#ITS SCIFO DAY!!!!!

[hopeisour4letteredword]

its true luv

[ID 1: A two-panel comic with characters in white on a pink-to-peach gradient background. They are shaded with pink. It features Tales of Vesperia characters. Yuri Lowell is dressed in a suit and tie, with a corsage and a veil; Flynn Scifo is wearing an elaborate high-necked top with a feathered capelet. Other characters are in vaguely implied dress clothes. In the first panel, Yuri, Estellise, and Flynn are seen from the chest-up. Yuri has his eyes closed and is blushing slightly despite a stern expression as he speaks a text post by tumblr user greelin, which reads, “the best way to play gay chicken is to do it in a lasting way. a long con. anyway we’re married now.” Across from him, Flynn beams, blushing with tears of joy in his eyes and dark pink hearts floating around him. Estellise stands between them with an officiant’s book, looking fond but exasperated. In the second panel, Yuri and Flynn are shown from the back, holding hands as they walk away from the viewer. Judith, Raven, Karol, Patty, and Rita all stand around them, cheering and clapping and throwing flower petals. More dark pink hearts float around Flynn and Yuri, and a bouquet can be seen in Yuri’s free hand. Yuri stubbornly “speaks” the next part of the post, which reads “he’ll crack. one day. One day i’ll get him. but for now. honeymoon” ID 2: A one-panel comic with characters in white on a pink-to-red-orange gradient background. They are shaded with red-pink. It features Flynn and Yuri from Tales of Vesperia. Flynn, visible from behind from the hips up, looms over Yuri, fists clenched in his collar. He is trembling with suppressed rage and has anger symbols drawn on the back of his head. Yuri is shown from the chest up, and holds his hands up placatingly. His expression is somewhat confused and concerned, although he is still smiling as he speaks a text post by tumblr user pibblepunk, reading “Hey bro why did your healthbar just appear. Do you need to talk about somethin.” Off to the side of Yuri’s speech bubble, “lol” is written in cursive. /End ID]

[hachimitsuotu]

mistral_rondo's Fanfic Recs

I'm a picky reader, I don't read fanfic as much as I used to, (I struggle to read multichapter fics), and I just prefer reading novels. However, I do have a share of fanfics that I enjoy and writers of which I've binge-read their content.

So, if you're curious, here's a few recommendations (in no order of preference):

Tales of

Writer: suspicious-popsicle (dreamwidth, ao3)

Comment: I tried linking to DW, but I'm getting an error message. Oh well. So back when I actually shipped Flynn/Yuri, suspicious-popsicle's fics were my Go To for Flynn & Yuri. They not only have a hefty amount of Fluri one shots and even a chapter fic/series here and there, but they take time to really break into Yuri and Flynn's bond and who they are as characters. Yuri and Flynn have conflict, but they don't outright hate each other. They have believable chemistry in their AUs. Despite their initial feelings on Flynn as a character at the start of ToV, there's no bias when they write from Flynn's POV. In fact, suspicious-popsicle and the First Strike movie (yeah you read that right!) are primary reasons why Flynn Scifo became my favorite character. I highly recommend them if you need Yuri or Flynn character studies. They even have some Ristelle if you're interested.

Step by Step by Misty_Reeyus.

Comment: When I think of a fanfic that basically sums up what I love about Vesperia's characters and their dynamics, this is the one that comes to mind. This is a long one shot, but it's probably the first one I will ever recommend if you want something that's platonic, feel-good, and in-character. Its from Yuri's POV and does not take place in the DE/PS3 world, so there's no Patty. But don't let that deter you.

The Worst Kind of Knight by Planetarial.

Comment: This was written for me for Tales of Secret Santa 2019. YuriLuke is one of my duos, and this prompt fill basically hit everything I wanted to see in a "Yuri and Luke are from the same universe." I admire anyone who's brave enough to think outside the box and write about unlikely/impossible duos, and Planetarial exceeded my expectations. It's probably my favorite gift I've ever received from any "Tales of" exchange I took part in.

Our Days by HannyBoo.

Comment: A fic featuring a rarepair of mine (despite the fic not being shippy) and another amazing "what if [Vesperia] Character was in Abyss/Auldrant". Estelle and Luke are two characters that have so much in common from their upbringing, yet coming out as completely different characters. This fanfic is an AU scenario where Luke ends up in Zaphias following his "memory loss." I absolutely loved everything about this one shot, and not just for the Luke & Estelle, but the Estelle & Guy and Susanne & Estelle. I could talk endlessly on why I love this one shot so much, but it's one of those cases where you go, "I wish [fic] would exist", but in this case it actually does, and you didn't need to lift a finger to write it. Just give it a read if you're interested in the similarities (and differences) between Estelle and Luke.

Shattered by Nightfoot

Comment: Sometimes you just need a chapter fic (with no romance) that involves Flynn suffering, and Nightfoot has you covered on basically all fronts when it comes to this. However, it was "Shattered" that I could not put down for the life of me. It's dark, shows an alternate take on a character that could eerily be possible if you looked at it through a different lens, and does a good job of showing Yuri and Flynn's bond and the healing process. Flynn is fucked up by Estelle (and not in the fun way), who turns out to have been in cahoots with Alexei. But it's more complicated than that and one you're just going to have to read. Take note of the warnings, and I seriously pity those that backed out the minute Estelle shows her true colors in this fic. This is one story that I will definitely remember and come back to. Like "Forsaken" by sturms_sun_shattered (which I ramble about further down), this was a fic that I binge-read. Fortunately for me, I joined fandom late so I got to read it all in one go LOL. But there wasn't a moment in this fic where it switched to a different POV where I went "ugh..." and dragged myself to finish the chapter. It's suspenseful and very strong in the angst and hurt/comfort department. Did I mention there's no romance, too?

How Things Are by vehicroids

Comment: Yeah, I really shouldn't be surprised at how little to nonexistent Sorey/Rose is in fandom, but I still couldn't help but be disappointed. "How Things Are" and vehicroids other Sorey/Rose fic, "Upper Class Ennui", is a very cute but angsty one shot. You can tell there's mutual pining between them, but because Sorey Is Shepherd, things such as romance can't be that easy. If I had to choose one ship that stood out to me after finishing Zestiria, it's Sorey/Rose, and part of its appeal (to me) is that it's impossible. It can't happen because of how the game ends. Thinking of all this makes the one shot in itself more tragic (whether the writer's intention or not). "How Things Are" isn't just a bit of a tragic take on Sorey/Rose and their status, but a good character study for Rose as well. One I recommend if you're feeling adventurous and want something not-Sorey/Mikleo or Sorey/Alisha... or Dezel/Rose... or Rose/Alisha...

~*~*~*

Misc.

- Fandom: Legend of Zelda (BotW/AoC)

Writer: sturms_sun_shattered (note: this account is locked, so you'll need to be logged in to read their amazing fics.)

