MCSKSG nineteen
In which Guido issues a formal challenge to THROW DOWN, and then finally gets to meet his father. 2,326 words.
I don't know how Chris decided to distract Esperanza, but by the time I caught up to Lacy, she was waiting in the hallway by herself, looking very annoyed, and I assumed he had managed to drag her friend off under some pretense or another.
"Lacy," I said, grabbing her sleeve to pre-empt her from running away.
She turned, glaring. "Let go of me."
"What is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you?" she retorted, yanking her arm out of my grasp.
"What did she tell you?" I demanded.
"Leave me alone."
"Tell me what Esperanza told you, Lacy." I was wearing my boots. I didn't mean to do it, but I was so angry and desperate that I instinctively drew on my Seductionist powers to command an answer.
She straightened, squaring her shoulders. "You ditched me," she accused. "I fainted, and you just left me there on the street. I was lucky Esper came by and found me."
"That's a fucking lie!" I shouted, and I didn't care if anybody heard me.
There was a hint of scared confusion across her face - wondering why she'd just said that, probably - but it only lasted for an instant before changing to match my own anger. "If it's a lie, then how come I woke up on the street and you were gone?"
"Because--!" Because she'd gotten kidnapped by a Kafra monster who had apparently knocked her out, then dragged back to the street by Esperanza, who woke her up and Seduced her to believe that lie. Just so she could hurt me some more.
I straightened, too, forcing down a shaky breath to try to get my rage under control. I couldn't tell Lacy any of that. I knew it, and Esperanza knew it. There was nothing I could say to Lacy to get her to believe me over her best friend. Esperanza thought she had me defeated.
I stormed off, barely holding myself back from shoving Lacy aside, to go find Esperanza.
The first thing I ran into was Orion Black. Just my fucking luck. I stepped back, glaring up at him, for once not intimidated by dangerously cool Elyar senior.
He looked down at me, eyebrows threateningly lowered, and waited for me to mutter an apology and step around him.
I didn't. What I did was say, just loud enough for him to hear, "The Seductionist working for Kafra is Esperanza."
His eyes widened, eyebrows rising.
I stepped around him and continued my hunt before he could say anything to me.
I found Chris and Esperanza down an adjacent hallway, discussing plans for the WNC. I marched up to her, grabbed her shoulder, and threw her up against the wall. She and Chris both looked completely stunned.
"How fucking dare you," I said. "This is between us."
"Guido, stop it!" came Lacy's voice from the hallway.
I ignored her. "If you want to settle this, settle it with me. Or are you too afraid to face me?"
Lacy grabbed my shoulder, pulling me away. "What are you doing?!" she hissed.
"He's fighting for your honour!" Chris declared.
"No." I jerked myself out of her hold, shooting a hard look at Esperanza. "I'm fighting for my honour."
She drew in on herself, stepping away from the wall and glancing nervously at the surrounding hallway. "I don't know what you're--"
"Tonight," I said. "Midnight. You know where." Fabre's. Where everything had gone to hell in the first place.
A chorus went up from around us, and it was then that I realized a crowd had gathered to watch what looked like a brewing fight. I looked over my shoulder, turning frantic. I hadn't expected that, but I guess that's what happens when you throw somebody up against a wall in a high-traffic area.
Chris knew it, but he used it to my advantage. He pointed at Esperanza and said, "This bro has issued a challenge. Accept it, or admit you can't beat this shortcake in a fight."
"Thanks, Chris," I snarled, under my breath.
"Just doin' my job, bro," he whispered back.
Esperanza's friend, on the other hand, came up and tried to drag her off. "Come on, Esper," Lacy said. "Don't listen to him."
"No." She pushed Lacy away and looked me in the eye. "I'll be there." She said it with a confidence that made me begin to regret issuing the challenge in the first place.
Then she turned to Lacy and said, "Let's go," and the crowd parted for them to leave.
Chris turned to me and said, "You are really brave, or really stupid."
"Definitely the latter," I muttered.
"Hey."
My head snapped up. That was Orion Black looking at me, motioning me over. The crowd had been starting to dissipate, but they had stopped when they saw him calling for me.
Swallowing my apprehension, I walked over to him.
"Behind the gym," he said. "After school."
I nodded. It didn't sound like a fight challenge, but who knew with Orion Black?
He gave a single, slight nod to acknowledge my response, and then turned and left.
"Duuuuude," said Chris.
