bravenewworld | Video | But home is a feeling I buried in you

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Video | But home is a feeling I buried in you

[This... is not a Warp Band which has been active - or within range - in a long while. The image is fuzzy and looks somehow grubby, perhaps to be attributed to the fact that the device has spent almost a whole year stuffed into the bottom of a bag.

The young man on the screen, though, doesn't look like he needs any help looking like a mess.

The fair feathers covering his head are ruffled and matted, and on one side of his head they show signs of having been singed by something. What can be seen of his clothes looks like rags and tatters, repaired in places with caterpie silk, woven vines, feathers, wool... all manners of debris. The once-blue gemstone attached to his forehead looks dull, now faded from blue to dirty yellow. From what can be seen of his face and body, he's not only incredibly filthy, but also a large number of meals short of a healthy weight. He has a nasty-looking cut on the left side of his face, running right across his eye, which is swollen and looks infected.

He offers the camera a bleak, apologetic smile, and the chipper tone in his voice sounds incredibly false.]

Hello everyone. I'm, ah- My name is Fai Flourite. I went missing from Union last autumn.

[He shifts a bit. There is a muffled splash followed by the aggravated chattering of a Floette off-camera, and Fai winces.]

I'm currently a bit... stuck. I'm on my way home, but- mm, I don't think I should be Teleporting in a while just yet. Last time I did, I ended up in a swamp. Which, incidentally, is why I'm a bit stuck.

[He attempts a laugh, but it sounds pathetic. He averts his eyes, as if he can't even face the camera. His voice drops into a mumble.]

But I'm coming home. I know I must've worried some people, and... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

[And with that, the feed cuts out.]

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I'm- I'm pretty damn stupid. You must have noticed by now.

[He's really trying to keep his voice together and not just cry loudly in Feliks' ear, but he's not sure how well he's managing. Probably not that well.]

I'm... not going anywhere. Think Babycakes would tie me up if I tried. Merciful Savior, I'm... I'm pretty tired.

Good, we match. Just wait for me a minute longer...

[And, indeed, he might notice some large flying shapes approaching pretty soon here...]

[Fai is honestly on the very edge of consciousness by the point when the blurry flying figures descend over him. The emotional stress of so much pain and loneliness and guilt coming unwound all at once, when applied to a body that hasn't had proper rest or food for a while now... well, it's just a bit much. He raises his head where he's slumped against a mostly dead tree, blinking desperately to clear his muddled vision. Five pokémon are clustered around him, worried and protective, but as he feels them part he knows that they have recognized at least one of the new arrivals. He knows what that means.]

Feliks? [And not just him, by the sound of it, but right now... right now, Feliks matters more than anything else.]

Fai!

[Feliks leaps off of the Salamence when she's close enough to the ground that he probably won't break his legs; it is entirely possible that half the reason he doesn't is literally "fairy magic", though. He immediately tries to run, even if he staggers the first few steps.]

[Then he's making his way past the little crowd of Pokemon and outright flinging himself at Fai, making every attempt to gather him into his arms protectively in spite of their obvious height difference.]

[He can't speak. There are too many feelings, and words aren't enough, and without really meaning to, he lets out a single, hoarse, dry sob.]

[The year hasn't been too easy on him, either. A lot of the soft, roundedness of him is just gone, and not entirely due to his evolution; he's little more than skin, bones, and wiry muscle from refusing to stay in the city for more than a handful of days at a time. His clothes are older and dirtier than he'd ever have let happen before, though certainly not in the sort of bad shape Fai's are in.]

[But that doesn't matter. He's sparkling brighter than he ever has in his life, even though he can feel the tears starting to well up unbidden in his eyes.]

[Fai can't make himself see clearly - even if his vision wasn't swimming with exhaustion, there is absolutely no holding back the tears anymore, not a shred of dignity or consideration for it left. He just wraps around Feliks and clings, his own limbs more wiry, hardened by his rough living, but right now shaking uncontrollably with both emotion and fatigue. Feliks feels different, that much he can tell - changed both by an Evolution and by time, and the latter doesn't seem to have been too kind to his frame. But to Fai, right now, he is a breathtaking blur of sparkling flame and warmth and color and light, as if everything he has missed for almost a whole year has been condensed into one overwhelming experience.

Desperately running one hand over the other boy, as if trying to make absolutely certain that he really is all there, gasping down sobbing breaths, his other hand latching on to his hair as if trying to anchor them both, he simply rocks with Feliks's small frame held in his arms. They're together. He's safe. He's home. Even now, even with Yuui gone, that feeling isn't completely gone, after all.

And now, finally, he can't hold it back.]

I'm- I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm- You're- You deserved better.

[There's more hard edges to both of them than there used to be, but Feliks will be damned if he's going to let that stop him from shaping himself around Fai and curling up into his arms, a gentle hand in Fai's hair guiding him down to cry into his shoulder.]

I don't care. You're home -- oh, Savior, Fai...

Edited 2015-09-27 05:34 (UTC)

[The Salamence swoops in and lands after Feliks drops, making a lazy circuit and setting down a few yards away. Not a half second after Feliks touches down, there's a stirring of air and down comes Yuuna on Susume. Sliding off the Dragonite's back, the ranger woman goes for her medical bag, and stops. It's a tender scene, that hug, the reunion, and she doesn't want to interrupt.

Leaning against the Dragonite, the Fighting type does her best not to look directly at the display, both for the sake of her eyes and for their privacy. She was here to perform a task, to facilitate healing. That was all she needed to do.

It was nice though, seeing her friend happy. And knowing that odds had been beaten. Not thinking about the twin was harder than it seemed, but she did her best to shut out those questions. Not the time, not the place.]

[And then, there's truly nothing that can be said, and no way of saying it through a torrent of tears and sobs and sounds not unlike those a person would make if they were having their heart torn open and washed out with medical alcohol, all of the infection slowly burned away. He's been hurting so badly, for so long, and much like Feliks he has tried to ignore it, tried to push it down into the depths, focusing everything on the relentless obsession.

Find Yuui. Make sure he's safe. Save him.

Yuui is still gone. The pain isn't, however.

The pokémon cluster around them once more, pressing close protectively. Perhaps the most significant change in their feelings is how Sweetie Pie climbs up and hugs Feliks' leg hard, as if she never wants to let him go. She knows now that this is Fai's mate, his one and only, and he can't be allowed not to be there again.

Finally, enough sense returns to Fai to do something else but cry. He presses a kiss to Feliks' forehead, letting out a shaky breath. He can't quite manage to speak yet, but he raises his hand a bit feebly in a gesture at Yuuna, wanting to acknowledge her and his gratitude, even if Feliks is all he can really focus on for long.]

[For a long time, as Fai cries out the worst of it, Feliks just holds him, murmuring little comforting sounds and rocking slowly, gentle fingers combing through his feathers and rubbing at his back. Fai was always so thin, and it's terrifying to feel how frail his body is, terrifying to think of him trying to survive one more winter out here. Thank the Savior he came back when he did. (He is going to feed him, some part of him thinks distantly. He's going to make so much damn soup for this boy.)]

[It's hard to take even one hand off of him long enough to pat Sweetie Pie on the head, but for just a moment, he manages. This small group of Pokemon that stayed -- he's so grateful to them for keeping him alive all this time. It doesn't escape his notice that they're probably the reason all his stubborn hope wasn't in vain, and he's going to find so many nice things to do for them, just as soon as he's at a point where he can detach himself from Fai's side.]

[It's the little kiss to his forehead that undoes him, has him sagging against Fai's chest as if somebody just let half the air out of him. He's in too much shock for the kind of really big, gasping sobs that Yuuna and Waver saw just the other day, but his chest shudders inward and outward as he lets himself cry tears of shock and relief and maybe even the grief that he's been trying to just sweep underneath of his courage and strength of will instead of dealing with for month after month. Maybe that last one isn't needed anymore, but he just needs to get it out, after it's rested uneasy in his heart for so long.]

Savior. I -- gods, I missed you...

[Yuuna might as well not be there for all that he notices at this particular moment, deeply grateful though he is for her help.]

[Fai is all too aware that he wouldn't have survived without the pokémon by his side. With his typing, how could he possibly have survived the hardships of winter, if Mr Sunshine hadn't kept him warm, if Sweetie Pie hadn't shaped the snow around him to protect him from the wind, if Babycakes hadn't woven a protective tangle to keep out wild pokémon, if Dotty hadn't risked flying to find new places to stay, if Blossom hadn't found roots and frozen berries under the snow? He's just a human, and one woefully ignorant when it came to surviving such extremities at first.

And without their company, would he have been able to regain his mind enough to come back again?

It's a chilling, terrifying thought, and even more so now that he can take it what his disappearance had done to Feliks. He's so exhausted, so worn down, as if he's been running on nothing but stubborn will alone for a long time. Fai remembers how he can be, and now he wonders how he could ever have deluded himself into thinking that Feliks would ever give up on him completely. Wasn't Feliks the person who he was sure would never give up? Wasn't that what Fai had fallen in love with so helplessly?

In love... Savior protect his foolish heart, but he still is, isn't he? Even after all this time, he's still in love with this boy and his fire, his eye for the dramatic, his cocksure vanity, his unwavering loyalty. Fai feels his cheeks heat slightly even as he gently rubs Feliks back, trying to work away some of the tension there, and hums quietly in an attempt to comfort him. He doesn't quite know what to do with that feeling, it seems selfish and naive, so he tries to put it away for now. But that doesn't change the warmth and affection in his life as he replies.]

I missed you too. Every single day. I tried not to think about it because it made me feel bad, but... I did. All the time.

Then you shouldn't have left without me, you big jerk.

[He's not even mad, really. A little exasperated, perhaps. Mostly, he just sort of feels like it needs to be said the same way his tears need to be shed -- he needs to let it out of his heart and into the world where it can resolve itself.]

...You should have taken me with you.

I shouldn't have. [Fai will agree with anything, though the thought of taking Feliks with him back then is shamefully upsetting. He's not sure how Feliks could possibly care this much about him if he'd seen what he was like back then.] I'm a jerk.

[He's worse than that. Honestly, he can't quite grasp why Feliks isn't angrier, why he hasn't slapped him hard enough to knock him half senseless, why he hasn't yelled at him, why he hasn't properly blamed him for anything yet. Maybe that will come - or is that just wishful thinking because that will make him feel better?]

I didn't- I wasn't... well. I can't even properly remember that first time. And then... I was too ashamed to face you, I think. [Is he trying to make him angry now? Is he trying to make excuses? Is he trying to make sense of what happened? He can't even tell.]

[At this point, now, Yuuna shifts a little. Audible movements of her feet on leaves, but still not wanting to interrupt with words. The dragons are decidedly restless about something wild in the area, and it's making her nervous too.]

Yeah, well, you can work on making it up to me.

[He presses his face into Fai's shoulder, oblivious to their surroundings, still stroking through his feathers. His hand slows a little, as an awful thought occurs to him.]

[It has been a year.]

...If you still want to, I mean.

[Fai blinked slowly, at first not quite capable of understanding what Feliks could mean. If he still-?

... Oh.

Something right between a laugh and a sob leaves his lips, and he gently tilts Feliks' chin up, mindful of his out-of-control talons.]

If I still want to? Savior, I thought you just said that I was the one who had a lot of making up to do. [His lips quirk into one of those smiles that usually only really come easy to him when they're alone, small and open and completely real.]

Yes, I want to. If you'll still have me. Idiot. [And Yuuna is just going to have to put up with kissing as well. It's simple and chaste, Fai being a bit too aware that he's a disgusting mess to try for anything more intimate. Still, for him it's certainly enough to seemingly make him completely unaware of their surroundings for a while.

(...Nevermind the rustling in some trees and the strings of bubbles rising on a couple of places in the still swamp water around them. Nothing is attacking yet, right?)]

Edited 2015-09-27 23:42 (UTC)

Boys. I hate to interrupt, but we're not alone out here.

[Yuuna's trying to genuinely give them space and time, but there's a shift in the air, a smell of something in the air. They aren't in a good area, they are standing dangerously close to a particularly rustly big of swamp grass.]

Back away from the water and those bushes very, very slowly. Towards me, and away from the water.

[And if either of them have any sort of supernatural senses? They'll definitely notice something malicious and hungry...]

[That was something that Feliks honestly didn't even bother considering worrying about all this time, because finding Fai and bringing him home alive took such strong precedence. But selfish as it might be, now that he thinks of it, he's relieved to know that he still has the chance for a place in Fai's life, and that he wasn't a factor in particular in Fai's choice to leave alone or the prolonged lack of contact.]

[He could kiss him forever like this, just gentle and simple, the barest touch of lips turning instantly into the point on which the universe turned. He could, in a perfect world.]

[But.]

Ugh.

[He pulls away with a very distinct pout, and taps his Warp Band to call out his Altaria.]

You wanna get on him, babe? I can tell you all about whatever you want once we're not getting eaten or whatevs.

[Fai, momentarily distracted by fatigue and the first human contact for a year, reacts instantly. He jumps to his feet with a feral snarl, which immediately causes his pokémon to close ranks around him, hackles rising. His fingers curl, ready to claw, his arms spread to take full use of his rather impressive range, lips pulled back from slightly pointed teeth.

He might not be good with actual mind reading, but he can scan basic traits just fine, and there has never been any mistaking that flat, deadened feeling of a creature which is completely immune to his psychic powers.]

Dark. [He spits the word, tense and backing up toward Yuuna. His nose wrinkles a moment after that, a look of distaste on his face.] Poison.

[Well, great. His Analyst powers have been trained to perfection in the wild. But he seems to suddenly be aware that he just acted... well, like a wild pokémon, as if humanity has been scraped away by his struggle for survival. He lets out a brittle little laugh, attempting to relax a bit.]

I could probably do with getting to civilization soon, huh?

Edited 2015-09-28 10:40 (UTC)

Skunktank.

[Yuuna steps forward now, hand on the hilt of her sword. Fully ready to fight the thing and smite it, but it doesn't appear. The reaction's interesting, but not unexpected. Anything can go feral.

The two dragons shift their weight, moving defensively around the humans, bristling and ready to fight if the creature appears.

It doesn't, thankfully, though that may change if he doesn't hurry.]

[Feliks steps in front of Fai the moment they're on their feet, because damned if he's letting anything touch him right now. Skuntank, Dark and Poison... it could be worse. The Dark balances out Poison's defense against his Fairy-type attacks, and most of his are Fire anyway, it's just that he needs to not get hit with too many Poison-type attacks if they do have to fight it. They do have Yuuna, a couple of dragons and Fryderyk here, too, for offense... Acid Spray's likely to be the only real threat to him, and Yuuna probably has antidotes or something in her med kit.]

[His eyes are on the grass, sharp and wary -- he's taken his short breaks in civilization, but he's gotten pretty used to the way the wilderness works, too, searching everywhere possible for Fai. His voice, though, stays light.]

Probably for the best, gorgeous. Fryderyk, can you like come here and let Fai get on already?

[The Altaria wasn't very far off anyway, but swoops down to sit on the ground next to Fai, trilling at him quietly.]

We should all get up high if possible. They are terrible at attacking anything above them.

[Fai won't protest at being treated like he needs to protected, like he's fragile, because he knows it's true. He's spend so much time fighting with claws and teeth and fists and powers, fighting for his life, and he's spend even more time fleeing to save himself. He has learned when he simply won't be strong enough, and when running or hiding are the only ways to survive.

