melodiesoflife | Bon Voyage, Amigo

Entry tags:

Bon Voyage, Amigo

Characters: Duster and everyone
Where: Aqures Ixen (Observatory, House A-03, Airship Port) and Balicea
When: July 04th - July 10th.
Summary: Duster sets up a memorial for Zelda and is sad, then mopes around in his house as he thinks about the case he was involved in. He travels to Balicea to clear his mind.
Warning: Discussions of death and murder and all the misery from the event.

July 04th, Observatory

[There's not a lot Duster can do after the bloodbath that lead to Rialynn killing Zelda. No, that wasn't Rialynn, but someone controlling her. One dear friend killing another, resulting in a chaos and tears. Lives senselessly lost because someone hated the Heroes so much.

And now Duster is alone to mull over the tragedy. Despite sharing the same pain of a Hero dying, there aren't man people he feels comfortable approaching. His guilt over killing two friends is nothing compared to the loss the Heroes are feeling. Not only were civilians killed, but they lost a long time friend, one who was a ray of sunshine during these dark times.

He has fond memories of Zelda. Meeting her in the music shop, buying an ocarina together, talking about music, comforting her in the Observatory when Link turned into a statue...so many little moments that are forever lost. Now she lives in the crystals and in their memories. There is a memorial set up to the Heroes outside the observatory, one created months before he arrived, but Zelda deserves something personal from him.

On the fourth, Duster picks one of the room on the second floor. The one where he spoke with Zelda in February. There's an unused set of drawers in the corner, and with a cloth he had Tamekichi buy, he creates a makeshift memorial. Written with paint on a ceramic plaque is "ZELDA", and he brings his offering: the same ocarina he had on him for the past six months. He has to thank her for teaching him and setting him down on the path towards mastering the Bard class.]

July 05th - 07th, House A-03

[Most of the following days are plagued with vivid memories of killing Jack Harkness and Santa. How he carefully stepped across the rooftops, pushed Jack over and watched him calmly as he fell to his death. How he leaped down from the rooftops, striking Santa in the perfect spot to break his neck, feeling the snap underneath his shoe. Remembering running away, not looking back at the bodies of his dead friends.

And they're still here. Jack and Santa are still in Aqures Ixen; they know who killed them. Duster can't imagine running into them in public again without those memories flashing in front of his eyes. Akane might hate him. He can't think about going outside at all. Rialynn has her own problems to worry about. There's not one to really talk to about it.

For the next few days, he holes himself up in his room, lying on his bed or on the couch when Sparks Nevada isn't home and listening to sound of heavy rain hitting the streets and the roof. It's too difficult to get up and walk around again. Perhaps if he just stays here forever, things will work out.]

July 08, Aqures Ixen

[There's one answer for his troubles: go on a trip to sort out his feelings, to somewhere far away from Santa and Jack. If he's having too much fun playing in Balicea, me might feel better about all this. The morning of the 08th, during a non rainy spell between stomrs, Duster packs a small bag containing two days of supplies, and umbrella, and his suit - the one Santa picked out for him. If they're able to talk again, he should thank him.

Duster's switched out his Monk Job for the new Dragoon Job he earned his month. It doesn't feel right to have the abilities that killed two of his friends. Two people he murdered himself. Dragoon isn't completely safe; it reminds him of pushing Jack off the roof, but at least he can't snap people's necks while he isn't carrying a weapon on him.

Before he leaves, he pins a note on the front of the door in case anyone planned on talking to him.]

I'm leaving on a trip today. Be back on the 10th. I need to be alone for a while.

- Duster

[Tamekichi helps hims roll his double bass out the door of his house, down the two steps, and onto the streets towards the airship docks. The Moogle can't carry any of Duster's bags on his own, but he does his best to make sure the bass case doesn't tip over on the uneven cobblestones. It's a slow process, one that gives Duster the time to think about what to do.

He's going to visit the bars. Play some jazz for the patrons not as a Hero of Light, but just Duster. No dead friends or mind controlled friends to worry about.

Anyone keeping an eye out can spot him leaving and walking through Aqures Ixen, his head down and watching the pavement. It's not like he's going to notice you unless he bumps right into you.]

July 08th - 10th, Balicea

[Balicea is a lovely place. If Duster wasn't carrying a bass and he wasn't in the pits of despair, he would love the breeze and cool weather. Stepping off the ramp, he wonders if coming here and performing was ever a good idea.

It's too late to turn back now. With not other choice, he finds an inn and settles down in his room. He has a performance tonight and three tomorrow, which means he has no time to relax. His work ethic kicks in, and with only music worth worrying about, he practices every chance he gets. Songs that will clear the terrible memories and emotions from his mind. Something else to focus on.

When not performing a quiet jazz solo in various bars, he's at the local music shops. His ocarina is now dedicated to his fallen friend, and if he ever wants to use the Bard Job again, he needs a new portable instrument. Not an ocarina, though. That reminds him too much of their first meeting.]

July 10th, Aqures Ixen airship port

[It's raining when the airship lands, but the grey skies don't have the oppressing presence of the ones that he left on his trip. He hasn't forgotten what happened. To forget even the sad things would be disrespectful, and he would learn nothing from it. Instead, his heart is less heavy. The dread that permeated his mind is mostly gone, and he can walk through the streets with a clear head again.

Perhaps someone has been waiting for his arrival.]

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[Hell yes, someone's waiting for his arrival. Aoi wasn't pleased when he dropped by Duster's house and found that note.]

[Aoi's still going around in his bizarre sleeveless shirt/heavy scarf combo, with the addition of a black umbrella to keep the rain off him. He's leaning against a wall on the building opposite of the airport. There is no escape, Duster. He will spot you when you come out, and he'll use time magic to slow you down if needed.]

Yo. You had enough alone time yet?

[Johnny wasn't expecting to run into a familiar face while at the music shop. He'd just been heading in to see what sort of books they had, while on his way to pick up some food for his and Reno's cabin.]

Oh, hey Duster. Didn't expect to see ya here. Or, well, anyone I know, really.

What are you doing?

[Yuffie hasn't made a habit of coming around the old observatory but she saw mostly moogles going in and out of the old building now so she thought she'd check it out. There are a lot of neat things inside but she leaves them be.

Touching anything here feels wrong somehow.]

[His head jerks up at the voice. He should have expected to see others in this building, but the quiet of the makeshift memorial room created an invisible wall around Duster. Yuffie might as well have been invisible until then.

It's been a while since he last spoke to her. Still kneeling on the ground, he turns his head to get a better look at her. She's just as willful in her appearance when compared to their first meeting, Duster doesn't feel any sense of tension. It's difficult to take his mind off of the past few days, and while Yuffie isn't one of his closest allies, she is someone who wasn't directly affected by his actions.]

I'm setting up a memorial for Zelda. [He replies in a soft, low voice after what seems to be minutes.] She was one of the first people I met...and she bought me this ocarina.

[He turns to face he memorial again. If Yuffie wants to approach him, let her do it. He's not going to ask anything.]

[Duster had been wandering through the store for the third time, avoiding the lyres during his rounds. He's wearing a light undershirt with a light blue unbutton jacket over red pants, leaving his periwinkle suit at the inn. He needs to take a walk to calm his nerves, which ended in this shopping trip.

He looks up from the ukulele he's holding.]

Oh. Hey, Johnny. [He puts the ukulele back into its stand, using both of his hands to minimize potential damage.] I'm surprised to see anyone else here, too. What brings you to Balicea?

[Duster attempts to smile, but without any genuine feeling behind it, he drops that. This certainly is a break from the sad vacation he was expecting.]

[There's not need to slow down Duster with a time spell. That double bass he's rolling down the ramp is heavy enough that even a Flan could catch up to him. Tamekichi is fluttering beside him while figuring out how to open the umbrella while wearing shades. A stormy day like today is a terrible time to have his vision impaired, but he has a reputation to keep.

Duster ignores the light rain falling on his head and new jacket he's wearing. He bought it in Balicea in case the storms continued on his arrival, and Tamekichi will get the umbrella ready soon enough.

He hopes.

Aoi calling him out causes Duster to stop in his tracks. He had hoped this trip would make it easier to talk to him again, but he didn't think this conversation would happen so quickly. There's really no point in running away, not just because Aoi can easily catch up to him, but because it's been weeks since they last talked. It's about time.

While the Moogle gets left behind as he fiddles with the switch, Duster pulls his case towards the wall, where he hopes the awning will protect him from the rain.]

I think so. [Silence as he moves the case to a standing position.]

...So you were waiting for me to get back.

[Aoi wordlessly angles his umbrella so that it covers Duster as he fiddles with his large instrument.]

[His first instinct is to claim that he isn't waiting for Duster...but it's pretty obvious that he is. And he's not going to say something dumb or cheesy like 'I missed you.' No way.]

I guess. It's been...boring, these last few days.

[Duster's eyes flicker to the umbrella and mutters "thanks" as he shuffles underneath the umbrella. His bag bumps against the brick wall, and he pushes it aside to scoot closer to Aoi.]

Hm...

[He's been practicing what to say when he gets back, but he assumed Aoi would be still upset with him.]

Sorry for the wait. I needed that time to calm down.

[Aoi shrugs. Yeah, a lot of shit went down. Maybe Aoi is just too used to weird stuff, and now he's desensitized to it.]

Makes sense, I guess. Did it help?

