(no subject)
Jun. 20th, 2016 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
explaining posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kickitoverWho: Luke fon Fabre & Guy Cecil
What: GUY FINDS LUKE AND CRIES
Universe/CR: Canon AU
Wait for me here, all right?
[Peony and Jade are going to kick his ass. Again. They already get annoyed with him for coming to visit the ruins of Eldrant as often as he does, what with powerful monsters still prowling around, but that he tells his guard to wait by the ship? Yeah. Jade has already picked several bones with him over this, and Peony's made it pretty clear that if Count Gardios, last of the Galan Gardios household gets himself mauled to death by monsters that Malkuth will be in a particularly tough spot. Guy knows, and it's not as if he wants to cause His Majesty any undue hardship or make himself a nuisance. He's thrown himself headfirst into his stately duties for that very purpose, attending council meetings and listening, meeting with Jade to catch up on the past twenty years of legislature. It's mindnumbingly boring, but Guy accepted the title of Gardios and he'll wear the banner proudly. This is all part of it.
But he just...can't let this go. He can't let this tradition die.]
Your Lordship, are you-
Yes, [Guy interrupts, because this happens every time, even when he brings the same guards with him. He offers a wan smile.] Don't worry. I know how to handle myself. And if I can't, I really know how to run.
[With that, Guy makes his way into Eldrant.
Despite the monsters still around being quite powerful, there aren't that many. Most of them were abominations anyway, unnatural creatures spawned by fonic contamination, the result of Van's and Dist's experimentation. They had no way of reproducing, no desire to eat or drink; all they wanted to do was hunt. Most of them had already died once their purpose had passed. Guy could avoid most fights, and whatever he couldn't avoid, he could wound and flee. It wasn't noble or grand, but it kept him alive. He supposes he could bother one of the others to come with him, but...Tear was the only one who still believed Luke was alive, and she had her own matters to attend to. Asking anyone else just felt like asking a parent to indulge their deluded child, and Guy didn't want to be humored. He wanted them to believe.
Still, even for being scarce, there was shockingly little monster activity for this time of night. No growls, no rustlings, not even a hint of some of the regular monsters who would occasionally wander into the crash site. It's more than a little unsettling; anything that deviates from normal activity, good or bad, is a sign of significant change. As much as Guy hopes that Luke is alive somewhere, he's more a realist than an optimist any given day and he can't think that this sudden quietness is anything good.
Guy draws his sword as quietly as possible, peering around cracked columns and half-collapsed buildings. The pristine white of the structures are already browning with exposure to the elements, moss and vines creeping into place over their edges and claiming the city as part of their earth.
It's too still.
Guy's anxiety creeps ever upward as he travels further inward. If he had any sense in his head, he'd turn back. He would go back to the ship, get back to Malkuth and report the odd behavior to Jade to be further investigated by the military. This isn't his job, this isn't his concern; he should focus on keeping himself alive, as one of the few Malkuth nobles in favor of a standing treaty with Kimlasca. He has his responsibilities to Auldrant to consider.
...but what if.
He shouldn't allow himself hope this strong. He's just going to get hurt. It's just going to hurt so much worse if he walks out of here with nothing to show, but he can't just- He can't keep going on like this. Maybe after this, he should give up these little excursions. Maybe he should just stop punishing himself this way if this time, he finds nothing.
If this time, yet again, he doesn't find Luke.]
Luke? [It's too soft. There's no way he'd hear, even if by some miracle he's alive. He swore he would return so Guy should wait, but Guy- well, he's never been good at waiting for Luke to come along. Before it was his duty to serve the crown, it was his duty to look after Luke.
He knows which one is more important to him.]
Luke, are you here? ...can you hear me?
What: GUY FINDS LUKE AND CRIES
Universe/CR: Canon AU
Wait for me here, all right?
[Peony and Jade are going to kick his ass. Again. They already get annoyed with him for coming to visit the ruins of Eldrant as often as he does, what with powerful monsters still prowling around, but that he tells his guard to wait by the ship? Yeah. Jade has already picked several bones with him over this, and Peony's made it pretty clear that if Count Gardios, last of the Galan Gardios household gets himself mauled to death by monsters that Malkuth will be in a particularly tough spot. Guy knows, and it's not as if he wants to cause His Majesty any undue hardship or make himself a nuisance. He's thrown himself headfirst into his stately duties for that very purpose, attending council meetings and listening, meeting with Jade to catch up on the past twenty years of legislature. It's mindnumbingly boring, but Guy accepted the title of Gardios and he'll wear the banner proudly. This is all part of it.
But he just...can't let this go. He can't let this tradition die.]
Your Lordship, are you-
Yes, [Guy interrupts, because this happens every time, even when he brings the same guards with him. He offers a wan smile.] Don't worry. I know how to handle myself. And if I can't, I really know how to run.
