. "Would that Ryne were here to confirm my assessment…"

He shrugged, offering honestly, "If it helps, I certainly don't feel any different. Going up against Zodiark hadn't been much different from any other primal; not to say he wasn't a pain to fight but it was certainly easier to deal with than Lightwardens and that mess."

"To think you actually found yourself in a direct confrontation with Zodiark…" Echo'a ran a hand over an ear, not sure he believed it himself. "As if Zenos gallivanting about in your body was not misfortune enough. Did you so grossly offend every single deity in a past life that they saw fit to place a curse upon your soul?"

He snorted a bitter laugh at that. "That is certainly the question of my lifetime, that's for sure."

"Forgive me, that was in poor taste."

He waved her concern off. "It's fine, Y'shtola. Truly, at times it certainly feels like I've gained the short end of the stick somewhere along the line and a curse upon my soul would explain a few things."

Her hand cupped his cheek, her touch far lighter than Thancred's had been, as if she was cupping his very aether where any pressure would disrupt his form. "I recall vividly how battered and broken your soul was in the depths of Amaurot." He nuzzled her palm for an excuse to drop her gaze. She let him. "Would that you could have seen it with your own eyes. Mayhap then you would understand why the greater part of me is glad you did not. It was…a horror beyond description."

He covered her hand, pinning it to his cheek as he met her gaze again. "The agony I felt at times painted a rather clear picture, even if I couldn't see it."

He still had dreams of looking down at himself and only seeing blinding white light.

"Promise me you will be careful. That you will seek my counsel if you feel unwell."

He offered her a soft smile, leaning into her palm just a bit more. "Of course, Y'shtola. Without hesitation."

A smile touched her face in turn. "That puts my heart at ease, if only a touch." She pulled away, quick to gesture towards the door and falling into step at his side as he made for it. "Now, let us see if anything has been decided for dinner yet."

Alisaie bumped into his shoulder at the food table, the chatter from the others behind them making it seem even more mischievous when she put one of the cups of pudding on his plate. She grinned at him. G'raha, who had walked with him to the food table for seconds as well, lit up at the little cup of pudding. A soft "Ooo, pudding!" in a happy little chirrup escaped the man as G'raha stepped back. "There you are. Snagged you one before-" she pinned G'raha with her gaze as he made a beeline for the pudding cups- "someone manages to consume them all."

"I will have you know that I take offense to that," G'raha retorted in a pompous air that was all show. "I hardly eat any more than Thancred or Estinien do. Even if it feels like I am hungry all the time." G'raha paused, only just realizing he had picked up a fifth cup of pudding. His ears fell in that familiar embarrassed manner as he quickly put the cup back, a sheepish smile now on his face. "Ah, though, I will say, sweets can be a bit too easy to eat at times, though I do prefer fruits and such."

"Oh shush, Raha," Krile said, though where she came from, Echo'a had no idea. The table wasn't even that high and yet it was like she had simply appeared at the end of it. She made quick work of putting the fifth cup onto G'raha's plate, beaming at him. "Tataru ordered far too much and the cups are tiny. No one is going to judge you for consuming even half of them."

"I might!" Alisaie teased.

Krile patted G'raha's hip as she sent him back to his seat as she countered, "Do and I can write you a list of every food you've snuck as a midnight snack since you arrived."

He only relaxed when Alisaie turned back to the food table, shaking her head with an amused smile on her face. Trusting now the last comment had truly been in good humor, he gently nudged her arm with his elbow. "Think we can sneak a whole five course meal past her?" he whispered, a grin wide on his face.

She snickered and shoved him with her arm, though there was no real force behind it. Still, though, she stayed in his bubble even as the good mood waned. He tipped his head, left ear drooping in the motion as he sought out her expression. There was still amusement there, content, joy, but he could see the tired in how none of it really filled her face like it normally would. "You alright?" he asked, his voice barely more than the whisper he had spoken in.

"I'm fine; I just…" She gave the group a careful glance, like she was making sure they couldn't hear what she was saying. "It's Zenos," she said when she faced the food table again, hands firm around her half filled plate. "I keep thinking back to Garlemald, when he'd taken control of your body. An altogether terrifying experience, to say the least."

