#tosweek2017

[darkhymns-fic]

How History Repeats

After 4000 years and more, it’s hard to change. 

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Kratos Aurion/Anna Irving, Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3, FF.net Notes: Written for @talesofsymphoniablog‘s Tales of Symphonia Week 2017, for Oct 12 - Judgment (Guess I’m still going! Please excuse my constant lateness for everything).

“We could always go back to Luin,” Kratos said.

It was a request that he just said out of the blue, picked out from a passing comment that Anna had once spoken aloud. I was born in Luin, she had told him through the bars, hand placed over the base of her throat as if in shame. She had been so thin, the flesh hanging off her bones, and always shut off from the sun. A ghost dressed in rags.  

She was so much different now. Months outside had colored her skin a light tan. Her muscles were more well-defined, a feature he could not help but notice when she helped him gather the firewood for their camp. It was something she insisted she should do, even when he assured her he had everything handled.

But that was one thing about Anna, stubborn to a fault. And so it was “No,” that she answered him with, emphatic in her response.

They stood on the port at Palmacosta, the sea breeze filled with the strong taste of heavy salt. It was not always pleasant, and so was one sense that Kratos decided to turn off. Granted, this made their current errand for today a little difficult.

“Here, try this!” Anna was shoving a cut piece of a pomegranate into his mouth, giving him little time to readjust his senses. The fruit vendor was enthusiastically holding up a tray of the samples to other prospective customers. Safe to say, compared to the fish and Gel stalls, business was booming.

Kratos swallowed the fruit piece immediately, feeling the texture but nothing else. “Um. It’s… filling,” he came up with.

Anna frowned disapprovingly. “Again?”

“You didn’t give me enough time.”

She waved his explanation away. As she turned back to the fruit vendor, Kratos had to make do with standing around awkwardly. Not that he wasn’t used to crowds, or tasks that consisted simply of shopping. But these were different circumstances, and he had to keep a hand near the hilt of his sword to feel in control.

Anna made sure to reprimand him once they had left the port. “You don’t need to rattle your sword so much. People can tell you’re being nervous.”

“Just being alert.”

“We can relax for one day,” she suggested. A paper bag, filled to the brim with various fruits, was cradled in her arms. She refused any help from him to carry it.

Kratos understood what she meant, but it was advice he could not take to heart. He helped her up the inn’s steep steps once they made it through the city, despite her protests. He opened the door to their room, and retrieved the bag from her arms before she could set it down on the counter.

With a little huff of annoyance, she sat herself on the bed, looking on Kratos with disapproval.

“If you strain yourself too much,” he countered before she could say a word. “It can have an adverse effect.”

“I am taking care of myself just fine, thank you.”

Kratos had to restrain the urge to smile at her pout. “Let me worry over you. It will help set my nerves at ease.”

“Now isn’t that a bit of a contradicting sentence?”

He sat down next to her, keeping his weapon strapped on. She sighed, noticing it.

“Are you going to sleep with that thing on?”

“I have done so before with no trouble.”

“That wasn’t the point I was making.”

She made a small reflex, one he knew wasn’t conscious. Her hand went to rub her stomach, where a barely noticeable bump pressed against her shirt. Not in pain, not in distress. But as a reminder.

“Keeping the both of you safe is all that matters to me,” he told her. “I don’t want to make another error in judgment again.”

Anna said nothing, instead laying her head against his shoulder. It was at this moment that Kratos made sure all his senses were back on course; feeling the warmth of her side, and catching the scent of her hair.

“You have made none that I am aware of,” she told him. The collar of her shirt moved, and with a furtive glance, Kratos saw the gleam of her Exsphere. It looked painful embedded in her skin, but she had never made any complaint. He wished he had had the forethought to get her the right key crest before their runaway mission, but some past mistakes could not be fixed.

She saw where his eyes had focused on, and placed her hand over the Exsphere. “Hindsight does not count.”

She truly was stubborn like that. He would make no argument.

Still, “Why would you not want to go back to Luin?”

There was a commonality between them; the habit to keep silent when unpleasant thoughts came to the forefront. He saw her press her lips together, as if to stop any betraying words from spilling out. Yet he waited for her, carefully wrapping an arm around her side, bringing her in close. The sword hilt stayed between them, and perhaps it was fitting that such a reminder stayed there, this side of him that could not be put to rest – at least not yet.

He sensed amusement in her voice. “I’m not made of porcelain, Kratos.”

“One can never be too careful.”

She laughed, and it was a sound that fed into his ears like wine, drowning out the poison that had sat inside his head for more than a millennia.

Once her mirth ended, she explained. “I left my family on bad terms. And ended up… where I was.” Her hand went back to her stomach. “I do not want to offer up explanations, and would rather focus on the here and now.” She then turned to face him. “And that includes enjoying ourselves without wondering when a knife will end up in our backs.”

Though Kratos had a million reasons as to why they should stay alert, they crumbled at the sight of her brown eyes. “Well… we did enjoy ourselves today, didn’t we?”

“If shopping for groceries is your idea of fun, Kratos, that is something we will have to fix.”

It prompted a laugh out of him. It had been months since any signs from Cruxis. Perhaps he really could just take it easy?

“Then let’s go out again tonight. By the beach.” He squeezed her hand, mindful of the lilt in his voice just then. It was hard to control that around her. His long span of years before meeting her had not prepared him at all. “And I won’t scout the area this time.”

“Yes, because you’ve already done so, haven’t you?” she said, teasingly. She had heard the note in his voice as well, but made no other comment. “And before you ask, you can bring your sword. Besides, it can be helpful for when we want to spear some fish for dinner.”

