melodiesoflife | 003 Arrows of Love

Entry tags:

003 Arrows of Love | Sleeping Beauty

Who: Raven & Others
What: It's nice no longer being stuck in an eternal stasis.
Where: Hospital, House A-10, Aqures Ixen (Various)
When: Feb 7th
Warnings: Raven.

[ Hospital ]

Just as easily as it happened, Raven easily came out of Crystal Stasis. Though it was disorientating considering the amount of time that passed since he was last conscious. Furthermore, he awoke to a strange illustration. Due to the contents of the drawing, there was only one person guilty of this style.

"Hm, what a nice girl." Surely she was doing okay. Raven held the piece of art loosely in his fingers.

Raven took a glance at the others whom were still stuck in stasis, the number was still alarming, it looked like it might have grown even. Then it caught him, a familiar face.

Estelle.

There was no basis to judge how long she had been in there. None of the other members appeared to be around, meaning they were still around and active.

[ House A-10 (Open door! ~~or Window~~) ]

And he was home, at least it seemed like he was, until he walked into his room. Upon opening the door, he discovered an arrangement different then how he left it. You could even say it was more decorative, and not nearly has plain as he had kept it since he arrived here. His suspicions were quickly narrowed to the only person who had made any mention about his room. The most notable piece was the lavender rug that took up the middle of the room. He didn't hate it, but it would be a bit of a stretch to say he liked most of the changes that had occurred.

[ Aqures Ixen (Various) ]

Raven couldn't say he was happy to be back, but it was hell of a lot better than being stuck in a crystal. To celebrate his awakening, Raven could be found at the local bar where he used gil not spent on some hard liquor. Why? Well...why not? Despite not having any side effects of being frozen for so long, the thought of remaining in place for more than a month made his bones feel still. There was no better way to loosen up than with alcohol.

He's certain that Yuri would probably want to see him at some point, and he would have to catch up on what he was unconscious for, but he wasn't in any rush to do so. Like clockwork, he would find himself preoccupied doing some work or another that needed to get done. Just was the life of a guildee.

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Her reaction was highly unusual, even for him. It occurred to him that maybe an incident had taken place while he was in Crystal Stasis. Not everything that happened in Crystallis was kosher. He'll get the details of all that's happened at some point, but for the moment he was a tad more concerned about her well being. The off kilter reaction took precedence.

"I'm back." Clearly. "Still don't understand the details myself," other than the fact that everyone goes through it at least once, and Yuri and Flynn were among them.

Raven stepped into his room and took a seat on his bed. His hand reached out and pat the spot beside him. She'll eventually come to or snap out of it, however long it may take. He was a fairly patient individual.

"Sorry about that."

She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his face, until the sound of patting drew her attention to his hand. He wanted her to sit beside him? Well...considering how the only other alternatives were standing there like a fool or diving out the window like an even greater fool, she found her feet carrying her forward, and she sat down carefully as if she were afraid the bed might shatter.

Rukia held her hands in her lap, her back straight, as she looked at her knees somewhat awkwardly. There was something oddly familiar about this, and yet...not. Curse that stupid vision.

"...How long have you been awake?" she ventured, and winced as the words came out in a tight croak. Frowning, she cleared her throat.

Raven examined the room for a second time. He didn't realize how much effort must have gone into it the first time he saw it. Rukia went through the trouble of doing all this huh? Be it out of kindness, or to yield some sort of reaction. Judging by her disposition, the gesture was long expired.

"Couple hours." He paused in thought. "Feels like no time went by at all."

Rather the only reason why he knew time had passed at all was because of the clues scatted all about. The increased number of heroes in Stasis, minor seasonal changes of winter starting to part its ways, and so on.

"Ah," she murmured in understanding. Probably a good thing that she hadn't unleashed any anger, then. He was busy reorienting himself in the city, so of course he wouldn't have time to send her a note. Then her timing was oddly coincidental, wasn't it? At least she hadn't tried to jumpkick him in the face like she had with Yuri.

"...It's February now," she said, slanting a brief glance in his direction. "I hadn't changed your calendar yet."