He makes a birdlike little sound back at the Altaria, a meaningless little nonsense chirp only meant in greeting - he's spent a lot of time barely using any words at all, as well. Swinging himself up on Fryderyk's back, he looks poised for flight, but nonetheless watches Feliks' cautiously, as if being separated from him even this much is causing him anxiety.]

What do you say about cutting this party short? [He's already fiddling with his Warp Band to send Mr Sunshine out of there, since he's too large to take flying with him.]

They're probably not alone.

[The bubbling water to her left was a good indicator that there was probably an aggressive species there too, though she kept that to herself. Taking a step away, never turning her back to anything, she let Susume pick her up. The creamy companion's wings flapped once and it floated up a pace.

Kuina nuzzled Feliks, lowering her head so he could get on.]

Take off...now!

[And as if sensing that all the prey was leaving, the water came alive. It practically boiled into motion, a pair of vines shooting out of it. A Victreebell lurking there was on the attack. Hopefully everyone was out of reach!]

[Altarias aren't that big -- it would be too hard for him to carry them both all the way back to the city, even with Fai's bird bones and flying powers and his own Fairy-type waifishness, no matter how awful the thought of not being right at Fai's side is at the moment. He grabs Fai's hand for a moment and kneels down to kiss the back of it, eyes flickering up to meet his with bold amusement in spite of the deference of the gesture.]

I'll be right behind you.

[He gestures towards the sky with a small jerk of his head, and Fryderyk takes it as the order it is and takes off. It's just an instant later that the Victreebel comes out of hiding, and one vine reaches for his foot, pulling him back away from Kuina to prevent him from getting on and making his escape. He kicks at it, and the fire roaring to life in his hands is the only other warning the Pokemon gets before Feliks throws a Flamethrower attack its way.]

[He's not playing around today.]

[Fai understands the necessity of the situation, he does, and he manages to force himself not to hold onto Feliks' hand no matter how much he wants to. Even so, the vines lashing out in Feliks' direction forces another snarl across his lips, and even as he's rising into the air, a vicious psychic blow follows right after the fire, aimed right at the source of the vines. That's pretty much what he's limited to while hanging on, but at least it's something. The rest of his energy he focuses on pushing away from the ground to allow them a quicker ascension.

Blossom and Babycakes have attached themselves to him with vines of their own, and Sweetie Pie is planted firmly in his lap, but Dotty swoops down to Feliks' side with an exuberant little sound. He sends a couple of Air Slash blades flying in the direction of adjacent vines, crowing loudly as if to say, Look, I'm helping!! Not the most discrete way of going about it, really, but points for enthusiasm?]

[Yuuna shouts angrily when the vines lash out, but they’re focused on the weaker prey that’s easier to reach and Susume isn’t letting go. Too high up to drop, she watches the scene unfold. Feliks, in particular, seems to be the target…but an unappetizing one. The Flamethrower throws up a rush of steam, and the vine around his ankles snaps off with a brittle pop and a crackling of flame. The Air Slashes carve into the other grasping appendages, neatly severing them.

But the Victreebel isn’t alone. The Skuntank bursts out of the bushes, hissing and spraying an Acid Spray at the fairy type. And the plant, frightened by the fire, belches up an Acid of it’s own. That shot is clumsy, going wide thanks to the steam…and landing splat against Kuina’s scaly hide.

This, as much as the aggressive appearance of the Skuntank, gets the generally affable Salamence moving. Even Yuuna gulps as the dragon surges into action, feet churning up the ground in a Dragon Rush and sending the skunk flying. What did it think was going to happen? That the dragons were just going to stand clear?

Which just leaves the Victreebel, though that’s pretty plainly retreating. If Feliks was going to pursue, he could…but Kuina seems to want to get clear.]

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->Action? Yuuna's with him, also, jsyk

FUCKING ACTION

\o/

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Half here. She's watching you two, combined as asked!

yuuna is an unsung hero and deserves a medal

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I forgot what gender Feliks's Altaria is in an earlier thread, oops

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