Stories from another age

“ HUH, OKAY. ”   emilia considers their words, more intrigued than anything else. not only is not being able to drink a weird concept for her, but hearing that someone listens to their parents is equally strange—especially when suraj’s is on the other side of the world. now THAT’S faith.   “ that’s pretty cool. i’m assuming you’ve never been drunk, then ?   or should i not be asking about this ? ”   it’s teetering the line of being too much, too prying, even for emilia, who generally doesn’t realize when she’s doing it. but some people get weird talking about religion, and suraj—as much as she liked them—was kind of weird in general. 

slouching a little in her seat, she nods slowly, absorbing.   “ would you ever make something actually based on a true story ? ”   she asks, toying with the bottle cap in her hand.   “ that seems to be pretty popular, and i’d imagine coming up with the story is like half the battle. are you more documentary style ? ”   emilia asks, eyes narrowing a little, trying to think about all she knows about movies.   “ or that indie kinda shit ?   you don’t exactly strike me as the senseless action type—which, good for you. ”   movies like that were so boring. taking a swig of her beer, emilia shakes her head.   “ i doubt it. i worked there… eight years ago, maybe ?   it’s been a minute, but not long enough for the owner to hire me again. i kinda left guns a’blazing. ”   which included calling the owner some choice words that would make suraj’s eyes pop out of their head.   “ do you like it there ? ”

-

Suraj chuckled, they expected to feel awkward talking about alcohol, but the real curiosity that surrounded Emilia on the topic made them reconsider. “I’ve never been drunk,” they admitted. “I don’t think I’ve even ever felt the buzz people talk about,” they added, making sure she knew there was nothing wrong with asking. They would answer, they liked talking about things they knew opposed to the things they didn’t. There were a lot of things they didn’t know. 

“Maybe, based on yes, but a documentary, that’s not really my style. I take too many creative liberties,” they added. “My teachers said that once, I don’t like to stick to what I read in books. I want to make it bigger, grander, more uhm… I want to have people emotionally invested. They blushed a little at the compliment, which they were certain was a compliment coming from her, and which they certainly didn’t dislike either. They had never liked the action movies, the senseless fighting and high strung drama for drama’s sake. “I think Indie kinda s-shit works to explain my type of directing.” They listened intently, surprised by it, though maybe not. They always figured Emilia had done some grand work before she moved back to Trip’s to work the type of jobs she’d fallen into now. Just for a little while, till she got back on her feet. Perhaps they were too much of a romantic. “You must’ve really done something if they still carry a grudge for that,” they said, eyes wide in surprise. And then they nodded. “Yes, I think I do, it’s very monotonous work, and it pays well enough.”

brooke doesn’t stop walking until they’re so many blocks away from the chaos that the sirens that sound from the streets no longer ring loudly in her ears. she should’ve stayed, this much she knows. it’s her job to offer aid when the need arises and so many may have benefitted from her bravery and courage to remain amidst the chaos.

but she holds onto bade’s hand tightly instead, pulling him along behind her and against his hesitence until she could feel deep down in her stomach they were safe. 

“what was that?” she finally asks, glancing over her shoulder his way. “running off like that. what the hell, bade.”

the sound of his voice tempts her from her sleep. a quick and sharp thing of sorts, one she couldn’t ignore no matter how tired she’d been.

aylin couldn’t be sure when she’d fallen asleep, so dedicated to standing guard over her brother as she’d been. even when reassured no harm would come to either sibling from their hosts, the thought of rest made her sick, and grief hung so heavily upon her heart the most she could do in the end was hold na’im’s hand and murmur goodbyes to their brother beneath her breath. apologies for not being there.

apologies for not doing better.

na’im’s name leaves her mouth in a small and startled breath, sitting up straight in search of the man while eyes blinked away the heaviness of sleep. she’s on her feet long before she realises, ready to fight the danger that evidentally didn’t exist.

and, once her mind had caught up with her brother, aylin has no strength to hold herself back when she steps forward and wraps her arms around her brother’s shoulders, exhaling a sigh that trembles with the threat of tears.

“you’re awake. thank the saints, you’re awake.”