Maybe he already knew that, maybe he didn't. Either way, it was a safe point of discussion that maintained her emotional stability. Rukia wasn't the sort of person to break down and cry easily, and she wasn't about to start sobbing now. But...she was very glad he was here beside her, not lying in her lap gasping for his last breaths while he clutched at his chest, or buried with nothing but a name on a stone and a bouquet of flowers to mark his final resting place.

She was quiet a moment longer. Then, hesitantly, her hand left her lap and her fingers grasped at the loose fabric of his coat sleeve. She said nothing, and just held to it to reassure herself that he was there, and that he wasn't about to vanish any time soon.

"February, huh?" His comment brief. A month, more than that possibly, was a lot of time to consider. He hadn't been in Crystallis for very long, but he knew that Yuri had been in a stasis nearly as long. And Flynn even longer. So this was the feeling?

"I've spent some time tryin' ta research the phenomenon," Raven started, as if he wanted to quell the feelings she might have pent up. "But I don't think even this world understands how it works." Or it did, and it just wasn't sharin'. That Kalki woman who been brought up before, and made experiments in the past would likely have some clue. But as far as Raven knew, she wasn't exactly popular with the public, and either died or went into hiding. He wasn't sure which.

"In either case, I'm back now."

He decided to end it as that. Positive in a sense.

"That's true."

This was awkward. She still didn't know what to say, and eventually he would ask what he'd missed. Honestly, she was hoping he asked that of Yuri, since she wouldn't even know where to begin to speak about the sage's vision or what took place. Was he truly destined to die in the next two years? Or was he just removed from the vision because he'd been in stasis? She wasn't sure.

With effort, she made herself let go of his sleeve. She just had to trust him to continue being here for as long as he was able. And if she grew too attached the way she had in that vision, she knew there was a danger of getting terribly hurt. It was best to be...neutral...about this sort of thing. Safer.

"I should let you get settled. I'm sure you have much to catch up on," she told him, pushing herself off of the edge of the mattress. "But I am glad to see that you're fine. We can catch up later."

Ah, but if he let her go about her own way so soon, without letting her get used to his company once more, what kind of guy would be be? Raven wasn't the type to let a somber woman go about her way.

"But I just started the burner. It'd be a shame ta waste all that food."

No he didn't expect her, but he was playing it like he did. The fact of the matter was, he had just enough food for the both of them, and the was only because he didn't eat very much to begin with.

Really he cared about her too much to let her go when she was clearly in some kind pain.

Rukia paused, and looked over her shoulder at him. All that food...? He'd anticipated she would show up? How had he known? Truly he was a master spy!

It didn't even cross her mind that it was just a coincidence.

"You...?"

Though Rukia was slow to respond, her stomach was not, and it gurgled in open complaint. Raven was a good cook, there was no denying that. Crimson darkened her face. Damn it all, it was hard to be moody when her stomach was growling.

"Er...well...I could do the dishes, I suppose..."

It was good that his last minute tactic worked. They tended to, for the most part. It wasn't always successful, but for the times it matter, it did. Raven gave a hearty smiled before exiting to the kitchen. She had been over a few times before, so she should be more the comfortable and familiar being at his residence.

"If ya want." He chimed.

Raven started his prep in the kitchen. He was making a soup since it was still fairly cold to him. It wasn't summer yet!

It was only February, so no new heroes had arrived for this month. They were expected to arrive the next month, however. And they did arrive while he was in stasis.

"Any fun and interestin' new heroes?"

Rukia blinked as she watched him move for the door, then followed behind him. Part of her still felt like this wasn't a good idea, but at the same time, she couldn't help herself. She honestly liked spending time with him. Even if he were the worst cook in the city, she probably would have stayed the moment he extended the invitation. Her willpower was ridiculously weak.

Carefully she set out the bowls and spoons, folding the napkins neatly. Small talk. She could handle small talk.

...Sort of.

"Ah...possibly. I was in Mysidia at the time," she admitted, sparing a glance toward the kitchen. "I had business to attend to in that region, so I stayed after the ship left for the new year." That soup smelled wonderful... "What was the last day you remember?"

