the vigilante

@exknight.

a shiver tears down his spine, and Lucci shoves his nose further down into his scarf with an oddly aggressive hiss through clenched teeth. he’s loitering. well, meandering, slowly, maybe, if he spares a moment for some sense or if he even thought to come here at all, but he’s been standing here for a few minutes now. just staring at the glass and the metal. maybe trying to dredge up even a single secret, or rip something out of this strange chateau -  

❝ hello. ❞

there’s something to be said for getting in the good graces of the town. however mediocre his comments might be in such a pursuit, and in spite of however much someone startles him and might set his teeth on edge. Lucci’s smile for him is bland. it’s as much as he can muster through the biting chill, and the brief instinct to withdraw and turn away.

❝ isn’t it beautiful? ❞

     the crystal chateau always leaves yuri feeling... some sort of way. it’s a strange, complicated feeling. for all its quiet grandeur, yuri feels more familiar with this building than he truly should. as if he’s safe here - but too safe. suspiciously safe. maybe he just needs to relax more. that’s when he hears someone greet him. turning to the source of the voice, he sees someone he’s never met before.

    [♢] → 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.

    [♢] → “A camera is the blastia-like object they mentioned in the request. I suppose that answers my question, though.” flynn says. “It doesn’t really matter if you forgot. We can do this with pen and pencil.” he’s hesitant to get up, at first, comfortable from sitting for a while and happy to be sitting next to a friend, but he pulls himself up after a few moments and gathers his things, turning to the other man. “Ready, Yuri?”

     “so we have to get right to work, huh?” yuri pouts. “give a guy a chance to catch his breath, flynn. that walk from town was no joke.” and they’re about to do even more walking. oh well. it’s for the penguins - and the mere thought of them gets yuri feeling pumped up all over again. he stands up, groaning excessively as he does so for dramatic effect. the desired effect is kind of lost - the mischievous smirk on his face is a dead give-away to how excited he really is.

    [♢] → “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.

    [♢] → when yuri draws closer, flynn pulls his eyes away from the view. “Do you have the camera?” he asks, referring to the strange mechanism they had been offered for this task. he’d tasked the other man with bringing it, probably against his better judgement. still, his satchel was packed with two sketchbooks and some pencils just in case. he pats it gently to draw yuri’s attention to it. “I brought the sketchbooks if we need them.”

     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?” 

     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. 

@exknight ♡’d for a starter

The docks are not quite the same as the ones back on the islands; it is not quite the same smell of salty sea— but there is water that breeches a shore, waves against rocks, and for a moment, Riku might feel a little bit like he is at a place more familiar. It is a nice sight, the cool air is a good burn in his lungs, and a distinct feeling of being lost ( not even a feeling of homesickness, but a quite literal feeling of being lost. Huh. He should’ve reconsidered wandering on his own just yet ).

He’s resourceful, he’s used to doing things independently and stubbornly insists he can manage to find the way back on his own— it is still rather light out, he has no need to rush… but from a matter of practically speaking, he should put aside that stubborn pride of his and go seek out assistance. Socialization would do him good anyhow, he reasons; waving his hand in an attempt to get the attention of a nearby stranger ( an awfully awkward way to do so, he knows, but for the life of him, he cannot find a way to do so more straightforwardly ).

“Pardon me, I was wondering if I could ask a question.”

     yuri stares out at the water, hair untied and blowing in the breeze. the eidolon docks see no shortage of activity - and yet, he finds himself down at them pretty often. something about the scenery tends to relax him... even if the stench of freshly-caught fish isn’t exactly pleasant.

     he vaguely wonders if he should try his hand at fishing sometime... and is in such a daze while thinking about it that he doesn’t catch on to the fact that he’s being talked to. not at first, anyway. luckily, he moves to brush his hair behind his ear - and, in doing so, catches sight of someone staring right at him. 

    [♢] → “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.”

    [♢] → He continues eating for a while in silence, until finally working up the courage to say something else. when he does, it comes out quieter than usual. “It’ll be nice to work with you again.”

     flynn’s quiet sincerity always has a way of leaving yuri speechless. he leaves the compliment alone for a moment, instead opting to take a few sips of his ale. a corner of his mind reprimands him - liquid courage? for this, yuri? seriously? - but yuri decides to ignore it. 