Na’im was sure he hadn’t been that hurt. Sure, he felt hot and his mucles ached, he sensed the parts of his body that had been burned by his own flame, and knew that those wounds would remain for a simple while. But with Seander’s help - for if Rost was here, than so would his other friend be - he would be rested in no-time, the ever present cold fighting his own hotness. 

not a second is wasted as max moves around the building to the back, racing bishan’s pace to make it to the backdoor and through it before he got himself into trouble long before she could reach him. her heart raced within her chest, a beat of excitement that overcame any sense of dread she may’ve had on her way in. hearing bishan’s voice, max sticks to the shadows, drawing a knife from her belt beneath her jacket, creeping up behind mickey as he so predictably pulled his own gun from his own belt not so hidden away like her own.

and it’s impressive, really, how mickey doesn’t aim for bishan. skin pale white, he turns on heel to point it behind him, expecting the worst, as he should. but max had already ducked down behind a car, working her way around it in time to see mickey swing back towards bishan, hand trembling.

“the fuck do you want, eh?” the older man asks, unable to keep the fear from his voice. “i already told you lot once, i don’t do favours for devils any more.”

“aw, not even this one?” max coos, springing from the car, footsteps silent. she slips the blade to mickey’s neck, her knee knocking his own out from the back until he stumbled forward and onto one, and the thief, for good measure, presses a kiss to his cheek with a grin. “i’m hurt.”

“goddammit max,” the man hisses, keeping his gun aimed sloppily at bishan. “why’s it always you, eh?”

“‘cause i’m your favourite, ain’t i?”

“you ain’t no one’s favourite any more, diable. word on the streets is you’ve got a bounty on your head. straight from the boss.”

Bishan had never been one for violence, sure, a good shove and a kick here and there to ensure people understood. He had fought in high school, with his brother and his friend, but Bishan knew words and well-pointed threats did much better in any regard. He had inherited his father’s sharp wit and perfected his own stealth. His power was in making people underestimate him. His accent worked, in the eyes of most Americans, Mexicans weren’t the type to be the villain, not the smart calculated one anyway. 

“hmm… pretty name.” and, perhaps if tae were cheesier, he’d throw in a joke about being star struck, and the need for orion to remove his belt. instead, tae cups orion’s face in his, drawing his attention away from his neck to bring a round of abuse to orion’s mouth with his own, teeth catching the tenderness of his bottom lip. 

“do you promise?” he smirks, rocking his hips up. “bet.”

“ YOUR RELIGION DOESN’T LET YOU DRINK ? ”   emilia’s mouth works faster than her brain, the small part of it that does have a filter. she’s not asking to judge, but religion had never been something that had been discussed in the herrera-gallardo household, so to hear that it’s a reason not to drink is surprising to her. she knows, like, some religions can’t eat certain meats, but that’s really about it. emilia doesn’t have enough tact to apologize for the question, on the off chance it’s inappropriate, but at least she doesn’t badger them with further questions, mostly wondering if suraj has ever actually been drunk before. though if she thinks about it, she can’t really imagine what they’d look like intoxicated. probably for the best.

“ what kind of movie are you looking to make ? ”   she asks, taking a long, much needed swig of her drink. emilia could still feel the tension in her shoulders after a long day at the bar, even after she completely leans into her chair. it feels like she always sees suraj with a camera in their hand, but she doesn’t actually know what they do all that filming for. for all she knows, they could be making some kind of reality show of their life.   “ tired, ”   emilia sighs out, before letting out a short laugh.   “ i’m glad the holidays are fucking over, but i’m so tired of this year already. i just got back from work, which fucking sucked. i can’t tell if i’m close to getting fired, or close to quitting, but either option sucks because i don’t have the energy to have to find a new job, even though i’m tired of working there. where do you work, again ? ”

Suraj nodded, then shook their head. “No, it does… uhm, depends on the region, I think. With my parents it was a no-go, and uhm, only on certain occasions, like a wedding or a birthday, or something. But otherwise prohibited,” they added. They weren’t sure if they were being hypocritical or not, hiding behind their religion because they didn’t want to touch alcohol themselves. They knew in Islam it was very much prohibited, even to a point where some didn’t touch even the bottles. Their parents were strict, but in a kind way, their mom had once accidentally made and eaten some Italian dessert that clearly had alcohol, and simply laughed it off after. 

