tampered | Log, In Progress - Duel of... No, We Promise to Be Nice This Time, Really!

Current Mood: cautious
Current Location: Building 12, Apartment 295

Log, In Progress - Duel of... No, We Promise to Be Nice This Time, Really!

When: June 29th, Evening
Rating: PG
Characters: Jowy,

bright_shield (Maybe Nanami later?)
Summary: After much run-around, finally there comes a reunion of indeterminate nature. Fate says they're supposed to kill each other, but they've promised to behave!

Log: ( )

A small part of the Bright Shield bearer couldn't help but mutter 'here we go again' as he rushed over to Lyra's apartment upon receiving her message. All right, maybe not quite such a small part.

In the City he had finally made his peace with the Black Sword bearer, his previous enemy, his previous best friend. Released his anger, forced his own rune into halting it's endless grudge against it's own counterpart, and offered his renewed friendship to the other boy again before he disappeared.

But now Jowy was back without his memory and speaking of Leon Silverberg, his past strategist. And Highland, a nation that no longer existed. And threatening little girls with swords.

Unconsciously he raised a hand to scrub at his head. What point in time was the other boy now from? He had a pretty good guess... and last time Jowy had been in the mindset from that period he'd attacked Riou. And then proceeded to keel over. Oh good lord... he really hoped he'd be able to keep his promise to Lyra about neither him nor Jowy causing trouble while under her roof.

So it is not without some trepidation, and a whole lot of wondering what exactly was waiting for him, that he took a deep breath, and gave a quick rap to the door in front of him.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Lyra sighed, scooted her chair out, and darted to the door. She had a pretty good idea who it was, but she cracked open the door to peek before swinging it wide open, and gesturing for the older boy to come in.

"He's already here... Come on in, no point in waiting." And there was none, in Lyra's perspective. Just a few little wrinkles to be straightened out.

The fallen King had chosen to take a seat in one of the vacant chairs in Lady Lyra's home. He'd taken his sword's scabbard off, but he'd left it leaning against his chair for easy access as he sat with his hands clasped together over his lap.

He regarded Riou with cool indifference, in the same manner he'd faced him many times during the war after he'd changed sides. Inside though, and despite the poker face he wore, Jowy was glad to see him looking well, especially knowing that he himself was far from being healthy now. He couldn't even remember when the last time he ate was; preparations for the final battle, for Jillia and Pilika's safe passage into Harmonia and the like, not to mention his business with the Beast Rune, had effectively killed his appetite.

His eyes narrowed a bit and he mentally shook off the beginnings of self-pity.

"You look well," Jowy said quietly. His lips curved slightly, into what could almost be a smile.

Riou inclined his head at Lyra and smiled as he passed through the doorway. "I hope we're not being an imposition," he said, his eyes already sliding away from the petite form of the girl to search her apartment before finally coming to rest upon the familiar blonde figure sitting in a nearby chair.

"Jowy..." he said. Oh yes, very eloquent. Not as if he hadn't had more than enough time to come up with something to say as he ran all over the city that day. "It's been..." Actually, it hadn't been all that long since he'd last seen Jowy, when the previous one who had been in the city had returned during a curse day. ". . . . confusing," he finally finished honestly enough.

His own gaze sharpened. He couldn't exactly return the compliment, the other boy looked... off. Too pale, too thin. Tired. Well, he could certainly understand the last. But he still remembered that curse, which had shown him Jowy at the Tenzan Pass right after the end of the war, drained and--

"How are you feeling?"

Jowy appreciated the concern Riou had displayed, but he kept his expression neutral. Even if Riou, bless his heart, still somehow saw him as a friend, Jowy could not allow himself to take advantage of that. He knew he'd committed far too many trespasses against their friendship to deserve any goodness from it.

"I'm well," Jowy said simply and then he rose from the chair to stand in his full height. He re-attached the sword scabbard to his belt and then continued, "Can we talk privately, Lady Lyra? In one of your vacant rooms, if you could spare us any?"

Lyra nodded. "There's a spare bedroom down the hall. Last door on the right."

She almost said 'Please don't kill each other', but that was stupid, so instead she just said "Remember your promise, Riou."

