arenotsilent

[arenotsilent]

YOOO @fodra GUESS WHAT I’M FINALLY GETTING BACK TO.

#asbel and richard cope horribly

[arenotsilent]

Not All Are Found, Tales of Graces, Richass, 6/?

On AO3

A told-you-so was coming. Asbel knew it. With everything happening, Richard ended up being too busy to take guests, even though they were welcomed. Hubert was about to tell him that he knew it was a bad idea to come and they should have never left Lhant and-

The sigh heralded Hubert’s irritation. “Well, this is a waste of time,” he started, exactly as Asbel knew he would. “Of course, even if you knew how much of a waste of time it would be, I still wouldn’t have been able to talk you out of this. You’re more stubborn than even I could even imagine. You do know we should return back to Lhant, yes?”

”We can request an audience and-”

”You’re so predictable,” Hubert cut him off. “Which is why I made arrangements to stay at the castle and sent a letter ahead once you made your decision to come to request said audience. We should be able to see him in the next few days. Honestly, Asbel,” he said at the dumbfounded look on his brother’s face, “you should think a little ahead when it comes to things like this. I still do think this is a very bad idea.”

”I know,” Asbel murmured. But Richard was drinking, hurting... he had to do this. He had to try to make this better. As his mind started to consider that, a familiar pair of voices broke in.

”Asbel!” Cheria walked up next to Hubert, her eyes only on him. Her hands crossed demurely in front of her as she looked at him in surprise, worry deep within as well. She looked between the two brothers, her gaze stopping on Hubert with a question on her face. He shook his head, resigned.

”Didn’t expect to see you here.” The deep rumble of Malik’s voice came before he did as he came up behind Cheria, eyeing him cautiously. Both of them were treating him so carefully... Asbel shook his head a little, smiling.

”It’s fine,” he told them. “I just needed to see Richard.” Asbel hesitated, watching the two of them exchange a look. What was that about? “Don’t worry,” he said hastily, just in case it was about what Richard had done to him. “I just... he’s been hurting so much. Someone needs to be there for him.”

”And that someone is you?” Something about Malik’s speculative tone made him wince. Made him look away in shame. Hubert had been saying that all along, but when the Captain said it... it sounded so much worse. It hit him so much more, as if he knew.

Cheria took a step forward, her face creased with worry. “You don’t have to do this,” she started when he shook his head.

”I want to,” Asbel told them firmly.

At those words, Hubert sighed, pushing up his glasses. He had heard enough. Ever so dramatic, he crossed his arms. “Asbel has been stubborn about this since it’s been announced. He won’t let go of the idea of seeing Richard at all, thinking he needs to make sure that he is okay. I’m here to make sure he doesn’t do anything too stupid, like think he needs to fix Richard and stay longer than he needs to.”

Malik’s hand ran across his beard in thought, approval starting to show in his face. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he finally said, over Asbel’s sound of protest. He eyed the younger man, the look making him shift uncomfortably. What was it about Malik that made Asbel think he was being looked straight through? “Cheria?”

Instead of smiling and agreeing, her face fell a bit. “Captain, can I talk to you alone?”

”Of course, Cheria.” The two of them stepped to one side to speak, making Asbel nervous. No one seemed to agree with him. But Richard needed someone, and he wanted so badly to help him.

Hubert didn’t look at him as the two of them talked. “We care about you more than you think, Asbel,” he said suddenly. “I just wish you would listen to us for once.”

”I know.” Asbel turned, looking at the castle around him. “Just... trust me.”

”I find it hard to do so at times.” Hubert sighed, pushing up his glasses. “But the least I can do is mitigate the damage.”

”Asbel.” Cheria’s voice made him look back as she walked back to them. “Are you sure it’s the best thing for you and Richard for you to be here?”

”Yes.” He didn’t even have to think about it.

Her face didn’t pick up as she nodded at the words. “Please be careful. I-” Cheria’s hand rose to her chest as her words choked. Asbel stepped to her, not wanting to see that look on her face. She turned her head up to him, surprise crossing her eyes. “Asbel.”

”I promise.” He smiled at her, wanting to see it echoed on her lips. She looked so sad, and no one needed to look like that. Richard, Cheria, no one. “Everything will be okay.”

And then they waited. When Hubert said the next few days, it turned more into a week. Richard was just more and more busy, leaving Asbel to hoping he’d be able at least to catch a glimpse of his friend, to talk to him at some point about anything. Just make him feel better for a moment.

Trying to sleep had been near impossible, especially tonight. Asbel found himself jerking out of a sound sleep, the memory of the Lastalia walls rough against his back and pain radiating down his sides making his heart pound. He slowly sat up, trying not to make a sound and wake Hubert. Not to let him know something was wrong. Why couldn’t he let go of those dreams? He just wanted to sleep well, not have a scream bubbling up behind his teeth as his mind replayed those days over and over. Asbel slipped out of bed, intent on a walk through the halls. A thought of this is how it started wormed through his mind, making him shiver as he made his way down corridors. How he had left everyone else to try and clear his mind, and how Richard had surprised him, taken him-

But it wasn’t the same. There were people around, many of them willing to fight and die alongside him. He wasn’t going to be- Asbel found himself stumbling against a wall as his breath came quicker. No, he was safe in Barona. Everything would be okay. His head started to swim as he leaned up against the wall, trying to keep his balance. If he could just- get back to his room, everything would be okay. Hubert wouldn’t even need to know what happened.

”Asbel, are you okay?”

Muscles locked up as Richard’s voice grabbed him. No, he couldn’t- A hand touched his face, and he held still. Kept perfectly still because if he did he might not get hurt, he might be okay. He could heard Richard talking to him, and it was Richard this time, not Lambda. He could get Richard back, but he would have to make sure he did everything right to not be hurt-

Thumbs rubbed his wrists. “Asbel, please,” came the pleading tone. “Please breathe. You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

That was- new. Asbel looked up, meeting concerned eyes. Meeting- A sudden breath made his chest hurt as he realized that there was no trace of red in those eyes. They were Richard’s eyes, no trace of Lambda at all. Breaths kept coming harshly in his throat as he gulped them down, thumbs still rolling in circles on his wrists. He could feel himself crying, unable to stop. Barona was supposed to be safe. It had been safe before, not a place where it could touch him. He was-

”I’m sorry, Asbel.” The pure misery hit him hard, making his teeth grit. “I’m so sorry, I-” No, this wasn’t right. Richard wasn’t supposed to sound like that. Asbel felt something stir inside him, sleepily irritated as he broke Richard’s hold, pulling him into a hug. “Asbel?”

”It’s not- Please don’t sound like that, Richard.” He couldn’t stop trembling, but he couldn’t let Richard sound like that anymore. Asbel tried to make his voice sound firmer as he held Richard tightly. “I’ll be okay. It- it’s nothing.”

”It’s not nothing!” Richard pushed him back a bit to look at him, searching. “You’re... You’re always pushing yourself aside for me. Even though it made you react like this, you still came back here to see me. There’s nothing we needed to have a meeting on, so there’s no reason for you to be here other than to see me. You...” His hand lifted, wanting to touch his face before dropping as Asbel winced away from it. “You care about me so much, Asbel, even after I-”

Asbel shook his head. “That’s in the past, Richard. That’s not you now.” Slowly, he lowered his hands, taking in his friend. Not dressed in his usual clothes, but dressed down, almost ready for bed. He looked haggard like this, and his face, his eyes- Asbel bit his lip as he saw the signs of alcohol all over his friend. “You’ve been punishing yourself for what happened. Hubert told me about... you drinking. Richard, you’re not alone here! You don’t have to try to close yourself off and deal with this alone! I’m here, and I’ll help you and-”

His words cut off as Richard pressed his lips against his. For a moment, as he pulled back, Richard looked calm. “Forgive me,” he murmured. He opened his mouth to say more when Asbel pulled him close, kissing him again. He wanted that calm look back. Richard deserved it. Fingers stroked his arm, gentle and unsure as Richard deepened the kiss. Good, he just wanted- just wanted Richard to smile again the way he used to, to not think he needed that glass of wine. As long as he held Richard, as long as he took control, it’d be fine. Asbel took a small step forward, shifting his weight and- oh. Oh.

”Richard.” Asbel broke the kiss to whisper against his lips, his hip brushing up against Richard. Oh. How did he not notice before? Why didn’t he realize it?“You-”

Slowly, he started to pull away from Asbel, “I’m s-” he started before Asbel grabbed him again, kissing him.

”Stop saying that,” he told him, his voice starting to break. This would make Richard feel better, wouldn’t it? Asbel kissed him again, shifting purposely to roll his hips awkwardly against Richard’s. He... would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about this at least once. Richard was such a figure in his life, so close alongside Cheria... He hadn’t expected it to go like this, though. But as long as Richard smiled again, he’d take it. It’d be what he wanted.

#Tales of Graces #richass #not all are found #asbel and richard cope horribly #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Echo of Me and You, RWBY, Monochrome (Checkmate), 3/?

Getting married is not conductive to writing. In case you were planning it.

On AO3 On FF.N

“Just admit it. We’re lost.”

Blake didn’t even bother to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she jumped down from her vantage point in the trees. There was nothing nearby that she recognized, nothing that made sense. Wherever they had landed after being separated wasn’t anywhere they had been before. “I wasn’t denying it,” she replied coolly. Didn’t change the fact they needed to figure out what was around them so they could at least try to figure out a decent direction to go. Blake frowned as she looked around, thinking. Weiss still had that gash on her head, and they needed to be careful, and- “What... are you doing?”

”I,” Weiss started, her voice arching primly, “am not going to just sit here and be lost. I’m going to go be unlost, or something like that.” Her legs started to stretch into an annoyed gait, posture stiff as she took two graceful steps before her balance wobbled. Blake took a half step forward instinctively, ready to catch her if she had to before Weiss steadied herself. “You can come with me or not. But nothing’s going to be done by just climbing trees.”

That caused a frustrated growl to build in the back of Blake’s throat. “At least I’m trying to get an idea of where we are and what’s around us! Nothing’s going to get done by rushing forward with a head injury like that. We need to take a moment to make sure we don’t run into some Grimm and you-”

The frosty glare could have come from Weiss’s Dust chamber. “I’ll be okay. You need to stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself.” The way she tossed her head angled just right to show off her scar, silently hammering her point home. “Are you coming or not?”

Like she had a choice. “Be careful,” Blake told her shortly, coming up beside her. “You’re still not that steady.”

Nothing stopped Weiss from rolling her eyes dramatically. With a huff, she started out, Blake following her closely. Her gait pretended to be perfect just enough that anyone who didn’t know the team would be fooled. But Blake’s sharp eyes noted when Weiss’s foot didn’t quite hit the ground right, her arm lifted up a bit to correct her balance on flat ground. Her Aura was still working to heal her, and while she was doing a lot better than before...

Why didn’t Weiss just trust her? Trust she could help her find their way back without Weiss getting more hurt? Something was out in these woods that had grown nastier than usual. And they were alone, without Ruby or Yang. Without a way to contact anyone else. They needed to be careful, and yet Weiss- Blake grit her teeth. She should have never told Weiss she was a Faunus. It changed the dynamic between them, even though Weiss had told her she didn’t care. She had started to warm up a bit, and then this. Ice Queen. Damn it, why had she let her mouth get away from her?

Speaking of the Ice Queen, she stopped without warning, tapping one foot as she crossed her arms. “We’re getting nowhere,” she announced, annoyance coloring her words. “This is ridiculous! We should be seeing something familiar by now. These woods aren’t exactly new to us.”

Tell me something I don’t know, Blake thought with a mental snort. Instead of that, she said, “Well, if you had let me get an idea of where we were first...”

That glare was much warmer than the last one Weiss gave her. “Oh shut up,” she grumbled. “Well, we’re going to be here until nightfall, at least, even if Ruby and Yang find us. And this place is pretty clear with a pretty good view of what’s around us.”

Blake nodded, knowing where Weiss was going with this. “I’ll gather firewood. It’s been warm, so we shouldn’t need any blankets.”

”Yeah.” Weiss’s voice trailed off a bit, her thoughts taking over a bit. Then she shook her head, not quite looking at Blake. “I can scavenge a bit around here,” she told her, voice softer and gentler. “So at least we’ll have dinner.”

It made Blake’s head hurt a little as she went out to gather sticks for firewood. The arch frostiness and standoffishness had been replaced when a thought had occurred to Weiss. Maybe it finally hit her how bitchy she had been and the words she had told Blake back after she had let slip she was a Faunus. She just wanted Weiss to be... closer to her. Her hand paused above a stick as her own thoughts wandered a bit. Closer, nicer... just... she wanted to be able to look at Weiss without worrying that she’d have a grumpy look aimed at her. That she’d have a soft smile for her, and she could...

A dream. Blake shook her head, gathering the stick. Weiss was a teammate. That was all. She started back to the clearing, eyes sweeping back and forth. It was weird no Grimm had been sighted. At least a Beowolf should have been seen, but... nothing. That made Blake more nervous than being lost. What was out there that made the monsters run and hide? What other things existed?

When she returned, Weiss had started a small fire with a collection of berries beside her. “They’re not poisonous,” she told Blake when her eyes darted to them. “I remember that from class. I’m not Ruby, after all.” The words lacked bite as she sat down, her back resting against a tree. Her features melted into relaxation as her eyes closed, then blinked back open. “What?”

