Together
This is Part Twenty Seven of The Meeting of Breccan & Finbar.
previous chapter
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Nico and I sat on a stone bench in Clara’s backyard; he shook as I held him. I let him sob into my arms, feeling awful about how distressed he was. I did know he probably deserved to feel that way, but how could Nico even seek redemption if so many people believed him incapable of it? He wanted to do good, I could tell.
I wondered what the others were discussing as we waited outside; I hoped Maris would share with us once she was done talking with Clara.
“You didn’t have to -- to come with me,” Nico sniffed.
“I wasn’t going to abandon you,” I murmured.
He said, “I would have been okay.”
I pulled him closer to me. “I’m not so sure about that, and it’s not just about if you would be ‘okay’ or not.”
Nico asked, “Then what is it about?”
That was harder to explain than I thought. “It’s -- I don’t know, exactly. Nico, I care about you, and you don’t -- abandon people you care about just because it would be easier.”
He looked up at me, sky blue eyes shining. “You really believe that?”
“I do,” I said.
Suddenly, Maris appeared before us, along with the others. Isabel smirked, as did Finbar. Clara’s eyes were still hard, and Maris just looked unhappy and resigned.
“I have good news,” Maris muttered, contradicting her facial expression.
I loosened my grip on Nico slightly. “What is it?”
She said, “Clara has agreed to help us investigate and fight this mysterious new shadow threat. She’s an experienced and powerful mage, so we might have a chance at actually doing something.”
“Why do you look so unhappy?” I had to ask.
Isabel’s smirk grew worse. “Clara’s help, ah -- it comes on one condition.”
Clara looked at Nico, stony-faced. “I won’t help my old student if Nico here is part of her team. It simply is not going to happen. So, I’m afraid, Nico, that you can’t stay at Maris’ house any longer.”
My stomach sank; I could not have heard that right. “Are -- are you serious?”
“She is,” Isabel said.
Maris muttered, “My old mentor is, indeed, perfectly serious.”
“You can’t do this!” I cried.
“I assure you, she can,” Isabel drawled.
“Clara is coming back with us to visit my house. Nico, if you have any stuff, you’ll be allowed to gather it before you go,” Maris said.
I stammered, “Wh-where is Nico going to go?”
“That’s not my problem,” Clara murmured.
This wasn’t fair. I didn’t want Nico to go; I didn’t want to be without him. My chest hurt thinking about his being gone.
* * *
When we got back to Maris’ house, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“If Nico goes, I do, too,” I announced.
All eyes turned to look at me. I drew myself up to my fullest height and met everyone’s gazes, even though I shook on my feet. This -- I couldn’t back down from this. Maybe I didn’t have much courage, but I had enough courage for this.
“You want -- to come with me?” Nico asked. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
I said, “You don’t have to ask. I’m coming with you whether you tell me to or not.”
Isabel sneered, “Wow, you’re crazier and more lovesick than even I thought.”
I met her eyes. “Perhaps I am. It doesn’t change my decision.”
Without another word, I turned away from her and headed towards my room to gather my few belongings. Since I didn’t have that much, this shouldn’t take long. Soon, I heard footsteps. It was Nico. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
“I -- it will be much harder on you than it would be on me, if -- if you travel with me,” he murmured. “I don’t need to eat, and I can head back to the divine realm, if I must. That’s -- not really an option for you.”
I said, “We’ll make it, somehow.”
Nico walked over to the nightstand and picked up his gold circlet, placing it upon on his head. When I saw his eyes, they were violet again. He looked fully like himself, even pausing to transform back into godly clothes and let his hair down.
He smiled sadly at me. “If we’re to be traveling together, I shouldn’t waste concentration making myself look human.”
“Won’t that draw undue attention to us?” I wondered.
“It might,” he sighed, “but it might also -- offer you some protection. I don’t think this city is that safe.”
It almost certainly wasn’t, not for someone as unskilled and weak as myself.
I wrapped my arms around Nico, who embraced me in turn. He looked at me, and I fell into those beautiful eyes of his. Though we didn’t have the time, I leaned in and kissed him, anyway. He kissed me back, holding me close as he did so. Nico even tried to deepen the kiss, which I let him do.
It would be all too easy to lose myself as I played my tongue against his. Even as we kissed, I felt tears fall down my cheeks. Regretfully, I pulled away, breaking the kiss and letting Nico go.
“We should -- should get going,” I whispered, choking on my words.
“Before you do, I have something to give you.”
I jumped at that voice. Maris stood in the doorway, an anxious expression on her face and something in the palm of her hand.
“Maris?” I said.
She walked over to me and handed me the object, which turned out to be an iridescent glass pendant on a delicate silver chain.
I stammered, “I can’t take this. And why give it to me?”
“It’s for emergencies only. Hold the pendant and think of me, and I’ll appear wherever you are, as long as you’re in this realm of existence,” Maris whispered urgently.
Still, I didn’t understand. “Why help me at all?”
She said, “I don’t agree with Clara’s extreme position, but I need her help. Things in the world, they’re wrong. Something is very, very out of balance, and I can’t afford to refuse my old mentor’s aid. I don’t want to abandon you, though. This is all I can do. Good luck, Breccan.”
Maris left without saying another word. I got the feeling she didn’t want to be caught so much as talking to me. Nico looked at me, bewildered.
I placed the necklace around my neck. “I guess Maris is doing what she can?”
Would it be enough, though? Could Nico and I survive outside of Maris’ house? The shadow monsters appeared to be strong against divine magic, leading me to wonder just how safe Nico would be, never mind myself. That didn’t matter, though; we had to go out on our own because of Clara. My stomach tried to tie itself in knots, so I stole a glance at Nico. At the very least, we would be in this coming ordeal together.