Comment: The first fic I read by Sun was Forsaken, which features Sidon/Teba in a post-Age of Calamity world where the original BotW timeline was erased as a result of the modern day's Champions interference. Let me tell you: I have never been excited to see a fanfic update. This is the first fic, in a VERY long time, where I was eagerly awaiting the next chapter. The pacing is amazing, the worldbuilding is impeccable, and the characterization is downpat. It made me like Sidon and Teba even more, but also gives us a darker and (imo) more realistic look into a post-AoC.

"Forsaken" aside, Sun's best strengths shine in their ability to extend on the world given to us by BotW/AoC/TotK and push it to its absolute limits and beyond. They are my Go-To for BotW-verse fics, and one I highly recommend if you love the Ritos. They flesh out NPCs, they give Teba the spotlight he deserves, and they're just a damn good writer.

[mistralxsoul]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU.

respond to the following prompts out of character. then, tag others that you'd like to get to know a little bit better!

tagged by: @bravewolfvesperia tagging: i think a lot of people have already done this so I don't know who to tag (and also anxiety LOL) i dont think ive seen @charmsol do this but i cant keep up so sorry for the tag lol. Q_Q

ROLEPLAYER NAME: I mostly go by Natty tho can also go by Crest too!

ROLEPLAYER PRONOUNS: Any Pronouns

MUSE NAME: Flynn Scifo (for now........)

PREFERRED COMMUNICATION: You can always DM me on Tumblr or if we've been mutuals for a while, I don't mind sharing my discord!

EXPERIENCE: I've been roleplaying for a very long time but its been a while since i've rped on Tumblr so im relearning a lot of the etiquette lol Most of my rp was through discord.

PREFERRED ROLEPLAY TYPE: I like any genre honestly. Fluff, comfort, angst, drama (ic, not ooc of course LOL) high tension, love it all! Of course, when it comes to sensitive content, I would like to discuss that before hand just to make sure both parties are comfortable!

PET PEEVES & DEALBREAKERS:

This list will probably grow as I establish myself on Tumblr rp again but the usual tbh?

-No Force shipping. This goes both ways. I do ship Yuri but I would of course like to discuss that with the mun first if you are wanting to do a ship. On the other end, I will not automatically try to initiate a romance with a Yuri rper if we have not established that that is what we want. As other other ships, I usually like it when things establish naturally. If the muses seem to be getting along well, hit me up! Ask me! I'll let you know how the Flynn muse is feeling at that moment! But other wise, I just like relationships to develop naturally. (hopefully this makes sense LOL)

-No God Modding. If our muses fight, lets discuss via DMs about the outcome of the fight. And to be honest, I kind of usually determine my muses moves via dice roll to keep my muse from performing perfectly all the time. (I also hope this makes sense LOL)

PLOTS OR MEMES: If you have a plot idea? PLEASE send it over, i wanna hear it SOOOO bad! But I also live for any type of meme you send my way.

LONG REPLIES OR SHORT REPLIES: I can do either! I usually try to match my current RP partner so I dish out what is given to me! You do not ever have to match my length if you can't. Sometimes I do like to ramble. But I do try and keep it equal if i can.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: I usually do my replies in the afternoon or at night. I'm usually at work in the day time and sometimes I'll work on replies when I dont have anything going on in the office but I can't post them until I get home.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSES: I'm sure if I sat here long enough, I could probably find some similarities! I probably share Flynn's hot-headedness LOL Or his more personal, inner traits LOL But hey, our muses always carry a part of ourselves right?

[lady-byleth]

I posted 14,349 times in 2022

That's 2,285 more posts than 2021!

679 posts created (5%)

13,670 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lvlbeginner

@fellowshipofthegay

@mikkeneko

@theonceoverthinker

@daedricgays

I tagged 1,520 of my posts in 2022

#tales of vesperia - 90 posts

#yuri lowell - 80 posts

#kurofai - 78 posts

#flynn scifo - 67 posts

#genshin impact - 65 posts

#elden ring - 57 posts

#fire emblem three houses - 52 posts

#fluri - 44 posts

#tales of symphonia - 44 posts

#byleth eisner - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i'm at an almost constant 5 which is great when the doctors tell me that i am capable of working full time even though i am definitely not

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

379 notes - Posted March 4, 2022

#4

Cyno: im small but knowing

Alhaitham, not looking up from his book: you don't be knowing what the top shelf looks like

388 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

#3

You know, Scaramouche might not do the fandango but his thunderbolts and lighting?

Very very frightening.

487 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

#2

Like, listen. Listen, okay. The moment I learned they were making Galadriel's character revolve around needless revenge over a man (her brother who is currently happily traipsing across Valinor because that's how death works for elves) I was already mad enough to never touch RoP with a ten foot pole

But this? Taking one of her most iconic lines and attributing it to Sauron? I am livid.

The real Galadriel, the book Galadriel, was always an ambitious woman. She left Valinor to rule a realm of her own, to shape a land the way she thought right. She watched her male relatives do shit and was like "I can do better" and that's what she did

She was driven, intelligent and gifted, she was one of the greatest things that ever happened to the elves, and it all came from herself.

But now they changed her story. This Galadriel isn't traveling Middle-earth to find a place for herself, she's traveling it to avenge a man who doesn't need avenging. And then Sauron pops up and tells her she could be a queen "stronger than the foundations of the earth"? The line she originally said about herself?

The way this is all set up makes it look like a man planted the idea in her that she could be a queen, a man tempted her into becoming a queen, and then continued to tempt her until she refused the ring.

Her whole thing in the books was overcoming the temptation of power and choosing what was right and good. But it wasn't the ring that she needed to beat, she needed to overcome the desires and ambitions inside herself that the ring was using against her

She was her own greatest enemy and she won.

But now they made it all revolve around a man. A man gave her the idea, a man tried to tempt her, a man is who she quotes when she's overcoming temptation...

Do I really need to spell out why the story of a woman whose biggest enemy is herself being changed to so heavily focus on a man's effect is bad? Do I really??

1,879 notes - Posted October 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

There have been a lot of animated cats in games and movies and what have you but Stray? That is a cat!

The little "brgh" sound the cat makes sometimes when you jump, the way it just instantly drops when B-12 puts the little backpack on it and then continues to crawl across the ground like a dramatic little shit, the button prompt to push stuff off shelves for absolutely no reason except chaos, the quick little tap tap tap of the paw when it inspects something, how it just SLAPS the first two robots it meets (the dying one at the beginning and B-12 after booting it up), the way it licks its lips after hissing...

These people really paid a shit ton of attention to how cats work and it's given us an extremely realistic little guy that I will love with my whole heart until the day I die

17,581 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thirtythreedeer]

drawn for fluri week 2020 

i never managed to complete the whole week :( i love them

[of-vim-and-vigor]

Inktober day 9: Swing

[tales-of-asteria]

[Special Gacha] THE iDOLM@STER SIDE M 2nd Collaboration Gacha Duration: 11/15 (Fri) 16:00 ～ 12/2 (Mon) 15:59

Chance to get 5☆ “Awakening” and “Bond Awakening” Luke [Idol], Ruca [Idol], Flynn [Idol] and Rokurou [Idol], as well as 4☆ Caius [Idol] and Loni [Idol] from the special gacha.