Oh. She had been staring at Weiss. The blood on her face, though... Blake carefully placed the firewood down, coming over to her. “Your face is covered in blood. You’ve been bleeding since we’ve started walking. Let me help-”

”I can do it,” Weiss interrupted, her voice icy again. “Don’t worry about me.”

That was enough. She had finally started acting like a human being, and as soon as it came time to actually touch her- “What the hell is your problem?!” Blake knew her mouth was running on erupted anger at this point, but stopping it wasn’t happening. “You act like it’s a hardship to be alone with me, then start acting like a normal person, and then when it comes time for me to touch you, you start acting like a bitch again. What is wrong with you? You say you don’t care if I’m a Faunus, that I was in the White Fang, but you don’t act like it. Like you think I should have remained lost!” And that was what hurt the most. The thought the maybe... she shouldn’t have gone back. That no one could see her as Blake, but a Faunus. A former White Fang member. Not... Blake Belladonna.

”Are you really that full of yourself?” Weiss struggled to her feet, her own fury bubbling to the surface. “That I’m still all about you being a Faunus? You’re who you are, and I can’t do anything about that. It’s just...” She took a breath, trying to look for the words. “It’s just... hard. I trust you. You’re my teammate, and I really do trust you. I don’t care you’re a Faunus or that you were once in the White Fang. It’s just...” Her voice dropped as she looked down, a thought different than what she was talking about slipping in. “... hard.”

”If it’s that hard, maybe you should get Daddy to transfer you to a different team.” The words came out before Blake could stop them, and Weiss turned back to her with blazing eyes.

”Do you really think that’s what it’s about? Do you really think I’m that much of a coward?” Weiss took a step forward, her hands curling into fists. “I’m not dependant on my father at all. Everything he’s done, I don’t need in my life. So don’t even think I’m even thinking about it! I’m not about to transfer out just because of what I feel about you.”

A little closer, and Blake could feel the warmth of Weiss’s skin. “Well, maybe you should. It’s not going to make being part of a team any easier.”

Weiss’s lips thinned at that. “Maybe you should, if you can’t handle me.”

It hurt. It hurt worse than she expected. Weiss... did Weiss even care if she left or not? Her retort died on her lips at the pain, retreating to hide in a change of subject. “It’s getting dark,” Blake told her shortly. “I’ll take first watch, Princess. You get your beauty sleep.

The words closed Weiss’s face off, pain flickering through her eyes. “Fine.”

”Fine.”

The next day wasn’t any easier. Waking to the shining white of Weiss’s hair only caused the pang in her to resurface. And she couldn’t exactly leave her and make it back to Ruby and Yang alone. Weiss was, for the moment, still her teammate. They still needed to make it back together.

Weiss’s head had finally healed. Which meant she could walk in a silent straight line away from Blake, letting the Faunus fall behind so she didn’t have to even pretend there was a chance to talk to her. They didn’t need to talk, except maybe in a fight. And that was okay. She didn’t need to talk to someone who found it hard to be around a Faunus, even if she trusted her.

It was still too quiet. She could see Weiss moving her hand to Myrtenaster, also on edge. It didn’t take a genius to realize something was coming. Something big. But when was the question. Blake’s own hand rose to Gambol Shroud as she looked around. What was it? What could there-

A growl answered that. Beowolf. More than one by the sound and look of it. And- crap, Ursa. Blake’s heart picked up as she realized where the red eyes came from. They had surrounded them, too silently even for her sharp Faunus ears to find. Or maybe her own thoughts had deadened her hearing. Blake’s teeth grit as she looked around, taking in their numbers. With Weiss, it would be no trouble, even if they were not exactly... friendly. Just Beowolves and Ursa.

Ice sparked along the ground at that thought at a charging Beowolf as Blake dodged the swipe of an Ursa’s paw, pulling Gambol Shroud free as its claws ran right through a shadow clone. Her blade pulled free, the same motion slicing it through the Ursa as she turned, other arm pushing the sharp end of her sheath through the next of a Beowolf. She could hear the pained sounds of Grimm behind her and Weiss’s shouts, punctuated occasionally by the screech of her Dust chamber shifting and the sound of it activating. Blake shifted her stance to see one Ursa flying into the air, aided by a glyph. A careful aim of her pistol put a bullet into its head as it fell, leaving Weiss ready to stab another Ursa in the eye. It was too easy to take them down.

And then the ground rumbled, and Blake’s bones shook at the roar of an Ursa far too large coming nearer.

#rwby #Checkmate #monochrome #blake/weiss #weiss and blake aren't over their shit #echo of me and you #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Not All Are Found, Tales of Graces, Richass, 5/?

I have recently learned that the final few months of planning for a wedding and then getting sick are not good for writing. Fun times.

There is a mention of alcohol in here, for a warning, as well as some twisting of memories of Asbel's torture.

Pain, but he couldn’t tell whose. It was all around him, inside him, gazing at him through red eyes and need. But were they red? They went between colors, horrid and familiar. But both needed him and didn’t want him. The pain screamed up his side as he wanted to wipe that look from his eyes and make it-

It took Sophie’s gentle hand to rouse Asbel from his thoughts. They scattered as soon as he sat up from reading some papers at his desk, looking over at her worried expression. She slowly pulled her hand away, tilting her head. “I didn’t know where you went,” she told him seriously. “Did you hit your head?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m sorry, Sophie.” Asbel rubbed one eye, resisting the urge to yawn. “What is it?”

”You looked so far away.” Sophie frowned, thinking about it. “You’ve been so far away since we went to Barona. Is everything okay with Richard?”

Asbel’s hand twitched slightly at the memory. Something had been wrong, he knew it. But what, he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Richard held guilt about what happened, and he sounded so angry about it. And the entire time, something had been off. Something had looked wrong, sounded wrong. And Asbel didn’t know how to fix it. But it would all be okay. He and Sophie had gone to see him, and now Richard knew he was okay. So that would make Richard okay, and make Asbel okay because he had made Sophie happy. Another soft touch made him jolt out of those thoughts, and smile sheepishly at the girl. “I’m sorry. Everything’s okay. Just... it was strange seeing him again.”

”He and Lambda hurt you.” Sophie’s words made him look away from her, swallowing. “Are you still hurt? Richard looks hurt.”

”Yeah, he did...” He trailed off, thinking. Richard had- no. He wouldn’t dwell on it, not now. Not in front of Sophie. Not with what could, would happen. But what could he do about what Richard was going through? He had so much to do back here in Lhant. “There’s not much I can do, Sophie. I don’t know how.”

Sophie tilted her head. “Maybe we can go back to Barona? Richard seemed hurt that he was alone.”

That thought... Asbel swallowed, trying not to let his hand tremble. He had just gone to see Richard a few weeks ago. He couldn’t- not so soon. It was true, Richard had been hurting so much and it- Asbel just wanted him to smile again. Everything was over now, and he could go back to being himself. “Sophie...”

She shook her head. “Asbel. Please. You keep... going away, and I keep thinking about Richard too. I-” Sophie hesitated, looking down at her hands. “I don’t want my friends to be hurt.”

It made Asbel hesitate too. Richard, Sophie, everyone... he didn’t want them to hurt either. And with what he was doing, he was making them hurt. At the same time... he couldn’t see Richard this soon. If Sophie went... “Okay,” he told her softly, watching her face brighten. “But... maybe Cheria can take you. I need to stay here.”

”Or maybe Hubert,” she told him thoughtfully. “Oh. Hubert’s here.”

That made him stand suddenly. “Hubert?” Asbel asked, nervous. When did he get here? Why was he here? There wasn’t anything with Strahta that he needed to go over with Hubert, was there? No, wait, now that he thought about it maybe he needed to talk to him about some trade or something or why was Hubert here now? Asbel started to straighten his desk, swallowing quickly. Seeing his little brother since... it was always a challenge. He knew Hubert cared for him, but- it was almost worse than his mother and Sophie.

Asbel froze when he heard the door open, looking up with papers in his hands as Hubert marched his way into the room, Sophie silently leaving behind him. “Uh. Hi, Hubert,” he said with a smile, slowly putting the papers back down.

”Hello, brother.” Critical eyes swept over Asbel as he forced himself to come around the desk. “You’re looking as terribly as you usually do these days.”

The words made Asbel flush with indignation. “Hubert!”

Fingers pushed up his glasses as Hubert sighed. “Should we just do away with the pleasantries? You’ve been sending what has to be Lhant’s entire supply of apples to Yu Liberte.”

”We had too many of them,” Asbel started to argue when his brother cut him off.

”It’s excessive!” Hubert’s stance shifted, irritation showing in the lines of his body. “Straha has little need for so many apples. I cannot fathom why you feel the need to export so much.” The words hung with tension in the air for a moment before a sigh broke through them. “Brother, what is it about apples in particular?”

The words made his throat choke as he shook his head. He couldn’t tell him. Not with the words bringing the taste so close to his tongue already, making the feeling of something next to his side hover next to him. “It’s not-”

Hubert shook his head, glaring at Asbel before speaking. ”Brother, you look like you haven’t slept at all in the last week. And have you even eaten anything more than a snack in the last few days?” His eyes pinned his brother with a fierce glare, not giving him room to look away. “I can’t believe anyone would let you go like this.”

”Hubert...”

”If you can’t take care of yourself,” he continued, crossing his arms, “then you’ll have to be put into the care of someone who can. I came to talk to you about your poor trade choices,but if you can’t be trusted with yourself then I can see it’s not worth it.”

Asbel blinked for a moment, the words starting to take on another tone. “Are you... worried about me?”

”Of course I’m worried about you!” The words came out quick, almost without thinking. “You haven’t been the same since we came back, you’re making more and more poor choices, and we still don’t know what happened. How do you think we can help you if you won’t talk to us?”

The words made Asbel look away with embarrassment, trying not to remember. Trying not to remember Richard’s breath on his face, his claws- “It’s because- there’s nothing to talk about. Everything’s fine. I mean-” He shifted his gaze, not yet looking up. “It’s not like how it was before. And I even could go to Barona to see Richard. I’m fine.”

Hubert made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat, but raised his hand to his mouth. “That would explain a few things. You’re still an idiot.”

”What do you mean, explain a few things?” Asbel asked, finally raising his head. What did that mean? What kind of things could that explain?

With a sigh, Hubert readjusted his glasses. “I’ve had to also have conference with Richard recently. If he’s met with you, that would explain what happened during our meeting.”

Asbel took a half-step forward, his heart pounding so hard it almost hurt his ribs. “What happened? Is Richard okay?”

”You don’t owe him anything, Brother.” Hubert lowered his hand, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t you understand? After what happened, you don’t owe him any of your pity or sympathy. Whatever happened to you, it was at his hands at Lambda’s urging. You need to take care of yourself first before anything else.”

”I just can’t let a friend hurt like this!”

With a sigh, Hubert held a hand to his head. “And what is it that you plan on doing?”

”I...” Asbel scratched the back of his head as he thought for a moment. “I would go see him again. I mean, he should know he’s not alone, and I really didn’t have a good visit last time. And it’s shouldn’t be just me. I mean, he probably feels alone right now. So we all should go, or at least as many as us as we can.”

”I can’t allow you to do that.” With a fist clenched by his side, Hubert stood squarely at him. “Richard is not your responsibility. And this will only be detrimental to you both.”

”Hubert!” Asbel took a deep breath, helplessness racing through him. He had to get through to him. He had to get Huber to understand- “I can’t let a friend go through this alone. And... it’s okay now. I saw it with my own eyes. Richard’s not like that anymore.”

For a moment, his brother looked at him with furious eyes. Then, Hubert turned away, one hand pushing up his glasses. “And if I were to try to stop you, you would find a way to get there anyway.” He looked back at him, piercing and angry. “I’m going with you, but don’t misunderstand. You shouldn’t. And I will let you know every step of the way. I will be letting you know just how stupid you’re being as we go, and try to talk you out of it even when we reach Barona. And even then, you shouldn’t even spend too much time with Richard.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “If it’s anything like our meeting, he’ll be drunk and it’ll be a meaningless conversation with him.”

Asbel felt a jolt shiver through him as things fell into place. The smell finally registered - wine. He had smelled of wine the entire time, and had so much of it during their dinner- “Then that just proves my point,” he told him seriously. “Richard’s been hurting so much he’s been drinking. He needs someone there to let him know it’s okay.”

”And why is it you, Asbel? Why do you have to go?”

”Because I care about him!” The words held too much passion, too much... need. Hubert took a step back in the force of them, surprise crossing his face. Then his hand rose, covering his mouth in thought.

Asbel watched as Hubert muttered to himself, catching a few phrases and not quite understanding them. Finally, he lowered his hand, looking at him. “It’s still not a good idea.”

”It’s the only thing I can do.”

Hubert sighed, his hand going to his head again. “Then I will accompany you. But first.” He pierced Asbel with another intense glare. “We are going to sort out this trade issue. You need to start trading something more than apples, Asbel.”

”I know, I know.” Asbel turned to his papers, then stopped, tilting his head. “Hubert? How did you know that Richard had been drunk? I didn’t even know until you said something.”