Kratos blinked. “The metal would rust if I-”

“I’m joking!” She pushed him slightly. “Now let’s go before you change your mind.”

There were no assassins in the shadows that night. Though he extended his hearing to beyond the beach’s shore to past the city gates, he let himself relax. He let himself enjoy the moment with her, standing underneath the stars that he had already counted a thousand times.

And though he worried constantly, she convinced him to hug her, to lay his hands on her stomach as the sand covered their feet. She was stubborn like that, right to the very end.

“Colette, you sure you got that?”

“Oh! I’m fine!” She walked with Lloyd down the port, holding the paper bag in her arms, filled with an assortment of her favorite fruits, along with a few gels Lloyd had picked. “I don’t find it heavy at all!”

“Not that,” Lloyd reassured. “Just you usually-”

“Aah!”

“Colette!”

Kratos’ eyebrows twitched as he saw Colette’s foot get stuck in a crack on the sidewalk. While Lloyd had caught her before she met with the pavement, their groceries were not quite so lucky. Standing a bit away by the inn, the mercenary could do nothing but watch as all their bought items scattered across the ground.

“Oh no, I messed up…”

“Ah, it’s fine. The food is probably still good!”

Colette smiled more than Anna did, and her eyes were of bright blue instead of gentle brown, but the familiarity of her and Lloyd together prodded a memory deep within him. One that was full of cobwebs and shoved to the side, too precious to even repeat.

He could not help but be glad that the boy still wore his swords, even when walking around the port for something as simple as a grocery trip. Despite the weight of his weapons, they remained strapped to his waist as he helped Colette pick up the ruined fruit.

“That one’s all smashed up…” Colette said of a certain apple.

“That’s okay. Maybe Genis can make applesauce out of this or something.”

However, even with weapons nearby, Kratos could not still his heart. Both children conversed among themselves, so wrapped up in the other. Lloyd’s comments summoned a smile from Colette, until both were laughing as they retrieved what they could from the ground. Neither looked at their surroundings. A man had just sidled near the Chosen, hand upraised to avoid an accidental bump as he passed by. Yet if that had been an enemy, that same hand could have very easily held a knife to the Chosen’s throat. Lloyd had barely reacted to the near encounter.

Were the training sessions having any effect at all?

He stopped Lloyd before he entered the inn, the groceries now in the hands of a very disappointed Genis while Colette gave her apologies. The boy turned to him, his hands lax, with only the mildest of irritation that crossed his face. “Kratos? What’s wrong?”

“Do you know how many people were at the port today?”

Lloyd stared. “…Huh?”

“Answer this, then. When you went with the Chosen, how many stall vendors were there? Were the sailors setting up for travel or were they docking their ship?”

Lloyd continued to look very lost.

Kratos sighed. “What food were the vendors selling specifically?”

“Oh, that’s easy! Fruit! Um, the cantaloupe stuff mostly.”

“Good. What else?”

“Uh…” Lloyd scratched his head. “Fish?... I… I think a steak, probably.”

Kratos stopped him before he could flounder any more. “You were not paying attention.”

“Yes, I was! Just, I don’t need to count every person there!”

“If you want to be at least a somewhat competent guard for the Chosen, you need to understand where you are, and the danger she is always in. Or was the assassin we ran into earlier not enough of a reminder?”

The annoyance in Lloyd’s eyes instantly turned to shame. He looked away, fists clenched. But those hands stayed near the hilt of his swords, in easy reach of them. “That’s why I went with Colette to the port today. To protect her.”

No. You went with her because you want to be around her always. Even during the simplest of errands or tasks. But Kratos said nothing of the sort to Lloyd. He didn’t want to imply that such reasons were wrong, for they were anything but. Still, he wanted the boy to learn caution.

“When you travel to Iselia every morning, are you ever caught off guard by wandering monsters?”

“Uh.” Lloyd, surprised by the sudden change of topic, struggled for an answer. “Not often. I get rid of them easily enough.”

“Has one attacked you from behind?”

Another struggle. “I… I guess so? It’s not a big deal. The monsters there aren’t very strong.”

“Because they are not a human with malicious intent,” Kratos emphasized. “They do not hold a knife that could be poisoned, that aims to kill you in the first blow.”

With that explanation, he finally saw the gears working in Lloyd’s head.

“Do not make an error in judgment. Understand?”

“I…” Lloyd’s eyes strayed to the inn, where Colette had disappeared into. Then back to Kratos. “Yeah, I understand. I’ll be more careful.”

Kratos nodded. “We’ll have our lesson in the main plaza around sundown. Be ready by then.”

“Right!”

Kratos still fiddled with his senses nowadays. With his hearing, he sensed the others voices through the door once Llod went inside. There was that soft lilt of excitement from Lloyd’s when Colette answered him. There was talk about Genis’ work on the fruit platter he was making (along with grumbling about ruined ingredients from the child), and there was the sound of the sea that washed over the entire city.

“The beach here is different from the one back home!” he heard Colette say. “At least, from what you tell me, I mean.”

“Yeah. Maybe we can check it out later?” Lloyd suggested, and there was that same lilt again. Familiar. Too much so. Perhaps it was hereditary. “If you’re not too tired or anything.”

Kratos didn’t need to eavesdrop further to know that Colette would say yes. It would be after the training session, meaning the sky would be dark by then, and both Lloyd and Colette would have to venture past the city gates to do so.

Perhaps he would need to remind Lloyd again. But the boy, as far as he had observed, never ventured anywhere without his swords.

Careful to not bring your sword with you to bed, or you’ll risk stabbing us both. She had said so back then, as a joke. The compromise had been for him to just leave his weapon by the bedpost, to lay by her side, and keep his eyes open all night. She had always insisted that he let himself fall to slumber with her, to finally dream again. But each night, he would quietly refuse.