The already-running awakening partners Guy, Iria, Yuri and Shigure can be used to awaken Luke, Ruca, Flynn and Rokurou respectively.

This gacha features a Step Up gacha, where you pay a discounted rate to draw 10 characters and continuously raise your chances of pulling a 5☆. Each time you get a featured character, the steps will be resetted.

In this gacha will also reappear other Bond Awakening enabled 5☆ characters. The rates of this gacha’s featured characters will be higher than other 5☆.

This time the gacha will also have a special pick up event where one of the featured characters will have its summon rate higher than the others on certain days:

Luke: from 11/18 (Mon) 16:00 to 11/21 (Thu) 13:59

Ruca: from 11/21 (Thu) 16:00 to 11/24 (Sun) 15:59

Flynn: from 11/24 (Sun) 16:00 to 11/27 (Wed) 15:59

Rokurou: from 11/27 (Wed) 16:00 to 11/30 (Sat) 15:59

For the event, the single daily pull will cost 3 Asteria Stones instead of 5.

There’s also the paid option to get a guaranteed 5☆ character with a multi gacha.

(More on Awakening here, and on Bond Awakening here)

Characters artes and skills details under the cut.

Water 5☆ Luke fon Fabre

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 20,600 | Power: 2,170 | Defense: 2,070

Mystic Arte: レイディアント・ハウル Radiant Howl Power: 670% (Target: Single) | Hits: 7 (finish type)

Arte1 - 閃光墜刃牙 Light Spear Cannon Power: 210% (Target: Single) | Hits: 4 | Activation: 45%

Arte2 - 絶破烈氷撃 Frigid Blast Power: 270% (Target: Single) | Hits: 5 | Activation: 45%

Arte3 - 守護氷槍陣 Guardian Frost Power: 470% (Target: Single) | Hits: 10 | Activation: 10%

Co-op skill: High Aqua Attack 6 (attack type) Performs a water physical attack with 300% of power (wait time 05:00)

Water 6☆ Luke fon Fabre

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 23,700 | Power: 2,510 | Defense: 2,420

EX Skill: At the end of every turn, the water party members that received damage in that turn will have their attack power increased by 12%

Mystic Arte (OverLimit gauge at MAX): レイディアント・ハウル Radiant Howl Power: 670% (Target: Single) | Hits: 7 (finish type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Own power +50% (1 turn)

Mystic Arte (Awakened Mode OverLimit): レイディアント・ハウル Radiant Howl Power: 1370% (Target: Single) | Hits: 7 (finish type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Own power +100% (2 turns)

Arte effects added by Bond Awakening:

Arte1 - 閃光墜刃牙 Light Spear Cannon Critical rate 50% up

Arte2 - 絶破烈氷撃 Frigid Blast Critical rate 50% up

Arte3 - 守護氷槍陣 Guardian Frost Critical rate 50% up

(Co-op skill is the same as the 5☆)

Wind 5☆ Ruca Milda

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 23,300 | Power: 1,850 | Defense: 2,060

Mystic Arte: 緋焔轟覇斬 Hien Gouhazan Power: 180% (Target: Single) | Hits: 45 (high hit & fast OL charge type)

Arte1 - 弧月双閃 Crescent Flash Power: 140% (Target: Single) | Hits: 3 | Activation: 50%

Arte2 - 鷹爪烈風剣 Yousou Reppuuken Power: 240% (Target: Single) | Hits: 3 | Activation: 40%

Arte3 - 烈風月華衝 Reppuu Gekkashou Power: 140% (Target: Single) | Hits: 15 | Activation: 10%

Co-op skill: Double Guard 5 (defense type) Decreases by 65% the damage taken from two of the enemy’s attacks (wait time 01:45)

Wind 6☆ Ruca Milda

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 27,300 | Power: 2,110 | Defense: 2,400

EX Skill: The wind party members' attack and defense will be increased by 30% in the wind frames

Mystic Arte (OverLimit gauge at MAX): 緋焔轟覇斬 Hien Gouhazan Power: 180% (Target: Single) | Hits: 45 (high hit & fast OL charge type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Hit count +10

Mystic Arte (Awakened Mode OverLimit): 緋焔轟覇斬 Hien Gouhazan Power: 180% (Target: Single) | Hits: 95 (high hit & fast OL charge type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Hit count +15

Arte effects added by Bond Awakening:

Arte1 - 弧月双閃 Crescent Flash Wind members' attack +20% (4 turns)

Arte2 - 鷹爪烈風剣 Yousou Reppuuken Wind members' defense +20%  (4 turns)

Arte3 - 烈風月華衝 Reppuu Gekkashou Wind members' attack +60%  (activated turn)

(Co-op skill is the same as the 5☆)

Fire 5☆ Flynn Scifo

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 18,400 | Power: 2,400 | Defense: 1,910

Mystic Arte: 炎覇鳳翼翔 Firebird Flight Power: 700% (Target: Single) | Hits: 6 (finish type)

Arte1 - 鳳凰天駆 Rising Phoenix Power: 250% (Target: Single) | Hits: 3 | Activation: 40%

Arte2 - 緋凰絶炎衝 Burning Phoenix Power: 250% (Target: All) | Hits: 2 | Activation: 40%

Arte3 - 光翔戦滅陣・獅炎 Blazing Pillar Smash - Fiery Lion Power: 350% (Target: All) | Hits: 1 | Activation: 20%

Co-op skill: High Fire Attack 6 (attack type) Performs a fire physical attack with 300% of power (wait time 05:00)

Fire 6☆ Flynn Schifo

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 21,200 | Power: 2,800 | Defense: 2,170

EX Skill: When a fire party member is on a frame with an Attack UP buff on it, the frame’s attack boost effect will be increased by 100%

Mystic Arte (OverLimit gauge at MAX): 炎覇鳳翼翔 Firebird Flight Power: 700% (Target: Single) | Hits: 6 (finish type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Arte power +100%

Mystic Arte (Awakened Mode OverLimit): 炎覇鳳翼翔 Firebird Flight Power: 1300% (Target: Single) | Hits: 6 (finish type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Arte power +100%

Arte effects added by Bond Awakening:

Arte1 - 鳳凰天駆 Rising Phoenix Hit count +4

Arte2 - 緋凰絶炎衝 Burning Phoenix Own power +50% (1 turn)

Arte3 - 光翔戦滅陣・獅炎 Blazing Pillar Smash - Fiery Lion Arte power +100%

(Co-op skill is the same as the 5☆)

Earth 5☆ Rokurou Rangetsu

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 20,700 | Power: 2,160 | Defense: 2,070

