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[The first thing Sorey thinks as he falls is what Lailah said as they left Camlann; that without his domain, all of them would instantly be hellions. The ground collapses beneath his feet, the wind drake behind him snaps up his cloak in its jaws and he sees the terror on Mikleo's face just before Symonne's laughter shrieks out and he and the drake fall together.

If they're too far away from me-

He can still feel their connection. He can still feel them, even if they can't go to him, and Sorey prays that's enough.

Wind rushes past them and Sorey tries to wrench out of the drake's grip (It's gotta be a wind seraph, Zaveid had shouted as they were thrown into the thick of battle in the tight corridors of the fortress), twisting and turning, sword in his hand. They'd weakened the drake considerably as a team but he's not sure he's powerful enough on his own to purify it, not even with all the strength he's gathered. Not without the others.

Hopefully, because Rose is there, they'll be okay. Please, please, I can't lose anyone else-

They fall far but hit a collapsed spire at an angle; in the mess the drake releases Sorey (or maybe his cloak tears, he can't tell) and he tumbles, bumps against it and hits the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth in his head and jar his bones. He pushes himself up, ignoring the bruises and aches, the constant, thumping worry of his heart and puts his sword between he and the drake as it sways up to its feet.]

Don't worry, [he promises the poor thing, because thank god, thank god it's not a dragon yet. There's still hope.] I'm going to save you. Don't worry, it'll be over soon.

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[Sorey blinks at the coat falling over his shoulders before grinning. Doting.

Dezel's right, of course; Sorey might not be cold now but this wind chill will probably freeze him soon enough, especially once he stops moving. So he pulls it onto his arms and hooks around Dezel's elbow as they start down the rocky path.]

We probably should, huh? That'd be the smart thing to do. Aaaaghh, but I just wanna see everyone so bad!

Can we see how far I can go first?

They can wait a few hours.

[His words seem chiding, but the tone is undeniably fond. He's not looking at Sorey, though. Eye contact, or as much eye contact as Dezel can manage, is only admitting that he is smothering the hell out of the former Shepherd.]

You never run out of energy, do you?

[Is that a bit of wind tickling Sorey's ear? It might be.]

I did just spend half an eternity sleeping, [Sorey agrees; the idea of stopping to rest when all he's been doing is laying down for centuries is not an appealing one, but he can't deny that he'll be a much bigger burden on Dezel than he needs to be if they don't stop so he can recuperate.

His earring jingles slightly and Sorey feels his cheeks go pink. Okay, fine.] But I guess you're right. What's a few more hours, huh? [an eternity] The climb will probably go quicker if I don't have to hang off you the entire time anyway.

Hmm. I'm sure there's a way we could get off this mountain and make good time.

[They don't have a pact anymore, so he can't exactly lend his windstep, but... There's no risk of falling to the death if you're with a wind seraph.]

Hey, are you afraid of heights?

Edited 2016-10-03 03:38 (UTC)

[Sorey feels a spike of understanding and it's like they're armatized all over again. He grins and wraps his arms around Dezel's neck without even a moment of hesitation.] Let's do it!

[-- oh, and here Dezel thought he'd make it a surprise. So much for that. There's a brief moment of surprise, and maybe a little bit of a blush, but then he grins back. He sweeps his arms beneath Sorey's knees and pulls him close. Princess carry for the Shepherd. Who knew.]

Don't forget to scream.

[And then he simply steps off the edge. There's a second of pure weightlessness, just the wind rushing by them and the vague dark outlines of trees, and then it catches them. The air itself curls around them like a protective cushion even as it propels them forward and down. It isn't quite the same as gliding, but it feels similar. And god is it fast.

It only takes about twenty seconds to descend from the mountain, but even Dezel's out of breath at the end of it. When the wind dies down, the reasoning becomes clear.

He's laughing.]

[Sorey doesn't.

There's a moment of weightlessness, where he's floating in Dezel's arms and Dezel's floating into the sky before they drop. His hands clutch at the back of Dezel's shirt as Sorey makes a strange huck sound at his stomach leaping into his throat, and for one terrifying second he thinks bad idea, bad idea.

That's usually how it happens, though. And then, just like any other time Sorey had thrown himself off a high ledge or slid down a steep hill, his not-so-secret thrill seeker comes out and he yanks his head up from Dezel's neck to see first his face, glowing and grinning, eyes sightless but the joy of the world painted clear on his handsome face. And Sorey continues the motion to peer over his shoulder and sees the blur of jade greens and mud browns rushing past them, up toward them and has no time for words, but thrusts his fist up, still clutching, still clinging, and lets loose a whoop that rings through the trees and the air itself.

His heart is pounding and he's sure his face will split from his grin by the time Dezel's boots touch stone; he taps- taps- taps across several boulders, letting the ground eat their momentum as he floats them safely back to the earth and Sorey wants to hear the rumble of laughter echoing through Dezel's chest against his side for the rest of time.]

