2019-02-26: A Weak Promise
- Log: A Weak Promise
- Cast: Fei Fong Wong, Xantia
- Where: Krosse - Sunlight Square
- Date: February 26, 2019
- Summary: Worried sick after Fei's impalement at the hands of Gryndille, Xantia remains at his side until he awakens. But it's someone else who awakens first...
========================<* Krosse - Sunlight Square *>======================== Krosse is a walled city, and the killing grounds inside the entry to the castle have been given a much nicer spin than is typical. Known as the Sunlight Square, it is a wide-open plaza with a fenced-off grassy park in the centre. The square occupies the same sort of role as a village green, and residents of the city frequently gather to socialize, work, or even kick off their boots and enjoy a nap in the sun. Small shops surround the edges of the Sunlight Square, offering a variety of goods and services to travellers. A three-story building in the northwest offers lodging at a reasonable price, and a stone cathedral in the northeast is one of two surviving houses of worship of the Warrior of Light remaining on the continent. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VXzx4Zhd1k
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei nearly got murdered by a killer robot named Gryndille. That was pretty terrible. Regardless, near-murder tends to put out Fei for a bit and it isn't until a conveniently indeterminate time later that Fei wakes up in a medical tent, blinking slowly as he lies on the floor.
He raises his hand to his forehead. He doesn't move past that, holding that position as if pushing away a major headache.
The bed he's lying in is drenched in sweat and, to be honest, a fair amount of Fei-blood. He has been bandaged up around his midsection. He sees that.
Guess they took good care of them. Him.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Speaking of major headaches, Xantia certainly has been one of those to the medical staff. Worse than usual, even. She already has trouble sitting still normally, but this time she just refused outright to cooperate with getting herself looked over because she wanted to stay near Fei. She wasn't listening to just anyone, so it would've taken the intervention of someone named, say, Lily, to finally get her to go along with the usual medical proceedings.
There wasn't much of a point that Xantia could see. She didn't need much in the way of medical attention this time either and it was all just a big waste of time, typical. She failed to consider that there would be a bit of extra caution involved given what had happened in Dazil, and she did kind of abruptly lose consciousness for a little bit there. Those experiences don't seem to have made Xantia any more cautious than she was before.
But can you blame her? This is Fei we're talking about, of course she's going to put all priority on making sure he's okay! Hopefully Fei wasn't expecting to get much in the way of immediate rest following his awakening, because it takes no time at all for Xantia's concerned face to pop into view above him.
"Fei! Fei, are you okay? Does it still hurt? Can I get you anything?"
Not keeping her voice or the amount of questions down. Why would that be necessary?
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei would have figured on Xantia popping up shortly after his awakening. He doesn't even jump up when Xantia shouts in his direction. He turns his head to look at her.
"Figured I'd survive that one." He says as he turns towards Xantia. He grins upon seeing her, slowly but carefully sitting up.
"And figured you'd be there to great my weary eyes once I woke up. How you holding up, kiddo?"
He then promptly rests one hand on Xantia's shoulder as if to comfort her... "Yeah, there's something you can get me... YOUR HEAD!"
He promptly starts noogieing Xantia ruthlessly in one hand while holding her in place with the other!
"You've been worrying me all month! First yer other self gets called out, seals my ether in an attempt to banish me out of my own body, then ya go ahead and lose all yer memories and you didn't even die first, then you make us go through some showdown in the offcenter of your mind we were barely prepared to tackle...!"
"And don't think I missed you switching places for a moment while I was hurt, he may've missed it but I ain't nearly as distracted..."
If Xantia hasn't broken free by now, 'Fei' lets go and adds, "We're not worth losin' your self for."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Almost immediately, something about Fei strikes Xantia as odd. The confusion in her expression is obvious. As is the fact that she's not putting two and two together right away. It's the 'kiddo' that really begins to clue her in - Fei doesn't call her that. Which means...
"Gaaaaaah!"
Just a tiny bit too late to figure it out in time to keep from getting noogied. She flails in response, struggling against the grip of 'Fei'. ...but not as much as she probably could. That's the first sign that she's caught on, the second is that she starts to giggle, before she positively identifies who this actually is. "Iiiiiiid, lemme gooo~"
She's fine with not being let go until Id feels like it. She rubs her neck afterwards, grinning widely, and stating the obvious: "You tricked me!"
But, he does have a point. The way she rubs her head is more out of slight embarassment than fixing her hair - it already tends to go all over the place normally, there's no hope for it now. "Ehehe... I, uh, I guess I only apologized to Fei and not to you, huh? Sorry about that..." But she quickly regains that grin, and mock-punches Fei-Id in the shoulder. "I didn't need to be worried about you though, right? You can take it!"
She does seem genuinely confident when she shakes her head and makes a fist. "Don't worry, I'm not going to lose myself like that again. I just got a little mad back there, that's all." Just a little. She mock-hmphs, crossing her arms. "That's your fault, you know. You're the one who made me mad enough to figure out how to use anger to get stronger."
And while she's dishing out the blame, she taps a finger to Id's chest. "And you tell Fei to stop taking attacks like that for other people. Does he think anybody would be happy if he died protecting them?"