     “yeah,” he finally says, setting the mug of ale back down on the counter. “it’ll be nice to work with you again, too. definitely.” he smiles. “especially since i won’t have a bunch of annoying knightly rules to follow.” a quick grimace. “i’ll try to behave myself this time around... but no promises.” 

     it’s good to know that flynn will be with him during all of this eidolon stuff. the guy’s presence is already grounding him. yuri feels more like himself, now - and less like a ghost who’s just floating around, trying to grasp onto something that may not even exist. 

     yuri thinks of himself a pragmatic guy, but, here in the tavern, with his best friend at his side once more... he can’t help but feel like life just got a whole lot brighter. 

Ophilia would never have thought she would be one to pursue another god than Aelfric, but she finds herself wandering in the direction of each rumour of Diaidem she can locate. There was only so much that the Crystal Chateau could bring her – there was only so much that she could achieve within the village. From the events of her trial, if that were what she were to call it… it seemed the secrets were to be found beyond the village’s borders. Though…

She pulls her cloak tighter around herself, brushing some hair behind her ear as the wind tosses it about. It was terribly hard to see what direction you were headed, in a landscape this white.

With no man-made paths the further from the village you go, it became almost… frightening. Uncertain. Spotting a figure a few metres away, suddenly arising in the snow, Ophilia waves a hand – calling out lightly. “Forgive me, but do you know the direction in which I could find the place they call the ‘Rubrum Hole’? It’s rather difficult to wayfind out here…”

@exknight

     yuri’s never had the best sense of direction. he’s never claimed to, either. it was the one hang-up he had when he applied for this whole scout job... but he figured that his combat prowess would carry him through it all. besides, he’s not a stranger to adventuring around - he did a pretty good job of it back in terca lumireis. what could go wrong?

     a lot, apparently. 

     he groans, sitting down in the snow as he pulls his issued map out from his cloak. layers and layers of notes are scrawled upon it, since he does have to report back to cato after all of this... but it’s readable. 

      standing up as to get a better look at it, he suddenly hears someone calling out to him. after getting over the initial surprise of someone else being all the way out here, he takes a moment to think about what she’s asking him. “rubrum hole?” yuri glances down at the map. “that’s the one mountain, right?” he’s never journeyed out to it before. the location is visible on his map, but... 

          {♠} —; “You pay quite the compliment, Yuri. I’d say that I have a good eye for things—people and antiques alike, however I think I was only able to discern your character because there’s a certain gleam in your eye I’ve seen before.” she raises a hand to her lips, chuckling softly before placing it on her hips. That sort of attitude of his reminded her of one of the mercenaries back in Celica’s army.

          {♠} —; “Besides, if I’m handling dangerously sharp things like glass swords and such I should at least have some kind of insight on the people I’m giving it to, right? Or, in this case, a cute little wolfie.” she giggles, picking up the figurine to compare with the others she had underneath. When she finally found one of a better quality, she left it in her palm with her hand open. An invitation.

          {♠} —; “Curious then, huh? It doesn’t take much to make them, honestly. You need a lot of heat however, and then you either need molds or a dedicated eye and dexterous hands. If it’s a simple glass cover over something clay, that’s definitely easier. Spinning glass however and shaping it with metal tools on the other hand….definitely harder, and not my particular cup of tea.” she liked being useful, but being near heat and being sweaty? Definitely not.

          {♠} —; “Yuri, huh? The name’s Sonya, it’s my pleasure to meet with you. You’re one of the first that I’ve exchanged pleasantries with since my arrival here. Feeling special yet?” she teases.

     “oh, definitely. very special.” yuri smirks as he takes the wolf figurine from her. he then holds it up as to get a better look at it. its glass surface reflects some of the light surrounding them, and, somehow, the sight reminds yuri of home. the glint of a bodhi blastia. the shine of an apatheia. huh. memories are pretty tricky. it’s weird how such a small thing can just... take him back. the wolf may be small but it’s certainly detailed, and its black and purple coloring’s as unique as sonya said it’d be. it suits yuri - and repede. 

     “thanks. i’ll take good care of it.” the last thing yuri wants is to get choked up in front of someone he barely knows - so he keeps his expression of thanks short and to the point.  “especially if so much work went into it. jeez.” her detailed explanation of how these things are made is admittedly a little hard for him to follow, though. “don’t think i’m cut out for this sort of, uh... artistry. i’ll just stick to my gathering and fighting.” it’s more direct, and yuri’s a direct kind of guy. 

               ♛; ( @exknight )

“For the honour of Grayskull!”

Over the snow dusted trees and frosted grounds, Adora’s voice boasted loudly to an audience of no one; her hand raised to the sky, with a sword gleaming against the white of winter. She had found herself a quiet place to train while being stuck in a world that wasn’t hers, and it was enough to occupy her time for a while; taking her mind off of how worried she was for all of her friends back home.

