#cataclysmus

[altosk]

semi-plotted starter for @cataclysmus

　　　The whole situation was turning into a mess. Their original intentions to climb Zaude and stop Alexei's plans had escalated far beyond what any of them imagined. The fight itself hadn't been easy, even when it was nine vs one, Alexei had showed that the title of Commandant was more than for show but even he hadn't been prepared to witness the truth of Zaude's existance when the core shot power up into the skies —

Raven's grip on his weapon tightens as he stares up at the sky. It falls to pieces and opens gaping holes to a monster above, his allies watching in shock and awe themselves. The adephagos. It was real and it was never gone and to think that Zaude's blastia core had been a shield protecting their world.

That fool.

The blastia above their head starts to crackle and go out of control, sparkes fly in the air above their head. The group have to prepare to run but Raven's eyes have fallen forward. Yuri is still facing Alexei but Alexei isn't even looking at the young man. He doesn't understand this uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

Is it okay for it to end this way?

Yuri takes the distraction and gives the commandant a brutal blow with his sword. Raven feels chills up his spine, he hears Karol and the others voices at his side. They needed to leave. Flynn was getting back up after taking a blow for Yuri but the young captain is clearly worn out.

No it couldn't end like this.

The core is threatening to fall on all of them and Zaude itself was shaking under their feet. The thing wasn't going to remain in the air much longer and they were all very aware. Yet when everyone moved back, Raven moved forward and dashed passed the retreating Yuri. It was selfish of him but thinking of everything he went through ending like this - it wasn't right.

Raven's sure someone is calling his name but he doesn't even register his own voice screaming over all the noise. Chaos and panic had broken out as the core is finally unable to sustain itself in the sky. Raven feels like he's never moved this fast in his life, tackling Alexei so hard he nearly knocks the air out of himself. The core falls and just narrowly misses the two of them when they hit the ground. The blastia core hits the roof and shatters into large and small bits, bringing up a plume of smoke.

❝ Raven!! ❞

❝ Where's Yuri!? ❞

❝ Come on, it's dangerous here right now. ❞

Raven can't make out much sound beyond his own ragged breathing and ringing in his ears. He coughs from inhaling whatever smoke and particles the blastia core picked up, waving his sleeve in front of his face to try and clear his line of sight. He's surely lost his mind, he thinks, as he looks around with bleary eyes before looking down at the man he'd stupidly risked his life to save. He's bleeding and covered in dust and pieces of blastia but he was very much still alive by the telltale sign of his chest rising and falling with irregular breaths.

[bravewolfvesperia]

planned starter | @cataclysmus @altosk

When it happened, Yuri didn't have any time to think. His instinct just knew Raven had brought him and Alexei here together for a reason. That the man was trying to mend things between them. Truth was, Yuri had never hated Alexei before everything that happened on that journey. He had been hoping Alexei would turn out to be reasonable when he'd met him personally at Heliord. He had been angry when he was proven wrong, but... also disappointed.

And he knew Raven still respected what Alexei had once been. He had made that clear at Heracles. He had made it clear when he'd saved Alexei from being crushed under the debris of that core. Part of him had been confused and maybe a little angry that Raven had done that that day, but... he knew for a fact if Flynn hadn't recovered and had lost himself for a while that Yuri would never have let him be crushed either. Plus, at the time... Yuri didn't have time to think about it before he fell from Zaude's edge.

That was probably why he had moved so fast when he recognized the intent the soldier had. The way the soldier pulled out a knife and went straight for Alexei. Probably a bout of revenge. It could have any kind of revenge, really. General revenge for what Alexei had done, anger at being betrayed, possibly having lost a loved one because of Alexei... and Yuri didn't not understand that, but stabbing the man now after he'd made it a point that he felt like shit about it and wanted to atone made it pointless.

If it was Ragou he would have understood. If it was Cumore he would have understood. They had no remorse. Yuri could tell in their final moments that they immediately caved and reverted right back to being the selfish scum they always were. If Alexei was truly pained by his actions all amounting to nothing and was truly trying to better himself, he wasn't someone they could just stab now and say it had to be done. It wasn't that simple at this point.

