#desipiam

just as naturally as lloyd goes through the motions of breakfast shortly after the sun has risen, zelos is still dead asleep in bed. on any other day, prior to his untimely disappearance, lloyd would have gone about his usual routine so that zelos may rise on his own accord. however, being his first morning back, the brunet isn’t terribly interested in leaving his boyfriend’s side.

fate is bullshit, of course, but lloyd is beginning to curse it for yanking the pair of them around as it has.

“hey.”

lloyd keeps his voice low enough as to not startle the sleeping beauty hidden under pillows, blankets, and a curtain of his own unkempt red hair. shifting onto the side of the bed, he sets a tray carrying two plates of breakfast aside before he crowds into zelos’ space, brushing his hair from his cheek before kissing it.

{❃} “Zelos! Are you going to sing anything?” It’d been the first thing on her mind when she’d seen him- she’d bet that the chosen would have a fairly good singing voice. He looked the sort, at least, and he would probably have an excellent stage presence. “Something like that seems like it’d be your sort of thing. Are you the musical type?”

“I watched too many zombie movies, I think. This doesn’t line up with any of them though, and frankly, that’s bullshit.” She’s complaining a bit as a shambler goes by, obviously more interested in the guy with the knife than her, who’s standing with a handful of rocks and a vine whip. The guy standing next to her, however, is getting an earful of her grumbling.

＞　Zaveid’s not sure what day of the festival it is anymore, time passing in a blur of people and booze. While it seemed that the crowd was growing a little more somber, they were still lively in their mourning, a feeling the seraph could get behind. He’d attached a name to each of his drinks and toasted every one with a stranger; he was four in before he drifted off into the thinner parts of the crowds, an extra beer in one hand and a brand new one popped open in his other.

   From a distance away, he can see a horrifying scene unfold: a lone, tiny bug friend trekking across the sidewalk, and an oblivious, giant human (or at least, he’s giant from the bug’s perspective!) about to step right on it.

“Stop!”

Gonta calls out in vague warning as he makes his way to the man, grabbing him to pull him back as gently as he possibly can. 

finding herself alone wasn’t new to her. finding herself alone, confused, and outside was a different experience altogether. one, as she discovered, wasn’t too pleasant. still, worrying wasn’t going to do anyone any favors; she’d done enough of that already. taking a steadying breath, she set off to find her “housing.”

...or so she wanted, but the act of moving her way through an unknown city with nothing but strangers to be seen wasn’t a problem that would be solved with a deep breath and determination. she wasn’t entirely keen on asking for directions, but it wasn’t as though she had much of a choice. glancing at the pedestrians, she looked for someone who looked moderately friendly. however, the one that caught her eye first was--

            “--brother?!”

the exclamation was louder than she intended, something that would’ve normally sent her nerves into overdrive. however, the relief she felt upon seeing (who she assumed to be) her older brother far outweighed the anxiety she had been feeling moments ago. breaking into a jog to catch up, she tugged at his sleeve.

ca event: “dreamscape”

Lloyd had never considered snow in Meltokio.

The noble quarters are coated in a few inches’ worth of fine powder. Lloyd almost finds it peaceful - there is little disturbance in the way of the scenery. Snow blankets the majestic peaks of the castle and the less grandiose arches of expensive mansions. The cobblestone is hidden and small mounds form along the edge-ways. Bushes and wrought-iron fences are softened. It’s a pure, unruffled expanse of white in a city he found drearily sandstone-beige the last time he was there.

Therein lies the problem. It strikes Lloyd when there’s a resounding crack through the air, as if the crust of the planet had broken cleanly. The first and only noise he had heard since arriving. ( When had he arrived? What was he doing here? If Seles saw him, she’d - ) Something changes. Lloyd feels apprehension, a true fear at his core as the snowflakes drifting lazily from the sky turn a sparkling ruby. The cold enters him, as if he had touched something dead and its lifelessness had seeped into his veins.

Something is wrong.

The world shifts. A scene moves before Lloyd, as if he were standing in the center of a dais, slipping into place so that he focuses on it without moving. A woman is on her knees. As Lloyd watches, her features become more defined. Blonde, pale face painted with vibrant makeup that seems less gaudy and more elegant on her, compared to other noblewomen. Her face is serene, but her skin seems to grow closer to the color of the snow at her knees. Something about her draws Lloyd closer. Some part of his heart tells him that he loves her and his tongue moves in his mouth, silently calling her -

The walk to Zelos’s apartment complex was far from his mind. It was almost as if he had been on auto-pilot, as the moment he steps up to the apartment door, he wonders very briefly if he was just standing outside of his own still. Leaving and coming here had been a challenge, but when Lloyd made a decision, he knew he had to stick to it.

That didn’t mean that he had any inkling whatsoever of what he was going to say to the Chosen. If he even answered the door. They’d both been in rough shape after Lloyd shot Zelos down. The whole magical transformation thing hadn’t gone at all according to plan, in Lloyd’s mind.