deernet | voice; un: lowell

[ Well at least the word doesn't really hit Yuri. He's too distracted by everything else she's saying. He doesn't care what people refer to Flynn as, at least if it's not an insult. Boyfriend, sure. Why not. ]

I thought we were here to beat something up, not talk about Flynn.

[ Because he really just needs to not. Think about him right now. Or about his body in the living room because dammit, she's right. She's right and he can't just have Flynn rotting there, but letting Flynn's body be somewhere that he can't keep an eye on it also isn't an option. ]

Think I'm doing an okay job beating you up.

[there's no humor in that, for once. her voice gets firm, and she levels her eye at him.]

I told you to meet me here because I've been where you are. I know what it looks like when it starts getting real like this. And unless you wanna sink into that place for a damn long time, you're gonna snap the fuck out of it, you're gonna listen to me, and you're gonna find a place to put Flynn.

[ All Yuri wants to do right now is sulk and grieve and hit things, but she has a point. She has a point and he pushes a hand back through his hair with a groan. ]

Fine. Fine! So where do we put him?

[god. is this what freya felt like dealing with her all the time, she idly wonders, but right now she's taking it as a victory. everything about her gets less harsh as soon as he gives up.]

You know him better than me. You guys have any kind of place back home that was important to you two? Or maybe just to him?

[ Ah, Anna, you're dealing with a petulant 22 year old who's refused responsibility his whole life. Unfortunately, this is to be expected. ]

A place... we grew up in the capital. The Comet was pretty important, but mostly because that's where we slept. And we liked hanging out on roofs, but I'm not putting him on the roof.

[ He sighs, a hand on his hip as he looks away from her. Repede is sitting at his side patiently. He's put up with Yuri's shit for years now ]

He, he lived in the castle? But he didn't like it much. I dunno. Places aren't that important.

I've been meaning to build his omen a stable. I could... do that?

[ It would be something to do. And would solve this problem. ]

[she gives repede a look that could probably be sympathetic; dog person or not, she thinks she can tell that this is kind of a normal thing with yuri. and hell, she used to be a dramatic fucker herself. she gets it. (might still have a streak of that inside her, but she'll unpack that later.)]

Sounds like a good idea. It's a project that can take your mind off things, and it gives his omen a place to rest. They're supposed to be some kind of soul manifestation or something, right? [she's not about to summon vier right now, but there's gotta be a reason her cat is missing the same eye that she is.] So it can also be like giving his soul a resting place. I can help out, if you want.

Yeah. Except Daisy's gone too. Disappeared. Poof.

[ He sighs, hanging his head. But-- if Flynn does come back, Daisy will too.

And if they don't, well. He can always use a storage room or something. Or, well, he gave Blue his room. He could sleep in the stable. He's done that before. It'll be homey. ]

Okay, fine. So I build a stable, and put his body in there while he rots.

[ It's not a nice thing to say, but Yuri can't believe that he is definitely coming back if it's not a sure thing. If he's gone forever, having hope is the worst thing. And, well. ]

He's not my boyfriend.

[hm. that does introduce some complications. but it looks like he's working past it all the same. they've got a solution, and all it took was a little verbal ass kicking. and hell, that last sentence actually gets a sharp laugh from her, like she's surprised he's going back to it.]

My bad. Whatever you two are. [maybe... she doesn't know. maybe talking more about the dead isn't a good idea, but maybe it is. she's taking a guess, and he'll shut her up if she goes too far, she's sure.] You know I went on a little river trip with him too? He seemed pretty torn up about someone named Estelle. Someone else from back home?

[ A laugh is nice. Talking about other things is nice. He saw Estelle, too. Neither of them really did right by her, not as well as they could have.

He doesn't know why he had to clarify it, except that he doesn't want people to remember Flynn wrong. He should be remembered for who he is: strong and loyal and brave, a person in his own right, someone who was working tirelessly to make the world a better place at the detriment of himself. He isn't just Yuri's friend, boyfriend, whatever. He's Flynn. ]

Yeah. Friend of ours. She's okay, now. Or she was, last I saw her, but there... well. I can guess why he'd be mad about how he treated her.

Though she might be. He said something about her getting sick, but... hey, she's better now, right? That's the point. [she can piece together enough of the rest of it from context. it explains why he thought of it as a regret, and a regret big enough to end up on the same river she'd been to twice.]

I got some really good vibes from him, honestly. Different than the ones I get from you, but... still good, you know? [she takes a couple steps closer to the exit of the mansion yard, more towards the rest of the neighborhood. the idea of telling people's stories is fresh on her mind, for some reason.] C'mon. Let's start looking for some stuff to build that stable. Maybe you can tell me more about Flynn while we're working.

Sick, huh? She was used, by the guy he worked for, to try and take over the world. You know the type. I let her get caught by him. [ And that was his regret. Trusting Raven, letting Estelle get conned into being Alexei's pawn. ]

Yeah, he has good vibes. Stiff and annoying, but good. [ He falls into step at her side, glad to be doing something. Repede walks with them, his eyes intent and focused, watching out for Yuri because Yuri isn't doing it for himself ]

Uh, sure. Yeah. I can do that.