"All right..." Riou inclined his head slightly. "After you, then."

He supposed it probably did make more sense for them to talk in private. At first anyway. Although a small voice in the back of his mind whispered that it was little Pilika's presence at the false peace conference that in the end had prevented Jowy from mowing him -- and everyone else in his delegation-- down with crossbolts. There was a faint throb of heat from Bright Shield at the thought. No, let's not go there again.

"I remember. We'll be back soon." He smiled over at Lyra a hell of a lot more confidently than he felt.

Jowy nodded his head towards Lady Lyra in gratitude before walking down the hall Lyra had spoken about. When he reached the room, he paused at the doorway and waited for Riou before continuing inside.

Riou followed Jowy down the hallway and finally, with one last wave back at Lyra, he closed the door behind him with a quiet click and leaned back against it. His gaze once again intensified as he looked over at his friend, watching for any threatening sign or a sign that the other was about to suddenly fall over or -- damn, he'd burnt up so many spells using Bright Shield during the poisoning plot. He should have stopped by the apartment to pick up some healing scrolls before heading on over here.

"How are you, really?"

Jowy wondered how exactly he'd looked at that moment if Riou found it necessary to ask about his well-being a second time. He knew that the past few months' events, in addition to the task of forcing the Beast Rune back, had certainly taken its toll on his body, but nobody had taken real note of his decline in health. Because of this, it was easy to ignore the brief fainting spells he'd suffered, and to associate it simply with pure exhaustion. Of course, despite this, Jowy was not completely ignorant about the Black Sword Rune's true nature. He'd merely chosen to ignore the truth, to focus on the more important things at hand; the war.

"Are you sure you should be concerned with that?" Jowy asked simply, and if he sounded in any way taunting, Jowy reminded himself that it was nothing to be guilty about. Riou shouldn't be so eager in displaying concern towards enemies. Sure enough, that was one of Riou's good traits, but even that had to have its limits.

"More importantly, I'd like a brief explanation of the matters at hand. Lady Lyra seems to know nothing about the war. This place... certainly doesn't resemble any Highland or Jowston territory. There is the matter of you being a member of the Police Force and no mention of your involvement in the War, at least in the way I imagined it would be done."

He paused, but then continued without letting Riou interrupt.

"As for me, I don't think you have an explanation for my transportation to this place, do you?" Jowy was open to the possibility that he'd lost consciousness sometime during the battle, and woken up much, much later, but if Riou had a better explanation, then he was going to hear him out. "I was relaying orders last I remember. In L'Renouille."

"Does it still stand? L'Renouille, that is." Jowy found himself asking lastly, if only because Leon Silverberg and him had come to an agreement that a defeat to the Beast Rune would certainly have drastic effects to its foundations.

If it no longer did then they, he, had succeeded.

"Of course, I'm certain..."

Riou sighed. Well, at least Jowy hadn't suddenly busted out with "This is the final battle!" followed by attacking Riou with his staff like last time. Actually, Riou eyed the other weapon somewhat warily, Jowy apparently didn't even have his staff this time at all, only the sword, and he was... he was... he was so not going to be thinking about the staff and that curse where it suddenly started talking. Hell no, not now.

Or ever, Riou amended and cleared his throat. He schooled his expression into neutrality

"Ah... this is not our world, Jowy. This is the City, a nexus between the different worlds and times. Lyra isn't from our world and only knows what you or I have told her of it. She-- and everyone else you've met since arriving-- are all from different worlds and times.

We've all been brought here to-- well, no one really knows. Popular theory is that we're here to stop the destruction of all the worlds. Each of us has been yanked here in various ways-- I was personally taken during a Blinking Spell and got dumped into the fountain here-- and we'll find various ways out of here as well. And then some of us will get brought back again. With or without our previous memories of the place."

He gave the other boy a somewhat pointed look. Eh, a brief explanation was it? Very brief. He hadn't even gone into the curses and deities and the doom clock and various other whatnot. But first there was something else rather important to mention. Something that might hopefully stave off any future attempts at reenacting their fight at the Tenzan Pass. Until they were both actually at the Tenzan Pass, at least.