”Little wonder,” he muttered. “It ended up being the little things. His eyes being too bright and glazed. The way he talked being that slightly loose but too precise way of speaking. His balance just a touch off. The smell of wine. And of course, it clicked when I saw him taking a sip of wine outside of dinner. He hides it well, and he’s never too drunk while he needs to be in the eyes of the public. But if you’re looking, you can see it.”

”Richard...” Asbel looked away, feeling guilt pang through him. How hadn’t they noticed? Richard had done so much while under Lambda, yes, but he was trying so hard to make it up, and he felt so much guilt for what he had done. What he did to the world, and to Asbel. And because of how they were leaving him alone, he turned to drinking- it was his fault, and he had to fix it.

”Enough. Back to the matter at hand.” Asbel shook his head a little to try and clear it as he tried to focus on Hubert’s words. He was right. They did need to worry about this trade agreement first.

And then Richard. Then they could help him.

#tales of graces #richass #not all are found #asbel and richard cope horribly #alcohol cw #torture tw

[arenotsilent]

Fade, Alvin/Ludger/Jude, Tales of Xillia 2, 1/1, NSFW

This is a oneshot sequel to Burn. There was something I had always thought of that I wanted to put in Burn, but it never really fit in the story proper. Xillia 2 made it possible.

Summary: Ludger finds even the strongest blazes will eventually fade.

On AO3

He meets Jude the first time at night.

Ludger doesn't know what to make of him at first. It's obvious he's still a teenager, but he looks like a doctor. He looks around Trigleph like a lost puppy, half remembering where everything is. But Ludger helps him, takes him to the train station despite the hour, despite knowing no trains are running at that time of night.

He doesn't know then why Jude travels at night.

He meets Alvin at Helioborg.

It's not obvious at first. Jude treats Alvin with the same respect as he treats Leia and Rowen, as he treats Ludger. But the way Jude looks at Alvin, the way they face each other even when they're talking to others, the way Alvin bends close to him to ask him a private worried question makes Ludger's chest feel heavy.

He doesn't know why.

Jude insists they travel at night as often as possible. Only Alvin seems to know why.

Ludger knows it's a dream. Hands stroke his chest as someone kisses down his stomach. It feels like there's too many limbs but it feels so good. He knows he'll wake up needing his hands around his cock, to finish the job, but right now he can't stop the phantom sensation of someone kissing his neck, of someone licking his hip. He wants so badly, and he shouldn't look down. It'll break the spell, the mystery of the dream. It'll wake him up, knowing.

But he has to look, to see black hair framing a teenager's face, lips parted as he hears a deeper voice chuckle in his ear. It wakes him as he expects, leaving him uncomfortably aroused and deeply embarrassed.

Alvin gives him a look the next day over Jude's oblivious head that makes him blush.

It's Jude in his lap that makes Ludger realize who the catalyst for this dimension is. It's Jude kissing him, fingers digging into his throat as his hips roll. It's the smell of old blood on his breath when he breaks the kiss, and the scent of new blood when he bites his throat.

Both Alvin and Jude give him looks as Jude heals the bite once the dimension is destroyed. Knowing looks that make him blush and look down, as if they knew Ludger had held onto those slim hips for a moment, had lost himself in that fantasy.

Jude's health keeps going up and down. He keeps getting a fever, and losing it.

When he loses it, Alvin has a cold for a few days, weak and pale.

"You can see it too, can't you."

Alvin's words don't make much sense to Ludger. But they also make too much sense as they look at Jude, his cheeks starting to hold that flush of a beginning fever. They're coming more often, burning hotter than the last.

"He won't admit it," Alvin continues. "But we know. And you know too, don't you? Kid's dying."

He can hear Alvin trying to hide how much the words hurt him. Ludger turns to him, wondering why he brings it up, and notices something. Something dark along his collar, near his throat. Something red.

Suddenly, Ludger can feel Jude in his lap again, and the teeth in his skin.

Jude's dying.

He's burning up from the inside.

He starts to fade, not quite as engaged as before. It's slow, slower if they travel at night and try not to fight unless they need to. But it happens, and Alvin starts to fade with him, trying to keep him alive.

It's not a dream this time. The lips around him are Jude's, and the cock inside him is Alvin's. His throat bleeds, just enough to quell Jude's fever. He can feel Jude moving to straddle him, legs parting as he slowly slides down.

It feels right.

They tell him why. They tell him of the experiment. Of how they thought Jude would be okay as long as he avoided burning for too long.

It makes Ludger wish it was a fractured dimension, that he could destroy the catalyst and save Jude's life. But it's real, and Jude starts to keep a fever at all times. Nothing Alvin and Ludger can do will break it. All they can do is wait.

And watch Jude fade.

#tales of xillia #tales of xillia 2 #alvin/ludger/jude #fade #nws #nsfw #i was too nice to jude i should fix that #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Chapters will be coming slower as my wedding is next month and we are kicking planning into high gear. I'll try every two weeks to get a chapter out but no guarantees.

#fic talk #writing #sen talks

[arenotsilent]

And the Light is Bright, Tales of Xillia, 1/1

Lisa and I had a mighty need for Alvin/Elize brotp.

He didn't know what woke him up. Her cries had been so soft that no one else had stirred, and yet somehow, Alvin woke with a snap when he heard Elize start sobbing. Gently, he reached out to her, starting towards his weapons when she suddenly surged upward with a cry, clinging to him in a half awake state.

"Hey, whoa, is everything okay?" Alvin asked, his voice pitched easy. Didn't want to alarm the girl that could open dark spells under his feet with ease.

Elize snuffled against his coat as she started to wake, looking up at him. Her mouth opened, but her words came out of Teepo's mouth. "It's so scary!" he cried, flying around them. "The laboratory and the cellar and-"

"Hey there." Alvin placed a hand against her head, stroking it gently. "Hey. You're not there, okay? You're with us. See? There's Jude, and Milla, and Leia, and Rowen. Everything's okay."

"I'm fine," she muttered against him as Teepo flew around them in a panic, belying how upset she was. Alvin chuckled, still running his hand across her hair. How much she had gone through... He shifted, holding her close as he moved into a more comfortable position. "A-alvin!"

"You need to sleep," he told her, fingers stroking through her hair as he rested. "And I'm okay with getting the crap getting kicked out of me as long as you know you're not alone."

She made an displeased noise, but the way her arms tightened around him said more than anything else.

#tales of xillia #nightfoot #sen writes fanfic #drunk at that

[arenotsilent]

Lady in White, Tales of Vesperia, Fluri, Judith/Flynn, 8/8

And it is done. Oh yes, finally. I have a bit of a plan for a sequel but yeah, I'm going to wait a bit. With all else I'm writing, I'll take a bit.

On AO3 FF.N

Against the other monster, Catherine had seemed so slow. When pain lanced through his shoulder, she didn’t seem like it. She had moved faster than Flynn could react, shoving the dagger into another point in his shoulder with a grin. She twisted the blade deftly, then pulled her dagger free, holding it to his throat for a moment. The edge dug in, making him pause with the threat to slice before her hand dropped, shifting the hold on the weapon so her elbow could come up into his nose. As he staggered back, she propped herself up against a tree. "It's too bad you were in my way," she told him, her dagger tapping a rhythm against her leg.

"And why is that?" Flynn grit out. She may be fast, but she was still injured. With Judith and Sodia, they should be able to take her down. And they didn’t walk far, the two of them should be close by-

She sheathed her dagger long enough to grab him, her lips near his. “I could be glib and say it’s because you taste good,” Catherine breathed in his face. “And in fact, you do. You’re quite strong. But you’re also... someone I could have needed a thousand years ago.” She pressed her lips against him in her kiss, making his knees weak as he felt his strength flicker. The drain slowed, then stopped as she drew back. “I do like you,” she told him, her voice stronger. “And you do make wonderful bait.”

Yuri. It didn’t make sense. “Why do you want to kill Yuri?” he gasped out, willing to stay upright. Where were Sodia and Judith? Why weren’t they-?

”Because I don’t want to deal with a feral vampire after your death,” came the bizarre answer. “Trust me, I would much rather be bored out of my mind for a thousand years than deal with a vampire without his reason for returning.” She paused, then smiled. “You’re stalling me, aren’t you. These woods were strange, didn’t you notice? Taking longer to get to places, or shorter than you remember.” Her hand dropped to her dagger, pulling it out. “They belonged to her. With her death, well, your two teammates will find us eventually. But with luck, it’ll be after the vampire does.”

Flynn’s knees hit the ground as he finally lost his grip on standing. He was alone against her. Against a monster. “You...”

”Me.” Catherine’s head tilted, listening. “Well, at least someone is on their way.” She reached out, grabbing his chin. “Do live,” she told him, her voice quiet. “I’m curious myself who could be at Zaphias. And if it’s what I think it is, after I kill your vampire, I’ll help you kill it. For a price, of course.”

”I won’t trust...” His words broke off as her hand moved to cover his mouth, head shaking.

”Don’t make me hate you for not giving you a choice.” Catherine drew breath to say more before her gaze sharpened, tensing. Something warred in her face, the same he had seen each time before she had made a decision he didn’t expect. Before he could react, she leaned in, lips to his ears. “It’s time,” came the playful whisper before she pushed him, making him slide into a tree. As she did so, she jumped back just as Yuri came running through the trees, growling as he reached for her. Feral, she had called him, he had noticed, and yet it didn’t even cover how he swept at her. Each movement was mindless, heedless of how she moved. The Yuri he had known may not have been able to have stopped her, but it wouldn’t have been this sloppy. Flynn reached for his sword, stopping as his shoulders screamed in pain. If he didn’t stop Yuri, make him at least see-

Catherine would be the one to kill him, and she would get away. The thought spurred him to his feet. Yuri needed to be stopped. But his death needed to be on Flynn. It was... because of him that he came back. Why he was a monster. And it was his duty to bring Catherine to justice. Flynn took a few staggering steps, trying to regain the strength Catherine had sapped- as someone crashed into him, forcing him onto his back with a cry of pain. Loose dark hair filled his vision - Yuri - as hands grabbed him. Flynn could feel the cold body on top of him inhale (the first time he ever had, Yuri didn’t breathe, he was smelling him his blood-) before teeth pressed against his throat.

The knowledge of where they were, of Catherine, of Sodia and Judith nearby became secondary as the sensation he had missed shivered through him, as silvery sharp as before. A moan slipped from his lips as the teeth broke the skin over the scars. It felt- so good. He could hear something, some kind of fight, but all he could do is let Yuri dig into his flesh and lap up blood. Flynn could hear the little, sane voice telling him to shove Yuri off, to pay attention to what was around him. His hips jerked a little, the only person to make him want so badly to grab him even-

Even if it killed him. He had forgotten. Flynn grabbed Yuri’s hair, trying to pull him off. He had forgotten how much he had wanted this that it could kill him. Growling, Yuri grabbed his hands, pinning him as he raised his head. For a moment, the monster looked down at him, then sanity crashed into those aching features. “Flynn,” Yuri breathed, his hands moving slightly as he let him go.

Yuri was back. Flynn looked up at him, dumbfounded. If Yuri was back, didn’t that mean he didn’t have to be killed? But- Flynn’s throat throbbed a counterpoint as thoughts started to stutter. He could figure it out later. He was just so... tired right now. Flynn let his head list to one side, seeing Judith aim a kick at Catherine that drove her towards Sodia’s waiting attack. So that was what he had been hearing. He could feel Yuri bending back down to his shoulder, lips against the wound as the blood called to him too strongly. He should have stopped him but- the rush of strength he had gotten came to a halt as his vision started to darken. Just a little rest.

Then Yuri pulled himself off. “Yo, bitch,” Flynn could hear him say, making him open his eyes slightly. Both Judith and Sodia came to a halt, whipping around to look at him with disbelieving eyes as Catherine shifted her balance. “Think you want to pick on someone your own size?”

”If you can find someone that isn’t a towering giant, that would be very nice,” she purred, her posture the most wary it had been. “But you will do.” Catherine shoved Sodia out of the way, making her crash into Judith as she threw herself at Yuri, dagger sweeping in front of her. He grabbed her easily and twisted, throwing her into the trees before rushing after her.

No. No, that’s not what needed to be done. Flynn struggled to a sitting position, starting to feel numb. He had to go after them, had to-

”Sir!” A hand grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back down. “Judith, do you have any more Gels left?”

”One.” He had never heard her voice so grim... The sweet smell of apple tickled his nose as Sodia pressed an Apple Gel against his lips. Flynn swallowed it, knowing after the fight with the Lady and Catherine, he needed it. And he needed to go after them, to stop them. “If we don’t get him either more Gels or some real attention, he’s going to bleed out.”

”I know.” Sodia sounded equally grim. As he closed his eyes, he could hear something ripping. “Sir, open your eyes. We need to get you back to town. Sir- Flynn!”

”I’m just resting,” he told her quietly. “And I can’t. Yuri-”

He could feel something being packed against his shoulders and firmly wound around his neck. “Isn’t worth your life,” Judith told him. Someone picked him up, holding him close. “You can find them later. Right now, you need to live.”

If he could have refuted her words before darkness claimed him, he would have.