[ Blue told him that talking about Flynn would be good for him. And, if he doesn't come back, it would be nice if other people knew something more about Flynn, too. ]

Maybe, maybe you can tell me more about your sister, too. If you want.

[ Maybe he can offer her something, too. ]

[mm. serious regrets about her, both of them coming from different directions. it's possible for so many separate failures to happen and for someone to still come out okay from it, in the end. that's encouraging, quietly. it might be something to consider when talking about—her sister. her sister, who yuri wants to talk about. and even if she'd talked about beth earlier, there's no threat of choking on a river of blood this time. even if she recognizes the door that's being opened...]

One eulogy at a time. [halfway words. schrödinger's joke. but it's not really much of one either way; his wound is still open and actively bleeding. hers are all hidden, internal. scarred over but still tender when she pokes at them.] I want to make sure you're good first.

[ She doesn't want to talk about it, that's fine. That's fine, Yuri can just talk about Flynn. He sighs, shaking his head. ]

Yeah. Sure. I got 15 years of stories about the guy.

...where are we gonna get wood at night?

[ Well, maybe the market is open. He doesn't know. This place is weird, maybe you can get lumber at any hour of the day. ]

[is it that obvious? at least he can tell. one day, maybe. but he's given her an opening for a joke that she's gonna try to take.]

Strip club?

[because really she has no idea, and maybe this wasn't planned out very well. but she's doing it anyway.]

Or we could try cutting down some trees and get our own wood. Depends what he'd want. He much of a nature boy?

[ Stop being funny, Anna. He doesn't laugh, but he does break a little, then, glancing at her with what's almost a smile ]

Nope. City boy, I don't think he knows an oak from a maple.

[ And neither does Yuri, but she doesn't have to know that. ]

Maybe... yeah. Could be fun.

[ "Fun" meaning he gets to hit something a lot, so he's in. ]

Yeah, then let's head out to the forest and chop some wood. See, told you you'd get to beat on stuff. [and she speaks clearly, turning her head over her shoulder.] Vier!

[in a familiar puff of smoke, a small cat appears on her shoulder, perched there carefully with its missing eye matching anna's own. once the cat appears, she speaks more quietly, in a way that's almost uncharacteristically gentle. even if it is very deliberately in another language.] Bitte kannst du mir meinen Schwert bringen? Vielen dank.

[and with that, the cat disappears in that same puff of smoke, off to get her sword and return with it once they get it. you know, omen stuff.]

Don't know if katanas are great at chopping down trees, but we'll figure it out.

Nice cat.

[ Yuri is only momentarily startled by the cat, but, well, he's used to Smokey and Daisy by now. What's a cat appearing out of nowhere? Normal, totally normal.

He really doesn't want to wreck his sword, though. If Flynn is dead, it's one of the memories he'll have of him. He grips the sheath tighter in his hand. He doesn't want to have memories of Flynn. He wants to have the real deal, the guy, back with him.

It's incredibly frustrating to not be able to do anything. ]

Yeah. I don't have an axe yet. Should probably look into getting one.

[ That's easier than thinking about Flynn ]

Lead on.

[vier can find them once they get there, she's sure, but right now she's gonna lead yuri to the lamp and take them both to the one that's closest to the forest. once they emerge, she leads him to the edge—not too deep at all, because who knows what lurks within, but there's some sturdy trees there, at least.]

This is gonna be a hell of an endeavor. You do much woodworking?

[as if on cue, vier pops into existence holding anna's katana in their mouth. she reaches down and takes it by the hilt, then pets their head and gives them another vielen dank before they disappear.]

'Cause this is definitely not a chopping weapon on its own. Wonder if it would be too dangerous to try to strike some of these off with lightning. [idly, she runs the flat of the blade over her palm.]

Fixed a bridge once.

[ But that wasn't the chopping down trees part. Of even the making planks of wood. He just helped hammer them into place.

He hooks a hand on his hip and looks up at the tree. ]

Lightning sounds pretty fun. You got the hang of it?

[ Because he sure hasn't. If you want your morning tea to be iced, he's your guy, but anything other than that? Still can't do it consistently.

He has his sword in his hand, and he doesn't really want to use it on a tree, but.... well, he can always sharpen it. He really needs to get this aggression out.

He tosses his sheath to the side, hefting his sword up into his hand. ]

Tried and true. Let's do this.

Oh, abso-fucking-lutely not. But that's never held me back before.

[she cuts her palm to make what she's assuming is blood flow, then runs it along the blade and watches the lightning crackle to life around it. she's seen this before, in her memories, but for some reason that blade never made it back to her. as practice, she jumps into the air farther than a human should be able to and slices at a large branch a little bit ahead of them. there's a bright flash of light and a searing noise, and the branch falls intact to the damp, leafy ground.]