He placed his plate on the edge of the table, leaving one hand to keep it from falling as he used the other to pull her into a tight hold, not dissimilar to how they had been walking back from the Forum's public address. "For you and me both," he agreed into her hair. He still couldn't fathom how he had made it in time.

"And one that served as a harsh reminder," she continued, her voice strong again. "No one - no matter how strong or quick or clever - is invincible. Not even you. And as much as it might seem at times that you are, one misstep, one mistake and that's that." She stepped away from him but not out of his touch. Just enough to meet his eyes. "Which is why, even though I know you've heard it a thousand times before, I'm going to tell you to take better care of yourself. Because you really, really should. It goes without saying that we're all committed to this fight, but that doesn't mean that we need to throw our lives away. You know how I feel about noble sacrifices."

"None of it if we can help it," he said, as if he was dutifully reciting some ancient creed.

"Right! We'll be keeping the acts of gratuitous bravado to a minimum." He chuckled and her expression softened. "When I looked Father in the eye and swore we'd find a way to avert this tragedy, it wasn't a promise just for him. It was a promise for you, too."

He tugged her back in, pressing his face to her hair once more. This time she looped an arm around his back and gave him a squeeze in return. "I know. And it's appreciated. I hope you know that."

She nodded.

"Ah, Echo'a."

Echo'a looked up from the box of leftovers he had been packing, only to feel it leave his grasp as Tataru took it from him and tossed it onto G'raha's box before she scuttled off, leading G'raha and Thancred out with the rest of it. With those three departed, it was just him and Alphinaud in a room that felt far too large without the others there. Alphinaud, cheeks pink in mild embarrassment, offered him a smile. "I pray you will forgive my use of Tataru's shepherding to give us a moment but I wished to speak with you before retiring for the night."

It seemed everyone wanted to have a conversation before the day was done. Not that he was complaining. It felt like too long since he'd had these sorts of conversations. "Of course," he said, gesturing for the chairs nearby. "What about?"

Alphinaud shook his head, turning down the offer to sit. Fair enough; Echo'a didn't mind standing if it made this easier on Alphinaud. The embarrassment hadn't lasted and while unease hadn't set it, he could see hints of it in the way Alphinaud adjusted his stance to be just a touch more proper, almost in the same way Alphinaud had squared his shoulders before speaking to his father. "About Garlemald, and the time we spent with the people of Tertium. Dangerous though it was, I'm glad we had the opportunity to treat with Jullus and Quintus." That unease - though not the same form he had thought it had been - seeped in around the edges, bleeding through like paper soaking up spilt ink. "I was worried what might happen after we were collared. If they attempted to restrain you too. If they succeeded…"

He took a step, just far enough so that he could easily take Alphinaud's hand in his and give it a squeeze. He had wanted to reach for Alphinaud's neck or cheek but the thought of those collars made him hesitant to do so. Even if they hadn't been used, that fear still clearly lingered in some way. "You know as well as I do I would have preferred to be the one collared, not you two," he said, the words clipped sharper as the anger from that moment reared its ugly head. "Gods be damned had you two been made to suffer through that shock and not me. Especially at my own folly. I would have made them rue that choice until their dying breath."

Alphinaud smiled at him, squeezing his hand as if it would be enough to calm the rage. "You made that quite clear, yes. Still, it was mine and Alisaie's decision to go with you. It was my idea to see it through that put you in harm's way and for that I must apologize…"

"Alphinaud-" he started, ready to fight that fight too if he needed to, but Alphinaud's smile only grew.

"Or rather…I should thank you. For trusting in me, time and time again. After all our journeys together, I daresay I've used every expression imaginable to convey to you my gratitude. Nevertheless, I hope these words of mine still carry some small weight."

With a solid tug, he had Alphinaud against his chest, both arms wrapped tight around that lithe form. "You could say it in the same fashion every single time and it would never lose any weight. Your gratitude is palpable." He tightened his grip. "I only hope mine is in turn."

"It is," Alphinaud assured him, the words muffled against his collar bone. "Beyond a doubt." They stood like that for a long minute before Alphinaud let out a sigh and took a step back. A smile was on his face. "Tomorrow our fight continues. Mayhap it would have been better to seek you out after we have true cause for celebration but having mustered the courage to stand up to Father and achieve a personal victory of sorts, I wanted to carry on in that spirit before my nerves got the better of me." Alphinaud patted his arms and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at the awkwardness of the gesture. Even after all this time, neither of them were particularly good at ending these sort of conversations. "The hour grows late, and you doubtless tire of my ramblings."