They shrug. “Uhm, I’m not completely sure yet, but I want to make something… uhm… grounded, a story that could have easily been based on a true story,” they said. “Like uhm… a portrait, of someone, or of some place,” they paused, taking a sip from their own drink. Suraj stared at her with slightly wide eyes as she cursed, it always jarred him, but with Emilia it just hit differently, they knew she was letting go of some of her frustration with every bad work. “That sucks,” they agreed, copying her words because they felt that staying with the less bad words wouldn’t be able to do the situation justice. “I’m also glad the holidays are over,” they said. “At the Crashdown,” they said. “Maybe you can work there? I know they’re always looking for people.”

while the rest of the crowd had their sights set on the hero, brooke only had one thing in her own. 

bade stood before the chaos like he might just run blindly into it, like he could defeat a creature like this one, or even aid the hero in any way. brooke had no stupidity of the sort, knowing full well that if he ran forth, or she after him, they’d both be dead before either of them hit the ground running. leave it to those that are capable, she thinks, finally catching up to the man absolutely breathless.

leave it to the professionals.

“what’re you doing?!” she yells, grasping bade’s arm tight. “did we not just talk about not getting into fights any more? c’mon, don’t be an idiot,” she scolds, beginning the attempts of dragging him away. “this is the worst coffee date in the world.”

Bade was frozen, he wanted to move, whether that would mean fighting or if it meant getting out of there, but he simply couldn’t move. He was aware of Brook grabbing his arm, but he was transfixed on what happened beyond him, high in the sky but also very very near to him. He wondered if his brother had ever seen something like this, if he thought there were better ways to end a fight such as this. He probably did, Baru hated war, he hated violence, he hated that innocent people had to die because superheroes couldn’t save everyone. He had voiced it so often, that he believed the presence of Superheroes was what brought more violence. And Bade agreed, and then his brother was murdered.

By the hero flying not too far from him.

it’s easy to do, lifting him as he does. tae isn’t the largest of fellows and he’s as light as a feather in comparison to most. still, it doesn’t prevent the way he gasps and wraps his legs around the other, chuckling to himself as he moved them from a to b.

and, once upon the bed, tae is happy to remain beneath the other, leaning up to press his mouth against his lips, then along his jaw to the side of his neck. he pauses in the motion, his fingers curling into the other’s shirt, to look him in the eys and say with a grin, “it’s tae, by the way. just so you know what name to moan all night.”

it’s overwhelming beyond her comprehension, but tali sits there in bewilderment, before falling into an absolute fit of giggles. she scoops her bulbasaur into her lap, hiding her face against its head, and while it sat confused at the sudden bubbling laughter within her, tali spent the next few minutes doing her best to get a hold of herself.

to believe this luck she’d been given.

“okay…” she says finally, looking at the trio with a broad grin. “okay… then… let’s go, shall we? i… i’ve never really travelled before, so… this will be new for me. please be patient with me while i learn?” 

“Of course,” all three say in unison, walking ahead of her, while Rami falls beside her in step. Her cousins so chill about it all that she can sometimes hardly believe it. Too eager to go on an adventures, not really caring who they will bring along with them. 

“Don’t worry, we still remember what it was like,” Rami said with a nudge.

Na’im woke up under the realisation that he was alive, but also that his body fought his every tiny movement. His eyes felt heavy, his body felt like it had been on ice, and he could barely lift his head. He made the fire that coursed through his veins travel to the tips of his fingers and to his toes. At least that seemed to change his body temperature somewhat, though he wasn’t sure if he didn’t already have a fever. He knew what he had done, the images of the night flashing before his eyes. There wasn’t much he could do about it, if he was unnecessarily heating up his body, then perhaps he would break the fever. He sat up, the table beneath his body not having done much to help his state. It was still dark outside, even though he was certain it was already about seven or eight. He looked to his side, where Aylin was sleeping in a chair. He couldn’t believe it, even if he knew it was true, he still couldn’t.

He grunted as he got off of the table, keeping his body from the floor by holding onto the table - good thing it was sturdy.