He raised his eyes skyward, watching the clouds become tinged with gold and pink. The taste of the sea was carried by the wind. Against his tongue, it was bitter and strong.

In all this time, he had never set foot in Luin.

Stubborn to the end.

[princess-zelda-doodles]

Inktober - Day 9 ~and~ Tales of Symphonia Week - Day 2

Friends and Family

[talesofsymphoniablog]

THEME ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TALES OF SYMPHONIA WEEK 2017

Thank you so much to everyone who’s supported us through the planning stages of this event! We’re thrilled to finalize the themes for the upcoming Tales of Symphonia week. Each day will have a theme, along with an accompanying Dwarven Vow to help expand or refine your ideas:

Sunday, Oct. 8- A Place to Call Home Dwarven Vow 1: Let’s all work together for a peaceful world.

Monday, Oct. 9- Friends and Family Dwarven Vow 2: Never abandon someone in need.

Tuesday, Oct. 10- Light and Dark Dwarven Vow 14: Even a small star shines in the darkness.

Wednesday, Oct. 11- The True You Dwarven Vow 16: You can do anything if you try.

Thursday, Oct. 12- Judgment Dwarven Vow 32: Cross even a stone bridge after you’ve tested it.

Friday, Oct. 13- Memories Dwarven Vow 43: Never forget the basics.

Saturday, Oct. 14- Future Dwarven Vow 7. Goodness and love will always win.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions! We’re looking forward to everyone’s participation!

[theguineapig3]

Tales of Symphonia Week, Day 2: Friends and Family

Okay, but hear me out... what about when your friends are your family? I’m a huge sucker for “found-family” narratives, and I just- just- I love these three. I love to think about them as kids, growing up together, learning together, having fun together, and just being a family.

(Sleepovers obviously take place at Colette’s house. Dirk and Raine are both too strict, sticklers for eating your vegetables and observing a decent bedtime... Frank seems like the kind of dad who will bake you cookies and let you stay up all night so long as you don’t make too much noise.)

[notanothervideogameblog]

Fanfic: Depths of Kindness

Tales of Symphonia Week: Home

Summary: The story of how Zelos learns to be a bit more vulnerable and open. Relationships: Zelos/Lloyd romance and Zelos & Seles sibling relationship

AO3 link

Zelos wasn't a kind person. Any unbiased person would say so. The hordes of adoring fans would claim different, singing Zelos' praises to anyone who'd hear, but that was a surface assessment gathered from good manners and pure charm.

Zelos knew what he was, how he was and, most importantly, <i>why</i> he was. Zelos knew he could be unkind, was that way more often than not, and he thought he had the right to it.

After everything he'd been through since forever, he didn't think he could be any different, even if he cared to try.

Kindness is meaningless when it isn't accepted. Zelos' father had been absent, his mother had hated his very existence and his sister was rightfully ticked off at him at all times. When his nearest and dearest were so unreceptive, Zelos learned at a young age to not offer meaningless kindness around carelessly.

People would say that opening up your home to your estranged sister was a kind thing to do, Zelos certainly had been told so countless times by the fair ladies he entertained. Zelos has his selfish reasons for it, however. The large house had rarely felt very homely, which was why Zelos enjoyed going out so much. Even Seles mumbling to herself around Zelos, the words uncomplimentary things no doubt, was better than the silence.

It wasn't kindness that Zelos invited his sister to live with him. He just couldn't bear to be alone any longer. If anything, Seles accepting and moving over to live with a brother she often badmouthed was a far kinder thing to do.

Zelos was much better at accepting kindness than granting it, so he'd been at his most charming ever since Seles had moved in. After all, people accepted charm from him with such ease, so maybe he could work his way up to simple kindness with Seles as long as he opened with that.

Zelos liked to think they'd come a long way since then. They dined together, they read together in the sitting room and even conversed over shared tastes in literature. Although Seles liked to mock Zelos over his preference for the romance genre, Zelos could tell it was more entertained banter than genuinely spiteful.

Banter was easy, so Zelos would return the jibes about Seles' own leanings towards books with roguish scoundrels as the main lead. Zelos liked to think he was being charming when he did so, as it often brought a laugh or two out of Seles, who really did look much better when she was outwardly happy.

Being charming got Zelos much farther in life than being kind ever could. In fact, kindness hadn't even been something Zelos took into a account before his current situation in life. Then, of course, he'd met Lloyd.

Lloyd had that way about him, where he'd make the people he met question everything they thought they knew about themselves and others. Zelos especially had noticed his perceptions altering through meeting someone so seemingly simple.

Picking a side had never before been harder for Zelos than when he had to consider Lloyd as well. Then came wondering what he liked, unused to considering a man attractive before he'd laughed together with Lloyd. Sometimes he even found an endearment on his lips, calling Lloyd "hunny" instead of the less-committed "bud".

Two years down the line, after overcoming the conflict inside himself, after starting to mend fences with Seles and after giving Lloyd an open invitation into his home, Zelos wondered just what he'd been so afraid of. It couldn't get much more committed than this, waiting for his hunny-bud to come back home and make the house truly feel like a home again. Lloyd was excellent at bridging the gap that still remained between Zelos and Seles, either not noticing or not caring about any tension between the siblings.

The Wilder siblings were so synchronized in welcoming Lloyd back home that they could give the Sages a run for their money. They both missed the remaining member of the household, so they took turns keeping a watch in one of the windows. This time it was Seles who spotted the familiar red form approaching to front door, alerting Zelos so that the two could greet Lloyd together in the doorway.