Waking to the sensation of pain started to be very familiar. It wasn’t as sharp as it could be, so someone had fed him Gels, but his shoulders still felt sore and when Flynn shifted his head, shivers of pain to the point of pleasure rolled through his throat. The bed under him squeaked as he sat up slowly, passing a hand over his face. He had been so close to ending this. Yuri and Catherine had been right there, and they had taken down what had been hunting this town. Flynn felt his hand shake as his breathing quickened. He had been so close!

And now not only were they still out there, still able to kill a mass number of people again, there was someone in Zaphias. If Catherine was to be believed, there was another player. Flynn grit his teeth, running his hands through his hair. When was this going to end? When was it going to go back to the worse thing he had to worry about was human thoughts and hatred? He took a deep breath, trying to even it out. What had he stumbled upon?

No matter what it was, he needed to put it together, and fast. Zaphias would fall apart if he didn’t find who was still controlling his Knights and terrorizing Estellise. Once he got that under control, he could get a squad together to hunt down Catherine and Yuri. It needed to be done quickly, though.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened, making him reflexively move for a sword not there before he realized it was Sodia. “You’re awake,” she said, her voice full of relief. “Sir-”

”Sodia.” Flynn waved a hand at a nearby chair wearily. “You saved my life.”

She sat stiffly, nodding. “Of course, Sir. Judith and I- we couldn’t leave you to die.”

The two of them... Flynn rubbed his face, nodding. “I understand. Sodia...”

”Sir?” Her voice held a note of apprehension as her spine went military straight.

”You’re not my second in command anymore.” The words hurt to say. It had felt so right to fight next to her again, her and Judith. “You don’t have to call me that.”

She shook her head. “I know, Sir. It just... still feels right.”

Flynn took a breath, nodding. “Sodia, I-” What did he need to say? He paused, putting his thoughts in order. “What are you going to do now?”

The question seemed to throw her. Sodia blinked, confused. “I was going to go back to what I was doing,” she told him cautiously. “Helping those who needed help. Making the world better from where I could.”

He couldn’t accept that. There had to be a way that he could work with her again, even- “You can’t be allowed back into the military,” he told her, watching the pain cross her eyes at the reminder. “And I can’t outright hire just you to work with me when we need the extra help.”

”I understand,” Sodia said slowly, realizing he was thinking about something but not sure what. Knowing he was thinking of something so they could work together again.

Flynn nodded at her, helping it along. “Is Judith nearby?”

”Yes, she- You can’t mean I work for a guild! And that one!

”I do.” He let out a breath. It was the best option he could think of. “As it is, I can’t hire you directly if we need civilian help. Not with your history. But we can hire a group, and if you happen to be in it... and as it is, Brave Vesperia was founded on the same principles we try to uphold. They’re trying to help those who need it, and they do what I can’t. Sometimes... I don’t want to know what it is they do. But they’re the only guild I trust to hire if we need outside help.” He looked at her seriously, watching the look on her face change. “You and Judith worked together very well. Against each of the monsters... I can see you working with Brave Vesperia, and continuing to help those who need help.”

”Sir...”

”Flynn.”

Sodia paused, then continued uncomfortably, “Flynn. It won’t be that easy.”

”Please think about it,” he told her softly. “I- haven’t had a good second in command since I lost you.”

She stood slowly, her hand moving to a salute before realizing what she was about to do. “I will,” Sodia said, her words thoughtful. “And Sir- Flynn?”

”Yes?”

”That was a low blow.”

“Are you ready?”

Judith tied her pack shut. “Ready.” But instead of picking it up, her fingers came up to gently stroked his chin, taking extra care not to touch the bandages still around his throat. She hadn’t asked about what had happened, about why he hadn’t fought back as Yuri ripped into his throat, and while he appreciated it... “Are you ready, Flynn?”

He gently took her hand, lowering it slightly as his thumb brushed over her knuckles. “Why do you ask?”

”You’ve been quiet since the woods.” Her hand squeezed his slightly as she moved closer slightly. “Are you ready to leave this behind? Are you ready to go back to Zaphias, back home?”

He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. “It wasn’t much of a vacation, was it?” Flynn said, watching a sparkle of humor enter her eyes. “There’s something I need to do there. There might be... something like Catherine still there. And you-”

”I’ll tell Karol to watch for Sodia,” she finished. “I don’t guarantee he’ll hire her, not after what she did, but he won’t turn her away just because of it.” Her eyes shadowed a bit as memory crossed them. “We’ve all done things that would keep us from being part of Brave Vesperia if he did that.”

Flynn cupped her cheek. All done things... his lips met hers in a soft kiss, wanting to melt that look from her face. “As long as he’ll give her a chance,” he told her softly. “Judith...”

”I care for you, Flynn.” Her other arm came up around his shoulder carefully, long fingers tangling in his hair. “And I know I’m not the only one. Just... don’t let what’s going on blind you to that.” She pressed her lips against his one more time. “I’m not the only one that loves you,” she whispered against his skin. “So don’t make all of us that love you sad.”

”I know.” He released her slowly, the two of them stepping back out of the embrace. “I wish I could end this trip with you returning to Zaphias with me.”

Judith smiled at that, hefting her pack. “And distract you from your work?” Something about what she said made him blush. It wasn’t any part sexual, and yet- “Next time I’m in town, we’ll have a proper date. This time with no bodies and a nice comfortable friendly atmosphere where I don’t have to beat sense into you. Sound good?”

If his cheeks were any hotter, he could cook off of them. “It does,” Flynn finally said, making her grin grow wider. “We should go,” he told her, turning away. “If we want to get where we want to by nightfall, we need to leave now.”

”You’re right.” She swept by him, giving him a grin as she did. “Let’s go spend our last day together.”

Flynn answered her grin with his own smile, following her out. For all that had happened, with nearly dying, finding Catherine and Yuri, the blood loss... the vacation hadn’t been all that bad.

Not at all.

The End

#Tales of Vesperia #fluri #flynn/judith #lady in white #sequel to self indulgent vampire au #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

I haven't written smut with little to no plot for a while now. Should do that again.

#fic talk

[arenotsilent]

Every last time I make plans, I swear I change them a dozen times as I actually write them. That said, once I actually finish this one set of short stories I'm working on, I'll post them all at once here and stop trying to plan around it.

#fic talk

[arenotsilent]

Echo of Me and You, RWBY, Monochrome (Checkmate), 2/?

After episode 4, I'm not really sure if the fandom is going to shift from using Monochrome to Checkmate, or if Monochrome is so entrenched it's not going anywhere. So yeah, both.

On AO3 On FF.N

With the festival coming up, teamwork was more important than ever. They had to learn each other’s movements like the back of their hands, anticipate how the other would attack, and how to work together. It made a difference, Blake knew. When she and Adam took down those AK-130 Androids, being able to guess where he’d be meant a lot. With the four of them, and the four incredibly different fighting styles, they had to learn each other’s movements.

“So that’s why we’re out here!” Ruby finished enthusiastically. Blake agreed with her, but it still stunned her how much energy their leader had. “I think we should pair off with people we don’t normally fight with. Weiss, you should go with Yang, and I’ll go with Blake.”

”Yeah!” Yang grinned, looking at Weiss. “I’ll take Ice Queen and thaw her out a little.”

”Hey!”

Yang ignored Weiss’s offended outburst, her face sobering just slightly. “You sure though, Sis? I mean, it might work better if we go as a team so we get used to each other as a group, then break off like this.”

And there was another good point from Yang Xiao Long. For all her wild grins and odd comments, when she had a good observation... Blake shifted, stepping forward a little. “I agree. By going as pairs, we might run into something we can’t fight unless we were used to each other.”

”Oh.” Ruby deflated a little bit, the realization she might have gotten ahead of herself just a bit hitting her. “Then, maybe, we can do that after we’ve practiced against each other a little?”

”Sure. That sounds good.” Blake looked at Weiss, who shrugged.

”Whatever. Just so you know, I think the pair plan was perfectly fine.” Weiss turned her head to look at a grinning Yang, who slapped a hand against the slender girl’s back.

”Ah, don’t be that way. So, into the woods?”

Ruby nodded, pumping a fist into the air. “Let’s go!” she crowed, her enthusiasm returning. It was so Ruby that Blake couldn’t help letting a small smile cross her face as she followed the young girl. The other three were just so... different than she was used to. So much like actual teenagers. It almost made her feel old, despite being the same age as most of them.

Someone moved in beside her, a flash of gold betraying Yang’s presence. “Hey. How you doing?”

The question took Blake by surprise, and she looked over at the other girl. “Why do you ask?”

”Not every day someone accidentally outs themselves then has to go back to the person that was badmouthing their people.” Yang looked up at Weiss, frowning. “She’s been good about trying not to offend you anymore, but she’s been really Ice Queeny lately, if you know what I mean.”

”Like she doesn’t know how else not to be rude,” Blake cautiously guessed, watching as Yang nodded.

”Exactly. I mean, it’s good she’s trying not to make it seem like she cares what kind of organization you’ve been in, but there’s other ways to do it, you know?” The blonde grinned at her, nudging her slightly. “Hey, so, you got any plans after this? Ruby was thinking about playing this game we have and it’d be really cool if you joined.”

That... didn’t sound bad, but it would push the limits of the socializing she was willing to do. “Maybe,” Blake told her, her tone telling her that it was closer to a “no.”

Yang threw an arm over her shoulder anyway. “You’ll have a lot of fun, I promise. It’s this board game with cards where...” She trailed off as her arm lowered, steps slowing. Ruby came to a stop as well, Weiss running into her. Blake ignored them, her own senses stretched out at Yang’s reaction. She couldn’t see anything, but there was definitely a rustle nearby. Ursa, probably, nothing major, but-

Something told her to dodge, and she flipped backwards just as a claw came down next to her. A shadow clone was left in her place as she dodged again, tricking the Grimm into attacking it as Ruby hefted Crescent Rose, aiming and firing. It damaged the Grimm, but turned its attention to her, just as Weiss finished her movement to activate the Dust in Myrtenaster. The rapier slammed into the ground, and ice sparked in a line to pin it down. Definitely an Ursa, but it was so big. Blake lowered her head slightly, her hand wrapped around the hold on Gambol Shroud’s sheath, shifting her balance. If she could get it in Yang’s range- A quick dash brought her close as she sliced her sheath up, forcing it to stumble back.

Then dashed to one side as it shook its head, and swiped at her. Her feet landed next to Weiss, just as the other girl activated another chamber of Dust. Red glowed out of the corner of her eye as arms moved, shooting the Dust out at the Ursa. As Blake slide the blade free of its sheath, the Ursa finally fell into Yang’s welcomed shotgun punches, howling as she pummelled it. She darted forward as Yang pushed it back, arm sweeping her katana across-

And let out a small yelp of surprise as it turned suddenly, hitting her solidly. Once she landed, she slid a bit, slamming Gambol Shroud into the ground as her legs suddenly fell off a cliffside. They had been that close? Carefully, she pulled herself back up, drawing in breath as she did. “Be careful! We’re really close to the cliff!”

”Oh really?” The distracted sarcastic tone could only be Weiss, broken off as Blake could see her moving out of range of the Ursa, long legs quickly pulling her out of danger. “Like we couldn’t find that out on our-” A vicious swipe sent her flying over the edge of the cliff, dazed, further out than even one of her glyphs could save her. Without thinking, Blake slammed the katana part into the dirt and jumped after, letting the ribbon around her arm unwind as she did so. If Weiss timed a glyph jump right, she should be able to catch her, and if they couldn’t make it back up with another carefully placed glyph once they came closer to the cliff, a jump off one of her clones would definitely put them on solid ground. Weiss finally righted herself, pulling her feet under her as a white surface appeared under her. A perfect jump, and now they just needed to catch- there! Blake’s hand wrapped around Weiss’s soft one, gripping tightly as she gathered herself for her Semblance, readying a clone to leap off of.

It was then she felt it. Her ribbon, shaking as they swung back. The ground must have given way, and her blade must be coming free. Knowledge hit her, and her mind scrambled for an answer to this problem. They needed to get back there, now, before they fell. “Weiss!” she finally yelled, feeling the ribbon shake again. “We need something to jump off of right-”

Too late. The tension in the ribbon fell slack as the katana slid off the cliff, their weight too much for the soft ground. Blake held tightly to Weiss’s hand as the hilt fell into her hand, shifting modes for her to whip out, wrapping around a tree as they fell. Weiss summoned a glyph as they did so, slowing them down enough that by the time they reached the tree, they came to rest on the branch.

And then Weiss’s eyes rolled back as her legs gave out. As Blake caught her, she just then noticed the other girl’s face half covered in blood.

If anything, Weiss took more damage than Blake realized. The Ursa must have given her a horrible blow if it cut through her Aura. Once she helped Weiss down, she inspected the unconscious girl’s head, frowning as she saw the laceration. It wouldn’t kill her - it was even already healing due to her Aura. But how did the Ursa-? Blake carefully tried to clean Weiss’s face best she could, waiting for the girl to wake up. While waiting, she looked for their scrolls, frowning as they weren’t found. They were isolated, injured... what else could be better than that?

Several minutes later, she could hear a groan as Weiss shifted, and her eyes slowly opened. They focused quickly on Blake, and she sat up quickly, a hand going to her head. “What just happened?” she asked thickly, a thin river of pain weaving through her words.

”The Ursa hit you.” Blake moved to stand, helping Weiss up as well. “It managed to cut you up.”