"Never," he cut in, quick and humored.

Alphinaud's smile grew from it. "I have a letter for Arenvald to finish, but will be off to bed shortly. Sleep well, Echo'a."

"You too, Alphinaud."

The bath had been absolute bliss after everything and he might have soaked just a touch too long but he hoped no one was actually up to berate him for the late hour - or discover that he had actually ended up dosing in it; gods he would not hear the end of it if a select few found out but it had just been so relaxing and wonderful. The hallways were empty as he passed through them, though, and he didn't encounter anyone until the moment he opened the door to his room.

"You're alone. Good."

Had he not heard the softest breath of leather against the stone, he might have actually jumped at Estinien's voice. Though he was no Thancred when it came to the stealth department, Estinien still had a habit of just sort of appearing within a yalm of those discussing things he needed to be privy to. And not in a suit of armor made it quite hard to not suspect Thancred of having taught the man a few stealth tricks.

"As I had hoped I was the only one up far too late, I am indeed," he confirmed. A cheeky grin filled his face as he teased. "Not very often you wander around in something that isn't your armor. Could give Thancred a run for his money in the ladies department." At the flat look Estinien sent him, he grinned, and got a heavy sigh for his efforts. And a chuckle, if he heard right. "Speaking of bed, I'm surprised you're not in yours yet. You were one of the first to say they were turning in."

"The twins thought now would be a wonderful time to pay a visit to my chambers. Rather than listen to them bicker over tonight's snacks and tomorrow's plans, I seized the first opportunity to make my escape. To their credit, they decided against intruding on your peace and quiet."

He shrugged. "That may be more due to them having caught me during and after dinner to say their piece than wont for company." This time the smile he sent Estinien was fond. "Well, wont for my company, specifically. While not quite the same hero-worship as it had seemed to be in the beginning, it is clear Alphinaud still thinks highly of you. That Alisaie let herself get dragged along speaks of her own comfort with your company, her brother's machinations in the matter notwithstanding."

Estinien crossed his arms, offering a low affirming hum before a breath of silence. "It can all be a bit…exhausting at times, can't it?"

He offered a tired smile. "Very."

Estinien's eyes narrowed slightly. "I speak of all the fighting and world saving we have been doing as of late, not the twins and their…machinations."

Echo'a couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as Estinien's face twisted up in distaste at the word. "Hardly changes my response, either way. Though, tagging along with the twins' whims can certainly be far less exhausting than the world saving most of the time."

Estinien shook his head in disbelief, a huff of a laugh escaping the man. "I wasn't sure what to make of you at first and I find myself no closer at times despite what has transpired since." Estinien's expression hardened. "During the Dragonsong War, how quick you were to take up a cause not your own. But I came to see that is simply the way of you and yours. Ever willing to bear arms in hopes of garnering peace without them, protecting those that cannot protect themselves." Estinien uncrossed his arms. "I will not pretend to understand this talk of ancient primals and the Final Days but I trust in your judgment and choose to believe in your cause. You and Alphinaud have my lance. Now and always."

"Thank you." And he meant it.

Estinien nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You will need it, wrack and ruin looming on the horizon. Calamity bearing down upon us. There's no place I'd rather be than here. Standing shoulder to shoulder with friends on the front line." Estinien took hold of Echo'a's shoulder. It felt foreign but he welcomed it nonetheless. "So do not hesitate to send me against your enemies. I'll make them rue the day they met me."

He grinned, clasping Estinien's forearm in turn. "That, I have no doubt."

The jovial sort of mood that Estinien had bolstered between them deflated some as that serious expression returned. "But should you face enemies I cannot defeat with my lance, I trust you will find aid in our other companions who are more equipped for such enemies. Mine own have been quiet since yours and Alphinaud's actions upon the Steps of Faith, though they have not fallen silent and there are days when they are as loud as when Nidhogg possessed my body and turned it against all I had fought for. I am not wont for companionship during such storms but there are times where I am grateful for it, where it indeed helps combat those unseen enemies rather than bolster their voices. And while I do not pretend to know your ways with such enemies, you hardly seem the type to benefit from isolation as I do. So seek out their aid when you require it." Estinien gave him a flat look, though the smirk belayed the teasing to come. "Should you not, I will not hesitate to sling you over a shoulder and deposit you at their feet. I am still the superior Dragoon between the two of us."