[With that, Guy makes his way into Eldrant.
Despite the monsters still around being quite powerful, there aren't that many. Most of them were abominations anyway, unnatural creatures spawned by fonic contamination, the result of Van's and Dist's experimentation. They had no way of reproducing, no desire to eat or drink; all they wanted to do was hunt. Most of them had already died once their purpose had passed. Guy could avoid most fights, and whatever he couldn't avoid, he could wound and flee. It wasn't noble or grand, but it kept him alive. He supposes he could bother one of the others to come with him, but...Tear was the only one who still believed Luke was alive, and she had her own matters to attend to. Asking anyone else just felt like asking a parent to indulge their deluded child, and Guy didn't want to be humored. He wanted them to believe.
Still, even for being scarce, there was shockingly little monster activity for this time of night. No growls, no rustlings, not even a hint of some of the regular monsters who would occasionally wander into the crash site. It's more than a little unsettling; anything that deviates from normal activity, good or bad, is a sign of significant change. As much as Guy hopes that Luke is alive somewhere, he's more a realist than an optimist any given day and he can't think that this sudden quietness is anything good.
Guy draws his sword as quietly as possible, peering around cracked columns and half-collapsed buildings. The pristine white of the structures are already browning with exposure to the elements, moss and vines creeping into place over their edges and claiming the city as part of their earth.
It's too still.
Guy's anxiety creeps ever upward as he travels further inward. If he had any sense in his head, he'd turn back. He would go back to the ship, get back to Malkuth and report the odd behavior to Jade to be further investigated by the military. This isn't his job, this isn't his concern; he should focus on keeping himself alive, as one of the few Malkuth nobles in favor of a standing treaty with Kimlasca. He has his responsibilities to Auldrant to consider.
...but what if.
He shouldn't allow himself hope this strong. He's just going to get hurt. It's just going to hurt so much worse if he walks out of here with nothing to show, but he can't just- He can't keep going on like this. Maybe after this, he should give up these little excursions. Maybe he should just stop punishing himself this way if this time, he finds nothing.
If this time, yet again, he doesn't find Luke.]
Luke? [It's too soft. There's no way he'd hear, even if by some miracle he's alive. He swore he would return so Guy should wait, but Guy- well, he's never been good at waiting for Luke to come along. Before it was his duty to serve the crown, it was his duty to look after Luke.
He knows which one is more important to him.]
Luke, are you here? ...can you hear me?
no subject
Date: 2016-06-23 04:44 am (UTC)He knows my name.
Guy takes a shaky step forward.
There's no reason for him to believe that's Luke, or believe that's the Luke he knows. It could be Asch. It could be a trick; some kind of image, or something Lorelei's done.
He responded to my voice.
Guy grips the hilt of his katana so hard his knuckles hurt. It's absurd. This is what he's been coming here for, what he's been waiting for, and he still can't just let himself believe it's true. It feels too good to be true. This feels too much like a gift and Guy- he's learned too well how to look for the evil in good things. Nothing is ever purely good, nobody has ever done anything purely out of the goodness of their heart. Whether they're trying to further their political goals, atone for some wrongdoing, protect something dear to them at the cost of someone else's life- nothing is purely good. Nothing.
But Guy is already running to where Luke is.]
Luke? Lu-ke? [Guy's voice cracks as his vision blurs and he drops his sword, falling to his knees in the middle of the flowers and pulling Luke up by his shoulders.] Are you- Luke, are you-
no subject
Date: 2016-06-23 04:55 am (UTC)Here he comes.
It's the last thing he thinks of before Guy's right there in front of him and pulling him the rest of the way up by the shoulders, making the world spin again. He shuts his eyes against it, but then opens them once more to stare up at Guy. There's a smile growing on his face, bewildered yet big and bright and sincere. He sees the tears in Guy's eyes, but that just cements it further for him, and a quiet laugh, uncontrolled and giddy, comes from his chest, and his own vision blurs too.
He's back. He's alive - the promise he made to everyone, he -
The promise. That's right. He'd made several that day, and even though he had no intention of keeping them... Well, he's here - He can do that now.
So he hangs his head, another little chuckle escaping, before he raises his head as if in exasperation.]
Man, that was a pain!
no subject
Date: 2016-06-23 05:01 am (UTC)Guy cups Luke's face and makes a sound that's half laugh, half sob.] A pai- You brat, you- [He lunges forward, burying a hand in Luke's hair to press his face against his shoulder, clutching so tightly that he's shaking. It's him. It's him, he's alive. It's really him and he's alive-
Guy knows he's crying and he tries to tamp it down as best he can, tries to suck it up but he can't. He'd hoped and believed but he'd had no idea how close he was to giving up until know. He'd almost thought it wouldn't happen. Two short years and he was already ready to give up. Looks like Luke taught him far too well how easy it is to just let go.]