That pretty much summed it up, right there.
* * *
I made Chris wait for me while I went to speak with Orion Black alone. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I did know that he still intimidated the hell out of me.
He was waiting behind the gym, leaning against the wall like the suave dangerously cool dude that he is. He straightened and stepped away from the wall when he saw me. "Cowboy?" he guessed.
I nodded. It felt like I was supposed to respond in kind, so I said, "Ninja, right?"
He nodded back. "How did you know?"
It wasn't accusatory, just curious. That was what convinced me that he was speaking to me as an equal, a comrade. I was able to answer him without fear.
"You can sense other artifacts if you're not wearing yours," I said. "Something about interference, I think, I'm not sure. And the Ninja's the only Elyar I've seen, so..."
"I see." He folded his arms and regarded me thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "And the Knight is Esperanza? How do you know that?"
Long, complicated story that I did not want to tell. "She, uh. Revealed herself."
"Why would she do that?"
I sighed. "Personal drama?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "With you?"
I nodded.
"And you challenged her to a fight over it."
...Oh god. That was exactly what I'd done, wasn't it? The horror started to sink in.
"The Knight won't fight you fair," he said. "She'll bring Kafras."
Fuck, she probably would, wouldn't she? I hunched my shoulders, turning my eyes to the ground.
"I'll come."
My head snapped up.
"I'll round up Minstrel and Professor, and we'll go as your backup. Take out any Kafras she brings."
I was stunned. "...You'd do that?"
He gave me a cocky smirk. "We're Seductionists, aren't we? That makes us a team."
All I could do for a minute was stare.
"Where's the fight?" he asked.
"It's, um. Fabre's," I answered. "In Northend."
"Alright," he said. "I'll make sure everyone's there. You better go home and psyche yourself up for a hell of a fight, Cowboy."
* * *
I put Lacy and Esperanza and the Seductionists and the upcoming fight out of my mind, and Chris and I walked into the Lazy Fabre to meet my father for the first time.
Mr. Barozu - Rion, that is, Rayu's little brother - was behind the bar with one of Rayu's workers. I walked up to the counter, scanning the room for any unfamiliar Roses but not seeing any.
"Hey, Guido," Mr. Barozu said, as I stopped in front of him. I looked up at him, expectant. "There's somebody waiting for you in the back." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the door to the kitchen.
I exchanged a glance with Chris. He motioned for me to go, so I dropped my backpack off with him and walked around behind the counter to head into the kitchen.
I paused with one hand on the door to close my eyes and breathe. This was it. Who else could it be? I was about to open this door and come face to face with my father, a man I knew only through his letters, somebody I loved and respected and...and revered, without ever having met him.
If I didn't force myself to open that door, I'd just stand out there forever. One more deep breath to steel myself, and then I pushed open the door and stepped into the kitchen.
It was empty, except for Rayu, busy unloading the dishwasher.
I stopped, staring at him. "Rayu?"
He cringed, nearly dropping a glass. He set it on the counter and turned, slowly, to face me. "...Bad time for this, huh?"
I wrapped my arms around myself, confused, anxious.
He sighed, gaze downcast. "So. I have good news, and bad news."
I didn't say anything.
"The bad news is that you have to learn that somebody very close to you has been lying to you your whole life. The good news is..." He looked up, looked me in the eyes. "The good news is, your father's always been here for you. You just never knew it."
Rayu was my father?
No. I couldn't believe it. I sank back against the wall, shocked and...and hurt. He was right. This was a bad time. I'd just told him, yesterday, about how one of my friends had betrayed my trust, and now...now this?
I'd been friends with Rayu for years. Ever since Mom and I had moved to Prontera. That whole time...that whole time, he'd been lying to me.
"I guess..." I sniffed. I wasn't sure whether to be upset or angry. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," I mumbled. "You lie about everything."
He winced, like I'd just slapped him. "I'm not lying about this."
"Why..." I wanted to scream, throw something, break something, break down crying. I swallowed all that down and forced myself to stay calm. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He leaned against the counter behind him, hands on its edge, and regarded me for a moment before he answered. "It's not an answer you'll like," he said finally. "But I was scared."
"Scared?" I repeated.
"I didn't know how you'd react. What your mother had decided to share with you about me. What you thought of me. If you even wanted me in your life." He took a deep breath, which came out as a heavy sigh. "So I got close to you as a friend, instead of as your father, because it came without any expectations. I could get to know you, watch out for you, be there for you...be your father, without having to be your father."