[He takes Duster's bag, because it's annoying to watch him struggle with it. There, now they can fit together under the umbrella.]

[...That is strangely nice of Aoi. It might be his way of apologizing, but Duster likes it nonetheless. With the extra room, they're both protected from the rain, and he can feel Aoi's arm pressing through the sleeve of his jacket.]

I think so. I'm ready to go outside of the house again.

[He's not smiling, but his eyes aren't as tired as they were when they last parted. Duster looks out at the crowd full of passengers arriving and greeting their families.]

Tamekichi must've gotten lost in there. We should wait until he finds us.

[But until then, he may as well catch up with Aoi.]

What about you? You look like you've gotten better. [He's calmer and less visibly angry, for example.]

What, me? [Aoi's confused by that. Why would he not be ok? It's not like he died for real.

Well, yeah, he still can't stomach anything unexpectedly touching his neck, but whatever. He prickles at the implication that he'd let something like murder bother him.]

I'm fine. No big deal. [If it had been Akane who'd been hurt, that would've been different. But it was him, and Duster wasn't the one to blame for it, so he wasn't pissed at Duster. He'd punish the actual person responsible.]

[Yuffie looks over at the memorial and the name. She feels like she's missing something but she doesn't think it's right to comment. The heroes have lost so much and they continue to do so. She wishes it could be like before: with snowball fights and smiles.

She steps up next to Duster feeling more than just a little bit awkward.]

Sounds cool.

[Her fingers gently glide over her palm as her mind turns over thoughts in her head.]

Did she play?

[ He shakes his head. ]

She played the lyre, but she was excited when I chose the ocarina. We got to play a few times together.

[ It was a good combination of instruments. If he had formed a band with the other Heroes, he would have asked Zelda right away. It isn't going to happen anymore. ]

[It is a big deal, and Duster turns around so his arm is behind Aoi's and he can better look at him in the face with a serious expression.]

Even if I was controlled by someone else, I still killed you. And...I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't mean for things to go they way they did when we last talked. [A deep breath. The murder wasn't the worst part.] I went to the police because I knew Sparks would let me stay there, and I wouldn't be used again.

[He looks at the ground. As much as he disliked Aoi when they first met, Duster has grown to like and care about him. He deserved an apology.]

...How's Akane doing?

I'm sorry.

[She's so awkward when it comes to comforting people.]

I know this might not help but her soul is still here right? If we fix it, she can return home too.

[Instead of being reborn on Crystalis in the next cycle.]

I guess? I don't know what was done with her crystal.

[He wasn't at the scene of the crime, but he heard that it was taken to the labs for something.]

But I'm worried that this truly was the end for her. After all that happened...

[He has no one else to turn to that isn't also in despair.]

It can be too much.

[Aoi has to lean away from Duster a little to make sure Duster's shoulder doesn't brush against his neck as he scoots in closer. It's not a voluntary response. He shrugs and looks away from Duster's earnest look.]

Who says I was worried?

[He crosses his arms and rubs his hands up and down his arms, brushing away the raindrops that have blown in the wind to land on him. His voice goes softer.]

Akane's still recovering from all of it. This boy she likes got killed at the end of everything. It was pretty rough for her. But she's tough. She'll be ok.

[There was pride in his voice when he said it. His little sister was a survivor.]

[Oh. He leaned back. It's probably not a good sign, and Duster looks a bit hurt at that, but he tried to ignore it..]

She's a strong woman. If she made it through your death, she can go through anything. I was thinking of apologizing to her next. [You can't kill someone's brother and assume everything is okay.

Seeing Aoi's bare arms gets him concerned. Is he cold? Why would he dress like this while it's raining?]

And...I don't know. I guess you wanted to hide me from the police because you were worried what they'd do to me if they thought I really did it. I can understand that, since you didn't know what kind of person Sparks Nevada was. And then I ran off like that while ignoring how you must have felt...it was thoughtless.

If it'll make you feel better, you can talk to her. [Hisui was awake again by now, so it was probably be fine. Aoi hopes Duster's smart enough to have the conversation somewhere that they're not in reach of any sharp implements, just in case.]

[He's silent for a moment, mulling over Duster's words. The musician hit the nail on the head. If he thinks Aoi deserves an apology, then he probably deserves the truth in return.]

Ok, yeah, I was a little pissed. Akane and I could've taken care of you, same as Sparks. But you're stupidly trusting of everyone, so I should've figured you wouldn't do it. And it turned out... ['Fine' wasn't the right word...]...well, you didn't get blamed, so what does it matter?

[If Aoi dwelled on every possible outcome of every alternate timeline, he'd have gone crazy long before now.]

We got through it. You're ok, I'm ok, Akane's ok, that dumbass she likes is ok. So it doesn't matter what happened along the way, as long as we're all here now.

