Bigger than Zaphias, which is the biggest city Yuri's been to. Which means that it's bigger than any city he's ever been to, which means it's bigger than every city in Terca Lumireis.
Yuri isn't starry-eyed exactly, but he is looking around, trying to take everything in. It's been a long day, a really long day, and he can feel his body flagging, but he doesn't exactly have money, and he doesn't exactly know anyone.
Well, anyone but Flynn, who's stayed by his side since they left the boardwalk. It's... nice. The last few times they've been together, it was on their journey, and he was so focused on what was next, on saving Estelle, on stopping Duke and the Adaphagos.
Now, there's no such urgency, nothing driving him to do more, to finish it, to get to the next thing. Now, he has no goal, no plan, and, for once, neither does Flynn.
He's about to say something about that when a kid runs past him, shouting and laughing, and another kid follows after them, chasing them with a toy sword. Well, that's certainly familiar. He watches after them for a moment, then glances up at the house they're by: Koz Orphanage. ]
[ No matter how far they walk, the city just seems to go on. The early afternoon, spent scouring the beach and tracking down more filling food than just hot dogs, was a bright and sunny thing, with a fierce wind blowing in off the sea and more conversation than Flynn can remember having recently. It felt a little like the first few times he joined up with Brave Vesperia, being interrogated in a way about who he was and why he was there and what he wanted.
At least, this time, he and Yuri are equally lost. Flynn is infinitely glad for the familiar presence of Yuri and Repede at his side.
They had no luck whatsoever in locating any kind of authority. Flynn has picked up on whispers about protectors, enforcers, but so far nothing of the sort has actually emerged.
Still.
Flynn slows as Yuri does, watching one child tackle the other to the ground with a victorious whoop. ]
I suppose it would be too much to hope that a world with this many monsters wouldn't also suffer the consequences of that. They look happy, don't they?
Yeah. They do. Hey, we didn't need parents to be happy.
[ Well... Flynn was certainly happier before his mom died, but Yuri doesn't want to bring that up, just now.
The other kid manages to pin the first kid to the ground, gloating about having turned their fight around and Yuri shakes his head with a little smile ]
Good. At least they have a place to stay. Wish I could say the same thing for us.
[ No, Flynn supposes they didn't. He was certainly happy for years with just Yuri and Hanks and Miriam and the other kids. The two of them against the world, hand-in-hand.
Or, you know, pinning each other to cobblestones like these kids. Flynn can't help smiling wider, watching the two of them. ]
If nothing else, it... isn't as if we haven't slept on the streets before. We'll figure it out. I'd strongly prefer a roof over my head, especially in a place like this. Did you see the wall we passed through, coming in here? They're defending themselves against something. Monsters, most likely.
[ Yuri sighs heavily, pushing a hand back through his hair. Repede, at his side, looks up at him. ]
Yeah, I know. We'll find somewhere to sleep. One of the locals I talked to said we can just... find an abandoned house and sleep there. I guess they don't really have money in this world, not for stuff like that.
It's so weird, not having to pay for land. What must that be like.
[ Flynn, who had not received that particular piece of information, turns to look at Yuri with wide eyes. ]
Really? How many abandoned houses must they have on their hands if they're offering something like that?
[ Probably he should be thinking about whether there's a catch or anything like that, but it seems in line with everything else they've experienced today: a strange amount of hospitality, despite this city having no way of knowing whether or not all the people washing up on their shores were hostile. They could have just as easily been pirates as lost souls, and for a city so heavily fortified to just be giving away houses...
Flynn glances over at the two children again, frowning. ]
[ Yuri's eyes skip to the kids, too, then he claps Flynn on the shoulder ]
Well, we're here, and we need sleep. Come on, there's got to be some house we can crash in. Hopefully one with a bed.
[ He steers Flynn away from the orphanage. He can think about that tomorrow. He will think about that tomorrow, will want to do something, see if he can help at all. To figure out why there are all these abandoned houses and kids without parents. ]
[ Sometimes Flynn gets so lost in the larger picture that he forgets about the smaller details. He's so grateful for Yuri in those moments, pulling him back to the ground and to the present, reminding him of the next single step instead of the next twenty.