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Gehehhehe...okaaaay..." Id lets Xantia go without much trouble.
He turns his head aside and adds, "I didn't trick you. This is how I actually look." Id that is kind of besides the point and you know it. And he does know it. But that isn't going to stop him from doing this. He does give pause when Xantia says that he could take it, though, and he lowers his hands.
I never thought we'd meet again like this. It must be fate. Ironic. But... I'll never let you have him. Even if it kills me!
Id shakes his head. "...Maybe..." He says, pushing back the uncertainty. He can, at least, take the punch to the arm pretty easily. A punch to the gut? Maybe not right now. "I'm giving him a little time to rest. It's always easy to come out when he's trashed like this."
He smirks this time, "It's not exactly in my interests to tell him to stop. Though I guess I have in the past. But he doesn't listen to me. If he did, he wouldn't be him. He would be me, now wouldn't he?"
He listens to Xantia's explanation on how she won't lose herself again and he says, "Okay. I'll count on that." Normally he might be more sympathetic to other hidden sides of Xantia but that power it unleashed to disrupt his connection to his body... he's only seen anything like that once before.
From the man he hates more than just about anything.
"It's my fault now..." Id says with a deadpan expression. "...Alright, fine. I'll take responsibility."
He winces when Xantia taps him on the chest, though. "You've a funny idea of what constitutes a vacation, though we're not one to talk."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia is about to argue the matter of being tricked, but it's stopped short because she gets mentally distracted by the thought of Id actually looking like Fei. She didn't realize that. As if this whole... Thing needed another curveball to get yet more confusing. It's confusing enough that Id seems to be unsure of his invincibility. Xantia was pretty sure he had nothing to worry about in that respect. How much more doesn't she know about?
She's lost a bit of steam by the time Id smirks, but still remains silent on the matter, until he reiterates how he and Fei are not the same. "...I know that. It's still so strange... I know you're always there, but it's so hard to feel like you are unless you're actually there." She pauses, then messes up her hair even further. "Gaaah, that didn't even sound like it made sense, it's so confusing! Hang on, let me think, I'll try again in a bit."
Leaving that promise hanging for the moment, she nods several times to indicate that yes, yes, Id can count on her keeping whatever that was at bay. Perhaps she has no business making a promise like that, since she can't account for outside influences, but she'll definitely do all that she can, when she can. "Right now I don't even know how I did all those things, so, you know. I have no idea how I even did... that." To the point where 'that' is the best description she has for it. Whatever it was that took hold of her back then, it has a much greater knowledge of Ether than Xantia does at this moment.
Id then says he'll take responsibility for what was his fault, which causes Xantia to backpedal on that statement quickly, holding up her hands. "H-hey, you don't have to take that so seriously. I learned to do something new, that's all, it doesn't really matter how it happened." It's certainly not something she actually begrudges Id.
The matter of the vacation prompts a cant of her head, taking a moment to get what this is about. "...Oh! Oh, that, um... this doesn't count, it just kind of... came up. I'll try again after this?" She never even began to try.
Recomposing herself, she starts, "Okay, okay, I think I got it. What I was trying to say before is..." She still takes a few moments to actually put together what she meant to say about the difference between Fei and Id, leading one to believe that it's going to be something really involved. But what she eventually says couldn't be more simple.
"...I missed you."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
It's not normal to be able to punch someone's 'image' out of their body either. Xantia's capabilities go well beyond a normal soldier's and her alterego? Well, it took three high level ether users with Xantia's help to get through her defenses. It will be much more difficult if there is a next time.
So yes, Id might feel invincible but he still has plenty to fear. Perhaps there is power beyond his power...or, more unnervingly, something beyond power altogether. Beyond what power can challenge.
Id is ill inclined to tell Xantia of what that move reminded him of. Last thing he needs is to have more Feis inside of his head. Or be even more locked out of his skull than he is already.
"Well you know what it's like to walk inside your own head now. It wasn't always the case but right now that's my 'normal' state."
He leaves aside the matter of vacations to focus on Xantia saying she missed him. She says she missed him.
He knows by now there is really no point to pointing out he had tried to kill her before, that he tried to kill her friends, that he has tried this over and over again. He can't win against Xantia like that and doing repeated actions in hopes for a different result, well, that's science but he's got a pretty strong Xantia theory already. He doesn't need to press that conversation line again.
Instead he says, "...Missed you too, kiddo."
He is hesitant. Is he allowed to have this small little piece of happiness? Why are these people giving him the time of day? He deceived them for so long. He doesn't get it. He may have done some nice things, sure. He's not a complete demon. But those were the exception not the rule.
If he gets any closer he might take her away. That thought encourages Id to at least keep acting standoffish even if his other actions betray the truth.
"I feel guilty." He says. "Bein' taken care of like this while my brother was murdered in cold blood. I'm sure they had many reasons, but I know one of 'em was to fuck with me."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Comparatively, Xantia has it easy. There's a lot she doesn't know. Or just doesn't pay any attention to because it doesn't seem like anything she needs to worry about. Even when she should know better. Despite what happened before, it appears that she's already back to charging straight towards dangerous situations without giving it much thought. Just what comes natural, perhaps.