Rost appeared out of thin air, and despite how long they had been… friends? It still surprised him. “Fuck, seriously.”

sleep. as if she could do such a thing with one brother laying half dead on a table and another, buried somewhere she’ll never see. 

the offer of blankets is a welcome one, but aylin has her own ideas of where she’ll perch herself for the rest of the night, or until na’im awoke. she drags the chair she’d been sitting in to na’im’s side, then grabs a blanket and puts it around her shoulders, sitting herself down beside her brother like a sentry, her hand in his.

“thank you, for taking us in,” she says quietly, looking to her hosts with a small smile. “i will find a way to repay you, i promise.”

“that the devil’s callin’ in a favour,” she tells him softly, pausing mid-walk to put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. the place they were heading to sat across the street, and max squeezes the muscle before she adds, “don’ worry. he ain’t gettin’ the drop on you. i promise.” then she winks. “i’m far quicker.”

in the building, mickey bends over an old car sent to him for parts, unaware of the way his nightmare stood outside planning against him. “fuckin’ amateurs,” he sniffs, looking at the work the guild had put the poor thing through. bullet holes, scrapes and dents… no wonder the thing wouldn’t work any more.

“i’ll be right behind you, i promise,” max tells bishan, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

That seemed very cliche, but Max had a way of saying those things and not at all sounding like it was a bad thing. Like giving her own spin to it. He nodded, still not convinced, but already knowing he would follow her lead no matter what was asked of him. No question asked. Which may prove bad at some point in his life, but for now, doing what she suggested was the safest way, after all, he still had a price on his head. 

He leaned into the kiss, and then nudged her along. “Go, save my life,” he said, a grin, far more confident than he felt. But fake it till you make it. 

He walked up to the door, slowly, shoulders squared, ready for whatever life was willing to throw at him. He knocked on the door and waited for Max’ information guy to show up, leaning an arm against the door frame. “Hi,” he said, when Mickey appeared, after a lot of movement in the back, smudges of oil on his face. “A friend told me to tell you that the devil is coming to call in a favour,” he said, some muscles tensing, while others relaxed.

“ TELL THAT TO GRACIA, ”   she snorts, knowing that her sister wouldn’t approve of her having people over while their place looked like this, especially the company of someone whose never been over before. emilia generally doesn’t bother having guests outside of allegra and sabrina, more inclined to invite herself over someone’s home before showing them a peek of her life, for gracia’s sake. their mother had raised them with being used to a revolving door of men and strangers entering their trailer without bothering to announce themselves, and it had taken some time after she was gone to grow used to the quiet the two of them provided. still, it was just suraj.

“ do you not drink ? ”   she asks as she opens the refrigerator, pleased to see there were still a few cans of coke left from her weekend plans. emilia grabs one for suraj and a bottle of beer for herself, cracking it open on the kitchen counter.   “ make yourself at home, ”   she adds as she passes them the can of soda, motioning to the rest of the place.   “ feel free to… move anything that’s in the way. let me just throw the pizza in the oven. ”   because she doesn’t think for one second that they assume she’s going to make a pizza from scratch. emilia’s quick to shuffle around the kitchen as she readies the oven, popping the pizza inside before moving to set a timer on her phone. then she collapses into a chair at the kitchen table, heaving a sigh as she finally gives suraj her attention.   “ so, ”   she starts, with a small, knowing smile,   “ how’ve you been ? ”

-

Suraj grinned in reply, imagining telling it to Gracia, that they had visited, that they had seen the mess. They could think of how she would respond, embarrassed probably, though they felt like there was nothing she had to be embarrassed about. Though maybe it was for the best that they didn’t tell her, maybe she would feel like her privacy was being bridged. At the question, Suraj shook their head. “No, uhm, religious reasons,” they said. Which was half the truth, but the easiest to convince people off. At times they had said the whole truth, the other half that they feared and hated the feeling that they lost control over themselves and the world around them. The idea of letting go never felt like freedom to them. But when they opted religious reasons - which would’ve made their mother proud - most people couldn’t think of a good response and let them be. 