And if Alexei died now, Raven wouldn't take it well. Raven had been through enough. Lost enough. Almost lost his own life. Yuri wasn't interested in seeing Raven have to grieve more than the story his eyes already told Yuri. More than the way his eyes looked that day at the bridge in Dahngrest in the middle of the night.

For a second or two, the knight that had stabbed Yuri by mistake hadn't realized that mistake. Hadn't yet processed that Yuri had shielded Alexei and had taken the knife in his place. It was enough time for one of the two of them to act where Yuri couldn't. Even if the man's face clearly registered a mistake afterward, he had still attempted to kill an atoning man that even the emperor himself had agreed would be given time to atone.

"One of you grab him!"

Not that he didn't understand if they were both too shocked to move, but if they needed to be snapped out of it, he was the only one there who could do anything about that. Unfortunately it made the soldier pull the knife right out of Yuri in an attempt to get it free to run off, and it left the wound open with nothing left to stop blood from seeping out. Yuri didn't have the freedom to grab something to cover it with either, with his body reacting to the wound faster than he could grab the sash he wore to cover it.

[talesofourworlds]

@cataclysmus liked for a starter with Rita!

These visits to Dahngrest were becoming more and more commonplace in Rita's life. She shouldn't have been surprised, really. When it was convenient for Brave Vesperia to use it as a meeting place, of course she would come all the way there to meet them. This was one such day, but at the same time Rita was there to share what she'd been learning about potential replacements for the blastia. Progress was, admittedly, slower than she would have liked. A small amount of progress was better than nothing, and she was eager to share what she'd learned.

Of course, some things never really did change. Just as it had been when Rita had first set foot in the guild city with the others, Dahngrest proved to be as lively as anything. By then, Rita was used to navigating the streets and avoiding colliding with others. Such was the benefit of needing to come to Dahngrest as often as she and the others had. She strode forward with confidence, dipping and moving about to avoid various guild members. That was, of course, until someone caught her eye for just a moment.

There, moving in the opposite direction to her as the crowd thinned, was someone clad in a mage's cloak. Their hood was covering their face just enough so Rita couldn't immediately identify them as she walked closer to her destination. For just a heartbeat, Rita looked back and decided it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Rita wasn't the only mage out there, even if she didn't often don her mage's cloak. Maybe it was just another mage getting ready to go somewhere else in Dahngrest. That was the thought process, at least, until Rita thought more about the encounter.

She squinted. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made. She liked to think that she knew at least a majority of the mages that hailed from Aspio. Even the ones who had been scattered by what had happened to their beloved city when Tarqaron rose should have been recognizable to her, but she couldn't put a name or face to this stranger. Assuming they were a mage at all, of course. Was someone parading around like a mage? For what purpose? Rita's mind raced, and she did the only thing she could think to do. Her pace picked up as she started to follow the stranger. Something wasn't right.

"H-Hey! You!" It was the first thing Rita could even think to say. Not so genius mage of her, she knew, but she was caught off guard. Somehow, she managed to catch up and tried to get in front of the stranger. She was right back to squinting as she looked him over. "Pretty sure there aren't any mages from Aspio living around here. And I think I'd know a cloak like that anywhere. So who the hell are you?"

Already, Rita could imagine some people thinking she was leaping to conclusions. Maybe she was. She couldn't help it in this case, though. When she felt like something was off, surely it made sense for her to pursue it. Right?

[valiantxunion]

@cataclysmus - Continued from here [x]

The first thing that crossed Karol’s mind was that he had to have been looking at a ghost, right? There was no way that Alexei, the former Commandant of the Knights, the man who had actually tried to kill them and brought the Adephagos into the world… was currently standing in front of him in the middle of Raven’s (Was it Raven’s? He hadn’t been given false information, right?) residence.