Echo'a laughed, nodding in agreement even as he said, "Don't count me out that fast. I've learned a few tricks since last we truly went at each other."

That felt like a lifetime ago and the Twelve only knew how much the pair of them had changed since.

Estinien's smirk only grew. "Aye, I will not deny that, but now is hardly the time for us to pit arms against each other." Estinien's hand fell from his shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me," the man started to move, though not in any direction Echo'a expected, "I could do with a little air. If Alphinaud asks, I was never here." Estinien entered his room and went right for the window. He had left it open as he had bathed to fill the room with fresh air and now Estinien was using it as an egress. With a disbelieving chuckle, he properly entered his own room and closed the door. Honestly, it was equally fitting and wildly outside the norm, barging into his room to exit out his window in order to avoid others. When Estinien paused with a boot up on the railing and looked back, Echo'a still had an amused smile on his face. "Until the morrow."

"You better get some rest, Estinien," chased after the man as Estinien leapt away in that very familiar Dragoon fashion of his. He wasn't solely confident the laughter he heard was Estinien's but he wasn't above pretending it had been. With another chuckle and shake of his head, he approached the window himself.

Discarding his towel and other items on the table as he passed, he stepped up to the edge of the window and found his gaze inexplicably drawn to the silver moon high in the sky. The Echo flared and he grunted against the sudden sensation, pressing his face into a hand for the moment it lasted. The sky turned red, balls of fire careening to the ground below. The moon beyond seemed to be alight with red aether licking at it like fire, the moon itself as red as the sky it hung in. And just as quickly as it came, the vision faded. The sky was dark and speckled with stars, the silver moon hanging unchanged against that dark tapestry.

The unease lingered all the same.

Someone knocked on his door, the sound tentative and light, as if they were letting him sleep if he had managed to get that far. Curious at who could be wanting to talk to him this late - and hoping it wasn't something dire in the same breath - he crossed to the door and pulled it open.

His ears perked up at finding G'raha standing on the other side, nervously rubbing at a forearm as his tail flicked back and forth in nervous agitation. It took a moment for G'raha to even realize the door had opened and he couldn't help the fond smile that tugged at his lips when G'raha stumbled over his words. " Oh, apologies. Ah-um. I-I didn't mean…to-" G'raha cleared his throat and he watched the calmness wash down the other like water over stone, a very clear ripple as tension left tight muscles and that red tail came to a relaxed posture once more. "If you could spare a moment before bed, I was hoping to have a word."

He took a step back, gesturing into the room, "I always have a moment, even if I was out like a light." But G'raha didn't enter. Instead, the other tensed again - though less notably this time - and shook his head in refusal. Unfortunately for G'raha, Echo'a was not about to let him. With a flat, albeit amused look, he stated rather pointedly, "I don't care if you stay standing but at least enter the room. I've had enough conversations in the hallway for one night, thank you."

G'raha's tail straightened at that but Echo'a politely ignored the nervous little skip the other did to comply with his wishes. "You've spoken with others this late?"

"Only Estinien," he said, closing the door. "He caught me as I was returning from the bath." He caught G'raha's gaze as he stepped around the man and made for one of the chairs at the table. "I have somehow managed to talk with every one of our small company save for you and Krile." He plopped down in the chair Alphinaud had used the night they had all eaten in his room and pushed out the chair G'raha had sat in as an invitation. "I hadn't thought much of it until I watched Estinien use my window as an escape route. Had I thought long enough, I probably would have started wondering if you would find me on the morrow to talk."

That nervous energy was back but it didn't seem to hinder G'raha from approaching the chair. He still didn't sit but he was at least closer. The odd topic seemed to be helping ease that nervous energy. "Estinien used your window as an egress? What for?"

He shrugged, smiling. "Hard to say. I'm still not sure if I'm surprised or not that he had. For as much as I know the man, I know even less. As far as I know, he could just normally jump out of people's windows and it's just never been an option until now." G'raha gave a little laugh at that. His smile fell slightly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You sure you won't sit and chat?" He increased his smile, almost teasing as he said, "I mean, I got you to the chair. Can't at least humor me this once and sit in it?"

