#post game yuri whipping dahngrest's opinion about flynn into shape

[bravewolfvesperia]

For a few more seconds he remained quietly in place, not lifting his head as if not ready to face Flynn again after that had slipped. In a way it was pretty childish for him to nearly get into an actual fight over it, but it was badmouthing alone and more what was actually said. It was almost silly, really, for Yuri to react that strongly over something Flynn could have waved off, but he... couldn't help it.

Eventually he gave a small, resigned sigh. Coupled with a slightly red tinted face, he leaned back upright. "...It's not just that he badmouthed you. It was how nasty it was." Almost the likes of comparing Flynn to how the worst of the nobles behaved. As if he was some highborn knight who behaved the way the likes of Cumore behaved. As if the guy knew anything at all about the person he was speaking about.

If it had ended there, it might have been one thing... but Yuri didn't like the way he seemed to want to rid the area of knights, as if they were some burden on him or the town. From what Yuri could tell, the knights were pretty lax here and there weren't really that many. It was likely due to the fact that this was technically outside of the knights' jurisdiction, and that was likely why that stranger had reacted so strongly to such fussing about from a group of knights.

In a way, sure, the knights and the councils personal beef was getting bad and being brought into a town past the Nor area. Yuri understood why that might upset some people. There was just something... off about the way the man spoke, and at the very least, he was a lot less likely to make any direct problems for Flynn or toward Flynn if he had open opposition. On top of that, Ioder at least seemed polite and reasonable, so why risk letting him get swept up in all this because of one angry asshole?

"My point was that... if that's how someone reacts to you just being a knight - for a squad of knights to have trouble at all in this area - it's not going to get better if you're seen with a presumed criminal. If even the regular citizens start taking to the wrong idea, it won't be difficult at all for the council to start pulling strings. Plus, with that guy, it was already too late. I just figured it could get worse." And evidently they already were if Ragou was anything to go by.

Being of low birth status, anything could be used against them. Anything could be twisted and used against them. Who was going to fight on their behalf when that happened? More people of low birth whose opinions wouldn't mean a thing in a court of law? "It's all just rumors until it gets used against you. Until they find a way to fake the rumors being true. Doesn't matter at that point if none of it is real."

Perhaps the worst part was that when it came down to it, the knights were less corrupt than the council. When it came down to it, Yuri would have to hope the knights would set things straight. More or less, they had to pin their hopes on Alexei's ability to evade the council's bullshit. As far as he was concerned, there was no real winning here. Cumore wasn't even getting punished for his nonsense. How could none of that have reached the commandant by now? Why wasn't he doing anything about it?

In part, it worried him that if something did happen to Flynn that Alexei wouldn't really... do anything about that either, at least to protect him. The last thing Yuri wanted was Flynn getting wrapped up in trouble with people who would absolutely go as far as exiling him if they could, let alone stripping him of his status as a knight. If Yuri, an already deemed criminal, had to take the fall another time or two to prevent that from happening, he wasn't just ready to, he just... did it; on instinct.

With slight nervousness he ran a hand through his hair as if to be doing... something. Sitting still after that spilled out just made him jittery. "Sorry. I do want to avoid rumors from getting out of control. I just... reacted. Not that I actually hit him yet, so a bad argument is the worst it got. It just... started to sound dangerous and I'd had enough listening to the guy."

If it had just been trash talk, that would have been easy enough to irritatingly ignore... but if Flynn's position might be on the line? If their dream could crumble over a few lowlifes who were just unhappy? No, Yuri didn't want to be the bad guy... but in the eyes of the public he already was. Flynn was not. Sometimes it was difficult. Sometimes it was a burden. Sometimes he hated it; but... sometimes he had to make do with the circumstances thrown at him.

At least now if Flynn wanted better for him, he could at least ask, well, the imperial candidates.

Flynn wasn't sure what but it seemed like all of the energy had been sucked out of him as he slumped back against the bench with a tired sigh. He had technically been ordered to take a break for the rest of the afternoon by Ioder but even then, there was too much to be done for Flynn to properly rest.

Everyone in his squad seemed to believe that because Ioder was saved, they were no longer on a time limit and in a way, it was true. Ioder was no longer in immediate danger but due to Ragou being a free man, it was only a matter of time before someone else was killed by his hand.

So really, he should have been using this time to plan ahead. But as time passed, that break was looking more and more enticing. He leaned back, eyes closing as he sighed and almost laughed when Yuri let out a heavy sigh at the same time. Despite everything, it was almost comforting to see they were still somewhat in sync with each other, like they always had been.

Even if Yuri was disagreeing with a lot of Flynn's choices as of late (and again, Flynn could not blame the man, whatsoever), it still felt nice. Even if Yuri was pissed about his actions, they really couldn't truly come to hate each other, right?

Which is why he hated the idea that Yuri wanted to try and put distance between the two of them. In order to save what little image Flynn had been building up for himself and--

'If that guy had gotten one more word about you out'

Wait. What?

Flynn's eyes were open instantly and he sits up so quickly that he nearly gives himself whiplash and all he could do was just stare at the other, frustration washed away by confusion and... slight embarrassment that Yuri would go to such lengths for him.

Yuri's face was buried in his hands, clearly embarrassed by the slip of the tongue as Flynn tried to figure out how to even respond to such an accidental confession. Yuri was getting into a fight on his account? Even after the empire had gotten under his skin not that long ago?

It was an unspoken fact that Yuri and Flynn both were overly protective of the other growing up. Flynn couldn't safely say that he, himself, had grown out of it but he at least figured Yuri had. They had always watched each others backs, no matter what, but he figured that someone bad mouthing one of them was something that could simply be ignored. They were both 'rats from the Lower Quarter' after all. They were used to it.

"...That argument was about me?!" Yuri was willing to add to his current list of crimes simply because someone decided to bad mouth him and Flynn wasn't sure how to fully handle that. "Yuri-- Is that what started this?"

Yuri was willing to fight someone if it meant they stopped badmouthing him. He would be seen as a supporter of the knights, specifically of the Flynn brigade. Yuri would be associated with him regardless. But Yuri would draw the line at being seen with him?

"...Don't do something like that and then immediately try and tell me that you shouldn't be seen with me! I don't want you to distance yourself over something as stupid as rumors! I especially don't... I don't want you getting into any more trouble on my account...! It's bad enough you had the Red Eyes on your trail. But getting assault charges just because someone decided to bad mouth me just isn't worth it, Yuri..."