(no subject)

[monolike]

[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.

Comments

[monolike]

Ahha...I can't lie! I feel like I could eat an entire Hyland steer. [Oh hey, speaking of-] Is drago stew still a thing?

[sylphystia]

Pendrago's still around, same name and everything. The original inn's burned down and been rebuilt three or four times... but they still have drago stew.

[Sorey hasn't eaten in literally forever. Of course he'd be hungry.]

Once we get out of here, I can make you something. It'll have to tide you over until we hit Elysia.

[monolike]

That's even better than fine! You're a great cook, Dezel. [Grins into his shoulder, squeezing a little.] Ahh...I'm going to be relying on you so much... Do people still take gald for money, at least? I think I should have some on me...

[sylphystia]

What, are you trying to pay me?

[He snorts. They're almost to the end; he can smell it on the wind, even if Sorey can't see it yet. Ah... it's nighttime now, when did that happen?]

How many times do I have to say that I owe you and not the other way around?

[monolike]

Dezel, you nerd. [did he just] I didn't mean pay you. You're not, like, my butler or something. But I'd like to pay for supplies and stuff, since I'm gonna be the one using most of them.

[sylphystia]

[He makes a noise that seems halfway offended.]

Save your money. The Sparrowfeathers know who I am-- they'll give us a discount.

[He breathes in deeply as they reach the other side of the last stone bridge and pass through the arched doorway. The air is crisp and cool, a sharp contrast to the dusty air inside the ruins. A thin white sliver moon watches them from above, but the stars more than make up for it; constellations and galaxies both are painted across the sky. They've shifted positions in the past thousand years but they're still recognizable, with only thin wispy ribbons of low clouds to dilute their light.

It's been long enough that Sorey probably needs to stretch his legs. Maybe he can even walk.]

How are you feeling?

[monolike]

[Overwhelmed, honestly; they come out under the open night sky and Sorey closes his eyes as the fresh breeze pushes his bangs back from his face and rattle his earrings. He breathes deep, relishes in the feeling of filling his lungs until they hurt before he lets it out with a whoosh.

Maybe he doesn't have a Shepherd's pact anymore, and maybe that's the reason why, but...there's no malevolence. A place that was once steeped so deeply in it that Lailah had quailed at the idea of a seraph trying to survive more than a handful of seconds, and it's all gone. Is this what it's like, do have Maotelus dwelling in a purified land?

You have my gratitude, Shepherd.

Sorey thought he'd dreamed those words, but...]

I'm... [Sorey shifts his legs and gently pushes back from Dezel.] I'm okay. You can put me down, I think I can walk if we go slow.

[sylphystia]

All right, [he says gently. He leans over a bit when he lets go of Sorey's legs, all the better to help get his feet beneath him. Dezel holds onto his arms, though, just in case Sorey is wobbly and starts to fall.]

I've got you.

[As if that extra assurance is needed-- but Dezel can't help saying it anyway.]

[monolike]

[Sorey would be lying if he said he wasn't glad for Dezel hanging on; his knees keep beneath him this time but he feels unsteady and weak, like he's been fighting for hours without a single scrap of food. It's reassuring, at least; he knows that his strength will come back. He just has to be patient.]

Ahahaha...I think I'm good. [He lets go of one of Dezel's arms to turn and take an unsteady step.] ...yeah, I can walk. Uh, do you mind if I hang off your arm though? Sorry for all the trouble...

[sylphystia]

[Dezel is quick to interrupt, wanting to dismiss any notion that Sorey could be a pain in the ass unintentionally. Intentionally, yes, sometimes-- but this is different.]

You're fine.

[He starts to offer his arm, then thinks better of it. First he shuffles off his jacket and drapes it over Sorey's shoulders, and then he offers his arm.]

It's the middle of the night. If you want to camp here and walk to Elysia in the morning, we can.

[monolike]

[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?

[sylphystia]

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.]

[monolike]

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.

[sylphystia]

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?

[monolike]

[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!

[sylphystia]

[-- 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.]

[monolike]

[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.

[sylphystia]

[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.]

[monolike]

[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.

[sylphystia]

[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.

[monolike]

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.

[sylphystia]

[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.

[monolike]

[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...!

[sylphystia]

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.

[monolike]

[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?