But, unfortunately.. not everything was going the way she planned.

“Oh, come on! Why aren’t you working..?!” the teen exclaimed to her weapon, a frustrated sigh soon following suit. It felt like she had been trying for hours; shouting the words she needed to transform into She-Ra over and over again without any luck whatsoever. The sword of protection would not respond to her commands no matter what she did, and wouldn’t even give her a glimpse of its familiar glow. Vaguely, she could remember being told somehow, by.. someone, that not all of her abilities would be with her any longer; but there had to be someway for her to get them back.. right?

It was then that something caught her attention; a rustle in the bushes behind her, and Adora quickly stopped what she was doing. Turning to face the noise, and bringing the blade close to her side, blue eyes quickly scanned her surroundings; unsure if she should have been on her guard or not.

“Uh– hello? Is someone there?”

     once content to laze about, yuri’s come to the realization that he’s developed a bit of a wanderlust as of late. adventuring tends to do that to a person. the climate of eidolon doesn’t make wandering around very easy, but yuri finds himself walking along the outskirts of town anyway - his second star sheathed at his side. he doesn’t have a destination in mind or anything - just a desire to kill some time. 

     it’s quiet enough - that is, until he hears someone... screaming? yuri blinks. following the sound of their voice, he catches sight of... a girl. she’s fairly young - probably a teenager. she also seems incredibly frustrated - though not in any apparent danger. is she training? maybe it’d be best to just leave her alone.

     he’s about to turn around when his arm brushes against the bush he was watching her from. of course, that gets her attention. crap. there’s no use running off; he’d look way more suspicious if he did. 

     “...yeah, someone is here, actually,” he says, stepping out of the foliage so she can get a better look at him. “i heard you yelling. thought you were in trouble or something.” he regards her. 

    following along, she observes what’s what so she knows what she can attempt to take advantage of, and what she can’t. even if she’s the new kid on the block, she’s out for herself, and herself alone. this guy might be useful to have around. a mental note is added while she listens to keep an eye on him.     “yeah, the weather here’s lovely, as we can both see.” it’s like her voice is laced with sarcasm as she speaks. “pretty small place though, ain’t it? almost expected a little more. buuut, whatever.” she shrugs her shoulders, continuing on, following close to yuri. most of her thoughts are just wondering what exactly the crystal chateau is, and what it’s deal is. She’ll dig it up later.

“so, what kinda stuff are we picking up anyways?”

     “warm clothes, for starters,” yuri says, smirking. “unless you want to be stuck in my old cloak forever.” he jerks his head towards the storekeeper. “they’ll hook you up with something for free, so don’t sweat it. anything else you need will cost money.” he pauses. “...dunno if you arrived with any cash from wherever you came from, but the currency they use here’s different.” 

     ...which means he should probably help her out a bit, huh? he’s not opposed to the idea. he’s done enough odd jobs around the village and scouting to have some funds left over. “i can pay for your stuff today, if you want. it’s your call on what you want to get, though. and i’m not made of money, so don’t go too wild.” 

    [♢] → 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.

    [♢] → he set down his fork and smiled at his friend. “You don’t have to do this alone. You know how I said, ‘Anything I can do to help, I will,’ right? Well,” he cleared his throat out of nervous habit. “Don’t take advantage of this, but… I’m extending that to you, too. Anything you need, anytime. Alright?” after finishing that, he immediately started eating. maybe he was embarrassed just a little anyway.

     “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. 

    [♢] → 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.”

    [♢] → their drinks arrive, and he downs his, the consequence of nausea be damned. he’d been trying not to think of anything except how to help out around eidolon, in fear of this feeling of dread creeping up on him. what good could he do for his home now? in his own eyes, he was something of a failure, though this wasn’t exactly his fault. he just felt helpless; that’s why he had been channeling all he had into improving things around him. helping out with jobs he didn’t even have, staying awake long into the night organizing schedules for himself. he was exhausted, too, and in this moment, just about anyone could tell that from looking at him.

     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.”  

    [♢] → 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.

    [♢] → “You know, it’s common courtesy to let someone answer when you ask them a question.” he says in a teasing tone. “A few abandoned settlements, but not much else. I haven’t spent a lot of time out there yet.” he raises his hand to call lute over to take their orders. “I’m glad you’re finally taking my advice in a more productive way. Dragging the princess all over the world wasn’t exactly beneficial to anyone.” he politely lists off a small order to miss lute, mostly unaware of how harsh his comment had been.