”Well that’s great.” With those grumbled words, Weiss looked around, frowning. “Where are we? And where’s Ruby and Yang?”

”We got separated. And we don’t have our scrolls.”

Weiss’s warm and soft hand slid from Blake’s at those words. “What? And why are we just standing here? We need to- ow.” She lifted a hand to her head, grimacing. “Why isn’t the pain going away? My Aura should be taking care of this!”

”I don’t know.” Blake looked up the cliff, remembering how the Ursa fought, and how fast it was. “Everything about that was weird. Weiss, if you’re still hurting like that, you should stop moving and let your Aura heal you.”

”And we don’t have time to just wait around.” The girl pulled her hand from her head, lifting her chin slightly. “We should get moving. If we do, we should find the others before nightfall.”

Weiss wasn’t wrong. Blake considered her words, thinking. It would be better for Weiss if they waited for her to heal. And easier for them to fight if Weiss wasn’t dealing with an injury like that. On the other hand, Weiss would be horrible to be around if they waited. And the sooner they found the others, the sooner she could have Ruby and Yang sit on her and not have to deal with it.

”Fine.” At least it should be easy to find them. The sisters had seen where they fell, and were probably already on their way.

”Fine,” Weiss echoed, lifting her chin. “Then let’s go.”

#rwby #monochome #checkmate #echo of me and you #blake/weiss #weiss and blake aren't over their shit #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Not All Are Found, Tales of Graces, Richass, 4/?

A rather quiet chapter, to be honest. And awkward. Richard and Asbel are very awkward. Things won't be quiet for much longer, though...

Richard does get drunk during this chapter, so if that is something you are avoiding in fiction, I would advise to tread carefully.

On AO3

Waves lapped at the boat, the gentleness almost soothing quieting the turmoil rolling through Asbel. He hadn’t been in Barona in... no, he wouldn’t think about it. It was to make Sophie smile. Asbel rubbed his arms, turning away from the railing. Everything would be okay. He would... just see Richard, and everything would be okay. Richard was back to normal, after all. He had even heard about how he was leading the fight against Nova monsters. So Richard wasn’t... he wasn’t going to hurt him.

”Asbel?” Sophie’s soft voice made him jump and turn sheepishly. She tilted her head, worry lining her young features. “Is everything okay?”

”Yeah, everything’s fine!” He laughed slightly, placing a hand on her head. “Are you looking forward to seeing Barona?”

Sophie nodded, her pigtails swaying with the motion. “Will Richard meet us when we land?”

Asbel lifted his hand as a shiver raced through him, the idea of seeing Richard as soon as they set foot on land- “He’s been really busy, Sophie. He might not even be there.”

”Oh.” Gentle disappointment filled her face, stabbing Asbel worse than

up his sides as claws slowly slid out

”Asbel?”

”We’ll visit the castle first,” he told her, almost distractedly. The light happiness that suffused her features made him smile a little, tilting his head as Sophie turned away. He didn’t want her to worry about him. He would get through this, and make it back to Lhant. Then Sophie and his mother would stop worrying. Stop fretting over something they had no control over and smile when they saw him. The thought gave him strength to move forward, to watch Barona come closer. It wasn’t so bad. It wouldn’t be so bad.

At least Barona itself didn’t look like it had changed. There was some comfort at looking at familiar buildings he had seen often, of the proud curve of Gloandi shining gently with eleth. Everything about it reminded Asbel things were normal again. That nothing- nothing would be wrong.

How would Richard be? All he had heard was he had been fighting Nova monsters. Was he haunted by what he had done while influenced by Lambda? Or did he want the world to forgive him for what he had done? Would he... Asbel looked away, turning his face away from the sea breeze. What he had done to his friends... would he bring it up? Asbel took a deep breath, looking back at the approaching Barona. If he did, he could handle it. He was doing fine, after all.

”Asbel.” Sophie’s voice came from beside him, soft and urgent. “We’re almost there.”

”Yeah.” He turned to her, looking at her tilted head. “Are you excited?”

Her pigtailed swayed as she nodded. “Mm. Are you okay?”

Sophie’s question made him pause. He didn’t really... “You and Mom are right. I need to see Richard. And I never meant for you to feel like you couldn’t see him. He’s your friend too. So- so I’ll be okay.”

She didn’t look mollified at that, but there was nothing she could say as the boat pulled into port. And he wasn’t lying. He would be okay.

And she would be happy again.

”I’ll tell King Richard you’re here.” The knight almost looked joyous as he saluted. Not a surprise, considering how they had known Richard before, and several knights remembered them helping to retake the castle.

Sophie turned to Asbel as the knight left, tilting her head. “Richard is here.”

A chill shivered through his body as he smiled at her. He hadn’t... really expected Richard to actually be in town. “Yeah. Maybe we can make a long visit of this?”

That made Sophie smile. “Can we have crablettes?”

Asbel laughed, placing a hand between her pigtails. “Of course.” The clank of books caught their attention as the knight came back, saluting them. Without another word, they followed back towards the throne room, a shudder making its way through every part of his body with each step. With a deep breath, he pressed his hands against his thighs as the door to the room opened, willing himself to stop shaking. He could do this. Everything was okay.

Richard had his back to them when the door opened, a rich red cape catching his eye. He knelt carefully, trying to calm his heart. Richard had changed his clothing; the green more like anything he had worn as a child. After a moment, he turned, his motions not quite as smooth as he remembered Richard being. “Asbel. It’s good to see you again.”

Asbel lifted his head, a little surprised. That voice, the one he expected to be so controlled again, held surprise and a note of something he couldn’t place. Slowly, he stood, one hand curling at his side. It would be polite to reach out, to greet him, but- He took in a shaking breath, trying not to remember

”I’ll let you down when you understand.”

what had happened. Richard smiled sadly at that, closing eyes that seemed far too bright. “I’m glad to see you’re well.”

”I am too.” There was nothing but kindness and familiar warmth in his face. Asbel relaxed a little, his hand coming up just a little. Hesitantly, Richard did the same, taking his hand in a brief clasp. A sharp, sweet scent tickled his nose as he came close, but Richard pulled away before he could remember where he had smelled it before.

”I do apologize.” Richard turned to Sophie, his face softening. “Sophie. How have you been?”

”I’m fine.” She looked up at him, her face still serious. “Asbel isn’t.”

With those words, Richard turned back to him, his eyebrows swept upward. “What does she mean?”

”Sophie...” Asbel looked at her, at the concern that hadn’t fallen off her face, then back at Richard. “It’s nothing. Just a few bad dreams.”

Richard took a breath, nodding a little. “I understand.” A thought occurred to him, turning his head to one side. “I do have to apologize again. Starting tomorrow, I have a very full day. There will be several representatives requesting an audience with me. I fear I won’t have time to spend with you after you traveled all this way.”

”No, it’s okay.” Relief filled him, followed by a rush of guilt. No, he shouldn’t feel so happy Richard was too busy to spend time with them.

Richard looked back at them, his eyes glittering with sadness. “It wouldn’t do for you to come all this way and this to be our only meeting. Would you join me for dinner?” He smiled at Sophie, already anticipating her question. “I would think crablettes would be on the menu tonight.

Sophie looked back at Asbel, her eyes silently asking for him to say yes. It was difficult not to agree with her, especially how his own stomach growled slightly. “Sure thing, Richard. Dinner sounds great.”

The wine tasted sharp and bitter, the alcohol scent almost making him gag. It rested heavily on his tongue, almost coating it dryly. Asbel set the goblet aside, trying not to make a face as he reached quickly for the water. Sophie looked up at him from around her mound of crablettes, curious. “Sorry, Richard,” he told him, setting the wine a little further away. “It’s not really my thing.”

”No, I apologize.” A servant refilled Richard’s glass, and he took a small sip. “This particular wine is an... acquired taste. We do have lighter vintages, if you would-”

”That’s okay,” he said hastily. “I’ll be okay with water.” Asbel watched Richard eat for a moment, then turned his attention back to his plate. “Richard... has everything been okay?”

There was a hesitation in the sound of Richard eating, then the soft chnk of silverware being set down. “Asbel, much like you probably do...” He looked up to watch Richard take a sip of wine, then look down at the glass. “I have moments that all I can do is remember what had happened. All I can do is look around and see echoes of my failures, the pain of my actions.” He took another, longer drink, and set the glass back on the table. Without a word, it was refilled - hadn’t it only been a few moments since it was last poured? “What I’ve done disgusts me,” Richard confessed softly, snatching the goblet back up, taking another sip. “To see how I had been, that I was foolish enough to fall for Lambda’s... I need to fix it, to erase the stain I left in my pain.”

”Richard...” Sophie looked over at him, then at Asbel. The amount of loathing they had just heard-

”But you’re making everything okay now.” Asbel scrambled for words, trying to find something that would make Richard put the wine glass down, and ignore how it was being refilled. “And what’s past is past. The future is what matters.”

Richard set the goblet down, his face already flushed from the drink. “And what does that mean to the people? What does that mean for you?”

”Richard...”

”I’ve hurt people in my own pain, in my own delusions, hurt those I care about, those I-” Silence, then he stood suddenly, and hand to his forehead. “I apologize, Sophie, Asbel. It seems I’ve had too much to drink.” He smiled briefly at them, eyes too bright. “Please, enjoy the rest of dinner. I regret that I won’t be able to see you off tomorrow.”

”Richard!” Asbel stood, moving around the table to take his arm. He stopped, not looking at either of them. As long as he was the one touching Richard, as long as Richard didn’t touch him- “Don’t shut us out of this!”

A soft, wistful smile touched Richard’s lips. “I’m sorry, Asbel. Perhaps next time.” Gently, he pulled his arm from his grasp, almost careful not to show any aggression. “Feel free to use the guest rooms. Goodnight, Sophie.” With graceful motions, he swept out of the dining hall, leaving Asbel holding onto nothing and shaking ever so slightly.

”Asbel... what happened?” Sophie stood, moving next to his side. “Is Richard okay?”

”I don’t know,” he told her honestly, numbly. He looked at his hand, wondering when it had become so useless to help Richard. When it made Richard look at him with those eyes, and refuse his help. Asbel took a deep breath, those self-loathing words still echoing in his ears. “I don’t know.”

#tales of graces #richass #not all are found #asbel and richard cope horribly #alcohol tw #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Lady in White, Tales of Vesperia, Fluri, Flynn/Judith, 7/?

A fight scene with five people. Oh lords. And I'm not done with Things Happening.

On AO3 On FF.N

A foul odor and taste brought sense back to Flynn. His throat closed as he gagged, suddenly sitting up as his awareness blazed to life. Breaths rasped harshly as everything felt so much it hurt, then died back to its usual level. Except the ache in his chest, that stayed. Long fingers curled around his shoulder, and he looked up at Judith’s unhappy mien, the rising sun behind her.

”We’re going to have to have a long talk about what it means not to worry your friends,” she told him seriously, standing slowly from her crouch. Her fingers fished out an Apple Gel, passing it to him. “Is there a reason why I had to use a Life Bottle just now?”

That would explain the taste and smell. Flynn took the Gel, apple overwriting the taste of the Life Bottle and easing the wound in his chest. “Catherine’s here.” His simple words made her eyes widen, and he nodded before starting to stand. “Apparently whatever is here has a grudge against her and is possessing people of the town to attack her.” A hand rose to rub the healing wound, grunting as fingers encountered a sore spot. “If we don’t find them, there will more caught between them, and I don’t think they’ll wait for any Knights or guilds to show up. Catherine’s already-” Memory hit him, and he turned towards the treeline. “Damn!”

”What-” Judith followed him as he dashed back towards where Sodia had been left. He had no idea how far he had wandered, but considering that he had heard the stream when they had stopped- Flynn looked around, pausing as he got his bearings. It looked familiar, and if he was right, then she should be right this way. A hand on his shoulder made him stop, and he looked over at Judith. “Flynn. What is it?”

”Sodia. She’s the one running packages for the town, and she was with us when Catherine- She was attacked.” He set out again, trying to determine if it looked familiar because they had walked towards that direction, or from it. “Catherine had called her a snack.”

Judith let out an angry noise from behind him, her heels slamming into the dirt as she followed. It wasn’t anything to pay mind to, he had to find Sodia- until she spoke up again. “Are you sure that’s something you want to do? After what Sodia did?”

That made Flynn stop. “She did something unforgivable,” came the answer, voice tight and controlled. “And the fact she’s responsible for what Yuri is now isn’t something I’ve forgotten. But that doesn’t mean we can just let her die here.”

A breath was let out as Judith nodded. “You’ve been acting strange,” she told him mildly. “Leaving in the middle of the night like that, and wandering the woods all day with Sodia, finding you bleeding out with a stab wound...”

”I was possessed,” he said softly, almost too quiet for her to hear. “It used me to get to Catherine this time. I-” Flynn broke off as a glint of copper hair caught his attention, Sodia slowly standing up. Her legs buckled, and she had to grab the tree to keep standing. Flynn rushed over to her, ready to catch her if she fell. “Sodia.”

”Sir?” She looked up, eyes dazed. “Sir, I didn’t- I could fight her off, but I didn’t realize what she did-” Sodia looked over at Judith, then back at Flynn. Her eyes sharpened when she realized what was splattered across his chest, and looked over at the other woman again. “Did Lowell get away?”

