#ryujinxrittenhask

Spoilers for Verse 3 of the Ballad of the Nightmare Krew.

I just watched the episode where they pull cards from the Deck of Many Things and oh BOY!! I had to write something about the aftermath from Ryujins pov. Hope you like it. I do.

Ryujin burst into the kitchen of the Lucid Dream, his eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. 

Leopold was gone. Just like that, he had vanished, leaving Ryujin with a gaping void in his heart and a sense of helplessness that gnawed at his very soul. There was no spell in his arsenal that could locate his beloved. Leopold was simply gone and only coming back if they could find a powerful enough mage or make some sordid deal. 

The kitchen, untouched since Rittenhask's last tidying, lay before him. The spices, neatly arranged on their shelves, mocked Ryujin with their orderliness.. A note had been left on the butcher block.  "Garlic? Perhaps a touch of rosemary will do." Clearly his most recent attempt to win over Lilith and her disdain for under seasoned cooking.

Ryujin placed his hand on top of the paper, as if he could eke out whatever essence of his lover still existed in the words he wrote and bring him back from the void. Yet, it offered no comfort, only a stark reminder of Leopold's absence. No magic stirred. It was merely paper and ink. Nothing more.

Hitching back a sob, Ryujin sank onto the bench, his elbows resting heavily on his knees, hands cradling his face.They’d fucked up bad this time. When would they learn to stop courting disaster with their reckless actions?

Silent, hot tears flowed freely and Ryujin shook with anger, frustration and above all fear. 

Fear for Leopold. 

Where had he gone? Was he suffering, lost in some distant realm beyond Ryujin's reach?

The creak of the kitchen door interrupted his thoughts.

Without lifting his gaze, Ryujin's voice quivered as he uttered, "The kitchen's closed," hoping to dismiss whoever had stolen down to the galley for a midnight snack. Who could have an appetite after what had happened? 

There was silence, but Ryujin felt the presence of whoever was still in the doorway. He peaked up from his hands, wiping away the tears as best he could. 

There stood Lilith. Her hand pressed against the door, her slender form leaning wearily against the frame. Strands of hair cascaded across her face, veiling her expression in shadow.

With a soft murmur, Lilith spoke, her voice carrying a weary undertone, “Got room for me?” She chucked her chin at the bench where Ryujin sat, a faint glimmer of vulnerability in her gaze.

Ryujin cast a quick glance behind her, ensuring they were alone. Satisfied, he shifted on the bench that hugged the wall of the intimate dining nook, making space for Lilith.

As Lilith let the door fall shut behind her, she deposited her violin on the kitchen counter, an action that would have surely raised Leopold's disapproving eyebrow had he been present. Lilith moved to take her new dagger, the one made of broken mirrored pieces, out and leave it with the violin, but hesitated and seemed to think better of it. Leaning her head back against the wall, Lilith's shoulder lightly brushed against his, a silent gesture of camaraderie amidst their shared turmoil.

She’d been crying too. Her eyes betrayed the weight of her own thoughts. Ash was gone as well. Vanished into the void much like Leopold. Ryujin had seen how she’d kissed Ash’s cheek right before he’d pulled the card. Had clocked the fleeting touches and unspoken glances exchanged between them when they believed no one was watching. There had always been an unspoken connection between the two. Clearly it had grown beyond just friendship.

“Fucking shite,” she exhaled.

“We’ll get them back,” Ryujin countered. Grasping to that positivity that helped him survive. There was no other option in his mind. 

Lilith leaned her head onto his shoulder. Like she so often did when they’d been sitting up in Mobiaux, near the spot they’d come through the portal, keeping watch to see if Ash would come back or Kallias would appear. Those moments, despite the horrors that surrounded them, held a special place in their shared history. It was a time when it was just Ryujin, Leopold, and Lilith, their bond deepening with each passing day. 

Despite Lilith's complaints about Rittenhask's culinary endeavors, Ryujin's impulsive actions, or Rittenhask's occasional bout of absurdity, they had developed an unspoken understanding during those months alone together. They were bound by more than just circumstance; they were each other's pillars of support, their sanctuary in a world teetering on the brink of chaos. And no matter what trials lay ahead, they knew they could rely on one another, now and always.

“What if this is it?” she whispered.

“I thought we didn’t deal in what ifs and maybes.” He retorted quietly, reminding her of her own mantra she’d adopted on their travels.

"But what if," she took a deep breath, exhaustion clinging to her like a shroud, her breath shaky from crying. “What if we can’t do it? What if we’ve reached our limit?” 

She looked up at Ryujin, seeming to search his face for doubt. Ryujin schooled his features to one of determination. They were both afraid, teetering on the edge of despair, but surrendering to the uncertainty of half-formed possibilities would only lead them further astray. “What if we can, Lilith? What if we do succeed? What if we find them both and go home? What if everything works out? Not in the way we want it to, maybe, but, it works out all the same? What if, Lilith?” He said to his friend gently. 

The exhaustion was clear in her eyes. They’d been on this journey for almost a Cordian year with the hope of going home being pushed farther and farther along on the timeline. Perhaps they truly never would go home, Ryujin thought. Would that be something they could live with? Would that be something Ryujin could accept? He did not know.