Something warm buzzed in Zelos' chest when he saw the delighted smile come to Lloyd's face upon finding them both waiting for him. The brunet opened his arms readily and the duo of redheads wasted no moment in accepting the gesture, hugging the sun-warm body close. Seles pressed her head against Lloyd's shoulder but Zelos found himself unable to look at anything but Lloyd's eyes and the way the skin around them crinkled with how widely he was smiling.

Zelos practically burned when he realized that Seles turned her head, pointedly averting her eyes, just as the thought of kissing Lloyd passed Zelos' mind. Not about to let that bit of kindness go unaccepted, Zelos took advantage and planted a soft kiss on Lloyd's lips.

"Welcome home, hunny," Zelos said and was delighted to hear Lloyd laugh again as he greeted Zelos back, giving him a kiss in return.

"Great, let's eat", Seles piped in, squirming out of the tangle of arms to head to the dining room. "Sebastian made a bunch of food since he knew you'd be coming back today."

The mention of food had Lloyd breaking the sweet embrace with ease that would have been offensive if Zelos hadn't gotten used to being second best beside a fulfilling meal. He watched his hunny-bud walk alongside his sister as he asked her about what dishes would be in store, and the warmth inside burst out.

"I love you guys," he said, for once without censure.

Two pairs of eyes turned to him, set in equally flushed faces. Seles covered her face with her hands, mumbling to herself, while Lloyd grinned widely.

"We love you too, Zelos," Lloyd said with conviction. Seles voiced no protest, neither to Lloyd speaking for her not to his claim, and Zelos smirked.

"You two are so delightfully sappy," he crooned as he walked over to throw an arm around each of his most important people's shoulders.

"Y-you're the one who said it first!" Seles sputtered, only to be drowned out by Lloyd once again bursting into laughter, which Zelos was glad to join in.

Seles tried to look serious, but couldn't help the helpless giggles that escaped the moment the trio passed through the doors to the dining room.

Sebastian, already done setting the table, looked way too pleased about the situation, but Zelos couldn't pretend not to understand, or even feel the same. This large house, despite its history, always felt homey when they were all together, because they worked together to make it so.

[dielitschi]

Inktober #9 & ToS week #2: Friends and Family "Never abandon someone in need" :) Oops forgot some details

[mitsurichan3s-art-corner]

ToS Week Day 1: A Place to call home. *How the game should’ve ended cough cough*

Anyway, here is my entry for Tales of Symphonia Week! I really love Kratos’s eyes here they look so freaking good im shook. Kratos in general has me shook lol Look how happy they are to see Lloyd come back they are so freaking cute!

[throughcnidarianeyes]

I said that I’d try to do something for ToS Week and I did. Sorry that the quality is so bad I don’t have the technology to make this look better. I miss photoshop. I thought the lighting in the first one was cool! Goes with today’s theme. Light and Dark: Even a small star shines in the darkness.

[florencethesage]

Meeting Marble

Tales of Symponia Week 2017

Day 1: A Place to Call Home

Meeting Marble

Summary:  On his way to visit Lloyd's house, Genis gets lost in Iselia Forest and wanders by the Human Ranch, where he meets an intelligent prisoner named Marble. Genis is eager to keep visiting her, in spite of the obvious danger. She is the first friend he can share his secret with.

Word Count: Approximately 3,700

This is my first fanfiction for Tales of Symphonia, for my favorite character, Genis Sage. This is a story I’ve always wanted to write--about how Genis met Marble. This story also shows Genis’ relationship with Raine, and it mentions his friendships with Lloyd and Colette. In my story, Genis wonders if Sylvarant will ever feel like a safe home.

I would appreciate any and all feedback and encouraging thoughts! This story may not be perfectly canon, but it was written with a lot of love. :) Thank you so much to the mods of @fuckyeahtos for organizing this event and inspiring me!

Genis hesitated. He clutched his basket tight and swallowed. The trees of Iselia Forest loomed tall above him. The path became dark ahead, and he could hear monsters howling in the distance. He realized now how foolish it was to come by himself. Even if Lloyd walked this path every day to come to school, Lloyd was brave. Genis wasn’t brave. He knew that.

Read More

[keyknows]

ToS Week 2017, wednesday: The true you

Title: my skin is a mirror

Rating: G

Characters: Yuan Ka-Fai, Summon Spirit Martel

Summary: 

"Martel," he calls you but it's not really you he calls for.

[darkhymns-fic]

Still

It’s too intimate at times, knowing someone like this. Sheena wasn’t ready for it.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Sheena Fujibayashi, Zelos Wilder, Seles Wilder Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3, FF.net Notes: Written for @talesofsymphoniablog‘s Tales of Symphonia Week 2017, for Oct 11 - The True You (Way overdue! I hope you don’t mind very late entries!)

She didn’t free-fall for long before he grabbed her hand.

When Sheena came to, she was still half-floating in shadows. Her neck was craned at an odd angle, looking down at her feet that hung over an overarching maw of darkness. She remembered this - from when she had fell into the chasm, pulled in by roots, and told Lloyd to go.

He did, and then she fell.

With hesitation, Sheena raised her eyes. The brightness of him contrasted so heavily within the darkness, that she felt almost blinded. Red hair imprinted its shape into her vision, but nothing was as stunning as the spans of golden light that extended from his back.

“Yo, hunny.” He winked as he easily raised her up by the wrist. Before she knew it, she was cradled within his arms, unmindful at all to the debris and sweat that still clung to her clothes. “Still falling for me, I see.”