Karol could only stare blankly at Alexei, eyes slowly drifting from Alexei’s shocked expression down to the sword that was now pointed at him and, for a scary moment, he felt as if he were about to pass out. By some miracle, he hung in there, if only because he convinced his brain that if he did pass out, he was as good as dead. His mouth opened. And then promptly shut again when no words came out. All thought seemed to cease as Karol and Alexei just stood there.

And then, the floor creaked just slightly underneath Karol’s feet and with that one tiny sound, panic rushed through Karol’s body as he dove back, slamming his own back against the wall. Pulling his bag up between him and Alexei, he quickly opened the flap and began to reach for something, ANYTHING, to throw at the sudden intruder as he SCREAMED as hard as he could. “B-BACK UP!! Stay back!! I-I may not look it but I-I’m plenty strong and– and–”

Pulling his personal cup used for camping out of the bag, he threw it as fast and as hard as he could, just barely missing the white haired man in front of him. “What are you doing here!? Where’s– Where’s Raven?! What did you do to Raven?! This– This is his house, right?! Why are you here!?”

For a moment, Karol’s eyes glance to the door he had come through earlier. He could make a run for it. He could bolt. Run to Harry, get help, tell people that Alexei is back. But for the moment, he was paralyzed in place, eyes darting between Alexei and the door, waiting for the man to make a move.

[ednaeflowers]

continued. ❀ @cataclysmus

She fights back a snort. Figures he'd think of her as an ordinary human child. They all do—but it's not like she expected anything else. He can even see her, so obviously there must be something special about Cranky Geezer's resonance. Ugh. Why is she always surrounded by strange men? Joy. ❛  No parents,  ❜ she answers, evenly, placidly, then she feels scrutinized and annoyed. It's an unfair situation, really. Edna had somehow followed a stray cat into this town, as it was the only thing remotely helpful enough to lead her anywhere, only for her to bump into some old man with a permanent scowl on his face. And now, Cranky Geezer is looking at her like she's not worthy of his time, giving her some onceover that makes her feel judged. If anything, it should be the other way around. No wonder people can't see seraphim anymore. ❛  I was following that cat over there.  ❜ Her eyes look at the little kitty crawling under a bench, meowing happily. ❛  It was showing me around.  ❜

❛  And I'll be sure to let my brother know you don't approve of the accessories he gave me,  ❜ she boredly adds, quite provokingly and entirely deliberate, ❛  since you seem to be so focused on them, Crank-zer.  ❜

[mistralxsoul]

♡ — @cataclysmus

@cataclysmus

Before || After

Attraction: 3/5 || 3/5

Affection: 4/5 || 2/5

Interest: 5/5 || 4/5

Loyalty: 5/5 || 2/5

Trust: 5/5 || 1/5

[I put Alexei's ranking before the betrayal and then his ranking for Alexei in his "Survived Zaude" verse ✌️]

--

Attraction: Flynn has heard a few people fawn over Alexei’s looks after he joined the knights. Looking at Alexei… he gets it. He gets it more than getting people who fawn over people like Cumore. He can admit that Alexei is nice to look at. He’s not entirely blown away but he looks nice. This doesn’t change Post-Zaude. But Flynn can definitely see that Alexei seems like… a million times more tired.

Affection: Flynn would probably deny it to his grave but the young knight having a small little celebrity crush on Alexei at one point is definitely a possibility. It wasn’t strong enough for Flynn to ever act on it but he absolutely admired the man and everything he stood for. Those feelings have soured Post-Zaude with admiration turning into a silent bitterness that Flynn will keep to himself.

Interest: Flynn held a lot of interest in Alexei. He wasn’t like the other Knights, at least in Flynn’s eyes. It genuinely seemed like he had the people’s best interests at heart. He wanted to know what made Alexei different from the other nobles, wanted to know his true goal, his true intentions. Post Zaude, the interest takes a hit but it remains with new questions on his brain. Hundreds of questions that all trail back to just one: “Why?”