"I'm... from further up the timestream than you, Jowy. L'Renouille has fallen. The war is over for me."

Riou tried not to flinch. Fallen. That was one way to put it. The once-capitol city of Highland had fought back during the final invasion and taken a not inconsiderable amount of damage for it. The nobility of L'Renouille had started the war, but he had ended it. Hopefully. Rebuilding had been one of the things Riou had planned, after he had finally put down the last bit of resistance in the chaos directly after the war. Only the pull of the City had intervened.

And now here he was, still stuck in a nexus between the worlds one year later. He'd simply just have to have faith in his comrades back home to continue on where he had left off. And from what he'd heard from others that came from his world, perhaps he had never been meant to stick around after all.

"I... see," Jowy managed to say, but really, Riou's somewhat long-winded explanation was a bit hard to swallow. A nexus between different worlds and times, was it? How and why were they suddenly taken to this place? Did this have anything to do with the runes? How could it possibly have anything to do with the runes to begin with?

After a few moments of thought, Jowy decided he would worry about that later, if he was allowed the luxury to do so. As it was, he wasn't even sure how long he had to live left. And it certainly wasn't just self-pity that drove him to think like this.

He sighed, and hoped it hadn't come off as one of relief, and then spoke again. "And things were going well for you after the war?" he inquired.

"I did say it was confusing," Riou said and eloquently shrugged as he continued to lean against the door.

He also continued to watch his friend somewhat worriedly, wondering if a third 'how are you feeling?' would get any different answer. And if Jowy thought that was long winded, wait until Riou whipped out his tablet and introduced him to one of the official city guides. Not to mention brought up the fact that this wasn't Jowy's first time in the city and oh yes, and the fact that Riou's dead sister wasn't so dead here. He debated blurting that out right now, but perhaps it would be better to let things sink in more slowly? But first, to Jowy's question...

"It was going as well as could probably be expected, after something like that. I didn't really have much time there" 'after the fall of L'Renouille', but there was no need to unnecessarily drive that point in any further, "before I was taken here."

"I trust your leadership."

Jowy, completely unaware of the other truths Riou was keeping from him, was at least confident in his belief that, under Riou's rule and however brief it was, things were going well back in the land once separated between Jowtson and Highland. He let that statement be the end of that topic, and then proceeded to think about what else was left for him to do.

"Riou," he began with a bit of hesitance. He wasn't quite sure how he would go about broaching the subject. He'd imagined many times before how this meeting could go. If his former friend had come to hate him all this time, then he knew it would be so much easier. If Riou held any hatred for him then challenging him in a final duel, and dying, without ever having to reveal the weakness both the Beast Rune and the Black Sword Rune had carved in his body, would be easier. "How about ending things now?"

To underline the severity of his request, Jowy gripped the hilt of his sword. He did not draw it however.

"That's very kind of you to say, but I'm sure they're doing fine without---" he trailed off as Jowy continued.

If Jowy had challenged the Riou who had first arrived in the city, fresh from the war and the grief of losing Nanami, things might have gone entirely differently. Different still, for a Riou that had been here for only a few short scant months.

But this Riou had been in the city for over a year now, getting turned into squirrels and dragons and random plush toys, and having Jowy's staff confess its undying love to his tonfa, not to mention all the other confessions of undying love that had been going around...

This Riou merely silently staaaaaaaaaaaared back over at Jowy for the moment. His eye may or may not have been twitching.

"Well?" Jowy quietly unsheathed his sword in preparation. He was a bit off-put by Riou's unexpected reaction, but he didn't really see the need to ask about that. "It would only be right to end things this way, wouldn't it be?"

Crap, he just knew this had been coming. He'd been through this scenario how many times in the city already?! That one curse where he thought he'd actually gone through with it and killed Jowy and reunited the Rune of Beginning, then proceeded to run around the city like a loon, angsting horribly and threatening to kill the 'fake assassin' Nanami had been particularly fun. Not to mention all the times he'd played through this in the Suikoden game in the arcade. And he still. Had no clue. What the hell. He was. Doing.

"Gods, I should just jump out the window now. But it's only the second floor, so that won't even help..." Riou muttered to himself and tugged at his hair. He glared over at the other sword-wielding boy, still refusing to go for the tonfa strapped to his back.

