bright solace.

     whoops. at least flynn’s not chewing him out this time around. yuri plops himself down on the stump that he’s sitting on, shoving his friend aside ever-so-slightly in the process. “i figured. glad you didn’t freeze over while waiting for me.” for some reason, the great white doesn’t seem as overwhelming as it usually does. then again, yuri’s usually out here on his own - maybe company really does make all the difference. huh. 

     flynn’s question tears yuri away from his thoughts. “…camera?” yuri echoes, brows raised. “what the hell’s a camera?” 

    [♢] → when yuri sits down next to him, flynn’s suddenly snapped out of the slight daydream state he was in. as nice as it was to sit by himself out in nature, the company is welcome to get him out of his own head for a while.

mayor task. “i wanna see a penguin!!” ↪ @brightsolace

     the morning air is crisp and refreshing, and yuri walks through eidolon village with an obvious sense of purpose. admittedly, he’s pretty excited about this particular job. he’s never seen these type of penguins in the flesh before… just in the books and pictures around eidolon. they seem cute. too cute. totally unlike the penguinists that lurk around the blade drifts back home. he’s going to have to do his best to keep it together while flynn’s here… though he probably blew that already, judging by how overtly excited he was to see this request pinned on the board.

     speaking of flynn - of course he’s already standing at their agreed-upon meeting place. they’re technically already outside of eidolon village. the trip to the beach where the penguins gather shouldn’t take too long if everything goes according to plan. 

     “hey.” yuri gives him a short wave. “are you early or am i late?” 

    [♢] → “You’re late, as usual.” flynn says, much more of a simple, matter-of-fact answer to yuri’s question than a hostile remark. he’s sitting on a stump looking out at a view of the wilderness, in his scouting gear to keep warm. he’d been there for about half an hour already and the chill was only just beginning to sink into his clothes. he felt relaxed, for once, after all the chaotic readjustments he’d been through since arriving.

     “wow. anything, anytime?” there’s yuri’s grin. “i’m not gonna lie - that’s a pretty impressive offer. can’t promise that i won’t take advantage of it.” he’s teasing, of course - that much is obvious. “let’s just agree to have each other’s backs, then, yeah? we can make the most out of whatever this situation is.” 

     yuri takes his first bite of the stew and its effect on him is instant. the great white drained him; made him feel cold all over. the stew is hearty and soothing, and… honestly? being next to flynn like this… it really does feel like the good old days back in the lower quarter. it’s surprising how much of a comfort that is to yuri - so surprising that he ends up feeling… a little flustered. what the hell? he focuses on eating, devouring most of the dish in a matter of seconds. 

     eventually, though, he pauses. “…y’know,” he says, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. “maybe we can both make ourselves useful. to each other, i mean.” he takes a sip of his ale. “we’re scouts. we should take something on as a team.” there’s never a shortage of job postings at eidolon hall, after all. 

    [♢] → “Something as a team? One of those requests, maybe?” he recalls the monthly job postings at the mayor’s office. the idea of working together brings back memories of their early time as knights. “Sounds like it’d be just like the old days. We should do it.”

     yuri’s anger was so strong, it overcame him. now? its flame is burning out - and fast. in a matter of seconds, he’s left with nothing but the smoky, acrid taste of regret on his tongue. it’s easier when flynn gets angry, too. way easier.

     “…it’s fine,” he manages to say, his voice quiet. “i’m the one who’s spouting a bunch of… shit.” why does he get so defensive with flynn? this never happens with anyone else. resorting to low blows like that - it’s beyond pathetic. he’d throttle anyone who made flynn look the way he does right now. so why the hell is yuri, himself, the one responsible for it? “we can’t let anything get in our way. whether we’re here in eidolon or not, it doesn’t make any difference.” his hands ball into fists. “i don’t know why we were chosen for any of this crap, but i do have a wish. if being here is the only way of achieving that wish, then… that’s that.”  

     their food arrives. after murmuring his thanks to lute, yuri takes a moment to simply stare down into the stew he ordered. the warmth it gives off is so soothing. “…of course, it kind of sucked, thinking i had to make my way over to that goal alone, before.” he glances at flynn. “can’t help but wonder if we’ll be able to… y’know. actually stay on the same page.” he tries to smirk, but it ends up looking more like a plain old smile. “for once.” 