     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.”

       she’s a quiet enough listener for now. she’s gathering information about her surroundings. while her new housemate talks, examining her area is top priority. she can feel her soul gem curled around her finger. thank god, that’s there. her spear is in the corner. lots of beds. she’s grown antisocial as of recent, so she’s not keen towards this, but she’ll take what she can get. any advantage is a good one.          the cloak’s caught with quick precision, and she slips it on. “i’m kyoko. not exactly keen towards more crazy wish crap, but i’ll take it i guess.” a pause, while she thinks. right. it’s basically winter 24/7 in the tundra, isn’t it? she could use warm clothes. “i’ll pass on a tour of the bunkhouse. i can figure it out. just show me around the place.”

           she’s quickly put her nightmares behind her. they’re just something she’s gotten used to. standing up, she waits for yuri to lead the way. grabbing her spear on the way out. she’d rather not be without it. it won’t absorb into her soul gem, though. she tried when she grabbed it. guess she’s stuck with it. “let’s get goin’, then, yeah?”

     “fair enough.” it’s easy enough to find your way around the bunkhouse. “just don’t get caught snooping around in other’s people’s stuff and i’m sure you’ll be fine.” yuri pops the last of his bread in his mouth as he tugs a cloak on, himself - then gestures for kyoko to follow him. 

     “it’s good to meet you, by the way,” he calls out as he leads her through the house, passing quickly through the living room and down the hallway connecting to the front door. “the weather in eidolon ranges from cold to insufferably cold. this place can be nice to look at, but it takes some getting used to.” he swings the front door open, letting a gust of the frosty air in. pulling his cloak tighter around his shoulders, he glances her way. “know your limits and take it easy whenever you can.” ...like how he’s ditching work today. he’s such a good influence. 

     stepping outside, he gestures around them. “we’re in the village centre right now. the whole residential area’s referred to as the telecosm houses. as you can see, our bunkhouse is one of many.” leading her away from the houses, he points towards a cabin in the middle of the village. “if you end up getting sick or injured, you have to haul yourself to that building over there - the warmhouse. again: know your limits so it doesn’t have to come to that.” he resumes walking, though he points in another direction while doing so. “that cabin over there’s the tavern. if i’m not around the bunkhouse or outside of town, chances are i’ll be in there. it’s a decent place.” he pauses for a moment. “...just don’t go drinking anything a kid isn’t supposed to drink.” 

     “over there’s eidolon hall,” yuri adds, pointing to another building. this one’s made out of stone. “you can find job postings and requests in there. helps with making yourself useful.” he vaguely wonders if cato’ll catch him skipping out on his scout duties. if that happens... well, at least he can use the newcomer as an excuse. “...oh. and that’s the crystal château.” its impressive architecture speaks for itself. “you probably remember it. we all do.”

    [♢] → 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.”

    [♢] → flynn’s expression immediately became more serious after hearing his admission, and yuri’s reluctance to meet his eyes was clear to him. “…Everything so far has been hazy. I think there’s more there, but I can’t grab hold of it.” he said, looking forward ahead of them rather than at yuri directly. “You were across the bridge at Dahngrest, with Princess Estellise. The monster had just attacked the city.” he hesitated a moment before continuing. “You threw me the blastia core, and then you were gone.”

     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?” 

⇲ @exknight​           the tossing and turning from a quite nightmarish dream would cause quite the ruckus. it seems someone isn’t sleeping well on their first day. night? who knows. she’s yet to have looked outside. part of her dreads it. the pursuit of another wish. the chance for the monkey’s paw to curl again and hurt her again? it’s not a fate she wants to meet again. but the chance is one she’s willing to take. and so she’s arrived.            she wakes easily enough when the door is ajar, and light is flooding into the room. she’s used to waking at sunrise. this is no different. she sits up, propping herself up with an arm to look at the figure in the frame. the silence is broken, which catches her attention only further.            mom always said it was rude to keep people waiting or to ignore them.           “…hey.” she blinks, while rubbing the crust out of her eyes.

          “who’re you? i know i’m in eidolon, but where specifically am i? there’s obviously more to here than just some wish under the snow.”

     huh. the newbie’s young and she seems to be taking her arrival in eidolon fairly well. thank goodness for that. yuri’s not entirely shabby at dissuading nerves, but his current sloppy appearance (are bread crumbs in his hair?) likely wouldn’t do wonders for someone panicking about their awakening.

     “the name’s yuri,” he states. “yuri lowell. and you’re specifically in your new home - bunkhouse 18. again: welcome.” with his free hand, he gestures at the room around them - at all the bunk beds. “i’m one of your roommates. was hanging out in the other room when i heard you moving around in here.”