"You're an idiot, Jowy Atreides Blight or whatever-the-hell you're calling yourself now. And we've been through all of this already," he finally said.

Although not tucked away in some random apartment room last time. Yes, let's have a duel to the death in a young girl's apartment, nothing traumatizing about that at all.

Jowy frowned. "We have?" he asked neutrally, unsure of what exactly Riou was implying.

"Yes. Remember how I told you this place brings people from different times? You have been here before! Or rather the you that came after L'Renouille's fall. And we did all this before..." Riou gestured sharply around them.

"The 'this is the final battle!' and 'let's end things now' and 'come kill me and form the rune of beginning'..." He'll just leave out the part where that had caused several months of rune drain for him. "And then you attacking me while I contemplated smacking you upside the head, and then you suddenly keeling over and scaring the crap out of me, which is why I've been asking you how are you feeling all this time..."

Riou was dimly aware that he was rambling and probably sounding like a raving lunatic to boot. He massaged his temples and wished he could close his eyes for a bit, although that probably wasn't too wise while a sword-wielding, duel challenging idiot was in the same room as you. Nevermind him being somewhat suspicious that this was some kind of divine punishment for him not bothering to show up at Tenzan Pass back home.

"Trust me. There's no reason for us to do this here. There's no reason for us to this back home either, but especially not here."

Edited 2008-06-30 23:29 (UTC)

Jowy did not understand, at least, not as well as he would have liked. He did get a bit of an idea of what Riou was saying though, no matter how unbelievable it was.

"So, you're saying that you've been through this before, simply put?" he asked. "And it was resolved...?"

If what Riou was saying, and his understanding of it, was right, then this Riou must already know the dire effects the Black Sword Rune had had on his health.

"...How can you still say there's no reason for us to do this?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. The war was over-- for both of us at that time-- and was of entirely no consequence in this place. I could just as easily have healed you without us going through the fight in the first place. Which of course brings up the point again-- how are you really feeling?"

This Jowy could, of course, be from an entirely separate timeline where his rune half had not drained him so badly at the end of the war. Or the last time could have simply been an effect of the curse. But even disregarding Jowy's rather wan appearance, there was just something prickling at Riou. Intuition of the other half, perhaps?

Jowy was at a loss for words. His right arm growing lax, he lowered his sword. He glared at a spot on the nearby wall.

"...It's not over, for me," he said softly. Perhaps it was cowardly of him to actually desire for death, but he couldn't really imagine continuing living after all that he had done. It had been easy to push forward, knowing that in the end, he would have either succeeded and become King of a newly-united Highland and Jowston, or died in failure, dragging down with him whatever was left of the once-prestigious Highland royalty. Jowy had never anticipated for such a half-end; wherein Highland had fallen and... Riou was actually offering to ease the damage his body had sustained from the Black Sword Rune.

He didn't want Riou's pity like this. He wanted Riou to hate him, to kill him, and to finally end it all.

"It..."

It was something he could certainly understand. The feeling of incompleteness. The sense of something not yet done. Nearly everyone he had met from his own world here had come from years in the future, past his war, past their own wars. The only one who had not moved on had been him. He took a few hesitant steps towards Jowy, the lowered sword at the edge of his vision.

"It doesn't have to be like this. I know how hard it can be to suddenly be wrenched away like that. But this is a place of second chances. Jowy..."

"I don't need second chances. Once is enough," Jowy said simply, and even if he was confident in his choice, he could not help but sigh. He brought his left hand up to his temple, where he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He didn't know if this was destiny, or fate, or anything like that, but it was certainly a difficult situation to be in. He... didn't know what move to take next. If he had been confident about the end he was willing to take, now, there was something akin to doubt creeping in his mind. But he couldn't be sure.

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Riou countered and took a few more steps closer. He hesitated for a moment and then reached out to lay his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe that is the real reason we've all been brought here."

Though Jowy flinched at the touch, he did not outrightly reject it. He sighed again. "This is giving me a headache," he admitted. He shook his head several times, when the oncoming headache brought with it a slight dizziness.