"I had no intentions of imposing," G'raha started but he waved the other's concern off.

"I assure you, I would much rather lose sleep to a pleasant conversation than my own churning thoughts. You are far from imposing."

He was surprised when that only seemed to compound G'raha's concern. Still, G'raha sat down in the proffered chair with a sigh. Despite the lighthearted tone, his next words were anything but. "'Tis better to wear down the hours in good company than in isolation. Though, I fear this may be the last quiet night we have to talk for quite some time."

He offered an encouraging smile. "Then we just have to make the most of what's left of it, if you are still willing to share whatever it was that drew you to my door."

G'raha ducked his head. "Yes, well. It had not been my intention to talk so late but timing never seemed to be in my favor." Wait, G'raha had tried to talk with him earlier? The way one ear drooped and the rather sheepish expression on G'raha's face certainly made it seem as if he had several times. He almost felt bad he hadn't even noticed. "I am…troubled, of late. Unwarranted concerns, perhaps. I hope. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to share them with you."

The good mood he had been in deflated some. That had been the running theme of most of the conversations he had that day, be they concerns of self, his well being, or the world as a whole. Not that he was necessarily complaining; it was all just kind of draining when he was doing a valiant job of ignoring his own concerns.

"Though you have bested your enemies thus far─Zenos, and even Zodiark─your victories have come at a considerable cost to yourself. No one is without their limits─and you are no exception. I worry the added weight of the Final Days will prove more than you can bear." For a moment, G'raha's gaze fell. "It is surely too much for any one person…"

Echo'a sat back, having heard much the same from Alisaie and Y'shtola. He crossed his arms but could not bring his gaze up from some point on G'raha's chest as G'raha looked at him again. This sort of talk just made him even more tired.

"But you needn't bear it alone. Let me share your burden." He blinked in surprise, his gaze flickering up to meet G'raha's. Those red eyes, so determined and ready for whatever may lay ahead, softened around the edges. "My, um…carrying capacity pales in comparison to yours, but I could still help. Shoulder the occasional satchel from your ever-growing mountain of, um…baggage." He chuckled gently at the analogy tripping G'raha up. Thankfully, G'raha took no offense and seemed to smile easier for it. "You have already done so much to help relieve me of mine own encumbrances. 'Tis only fair that I repay you in kind."

He shook his head. "My kindness garners no repayment. Besides, it's not like you all haven't already done so much just by being here. Weighing you down with the woes of the Warrior of Light would only make things more complicated."

He still jumped when G'raha touched his knee, even after having watched that very hand move to do so. Suddenly feeling skittish, he met G'raha's searching gaze and hated the concern he found there. G'raha gave his knee a squeeze. "Then let me share in your burden for selfish reasons." Breath rapidly filled his lungs at that as his eyes widened. He kept the air trapped for a long second before letting it out slowly and thankfully it seemed G'raha didn't notice. "While I might not be able to do anything, surely a talk of the last few events would be beneficial." A flicker of uncertainty crossed G'raha's face and he couldn't help but wonder at the thought that had caused it. "That is to say, should you need to. I know that you have faced many things and have suffered through worse but to think of what you have had to suffer through…"

That uncertainty took root and G'raha backpeddled, offering him an out the other thought he wanted. "Of course, it needn't be only troubles we share. Moments of joy may seem few and far between now, but there will come a time when we look back fondly on this journey. The inquiry at the Forum, our march through the snows of Garlemald," G'raha gestured to the room itself, exuberant, "our impromptu dinner in this very room - all of it. And that is to say nothing of the journeys yet to come. To the ends of the world and beyond!"

And all at once, G'raha caught himself and the man reigned in his nervous excitement as he cleared his throat, standing. "But tomorrow will be no less busy than today, and I have kept you from your rest long enough."

G'raha's wrist was in his hand before he could even pick apart the convoluted feeling in his chest enough to realize he wanted G'raha to stay. Or, more accurately, to actually take G'raha up on his offer and lean on him. There had been no shortage of encouragement from the others to do so but none had offered, not like G'raha had. And G'raha had offered quite plainly, had even doubled down on his certainty of such a choice when Echo'a had instinctively pushed it away. He owed them all to at least try. But if G'raha broke under his weight- if any of them did…

To his credit, G'raha said nothing; he simply stood there, waiting patiently, his entire demeanor the embodiment of calm.