He flashes Yuri a grateful smile, letting himself be pushed for a moment before Yuri's arm drops. ]
I imagine we'd be hard-pressed to find a house without a bed, if that's the solution they're offering everyone. This district seems safe enough. How do you suppose we'll...
[ Flynn trails off. They've been walking down a slope this whole time following a hill. The houses are crowded together, holding each other up, sharing sides with rooftops that run into one another. ]
You know, it looks a little bit like the Lower Quarter here. Don't you think?
[ Yuri's eyes skate past the houses. He's not sure what he's looking for, but it's something. He feels strangely... called to. He's not sure what it is, exactly, or how it's happening, but as he walks down the street, a strange fog forms in front of his chest, dark and smokey, and Yuri coughs, waving a hand, but it doesn't get rid of the fog. ]
Jeez, what--
[ Just as he's asking it, a small bird forms from the fog and chirps delightedly, flapping up in front of Yuri's face. At his side, Repede growls low, his eyes on the bird. ]
[ It's only natural to be extremely alarmed when your best friend suddenly starts smoking like his clothes are on fire, right? Flynn hurries to his side, already trying to remember the incantation for what he'd cast earlier, but then—
Then there's a bird, and Flynn has no idea what to do with that. He almost skids into Yuri, staring at the little thing in shock.
That bird definitely wasn't there before. Flynn thinks for a moment about trying to bat it away, but it isn't attacking Yuri, really, and Repede will take care of it. ]
[ He is. He is alright, but there's a bird flapping its wings in front of him that certainly wasn't there before.
The bird meets his eyes and he gets a sense of friendliness, of connection, and, against his better judgement, he reaches out a hand for the bird. It lights on his wrist with a little chirp ]
I think it's friendly.
[ That doesn't stop Repede from barking at it, though, but Yuri waves a hand at him ]
[ Flynn is kind of with Repede on this one, actually: he's a little suspicious of this smoke bird now resting happily on Yuri's arm, staring him dead in the eyes.
Still. Repede's barking is echoing off cobblestones and buildings, so Flynn pushes a hand into his fur, scratching up under his brace the way Flynn knows he likes. ]
If Yuri says it's fine, then it's fine. We'll keep him safe, right? It's... not very big, but it certainly came out of nowhere. Yuri, what were you doing before that appeared? Could this be related to your blood?
[ The phrase "related to you blood" gives him the creeps and he shudders. The bird tilts its head, looking at him, then chirps again and takes off. He gets the sense that it wants them to follow it. ]
I, I don't know. Thinking about where we should stay? It wants us to follow it.
[ He's moving without really realizing it, following the bird as it flies through the air, looking back every few feet and chirping again. ]
[ Yuri's kind of leaving him and Repede no choice but to follow, so Flynn hurries after them both, Repede loping at his side with his eyes fixed on the little bird.
It looks like a hawk, sort of—curved talons, a beak for ripping—but it's tiny, and it hasn't tried to hurt Yuri at all.
Actually, it really does seem to be helping them. It leads them to the bottom of the hill, where the pressed-together houses can take a breath. Down here, they're not much bigger than the little cottage Flynn and his parents used to live in outside the city, but their sides are free and ringed by little gardens. ]
Yuri! Wait for us, we don't know where we're going.
[ It doesn't matter that much, because the bird stops in front of one of the houses, chirping excitedly. Yuri stops in front of it, and he can't help but smile up at the bird. ]
This one, huh?
[ He glances back at Flynn and Repede, waving for them to join him. ]
I think the bird is saying that we should stay here. I... think we should trust it.
[ The bird chirps louder then and flies in a little circle, a sense of contentment and excitement thrumming in Yuri's chest. ]
Flynn comes to a halt beside him, followed shortly by Repede who's still watching the bird with his eye narrowed like it's about to swoop down and attack.
Yuri looks perfectly confident in what he's saying. His face is calm and relaxed, he doesn't like he's under some magical ailment. And the house is nice enough: a little brick thing, distant from its neighbors, separated by a low stone fence. It's not in the best repair, covered on one side by climbing half-dead ivy, and based on the overgrown walkway leading up to it and the broken window panes, no one has lived here in quite a while.
[ Does he sound crazy? Because he sort of feels like he sounds crazy. But the bird chirps happily like it's agreeing with him, then it flits over to Flynn, chirping at him and perching on his shoulder.
He gets the same feeling of trust, of contentment, of home. ]
We should at least check it out. It seems nice.
[ Yuri steps up onto the small front step and tries the door. It's unlocked and opens into a space with a set of stairs and a room on either side. It's nice. Really nice and cozy. He can't help a smile as he looks around. Sure, it's musty and dusty and a little dirty, but it has good bones. ]
[ Flynn startles a little when the bird lands on his shoulder, talons digging very slightly into his arm—his armor was too conspicuous to wear around, so Flynn has it mostly stashed in the bag slung over his back—but it's hard to argue with that flood of feeling.
He looks at the bird, and then at Yuri, and then at the house, and follows him up the walkway, alert for anything that might be out of place.
There's nothing. Just dust and a few insects scuttling out of the way, the darkness of the interior, shot through with weak, dust-laden light coming in through the windows. ]
Home, huh?
[ Glancing at the bird again, Flynn steps in after Yuri. The floorboards don't creak, which is a nice change from most houses in the Lower Quarter. ]
I feel it too. Like... this is it. It's safe, isn't it?
[ He looks between Yuri and the little bird for confirmation. ]
[ Even Repede comes into the house without growling. He seems to feel it too, like this is a good place. He leaves the two of them to pace around the bottom floor of the house, investigating it.
Yuri nods slowly, and the bird cheeps happily ]
I think so. If we can trust you. What do you say, bird?
[ The bird flaps its wings and cheeps again ]
That was pretty weird. How'd you... do that?
[ The bird tilts its head at him, the a feeling washes over Yuri which seems to tell him that the bird is a part of him, it's part of who he is. ]
Huh. Smart little thing.
[ He glances at Flynn, then holds out a hand. The bird flits over to him, landing on his hand, which is the one with the leather wrapped around it thankfully. ]
[ There's something about being in here that feels... oddly final.
It's a feeling that's been nipping at Flynn's heels all day. They awoke, washed up by a turbulent sea and tossed immediately into danger, only to be shoved coughing and weak onto the shores of a land that has nothing in common with their home. Flynn has found no authority figures, and after wandering around for the better part of the day with various people and with Yuri, has more questions than answers about the nature of the world they've found themselves in. It's dangerous, that much is clear, and there is a lot to do if they're going to make it livable.
And that's the scary part, isn't it? That Flynn is already thinking, so easily, about next steps: about a home rather than just a place to sleep, about the answers to those questions. He should be thinking about Sodia and Ioder and the Knights, and here he is in an abandoned house in an entirely new world, watching Yuri talking to a bird and wondering if some animal is going to materialize out of his chest or if that's just because Yuri can make fire without burning his hands now.
What a day.
He can hear Repede sniffing carefully in the room beside them, and glances at the stairs, suddenly overcome with a leaden tiredness collecting in his limbs. There is no time to be tired, though. Flynn needs to find beds and make sure that they're not baselessly trusting this bird with their safety. ]
I'm going to check the rest of the house. Make sure it's safe.
[ He hardly gives Yuri a chance to say anything to that soft declaration, already heading up stairs that creak very slightly beneath his feet. ]
[ Yuri lets him go. He knows that look. He knows that Flynn has to take some time for himself right now, and there's no reason for Yuri to get in the way of that.
Instead, he wanders after Repede, idly petting his new bird friend. ]
What are you?
[ It's an offhanded question, but again he gets that sense that the bird is part of him, it's part of who he is. Well, not the weirdest thing that's happened today.
There's a nice sized room with an old, dilapidated sofa in the middle, facing a fireplace. There are a few old tables and a guitar on the wall with some broken strings. ]
Who do you think lived here?
[ It's mostly to himself this time. Repede looks up at him and whines softly. Yuri nods, and heads over to the other side of the stairs and he smiles now. This is more like it.
The kitchen is spacious, and will be bright if they clean off the windows. The bird flits off his hand and flies around the room, singing softly. ]
[ The first thing Flynn notes is that there are two bedrooms upstairs, and that they both have beds in them. The second thing he notes is that everything in here is filthy.
At least that thought fills him with joy. Even if Yuri won't clean it, Flynn will, although—Yuri's chest-smoke-bird led him here.
The first bedroom is at the front of the house, looking over the narrow cobbled street, with a bed and grimy coverings haphazardly thrown over it, a weaving on one wall that's certainly seen better days. Curtains hank lank over both sets of windows flanking the bed.
This is a house that Yuri found, that has enough room for Yuri and Repede, and Flynn has been, what, assuming it's for them both? That's presumptuous of him.
Frowning at himself, Flynn presses carefully into the second bedroom toward the back of the house, separated from the other by a short hallway. They seem to be flanking the two ends of the house, taking up half of the top floor, respectively. One room has a four-poster bed shoved up against the opposite wall. Fading light illuminates sun-stained dusty blue sheets and a coverlet, thick enough to ward off what must be a fierce winter chill to merit such heavy coverings.
It looks a little like Flynn's room at the palace, now that he thinks about it. Perhaps that's just the desk shoved up against the other wall, scattered with papers. He runs a finger along its dusty surface. His finger comes away black-tipped and grimy.
The windows, overlooking both the small front yard and what looks like it must be a walled-in backyard, overgrown with half-dead thin-stalked plants and mushrooms, are just as grimy. Their layer of filth weakens the already wan light spilling in from outside.
It would likely be safer for them to live together, but Flynn can't just assume that will be the case. It's been years since they did: Flynn stayed in the barracks near Zaphias Castle until his promotion moved him into the castle proper, and he's been there ever since. Visiting Yuri every day is not the same as living with him. They're on very different paths.
Or, well. They were.
He has no right, still, to be thinking of this room as even remotely his, or to be thinking that he'll have plenty of time to clean this place up, or that it will make a nice home.
Something, deep in him, thrums at the thought. Flynn frowns at it, wonders, and sinks down onto the edge of the bed with a puff of dust. What a strange feeling. It's the same one he's been feeling all day, telling him to let go, telling him to look forward instead of into the past—
Smoke is pouring from his shoulders.
Flynn makes an alarmed noise, lurching back up off the bed. It's much more smoke than was coming out of Yuri, and though he should probably be very alarmed by it, he doesn't really have time to wonder what's going on because a shape is forming out of the smoke coalescing in front of him, and it's— ]
[ Yuri's inspecting the kitchen and all of the implements that are still left in it. It's clear that no one has lived here for a long time. Things are dusty and rusted, the yard is overgrown. At least he isn't taking this house away from someone who's using it.
Even if it might have belonged to people who died.
It's a spooky thought, but people have died everywhere, haven't they? That's not unusual. He's just musing about that as he picks up a pan that's still in the sink when he hears Flynn's voice from upstairs.
He drops the pan and hurries to the stairs, taking them two at a time. Repede is ahead of him, and the bird twitters by his head, only for all of them to come to a halt when they see the back end of a--
Horse. A big horse, taking up the hallway and the doorway into a room. Repede growls, his head low to the ground. The bird seems unafraid and cheeps happily, flitting over to the horse. Yuri watches it warily. He's fought these things before and they're never fun. ]
[ Except for the fact that a horse just appeared out of his chest, and is currently pressing her head toward him, watching him with curious eyes.
Flynn sounds oddly calm, though, transfixed on her as he is. Waves of warmth and calm wash through him, soothing any fear he was feeling. He looks a little hypnotized, in fact, staring right back at the creature. ]
She's like the bird. She came from me.
[ Slowly, Flynn crosses the small space, lifting a hand to rest it gently on her unarmored nose. She huffs at him, her fur rippling, and then swishes her shaggy tail at Yuri. Flynn snorts and peers around her massive shoulder. ]
[ Yuri... can't exactly come say hi, since she's taking up the whole doorway. ]
I'm good back here, but hi, uh... horse.
[ That same as the bird... well no wonder Flynn was freaked out. This is kind of freaky, having an animal appear from nowhere. Yuri's bird, as if sensing his thoughts, sings happily, flitting around the horse's head. ]
She couldn't have come from you outside? She's kind of too big. At least my bird can fit in the house.
[ Bigger isn't better, Flynn. How petty. Yuri feels a surge of protectiveness over his bird, and the bird chirps again, flying back to him and perching on his shoulder. He reaches up to pet it gently. ]
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reddosmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
countryclub2021-08-09 05:25 pm
fresh & wild
Really big.
Bigger than Zaphias, which is the biggest city Yuri's been to. Which means that it's bigger than any city he's ever been to, which means it's bigger than every city in Terca Lumireis.
Yuri isn't starry-eyed exactly, but he is looking around, trying to take everything in. It's been a long day, a really long day, and he can feel his body flagging, but he doesn't exactly have money, and he doesn't exactly know anyone.
Well, anyone but Flynn, who's stayed by his side since they left the boardwalk. It's... nice. The last few times they've been together, it was on their journey, and he was so focused on what was next, on saving Estelle, on stopping Duke and the Adaphagos.
Now, there's no such urgency, nothing driving him to do more, to finish it, to get to the next thing. Now, he has no goal, no plan, and, for once, neither does Flynn.
He's about to say something about that when a kid runs past him, shouting and laughing, and another kid follows after them, chasing them with a toy sword. Well, that's certainly familiar. He watches after them for a moment, then glances up at the house they're by: Koz Orphanage. ]
Guess it's a problem everywhere, huh?
no subject
At least, this time, he and Yuri are equally lost. Flynn is infinitely glad for the familiar presence of Yuri and Repede at his side.
They had no luck whatsoever in locating any kind of authority. Flynn has picked up on whispers about protectors, enforcers, but so far nothing of the sort has actually emerged.
Still.
Flynn slows as Yuri does, watching one child tackle the other to the ground with a victorious whoop. ]
I suppose it would be too much to hope that a world with this many monsters wouldn't also suffer the consequences of that. They look happy, don't they?
no subject
[ Well... Flynn was certainly happier before his mom died, but Yuri doesn't want to bring that up, just now.
The other kid manages to pin the first kid to the ground, gloating about having turned their fight around and Yuri shakes his head with a little smile ]
Good. At least they have a place to stay. Wish I could say the same thing for us.
no subject
Or, you know, pinning each other to cobblestones like these kids. Flynn can't help smiling wider, watching the two of them. ]
If nothing else, it... isn't as if we haven't slept on the streets before. We'll figure it out. I'd strongly prefer a roof over my head, especially in a place like this. Did you see the wall we passed through, coming in here? They're defending themselves against something. Monsters, most likely.
no subject
[ Yuri sighs heavily, pushing a hand back through his hair. Repede, at his side, looks up at him. ]
Yeah, I know. We'll find somewhere to sleep. One of the locals I talked to said we can just... find an abandoned house and sleep there. I guess they don't really have money in this world, not for stuff like that.
It's so weird, not having to pay for land. What must that be like.
no subject
Really? How many abandoned houses must they have on their hands if they're offering something like that?
[ Probably he should be thinking about whether there's a catch or anything like that, but it seems in line with everything else they've experienced today: a strange amount of hospitality, despite this city having no way of knowing whether or not all the people washing up on their shores were hostile. They could have just as easily been pirates as lost souls, and for a city so heavily fortified to just be giving away houses...
Flynn glances over at the two children again, frowning. ]
That can't mean anything good.
no subject
[ Yuri's eyes skip to the kids, too, then he claps Flynn on the shoulder ]
Well, we're here, and we need sleep. Come on, there's got to be some house we can crash in. Hopefully one with a bed.