That made Judith blink, and Flynn nodded. “It wasn’t Yuri.” His hand massaged the wound again, hissing as he found the sore area. “At least who did this. And... what you saw as well.” He looked between the two of them, and let out a breath. “What you saw was a vampire, Sodia. A dead body reanimated by a desire so strong it brought him back from death. And he’s...” The word didn’t want to come. “Feral. It was Yuri that caused all the animal and monster bodies six months ago around Zaphias. He’s only gotten worse.” He looked at Judith, nodding at her. “Which makes it something that concerns me. He seems to be fixated on Catherine after what she’s done. The one that stabbed me...” Flynn just resisted touching his chest again. “Was Catherine.”

Sodia’s lips parted as guilt rose to her face. “Sir, if I had known, I-”

”You would still be here like this.” Judith took a few steps forward, her eyes scanning the woods around them. “I’ve seen her. She wasn’t even trying when I saw her and she nearly caught me. Unless you just have no sex drive, you would have had no chance.” That last bit was directly slyly at Flynn, a slightly flush coming to his cheeks. In her own way, she had, as he had seen how she held herself, how she moved with animalistic deadly grace and yet his mind twisted to make her seem harmless and a good friend for Estellise.

But- Judith had professed an interest in women. Had Sodia... he looked at her, wondering. Sodia was able to break out of what Catherine had called a fascination, though Judith had just been slightly wary. “The town’s still in danger,” he told them instead, looking behind him. “Yuri’s killing townspeople for blood now that his mind is gone, and the- lady in white-” If he knew her true name, not the one used to rile up Catherine, or what she was... “and Catherine are using the people as tools against each other. We can’t wait for the Knights or guilds to get here.”

”What do you propose?” Even now, Sodia deferred to him. Judith nodded at him, having made her own decision. He looked between them, mind going between options. Yuri was a threat to everyone, no matter what. And he had no idea what would happen if he focused on taking Catherine and the lady out first. But the two unnatural women had proven their feud directly involved the town, and had even almost killed him. A chill wormed its way down his back at the idea that maybe that had been the lady’s plan. That she had wanted to kill him specifically.

”I don’t know where Yuri or Catherine are,” he finally admitted. “Both of them escaped into the forest. The lady did as well, but she escaped into the river. It’ll be easier to find her if we stick to the river. There’s also a chance by finding her, we find Catherine, and possibly Yuri.”

”And if Yuri gets away?”

Judith’s words made his hands clench. That possibility always existed, and it seemed more likely with each passing moment. “Then we’ll look for him afterwards. We need to take care of this now.”

”I agree.” Sodia flexed her own hands, frowning. Flynn felt a pang of sympathy, remembering the numbness he had felt when Catherine had sipped at him. “What are our supplies?”

Flynn moved to check, fingers brushing over the meager amount of Lemon and Apple Gels. Judith and Sodia didn’t have much either, causing all of them to look uneasy. “We have a very narrow margin of error.” He counted again, not liking how everything added up under ten. “We’ll have to do this fast.”

To that, Judith just grinned. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

The river stretched longer than Flynn remembered.

”She’s hiding well,” Judith murmured, coming up by his side. “Or...”

Sodia nodded, catching on to her thought. “Or she’s targeting the Commandant directly.” She looked at Flynn, thinking quickly. “We might have travel separately and listen for when the other group is attacked.”

The thought made him uneasy. After the fact she had possessed him so easily (and the peace he had felt at her possession, the feeling that everything was right) meant that perhaps they wouldn’t hear it. “I don’t think-” Flynn started before he shook his head. “She’s not human, and how fast she was able to posses me...”

”It looks like our only option, Sir.”

Flynn rubbed his head, trying to come up with something else. If he was possessed again, or if it was Sodia or... He looked at Judith, not wanting to think about that possibility. “No,” he told them firmly. “We’re not taking that risk. If she wants me, then she has to-”

A shout interrupted him, throaty and angry. Two swords pulled free of their sheaths at the same Judith lowered her polearm. It sounded further up, and slightly familiar. Flynn nodded at the other two, and started out at a run towards the yell. If it wasn’t, it was still someone in trouble, someone they needed to help.

Flynn pulled himself up short just as a dagger embedded itself next to him. It had gone wide enough that it looked as if whoever had thrown it had missed their target, not aiming at him. His spine crawled at a feminine laugh, one becoming very familiar, punctuated with the sound of a body hitting the ground. Even before breaking the trees to the river, he knew he’d see Catherine levering herself off the ground, twisting her body to force a kick, her leg still resisting full movement. The Lady staggered, her wounds still bleeding water, a few starting to stain red.

While it wouldn’t bother him if they killed each other, something seemed off about it. Something about what had happened the last time, about Catherine’s reaction. Her face now was a mask of rage and- As the Lady backhanded her with a casual swat of energy, he could see it. Grief.

”They would do our job for us if we leave them be,” Sodia muttered behind him.

Flynn shook his head. No. This wasn’t right. The name the Lady was using, Catherine’s reaction to it, and now the grief on her face... “Liliya.” He knew the two were looking at him oddly, but he couldn’t help it. Liliya had been someone to her, and this creature using her face and name hurt Catherine. They needed to be stopped... but not like this. Catherine didn’t deserve to die because she was blinded by anger and grief. “We’ll fight Catherine alone. Until then, help her take down the Lady.”

”Sir?” He could feel Sodia’s surprise, and he turned slightly. Judith wore the same expression, not quite trusting him.

”We can’t fight them both at the same time, not with our supplies and how strong they are. We need to decide who to take down first. Catherine at least has been shown to be willing to fight beside us.” Flynn looked back at the two unnatural women, keeping the rest to himself.

”He’s right.” At those words, Judith’s spear flashed as she dashed forward, catching the Lady from behind. The first strike surprised her, opening a line of bright red blood on her pale dress. Catherine pulled up short and glanced at them, honest surprise pulling her face into startling youthful lines. Had she truly not known they were there, as long as she was in her rage? Judith turned to one side as the Lady attacked, Sodia’s sword swinging in the unprotected side as Flynn and Catherine took the measure of each other.

It was a gamble, he knew. Catherine could very easily take advantage of them being distracted, given how fast and strong she could be even injured like this. Something passed in her face as she readjusted the grip on her remaining dagger, something cold and hard. So she had chosen this. Flynn readied himself for her attack, acutely aware of the pain from his stab wound, watching her warily.

He underestimated her speed, he realized. Before he realized it, she had leapt at him, her boots coming down. There was no time to dodge as they came down on his shoulders and- jumped again, using him to gain more height as she launched herself into the main fray. Flynn turned, surprised as she came down, just barely catching the Lady’s arm. She rolled awkwardly out of Judith’s way, nodding to Flynn. He nodded back, using the Lady’s dodge to press his own attack. Then his back hit a tree, the feeling of claws raking across his body. These kind of strikes- if they had a bow user, like Raven, they could distract her but like this-!

How had he not realized it before? Flynn regained his balance as he watched her almost casually backhand Sodia, snarling as she bled. They could injure her, but she was more powerful. They had to take her out quickly, not wear her down like this. Judith looked over at him, panting as her eyes had the same awareness. Sodia had the same awareness as she stood, an Apple Gel almost furtively slipping into her mouth. If they could- he made a gesture with his hand, flicking to the two of them. Sodia nodded, shifting to one side as Judith moved to the other. As if on a cue he couldn’t see, they attacked the Lady at the same time, angling just so that her dodge forced her back towards Catherine, towards that rage-

And sent her flying. She had known. Without thinking about it, Flynn raised his sword to her side, knowing she’d see it but if he moved fast enough he could-

Silver flashed through the air as the Lady’s body fell, dissolving into water. Her head dropped at Judith’s feet, the spell broken to show green-tinted wet hair framing scaly skin over almost fishy facial lines. It happened so suddenly that the silence after the battle roared in his ears, looking almost dumbly at the severed head. Dark fingers then tangled in that green hair as Catherine picked it up in one good hand. The other arm had broken in the battle, and her leg was back to no longer working. Black blood streamed down over her burn scars, making the stony look she gave them even more demonic. Sodia and Judith didn’t lower their weapons, but Flynn didn’t move. She wasn’t attacking. There had to be a reason, right?

Finally, she turned away, staggering off towards the woods. Flynn followed her, ignoring the shouts behind him. There had been something in her face, something he wanted to talk about. What had that all meant, who Liliya was, and- and an idea that had just blossomed in his mind.

”You’re taking a risk coming after me like this.” Catherine looked up from the fire she was building, her eyes unreadable.

”I had a few questions,” Flynn told her, his voice sharpening. “Who is Liliya?”

Catherine stopped her movements, her body tensing. It was almost as if she was to attack him right there before her clipped voice came out, “Someone I knew.”

”She had been someone you knew well.” Flynn took a half-step back as she stood, her face alight with anger.

”And you should shut up about her!” Catherine closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “What’s past is past, Commandant Scifo. She’s dead, and that is all that matters to you. And to this water bitch as well,” she added. “Do you know if she were to come in contact with any amount of water, she could regrow her entire body? And if her hair were to dry out before then, she wouldn’t be able to? Quite fascinating.” Casually, she lit the stack, throwing the head into the blaze.

”You’re avoiding the subject.”

Catherine laughed, her voice rich and full. “And now you get it.” She tilted her head, pursing her lips. “But that wasn’t it, was it. You have a more important question.”

Flynn nodded, watching her. This, this was the stupid thing. This was the thing that made the voice in the back of his head, the one that had told him not to go out when Yuri had been seen at first in Zaphias, start screaming at him. “You used us, didn’t you. To find her.”

That made her pause. Surprise crossed her face, then she shook her head. “I had no idea you had been targeted by her,” Catherine told him, her voice open and honest. “She took men that felt they had cheated on their lovers in some way, which meant that you must have done something that made you feel that way. By the time you came across me, you had already been taken by her.” She shook her head. “If you’re asking if you were a trap for her, the answer is no. Never for her.”

The wording stuck out in his head. “For-”

Pain radiated from his shoulder, breaking off the rest of the sentence. He looked down, seeing her dagger embedded there. Catherine pulled it free, grinning. “There was more than one thing hunting that town, dear Commandant. And the second is rather attached to you. If I keep harming you, well, the vampire is sure to show up at some point, isn’t he?”

Yuri.

#Tales of Vesperia #fluri #sen writes fanfic #flynn/judith #lady in white #sequel to self indulgent vampire au

[arenotsilent]

Echo of Me and You, RWBY, Monochome (Blake/Weiss), 1/?

Yeah I figure I should post this here too.

Summary: It takes longer to recover from things than people realize. It's something both Blake and Weiss have to face as they fight for their lives.

On AO3 On FF.N

Fitting the moonlight fell shattered. It ran across the room in broken pieces, reflected off a broken moon, gleaming blithely as Yang’s riptide snore broke any silence there could be. Any semblance of sleep was long lost by the time she had started up her nightly chainsaw, and Blake was left staring at the silvery pieces along the floor with scattered thoughts all trying to get her attention at once. She kept her eyes on the rug, trying to ignore her own thoughts, trying to ignore the memory that burned its way through her mind and screamed its panicky way through her limbs. A slight twitch and pull on the crown of her head reminded her the bow still set there, still rested from the day and her neglect to remove it once they returned. It was odd to know, that now she could pull the ribbon free when it was just her team.

Eyes lifted without her meaning to, looking at a pool of white made dull as shards of moonlight fell next to the lower bunk. Her team, including the heiress of the Schnee empire. The feeling of her throat closing made Blake lower her eyes again, her arms settling on her legs as she couldn’t stop the memory from rising to her ears.

”Well, maybe we were being tired of being pushed around!”

Slowly, the ribbon slithered from her head, pooling in her lap as her ears twitched at the sudden freedom. Even then, she had let Weiss push her into saying it. She had let Weiss make her angry, and lose control of what she was saying. Blake looked back up, ready to tie her bow back if that mess of white hair even shifted. But Weiss was perfect even in sleep, lashes making startling dark slashes along light skin and soft breaths easing past her parted lips. She barely moved, meaning it was less time she had to spend brushing out her hair. Blake had to envy her; the course rat’s nest she called hair took what felt like a whole team of Huntresses to tame. If things were different-

Things weren’t different. She wasn’t stupid enough to think it could have been anything else, not with how the Schnee company ran their business. Not with how Weiss was raised to think about Faunus. Blake moved to tie her bow again, closing her eyes. It wasn’t as if she was hiding anymore. She could sleep with her ears in the open, hearing Yang’s thunderous snore and her sister’s lighter, almost silent one underlying it without the ribbon muffling them. The looks, though... the little glances up, Ruby’s curious, wide-eyed look, Yang’s outright staring... Weiss pretending her eyes didn’t hold a hostile look when she saw them, because Blake was a teammate, she didn’t care...