Loyalty: Flynn remained loyal to Alexei, following his every order without a second thought. Even his more questionable orders had Flynn believing that it was ultimately for a greater purpose. Flynn is a very loyal person in general but considering his respect for the Commandant, his loyalty could not be shaken except by one individual. Had Yuri not talked some sense into Flynn, Alexei’s orders likely would have caused his downfall. Post-Zaude, Not that Alexei is giving orders anymore but Flynn can’t bring himself to feel as loyal to the man as he once had been.

Trust: As I’ve mentioned before, Trust is the most important thing to Flynn. If he trusts you, you practically have that trust for life. He saw Alexei’s ideals, trusted in the man more than anything in the empire. If something was wrong, he trusted that Alexei knew the best way to handle it. He trusted that Alexei could bring the empire to greatness, and because of that, Flynn gave his all. Post Zaude, Flynn’s trust will be the hardest thing for Alexei to win back. He understands that Alexei did everything he did to try and create a better world. He respects the man’s love for the world and respects his dreams. He hates the path that Alexei chose to take in order to achieve it.

[voidtouched-blue]

semi-plotted starter for @cataclysmus

The gentle click of a mechanism had been the catalyst signaling her to wake from such an unnatural sleep. Her eyes shifted beneath grey lids, searching for something in the veil of covered darkness. The sudden hard beat in her chest had become a reminder of the life that flowed through her, feeling its pulse in nearly every part of her as she slowly came to. Though the steady, but gentle, sound of chiming footsteps approaching her in the swirling black had added an emotion she recognized as fear.

It was the unseen threat that sent the muscle in her chest to begin fluttering; a preparation to fight or flee from the stranger. She felt her fingers curl into the tender flesh of her palms, pricking the skin beneath blackened claws. The sting of it pulled her from the blanketing fog over her mind, and her starlit eyes opened. They traveled from the strange arrangement of stones in the ceiling to the snowy locks of the armored man approaching from the other side of the room.

To feel fear seemed a proper response upon the sight of a stranger in her midst.

Unsure of how she understood this man as a soldier, she assumed it must have been the metal he covered himself with. What other reason would man need to shroud themselves in a hard shell than to protect their tender flesh in battle? Her tail slapped the wooden frame of the bed as she used her warming hands to press into the mattress. She scrambled to push herself into a defensive curl, ready to strike should he move himself within her reach. She felt a bubbling fire writhe within her chest, an unidentified emotion that fueled this fearful reaction. It only took her seconds to realize her frantic action had come with a searing pain in her side, and around her neck. She winced, yelping with the motion as her hands instinctively rushed to soothe the burning aches in her flesh.

As her lightly bloodied hands found the strips of woven cloth tightly wrapped around her frame. She didn't understand what it was for, nor how it had been secured to her person in the first place. Cyra's panicked gaze swapped between the approaching warrior, and the reddened bandages under her tearing grip. Her lungs burned as the beating in her chest pushed the air out of the way like it was making room for itself in a crowded space. The heart of a beast had no place for fear, and the sensation was nearly crippling.

Stop! Come no closer!

She had called out with her thoughts, only for her to feel a hollow and empty response in return. It took her only a second after she had brought her bleeding hand up to shield herself with that she realized that she needed to physically speak to be heard. But how could she know that?

"Get back!" Her voice was a hissing whisper filled with terror and confusion. It was a raspy imitation of what it could have been, had she not spent an unknown time in silence, sleeping away whatever damage had been wrought upon her body.

[forgottenluck]

"Riiiight?" he elongates the i on purpose, ending it with a chuckle. "It's so out of left field I wasn't even sure I was hearing right."

Does he know who this person is? Nope. But they agree with him right now so that's all that matters.

@cataclysmus

[vigilantevesperia]

“You have to be better than this if you're going to play the hero.” — @cataclysmus

"Unlike someone as delusional as you I know what I am." Yuri glared at Alexei and wipe the blood from his mouth from Alexei attack. A hero huh that was something he never really thought about at first all he wanted was to get back the Aqua Blastia that was stolen from the Lower Quarter and things spiral from there. Still if anything after everything Alexei had done he knew he was better then him.

"Guess the hero has to put down the villain in this story huh." Yuri pointed his sword at Alexei. "Hope you enjoyed the things you down to the Lower Quarter, Raven and Estelle cause its the last thing you will ever do."

[altosk]

　　　Schwann let out a soft sigh and scrubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes. Pausing like that for a moment before he dropped his hands into his lap. Honestly the thought being alone in this room felt just as suffocating as sitting with the Commandant did.

❝ no. ❞ He replies, ❝ i think i just need some fresh air. ❞

Being stuck in this room wasn't any good for his mental health than anything else he'd been going through was. He'd spent so many days just in a daze, controller between his fingers until he'd finally given it up. Hands had almost felt empty without the things weight against his fingers and now that he was up and out of bed it felt like he'd just revert back to that state if he returned.

He knows too, deep down, that there was no point in the 'why me' and 'what ifs' at this point. Even though his revival was way beyond his understanding, he'd seen what happened to Casey. That would have been an impossibility —

❝ i'd like to go for a walk, if that's alright. ❞

Schwann needed to get out of his own head asap.

“Of course, commandant. you did save my 'life'.”

His reply lacked energy and was far from sincere. It was all too clear how he felt. Alexei had only made things more difficult for him. He’d every right to hate him for that.

After that, the tension in the air grew increasingly heavy with the persistence of Schwann’s silence. Alexei wondered what he might be thinking, wondered if he could ever even begin to understand a mere ounce of that pain, and found that all too rare smile vanishing from his face just as suddenly as it had come.

In this state, he found the other almost difficult to look at. It appeared as though he could cry at any given moment, and it made Alexei wonder if he should be here at all. But… to just leave when he was in such clear distress… surely that wasn’t the right decision either. And so he asked, ever so softly:

“…Would you like me to leave?”

[beyondbinaries]

I'm posting this a bit early in case the 12th isn't a good mental health day. And I'm sorry if the random tag is annoying or if this post takes up too much space on dash.

On Oct 12 2016, I made a coincedental decision that has changed my life as a whole. A choice that has led me to so much pain but also so many happy memories and irreplcable friends. I made my pfp on Quotev a Genis Sage picture and somehow ended up involved in a Symphonia rp group 💕.

I had loved Genis as a character since I was a child watching my sister play at my Nanny's (my cousin would always delete her save before we even reached triet) and when we got a copy of the game when I was around 11/12 I had him on my team for the most part. It was my fascination with half elves and the mysterious Kharlan War Era that led to the creation of Mana, Oracle, Lee, 3rd, and Sunny. But those were all just childish writing in a notebook I hid from the world. Im sure lil me would die on the spot to hear that they are charas so many people know. I always knew that I loved to write but it was for charas like Sherlotta who were niche and not from a series as big as Tales so I never wrote Genis. Well until that day, I was too awkward to tell them I wasnt an rp blog and fully committed to it.

And look where that has led me. Here to you all. This journey may have been long and filled with things I'd never wish on anyone but I'm happy. So many of you have encouraged me and been there for me. I love and appreciate you all. Under the cut imma try to have things for a lot of you all word wise as gratitude. But thank you all so much, there are no amount of words or tangible sentences to express how much you all mean to me. And a happy birthday to my Genis interp who I wish i still wrote

@pyonpyonpyon ; Yuki youve been around since I started on here and damn time sure does fly. Thank you for always sticking around and plotting some of the most insane relations w/ me (Moe and Yuuri family) and dealing with tye silly kyubey meming I did back in 2017 (its been that long)

@mermaus ; sobs you know how much i lov and appreciate you but I will reiterate here... Lena you have stood by me for so much, have made my day so many times, etc. You are one of the most talented people on this website and in general? You are funny, kind, brave, strong, amazing. Im forever thankful to have met you and to be in your life. I am so eagerly awaiting the day we can meet and I can hug you irl.

@strebcr ; Pineapple !!! I am so so glad to have reconected with you! You are truly an amazing person and i am forever blessed to be considered your friend.