When the brief dizziness had passed, he made a silent request for Riou to step away before sheathing back his sword. "I'll see for myself what that real reason you speak of is."

Riou took note of the flinch and stepped slightly back. "I've had one for two years now," he said and then narrowed his eyes slightly. Somehow he didn't think the umpteenth version of 'How are you feeling?' might get any better answer this time.

He wondered what would happen if he suddenly healed Jowy out of the blue. Considering it was Bright Shield and Black Sword-- a few cataclysmic images drifted through his mind-- all right, doing that without warning might not be the wisest thing.

"I suppose everyone here -- and elsewhere-- has to find that answer for themselves," he replied carefully. "Just know that you're not alone in this."

"Ah."

Jowy nodded slowly and straightened up, putting on that careful poker face once again. I suppose, his inner voice said solemnly, but he chose to be silent. With a deep breath, Jowy moved to walk past Riou, but before he could safely be out of the younger boy's range, his knees suddenly gave way underneath him as another wave of dizziness nearly overcame him.

At the realization, Jowy could only curse lividly under his breath for his body's lack of timing.

Riou was not surprised. Had more than half been expecting this. In fact, if Jowy was going to be stubborn about it, he had fully been prepared to hover over the other boy's shoulder the entire time going 'How are you feeling now?' And so he easily closed the short distance between them and caught his friend in his arms before he could hit the ground.

"I knew it." You are just like me. Suddenly collapsing at the most inopportune moment, usually within a few feet of being able to escape into privacy. Although Riou's timing had gotten rather better in the city. "Hold on... It'll be all right."

Riou struggled a bit to maintain his hold on the other while trying to pry his right glove off. Jowy just had to be that much taller and heavier than him, even if he did look thinner now. It made Riou even more amazed how Nanami managed to schlep him around all the time.

You don't need to do this, Jowy thought, but couldn't find the voice to say that out loud. Instead, he looked away embarrassedly from Riou. He couldn't even make a move to stop the younger boy.

In the end, was this the answer he was looking for? That he himself wasn't as ready to simply keel over and die like he'd thought he was? The revelation was hard to accept.

Jowy refused to accept it.

Riou finally fumbled the glove off and reached up to hold Jowy's head. Last time he had been afraid to touch the other before healing him, but this time he was far more certain of the outcome. He'd better be. His hand suddenly stopped as his fingers brushed across Jowy's cheek. Oh well, close enough. He would have smacked Jowy upside the head first if he knew what the other boy was thinking.

But there still was some... trepidation... as he closed his eyes and called out towards his rune. This was Bright Shield and Black Sword after all. And he had been using it's power quite a bit recently, not to mention the previous time he had begged it to heal Jowy. And the time he had drained himself nearly entirely while on an a cursed evil rampage and had ended up begging the same to help Nanami, who he had almost killed. And now again...

I know you must be growing tired of your bearer always doing this, but remember the last time. If it really is your will to become one...

No spell this time, just a swelling warmth as the half rune responded with its healing side once more.

Jowy watched wordlessly as the Bright Shield Rune did its work on him. He doubted it could completely heal all the ills the Black Sword Rune had inflicted on him during the past few months, but at least he knew it was doing a very good job of pouring much-needed strength in him. With this, he would be fine.

He couldn't find the right words to say thank you to Riou, thinking it too little, too late. Maybe, if they were going to be in this new place for a while, they needed time apart. A lot, perhaps.

He wasn't really surprised at the wave of coldness and weakness that rose as soon as the warmth of the Bright Spell's power seeped away. He had been asking entirely too much of it lately, since the citywide poisonings, maybe even before then. There was always a price to everything and he'd been failing rather spectacularly at the 'rest' part of it lately. At least the sign of the Rune of Beginning hadn't exploded out of no where this time... he wasn't sure if that would fall under 'behaving' or not.

Riou exhaled a shaky breath and dropped his arms as he shifted back, hoping that Jowy was well enough to support his own weight now. As for him... he had entirely meant to sit down on the floor like that. Yes, indeed. Was that his shoelaces untied?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Log, In Progress - Duel of... No, We Promise to Be Nice This Time, Really!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject