A Mirror More Fragile With Age ||@hopelantics||
Waystone Tavern. An ancient dusty place, the same bar Astarion and Roberto met in. It was light, airy and felt both old yet modern in regards to the architecture of the whole city.
During this season they held a special. 'Toasted Perlbery Rum'. Something new to hopefully wake him up from the strange mental fracture he's been in. Unlikely, but he could hope.
Tucked in the corner near the back exit, the wolf sat hunched over the drink, his cross firmly against the wall beside him, feeling empty without it. He used it as a reminder more than a weapon. A reminder he's strong, that he can't just bowl around people anymore. That if Livio or Vash or even Zazie showed up, they'd all be as frail as the rest of the humans around him.
Always a monster. Always a weapon.
Xuanyu.. He's different. He's always been human, was always frail and squishy, Legato too. They were safe, his mind didn't forget their frail nature.
Still, his hands were stained red. He knows they weren't, know he'd washed it off. But still he saw red, still he saw blue grow dull, watched the body fizzle into ash and light, taken to the tower nearby to revive. Had met those blue whilst playing his violin, trying to remember delicate was needed, just as it was with the instrument.
They'd parted ways. All he needed was to see blue again and it was enough. Had told him he finally understood why he always ran, that it was to protect others, never himself.
He barely remembers how they parted after that, everything a mangled blur chased away by the next spiced sip. He hated keeping himself distant, but until he figured his shit out, it was better this way. Sure, he was being no better than Vash, but there's a difference. He killed Vash. If it wasn't for the weird magic of this place bringing him back, that would have been the end of it. Even Roberto seemed horrified when he told him.
Yet another parental figure he disappointed.
"Damnit, blondie." He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. I just started to get my head on straight.
