[ He steers Flynn away from the orphanage. He can think about that tomorrow. He will think about that tomorrow, will want to do something, see if he can help at all. To figure out why there are all these abandoned houses and kids without parents. ]
no subject
He flashes Yuri a grateful smile, letting himself be pushed for a moment before Yuri's arm drops. ]
I imagine we'd be hard-pressed to find a house without a bed, if that's the solution they're offering everyone. This district seems safe enough. How do you suppose we'll...
[ Flynn trails off. They've been walking down a slope this whole time following a hill. The houses are crowded together, holding each other up, sharing sides with rooftops that run into one another. ]
You know, it looks a little bit like the Lower Quarter here. Don't you think?
no subject
[ Yuri's eyes skate past the houses. He's not sure what he's looking for, but it's something. He feels strangely... called to. He's not sure what it is, exactly, or how it's happening, but as he walks down the street, a strange fog forms in front of his chest, dark and smokey, and Yuri coughs, waving a hand, but it doesn't get rid of the fog. ]
Jeez, what--
[ Just as he's asking it, a small bird forms from the fog and chirps delightedly, flapping up in front of Yuri's face. At his side, Repede growls low, his eyes on the bird. ]
What the hell?
no subject
[ It's only natural to be extremely alarmed when your best friend suddenly starts smoking like his clothes are on fire, right? Flynn hurries to his side, already trying to remember the incantation for what he'd cast earlier, but then—
Then there's a bird, and Flynn has no idea what to do with that. He almost skids into Yuri, staring at the little thing in shock.
That bird definitely wasn't there before. Flynn thinks for a moment about trying to bat it away, but it isn't attacking Yuri, really, and Repede will take care of it. ]
Are you alright?
no subject
[ He is. He is alright, but there's a bird flapping its wings in front of him that certainly wasn't there before.
The bird meets his eyes and he gets a sense of friendliness, of connection, and, against his better judgement, he reaches out a hand for the bird. It lights on his wrist with a little chirp ]
I think it's friendly.
[ That doesn't stop Repede from barking at it, though, but Yuri waves a hand at him ]
It's okay, Repede. I think.
no subject
Still. Repede's barking is echoing off cobblestones and buildings, so Flynn pushes a hand into his fur, scratching up under his brace the way Flynn knows he likes. ]
If Yuri says it's fine, then it's fine. We'll keep him safe, right? It's... not very big, but it certainly came out of nowhere. Yuri, what were you doing before that appeared? Could this be related to your blood?
no subject
[ The phrase "related to you blood" gives him the creeps and he shudders. The bird tilts its head, looking at him, then chirps again and takes off. He gets the sense that it wants them to follow it. ]
I, I don't know. Thinking about where we should stay? It wants us to follow it.
[ He's moving without really realizing it, following the bird as it flies through the air, looking back every few feet and chirping again. ]
no subject
It looks like a hawk, sort of—curved talons, a beak for ripping—but it's tiny, and it hasn't tried to hurt Yuri at all.
Actually, it really does seem to be helping them. It leads them to the bottom of the hill, where the pressed-together houses can take a breath. Down here, they're not much bigger than the little cottage Flynn and his parents used to live in outside the city, but their sides are free and ringed by little gardens. ]
Yuri! Wait for us, we don't know where we're going.
[ Even if the bird clearly does. ]
no subject
This one, huh?
[ He glances back at Flynn and Repede, waving for them to join him. ]
I think the bird is saying that we should stay here. I... think we should trust it.
[ The bird chirps louder then and flies in a little circle, a sense of contentment and excitement thrumming in Yuri's chest. ]
no subject
One of the weirder things Yuri's ever said.
Flynn comes to a halt beside him, followed shortly by Repede who's still watching the bird with his eye narrowed like it's about to swoop down and attack.
Yuri looks perfectly confident in what he's saying. His face is calm and relaxed, he doesn't like he's under some magical ailment. And the house is nice enough: a little brick thing, distant from its neighbors, separated by a low stone fence. It's not in the best repair, covered on one side by climbing half-dead ivy, and based on the overgrown walkway leading up to it and the broken window panes, no one has lived here in quite a while.