His grip on G'raha's wrist flexed as he swallowed thickly. Words. He could manage a few. He had to, if he wanted G'raha to stay.

Did he, though?

The nightmares he had suffered the night previous flickered across his thoughts.

Stupid question.

"Stay," he finally managed. "It's, ah…kind of…" Gods, could he manage the rest of it, though? "Kind of hard to share if you leave." The words quaked terribly but they were understandable.

For a breath, the only thing that moved was G'raha's tail. He watched the end flick twice, once in either direction, before the entire thing started to sway slowly side to side. As it started to sway, G'raha carefully twisted his wrist in Echo'a's grip and slipped from it enough to take ahold of Echo'a's hand, holding fast. "Of course," G'raha said, the word light in a way he couldn't quite describe. G'raha sat back down across from him, scooting the chair closer to make the hand holding easier. Despite the encouraging smile on G'raha's face, worry had filled the man's expression. "For as long as you need me to."

As he leaned forward and dropped his forehead to G'raha's shoulder, he couldn't help the fleeting thought that wondered at how many times he had done this to the other. He was relieved when G'raha didn't freeze under him like he had the first few times. Instead, G'raha's free hand buried itself in the hair at the back of his head, carding slowly through it as G'raha tentatively leaned his head against Echo'a's. He buried his face into the other's neck, encouraging the contact.

Gods, what did he talk about first? So much was churning through him, things he had put off because time just hadn't given him the courtesy to deal with any of it. All of it seemed stupid.

G'raha's fingers were cool against the back of his neck, and he shuddered, his thoughts turning to ice and snow and a streak of black and red that nearly dyed the snow a bloody crimson-

He rubbed his forehead hard against G'raha's shoulder, trying and failing to rein in the terror he hadn't allowed himself to face during that entire encounter. "I still can't-" he started but the words caught oddly in his throat. He cleared it and tried again. "I have no idea how I made it in time. Back in Garlemald. Stuck in that broken body, forced to crawl across snow and ice until I could ignore the pain to stumble along…" The way it dragged under every command, the inability to do anything to stay his own hand against the tempered, the slide of the gunblade through tempered foes feeling horribly wrong, the wrongness of being in another's body- "I thought-I believed I was going to show up and find the camp strewn with heavily injured if not outright dead bodies, Zenos parading around in my body being the last thing any of you saw and I-" His breath burned in his lungs. "I know I made it in time but I just can't seem to shake the fear of it all."

Abruptly he sat back, rage quick to burn through whatever complex blend of emotions he had been wading through. G'raha's hands hung in the air between them, surprise clear in how the other's tail was straight, ears perked tall, and the wide eyes staring at him. "And it's stupid!" he bit out, letting that rage lead his words. "I go up against the original primal of all existence, watch as Fandaniel not only merges with the damned thing but rips his own heart out at the end dooming the planet to who knows what and it's the fear of an event that went surprisingly fine considering who had been inhabiting my body that's keeping me up at night! Not even a manufactured primal or those damned towers - literal nightmares incarnate if there was ever such a thing - nothing else is making my life a living hell." His vision wavered and for the breath he noticed, he blinked and it cleared right up. "No! Instead, they're just pissing me off and making me have to deal with the stupidity that is the balance of this star! Why me?!" The words cracked, thick with emotion he hadn't put there. "Why did it have to be me to save this stupid star?"

Oh. He was crying.

He rubbed his forearm across his face, ridding it of the tears that had escaped. "It's all so stupid," he ground out, hating how the tears filled those words too. He buried his face in his hands hoping it would help. "Being messed up by such stupid things." G'raha moved but he didn't care to find out how. He knew the other was too much of a bleeding heart to leave him in his current state but damn if he wasn't silently wishing that G'raha would just leave and never mention any of this again. "You don't need to be dealing with this stupid."