    [♢] → for now, flynn was unable to bring himself to eat any of the small amount of potatoes and green beans he’d ordered, instead choosing to poke at the plate distractedly with his fork. what kind of change could he bring about, stuck here like this?

    [♢] → at least yuri was here. and yuri had a wish, something he could work towards. if nothing else... if there was no other part of home flynn could help, he could help yuri. after all, yuri himself was as much the embodiment of ‘home’ to him as any physical place was. though, it’d be rightfully embarrassing to say that out loud.

          {♠} —; “Of course, not at all. Take time to powder your nose and change, it’s not like I’ve anywhere to go.” she chuckles, stepping aside so he could enter. Slender hands closed the door behind her, and she took a seat, fumbling with the ring around her finger. At least she’s meeting acquaintance with individuals. Already this was better than any other possible outcome. Well, most outcomes.

          {♠} —; When she watches him return, she smiles. Well, it seemed that at the very least she’d have someone capable to walk around with, given his appearance and recent addition. Seems like everyone here got something back huh? And all she had was her ring—and it didn’t even have its original properties. Well, she’ll figure out her way around her somehow. Even if she has to work from the bottom up to develop her magic again.

          {♠} —; “Sure, let’s head off then, Flynn.”

          {♠} —; She gets up, draping her cape around her as she does. After exiting she suggests they head towards the corner store. It seemed like that would be the best place for them to begin their trek, and maybe they could learn how commerce worked here. In the meanwhile, she’ll pass the time with idle conversation.

          {♠} —; “So then, tell me Flynn—what were you known for back in your world then, hm?”

    [♢] → he nods in response to the suggestion; learning how commerce worked here as well as being able to purchase supplies seemed like a good idea to start with. he didn’t see much in the way of food in the bunkhouse, though he had only spared a cursory glance.

    [♢] → “I’m a—” he stopped speaking for a moment, catching himself. this was going to be a hard transition. “Rather, I was a knight captain in the imperial army of Zaphias. That’s the capital of Ilycia, continent in the world of Terca Lumireis.” it felt entirely silly to list off exactly where he was from bit by bit, but he supposed if they were from a different world, it would be the better option, rather than risk confusion. 

     an indignant anger bubbles in yuri’s chest - it casts a thick, blistering fog over his thoughts. he gives lute his order, too - he hasn’t eaten his dinner yet, so he opts for a more filling meal - but his tone is unnecessarily sharp. once she’s gone, he narrows his eyes. “estelle’d disagree. it was plenty beneficial to her. like i’ve told you a million times before, i didn’t drag her anywhere. she wanted to travel with me and the others. it was her choice.” he huffs. “and who can blame her? it beat being cooped up in that shitty castle.”

     he hates when he gets like this. flynn says one thing and it gets under his skin… completely setting him off. he wants to keep it together. to be unaffected; to brush it off as flynn being flynn. too bad that’s impossible - especially when he’s as exhausted as he is right now. “besides, i was being productive. do you remember the lower quarter’s aque blastia? the one that i got back? or are you too distracted by the memories of your shiny new uniform? too bad your title doesn’t mean anything over here.” anger aside, the moment those words leave his throat, yuri regrets them. he groans, shaking his head - but his pride doesn’t let him express that regret. 

    [♢] → flynn sighed after realizing how much he had set yuri off, and rubbed his forehead gently. “There’s more to the situation than that. Things aren’t as simple and easy as you think they are.” the mere thought of the chaos the princess’s absence caused made him feel ten times more tired. he had been so busy with his pilgrimage, and his other duties, that having that issue rise up on the side was a bit overwhelming. but it wasn’t even about him— it was about the people, who had no idea their princess was gone, and the council being in peril and in no position to wrestle control away from the knights. as much as flynn was a knight through and through, he had to agree a militarized government was not the best option, especially when the capital was as closed off as it was.

    [♢] → then yuri’s last comment hits him with a force he wasn’t expecting. he felt it too, the anger bubbling up in his chest like lava, but he forced it down, and it was replaced by a sore sadness. he leaned over and rested his elbows onto the bar. “You’re right. It doesn’t.” he said simply. all of his hard work, years of training and struggling to get to the position he had— gone. the silence lingers for a moment before he can work himself up to saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start a fight only ten minutes after meeting up with you.”

     damn. so flynn’s in the same predicament as he is. yuri nods slowly. “yeah. my memories are clear up to that point, too.” at flynn’s mention of the monster, its voice comes back to yuri… along with its… name? phaeroh. shit. yuri just knows he’s going to be having a million dreams tonight. “i also remember fighting alongside you. it’s less clear, but… in that memory, you’re in your captain regalia. i think it’s safe to say neither of us has the full story just yet.” as if waking up in eidolon wasn’t confusing enough.

     “anyway - guess that stuff doesn’t matter, now.” memories will come back to them with time; painful or not, all they have is the reality of the situation here. “what does matter is your tendency to overwork yourself. there’s no use trying to hide it.” he scrowls. “and i’m not saying that out of worry! give me a break. i just know how headstrong you can be. no amount of fancy promises can cover up that stubborn streak of yours.” yuri’s well aware that he’s not one to talk, but he always gets this weird satisfaction from lecturing flynn - even when they were just kids. 

     “also.” yuri stops walking, turning on his heel to face flynn once more. “i did think about becoming a tavern-hand. but then i remembered my, uh. track record. for… you know.” he shrugs, as if it’s something beyond his control. “…bar fights.” he turns back around, resuming the walk so that flynn won’t see the self-satisfied grin spreading across his face. “and the advertisement for the building job talked about teamwork a bit too much for my taste. i’m not opposed to helping out every now and then, though.” after all, he fixed up a lot of stuff back in the lower quarter. “guess i’m just used to wandering around now. you were always the one encouraging me to see the world. technically, this is your fault.” he rolls his eyes. “…so i’m not surprised that you’re a scout, too. have you seen anything interesting out there?” 

     at that moment, they arrive in front of the crystal. not waiting for a reply, yuri shoves open its door and makes a beeline for the bar - trusting that flynn’ll just follow him over. 

    [♢] → flynn reaches out for yuri as if to stop him from wandering off so quickly, but falls short of catching him. he waves, a bit abashedly, at a few of the familiar patrons he saw before leaving not even an hour ago, and makes his way to the bar to sit next to yuri.

    [♢] → flynn stood in the middle of the the crystal chateau, his gaze locked to the crystalline statue centered within. the image of the crying woman always struck a chord with him ever since he first saw it. he wasn’t sure why, but something about it always reminded him of his mother. maybe it was the tears that brought back memories of the aftermath of his father’s death. it didn’t make him sad, exactly— it had been far too long ago for that— it only stirred in his chest a hollow nostalgia.

     yuri stares at flynn for a moment. eidolon is still unfamiliar to him - yet the sight of his best friend offering his hand to him is so familiar that it makes yuri’s chest ache. he looks away. he’s not entirely sure what he’s trying to prove - to flynn, to himself - but that doesn’t stop him from rising to his feet by himself; pointedly not taking flynn’s hand. “anything you can offer, you give, huh? do you practice upstanding lines like that or do they naturally come to you?” his tone is light and teasing, and a smirk flashes across his face.

     “just make sure that you don’t spread yourself out too thin. you’ll be no use to anyone if you suddenly collapsed.” not that yuri’s one to talk. hopefully flynn won’t catch on to how exhausted he is. “the great white’s merciless.” he glances over at him. “i’d know. i’m a scout, too.” hilarious, how they’d end up working the same job, here. at that thought, memories of fighting at flynn’s side come back to him - but they dissipate into something abstract before yuri can so much as blink. huh. maybe that night with ragou wasn’t the last time they met. 

     he should bring that up with flynn. what if he remembered more than yuri? that’s way more than a little disconcerting. “anyway. the crystal sounds good.” he turns on his heel, away from flynn and towards the tavern. somehow, not looking right at him will make admitting this easier. “…stuff from before eidolon has been coming back to me in bits and pieces. usually in more weird dreams, but sometimes it just… clicks. i try not to think about it too much. it’s hard enough just staying warm over here.” a soft sigh. “still, i have to know. what’s the last thing you remember about me?” 

    [♢] → flynn’s a bit disappointed when yuri doesn’t take his hand, but then again, what else was he expecting? the man was hardly the type to accept any offer of help, no matter how small. it stung just a little every time. still, a small smile appeared on his face at yuri’s reply. “I suppose I just have a knack for it.” he let his hand fall back to a rest, and started walking.

    [♢] → “It almost sounds like you’re worried about me.” he joked back, letting out a soft chuckle. “But I know. I’m aware of my limits, and I work within them.” upon hearing yuri mention his job, flynn cocked an eyebrow. “Really? That’s surprising. I’d have thought you’d aim for something inside the town, like a tavern-hand or builder. Helping with close-to-home problems always was more your style.”

          {♠} —; “No need to thank me, I simply just do not wish to harm others if I don’t need to, especially one I’m to be housing with.” she smiles, extending her gloved hand back to him, shaking firmly. What a kind fellow, you don’t see chivalry like this a lot.

          {♠} —; “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Flynn, I suppose we’re in the same boat then, considering I have only been called here recently too. My name is Sonya, normally I’m sure you’d have heard of me, but probably not in this land.” she sighs. Usually her reputation preceded her. Building it up again sounded tiresome.

          {♠} — She takes her first step out the door, buffeted by the wind before glancing back. With one hand on the door, she leans down a bit, talking closer to Flynn. Perhaps a tad too close for the other’s comfort, but she didn’t mean to be domineering. Simply friendly.

          {♠} —; “Here’s an idea, since we’re both new why don’t we head out together then? I’ll wait for you to get ready, and we can head out and see what’s up with this village. Besides, wouldn’t you rather have company for a bit? There aren’t a lot of men I’ve met who would oppose.”

    [♢] → he took her hand in a firm, practiced handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Sonya. I’m afraid I haven’t heard of you, though I’m sure you’ve never heard of me, either.” of course, she has no reason to, even if they happened to be from the same world. he was only recently made a knight captain, after all, and still, he wouldn’t expect everyone to know the name of a mere captain.

    [♢] → flynn didn’t meet all that many people who were taller than him, especially not beautiful women. he was ever so slightly flustered by the closeness, but held his ground and retained a professional appearance. he... ignored the comment about men not opposing her. “That sounds like a great idea. We can help each other get our footing.” he nodded, and recalled his time as a fresh recruit in the knights, wandering the halls with his fellows to learn the layout of the barracks. “If you’ll excuse me then, I’ll go inside for just a moment.” he carefully entered the doorway behind her, making sure not to bump into her.

     yuri has so many questions - too many. the sheer excitement of seeing flynn is still buzzing in his ears. rein it in, yuri. you’re acting like a kid. he doesn’t particularly care. 

     the last time he saw flynn… when was it? oddly enough, it’s kind of a haze. yuri barely ever thinks about his past life, now - what good would that do, when he can make the changes he wants to see here, in eidolon? - but disjointed fragments of it sneak into his dreams on occasion. there was that one evening, right outside dahngrest… seeing flynn in his captain regalia. and there was that night, too. the feeling of his blade sinking into ragou’s flesh. the sight of the man’s blood catching the moonlight. they’re not nightmares; just recollections which have been slowly trickling back to him. 

     “just so you know, i didn’t follow you or anything,” yuri states, shoving those memories away from the forefront of his mind. flynn doesn’t have to know about any of that. yuri intended to keep it under wraps from the very start - largely in part for flynn… but none of that matters right now. “i had a weird dream. then i woke up here.” of course flynn’d have a wish, too. yuri’s all too familiar with the guy’s determination. “guess i shouldn’t be surprised to see you around.” still… it’s good to. yuri missed him - though he doesn’t want to admit it. not yet, anyway.  

     yuri brushes some snow off himself, steadying his breath before glancing over at flynn once more. “you look the same. bet you’re up to all sorts of good deeds, huh?” 

    [♢] → “The same thing happened to me.” he recalled the feeling of being in the sheer cold, then waking up wrapped in warm blankets... he remembered little about his entry into eidolon, but those feelings were crystal clear in his mind.

    [♢] → flynn wiped some of the snow off of himself as well, sighing softly. “I’m just doing what I can to help out around here. Right now I’m working as a scout, though I wish I could do more.” he stood up, fixing his cloak around him. “These people are out of their element just like us; anything I can offer, I’ll give.”

flynn scifo | tales of vesperia

knight captain of the zaphias imperial army

best friends with a rowdy vigilante

tries hard to get along with people

wants to do good in the world- to spread goodness

can be a bit of a hothead sometimes

can’t cook for shit unless following a recipe

luke | the mun

24 years old, living in michigan usa

agender transmasc, uses he/him pronouns

very friendly! come say hi!

big fan of rpgs

really into final fantasy xiv