Right. She was rather heavily involved with this world's affairs by enlisting for the military. Something Raven had experience in and no desire to relive. From the day his father implored him to do more with his life, to the day he obliged to Brave Vesperia, it had been nothing but the duty of the military. He was much happier extending his hand to a guild, even if indebted.

Still. As long as her experience was not shaded, he supposed it was still her decision to make.

"Hmmm." Raven pondered.

"This holiday called Christmas had passed." A holiday he wasn't all too familiar with. He also didn't do much because it was too damn cold do anything.

"It was only one month?" Rukia was surprised. He'd been so quiet, she'd assumed it was two. She should be angry, but then again, part of the reason she'd gone to the Santa Village in the first place was to sort out her feelings from a distance. Too bad things only wound up getting more tangled. She didn't feel like yelling in any case.

"I see. Then I hope the gifts I sent arrived safely." She hadn't tried to search for them when she'd started moving in all of the tacky furniture.

And there was that awkwardness again, starting to press against the side of her mind.

"I'll take out any of the furniture you don't like and donate it," she offered. "But you should keep the heater."

Gifts huh? He was quite behind in a lot of things, which was out of character for him. Generally he had tabs on everything that mattered to him or the person he's helping. Though that wasn't the case now. It was only the first day, and so he had time to become reacquainted.

"I'll keep all of it." He replied bluntly.

Did Raven like all of it? No. But he was still a man and any gift from a woman who cares should be cherished appropriately. It just wouldn't be right to toss it away knowing that Rukia had put some kinda thought behind it.

Raven was nearly done with the prep and started working on getting the meal rolling.

Rukia raised her head, her eyes widening slightly at his response. He meant to keep it? All of it? She and Flynn had gone through great effort to find that many doilies, surely he'd at least throw out a few of those.

She looked at him silently, studying the slope of his shoulders, the way his coat flowed so easily with his movements as he stirred the pot. The sight of him made her throat feel tight. How was it possible to feel so completely lost, and yet, so happy at the same time? Happy over ridiculous furniture, of all things!

Rukia pressed her back against the wall with her arms folded behind her, just out of his sight, and tipped her head back to look at the ceiling. For weeks she'd debated on whether or not she should ever allow herself to feel the things she did. The vision from the sage seemed to indicate that she'd made a choice and enjoy the benefits of her mortality. Now she was starting to understand why she'd made that kind of decision.

"You really are...very kind," she said quietly. "It's good to see you again."

Raven didn't think of himself to be as kind as she might have perceived him, and this wasn't the first or second time she's made a remark like that either. He was beginning to wonder if he might be deceiving her. He was kind, just...not as much as she thinks he is.

His shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh. He put in the ingredients that took the longest to cook, in first. That being the meat, of course, and brought it down to a low burn. He was sure to add the broth so that the meat could absorb its flavor while it simmered for awhile. Raven pivoted to the chair near the kitchen, pulling it out to take a seat. His foot pushed the chair into a lean, and the back rested on the wall. He was quick to get comfortable, but he also spent all day readjusting. Raven was tired.

"Anythin' change while I was out?"

He planned to get most of his information from Yuri or Flynn, but he also needed to keep the conversation going with Rukia. So Raven continued to engage in small talk. After dinner, he'd probably konk out.

"A few things." She straightened a little once he entered the dining room and into her range of sight, clearing her throat. "The Calamity is moving again. It claimed the capital of the Heran Empire. And we don't know how to slow it down or stop it."

It was bitter news, but that part he at least needed to know. She was still torn on how to go about telling him what the sage had shown to them, especially concerning his death and her future attachment. She wasn't even sure she should tell him. Yuri might, if he felt it was essential. But not telling him about the future seemed misleading as well.

She remained locked in place against the wall, looking down at her feet.

"...There's more," she admitted. "But I'm not sure how to tell you, or if I even should." That much, at least, she could confide, so he didn't think she was intentionally hiding things from him.