"I apologize," G'raha said, his voice closer than the chair opposite as the other's hands closed around his wrists and the back of his hands, "but I find it hard to agree with you that these are stupid things to be bothered by." G'raha's grip was firm as he tugged Echo'a's hands from his face and Echo'a found G'raha on his knees before him. G'raha offered him a soft smile but it did not stay. "I cannot imagine the horror you must have felt being trapped in that foreign body, forced to deal with not knowing how much time you truly had as you did everything in your power to make it back to us, to save us. I can only fathom the thoughts that had to have been running through your mind as you made that journey; is it truly a wonder why those thoughts haunt you even now?" G'raha reached up and cupped his cheek, brushing away the tears still escaping with his thumb. "You have dealt with primals before and that has, unfortunately, become familiar territory for you. But to have been forced to face that sort of helplessness…"

He curled in on himself at that and G'raha came up to meet him. G'raha's arms wrapped tightly around his chest, a hand finding Echo'a's hair as Echo'a gave in to both the touch and emotions. When G'raha tugged him to the floor, Echo'a took advantage of being able to curl around the other. His own hands fisted the back of G'raha's shirt, sobs tearing themselves from his chest, and it was all he could do to suffer through everything he had been ignoring, finally trusting that G'raha would hold him together through the worst of it.

As the emotions waned leaving him feeling drained, he felt lighter, calmer. G'raha's head shifted against his hair before the man said, "Tomorrow will wait for no one and I would rather avoid anyone's ire at our late night conversation. How about we both head to bed?"

Only if he had to. With a gentle shove from G'raha, he clambered to his feet; the lack of body heat made him shiver. G'raha stood as well but an odd sort of tension now lingered between them. G'raha offered him a smile and a thought occurred to him. "If you need anything more, come find me. I will be more than happy to help in any way that I-"

"G'raha," he said, cutting him off. The name was gruff, a lull of exhaustion as much as it was amused. Embarrassment burned his cheeks but he was too tired to care now. "Think you'd be up to spending the night?" Well, he had been, but admitting it outloud made it too painful to meet G'raha's gaze so he busied himself with pulling the covers back. "I was rather serious about the whole nightmares thing and we both know that I do better with another body in bed." Those first few nights after everyone had returned from the First had been the worst. It had taken Alphinaud, Alisaie, and G'raha piled into his bed with him to subdue the nightmares enough for him to sleep - and not even soundly. He still wasn't certain he had thanked the three of them enough for that.

G'raha's posture immediately relaxed and that odd tension vanished. "Only if I can bother you for some sleepwear. As comfortable as this outfit is, it was never really made to be pajamas."

He chuckled at that. "Yeah, I've got a spare set. Might be a touch big."

"They can be big. All I am doing is sleeping in them."

Echo'a tossed him the pants and shirt and busied himself with cleaning up the table in order to give the other some semblance of privacy while changing. When he ran out of things to do, G'raha was dressed. The sleepwear wasn't actually that big on him. A bit long in the pants but, then, he'd always been awkwardly long in the limbs. He clambered into the bed and watched G'raha go about making sure all the lights were off. "Why did you think I wouldn't want you sleeping here tonight?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

G'raha's ears drooped in embarrassment as he returned to the bed, task done. There was a sheepish grin on G'raha's face. "I, ah, I know that we have done this before but it was never after, well…" He could cede that point. The number of times G'raha had dealt with him breaking down, it was never just before bed. He watched G'raha settle on his back beside him. "And while we are friends-" the flicker of doubt was hard to miss even in the shadows of moonlight- "the last thing I ever intend to do is overstay my welcome." G'raha's breath hitched slightly as Echo'a plopped his head onto G'raha's chest, seeking the sound of the other's pulse and breathing to soothe the pinpricks of turbulent thoughts. "So I was hesitant to think my stay would include…" G'raha looped his arms around Echo'a, hugging him, "this."

He draped an arm over G'raha's abdomen, squeezing him briefly in response to the hug. "You could never overstay your welcome, G'raha." A massive yawn cut in, disrupting his statement. "And while I like having a bed to myself, I will never say no to this if it means we all get some much needed sleep." G'raha shuffled into him, settling beneath him more completely but offered no comment. Had he said something wrong? Another massive yawn snuck in. Even if he had, it was also just as likely G'raha had nothing to say in response. He was too tired to care, either way. "Good night, G'raha."

There was a few seconds of silence before G'raha whispered, "Sleep well, Echo'a," the words a pleasantly low rumble in his other ear and he fell asleep to G'raha's fingers sliding through his hair.