"That's." I swallowed again, this time it was the urge to walk out and run away from this. "That's stupid."
"I know it is."
I couldn't say anything to that.
"But all the same, I'm glad I made that choice." He smiled. "Because I got to be a part of your life."
I had to fight down the lump in my throat now, but it was anger threatening to make me cry. "You still could've. You didn't have to lie about it."
"Do you think your mother would've let me be your father, Guido? Do you think she would've let me play as large a role in your life as I have if you knew who I really was?"
Mom. Of course it came down to Mom. I was forced to admit, "No."
She'd already told me that she had ditched my father because she wanted me to herself. She was probably worried that I'd run off and leave her all alone if my dad showed up. And - this was the biggest part - my mom is terrifying. Terrifying enough to keep a bunch of low-life thugs in line and run a business through them. Too terrifying for one man who only wanted to be a part of his son's life.
I guess... I guess I couldn't blame Rayu for trying to circumvent her.
It struck me suddenly how much he'd done for me other the years. Over just the past few months, even. Calling Mom before I got home to let her know about getting sent to the principal's office, showing up at the police station with her after I'd escaped from Huan Jin Tai, all the advice he'd given, even just being there for me yesterday when I'd needed to talk. With all that in mind, it became much easier to accept. He'd been looking out for me all along.
"Hey," he said, "I'm sorry about the timing. But I told you I'd do this on your birthday, and I thought letting you down would be worse."
I didn't know what to say to that.
He stepped forward, moving across the kitchen. "I'm sorry that I carried the lie for so long. But there's one thing that's always been true, and always will be true, and I will never lie to you about that." He set a hand on my shoulder, smiling softly. "I love you."
God damn Rayu, always knowing just the right thing to say. I threw myself forward, latched onto him, buried my face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and held me, the same fatherly sort of comfort I'd always gotten from Rayu and had never thought about.
It was a disappointment. I'd been expecting somebody new and unfamiliar, somebody adventurous, larger than life, who'd regale me with tales of his exploits across the world. But instead, I got Rayu. I got somebody I knew. Somebody I trusted, somebody I saw all the time, somebody I could always depend on. And maybe that wasn't what I'd expected, but it wasn't so bad after all.
I don't know how Chris decided to distract Esperanza, but by the time I caught up to Lacy, she was waiting in the hallway by herself, looking very annoyed, and I assumed he had managed to drag her friend off under some pretense or another.
"Lacy," I said, grabbing her sleeve to pre-empt her from running away.
She turned, glaring. "Let go of me."
"What is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you?" she retorted, yanking her arm out of my grasp.
"What did she tell you?" I demanded.
"Leave me alone."
"Tell me what Esperanza told you, Lacy." I was wearing my boots. I didn't mean to do it, but I was so angry and desperate that I instinctively drew on my Seductionist powers to command an answer.
She straightened, squaring her shoulders. "You ditched me," she accused. "I fainted, and you just left me there on the street. I was lucky Esper came by and found me."
"That's a fucking lie!" I shouted, and I didn't care if anybody heard me.
There was a hint of scared confusion across her face - wondering why she'd just said that, probably - but it only lasted for an instant before changing to match my own anger. "If it's a lie, then how come I woke up on the street and you were gone?"
"Because--!" Because she'd gotten kidnapped by a Kafra monster who had apparently knocked her out, then dragged back to the street by Esperanza, who woke her up and Seduced her to believe that lie. Just so she could hurt me some more.
I straightened, too, forcing down a shaky breath to try to get my rage under control. I couldn't tell Lacy any of that. I knew it, and Esperanza knew it. There was nothing I could say to Lacy to get her to believe me over her best friend. Esperanza thought she had me defeated.
I stormed off, barely holding myself back from shoving Lacy aside, to go find Esperanza.
The first thing I ran into was Orion Black. Just my fucking luck. I stepped back, glaring up at him, for once not intimidated by dangerously cool Elyar senior.
He looked down at me, eyebrows threateningly lowered, and waited for me to mutter an apology and step around him.
I didn't. What I did was say, just loud enough for him to hear, "The Seductionist working for Kafra is Esperanza."
His eyes widened, eyebrows rising.
I stepped around him and continued my hunt before he could say anything to me.
I found Chris and Esperanza down an adjacent hallway, discussing plans for the WNC. I marched up to her, grabbed her shoulder, and threw her up against the wall. She and Chris both looked completely stunned.