It was a good thing Raven didn't necessarily expect good news, and the spread of the Calamity was definitely not wanted. Maybe he should have taken up that scholar job, instead of the gambling. It's not as if Raven could rely on Rita to come by at a moment's notice and do the deciphering for them. He realized there were some people with Scholars that have the ability maxed out, he may even approach then. The archer felt like studying ancient history might help clue them in on how the Calamity was frozen previously.

"I'm sure Yuri will fill me in."

He still had to visit him at some point anyway. Raven wasn't about to fish for information she didn't want to share, either. The archer subtly rocked in his chair, in shallow thought. He supposed it was a good thing that things hadn't changed drastically in the span of the month. That in of itself would be concerning.

"What about you?"

Rukia nodded, a little relieved. Yuri knew Raven far more than she did, he would be able to know whether or not he should mention Raven's untimely demise in that vision, and how it affected them all. Then he asked about her, surprising her out of her pensiveness.

"Me?" She raised her head to blink at him owlishly, before glancing away. "Well...I caught a dinosaur, for part of my Beastmaster team." She'd been hurt pretty badly in the process, but the healing magic and items of this world held tremendous miraculous power. She didn't retain so much as a hint of a scar.

But it didn't really explain why she was acting so strangely, did it? And she could see that he was probably worried about her, which was why he'd bothered to ask. She was hesitant to speak about the matter; there were a lot of things she didn't easily share with anyone. But he'd demonstrated before that he wasn't the type to judge her for her foolishness, nor did he seem to think less of her when she'd showed him her flaws in the past. She didn't think he would look at her the way some of the others had when the vision had ended.

After a moment of quiet brooding, she came forward, pulling out a chair and sitting down with her hands folded beneath her chin. "We revisited the sage in Mysidia. He wanted to show us that there was danger inherent should he give us his knowledge, and we shared a dream about the future, two years from now, about what would have happened if he told us what he knew. In that future, I made a choice...one that others did not agree with. And I can't blame them for that." She closed her eyes. "I'd found a way to control the Calamity by merging with it. Yuri talked me out of it before the process was complete, but...the problem remains that I can't help wondering if it would have worked."

Her lashes parted as she sighed, staring down at the table. "And I'm not sure if I shouldn't look into it regardless, if it really comes down to that, and there's no other way to stop the Calamity from spreading. ...Tch." She frowned, furrowing her brow. "A foolish thing to dwell on, I'm aware. But it's been sitting heavily on my mind for quite some time."

The mood was far too somber for his liking, and while he wasn't proficient when engaging with others, but he knew a thing or two about people. Having lived as long as he did, and interacting with the people he has. Then the atmosphere of the room became weighted, his mood transitioned to something a little more serious to match.

"Vision of the future?"

Could such a outlandish and vivid premonition really be reality? How credible was the sage? Then there's the matter of it possibly being a scare tactic, which he wholly believed could be an option. Raven always considered other avenues when analyzing information such as that. You could never just pull from one source and go with it. Decisions become malpractice like that.

Raven took a breath, not speaking anything that came to mind, figuring it was better until he got more information about this supposed future of theirs.

"There was a point in time," Raven decided now was as good as time as any to share a small story. He felt it was necessary if she was locking into a mindset as dangerous as that. "We were told that the only way ta prevent the aer from becoming corrupted, was ta get rid of Estelle." Did Rukia even meet her? How long was Estelle active before falling victim to Crystal Stasis.

"No one wanted to accept that as an option. Even if it meant the world would perish." It was incredibly selfish, but it's how the gang was. "The odds were against us, but our little Rita managed to develop a way for Estelle ta coexist."

"The entire world?" That wasn't covered in Raven's file. It was surprising enough that she lifted her chin off of her knuckles to look at him, both surprised and concerned. How could anyone choose to save one life, if it meant the rest of the world including that one life would surely die?

And yet, they'd found a way, hadn't they? She was starting to understand Yuri's stubbornness a little more now.

"Hmm..." Her brow furrowed thoughtfully as she steepled her fingers against her mouth. "I suppose that's why he was so persistent, then."