Blake sighed as she felt the slight pinch of the bow in place, settling her arms back across her legs as she leaned forward. She needed to sleep. It wouldn’t do any of them good if she didn’t sleep. Every time she laid down, however, her ears twitched as she remembered carelessly letting them know, watching Weiss’s eyes change as she understood what Blake had just said-

A soft rustle caught her attention. Slowly, she looked up, her lips parting slightly as her gaze caught with ice blue eyes. Weiss didn’t move, her face still immobile as she looked up at the bow, then back at Blake’s face. Then, eventually, she closed her eyes without a word passing her lips. Blake’s hands shook slightly as she sat up slightly, not sure what to make of it. There hadn’t- she hadn’t looked at her with any malevolence but-

Yang snorted, her own snores nearly waking herself up. The noise made Blake look over at the position of the moonlight, realizing how late it really was. She needed to lay down. Just- close her eyes. Even just an hour would help. A hand reached up to the bow, her ears twitching... then dropped.

Maybe... maybe later.

Nothing felt as good as limbs falling into a long stretch. Blake could hear the kitty jokes in Yang’s voice already, but as her back arched, she found herself not caring for a few seconds. Gambol Shroud shifted against her back as sweat cooled against her skin. A good workout, a good stretch, nothing could match that. As she stood, her nose wrinkled at the scent and the feeling of hair matted against her head. She needed a shower.

With a sigh, she removed Gambol Shroud and collected clean clothing. It was time to immerse herself in water. Not exactly ideal, but she couldn’t exactly lick herself clean. And she knew the shower that no one looked at, where she could undo her ribbon and massage her ears under the spray of the water. A soft sound touched her lips at the thought, spurring her feet on to the showers.

The first cold blast always made her yelp. She should have been used to it by now, but she wasn’t. Not yet. It warmed fairly quickly, sluicing away the grime and sweat as she lifted her face to the water. Her hand lifted, a groan slipping from her lips as her ears sprang free. Blake knew she should wash her hair, but this felt too good.

”Of all the childish-!” The outburst made Blake jump, reflexively moving to tie her ribbon as she turned. Weiss, as she had guessed, came stomping in, covered in- Blake blinked. Was that mud? When she had turned to leave, Weiss wasn’t covered in mud. And Ruby hadn’t done anything, if her irritated words were translated correctly. Her clothes were carefully removed and folded, even now, and she turned-

Suddenly, Blake realized she was holding her ribbon half tied around her ears. Weiss... took care of herself. And was looking at her ears. With a sneer that she soon wiped off her face, looking away. Of course. “I’ll get out soon, Princess,” Blake told her, unable to keep the sarcastic tone from slipping from her lips.

”No, it’s... okay.” The uncomfortable words wrung out of Weiss as a deep red blush settled in. She started washing up, the mud flaking down the drain. Her hair laid against her back with the water, still that icy white. Fingers flitted in expert movements meant not to waste a single motion of effort, almost hypnotizing Blake. Weiss’s voice came out soft as she looked over at her, eyes sweeping up to her ears. “It’s just you, me, and-”

”Get out of my way get out of my way get out of my way-” A mud-splattered Yang streaked past them, shedding clothing as she went. Her hair was absolutely coated in mud, explaining her reaction. The rest of her muscular body went untended to as she instantly started tending to her hair, ignoring the two girls trying very hard to wash up without paying attention to the other, the odd moment that had started broken by the golden whirlwind. She dunked her head under the spray of water, then attacked it again with shampoo. Yang looked up, finally seeing Blake still awkwardly holding her ribbon half tied. “Oh! You have your ears out!”

”Um.” Blake finally lowered her hands, ribbon held in one of them. “Yeah.”

”You look really good like that,” she commented offhandedly, scrubbing her hair furiously. “Uugh, Ruby, why...” She continued to complain loudly as her hands moved through her hair, pulling it over her shoulder. “Oh, come on! There was that much mud?” More shampoo squirted straight onto her hair, then Yang worked it in, grumbling.

Weiss snapped her shower off. “I’m done,” came her short response. She reach for a towel, her face tight and angry. Blake’s ears twitched as something rose in her throat, watching Weiss tuck the towel around her and gather her soiled clothing. She- Weiss didn’t look back at them as she left. Just after she exited, Yang snorted.

”You’d think she’d be okay with that by now.” Suds rinsed down the drain, and Yang studied her hair again. Satisfied, she started conditioning her hair, studying Blake. “You really do look good with your ears out. Too bad Weiss is weird about it.”

”It’s not unexpected.” Blake finally started washing her own hair, fingers moving quickly through the grime. “After what the White Fang has done to her family, I’m surprised she wanted to trust me again after twelve hours.”

”Yeah, but...”

Blake smiled over at her, the curl of her lips grim. “It’s nothing, Yang. It’ll be fine.”

The words didn’t mollify Yang in the least. Her hands stroked over her hair, massaging in the conditioner as the mud on her body took a beating from the shower. “It shouldn’t be,” she finally said. “Just because you’re... well, it shouldn’t make you have to say that.” Her fingers played with the ends of her hair as it fell over her shoulder and across her impressive chest. “You’re not part of the White Fang. She should know that just from the time she spent around you. And she knows that you’re a good person.” Finally realizing there was more mud on her body than her hair, Yang started scrubbing herself down. “You shouldn’t have to hide yourself when you’re around us, Blake. Maybe she’ll see that soon.”

It sounded nice. Blake ducked her head under the water, rinsing the suds out as she considered the words. Yang was right, she shouldn’t have to hide herself. She didn’t want to. But... she wasn’t that child anymore. “It’s too much of a risk,” she finally said, finishing up with her hair and reaching up with her soaked ribbon to hide her ears. “It’s too easy for people to find out.”

Water running was the only sound for a long time as they washed up. The silence spun between then, but neither of them wanted to break it, almost fearful of what would be said instead. She could feel Yang look over at her occasionally, but even then, she didn’t speak up. Blake’s shower had just been shut off when she heard Yang say “Hey?”

”Hm?” She turned to her, ears twitching towards her under the bow.

”You really look good without the bow. And I think Weiss thought so too.” Yang gave her a lopsided smile, making a blush crawl across Blake’s cheeks. “I think Ruby used the other showers. Let her know I’ll be out soon for dinner?”

”Sure.”

What was that about? Telling her about that, and that she thought Weiss might have... Blake quickly dried off and pulled on her fresh clothing, still feeling her cheeks burning. Figuring out Yang’s mind sometimes was a headache.

There was time tonight that she could go out and do some more training. And this time alone, without her team. It would help her focus her mind a bit. She also... wouldn’t have to see Weiss’s looks or hear Yang’s weird comments. Sleep might actually come easier if she did that too. In all truth, going out wasn’t really a bad idea the more she thought about it.

Her ears twitched.

#rwby #monochome #blake/weiss #sen writes fanfic #echo of me and you #weiss and blake aren't over their shit

[arenotsilent]

You know, people I talk to joke about me killing characters. But in my multi-chapter stories where I'm not writing out of frustration and I'm being serious, I've only killed characters in Anima Mala. So I actually kill characters pretty rarely...

#sen talks

[arenotsilent]

Not All Are Found, Tales of Graces, Richass, 3/?

I've made a subtle change to chapter 2, making the Gels that Richard was feeding Asbel Apple Gels. I realized after a few days that it would make better narrative sense, especially given a certain thing that happens in this chapter, if it was Apple Gels.

On AO3

Tips slid into his side, pain slithering through his veins. His side was warm, hot, wet; his breaths came fast against his lips. He couldn’t move as he felt something come close him, a feeling of someone near him, whispered words, knowledge he could change this at any time. All he had to do was submit, agree, but apple kept his words shut tight-

Asbel jerked, a breath choking his throat. Sunlight gleamed weakly against the sill, the glow of the baby day beginning as he sat up slowly. Hands touched his sides, expecting to feel sticky blood, knowing he had felt the warm liquid rush- but no. His fingers came back clean, and Asbel sighed, letting his hand drop to his lap. It had been a while since he had that dream, the memory twisting sharply into sharp fear as he slept. Three weeks, at least. What made him think about it- He shook his head a little, and rubbed his face. What had it been last time? Hubert had come by, and they had talked about the state of Strahta, Lhant, Barona-

Hands twitched suddenly, and he had to take a deep breath. It hadn’t been Richard’s fault. Richard was back to normal now, and was working on fighting those Nova monsters. Asbel stood, absently pacing with sudden energy. Any time he heard anything from Cheria, Malik, or Hubert, it was Richard had returned. But... Asbel shivered, rubbing his arms. This morning was chillier than usual. And- his fingers went numb when he saw the curtains flutter.

Someone had opened his window. As fast as he could think about it, Asbel’s hands fumbled to close it. His chest held still as breath was caught until it latched shut, and the breath tumbled out. A shaking hand pressed against the frame as he pressed his forehead against the glass. The scent still held in the air, tickling his nose at odd moments, familiar and choking and horrible and-

No. Asbel pressed his hands over his mouth, shaking his head. He was imagining the scent of apples. The tree was too far away to smell. His spined straightened, pulling his head away from the window. It was okay. He swallowed, lowering his hands. Everything was okay. Just get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast, and once more awake, go to the outskirts of town to investigate some monster reports... He could do this. It had been two months! He could do this.

He was doing better, anyway. By the time he had taken care of everything in the bathroom, he still hadn’t thrown up. His stomach rolled a little, but he didn’t even gag a little. Fingers did shake a bit while getting dressed, but by the time the stays of his sword were tied to his side, they had stopped. His stomach started to growl at him, reminding him he should stop putting it off. It was time.

Breakfast.

Asbel took a breath, running his fingers through his hair to ease a few knots one last time. It still looked like a mess, but it was good enough. Time to go. The servants jumped slightly when they saw him awake so early, wandering down to grab food. He poked his head into the kitchen, knowing a real meal wouldn’t have been prepared yet as his mother and Sophie hadn’t woke, and eyed the fresh fruit. Bananas (he wasn’t Pascal, so he ignored those), grapes, ah! Asbel grinned and picked the peach out, nodding at the cook as he closed the door again. It didn’t quite taste like what was usually in there, but- He had already heard staff complain about the lack of apples in the household, and the feeling they had to sneak around with them. A shudder picked its way through his spine as the phantom taste lingered on his tongue, and he took a hasty bite of the peach to hide it.

He was coping. Asbel swallowed, going to the study. While everything was getting ready, he could get some things done here first. And he could sit long enough to do paperwork without lingering on the thought that Lambda was sleeping in him, without remembering Richard’s warmth against him as he screamed at him, without his body erupting in pain, without looking at his servants in shame any more... he was okay now. He just needed certain things.

Doors slammed open suddenly as Asbel reached the study, and a bloody man stumbled in. “Monsters, Lord Asbel!” His one good eye rolled around, crazed, not even seeing the room properly as it darted past Asbel without acknowledging him. “Along West Lhant Road!”

Asbel’s hand paused as it untied his sword from his side. No. He could feel a fine tremor start, and he couldn’t stop it. He could cope if he didn’t-

No, he could cope, end of statement. And it had to be Nova monsters. If it had been anything else, they would be taken care of already. His hand tightened on the sword as he nodded, taking one last bite of the peach and handing it off to be thrown away. “Let’s go,” he said seriously after he swallowed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

He could do this. Just... not look at the apple tree as he went. It was easier as he thought. Footsteps sounded next to him, easily recognizable as Sophie’s, the glint off her bracers lending truth to that. The two of them came to a stop as they saw the two monsters flying before them, Asbel’s hand tightening on his scabbard. “Are you ready?” he asked softly as he felt Sophie lift her fists, hearing her soft affirmation.

Right away, Sophie moved from a Shimmering Cut to Elegant Flash, cutting right through the Nova barrier with ease. Her fists moved in deadly arcs while Asbel pulled his sword from its sheath, breaking the other’s barrier with an Aurora Lotus, the sword sliding back for him to strike with the scabbard. Wing Crush hit the monster hard, then he brought his sword up to block as its claws came up suddenly. His arms felt the impact all the way up to his shoulders, and he grit his teeth. Then- without knowing why, he took a quick step to the side, more sensing the claws ripping through the air from the other enemy before Sophie regained its attention with Demolition Drive. Pain raked down his arm, reminding him to pay attention to the one in front of him as he swung his sword out. The monster rammed into him suddenly, forcing him to the ground, and dove. Prickle of pain spread through his torso-

-as Richard leaned in, crimson gaze burning into his face. He knew the old Richard was in there, he just needed to get him back out. A claw traced his jaw, so close to his throat, as hot breath washed across his lips. He just wanted his friend back, he would do anything to have him back, just. Let him be Richard again. He could hear his name, but it didn’t have anything to do with this. It didn’t have anything to do with bringing Richard-

”Asbel!” Sophie’s frantic voice made him roll to one side, dodging another attack. Warmth spread across his body as a Cure finished from her lips, and he pulled himself to his feet, shakily holding his sword in front of him. The other monster had crumpled into a bloody heap, courtesy of Sophie, while the other one tried to pull up another barrier, only to have it shattered under her fists. Asbel unsheathed his sword, ready to hit with a Concussive Bolt when Sophie lashed out one more time with a punch, and it dropped one last time. She turned to him, her face crossed with worry. “Asbel, are you okay?” Her hand didn’t reach out; she had learned months ago that was a bad idea. Hovering, however, she hadn’t broken. Sophie moved a little closer, frowning. “Asbel?”

”I’m fine.” Her face didn’t clear as he smiled at her, his attempt at reassuring her falling flat. “See? All fine. I just got distracted for a moment. Come on.” Asbel held a hand out to her, his smile growing as she took it. “We should get cleaned up before we have breakfast.”

