bibliophile

It didn’t take long for Evelyn to stand up, her eyebrows furrowed.

“How?” she asked. No, not quite asked. There was an urgency in her voice, all of her hesitations gone, the fearful look in her eyes completely gone. This wasn’t her asking for more information. This was her demanding information. Because even if there was a small chance, Evelyn wanted the information. She wanted to know just why they did so much to her and Soseki. And whatever that reason was, Evelyn wanted to shut it down so there wasn’t a reason anymore.

She stared at Russell expectantly, a clear focus in her eyes that wasn’t there before. It was difficult, talking about her own feelings to someone. But now that there was a clear enemy with someone to blame…that made it all the more easier for her.

There was no going back after saying that so Russell continued. “I’ve maintained connections in the Norad army. They would be very interested in hearing about any Sechs activity, so anything we can provide them with — information of their whereabouts, their numbers, what they were doing — would be of interest and help to them. And based on what they find out, perhaps we could get some answers.”

The Wizard had been out for his nightly walk to forage for wild plant life when he felt the cold chill run down his back. He could practically smell the dark magic wafting towards Arcadian shores from the waters of the sea. He walked to the docks, Luna following close at his heels and meowing in curiosity, wondering where they were going. 

He never startled easily, but seeing his friend lying on the ground had the Wizard hurrying towards the fallen man and crouching below him. The dark energy that emanated from his… friend? From Russell, was bragging of its cursed ability to tear this poor mortal apart. The Wizard huffed and held the glasses out for Luna to hold, then hefted Russell up, wrapping an arm around his torso and pulling the man’s arm over his shoulder. 

“Let’s go…” He guided Russell back in the direction of the Wizard’s home, where he laid the man on the couch and proceeded to brew a cup of herbal tea, a mixture of Chamomile, Cayenne, and Motherwort. He returned to Russel’s side, bringing the cup of tea to the man’s lips. “Drink… please.”

Someone was helping him, but Russell couldn’t tell who. The pain was so intense, his vision was dark, and every minute felt like it could be his last. They were going somewhere, though if he walked or was dragged along he wasn’t sure. Thinking, much less moving, was beyond his capabilities right now, every thought drowned out by the pain coursing through his body. Labored, strangled breaths ripped from his chest.

At some point, they reached somewhere, and Russell was laid down. Moments (or minutes?) passed before the person came back pushed something against his lips. He couldn’t stop and think if he should trust them, he simply tried to go along with what they wanted. Surely anything was better than his current state. 

The concoction didn’t go down easily but Russell drank what he could, and it took several moments before he felt any changes. The pain abated and his vision cleared enough that he could see his friend.

“I’m sure you have, but I cannot in good conscience advise it,” Trent said. He knew monster fighting was common on the islands, but would never support it as a good idea. Not after everything he’d seen. He arched a brow when he saw Russell’s posture shift, hearing the sharp breath. “Hurting, I take it?”

Russell gave a tight nod and attempted to roll his shoulder, only to still it with a another sharp intake. He turned toward Trent with a strained smile. “It happens every now and then. Old wounds, new wounds, it all mixes together after awhile. But, I won’t trouble you while you’re not working.” Though if Trent was anything like him, work was never really over. Still, he would feel bad bothering him over wounds that never stilled. 

It had been a very long shift for Alex, to say the least. 

It was after the chaos died down did he find himself sitting down, running his hands through his hair as the others started working on cleaning up. Since Alex was on the team to strictly provide medical relief - he knew he would be of more use for treatment than retrieval, even if he could pull the weight of an actual firefighter - the fire had mainly been a long period of waiting for Alex. Waiting as the others put out the fire, as some entered in the house to pull out the residents. And while the injuries weren’t as bad, it was still a period of helping around outside the building and keeping a close eye on the perimeter for anyone emerging.

It was a surprise to see Russell again, especially in this kind of scenario. 

“I hope so, too,” Alex spoke, looking up at Russell, “Thankfully, their injuries weren’t as bad as they could be. Taking away smoke inhalation, the worst we got was a second degree burn, and it was a small one, at that. They all should be fine, in time.” He meant that medically and mentally. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be trapped in all of that. At the very least, that was why the fire station was here, now.

A relief, but Russell was too tired to smile. “That’s good to hear.” Genuine words despite how worn he looked. The tiredness went right into his bones and took a deep hold of his marrow. “These islands are rife with these sorts of disasters.” 

It wasn’t often Ayame made food for herself, let alone for anyone else, but considering this was a special occasion, she’d actually gotten up early and made bento boxes to take along to the moon viewing. She was definitely no expert at it, and they definitely weren’t fancy, or especially pretty looking, but she had done her best. For some reason, despite how lazy she usually was, when she knew it was going to be eaten by Russell, it didn’t seem like as much work. She just had to remember not to make anything with milk in it - she was glad she remembered these things, even if it was usually because she nagged people a lot. 