She'd be the first to admit that what happened to her before scares her, though. Her perspective of the incident was different, of course. She didn't and doesn't fully know exactly what that other self is capable of. But even so, she could tell how dangerous it would be to fight against. Even before she fully lost control. But as for right now, she seems to have decided not to seek any further answers on that matter. In that respect, at least, she has somewhat succeeded in taking a vacation.
"...I'm not sure if I do know," is all she can say on the matter of walking around inside of her head. "It didn't feel like I was walking around at all. It felt more like being trapped." Her eyes widen when she considers that might be exactly what Id was getting at, prompting an apologetic expression.
It's always like that, isn't it? No matter if it is Id, Xantia will be sympathetic when she recognizes a painful situation. It may be more accurate to say especially if it is Id. There's probably little chance of making sense of why Xantia feels the way she does. It's not like Xantia herself could make sense of it if asked. But attempts to push her away just seem to backfire. Xantias, how do they work?
Well, you can make them happy easily enough. Just having it affirmed Id missed her too prompts a radiant smile. She has zero concerns in regards to happiness, that's for sure.
"Guilty?" Xantia questions immediately, having no idea where that came from, but quickly lowering her head and softly saying, "Oh", when that is explained. How odd, now she's feeling guilty, too. "...I should've been there. I could've helped. I would've helped." She was a little busy at the time, of course, but it's not like that matters at a time like this. She places a hand on top of Id's, expression uncommonly serious.
"I... didn't really know Siegfried. So maybe I'm completely wrong about this, but... maybe he thought this was the only answer. That he had to keep fighting, because there was no other way he could live. And... no other way he could die."
If that would make sense to Xantia, then it stands to reason that she's not completely unfamiliar with that thought, herself.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
MAYBE BEING NICE TO XANTIA WILL FINALLY GET HER TO GO AWAY YEAH.
Id doesn't actually think that's how it goes. He is reluctant to admit stuff like that but at this point it feels more foolish to refuse the obvious. Perhaps Id too recognized painful situations within Xantia and that is why he has shown her more mercy than normal and, as such, left open a path within which a bond could be formed.
But Xantia seems to understand what Id is getting at. "Yeah," Id says. "For three years I couldn't move this body at all." The same time he lived in Lahan before he was trapped. "...Tch, I shouldn't be sharing stuff like that, but I guess it's okay if it's you."
He could probably tell Elly too but... he just can't face her. It's too painful.
"You've got good insight." Id tells Xantia. "He could have escaped to lead his people again. Instead he'll be left as a cautionary tale for men to chase."
He looks back to her, pain in his eyes. "But he was wrong. There were other answers. He was slain in an instant, dead before he even realized he was dead."
"..."
Quieter, Id says, "Can you promise me you won't follow his path? You know what I mean by that." Yeah he's noticed certain tendencies from Xantia too.
"...Geeze, meant to let him see you earlier, but it's hard to let go..." Id adds. "But before I do, promise me."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Reverse psychology won't work on Xantia, because she has no idea what that means, ha!
Regardless, Xantia has her own defense mechanisms, even if she doesn't recognize them as such. Not sharing painful things quite as freely as she shares everything else, that's certainly a thing that ends up happening. Of course, one doesn't need to say everything out loud for certain things to be obvious.
Which doesn't mean that she gets it when Id says that he shouldn't have shared that particular thing, that still visibly perplexes her. She smiles, in the end. "It's fine, we're just talking, right?" She's not going to make a big deal about it. Now, if it was actually okay to tell Xantia if Id doesn't want anyone else to know, well... maybe she's gotten better about keeping things to herself even a little bit...?
Xantia is told she has good insight. This may be the first time anybody's said that about Xantia. But then again, she has proven to be perceptive, if not exactly wise. Though in this case, it was just... uncommonly easy to imagine herself in someone else's shoes. Even if she couldn't begin to imagine what that kind of a betrayal would feel like, she knows her impulses well enough.
And when confronted with that... Xantia finds that she can't immediately make that promise, looking down at her hands, one of which still resting on Id's. She lets out a faint chuckle, squeezing that hand a bit before looking up, now smiling again. "I can make that promise... as long as I have people who can show me the other answers."
She's not about to force anything, either way. As far as she's concerned, Id can come and go as he pleases. She'd probably handle sudden transitions better than most.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Yeah. Just talking." Id says quietly, remembering the 300 or so times he's heard Xantia just excitedly blab about everything but truth is--he didn't really mind that quality about her. It was sweet in its own way.
Id gives Xantia a headpat with one hand, smiling. "That's a weak promise. But if that's what I can get, I'll take it. I'll just have to count on 'em a little more."
And with that he closes his eyes--
--and when he reopens them it's Fei again. He blinks a few times and says, "Sis..!" He gives her a hug. "Oh uh, thanks for talking to him."
His cheeks pinken because he's easily embarrassed as he flops back to lying down. "I guess that was a close one but..."
He smiles. "That promise goes for me too."
After that he lets out a long exhale. "I don't handle this stuff as well as him so I'm gonna rest for a bit but...thanks. I mean it."