"How fucking dare you," I said. "This is between us."
"Guido, stop it!" came Lacy's voice from the hallway.
I ignored her. "If you want to settle this, settle it with me. Or are you too afraid to face me?"
Lacy grabbed my shoulder, pulling me away. "What are you doing?!" she hissed.
"He's fighting for your honour!" Chris declared.
"No." I jerked myself out of her hold, shooting a hard look at Esperanza. "I'm fighting for my honour."
She drew in on herself, stepping away from the wall and glancing nervously at the surrounding hallway. "I don't know what you're--"
"Tonight," I said. "Midnight. You know where." Fabre's. Where everything had gone to hell in the first place.
A chorus went up from around us, and it was then that I realized a crowd had gathered to watch what looked like a brewing fight. I looked over my shoulder, turning frantic. I hadn't expected that, but I guess that's what happens when you throw somebody up against a wall in a high-traffic area.
Chris knew it, but he used it to my advantage. He pointed at Esperanza and said, "This bro has issued a challenge. Accept it, or admit you can't beat this shortcake in a fight."
"Thanks, Chris," I snarled, under my breath.
"Just doin' my job, bro," he whispered back.
Esperanza's friend, on the other hand, came up and tried to drag her off. "Come on, Esper," Lacy said. "Don't listen to him."
"No." She pushed Lacy away and looked me in the eye. "I'll be there." She said it with a confidence that made me begin to regret issuing the challenge in the first place.
Then she turned to Lacy and said, "Let's go," and the crowd parted for them to leave.
Chris turned to me and said, "You are really brave, or really stupid."
"Definitely the latter," I muttered.
"Hey."
My head snapped up. That was Orion Black looking at me, motioning me over. The crowd had been starting to dissipate, but they had stopped when they saw him calling for me.
Swallowing my apprehension, I walked over to him.
"Behind the gym," he said. "After school."
I nodded. It didn't sound like a fight challenge, but who knew with Orion Black?
He gave a single, slight nod to acknowledge my response, and then turned and left.
"Duuuuude," said Chris.
That pretty much summed it up, right there.
* * *
I made Chris wait for me while I went to speak with Orion Black alone. I didn't know what he was going to do, but I did know that he still intimidated the hell out of me.
He was waiting behind the gym, leaning against the wall like the suave dangerously cool dude that he is. He straightened and stepped away from the wall when he saw me. "Cowboy?" he guessed.
I nodded. It felt like I was supposed to respond in kind, so I said, "Ninja, right?"
He nodded back. "How did you know?"
It wasn't accusatory, just curious. That was what convinced me that he was speaking to me as an equal, a comrade. I was able to answer him without fear.
"You can sense other artifacts if you're not wearing yours," I said. "Something about interference, I think, I'm not sure. And the Ninja's the only Elyar I've seen, so..."
"I see." He folded his arms and regarded me thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "And the Knight is Esperanza? How do you know that?"
Long, complicated story that I did not want to tell. "She, uh. Revealed herself."
"Why would she do that?"
I sighed. "Personal drama?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "With you?"
I nodded.
"And you challenged her to a fight over it."
...Oh god. That was exactly what I'd done, wasn't it? The horror started to sink in.
"The Knight won't fight you fair," he said. "She'll bring Kafras."
Fuck, she probably would, wouldn't she? I hunched my shoulders, turning my eyes to the ground.
"I'll come."
My head snapped up.
"I'll round up Minstrel and Professor, and we'll go as your backup. Take out any Kafras she brings."
I was stunned. "...You'd do that?"
He gave me a cocky smirk. "We're Seductionists, aren't we? That makes us a team."
All I could do for a minute was stare.
"Where's the fight?" he asked.
"It's, um. Fabre's," I answered. "In Northend."
"Alright," he said. "I'll make sure everyone's there. You better go home and psyche yourself up for a hell of a fight, Cowboy."
* * *
I put Lacy and Esperanza and the Seductionists and the upcoming fight out of my mind, and Chris and I walked into the Lazy Fabre to meet my father for the first time.
Mr. Barozu - Rion, that is, Rayu's little brother - was behind the bar with one of Rayu's workers. I walked up to the counter, scanning the room for any unfamiliar Roses but not seeing any.
"Hey, Guido," Mr. Barozu said, as I stopped in front of him. I looked up at him, expectant. "There's somebody waiting for you in the back." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the door to the kitchen.
