[OPEN] The light that seemed to disappear

[bearshermark]

Who: Eleven and OPEN
Where: First District/Academy
When: September 3rd-ish
What: El has returned from his world, a bit disoriented by a mix of somewhat obscure visions/dreams, multiple sets of memories, and general time shenanigans.
Warnings: None.. at the moment, I think.



His feet hit the ground, and Eleven landed in a crouch. He held the stilled position for several moments, eyes focused on the shadows spread over the dirt a short distance from his fingertips. Then just as swiftly whirled on the person stepping up behind him. A civilian, he noted belatedly, and dropped his sword with an apology.

The newly forged Sword of Light gleamed in the afternoon sun. He rubbed his eyes and glanced up to clear blue skies above. Sunlight so bright that it seemed impossible. A spread of foreign scenery slowly resolved into distant familiarity.

Not Hotto, but Noa.

A world full of life, not yet fallen to darkness. A world ambivalent to the title of Luminary. Overlapping visions of two very different, yet puzzling dreams.

He'd regained his companions only to lose them again, but traded them for cross-dimensional friendships.

Hendrik. Yotsuyu. Isabel. Lea. Tenn. Isa. Kuja. Atem. A number of others.

Yet his feet hesitated to return, found himself caught between a strong desire to stay, and the compulsion telling him he should go. Mysteries and memories held him captive, conflicting, weighted, and scattering his focus.

He stayed.

It took a few days to feel ready enough.

When Eleven finally returned to Anastara, it was with a practiced smile: patient and friendly yet at odds with purposeful strides and drawn shoulders. He passed through the First District and into the Academy grounds with a polite nod to everyone he made eye contact with.

Nothing seemed terribly different from what he last remembered of the place. The people he thought he knew still recognized him.

"Has it really only been a few days..?"

Comments

[bearshermark]

Eleven started. He knew her well enough to recognize her on sight, but still her rapid and very friendly approach wasn't what he might have considered expecting. His face colored a faint shade of red.

"H-hello, Isabel," he said, fidgeting.

There may have been nothing terribly magical about a kiss to the cheek, but it had certainly made him feel more present. More real and less like a wandering ghost that didn't belong.

"How have you been?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Worried as hell, really!" Truthful, and yet with his return, she was perfectly capable of being cheerful now, too. "Where did you go?" Intuition alone has given her a clue, but it's one thing to make a leap like that, and another entirely to get confirmation.

"Beyond that, all right. When I found out--I told Hendrik, because I figured telling him probably would be better than him wondering and worrying, but..." She managed to look absolutely guilty, then.

"I don't think I was much help at all." Especially since she hadn't seen the knight since.

[bearshermark]

There was so much to take in to answer all at once, particularly as the mention of Hendrik spiralled his thoughts along a confusing road.

"I- er, I'm sorry. Hendrik. But he's been with me all this time."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Oh, that's how it was, was it? Isabel nodded to Eleven--this sort of thing, she was actually familiar with.

"You did have a version of him there. So you're not wrong, not at all. But there was a version of him here, too, and that one is probably worried sick about you. Worse than I was--I had a feeling you'd be back."

Don't be too smug now. The strangest expression crossed Isabel's face for a moment, but she shook her head. "I wish I were joking about this, but I'm really not. If nothing else, it'd do him good to see you back and well. You and I can catch up later, if you don't get totally swarmed by other people." She laughed at that, and grabbed him for a quick hug, not upset at manhandling him a bit.

"I am glad you're back, though!"

[bearshermark]

His arm came about her waist unbidden, like something ordinary. It wasn't, he knew. He'd only treated her to ice cream once, daring to think of it as a potential date. Now..

He should really find Hendrik and sort all of that out. This was all difficult to process.

"I'm sorry I worried you," he said quietly. "But I don't think I can choose to stay. Maybe when.. if I manage to defeat Mordegon, if Yggdrasil allows me to return here.."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"It's all right, El. I understand. You remember that, don't you?" Isabel just smiled at him and leaned into him a little bit. "I know you have something to do back home on--Erdrea?" She gave a little shake of her head, then.

"Yggdrasil and your world needs you the most. I get it. I'll enjoy the time I have with you, but I'm not going to try to tie you down here. You do what you need to do. Then, if you do get to come back, well. We'll see what happens, right? Either way, I'm your friend, right? I know you like me, and I like you, but it wouldn't be right to stand in your way."

She might or might not have a clear destiny of her own, but Isabel only knew too well what kind of knots that sort of thing could tie a person into.

[bearshermark]

Eleven nodded, the reminder of her endless patience and understanding a balm to his heart. He slowly dropped his arm to let her go.

"I'm grateful for it. I wish I didn't need to ask so much of you, but I can at least promise we will remain friends."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"You're only half asking--I offered, too!" Enough of her family had had those big, convoluted Destinies--she'd heard horror stories about her grandfather and his, too--and even if it was only on her mother's side, it was enough.

It didn't terrify her, but it still wasn't something she wanted, and Eleven had hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with it. Well, he did. So it was up to her to do her best just to...be good. To him, at the very least. It wasn't as if he didn't have her back if she needed it. Hell, he'd already said as much!

"That's the most important thing in my book, you know," Isabel said, giving him a nudge with her elbow.

[bearshermark]

He nodded, smiling briefly.

"I also want to make sure you to know you don't have to wait for me. We'll always be friends at least, so I don't want you to be unhappy because of something like that."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Waiting...I suppose that's up to me, I guess. I can only say I'll do what feels right, you know? I mean...do you have anyone waiting at home?" She had Rain, but they were friends. Still, she knew he had her back as much as Eleven did here...

"But you're damn right that we'll always be friends. You know it!" Reaching out to ruffle his hair playfully, Isabel grinned at him.