Mystic Arte: 九の型・絶刑 Form 9: Final Judgment Power: 600% (Target: Single) | Hits: 60 (finish & high hit type)

Arte1 - 朧舞 Mirage Dance Power: 200% (Target: Single) | Hits: 4 | Activation: 35%

Arte2 - 弐の型・醍地 Form 2: Imbue Earth Power: 240% (Target: Single) | Hits: 4 | Activation: 35%

Arte3 - 六の型・黒霧 Form 6: Dark Vortex Power: 340% (Target: Single) | Hits: 5 | Activation: 30%

Co-op skill: Fast Earth Attack 6 (attack type) Performs an earth physical attack with 75% of power (wait time 00:15)

Earth 6☆ Rokurou Rangetsu

Stats at LV80 (max level) HP: 24,000 | Power: 2,500 | Defense: 2,400

EX Skill: When an earth party member is on a frame with an Attack UP buff on it, the frame’s boost effect will be increased by 50%, if it's on a OverLimit boost frame, the gauge will be powered with an addition of 3 (points)

Mystic Arte (OverLimit gauge at MAX): 九の型・絶刑 Form 9: Final Judgment Power: 600% (Target: Single) | Hits: 60 (finish & high hit type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Break gauge damage +50%

Mystic Arte (Awakened Mode OverLimit): 九の型・絶刑 Power: 800% (Target: Single) | Hits: 80 (finish & high hit & fast OL charge type) Bond Awakening Bonus: Target enemy defense -20% (activated turn)

Arte effects added by Bond Awakening:

Arte1 - 朧舞 Mirage Dance Earth members' attack +10% (4 turns)

Arte2 - 弐の型・醍地 Form 2: Imbue Earth Earth members' attack +20% (2 turns)

Arte3 - 六の型・黒霧 Form 6: Dark Vortex Earth members' attack +40% (activated turn)

(Co-op skill is the same as the 5☆)

Dark 4☆ Caius Qualls

Stats at LV70 (max level) HP: 14,200 | Power: 1,710 | Defense: 1,720

Mystic Arte: ビーストブロウ Beast Blow Power: 500% (Target: Single) | Hits: 1 (finish type)

Arte1 - 飛天翔駆 Rising Falcon Power: 180% (Target: Single) | Hits: 3 | Activation: 30%

Arte2 - 獅子戦吼 Beast Power: 220% (Target: Single) | Hits: 4 | Activation: 20%

Co-op skill: High Dark Attack 4 + Chain Plus (attack type) Performs a dark physical attack with 260% of power. Also, the chain counter number will increase by 5 (only if the chain is active).  (wait time 05:00)

Light 4☆ Loni Dunamis

Stats at LV70 (max level) HP: 16,200 | Power: 1,600 | Defense: 1,640

Mystic Arte: ファイナルプレイヤー Final Prayer Power: 300% (Target: Single) | Hits: 70 (high hit type)

Arte1 - 雷神光燐 Raijinkourin Power: 100% (Target: Single) | Hits: 10 | Activation: 35%

Arte2 - プリズムフラッシャ Prism Flasher Power: 200% (Target: All) | Hits: 20 | Activation: 15%

Co-op skill: Fast Shine Attack 4 (attack type) Performs a light physical attack with 60% of power (wait time 00:20)

[fictionkinfessionsarchived]

Yuri, every day since ive remembered you and what you mean to me, ive been worrying about how youre doing, of course i am, and its nice to hear from you! Its really relieving to know youre out there! Things arent going super well for me either but im pushing through, we can do this - Flynn scifo 💛⚖️

[somefinelipstickonthatpig]

“The Wind Beneath His Wings,” A Tales of Vesperia fan fic

Flynn never really meant to tell Lady Estellise everything that he did. Hopefully, Yuri forgives him.

Set before the events of the game. Yuri/Flynn, Flynn & Estelle.

[Please leave a comment on AO3 or a review on fanfic dot net! ♥]

-

Flynn does not think of himself as secretive. He keeps his private life to himself, but just because he is not baring his heart to the world does not mean he is hiding it. Even still, he is surprised when Her Highness hooks into the little bit he lets slip.

They are on the balcony of her sitting room when he says it. His shift is technically over, but ever since meeting the young lady, he has found himself drawn to her. She is honest and true, and in that way she reminds him of a certain someone. So perhaps that is why he lets his guard down, as they are overlooking Zaphias, and he says:

“Yuri would hate this view.”

Yuri would be disgusted with it. Yuri would look out and only see the vast amount of wealth that the royal family hoards, would see it as symptomatic of a broken system. Yuri would be right, of course, but there is something more here. Yuri would overlook the way the rays of the sun hit the buildings just right at sunset, a celebration of nature’s beauty and mankind’s innovation. The way this view allows Lady Estellise to watch her people from afar.

Perhaps it is cruel to think that, given that Lady Estellise is not ever permitted to leave the castle. This is the only way she can watch them. She isn’t even given the opportunity to hold audience; that responsibility falls to Prince Ioder, but Flynn can’t help but think that the Princess would benefit from that far more.

It isn’t his place to speak such thoughts.

“Why?” Lady Estellise breaks him from his trance, and he blinks as he turns to face her. Her eyes are curious, inquisitive. She learned that from books, he thinks, but books can never answer her directly. She’s had to find the answer in further pages or in other books.

“Uh…” Flynn scratches his cheek and wonders how to explain Yuri’s point of view to someone he would probably hate. No, Yuri would only hate her position; if Yuri took the time to get to know Estellise, to know how kind and considerate and sincere, then he would probably be willing to lay his life on the line for her.

Knowing Yuri.

“He’s just a very pessimistic person, that’s all,” Flynn says, and hopes it’s enough to satisfy her.

It isn’t.

“So, who is he?” Lady Estellise demands, her gaze turning sharp and determined, her tone almost an accusation. Flynn nearly jumps out of his skin as he turns to look at the princess, realizing in that moment that he’s said too much, but he refuses to admit anything.

“Who is… who, my lady?” he asks, feigning ignorance. Clearly he does not feign it well enough, because Lady Estellise’s brows furrow. She looks betrayed, as if this lie truly hurts her, and guilt swoops in his gut.

“Yuri,” she replies. “You just said the name, Flynn. You can’t get out of this that easily.”

He lets out a sigh. Anyone else might have let it go, sensed that Flynn doesn’t wish to discuss it. But once Lady Estellise has her curiosity hooked, she doesn’t let go, ever. “Just… an old friend,” he hedges. Her eyes narrow at him. Oh, she can definitely tell he’s trying to slide out of this. “I don’t know how much he would be comfortable with me telling you. I grew up with him in the lower quarter.”

“Really?” There is something pleased in the Princess’s voice, her fingers curling around the railing on the balcony. Something almost mischievous. “You two grew up together? This pessimistic person of yours?”