Sheena didn’t say anything, but he didn’t wait for her reply. With a downward swing of those makeshift wings – their mana so prevalent that even she could feel it, with what little elven blood she retained through her ancestry – they ascended. There was the shattered bridge, and the singed remains of the plant that had tried to drag her down. Bundles of its roots lay curled up by the sides of the chasm, looking finally to be dead.

Once Zelos touched the ground, she immediately leapt from his arms.

“Whoa, not even a thank you?”

She looked at him again. Out here in the light, with no one around. They could have all disappeared. They could have died. Lloyd could already be dead. But she could only fixate on Zelos, not a strand of his hair barely out of line. The wings on his back were a reminder, and just the sight of them around him gave her a giant headache.

Zelos noticed her stare. The wings dissipated like mist.

“Did you help the others?” she asked him then. She tried to restrain herself from fidgeting, tried to forget the rate of her heartbeat as she had fallen, believing for certain that she wouldn’t recover.

“Yeah.” His voice took that tone again, back within the tower. “At least the ones on the way to here.” Low and with barely any texture. There were few instances she had ever heard him speak like that, and in those instances, she had thought she knew him.

She thought a lot of things, didn’t she?

“And Lloyd?”

He shrugged, smiling again. “Not yet. But my bud’s moving fast. Only got a bit of time to catch up. And I’m sure the others probably ran into some traps. This place is tricky like that.”

Sheena wanted to yell at him then, but she didn’t. She nodded, holding the feeling in her palms until it sunk inside her. Though she followed Zelos as he led her out of this maze of a place, those wings couldn’t leave her mind. So bright and deadly and different – nothing like she had ever thought of him at all.

He had been such a loudmouth.

“So, you’re the voluptuous ninja from Mizuho, huh?” Outside of that sickeningly large mansion, Zelos stood outside to interview with her, the Exsphere on his chest gleaming. It reflected the sun, making her eyes ache. Already she had to restrain the urge to smack his face, but it was her first visit to Meltokio, and it was probably considered rude for a foreigner to hit the much-admired Chosen.

“Excuse me, but…” she started. “Voluptuous?”

“Hey, it’s a compliment!” He snapped his fingers at her, grinning way too happily. “And it’s a good sign. Means you got a better chance of passing.”

She had just gone through the three-hour ‘conversation’ with the Pope. Surely she could handle anything after that ordeal. But she had to get the supposed blessings from those high up in the Church hierarchy before she could get started. Mizuho needed allies, and support from Meltokio would be incredibly beneficial. This was at least a task that there was no way she could mess up on.

All she had to do was play nice.

“Well, need my qualifications? I’ve told the Pope pretty much everything… Shouldn’t we be having this interview inside?”

She flinched inwardly. Why did she make this harder than it needed to be?

“Nah, that’s too formal. Besides, thought I’d give you a tour of our fair city. We don’t get too many country folk like you around. It’s charming!”

An eyebrow twitched. “Huh, wonder why.”

“And anyway…” he walked off, and suddenly she had to follow. She could smell the cologne reach her from several feet away, probably carried from his thick, red hair. “Not like I care enough who you really are anyway. You work for the Pope, I get that.”

He said this as he waved to some high-class ladies, their voices flittering through the paper fans they held over their faces.

“I work for Mizuho,” she corrected him. “And through them, I get the King’s requests.”

“Right, so the Pope basically.”

“You’re always this charming yourself?”

He stopped beside the pavilion in front of the theater, then turned to face her fully. “I’m only here to figure out the real you.”

His eyes were hard, and that smile from before had vanished from his face. He had instantly transformed into someone very intimidating.

“…Okay,” she responded. “Then who is the real me then?”

In all honesty, she wouldn’t have minded an answer.

A muscled arm circled around her shoulders, bringing her in close.

“My new voluptuous hunny! So innocent to the world, looking for guidance from the great Chosen himself!” He basically had her in a full embrace that she had not consented to. His voice went low with a purr. “And as my new hunny, there’s only so much to teach you…”

She decided to take her chances, and elbowed him in the solar plexus.

Just a trick it had all been. An elaborate joke, played on both sides, so that he could get the key needed for Lloyd to achieve his idealistic goals. Of course. That was why she was here, too. Why she had swallowed her fear and faced Volt, despite losing another friend because of her cowardice. The trove of jewels she carried with her were a testament to that, to all the Summon Spirits that would rise to her with a whisper.

Yet in the elven village, she couldn’t sleep.

The place was quiet and secluded, much like Mizuho. But the trees that surrounded them were not like those of Goaracchia Forest. The trees didn’t pack together, and the boughs didn’t twist around themselves. They instead spread far, like wide and open-spaced fingers, allowing the sunshine to touch the soil. It was not a place guarded by shadows, though she wondered if there was much of a difference with the light. Either way, one would still get lost – has been lost.

Sheena had left her room, walking aimlessly around the windmill in the center of Heimdall, staring uneasily into the dark, before she decided to go see Lloyd.

He would tell her what she needed to know, take away that confusion, and give her back some purpose. It’s what he’d always been able to do for her. She pulled her sleeve over the bells strapped to her wrist, hushing their chimes, and took a deep breath of the night air. She had missed her opportunity at Flanoir – she wouldn’t miss this one.

Just like she would bend Volt to her whim at the young age of ten. Just like she would be the most graceful shinobi from Mizuho. Just like she would kill the Chosen for the sake of Tethe’alla.

She had barely made it past the side of the inn before catching his eye.

“What the hell?”

Zelos held up both his hands, laughing carelessly, not caring who he would wake. “Hey, relax! Can’t a guy just watch the stars once in a while?” He was standing underneath the overhanging roof, draped within shadows that even the brightness of his hair was muted.