Oh my gosh, [he gasps, his laugh a wheezing thing half-choked by the leftovers of adrenaline, hands shaking. He unhooks a leg and when Dezel lets him down, he wobbles a few feet over to a patch of grass and throws himself onto it, spread-eagle and giggling madly up at the stars above.] Don't tell Mikleo. H-he'd kill us. Oh my gosh. That was amazing.

[Dezel lets him down when they're finished, but he hangs around just in case Sorey needs some help standing. He's still fending off chuckles and there's no way to hide it. But the boy's okay, he's fine, just flopping down onto the grass and enjoying nature for the first time in a thousand years, and Dezel's caught by the realization. He just-- just watches him for a minute, smiling in a soft way that no one ever sees. Maybe he's not aware of it.]

I'm not telling him anything.

[He flops down on the grass beside Sorey and rests the back of his head on his arms. The view is lost on him, but having someone at his side again is enough.]

Edited (why is descriptive language so ableist) 2016-10-03 05:04 (UTC)

[Sorey closes his eyes and listens to the world.

The rustle of wind against the trees. The chitters and calls and croaks of nighttime fauna foraging for their dinner. The quiet crack of a stone coming loose in the cliffs nearby, tumbling down and rolling to rest on the grass. Dezel at his side, warm and breathing.

Sorey opens his eyes.]

I think...I was sort of awake sometimes, [he muses thoughtfully, resting a hand on his belly. The stars wink lazily overhead and Sorey traces the patterns he knows with a finger, off-center but still there. Still alive.] I remember feelings. Surges of emotion. Maybe it was from Maotelus.

[Dezel crosses one leg over the other. He's happy to listen to the same sounds as Sorey, though he reads the world around them in an entirely different way. An owl flutters its wings in a tree twenty yards away, and Dezel feels it sheltering itself from the cold. The pine trees shiver and he feels it somewhere inside himself. A tiny breeze dances on the tip of Sorey's nose, and that's how Dezel learns the exact shape of Sorey's mouth.

He breathes out slowly and tries not to dwell on just how much he's missed company.]

Maybe it was from the people, too.

Maybe prayers. [Maybe any prayers not offered to a specifically enshrined seraph go to Maotelus.

His hand pauses in tracing the lines of Deutenimus in the sky as he chews his lip, wondering if he should say anything.]

...I think... [His eyes are already burning. Damn.] I think Alisha came to see me...when she died.

[Dezel is silent for a moment. There's a brief huff of breath next to Sorey, and he shifts just that little bit closer so that his shoulder touches Sorey's.]

Yeah.

[He wiggles his foot gently to a beat only he can hear.]

She said... she wanted to make a world you'd want to live in. She even went and saw ruins with Mikleo, for a while. Before she got on in years.

[Dezel had even spoken to her a few times.]

Some of her descendants became Shepherds. One of them was named after you. He was-- he was a good kid.

[Dezel's shoulder against his feels like permission so Sorey lets the tears fall, quiet and hot in the night breeze.

She kept Mikleo company. She wanted to make the world his home. She had Shepherd descendents with his name, and they're gone too.

Sorey can still remember a girl crying against his chest about the world being too hard and hopes, in the end, she died happy and smiling.]

I knew she was there, [he hiccups, beginning to cry in earnest. He feels like a child weeping over things he can't have, but Dezel smells like a spring meadow at his side and,] I just wanted to say goodbye...!

Hey... [Sorey is openly crying now. Even if Dezel couldn't tell by the sounds, the wind shares its secrets even if he doesn't want to know. In this case, it's hella awkward-- but he knows Sorey needs him right here, just like Dezel needs him.] Hey, it's okay. Let it out.

[He's suddenly nineteen again and dealing with a redhead pulling at his hair, screaming at him when he says her name, running away and disappearing into the reeds. Dezel shifts and leaves his hat on the wayside, as it's not important right now, and he wraps an arm around Sorey's side. Then, effortlessly and without hesitation, he tugs the boy against him.

It's surprisingly comfortable like this, with Sorey's fluffy head tucked just beneath Dezel's chin. He could get used to this-- and that's the thought that terrifies him. He can't get used to this. Sorey will leave one day, just like Rose did. Just like all the others, and their children, and their childrens' children.

But that doesn't mean he can't be here for Sorey right now.]

She knew. That's why she came to you.

[He threads his fingers through messy brown hair.]

She knew.

[Still feeling ridiculous, still feeling childish, Sorey allows himself a moment to press his face against Dezel's collarbone and just. Feel sad. He needs to let himself feel these emotions; denying them would be denying himself, denying the reality of the situation and to be honest not only is that something he wants to avoid, it's just something he's tired of.