Of mine? Flynn wonders, and immediately regrets it, because he feels the heat rise to his cheeks as soon as he does. “U-uh, my lady,” he begins, unsure of his footing. Yuri has certainly never been his. Though Flynn can’t help but think nothing would have changed if he had. “Yes. We… we did. We joined the Knights together, as well, but he has become disillusioned with the Empire.”

And that was putting it mildly. He sighs again. “We have always been very different, he and I. Never quite seen eye to eye. But… despite that, I think of him often.”

Not even Yuri knows just how often. Flynn has written letters and scrapped them more times than he can count. He’s up for promotion soon — it’s almost guaranteed that he will make Lieutenant within a few months — and at that point, he knows he won’t have time to write any letters at all.

Not that it matters much. Yuri almost never replies, unless it’s to scold Flynn (You don’t have to inform me of every sin you’ve committed or every time you’ve sold your soul to the Empire. We both know what you signed up for.) or to mock him (What, is the great Flynn Scifo, son of Finath, giving up so easily? You haven’t even changed anything yet).

Why does he keep writing him? Why does he keep trying? He doesn’t know.

The best letters he gets from Yuri are unprompted ones. Ones that tell him Yuri will be visiting, and at what time, and Flynn had better be there. Or else.

“In what ways?” Lady Estellise prods, and Flynn knows exactly what she’s getting at. He knows exactly what she’s asking for: she’s asking for all the details about Yuri that Flynn would be willing to give her.

And, rather without his consent, he gives everything to her.

He talks about how Yuri’s cynicism has always been in direct contrast with Flynn’s optimistic beliefs that the Empire must be changed from within. How it irritates Flynn and how he craves it at the same time. He and Yuri might have fundamental disagreements about what constitutes a moral action, which is most evident in how frequently Yuri is hauled to jail for obstructing tax collectors, but Flynn knows it is so easy to slip down the wrong path. He has seen plenty of his superiors do it before, believing their actions were righteous but were too willing to turn a blind eye to people in need. Yuri forces Flynn to see what he didn’t want to, and Flynn needs that, needs to see what’s broken so that he can find some way to fix it. Needs to stay grounded in the reality of why he became a Knight in the first place.

He talks about Yuri’s reckless tendency to jump in to help others. Yuri is sharp and intelligent, which probably feeds this urge of his, because if Yuri even gets a hint that someone is in need, he can’t keep his nose out of their business. Like he’s using his shrewdness for evil do-gooding, he says with a laugh, and he’s glad that Lady Estellise finds that equally hilarious. He tells her one anecdote about how, as teenagers, Yuri was prepared to tie Flynn to his bed when he wasn’t getting enough sleep.

They used to share everything from clothes to food to school supplies. After Flynn’s father died, they shared the room at the inn.

Flynn doesn’t tell Lady Estellise this part, but his mother struggled financially even with the stipend that the Empire gave her after her husband passed, and Flynn didn’t want to burden her. Sometimes he regrets moving out without asking her permission, but he remembers the look on her face as he gathered his things, saw the conflicted mess of emotions on her face, and knew he was bringing her some small relief. She wouldn’t have admitted it then, but after Flynn made it into the Knights, she wrote a letter to him, thanking him for his sacrifice.

Flynn’s never been sure about how he felt about that.

“You sound very close,” Lady Estellise says when he is done. Well, not done; he doesn’t know if he’d ever be truly done talking about Yuri. Yuri is constant. But night has fallen, the moon making its way high into the sky, and Flynn knows he should head back to the barracks and allow the Princess her rest.

“We are,” Flynn replies. Even when they have periods of time where they haven’t seen each other, the bond they have never falters or wanes. “I admire him a great deal. Just don’t tell him I said that. He has a big enough head as it is.”

Lady Estellise giggles, a pure sound, clear like a bell. “I don’t know if I’ll ever meet him,” she says, and then, before they can linger on the fact she is caged here like a bird, she continues: “Besides. You should tell him that yourself.”

Flynn pictures it, pictures the moment with perfect clarity. Yuri has snuck into his room again, without being spotted by a single guard, which is the most ridiculous thing in the world because he isn’t banned from visiting, but he sure can get in trouble for trespassing. But Yuri laughs, waves off the concern like he always does. Says something that plays into his bravado, about how he isn’t afraid of the guards or of jail. And they sit on Flynn’s bed, and Yuri recounts a tale of how he singlehandedly defeated a tax collector by tripping them into the river and didn’t get caught doing it, or something equally foolish and equally moral, and then Flynn’s heart gets stuck fluttering in his throat, his chest fills with something warm and wholesome, and he takes Yuri’s hand. Yuri’s startled, because they haven’t held hands since they were children. And he says those words.

And Flynn turns bright red.

“Mm-hmm,” Lady Estellise says, sounding all too satisfied and all too amused, and she pats Flynn’s shoulder. “One day, Flynn. I don’t know how a man like that couldn’t feel the same way for you.”

Flynn laughs, softly. “You don’t know Yuri,” he murmurs, almost exasperated. But at the same time, he clings to that little hope, the wind beneath his wings.

One day.

[taleslations]

Deciphering Rieze Maxia

There are many signs and posters scattered through the Xillia world, using its special writing system. Here is a translation of some of those we can find in Rieze Maxia.

World Map Welcome to our world

Talim Hospital & Medical School

Talim Medical School (there seems to be some printing error on the black one--they’re supposed to be the same)

Fennmont Hospital School

Hospital

General Information

Fennmont National Library - Book Loan

Hospital Dispensary

Lifestyle

Reception / Dispensary

Gymnasium / Campus

Lecture Room #1 (there's also a #2 etc)

Internal Medicine - Luke fon Fabre (there’s also one with “Yuri Lowell”)

Term exams - best results

495 Jude Mathis

490 Rita Mordio

487 Estellise

485 Raven

479 Judith

474 Flynn Scifo

470 Patty Fleur

468 Cumore

468 Repede

461 Karol Kapel

Glasses Club - Necromancer Doll Enthusiasts - Tokunaga (there’s also a “Treasure Club - Aifread” but I don’t have a screenshot)

(small ones’ title) Notice of Class Cancellation (bigger one’s title) This Month’s Targets

Other Fennmont Signs

Hotel

Department Store (small text too small)

Commerce

Leronde - Mathis Clinic

Medical Association Mathis Clinic

Reception from 9 A.M.

Consultations from 9.30 A.M.

Open all year round

Please come in without reserve

Reception

Target: let’s wash our hands dutifully

A good action a day: take care of your body

Consultation room

Archives

Rinse your mouth!! Wash your hands.

No running. Danger.

Keep quiet  (the other one is too small)

Leronde - Rolando Lodge

Rolando

Premises (rest is too small)

Sharilton

General store

Secondhand store

Plates

Xian Du

Competition (rest too small)

Kanbalar - shop signs

We have gels

Excellent sharpness

Place of relaxation

High price buy back

Kanbalar inn caligraphy

(some can be found in other inns)

Cactus

Eternia

Heart - by Mitchum

Fantasy land - by Li Park

[delkios]

Undertow (ToV)

Some creative license regarding Zaphias's water system, particularly the canal in the Lower Quarter, otherwise this would be taking place in the river outside of Zaphias which just seemed unlikely.

