post-dungeon regroup

[discutio]

[Obviously, they had to pull back and recover; Phoenix thought it would be best to head to the pseudo-headquarters in Invidia and settle back into the mansion to recover as well as consolidate what they all knew. There was a lot to get through, and a lot of recovery to be done by some of them. He'd need to talk to Etoile, thank Ariel, thank Medic again--]

[...But for now, he just about immediately collapsed on a couch and decided he would exist there for a while. You're on your own for food this time, kids.]

Comments

[swordofajerk]

[And Sword jumps, not having heard Lion approach.]

What--

[The panic and anger at being surprised melts away to that shock and horror at seeing a ghost almost instantly when he sees Lion.]

[crypddyd]

[He's a bit startled by Sword's reaction. He was guarded but this seems a bit much?]

...? Is everything alright?

[swordofajerk]

You--fuck.

[It's a very good thing Sword wasn't standing, especially now as he almost starts to panic a little.]

Fuck. Why'd it have to be you right now, fuck...where's Syl--Ruin. Where's Ruin?

[crypddyd]

[He backs up a bit, confused but not insulted by this reaction. He is quite awful after all]

He is on the earlier layer. He found the Executor title heavy and retired.

[swordofajerk]

[Sword snorts.]

Right. Of course. At least he's not fucking de--and you? Are you going to retire with him?

[crypddyd]

No. I would not betray Lady Rei's quest.

[swordofajerk]

[Another snort.]

Good.

[And it's only the fact that he knows that it isn't Lion's fault that he and Ruin died that is keeping him from saying something incredibly cruel right now.

"You can stick around for some girl we don't know, but not your kingdom? Your people?"

That is probably not the best way to let a guy know that you know who he is to you!]

You two apparently do everything together, even dying. I had to ask.

[Not that saying that is any better, nor is the oddly painful bitterness in his tone.]

[crypddyd]

... what do you mean?

[They realized long ago that Ruin and himself were from the same place, and likely the same time... but nothing beyond that]

[swordofajerk]

I remembered how you two died.

[What do you think, Lion?]

[crypddyd]

!!

[He steps back further, eye wide.]

So we... knew each other? You and I and Ruin?

[swordofajerk]

....you were our king. I was a duke--I don't know what Ruin was.

[crypddyd]

[He almost chokes. King? He knew he was nobility but the title seems to horrify him]

A king...

[swordofajerk]

[No judgement from Sword.]

Mhm. Not that you got to rule much, from what I remembered. I was...pissed. You both left--

[Which, okay, "pissed" is Sword's natural state of being so maybe Lion can read between the lines to get "grieving" out of that?]

[crypddyd]

Left... by that you mean died?

[Or did he flee?]

[swordofajerk]

Yes, obviously, what the hell else would I mean?

[crypddyd]

... what memories I have of my living self are not of a good man, Sword. If you told me he fled his role in some way I would not argue it.

[swordofajerk]

Well, apparently you got your shit together enough to become king. So. There's that.

[He sighs.]

And then died to some fucking monster.

[crypddyd]

... a monster.

Tell me, before I died did I at least manage to kill that woman?

[swordofajerk]

What woman? [Thinking, thinking...] Pale hair? Pale skin?

[crypddyd]

Yes. Edelgard.

[There is such venom in his voice it's palpable]

[swordofajerk]

[Sword isn't sure, if he's being honest. The monster might not have been this woman, or it might have been, and he has no way of knowing who killed her.

But. Well.]

Yes. She wasn't human in the end, but she was dead or dying.