She took a step back, shifting her momentum to the north, to –

“You missed your chance, you know.” Zelos shrugged. “Bud’s already got an appointment.”

She held the feeling in her palms, but had nowhere to set it down.

The first time she met Seles, it had been an awkward affair. The South East Abbey was not very large, with only two floors in its whole structure. The Chosen did not need to go on any pilgrimage, not in these flourishing times, yet he apparently visited this particular House of Guidance every few months or so. Sebastian had given her the coordinates on her routine trip to Meltokio, asking if she would like to meet with Master Zelos at the appointed place.

She had been given the task – by many sources – to watch Zelos’ movements. This only worked in her favor.

“Man, what are they feeding you in this place?” Zelos asked, pushing away his plate. He sat with a Seles at a small dining table in her room, only big enough to seat two people. The meal consisted of mashed potatoes, some unidentified meat, and a heaping of greens. It was a small room, decently furnished with a polished oak dresser, several chests for storage, a nightstand, and a plush bed. The only window of the room was narrow, chiseled through the thick stone walls, but it gave an open view of the sea that surrounded the entirety of the Abbey.

“Whatever my body won’t react violently to.” Seles continued eating her portion. She wore a large bonnet-like hat that dwarfed her small stature. That was what Sheena had first noticed. The sister was so very short in comparison to her brother.

“Are you alright there? You’re not hungry yourself?” Seles suddenly asked her. Sheena flinched from her position against the wall. It was hard to observe in silence when you had to do so out in the open.

“I…I ate already,” she added lamely.

Zelos, meanwhile seemed to completely ignore her presence. “I’m sure you can handle some fried shrimp once in a while.” He winked at Seles. “Hey, can even sneak some in for you.”

“We are not allowed to accept outside foods, you know.” She didn’t look at her brother, keeping her eyes rooted to her plate. “Our diet is strict. And for all I know, it might kill me.”

Zelos didn’t react. He leaned back in his wooden chair, his face suddenly impassive and incredibly familiar to Sheena. “Yeah… there’s a lot of strict things around here, isn’t there?”

Seles folded the napkin on her lap, fitting it better over her knees. “I suppose I don’t notice to be honest. But it’s not like I have any other choice.”

There was something to be said here.

The small dinner soon ended, thankfully. Sheena had almost wished she hadn’t come along. She didn’t want to get involved in weird family squabbles like this. She wasn’t even sure why Zelos wanted her along in the first place.

Zelos and Seles stood, making small talk, meaningless inquiries, and their eyes always shifting. Seles really did seem so frail, her shoulders slim and pale through the open section of her white sleeves.

“Seles, I need you to do me a favor.”

The girl’s eyes widened in confusion. Sheena then caught the glint of something in Zelos’ hand. A piece of jewelry? A gald piece? But he deftly transferred it to Seles’ outstretched hand, until it became buried under her clothes, or a clenching of her fingers, or maybe even just by a trick of the light.

“You will visit again?” Seles then asked her brother. Her hands folded before her, just over her waist.

Zelos answered with a shrug. “I guess so.”

“If you must.”

Another length of silence.

Zelos had already walked away, past Sheena and out through the open door. It caught her off-guard, especially with his face – some strange portrait of stone-carved misery, with only the vague recollections of a smile. The look in his eyes weren’t directed at anyone, but they were sharp and probing, and it made her worry suddenly for his well-being.

By the time he was far down the hallway, Seles spoke to her again.

“You,” came the voice, hard as flint. “Witch.”

Sheena turned to her with surprise. “What?”

“I know why he brought you here. I only say this as a warning.” Seles stood up straight, even though she shivered from some unknown chill. A sickness. Another glint of an Exsphere blinked in Sheena’s vision, originating from Seles’ left wrist. “Do not hurt him.”

“I don’t… What are you talking about?”

But Seles had already seated herself on her bed, looking through a prayer book that had been conveniently nearby. Pointedly ignoring her.

The soft twinkling of bells drew her attention again. She found Corrine at her feet before he started traveling up her legs with ease, finally perching himself on her shoulder. His curled tails bobbed gently against her hair. “Zelos says he’s waiting for you.”

Seles made no other motion, not even the turning of a page.

Sheena could barely make sense of this stranger here; would she able to for the one downstairs?

“You know,” came Colette’s voice, carried by the night wind. “It still feels strange. The fact that I’m still here, talking.”

In response, came Lloyd’s. “How come?”

Sheena sat behind the inn, her form hidden by stores of food in clay jars, tied up lumber, and other supplies for the village. Next to her, Zelos stood, his eyes riveted to the forest that now housed only shadows with the disappearance of the sun.

Neither talked yet, not until they heard Lloyd and Colette walk further from the inn, following the river to the secluded glade.

“You were going to talk to him, too?” Sheena questioned through the silence.

Zelos only gave her a shrug. “Not sure. But being a night owl is a thing a lot of us share.”

She didn’t want to answer. She tried to wrench her eyes from his back, but it was all she could see, looming before her, with the afterimage of gold burned in her eyes.

“Probably for the best we didn’t catch him earlier though.” Zelos slightly turned to face her, teeth in a grin. “Don’t want to make little miss angel sad and lose her chance.”

“Stop talking.”

The air was too still. She didn’t like that Lloyd’s voice was gone. She didn’t like that Colette’s voice left with him. Seated on the ground, arms wrapped over her knees, she shivered.

“Stop acting like nothing’s changed.”

Zelos shifted, but not much else. She made the mistake of looking at his face again, finding that same stranger staring back at her. All so carefully arranged, lips set in a firm line.

If she held her breath, she could hear those other voices from across the river, just slightly.