Dezel's fingers slip through his hair and Sorey lets himself cry, quiet but no less heartfelt, until he feels the sorrow bleed itself from his heart as it's slowly replaced with a low-simmering gratitude.

She came to see him before she passed. The imagined hand he thought he'd felt on his forehead wasn't so imagined after all. And she's sounded...peaceful. Satisfied in a way she never had when he'd known her.

Sorey picks himself up from Dezel's chest, sitting upright and searching for a clean spot on his tabard to wipe his eyes with. He needs to clean this, it's a gift from Alisha...he should be more careful with it...] I'm gl- glad she passed peacefully. That she had a family.

[He hesitates, not for himself but because he knows it must be a delicate topic for Dezel, but decides in the end that maybe he should put a little more faith in the strength of Dezel's heart.] And...Rose too?

[He holds Sorey until he tries to pull away, and then Dezel lets him. Honestly, Sorey could probably do with a good cry but Dezel's not sure he's the one for that. If Sorey needs it, really needs it, then he'll offer his shirt and whatever else... but he never knows what to say. Dezel's never been good with the emotional side of things.

He's content to lay back in the grass for now, feeling the grass blades sticking up between his fingers.]

... Yeah. She's part of the wind, now.

[Rose had many lovers in her time and her children weren't all blood-related, but that suited her just fine. She had a big family, cobbled together and tighter than anything. Dezel was part of it, too, even though he always felt a little odd about it. Hard to deny it now.]

Close your eyes for a second. [He sits up a bit, waiting for Sorey to follow his command. When he finally does, Dezel concentrates. The wind picks up a little around them-- a playful summer breeze in the middle of autumn, warm and scented like a yellow rose.]

Listen.

[Maybe Sorey's imagining it, but if he concentrates on the wind enough, he might be able to hear a very faint giggle, and then it's gone.]

[Sorey pulls his knees up to his chest and closes his eyes; he can feel a sweetness to the air, like a coy smile or a mischievous glint in someone's eye before they pounce. His hair ruffles and the corner of Sorey's mouth ticks up into a smile.]

It sounds like her. How did you...?

I remember, so the wind remembers, too.

[He drops his hands back to the grass.]

Rose left a message for you before she passed. It's in the keeping of the Scattered Bones... when you're ready.

[He nods, but by the sound of it Dezel doesn't expect him to go after the message right away, which is a relief. ...but...]

So there's...still a need for an assassin's guild, huh?

Mankind will never be free of conflict. If it's handled properly, people can learn from each other. [Something Rose taught Dezel over her life.] But sometimes there are people that the Shepherd just can't purify. Sometimes a more delicate hand is needed. They're necessary protectors.

[He knows Sorey doesn't like to hear that, so he tries to change the subject.]

Their leader's brother heads the Sparrowfeathers.

[It's true, Sorey doesn't like to hear that there are still people who want to take the life of another, but if Dezel is familiar with them, if they're descendants of Rose...well, it could be worse. They could be the types who would take any contract at all for the sake of money. Dezel wouldn't let that happen.]

The Sparrowfeathers and the Scattered Bones are two separate guilds now? [They might be associated, but it's kind of nice to think at least that there are merchants who can just be merchants instead of having to be killers, too.]

[Exactly. He keeps them on a good path, since he's the one who started it after all. Though only Rose's actual descendants know that.]

Yeah. The Scattered Bones are sort of a... specialized force, while the Sparrowfeathers make their business as merchants. A few have settled down and opened shops in the city.

[He reaches over and ruffles Sorey's hair]

Do you want to keep going, or should we make camp here?

[Sorey scratches at his nose, thinking. He wants to move on, he wants to see the others as soon as possible, see Mikleo as soon as possible, but...

Here, in the clearing, with the wind whistling gently through trees and over crags, is so peaceful. It's the kind of gentle quiet they didn't see for weeks leading up to the final confrontation.

Sorey closes his eyes and falls back onto the grass with a sigh.]

Let's just wait a little while. ...could I listen to Rose again?

[Dezel's a little surprised by the request, but then his expression softens.]

Sure.

[They can go at Sorey's pace. That doesn't bother Dezel. The Shepherd's been asleep for a thousand years-- he deserves to go at whatever pace he feels like.

Dezel shifts to follow him into the grass, and he takes the wind with him. As the cool breeze kicks up one more time, it turns warm and playful, gently brushing across Sorey's lips like a smile. It smells like summer, like Rose. And it carries the memory of her calling out to someone, laughing and darting away, daring him to tag her.]

[Sorey dozes off a couple times, comforted by Dezel's presence and the whisper of Rose's memory around him, the grass below him still warm despite the night chill. He curls up on his side once, reaching out and taking hold of Dezel's arm, but it doesn't last long. When he's rested, when he's had enough he sits back up and rubs the sleep from his eyes.]

Mmm- okay. I think I'm good to go! [And then his stomach growls.]