Flynn stares at it for a long, quiet moment. ]
What makes you say that?
no subject
[ Does he sound crazy? Because he sort of feels like he sounds crazy. But the bird chirps happily like it's agreeing with him, then it flits over to Flynn, chirping at him and perching on his shoulder.
He gets the same feeling of trust, of contentment, of home. ]
We should at least check it out. It seems nice.
[ Yuri steps up onto the small front step and tries the door. It's unlocked and opens into a space with a set of stairs and a room on either side. It's nice. Really nice and cozy. He can't help a smile as he looks around. Sure, it's musty and dusty and a little dirty, but it has good bones. ]
no subject
He looks at the bird, and then at Yuri, and then at the house, and follows him up the walkway, alert for anything that might be out of place.
There's nothing. Just dust and a few insects scuttling out of the way, the darkness of the interior, shot through with weak, dust-laden light coming in through the windows. ]
Home, huh?
[ Glancing at the bird again, Flynn steps in after Yuri. The floorboards don't creak, which is a nice change from most houses in the Lower Quarter. ]
I feel it too. Like... this is it. It's safe, isn't it?
[ He looks between Yuri and the little bird for confirmation. ]
no subject
Yuri nods slowly, and the bird cheeps happily ]
I think so. If we can trust you. What do you say, bird?
[ The bird flaps its wings and cheeps again ]
That was pretty weird. How'd you... do that?
[ The bird tilts its head at him, the a feeling washes over Yuri which seems to tell him that the bird is a part of him, it's part of who he is. ]
Huh. Smart little thing.
[ He glances at Flynn, then holds out a hand. The bird flits over to him, landing on his hand, which is the one with the leather wrapped around it thankfully. ]
no subject
[ There's something about being in here that feels... oddly final.
It's a feeling that's been nipping at Flynn's heels all day. They awoke, washed up by a turbulent sea and tossed immediately into danger, only to be shoved coughing and weak onto the shores of a land that has nothing in common with their home. Flynn has found no authority figures, and after wandering around for the better part of the day with various people and with Yuri, has more questions than answers about the nature of the world they've found themselves in. It's dangerous, that much is clear, and there is a lot to do if they're going to make it livable.
And that's the scary part, isn't it? That Flynn is already thinking, so easily, about next steps: about a home rather than just a place to sleep, about the answers to those questions. He should be thinking about Sodia and Ioder and the Knights, and here he is in an abandoned house in an entirely new world, watching Yuri talking to a bird and wondering if some animal is going to materialize out of his chest or if that's just because Yuri can make fire without burning his hands now.
What a day.
He can hear Repede sniffing carefully in the room beside them, and glances at the stairs, suddenly overcome with a leaden tiredness collecting in his limbs. There is no time to be tired, though. Flynn needs to find beds and make sure that they're not baselessly trusting this bird with their safety. ]
I'm going to check the rest of the house. Make sure it's safe.
[ He hardly gives Yuri a chance to say anything to that soft declaration, already heading up stairs that creak very slightly beneath his feet. ]
no subject
[ Yuri lets him go. He knows that look. He knows that Flynn has to take some time for himself right now, and there's no reason for Yuri to get in the way of that.
Instead, he wanders after Repede, idly petting his new bird friend. ]
What are you?
[ It's an offhanded question, but again he gets that sense that the bird is part of him, it's part of who he is. Well, not the weirdest thing that's happened today.
There's a nice sized room with an old, dilapidated sofa in the middle, facing a fireplace. There are a few old tables and a guitar on the wall with some broken strings. ]
Who do you think lived here?
[ It's mostly to himself this time. Repede looks up at him and whines softly. Yuri nods, and heads over to the other side of the stairs and he smiles now. This is more like it.
The kitchen is spacious, and will be bright if they clean off the windows. The bird flits off his hand and flies around the room, singing softly. ]
You picked this for me, huh? Thanks.
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At least that thought fills him with joy. Even if Yuri won't clean it, Flynn will, although—Yuri's chest-smoke-bird led him here.