“You once said you were trying to figure out the real me,” she continued. Hands clenched again. “Then who am I? What do you see?”

She would not cry, even though every nerve inside her raged to let it flow.

Zelos’ face changed again, losing the hardness to let him raise an eyebrow, for his lips to shift. One hand pressed against his chin in a curious gesture.

“Like someone unsure who to trust next.”

Sheena leapt to her feet. Her right hand curled into a fist. The bells around her fingers chimed.

“Hey! Wait a secon-”

“You really are an idiot! If it had been your plan all along to get the Aionis, you would have told us! Or told someone­ at least!” Her heels dug into the grass, needing to be rooted so that she wouldn’t be compelled to tackle him through the chest. “I know that just one wrong word from someone would have been enough to push you. Right?”

The flash in his eyes let her know she had struck the beginnings of a secret.

First Kuchinawa, now him. Why did things continue to go wrong?

There was… she wouldn’t call it unpleasant, but a soft disconcerting look in his face. His body stayed relaxed, no longer flinching from Sheena’s stance, or her trembling fists. “You know me, Sheena. That’s something I still can’t get used to.”

This didn’t help at all.

“Stop lying to me. I don’t know anything, especially you. I don’t know why I ever thought you were actually a good person deep down. You’re just like how you act – selfish and cruel and not caring about anyone else! You were really going to sell us out, weren’t you? You were going to throw out all the work we’d done!”

Zelos smiled again, weakly. “It’s not been an easy year.”

She was going to cry. She hated this, and she hated him. “You’re not the only one hurting!”

The moonlight shone brightly against the trees, making of him a silhouette. “Easy to forget.”

She heard something from across the river. “You don’t have to worry anymore…” There’s almost nothing that she wouldn’t give to believe something like that, to know that kind of comfort.

“Sheena,” Zelos started again. He made no motion toward her, keeping his distance. “Do you wanna know why I came out here?”

“To see Lloyd,” she answered automatically, then winced. No, she had been thinking about herself-

“Yeah, though it’s just to make up for a missed meeting last time. Had a speech prepared and everything… But then I overslept.” He shook his head in mock disappointment. “Can’t help that the Great Zelos Wilder needs his beauty rest.”

There was something in his words that made her latch onto them, enough to completely brush aside his obnoxious bragging. “Last time?” Her brain instantly made the connections. “Flanoir?”

Zelos seemed pleased at that. “We just keep missing our chances.”

The snow had been too chill before.

“See? You know who I am.”

“No, I don’t know who you are,” she said, remembering him in those shadows, carrying her and flying.

“A mistake,” he answered easily. “Same as you, right?”

She no longer had the motivation to hit him. Everything about him was so incredibly sad.

He laughed, the tone light and boisterous, but empty. “Sometimes, I think everything would just be better off if it all… stopped. Just stopped. Everything. And when I think like that, it’s easy to forget everybody else.”

“That’s wrong,” she argued, not knowing why she bothered. “You keep going. You have to.”

He shrugged. “I know, but it’s such a hassle.”

She turned away, facing those stores of food, the lumber, and the grass turned silver by the moonlight. “You’re terrible.”

But there was that gaping maw in her head, facing her, making her listless and adrift. She had purpose before, for a brief time. Where did all of that go all of a sudden?

“I know the real you now,” she said, her voice even. “Broken.”

“You already knew that, hunny.” Zelos still laughed slightly, just behind her ear. “Broken but beautiful!”

She groaned. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

“I’ve never been more serious than now.”

When she turned back around, they were back in their hue of gold. The wings spread wide, framing his hair, his shoulders, and lighting up the floor. Like the stored glow of sunshine that he had kept hidden away.

His hand was outstretched towards her. She stepped back.

“I’m not flying with you,” she said. Too soon, too hard.

A wave of confusion passed his face. “Not what I was going to ask.” A smirk graced his lips. “Is that what you were hoping for?”

“No!”

“Heh.” He spread his arms magnanimously, the wings behind him moving in a slow cadence. “I’m just here to show you again the other side of the Great Zelos.”

“Ugh, you are such an idiot!”

Those same arms lifted in surrender. “Okay, okay. Look, I just wanted to give you something. But also! I wanted you to have a last look at these babies-” he gestured to his wings, the afterimage of golden feathers fluttering from each steady flap, “-one last time.”

Sometimes Sheena couldn’t believe Zelos’ audacity. Couldn’t he see that-

“Sometimes, the more you see the true self of someone, the more you despise them,” he spoke, softly. With his words, the wings faded away, like a bad dream. “But I’m glad you’ve seen me, all the same.”

He reached again for her hand, which she didn’t swat away. Something cold pressed against her palm, something that glinted from the light of his wings, like the reflection from stained-glass windows. There was a weight to it, and its shade was the same color as old blood, dried on her hands when she had begged the Chief to wake from her failure.

“…This is only meant to be held by the Chosen,” she said, matter-of-factly. She raised her eyes, seeing the key crest on his chest empty. He looked so strange without anything there.

“I’m sure there’s a loophole somewhere that it can go to whoever the Chosen deems worthy.” He winked.

“There is literally no loophole that says-”

“Eh, whatever. It’s not something I want to hang onto anyway.” His face became of that same stone again, but this time she could begin to understand its secrets. “Seles held it for long enough. And Lloyd’s probably not the best one for it.”

She looked down at the object. The Orb held a tinge of gold. She closed her fingers around it, blocking out the light.

“Alright, glad I was your third choice then.”

Zelos laughed. “See? You’re the perfect keeper for it!”