[Angry people and sharp objects are never a good combination.

Duster lets out a heavy breath. He's fine. Things will be alright. Aoi's cool, and that's what's most important.]

You're right. Maybe I put too much faith in my friends, but between staying in a guarded cell and staying with a friend I killed...I wouldn't be able to live with myself with the latter. I couldn't think about seeing you again when I remembered everything...

[Jumping off the roof. Snapping his neck, feeling that crunch beneath his shoe. Walking away without looking back. He can't believe he could ever do something like that. Aoi didn't deserve it.]

I didn't want to think about the possibility of hurting you again.

But if we manage to stick together from now on, it'll be alright. [Duster's looks up at Aoi. If he doesn't want Duster to stand so close, he at least deserves a smile.] We can pull together.

[Aoi's so trusting of him, despite the relentless teasing for months. He kind of reminds Duster of Kumatora, showing that she cared by acting tough (not to say she wasn't tough). And out of everyone he knew, this guy was the one waiting for him out in the rain. It's strange. This whole thing makes him feel...warm inside.

Out in the crowd, Tamekichi manages to pull himself free of the mob and starts searching for Duster.]

[Zelda was one of those people who was a friend without having to be acknowledged as such. There is a bitter, repeated irony in the fact that too often the friendship penny doesn't drop for Sephiroth until it's too late.

It's strange how he seems to have found his way to the same room that Duster has picked, without even a conscious thought in that direction. He's not brought anything much in the way of an offering either, having not known of the intention for a memorial to be set up in such a fashion. But once Sephiroth spies it from the doorway, a tight knot to his core prevents him from just walking on by down the corridor.

She deserves so much more than that. Yet it's quaint and pretty and with that in mind is probably exactly what Zelda herself would have appreciated. Sephiroth tries to roll the resultant tension out of his shoulder -it's still bound up underneath the vest and lighter jacket he wore- and steps into the room.

He doesn't want to invade the personal space that Duster has made for himself, but it makes Sephiroth's eyes shine all the same.]

[Duster sits cross-legged in front of the memorial and eyes every detail on the ocarina. The pale blue shine of paint, the chipped part that a monster hit, the fingerholes that created beautiful music. He wouldn't be the same Bard if it were for Zelda and her welcoming smile.

It's a simple symbol of remembrance, but the gravestones in Tazmily were simple: just a stone and flowers delivered by dedicated family and friends. It was the heart put into their construction that mattered. To him, this memorial symbolizes the simple love everyone had for this Hero.

After several minutes lost in his own thoughts, Duster senses a change in the atmosphere. Someone must be nearby. He twists his body to look at the doorway, and his eyes remain unchanged at the surprise visitor.]

Is there something you need?

[How's he supposed to be cool when Duster is saying embarrassing things like that and smiling like that? He turns before his face goes red.]

I...still wanted to see you...after I woke up. Even if you did it, I wasn't afraid of you. 'Cause that wasn't you. You'd never do anything like that on your own.

[He spots Tamekichi, so he reaches back to grab Duster's shirt and pull him forward so they can intercept the moogle.]

[He wants to say that it's really kind of Aoi to believe in Duster so much, that he can literally trust him with his life, but he's dragged away before he can talk. The instrument case clicks as it rolls over the stones, alerting Tamekichi to their presence.]

There you are, kupo! C'mon, I got your umbrella. Finally.

[Duster looks over at Aoi, then at Tamekichi. He wasn't done catching up, but at the same time, they do have to head home...]

Oh. Aoi, we can keep talking at my place. I can use the extra help carrying my stuff.

[He doesn't really get the reference to an ocarina -though he knew what it was- being as whenever he'd seen Zelda performing it had most often been with a harp, or her soft singing voice. He wonders for a moment where that is, the harp, along with her other belongings and who they would fall to now...before sternly dismissing that thought as if it were cancerous.

Still, it's a memorial and it deserves all the respect that Duster is on his knees giving to it.

Sephiroth takes another measured step into the room as Duster twists in his direction. The question doesn't sit very well on him at all, immediately pinging as abrasive which in turn causes a frown which just threatens to break the bubble of whatever he's holding back when it comes to how he really feels about losing Zelda.]

No. There's...[A knot dropped in the bottom of his voice, so promptly clearing his throat.]

...there's nothing.

[He wants to say something more, wants to pay his own respects but the fact that Duster is near enough a total stranger -even if his presence as an investigator might have been noticed- just causes the usual clam-up.

So for the time being he's just stood a respectable distance from Duster, staring at the letters -ZELDA- as if he might be able to will them away. He'd failed, so damn hard.]

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Bon Voyage, Amigo

July 10th

July 8th

July 04th, Obseratory

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July 10th

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