@in-sum ; Puyo !! Sobs I am so glad we were able to reconnect again, you are an amazing friend and you are always there for me. Youve stood in my corner when I was going through some of my worst times and I am forever grateful. You are talented and kindhearted and you stand up for what you believe is right.

@malusrecord / @constellationcrowned ; Kala!!!!!! It goes without saying how amazing of a writer and person you are. You bring so much life to your characters and it truly shows. I always find myself reading and rereading your posts when I am active on dash. You deserve all the good things in the world. And thank you so much for being my fren, I will always enjoy our dms and learning more about series i never thought I'd enjoy.

@ervaurem ; Shai!! I appreciate ypu so heckin much, you are such a kind and thoughtful person. I adore your presence on my dash and i adore the bonds between our characters. You've been there for me for such a long time now and I cant ever thank you enough..

@ofstarsandskies , @mathcs , @altosk , @cataclysmus , @talesofourworlds , and @broadswordandpistol ; a big catch all for all the wonderful people I met during festitales, despite how rough i am forever thankful for the oppurtunity I was given to force others into my point and click dm style of adventure. I have so much I cam say to each n every one of you 🥺

@solivcgant ; Mochi Mochi!! I am so sorry for the crimes Mana has committed against food and Eiji's mental health (eggbear eggs painge). I enjoy your presence and dog memes so much. You are so cool amd amazing aaa.

@twinklesofhope ; Ringo!! You are so talented and seeing you around makes me so happy.

@canidgrit / @nickitsden ; Fox!!! Hi we don't write together often but you are such a joy to see on my dash.

@biisutoarm ; Red!!! Hewwo hewwo, i love your Elfman so much he is such a treat and seeing him on dash always brightens my day. You are such a talented writer !

@osovereign ; Rinni! Hi hello, you are such an amazing and wonderful person. I have a lot of fun dming and writing with you. Its so nice to write with you again (I found a draft from like Jan 2017 on an old blog for you and i had to stop and stare at it lol--). I appreciate you so much and I hope to keep expanding Kratos' collection of poor Mana art.

@ednaeflowers ; Jenny!! Hi!! I know we aren't all that close or anything but you are such a delight to see on my dash. The Eizen and Edna thread we have is near and dear to my heart. I also really appreciate Mana and Edna's little friendship thing. I just really love your Edna interp 🥺, you are so talented and I appreciate you.

And to anyone else who read this far down, I love and appreciate you so much. Even if we don't speak or really write together. I genuinely believe each and every person I follow are talented individuals.

[altosk]

continued from here.

　　　Okay so yeah, perhaps taunting the assailant right after getting slashed in the face hadn't been the biggest game move but Raven was nothing if cocky and maybe it would convince Alexei the would wasn't as bad as it felt it was. Alexei wasn't having any of that however as he is now the one pushing between him and the red eyes, who simply just looks amused as he swipes Raven's blood off his blade with a sleeve.

Alexei's words were very much a demand that Raven step down and– and that had probably been a good idea. His face burned something fierce. On top of feeling a panic build within his chest when he found that he could not open his eye and attempts to try only cause more agonizing pain for him. Biting down hard on his bottom lip to stiffle any sort of noise that would indicate problems and pain.

" all yers... "

Raven took a few steps back and squated to the ground as Alexei's weapon collides with the red eyes blade. He could already tell this wound had felt far too grand to heal with his own abilities but be damned if he shouldn't try anyway. Just touching the tender skin was enough to make his vision swim for a second.

" shit. " he cussed under his breath.

He raised his head enough to watch Alexei through his uninjured eye. Despite his comment about two on one he sure as hell wasn't doing anything. Hells, he should help, even though Alexei demanded it be left to him. Disregarding the pain he crawls over to his fallen bow to get his hands on while they were distracted. He wiped blood off onto his pants before checking the limbs and bowstring for any potential damage when the bow forcefully snapped open upon impact.