Sheena knew the details of his life – at least those by information given to her, by public records that had been sent her way. The Chosen seeing the death of his mother, his father taking his own life, and his sister spirited away to a place far beyond his reach until he would be older. Those were the details, but she never wanted to look deeper than that. She could barely handle her own tragedies. It was only a matter of time before she messed up someone else’s.

“I don’t despise you,” she told him. She hid the Orb underneath her sleeve. It was packed tightly next to the bells of another dear friend. “I just hate traitors more than anything else.”

Zelos was still. He stood before her, eyes empty and lips firm.

She shrugged. “So, it’s really lucky that you’re not one. Technically.”

Zelos snorted, but another laugh escaped his mouth anyway. “Yeah. Technically.”

She wasn’t even trying to listen to the two across the river, but their voices traveled. They were nice and dear to her, but the distraction was not something she wanted anymore.

“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” she offered. “Like, a walk.”

Zelos raised an eyebrow. “You want to go on a romantic stroll with the Great Zelos Wilder? Hunny, I’ve always known you had a thing for me.”

She mock-sighed. “Sure. How about a stroll through the woods where no one can hear you scream in terror?”

“Now we’re just moving too fast! At least let me buy you dinner first.”

With a sorta-soft punch to his shoulder, she followed him as they walked off. Maybe to talk, maybe to look at the sky. She had always tried her best to avoid spending time alone with him before. Not that she had been afraid of knowing who he was. But instead if he…

“Can’t fly you anywhere now, you know,” he told her. He jutted a thumb to his back. “Could have taken you to the stars if you wanted.”

She smirked back at him. “I prefer to be grounded.”

Still, she heard whispers from across the way.

“I want to continue to be by your side, just like I've been up until now.”

When he first visited Mizuho, he heard the whispers. They rose alongside the rustling of the leaves whenever Sheena passed people by, whenever she visited the grave markers to the left of the village. “What a mistake,” they would say, and it confused him, because who else deserved to be called that beside himself?

“You just speak with the Vice-Chief for a few minutes, then leave,” she told him. They passed by the humble houses, sneaking a glance within the open doorways. He saw families seated at their kotatsus, saw women walk swiftly by in their long, flowing clothes, nothing like the dresses the ladies back in Meltokio wore. Still, few gave him more than a flickering look. Instead their eyes would rivet to the shinobi that guided him.

Sheena kept her eyes locked forward. At the most, Zelos could always tell when a woman was hurting.

Not much came from the meeting with the Vice-Chief, though Zelos’ knees ached terrible from the way they had to sit.

“We are pleased the King deems us worthy to work with him,” the man across from him said. Next to him, covered by shades, was another man, lying on a mat. He had purple robes, and the skin on his face was wrinkled and pale. He noticed that Sheena’s gaze kept going over to him specifically.

“Sure, just keep doing what you do,” Zelos assured the Vice-Chief. “And I’ll keep putting in a good word for you. Just gotta say, you started off great by sending Sheena to me!”

He heard a scoff from behind. “Idiot.”

Still, when they made their way to leave the village, those same whispers and grumblings came back. “Murderer,” one woman whispered as she worked their small fields. It had been so faint, and Sheena was far. But with the Orb now locked back onto his chest, he could hear the secrets of Mizuho more clearly than anything.

Here was a side of her that she never wanted to show. Especially not to him.

Hands in his pockets and with a practiced smile, he continued to follow her out of the gate. There was nothing of her that could ever make him turn away – not when he had spent nearly all his life looking in the mirror.

[princess-zelda-doodles]

Inktober - Day 8 ~and~ Tales of Symphonia Week - Day 1 A Place to Call Home - The Iselia Trio I never liked the way this friendship kinda just... stops being a thing at the end of the game (and in the anime, and in the fandom). Yes, I love Zelos. Yes, I think Lloyd makes a huge impact in his life and that their friendship is really awesome and special, but EVERYONE STARTS ACTING LIKE ZELOS AND LLOYD ARE THE BFFS AND NOT THESE 3!!! That never felt right to me. Genis' relationship with these 2 will always mean a lot to me and it shouldn't be forgotten. End of mini rant.

[talesofsymphoniablog]

A BIG THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN TALES OF SYMPHONIA WEEK!

Mod Sheena and I want to extend our thanks to everyone who participated in our event this past week- both content creators and those who shared and commented! Not only were there lots of wonderful pieces submitted, but it seems like there was a lot of positive feedback as well, something that’s growing rarer these days for both art and fanfiction. We’re so lucky to have such a fantastic fandom here, as these events would never be possible without you. You guys are the best! ♡

If there are any entries that we missed, or if you’re uploading any belated entries, be sure to let us know!

-Mod Colette♡

[theguineapig3]

“Humans grow too fast, is all.”

Tales of Symphonia Week, Day 6: Memories Dwarven Vow 43: Never forget the basics.

This is definitely the piece that I was most excited to do this week. (Does it show? I think it shows.) I love Dirk as a character, and I love exploring ideas behind his backstory. The fact that he was able to jump so quickly into caring for Lloyd- I mean, the man built an entire house for this kid- he must’ve at least had some close relationships with humans before and been familiar with how they live and what they need. I’m sure he’s at least had human friends at some point in his life, though... it’s tough to maintain friendships when your lifespans are so different.

[dielitschi]

Inktober/ToS week: The True You hmmm

[keyknows]

my entry for the first day of ToS Week 2017! (though a little late)

Sunday: A place to call home

Title: and because your faith, you fell from grace

Rating: G

Category: Gen, Character Study

Characters: Mithos Yggdrasill

Summary: 

Derris-Karlan is ethereal, not something mean for mortal's eyes.

Quite a fitting place.