They gratefully accepted the coke and took a look back at the space that could be called the livingroom, deciding where to sit, before waiting for her to pick a spot and joining her at the table. They take a sip as they watch the timer on the oven. “Oh, good, I think. Just work… mostly, and some uhm… filming.” Which always sounded vague. “I’ve been trying to get inspiration for a movie,” they admitted, then took another sip. “How have you been?”

brooke’s on her feet far and ready to run far quicker than she could have ever anticipated, her coffee cup falling to the floor with a crash, coffee splashing up the side of her boots. her hand instinctively reaches for her phone in her pocket, already with the intention of calling her brother to come get her, to rescue her, as he always did and would.

but bade is rushing forward, and against her better judgement, there’s a pause in her movement as she watches him go. “bade? bade!” she calls after him, panic in her voice. why would he run towards dangers, rather than away? did they not just have this conversation?

with a deep breath and a force of courage, brooke runs after him, rushing to the door and out of it to find him. “bade! wait!”

Bade heard Brooke’s pleas behind him, but he couldn’t get his feet to stop running, he appeared out in the street, a block away from the actual destruction that was happening, his heard hammering in his chest. There she was. 

it’s alarming how quickly she’s accepted into this trio and it shows as much as her expression appears startled at the very suggestion of moving forward. and it’s not as if she’s against the idea; where exactly would she go from here without some form of guidance anyway? but to think she’d made three new friends with four new pokemon companions makes tali’s head spin far more than she’d like to admit.

“i — i mean that would be — is that alright?” she then asks, looking between the trio and then to her bulbasaur. he looks back with eyes so bright and inquisitive that she can’t help but smile and feel a little more relaxed. he’s so calm, when she so isn’t.

“i mean, i’d like to? if that’s… that’s okay. you don’t have to take me with you if you don’t want to.”

Rami eyed her cousins, gesturing to them that perhaps the three of them would be a little too much, not that either seemed to catch the hint, however. Because soon as Tali asked, Matthew was half falling over his words. “Of course that’s alright!” He said, grabbed Mudkip from the ground and holding the little froglet against his chest, the little thing yapped happily. “First adventure I went on, I was all by myself, it was boring as… well, it was boring. These two might run ahead and it might catch you off guard, but I like to take everything slow, so you can join me instead.” 

Rami yelled: “Hey! She’s my best friend now,” and pushed Matthew out of the way. “I promise to slow down.” 

“I won’t!” Tavi yelled, as he joined them, Fennekin barking. 

which is, good. because tae wasn’t thinking about coffee right now, either.

instead, he slips his knee between the other man’s legs, truly pining him to the door with the kiss against his lips anything but innocent. his hands stray around his hips, pulling at the bottom of his shirt just enough to slip fingers over the tops of his hip bones.

“bedroom?” he suggests breathlessly, nodding to the door across the room that would lead them there.

she didn’t want to believe it. couldn’t, more accurately. her entire life beyond her selling point had been filled to the brim with the hopes of seeing them again. both of them. her brothers in the crowd, waiting to take her home, her contract paid away.

instead na’im shows up far rougher around the edges than he’d ever been and now, dimitch is gone.

and it’s hard to not allow the absolute grief rocket through her, those brown eyes of hers sparking light with a sorrowful grey. aylin takes the seat offered to her, her hands in her lap as she stares holes into na’im and the story of their search for her swirls around her head. dimitch had searched for her and died.

here, na’im lay half dead, too.

“doesn’t want to see how dangerous the world is?” aylin repeats, a crackled laugh in her throat. “i am not so naïve.”

Saender, still working on Na’im, and Rost, hiding in the shadows, kept their distance away from her, as if her grief was palpable, and might drag them down with her. Neither of them said anything. 

The last bandage applied, Saender sat down on a chair next to the table, a hand still on Na’im forehead, keeping it cool, fighting off any possible fever. “It’s hard not to, when you bear as much power as he does, when you know you can blow any enemy away with a simple sway of your hands. I can only imagine the destruction he’s created in order to save you.” Saender had always been fearful of the Fire Mage’s power, but he in turn had been afraid of his. 

“You should rest, sleep, he probably won’t wake up again for a while,” Saender added, gesturing to the couch, Rost appearing to drop extra blankets onto the cot, before edging away into their shadows. “As long as you are in this house, you don’t need to be afraid of the outside world for a while.”