[she lands with a thump and kicks the branch. sturdy and thick, just like how she takes her women. (no, anna.) the end of it looks more like it's been seared off rather than cut, but at least her sword hasn't snapped. it's still crackling at her side, providing an eerie blue-white light when she looks over. for the first time in a long time, there's a tinge of excitement on her face.]

You see that shit? [she's smiling. it's not an earth-shattering realization of a world greater than her own or anything, but it is extremely cool. some small bolts are finding the quickest path to the ground around the tip of her blade, but she's got this. maybe she does.] C'mon, give it a try. Don't think we're gonna start a fire or anything.

[ Yuri watches, impressed, a smile almost verging on his lips. Anna is cool. Very cool, bad jokes aside. He nods, and slices his right hand open (he thinks vaguely about blood pollution, how they shouldn't be doing this, but... well. He doesn't care right now). He douses his blade with it and takes a deep breath, gathering mana to himself, and leaps up in the air, also higher than he should be able to. He lets out a yell, and lightning cracks, and another large branch falls. He lends next to it neatly, letting out a soft laugh. ]

Good move. I haven't done lightning before.

[ But he's always been good at learning from watching, and watching Anna is pretty amazing, like watching Judy. She's too good for her own good, sometimes. ]

[anna could be concerned about this, but they are not about to chop through enough wood to get a shrine built with just their bare blades. like, come on, that would be ridiculous. she watches and puts a hand on his shoulder in appreciation once he lands.]

Lightning looks good on you. [he's pretty cool too, honestly, and like. good on him for actually taking a risk on a new element there. and being able to keep it under control on top of it. her sword still crackles, and she wanders idly over to some lower-hanging branches while she talks. in present tense, pointedly.] So tell me about Flynn. What kind of stuff is he into other than being a knight?

[ Yuri hefts his sword. He likes that feeling, that feeling of the electricity running through it, into his hand and up his arm. It feels good to feel something that isn't this depressing weight of he's gone, he's gone hanging over him, a mix of anger and grief that has him tangled up in knots.

He clears his throat, looking at her, then away. ]

Nothing. [ He snorts a humorless laugh. But that doesn't represent Flynn. He doesn't want Flynn to get lost, if he is gone. He's not gone, Yuri reminds himself. Maybe not. Not yet.

He tries again, words stilted ] He kind of lost himself to being a knight. Takes it really seriously. He... he likes to fight. We both do. [ Which is kind of knight stuff, but also not ] We fight, a lot. For fun, to settle arguments, to see who's better. He beats me every time-- except once.

[ He looks up at the tree, eying another branch he could try. ] He's really damn strong. Strongest guy I know. When he fights, it's like it's nothing. He can be handling the heaviest sword in the world and it's like it's a stick, it's nothing. I tried... to keep up with him. Never really worked out for me.

[ He's saying too much, but the words are coming out, now. Words about Flynn, because Flynn means everything to him. A world without Flynn isn't a world he wants to live in. ]

He's so fucking good, Anna. The best damn person. He tries so hard, even when it's-- [ not killing ] hurting him. He gave up everything to be a knight. Sometimes I think he only remembers who the hell he is when I'm around.

[ Feeling is choking his throat and he lets out a growl, taking a few steps back to give this another go. He executes the same move again, but instead of lightning this time, ice forms around his sword as he slams it down into another large branch. Instead of stopping at the blade, the ice shoots down through the branch, forming a giant icicle that breaks off from Yuri's sword as he does a flip to try and regain his balance. He and the branch drop down to the ground, his landing less graceful this time. He stumbles, dropping his sword, the impact rattling through his body. ]

Shit.

[anna's not gonna steal his thunder (or lightning, or ice, what have you) while he goes for it, but she does get to his side when he stumbles and grabs his arm to try to steady him.]

Hey. Careful with the acrobatics. I got robot ankles, but you'll blow yours out.

[that's real concern in her voice, because she definitely doesn't know how to treat that and even though she could carry him, she wouldn't know where to take him and definitely doesn't think of the blood ministers around here as being, uh, up to date with their medical tech.]

That's what it's like, though. Sometimes you get so caught up in your job that you need someone to pull you out of it. I knew this girl back home, Kara, she was basically my only friend outside of work for a while. Felt like a normal person around her instead of just some tech support jockey.

[she lets go of his arm once she's sure he's steady, then swings her sword out towards a branch to see if she can arc the lightning. unfortunately, the lightning goes nowhere, and she masks her disappointment by continuing her story.]

If it's anything like me and Kara, he probably appreciates having you around more than he says. It's real easy to get lost in your duty. It's good having someone who can pull you out of it and remind you what it's all for.

I've taken worse falls and lived.

[ He would push her off but he's so tired, and he actually likes her company. He knows himself well enough by now that pushing people away, trying to go at it alone, isn't good for him. He'll end up doing something stupid and get hurt or killed himself. So he takes a deep breath, shaking off the bad landing. ]

Apparently I'm better at ice.

[ He watches the lightning with her, glad for the distraction ]

He... did. Does. Appreciate it. He tells me he does.

[ In his own Flynn way, at least. ]

What were you doing it for?

voice; un: lowell

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