Sophie’s little face shifted to a soft look at the mention of food. “What’s for breakfast, Asbel?”

”I don’t know. We’ll have to go home and see.” His stomach growled, agreeing with him.

She nodded, smiling a little. Then, as she started back to Lhant, Sophie turned back to him. “If something’s wrong, you can tell me.” Her serious eyes turned to him before turning away, the lure of food tempting her back to Lhant. Asbel watched her go, the hand that had held hers shaking ever so slightly.

Everything fell into place whenever they ate. Sophie, his mother, and a table... it was like nothing had ever happened. A normal day, everything okay. Asbel smiled as he watched Sophie eat, her soft request for crablettes for breakfast having been answered.

”I hear you had an eventful morning,” his mother finally said, lowering her fork.

Asbel laughed slightly, his hand moving to the back of his head. “Yeah. It was nothing major, though. Sophie and I took care of it with no problems.”

The girl in question looked up at him, her face contradicting his words. “Asbel is lying,” came the blunt words.

His mother sighed, fingers tightening on the silverware. “I know things were hard on you,” she said quietly. “And no one would think poorly on you if you decided to... take a holiday. Go to Strahta for a bit. You’ve come back and thrown yourself into being the Lord of Lhant, and I-”

”I’m fine, Mother,” he interrupted. “See? I’m doing a lot better. And the people of Lhant need their Lord.” Asbel put his own fork down, and walked over to her, taking her hands. “I’m fine. It was just a moment. And I had Sophie with me. You and Sophie have helped me so much, and with you two, I can do this.” He smiled at her, squeezing her hands. “And everyone else helps when they come by. I’m not alone here.”

”You haven’t seen Richard since we came back.” Sophie’s voice came from behind him, worried, knowing how his hands would tighten at the mention of seeing Richard, at the idea of seeing him.

Going to Barona. Going to see Richard, to see him in his finery as he was before his mind corrupted- Asbel closed his eyes, trying not to let his mother see how the thought hit him. “We’ve been too busy.” The words fell flat even to his ears, and he felt the hands pull free. “When we’re not so busy with everything, we can go to Barona. Okay, Sophie?”

”Asbel...” He could feel something hovering before him, his muscles locking before it dropped away. “Be careful,” he could hear his mother say instead. “And a diplomatic trip to Strahta still wouldn’t be amiss right now.”

He opened his eyes, smiling weakly at her as he stepped away. “I know.” Asbel looked between her and Sophie, his stomach rolling. “Excuse me. I’m... I’m no longer hungry.”

Before they could say anything, he escaped for his room. He couldn’t- try to eat after that. Not after the idea of going to Barona now. Of running away to Strahta. Sure, he’d like to see his brother again, but what his mother was suggesting was running away from his duties. He couldn’t do that. He had to face them head on. And he could do it. He was doing okay, like he said. With everyone, he could cope just fine!

The words felt more hollow the more he thought them.

Asbel looked down at his hand, trying to make sense of it all. Maybe... maybe he would do even better if he did see Richard. He was busy, but he could take a little time. And he knew Richard was busy, so he couldn’t stay long. A short visit wouldn’t be too bad, would it? Then he’d come back and he’d be okay and he’d do even better. Yeah. Yeah! That sounded great. And Sophie would be so happy to hear it. She had wanted to see Richard. Going to Barona would make her smile.

The room shook. It had taken a few times in the past for him to realize it was him shaking, not the ground. The idea... was he ready? He knew going was a good idea, get it over with. But... it was too soon. Too... Asbel shook his head. No. It wasn’t. He could do this.

He could do this.

#Tales of Graces #richass #torture tw #not all are found #asbel and richard cope horribly #sen writes fanfic

[arenotsilent]

Fire to Rain, Tales of Vesperia, 7/7

Another story down! Thank you to everyone that has read this story, to Nightfoot for giving me this idea, and to her and Suguelya for supporting me through this entire endeavor.

On AO3 On FF.N

“I know he’s dead.”

Maria’s short words interrupted Flynn. It had been days since her arrest, and this was the first time he could make it down to the jail in Commandant regalia, a new sword on his hip. She didn’t look at him, her face set in an unimpressed stony mask as she studied her nails. “You don’t seem surprised.”

”You’re not the first person to tell me.” She dropped her hand, not yet looking at him. “So. What are you going to do now? Gloat? You won, you worthless abomination. Jonah’s dead, Liam’s stupid and down the row from me, and everyone knows we set the fires. So what do you want now?”

”Why did you confess?” Flynn watched her stiffen, then whip her head towards him. Her gaze swept over his burnt hair for a moment before she spoke, her voice clipped.

”Why? Your little enforcer came to me and said Jonah told you everything.” Her eyes narrowed as she stood, pacing. “She told me she knew about who I was, that he said I set the fires... And everything would go better if I didn’t lie, that I wouldn’t be as badly hurt.” Maria spat at his feet. “She likes keeping your hands clean, doesn’t she?”

The implication made Flynn’s blood chill. Sodia had done more than he realized to help him, he knew, but how far she went was something he could never get her to say. He never thought she would have used violence on a suspect, even someone like Maria. “You had planned on killing the Commandant.”

Once the words left his mouth, Maria started laughing without humor. “Liam wanted to kill you,” she corrected. “Jonah and I just wanted to see you kicked out of the position without dignity. The bitch wouldn’t be too hard to do the same given the shit she does. But killing you?” Another laugh as she shook her head. “Pretty obvious we’d be caught, huh?” Her eyes narrowed as she sat back down, carefully holding her midsection. “How the hell did you even get anyone to follow you, you useless abomination?”

”I’m not the only one,” he reminded her, his mind going to Yuri. To the fact no one knew yet, and he could be referencing his father, a familial line of controlling fire. How many of them were out there? How many of them even knew what they could do? If it was passed down through the families, would Yuri’s parents have the abilities to manipulate ice as well? They could never figure out the woman who had left Yuri so long ago, and if his father was still alive. Could he have siblings, the parent that could cause ice to crackle around their fingers having another child? “The trial will be soon. We have to try you under your full name, and we’ve already received word your father will be traveling to Zaphias.

Maria didn’t move. Everything about her went still, almost unnaturally so. Finally, her lips tightened every so slightly and she glanced over at him. “You can’t even get that right,” she hissed.

There was no reason to defend himself against that statement. Instead, Flynn turned, leaving Maria to seethe in solitude. What she had said, everything that had happened- his abilities could be a boon for the Empire. They could protect the people, and eventually be seen as invaluable instead of a mutation. But if it came out what his people did, and it could be linked to the idea that it was on his orders... Sodia stood patiently by the door, ready to take her place beside him with paperwork he needed to look at. To continue on as if nothing had happened and it was another day, processing his usual duties, and looking over the upcoming trial of his own Knights. Her gloves didn’t show any blood, but would it ever? How many times did she have to do that, and why had he been so blind as to what exactly she had to do? Flynn was certain his face showed what he knew, and he could see her eyes flinch slightly. “Sir,” Sodia said quietly, going along with the idea of a normal day instead as she held out a few papers to him. “This is for the cost of rebuilding the building. We need you to sign off-”

”Why, Sodia?”

There wasn’t anything else he could be talking about. She lifted her head, looking at a point above their heads. “Maria and Liam started saying you had blown something else up and ran,” she told him, her voice falling into military cadences. “Then Liam’s story started not matching with Maria’s, saying it was Lady Estellise and Lowell, that you had killed them. Liam couldn’t be found once I heard it, so all that was left was Maria. And the only witness was the dog.” Her face set in resolve. “Your name wasn’t going to be tarnished, Sir, no matter what I had to do. So I did what was done to get the truth, and to show who actually should shoulder the blame.”

”It can be seen that any time something like this happens, anything you do is on my order,” he reminded her as she took a deep breath. “And you shouldn’t have to do this. Sodia, we can do this without stooping to this level. You could have gotten the truth without having to do that.”

”My hands are already dirty.” She started walking again on those confusing words, looking through the papers. “Lady Estellise does want to see you and-” Her nose flared. “Lowell wishes to speak to you. Sir-”

”What do you mean your hands are already dirty?” Flynn watched her face close off, trying to pry it back open. “Sodia, what have you done?” If she had killed someone, just for his sake... he didn’t know what he would do. Watching her stand trial for it, knowing she had done it for his sake, knowing someone had died because of him...

Her eyes slid over to him, a look deep in them he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to decipher. “Nothing that will come back on you,” came the stern answer. “If you want to make it to see Lowell, you should leave now.”

If she didn’t have a point, Flynn would have pressed the issue. And he did have something to talk about with Yuri. He fixed her with her own stern look. “When I get back, you do owe me an explanation.”

The echo of her own words wasn’t lost on her as a short snort burst from her nose. “Much like your own explaination of your abilities, there’s a lot I can’t tell you. But if you want one-” Her eyes locked with his, then away. “Then you can wait until after you see what Lowell and Lady Estellise want.”

Repede’s injuries seemed mostly healed by now. It was lucky how he had been given Gels as soon as he was found, and Lady Estellise had started healing him once she saw him. As nice to see was Yuri laughing, his sword spinning as he sparred effortlessly with his partner. Silver arched through the air as they moved, then Yuri took a step back, frowning ever so slightly. Repede took the advantage, and he had to break off his concentration, the ice lightly prickling around his fingers melting unnoticed by others to the ground. A laugh bubbled out of Yuri’s chest as Repede took a step back, keeping his eye on him as the sword’s point dipped down. “Pretty good!”

”Harder than it looks, isn’t it,” Flynn commented as Yuri absently saluted him. “Especially if you insist on learning by fighting.”

”Eh, you know having a formal teacher isn’t really my thing.” Without warning, Repede slashed at his face, causing a wild grin to burst onto Yuri’s face as he blocked. He let out a breath as his hand shifted on the hilt, water dripping from his fingers as ice tried to form on his sword again. “Anyway, this isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.” He twisted, tossing his blade to his other hand to slash at Flynn. Their swords met as Yuri nodded at him. “So, is this what are you going to do?”

Flynn grunted, lifting an eyebrow at the impromptu sparring match. “What do you mean?”

Yuri grinned at him. “This. Make it public what’s going on, see if there’s anyone else out there like us and wants to come out. Try not to blow anything else up.” His arm twisted, and Flynn had to move quickly to block the blow. Yuri had gotten much better than he could have imagined, and if he wanted to win this- The next swing came faster than he expected, barely backstepping fast enough to avoid it. Then the next one, at his off hand- Blood sang through his ears as he realized he wouldn’t be able to dodge it, fire-wreathed gauntlet coming up to meet the swing. “Ow! Damn, that’s rude,” Yuri chuckled, taking a step back. “And I can barely make a puddle.”

A wry smile crossed Flynn’s face as he raised his sword again. “Pure emotion won’t substitute for training.” He watched Yuri’s wrist, as he held the sword, then pressed his attack. Yuri easily blocked it, nodding at him. “There are people like us who have something happen to them, and have no idea what it was. Or have been hiding it through their family line and are tired of having to tell their kids to keep it a secret.”

Yuri looked at him for a moment, sword still holding Flynn’s at bay, then took a step back and lowered his blade. “And if they don’t trust coming to someone of the Empire?”

”The offer is still there. I can’t- let the possibility that they feel they can’t come to someone about it continue.” Flynn slowly lowered his own weapon as Yuri nodded, retrieving his sheath.

”Yeah. I know what you mean.” He let out a breath, running a hand through his sweat damp hair as Flynn sheathed his own sword. “Got to watch out for each other, right? Just- you sure you want to make this public? You can still do this quietly.”

Flynn thought about it, his hand dropping as Repede pressed into his side and presented his head for petting. It had made him a target, and it would do the same for anyone else. “I have to make the effort,” he said finally, fingers moving against Repede’s ear. “And maybe, that’ll make it easier for us to find each other, so if they don’t want to be public about this, they can still find support.”

Yuri nodded, moving his fingers. Ice crackled along the glove, crystals spreading in breathtaking fractals. Then it melted as quickly as it formed, and Yuri flexed his hand. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea. Look-” He hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Just... be careful, okay?”

”You too.”

Repede snorted as Yuri grinned. “Sure thing.”

Flynn sighed, moving his hand from Repede’s fur. “Why don’t I believe you?”

”You’ve known me for most of my life.”

”That might be why,” Flynn muttered, hand to his head. The hand moved slightly as he looked at Yuri, then smiled. Both of them raised an arm, fists meeting before opening their hands, palms slapping together with a resounding clap. “I’ll see you later.”

Yuri nodded, moving his fingers again as he tried to cover them with ice. “Next time job brings our paths together.” The hand lifted, dripping water as he waved, the gesture returned as Flynn turned to leave.

It wasn’t a bad idea to practice like Yuri was. Like he said, emotion wasn’t a substitute for practice. Flynn lifted his hand as he walked, remembering how fire cradled him, how natural it felt to be encased in it. It would feel natural to be encased in that again... A flame appeared on his fingers at that thought, playfully nipping at his nails before disappearing in a puff.

Flynn smiled, and continued walking towards Lady Estellise’s room, mind working towards his new plans and his ideas for how they would practice. There was still so much to be done.

The End

#tales of vesperia #fire to rain #fire flynn #sen writes fanfic