Title: Undertow Fandom: Tales of Vesperia Rating: PG Word Count: 2582 Characters: Flynn, Yuri Summary: Though Yuri brought up the time Flynn was swept away by a river as a light-hearted story, it hadn't been nearly as amusing at the time.

(dreamwidth) (pillowfort)

Flynn gasped for air, kicking wildly to keep his head above water. The river was rough and swift but thankfully not enough that Flynn, being a fairly strong swimmer, thought he was going to drown. Unfortunately it took all his strength to keep it that way, unable to make any progress for the nearest bank. He wasn't even certain when he'd been swept out of Zaphias, only knew that he'd been pulled under for a moment and when he came back up he couldn't see any buildings or even the rings of the barrier. His arms and legs were beginning to ache and Flynn knew if he didn't do something soon, his strength would give out and there'd be nothing he could do to keep from drowning. Something flickered on the edge of Flynn's vision, moving crosswise against the current and too deliberate to be part of the rushing water. He managed to keep his head up and water out of his eyes enough to recognize the ragged fin of a merman and for one heart stopping moment, all Flynn could think about was how helpless and vulnerable he was in the water. Then he was overcome by a sudden, hot determination as a thought rushed through his mind: if he could grab the merman, maybe he could get out of the river.

The monster came at him, jaws first, and Flynn held his breath and stopped fighting the current, using instead to twist his body out of the way. His should bumped against the merman's rough side and he made a desperate grab at the creature's arm and missed and grabbed again, catching hold of the hook it held. It used its weapon to pull Flynn in, trying for another bite and Flynn lunged for its arm again. The top of its snout bumped against his chest, lifting him momentarily out of the water and landing on its back. He gripped the dorsal fin tightly and the merman rolled in the water, trying to dislodge him and, when that didn't work, tried scraping its back against the riverbed but Flynn clung too close, its fin dragging into the dirt and rocks. His lungs burning, Flynn kicked his heel into the merman's side, right in the gills as hard as he could and it made a choking sound, writhing for a moment before clawing at the riverbed and dragging itself toward the bank. Flynn gasped and coughed and his body wanted to drop to the ground but he knew doing so would basically be certain death. The merman let out a wheeze and tried to dig its claws into the leg that had injured its gills but Flynn swung it away and aimed another kick on its opposite side. It faltered again, stumbling further out of the water as it tried to swipe again at determined child clinging to its back. It wasn't able to grab him but it left three bleeding scratches over Flynn's side. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain. Distantly he heard a voice say, "The hell? Is that a kid?" But Flynn was too preoccupied trying to survive the merman to give it more than passing acknowledgment. Despite his body's exhaustion and pain as the merman's claws continued to rake over him, desperation kept Flynn clinging to its back, twisting around to keep the monster from getting a grip on him while maintaining his own. It growled, like gurgling water, and Flynn could feel the noise vibrating through its back and it sounded frustrated as it kept trying to grab at him and Flynn could only be thankful its weapon had been lost down the river, otherwise he'd have surely been skewered by now. Which didn't help him get out of this current situation, but minor victories. "Kid! Get down!" His eyes snapped open and he saw four armed people charging toward them. Flynn's surprise loosened his grip just enough that the merman tossed him off with a harsh twist before noticing the oncoming rush. It froze for a moment before turning and diving back into the river. The group skidded to a halt, looking down at Flynn in various degrees of disbelief and shock. "Holy hell, kid- are you okay?" "Where did you even come from?" "Damn, that thing got you good." One of the men held out his hand toward Flynn. "Let's get you over to our caravan, okay? We can treat your wounds there." He coughed and nodded, breath having been knocked out of him when he hit the ground. The man easily picked him up and cradled Flynn between his waist and the crook of his arm. Flynn wanted to say that he could walk but now that the immediate danger had passed, his body was beginning to shake from the adrenaline crash. The caravan was one large cart hooked up to a couple quietta and on the side was a logo that Flynn recognized as Fortune's Market, the only guild allowed to work inside Zaphias. There the man sat him down on the cart steps and another came up with a canteen and rag. "Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" He said with a friendly smile. Flynn nodded again and let the man get the work. He had to take off his shirt so the man to clean the scratches on his back and a woman with a hammer strapped to her back picked it up, frowning as she examined it. "I'd say this is a loss. Pretty sure we got something in the back that might fit ya." As she began to move off with his shirt, Flynn said, "Um!" "Hm?" "I don't have many shirts, could I keep that one, please?" It was bad enough he'd lost one of his shoes in the river. She and the man taking care of him looked at Flynn like he was crazy. Then their looks intensified and Flynn knew they were examining his threadbare clothing and gaunt figure and he tried not to shrink back. After a moment, the woman sighed and looked away. "I'm no seamstress but I've been known to wield a needle a time or two." Her large arms flexed, showing off a number of scars scattered here and there. "Still gonna find ya something to change into, though. Don't need to be sitting around in sopping wet clothes." After his wounds had been cleaned, the man pulled an apple gel from a pouch at his waist, piercing the gummy skin so he could rub it directly over Flynn's injuries, the pain dulling to a faint ache and skin beginning to knit itself up. Flynn changed into a shirt donated by the smallest member of the caravan- which still draped over him like a dress -and his clothes were placed on top of the cart with rocks to dry. "So?" The man that had carried Flynn asked, seemingly the leader of the caravan. "Where'd you come from?" "Zaphias," Flynn said around a piece of jerky he'd been given. He whistled. "That's a bit of a ways. How'd you end up all the way out here?" "I fell into the river." He looked around, trying to find a hint of Zaphias's spire but the caravan was in a bit of a valley. "I don't know how far I went before I grabbed the merman." Around him, the guildmembers all stopped. "Wait- you grabbed the merman on purpose?" "Yeah." His teeth clamped down on another bit of jerky, sucking on the taste before chewing it. "I might've gone all the way to the sea otherwise." "Kid," the woman said, "that thing coulda killed you." Flynn shrugged. "Least I got outta the water." They stared at him for a long moment before breaking out into laughter. "Kid... I don't even know what to say. You are something else." He flushed, pleased but embarrassed. After all, he just wanted to survive. "Well, lucky for you we're headed to Zaphias ourselves though we're probably not going to make it before they close the gates for the night." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "What's your name, Kid? You got the devil's own luck and I'll bet it'll be interesting to see how you grow up." He beamed brightly. "Flynn Scifo!" ~*~*~*~ Yuri woke up with a headache, clogged nose, salt on his cheeks and his eyelashes sticking together. He felt, quite frankly, awful. Not just physically but he felt sick in his stomach and his heart. Hanks had taken him in last night after all of Yuri's screaming and struggling made it obvious someone would have to make sure he didn't go running off trying to look for Flynn. He'd meant to pretend to sleep and wait until Hanks slept himself before sneaking out but, as he lay in the big empty bed that once belonged to Hanks's now-grown-son, Yuri couldn't help the desperate, crushing loneliness that seized him and he'd started to cry. Quietly at first until it grew into great, heaving sobs that left him choking into the pillow, burrowing into the blankets to hide from the world. Yuri had never cried so hard in his life. At least not that he could remember. Not even when Flinath or Charla died, one after the other, but the thought of losing Flynn, one of the few good things in Yuri's life, the only thing Yuri really considered his, felt like the whole world was coming to an end. He'd sobbed even as Hanks gathered him up in his arms and Yuri was equal parts mortified and grateful for the comfort the man offered. Yuri had fallen into a dreamless sleep and woken up with the sun brightly streaming into the room and Hanks sleeping in an uncomfortable looking position against the headboard. Very carefully, very slowly, Yuri crawled across the bed and quietly lowered himself out. He could hear Hanks's wife bustling about in the kitchen. If he could sneak passed her, he'd be able to go on the search he'd meant to go on last night. Slowly he eased the front door open just enough to slip through and just as quietly eased it closed. He sat on the front steps to stuff his feet into his boots and laced them just enough so they wouldn't fall off. It must have been mid-morning, the first rush of the day giving way to a steady stream of people moving about and Yuri knew it was only a matter of time before he was noticed. He made it about two blocks down when he heard, "Yuri? Does Hanks know you're out?" He ran. More people were calling out his name but Yuri ignored them and kept running. If no one had found Flynn yet, he must have gotten swept out of Zaphias. Yuri didn't know where the canal emptied out but he was sure if he circled the city wall once he was out he'd come across it eventually- "Yuri!" He came to such a sudden halt that Yuri tripped over his own feet. He scrambled to his hands and knees, shoving the hair from his face and saw, next to a Fortune's Market cart, Flynn. Something in Yuri's chest twisted and he barely recognized the high pitched whine coming from his own throat and he hurtled himself towards his best friend, all but tackling him in a bear hug and raining kisses on Flynn's face between garbled, unintelligible words. "Yuri," Flynn wriggled in his grasp, "c'mon!" "You're okay!" Yuri eventually managed to choke out. "Yu-ri!" He'd finally managed to get his hands between them, not pushing Yuri back out of reach but far enough that he could give his best friend that ridiculously bright smile Yuri had almost thought he'd never see again. "I'm glad that didn't turn into a big deal." Yuri reared back and punched him in the face. "You JERK!" ~*~*~*~ Having sent Karol ahead, because no doubt someone would suggest celebrating Flynn's victory, Yuri turned back to Flynn and scowled. "What's with the shit-eating grin?" Flynn wasn't really grinning, breathing still heavy from his marathon battle, wiping the sweat from his face and neck, his hair even more tousled than ever. But it was all in the eyes, the sharp, knowing look and subtle shift of his lips shaping them just so. "Just thinking of all the details of that story you neglected to mention." Yuri crossed his arms and tossed his head as if he had no idea what Flynn was talking about. "Everything was the truth." Flynn shifted his head to the side and Yuri could practically hear him think 'more or less'. Then he looked back Yuri and the specter of that shit-eating grin grew into something a little more prominent. "Perhaps you just 'forgot' about how you cried when I came back?" Yuri tsked- as much as he enjoyed using their shared past to needle Flynn, it was annoying that it went both ways. "Or that you kept kissing me and refused to let me go for more than a minute at a time? And that you made me swear for a week that I'd never leave you behind again?" "Or the reason why Zaphias has grid iron grates in the canals is because of you?" "Or that you demanded to bathe with me to make sure I wouldn't fall in the drain." Yuri scoffed. "You say that like I'd have a problem sharing a bath with you now." Though, from the slide of his gaze, it was obvious that he meant for very different reasons. To his delight, instead of getting flustered or annoyed, Flynn full on smirked. "Are you that eager to scrub the new champion's back?" "Old news," Yuri's tone was dismissive even as he pulse kicked up a notch, "I already beat you in Aurnion." As hard as he fought, as tired as he must have been, between the fire in Flynn's eyes and the color still flushing his cheeks, Yuri knew Flynn's blood was still singing and that, far beyond any of the others, that was Yuri's favorite look on Flynn. The deep, intense gaze, the heat and tension in every strong line of his body, the way he moved so purposeful and wanting with eyes that could only see Yuri. It never failed to make Yuri want to be wild and reckless in ways that decency laws would absolutely not approve of. They stood chest to chest and it took far more willpower than Yuri would ever admit to not grab a fistful of Flynn's hair and have him right on the coliseum floor. "Do you really think you'll win a second time?" Flynn asked, anticipation shivering over Yuri's spine. "Always up for a rematch with you." Flynn leaned in closer still, lips just a hairsbreadth from brushing against Yuri's. "Then let's see who comes out on top." ~*~*~*~ (optional skit) Estelle: Natz said he made a reservation for us to celebrate Fynn's win and- hm? Where's Flynn and Yuri? Karol: I thought they were coming right behind me. Raven: Oh, I'm sure they are. Karol: Should I go get them? Judith: It's fine. No doubt they're celebrating in their own way. (reaction shots) Estelle: O-Oh... Rita: Ugh! I didn't need to know that! Karol: Huh? Raven: Well, no sense letting that reservation go to waste. Let's go on ahead. (all but Karol moves off) Karol: I don't get it. What are you talking about? Guys? C'mon!

[mistralxsoul]

Flynn Scifo had a strict schedule when it came to preparing for his day. He would awaken as soon as the sun began to peak its way through the curtains of his chambers and then clean his face and make sure his hair wasn’t too unmanageable before proceeding with his morning stretches. Then he would have a quick breakfast with coffee to begin the day.

The hard part was always having to get into his armor, though he knew better than to complain. After all, there was a certain someone who would never let him hear the end of it if he did. And perhaps it was a bit petty of Flynn, but the last thing he needed was for that certain someone to have credence that he was correct about armor being way too hard to put on. 

It wasn’t hard. It was simply just more trouble than it was worth sometimes, Flynn decided as he attached the cape to his shoulder pads and then moved to attach his sword to his hip. Making sure his gauntlets were seated correct, Flynn took a deep breath as he glanced out the window at the capital beyond it before turning to head out the door. 

He had a long day ahead of him, as usual, and it was only just beginning.

[fontasticcrablettes]

Meet Cute

Started writing a thing about headcanons, ended up writing a short ficlet about how Flynn and Estelle first met ~3 years pre-game.

Kleptocracy. 