But that was how Yuri felt about it. She wasn't sure what Raven thought about the situation. "It wasn't just the Calamity that could be stopped. There were other things I could have changed as well. Lives I could have restored." She hesitated. "...Even those who never set foot on Crystallis. It could have helped a lot of the people I care about."

Raven gave her a glance at the first comment. He was convinced something big must have gone down. Why else would she hold such grim feelings? He was glad he didn't experience it, but at the same time he wasn't.

"Are ya convinced that's the only way ta stop it?" Raven would get straight to questioning her disposition. It wasn't a joking manner, and if she was being truthful about it, he needed to know. Raven would tack it onto his list of things to do. Researching alternatives just like the gang had did before back in his world.

"It isn't yer burden alone ta right."

It wasn't even theirs to begin with. Raven was still unconvinced about saving the world in the previous life. The were far too many variables to factor and no way to prove any them.

"No, it's not the only way. But it was at least a solution where no one had to be sacrificed or killed," she tsked lightly, hunching her shoulders. "I don't think it should be ignored for that reason. If all else fails and nothing else presents itself, I believe it's worth pursuing the knowledge."

She dropped her hands onto the table and leaned back in her chair to meet his gaze squarely. It was true that she'd held some reservations in that vision, but now that she'd experienced it for herself, it no longer seemed frightening or forbidding. It was something she could do, she knew that.

"I'm not suggesting that I throw away my life as a martyr either. Completing the merge would not have killed me."

But she knew there was a strong possibility that it could have changed her. Even so, she would have continued to exist, so it couldn't be considered much of a sacrifice on her part.

It was difficult unearthing her feelings in verbal form, and frustrating. Her thumb rubbed over the other as she tried to puzzle out the right way to express why this bothered her the way it did, and why she wasn't behaving as she usually did. "I'm not committing to anything yet. At this point, I only want the security of knowing we do have one option of saving this world and our own. But...I do not want you or anyone else to think less of me for considering this. Some seemed fearful or resentful...perhaps thinking I desired power, or that I would be corrupted." And it had hurt her, to be denied that kind of support and trust from the people she cared about.

Finally she exhaled and pushed her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes as her head sank forward. "Forgive me for rambling like a fool. It's difficult to say what I wish I could."

Edited 2016-02-16 08:28 (UTC)

"If this vision has any credibility, then we also still have time ta research other alternatives."

Raven noted as he planted the legs of the planted firmly onto the floor. The archer reentered the kitchen to add some of the vegetables so they could start cooking. When he finished the following step, he returned to the dining area where Rukia could be found. The overall atmosphere of the room hadn't changed, but he was willing to change topics for the time being.

"How's the kid doin'?"

The one from her world, who seemed like a good kid. Raven didn't know him to make any judgement, but he liked what he saw of Ichigo so far.

It didn't take a lot of deduction on Rukia's part to know that he probably wasn't a big fan of the plan. Best to keep it to herself for a while, then, she thought, and willingly acquiesced to the change of subject once he returned to the table.

"He's well," she responded, sitting back and resting her hands in her lap once more. "I don't think he's changed his mind about chocobos. He seems interested in making some of the recipes his little sister used to make." Beyond that, though, she really wasn't sure. She hadn't talked to Ichigo about the vision, or what they'd gone through. He seemed like he was coping, though, and wasn't showing any of the usual signs of moping or beating himself up over not being strong enough.

"Maybe you could teach him some of the recipes you taught me."

His expression began to reflect the tone of the conversation. Raven wasn't so layered that his mood was mysterious 100% of the time. It was probably a good thing that he wasn't that secretive either.

"Cookin' lessons?" He questioned with slight interest. He didn't really care to go around teaching all of Crystallis how to cook. He wasn't chef by any means; he just happened to know his way around a stove.

"Why don't you teach him?" Not that he was unwilling, Raven was just curious why she wouldn't try to help him first. Unless she thought her skill was unsatisfactory. The meals he had managed to teach her turned out well, and that was on the first try. Raven was sure she had honed her skill even by a little since then.

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