I exchanged a glance with Chris. He motioned for me to go, so I dropped my backpack off with him and walked around behind the counter to head into the kitchen.
I paused with one hand on the door to close my eyes and breathe. This was it. Who else could it be? I was about to open this door and come face to face with my father, a man I knew only through his letters, somebody I loved and respected and...and revered, without ever having met him.
If I didn't force myself to open that door, I'd just stand out there forever. One more deep breath to steel myself, and then I pushed open the door and stepped into the kitchen.
It was empty, except for Rayu, busy unloading the dishwasher.
I stopped, staring at him. "Rayu?"
He cringed, nearly dropping a glass. He set it on the counter and turned, slowly, to face me. "...Bad time for this, huh?"
I wrapped my arms around myself, confused, anxious.
He sighed, gaze downcast. "So. I have good news, and bad news."
I didn't say anything.
"The bad news is that you have to learn that somebody very close to you has been lying to you your whole life. The good news is..." He looked up, looked me in the eyes. "The good news is, your father's always been here for you. You just never knew it."
Rayu was my father?
No. I couldn't believe it. I sank back against the wall, shocked and...and hurt. He was right. This was a bad time. I'd just told him, yesterday, about how one of my friends had betrayed my trust, and now...now this?
I'd been friends with Rayu for years. Ever since Mom and I had moved to Prontera. That whole time...that whole time, he'd been lying to me.
"I guess..." I sniffed. I wasn't sure whether to be upset or angry. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," I mumbled. "You lie about everything."
He winced, like I'd just slapped him. "I'm not lying about this."
"Why..." I wanted to scream, throw something, break something, break down crying. I swallowed all that down and forced myself to stay calm. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He leaned against the counter behind him, hands on its edge, and regarded me for a moment before he answered. "It's not an answer you'll like," he said finally. "But I was scared."
"Scared?" I repeated.
"I didn't know how you'd react. What your mother had decided to share with you about me. What you thought of me. If you even wanted me in your life." He took a deep breath, which came out as a heavy sigh. "So I got close to you as a friend, instead of as your father, because it came without any expectations. I could get to know you, watch out for you, be there for you...be your father, without having to be your father."
"That's." I swallowed again, this time it was the urge to walk out and run away from this. "That's stupid."
"I know it is."
I couldn't say anything to that.
"But all the same, I'm glad I made that choice." He smiled. "Because I got to be a part of your life."
I had to fight down the lump in my throat now, but it was anger threatening to make me cry. "You still could've. You didn't have to lie about it."
"Do you think your mother would've let me be your father, Guido? Do you think she would've let me play as large a role in your life as I have if you knew who I really was?"
Mom. Of course it came down to Mom. I was forced to admit, "No."
She'd already told me that she had ditched my father because she wanted me to herself. She was probably worried that I'd run off and leave her all alone if my dad showed up. And - this was the biggest part - my mom is terrifying. Terrifying enough to keep a bunch of low-life thugs in line and run a business through them. Too terrifying for one man who only wanted to be a part of his son's life.
I guess... I guess I couldn't blame Rayu for trying to circumvent her.
It struck me suddenly how much he'd done for me other the years. Over just the past few months, even. Calling Mom before I got home to let her know about getting sent to the principal's office, showing up at the police station with her after I'd escaped from Huan Jin Tai, all the advice he'd given, even just being there for me yesterday when I'd needed to talk. With all that in mind, it became much easier to accept. He'd been looking out for me all along.
"Hey," he said, "I'm sorry about the timing. But I told you I'd do this on your birthday, and I thought letting you down would be worse."
I didn't know what to say to that.
He stepped forward, moving across the kitchen. "I'm sorry that I carried the lie for so long. But there's one thing that's always been true, and always will be true, and I will never lie to you about that." He set a hand on my shoulder, smiling softly. "I love you."
God damn Rayu, always knowing just the right thing to say. I threw myself forward, latched onto him, buried my face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and held me, the same fatherly sort of comfort I'd always gotten from Rayu and had never thought about.
It was a disappointment. I'd been expecting somebody new and unfamiliar, somebody adventurous, larger than life, who'd regale me with tales of his exploits across the world. But instead, I got Rayu. I got somebody I knew. Somebody I trusted, somebody I saw all the time, somebody I could always depend on. And maybe that wasn't what I'd expected, but it wasn't so bad after all.