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written for 500themes prompt #417 - "Falling from a Cloud"
previous chapter
---------
Nico and I sat on a stone bench in Clara’s backyard; he shook as I held him. I let him sob into my arms, feeling awful about how distressed he was. I did know he probably deserved to feel that way, but how could Nico even seek redemption if so many people believed him incapable of it? He wanted to do good, I could tell.
I wondered what the others were discussing as we waited outside; I hoped Maris would share with us once she was done talking with Clara.
“You didn’t have to -- to come with me,” Nico sniffed.
“I wasn’t going to abandon you,” I murmured.
He said, “I would have been okay.”
I pulled him closer to me. “I’m not so sure about that, and it’s not just about if you would be ‘okay’ or not.”
Nico asked, “Then what is it about?”
That was harder to explain than I thought. “It’s -- I don’t know, exactly. Nico, I care about you, and you don’t -- abandon people you care about just because it would be easier.”
He looked up at me, sky blue eyes shining. “You really believe that?”
“I do,” I said.
Suddenly, Maris appeared before us, along with the others. Isabel smirked, as did Finbar. Clara’s eyes were still hard, and Maris just looked unhappy and resigned.
“I have good news,” Maris muttered, contradicting her facial expression.
I loosened my grip on Nico slightly. “What is it?”
She said, “Clara has agreed to help us investigate and fight this mysterious new shadow threat. She’s an experienced and powerful mage, so we might have a chance at actually doing something.”
“Why do you look so unhappy?” I had to ask.
Isabel’s smirk grew worse. “Clara’s help, ah -- it comes on one condition.”
Clara looked at Nico, stony-faced. “I won’t help my old student if Nico here is part of her team. It simply is not going to happen. So, I’m afraid, Nico, that you can’t stay at Maris’ house any longer.”
My stomach sank; I could not have heard that right. “Are -- are you serious?”
“She is,” Isabel said.
Maris muttered, “My old mentor is, indeed, perfectly serious.”
“You can’t do this!” I cried.
“I assure you, she can,” Isabel drawled.
“Clara is coming back with us to visit my house. Nico, if you have any stuff, you’ll be allowed to gather it before you go,” Maris said.
I stammered, “Wh-where is Nico going to go?”
“That’s not my problem,” Clara murmured.
This wasn’t fair. I didn’t want Nico to go; I didn’t want to be without him. My chest hurt thinking about his being gone.
* * *
When we got back to Maris’ house, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“If Nico goes, I do, too,” I announced.
All eyes turned to look at me. I drew myself up to my fullest height and met everyone’s gazes, even though I shook on my feet. This -- I couldn’t back down from this. Maybe I didn’t have much courage, but I had enough courage for this.
“You want -- to come with me?” Nico asked. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
I said, “You don’t have to ask. I’m coming with you whether you tell me to or not.”
Isabel sneered, “Wow, you’re crazier and more lovesick than even I thought.”
I met her eyes. “Perhaps I am. It doesn’t change my decision.”
Without another word, I turned away from her and headed towards my room to gather my few belongings. Since I didn’t have that much, this shouldn’t take long. Soon, I heard footsteps. It was Nico. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
“I -- it will be much harder on you than it would be on me, if -- if you travel with me,” he murmured. “I don’t need to eat, and I can head back to the divine realm, if I must. That’s -- not really an option for you.”
I said, “We’ll make it, somehow.”
Nico walked over to the nightstand and picked up his gold circlet, placing it upon on his head. When I saw his eyes, they were violet again. He looked fully like himself, even pausing to transform back into godly clothes and let his hair down.
He smiled sadly at me. “If we’re to be traveling together, I shouldn’t waste concentration making myself look human.”
“Won’t that draw undue attention to us?” I wondered.
“It might,” he sighed, “but it might also -- offer you some protection. I don’t think this city is that safe.”
It almost certainly wasn’t, not for someone as unskilled and weak as myself.
I wrapped my arms around Nico, who embraced me in turn. He looked at me, and I fell into those beautiful eyes of his. Though we didn’t have the time, I leaned in and kissed him, anyway. He kissed me back, holding me close as he did so. Nico even tried to deepen the kiss, which I let him do.
It would be all too easy to lose myself as I played my tongue against his. Even as we kissed, I felt tears fall down my cheeks. Regretfully, I pulled away, breaking the kiss and letting Nico go.
“We should -- should get going,” I whispered, choking on my words.
“Before you do, I have something to give you.”
I jumped at that voice. Maris stood in the doorway, an anxious expression on her face and something in the palm of her hand.
“Maris?” I said.
She walked over to me and handed me the object, which turned out to be an iridescent glass pendant on a delicate silver chain.
I stammered, “I can’t take this. And why give it to me?”
“It’s for emergencies only. Hold the pendant and think of me, and I’ll appear wherever you are, as long as you’re in this realm of existence,” Maris whispered urgently.
Still, I didn’t understand. “Why help me at all?”
She said, “I don’t agree with Clara’s extreme position, but I need her help. Things in the world, they’re wrong. Something is very, very out of balance, and I can’t afford to refuse my old mentor’s aid. I don’t want to abandon you, though. This is all I can do. Good luck, Breccan.”
Maris left without saying another word. I got the feeling she didn’t want to be caught so much as talking to me. Nico looked at me, bewildered.
I placed the necklace around my neck. “I guess Maris is doing what she can?”
Would it be enough, though? Could Nico and I survive outside of Maris’ house? The shadow monsters appeared to be strong against divine magic, leading me to wonder just how safe Nico would be, never mind myself. That didn’t matter, though; we had to go out on our own because of Clara. My stomach tried to tie itself in knots, so I stole a glance at Nico. At the very least, we would be in this coming ordeal together.
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written for 500themes prompt #417 - "Falling from a Cloud"