Once all was clear did Raven slip an arrow from his quiver and pull it back on the string. His teeth grit from the pain that rushes through his left side that caused his hand to tremble and a fear if he let go the arrow would veer off in the wrong direction as he struggled to keep his eye on the target.

Going for the weapon had been his first and second mistake as the red eyes saw him aiming while clashing with Alexei. A near hysterical laugh rips from them in his face as their boot comes up just for kicking Alexei right in the gut to knock him off balance. Twisting his body to rush for Raven instead while he hesitated on taking the shot.

Raven sucks in breath when the man comes at him and at that moment he lets the arrow fly. It's completely off target and gets parried out of the air anyway and Raven only has a brief realization of how screwed he was. It felt like he was paralyzed in place and all he could do was flinch behind a raised arm, fingers tightning around the bows grip so hard his knuckles go white.

[bravewolfvesperia]

"WAIT, ALEXEI, DON'T ANSWER THAT TONIGHT, I'VE DONE ENOUGH."

[talesofourworlds]

@cataclysmus liked for a Spring Festitales starter!

"Alexei?"

Well. That was the last face he'd expected to see at the festival. But stranger things had happened, hadn't they? Like whatever kept happening while he was wearing the mask he had on. Might as well try to make the most of this encounter, right? How did he even approach it?

One way to find out, he supposed. He approached, moving past the cherry trees and moving further down the trail until he'd managed to catch up. At least Alexei was easy to pick out.

"What're the chances, am I right?" Raven put on a smile. A part of him was pretty sure he'd get called Schwann. After all, Raven was just a role as far as Alexei had been concerned, right? Something to be thrown away? Maybe. Raven just figured he'd see where this went. Find out what Alexei was doing there.

Nothing wrong with a conversation between an old boss and an empty mask, right?

[emily-lotus]

@altosk @talesofourworlds @cataclysmus

New T-Shirts For the Gang to Rock Up to the Finale Boss Fight With:

Bonus:

[mistralxsoul]

“  i broke my promise to you once.  i’ll never do it again.  ” — @cataclysmus

@cataclysmus

How did he end up in this situation? Flynn sat in the chair, staring down at his drink as he experienced something akin to whiplash. He had been requested to meet with Alexei here and no part of Flynn was very excited to be here, for a multitude of reasons. He had work to do, mostly, but also the idea of sitting at a table with a man who had practically betrayed every hint of trust he had in the other wasn’t something he would normally do during his own personal time.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to turn down the invitation and soon enough, found himself sitting at a tavern, across the table from Alexei himself. Even before Alexei’s betrayal, Flynn never really thought that he would ever talk with the other so casually over drinks. The chain of command between them seemed too great at the time. But now, here they sat: Former Commandant and Current Commandant… life was funny, wasn’t it?

He probably should have expected the apology that came from the other. The entire situation of Alexei’s survival of Zaude left a sting in his chest but it was clear to anyone who looked hard enough that Alexei regretted the actions that led them to this point. Or at the very least, regretted what came from his actions. So the apology was… expected. Still, Flynn could really only stare down at the table in front of him.

Was he expected to accept it? To say it was alright? That wouldn’t be very truthful and they both knew that Flynn couldn’t forgive– couldn’t forget so easily.

“...I… appreciate the apology.” He settles on that for now, though he still can’t meet the other’s eyes. “...It wasn’t a promise to just me though… But I’m sure you’re aware of that. And I understand that you can’t give out an apology to everyone affected.” Because there were so many people affected. So many people whose lives changed because of Alexei’s actions. So many lives lost because of his orders.

Flynn’s finger taps anxiously on the table, eyes quietly scanning the area. Despite his feelings, he knew he had to be on guard as well. He liked to believe that people were smart enough not to try and attack Alexei while he was technically under Flynn’s custody for the night but there were more fools out there than none. “...I always thought you were going to bring great things to the Empire– No… I knew you were. I put all of my faith in you… and I understand putting full faith into someone was foolish… but you understand why I cannot forgive you so easily, sir– … Alexei.”