The first bedroom is at the front of the house, looking over the narrow cobbled street, with a bed and grimy coverings haphazardly thrown over it, a weaving on one wall that's certainly seen better days. Curtains hank lank over both sets of windows flanking the bed.
This is a house that Yuri found, that has enough room for Yuri and Repede, and Flynn has been, what, assuming it's for them both? That's presumptuous of him.
Frowning at himself, Flynn presses carefully into the second bedroom toward the back of the house, separated from the other by a short hallway. They seem to be flanking the two ends of the house, taking up half of the top floor, respectively. One room has a four-poster bed shoved up against the opposite wall. Fading light illuminates sun-stained dusty blue sheets and a coverlet, thick enough to ward off what must be a fierce winter chill to merit such heavy coverings.
It looks a little like Flynn's room at the palace, now that he thinks about it. Perhaps that's just the desk shoved up against the other wall, scattered with papers. He runs a finger along its dusty surface. His finger comes away black-tipped and grimy.
The windows, overlooking both the small front yard and what looks like it must be a walled-in backyard, overgrown with half-dead thin-stalked plants and mushrooms, are just as grimy. Their layer of filth weakens the already wan light spilling in from outside.
It would likely be safer for them to live together, but Flynn can't just assume that will be the case. It's been years since they did: Flynn stayed in the barracks near Zaphias Castle until his promotion moved him into the castle proper, and he's been there ever since. Visiting Yuri every day is not the same as living with him. They're on very different paths.
Or, well. They were.
He has no right, still, to be thinking of this room as even remotely his, or to be thinking that he'll have plenty of time to clean this place up, or that it will make a nice home.
Something, deep in him, thrums at the thought. Flynn frowns at it, wonders, and sinks down onto the edge of the bed with a puff of dust. What a strange feeling. It's the same one he's been feeling all day, telling him to let go, telling him to look forward instead of into the past—
Smoke is pouring from his shoulders.
Flynn makes an alarmed noise, lurching back up off the bed. It's much more smoke than was coming out of Yuri, and though he should probably be very alarmed by it, he doesn't really have time to wonder what's going on because a shape is forming out of the smoke coalescing in front of him, and it's— ]
A horse?
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Even if it might have belonged to people who died.
It's a spooky thought, but people have died everywhere, haven't they? That's not unusual. He's just musing about that as he picks up a pan that's still in the sink when he hears Flynn's voice from upstairs.
He drops the pan and hurries to the stairs, taking them two at a time. Repede is ahead of him, and the bird twitters by his head, only for all of them to come to a halt when they see the back end of a--
Horse. A big horse, taking up the hallway and the doorway into a room. Repede growls, his head low to the ground. The bird seems unafraid and cheeps happily, flitting over to the horse. Yuri watches it warily. He's fought these things before and they're never fun. ]
Uh... Flynn? Man, are you okay?
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[ Except for the fact that a horse just appeared out of his chest, and is currently pressing her head toward him, watching him with curious eyes.
Flynn sounds oddly calm, though, transfixed on her as he is. Waves of warmth and calm wash through him, soothing any fear he was feeling. He looks a little hypnotized, in fact, staring right back at the creature. ]
She's like the bird. She came from me.
[ Slowly, Flynn crosses the small space, lifting a hand to rest it gently on her unarmored nose. She huffs at him, her fur rippling, and then swishes her shaggy tail at Yuri. Flynn snorts and peers around her massive shoulder. ]
Mine's bigger than yours. Come say hi.
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[ Yuri... can't exactly come say hi, since she's taking up the whole doorway. ]
I'm good back here, but hi, uh... horse.
[ That same as the bird... well no wonder Flynn was freaked out. This is kind of freaky, having an animal appear from nowhere. Yuri's bird, as if sensing his thoughts, sings happily, flitting around the horse's head. ]
She couldn't have come from you outside? She's kind of too big. At least my bird can fit in the house.
[ Bigger isn't better, Flynn. How petty. Yuri feels a surge of protectiveness over his bird, and the bird chirps again, flying back to him and perching on his shoulder. He reaches up to pet it gently. ]
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