Of course, she had had to keep the food in the fridge at work with a giant sign saying not to touch them - thankfully she had managed to keep anyone from eating them. And before she left the office, she filled a thermos with hot green tea. It was more to carry than she was used to, but she figured it would be okay, even if she knew that the other staff were likely wondering what was going on.

Once she had gotten everything packed up into a tote bag, she said her goodbyes to her colleagues and then headed off to meet Russell. She knew he had said he would be late, but she still wanted to get there on time, just in case.

As she arrived at the front of the station, she couldn’t help but smile. It was already getting dark and even though she had attended this festival many times, she was strangely looking forward to this one. Hopefully they would both have a fantastic evening. 

@bespectaclednerd 

There were only a few officers on duty tonight. The ones that were would be out providing security across Arcadia during the festivities while the others had requested the night off. Russell originally intended to be on duty as well but his plans had changed. 

Unfortunately, his paperwork hadn’t. He was still working when Ayame appeared in his doorway. He double take, checked the clock, then cursed under his breath. 

So he wasn’t ready to talk about it. That was fine. Tori was just getting ready to open up herself. Maybe he’d tell her later.

Surprisingly even to herself, the words came spilling out faster than she meant to allow them. “I-in the city…there were c-copies of us, a-all of us…” She picked up the teacup with her good hand, clutching it tight. “Th-they looked just like u-us…b-but acted completely…d-different. They…t-tried to convince us, that th-they were…a b-better version of ourselves.” Tori drew in a shuddering breath.

“A-and there was…this m-mirror…th-that they tried to convince u-us to go th-through, to trap us…” She glanced down at her cast, “S-so, I broke it…th-the mirror…and then we fl-fled.” That was the voyage, in a nutshell.

The more Russell learned of the islands, the more they fascinated him. On one hand, there was no stopping his protective side, he was worried for Tori and relieved that she made it out alive. In fact, he would be even more relieved if she didn’t go on such trips again, but there monsters on these islands alone and he couldn’t stop her from going outside. 

Still, there were several mysteries behind these islands, and he wanted to uncover their secrets. 

Right now his focus was Tori.

“These islands are filled with all kinds of dangers. I’m glad you’re alright.” He paused as her words turned over in his head a few more times. 

“I haven’t really interacted with the guild yet, but on principle, it sounds like a good idea,” Trent said. It would get exposure, and surely only people with some idea of what to do would accept the job. He winced at the size of the thorn Russel showed him, shaking his head. “I’d really just as soon you not end up calling me as a doctor, no. That could end badly. Very badly.”

He sighed, eyeing the brilliant blooms, with a pensive frown. “I don’t know nearly enough of that end of botany to have any idea about that, honestly. But they are rather eye catching… magic could well be involved. That would explain the incredible growth.”

Russell turned toward Trent with a grin. “I’ve fought worse than this but I think you’re right. I prefer calling on you as a friend, not for having my skin gouged out.” Not that it hadn’t happened. As if it could hear him, an old dragon fire wound on his shoulder flared up and Russell stood with a sharp inhale. 

Evelyn had a feeling that would be the answer. As much as she wanted to wish for another answer, she knew that would be the only one she would get. With how collected Russell seemed, Evelyn almost hoped that he unlocked some sort of miracle that made it just go away like it never happened. But of course life didn’t work like that. Life just shoved problems in your lap that clawed deep into your skin, whether you deserved them or not. 

She was silent for a long moment after his question, looking away from him. 

“No…I’m not in any trouble right now,” Evelyn paused. Was that a lie? She knew that those soldiers could come back at any moment now. That they would turn their escape into a brief respite before the rest of their lives. That everything she lived through in the moment - everything she held close to her - were just sandcastles to be knocked down by the slightest push. 

Evelyn brushed her hand through her bangs, looking more nervous and unsure than she ever looked before. Especially in front of Russell.

“My boyfriend and I were captured by Sechs soldiers several weeks ago. We were out on a boat and we heard a distress signal. And when we got there, we were separated and they found me,” Evelyn started bluntly, letting that fact just hang in the air for a spell before she continued, “I’m not entirely sure why, but they were after him. Bastards tried to make a deal with me. I tried to give Soseki some time to escape but…we were both captured. And what we went through before we escaped was absolute hell.” 

Slowly, Evelyn reached over to set the water down on the edge of Russell’s desk. And then, she slowly started rolling up one of her sleeves until a circular scar was unveiled on her forearm. Gunshot. One of two she had sustained on that voyage. 

Whatever answer Russell expected, it wasn’t that. His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline and he half stood, chair skidding backwards in the sudden movement. “What?” 

Sechs. Here. Russell had no doubt that they’d stretch their wings as far as they could, but somehow he had never... and that was the issue, wasn’t it? He had become complacent out here. Assumed that they would never come all the way out here. How silly to think he could leave the troubles of war like that virus didn’t spread to each continent and home until all were affected. And the Sechs were the worst perpetrators of all. 

Seeing Evelyn’s wound made a cold feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. 

Russell tried to collect himself, but found it was pretty impossible to sit still now and began pacing behind his desk. How? And why were they after Soseki? 

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