Flynn stared at the word as if its meaning was hidden somewhere on the page.  What in the world was a “kleptocracy”?  He rested his head in his palm to try to soothe the rising tension.  He’d been on duty all day, and in the library since dinner ended.  The library was almost empty by now, and he knew he should get some sleep for tomorrow’s duties, but he’d wanted to finish this chapter first. 

It wasn’t even an interesting book, but Flynn had read a lot of not-interesting books recently.  After getting promoted to lieutenant, he’d suddenly started spending a lot more time with the officers, most of whom were nobles, and they had a way of making him feel like an idiot just by having a casual conversation.  He didn’t think they were even doing it on purpose.  All of them had come from private schools or expensive home tutors, all of them had studied philosophy, economics, history, and much more.  All of them had read the same classic novels.  All of them understood each other’s references, leaving Flynn feeling like he barely spoke the same language.  

That was why he had to study.  If he wanted to make captain someday, he couldn’t let his superiors think he was uneducated.  Apparently, today that meant figuring out what a kleptocracy was.  

Flynn looked around the library for inspiration.  Moonlight lit up the glossy floors, and the only other lights were a handful of lux blastia lamps set up on the tables.  There were no signs explaining the word, so Flynn resigned himself to tracking down a dictionary and looking up a definition.  

The rustle of paper caught his attention in the quiet room.  Ah, that was right, he wasn’t alone in here.  That girl sat on a padded window seat, a lamp tucked into the corner beside her.  She was always in the library, though Flynn didn’t know her name.  She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, and was probably some nobleman’s daughter.  Sometimes she smiled at him when he walked by, and every night she had a new book.  Flynn wondered how she finished them so fast.

If she was such a prolific reader, she might have encountered this word before.  Asking her might at least save him the effort of hunting down a dictionary.  Flynn closed the book on his finger and carried it across the room.

The girl didn’t even look up when he stood right next to her alcove by the window.  She must be at a very exciting spot in her book.  Flynn hesitated for a moment, because even though the girl seemed sweet by the way she smiled at him, there was always the chance that she was one of those nobles and would see an interruption from a lowly lieutenant - a lower quarter boy, no less! - as a grave insult.  “Excuse me, miss?”

She jumped a little and snapped her head up.  As soon as she saw him, she giggled.  “Oh!  You startled me.”

“I beg your pardon.  I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“No, no, it’s fine!  Um, you’re the lieutenant who’s in here a lot, right?”

“That’s right.  I’m Lieutenant Flynn Scifo.”

“Is something wrong?  Am I needed somewhere?”

He shook his head.  “No, nothing like that.  I was actually just wondering if....”  Now that he was in the middle of the conversation, he felt a tad silly saying it.  “I was hoping you might know the meaning of a word that has me stumped.”

“Oh?”  Her eyebrows raised and she looked curiously to the book in his hand.  “What word?”

“Klep-to-cracy?”

Her eyebrows knit in a tiny frown.  “Um... can I see it in a sentence?”

Flynn was grateful for the dim light because he’d realized he had probably pronounced it wrong.  She must think him an idiot.  Sheepishly, he held out the book and pointed out the sentence.

The girl’s eyes brightened.  “Oh!  Kleptocracy, yes.  It means a type of government run by corrupt leaders, who use their power to steal wealth and resources.  So when the author says the empire is turning into a kleptocracy, he means that there’s a lot of corruption.”

“I see! That makes sense; thank you very much.”  

“Of course! Um... is there a reason you’re reading that book?”

Heat rushed into Flynn’s face.  Did she think he was reading something seditious? Was she going to report him for reading a book about corruption in the empire? He scrambled to explain: “I’ve been attempting to educate myself by reading a wide variety of literature from many sources.”

“That’s a good idea.”  She seemed to see the panic on his face and added, “I was just asking because I’ve read that one and... it’s a little boring.”

Flynn’s muscles un-tensed and he stared at the cover in his hands.  “Oh.  Yes, I suppose it is a little dry.”

“If you want to read something really good about politics, try Behemoth: the Power and Form of the Empire, by Gaius Wiggs.  It’s much more engaging.”

“Thank you for the suggestion.  I’ll look for it.”

She tucked a silk bookmark into her book and jumped up, her pink dress flowing off the window seat.  “I know where it is!  I’ll find it for you.”

“Huh-?” Before Flynn knew what was happening, she’d grabbed his wrist and dragged him away into the labyrinth of bookshelves.  Flynn always got turned around trying to find anything in here, but this girl seemed to know the library inside and out.  She dragged him along hallways of books and then climbed a ladder to reach one on an upper shelf.  

“Ta-da!  I found it!”  The girl hopped back down and presented the book.  “This one will be so much better than the one you have now.”

“Thank you,” was all Flynn could think to say.  “I, uh... I guess I’ll go read this now and stop bothering you.”

“Oh, not at all!  It’s nice to have someone to talk to.  Why don’t you come sit with me and then if you come across another word you aren’t sure of, you can ask?”

“Ah....”  He knew his captain didn’t care about him spending evenings in the library, but he was a bit uncertain about how the higher-ups in the castle would feel about a knight from the lower quarter fraternizing with a nobleman’s daughter.  

The girl, though didn’t seem to think it would be a problem at all.  In fact, by the way she looked at him and how earnest she’d sounded when saying it would be nice to have someone to talk to, he got the feeling that she desperately did want someone to chat with.   She was always in here by herself, Flynn remembered.  Whenever he came in after dinner, the girl was already there.  Had she been there all day?  Did she spend all her days sitting in the library alone?  No wonder she’d jumped at the chance to interact with him.  Ever since Yuri had left the Knights, Flynn had felt like he’d lost his shadow.  The reason he was in here to begin with was that he struggled to relate to his peers in the castle.  He could understand the desire to make a friend in here.  “Yes, I think I would like that.”

Flynn followed her back to her window seat.  She scooted over so they each took one corner, and she set the lamp between them.  Flynn opened his book and immediately noticed the more casual writing style.  He was about to settle in to reading when he had a sudden thought.  

“Wait - I never got your name.”

“Oh!”  She giggled.  “I’m sorry.  My name is Estellise.”

Estellise.  Flynn’s heart stopped for a second.  The princess.  The princess herself had dragged him around the library and invited him to set with her on a little window seat.  Run, his mind said.  You don’t want to get involved with the princess.  The nobles will kill you.  

But he looked at her smiling face and thought that in all the evenings he’d seen her lurking in the library, she’d never looked so happy or alive.  How would it devastate her to be told he had to leave her alone and not talk to her again?  Flynn sighed; this was going to get complicated.  

[meimikana]

An Unexpected Eyeful: AO3 Fandom: Tales of Vesperia Pairing: Flynn/Yuri Rating: Teen Summary: Some people really needed to remember how to knock. (Post-Canon)

P.S. The fic is under the cut for people who don’t wanna go to AO3 for whatever reason. Cheers~

---

Sodia was not happy. Indeed, to say that she was anywhere near being in such a state would have been the understatement of the year. She'd just spent all morning - the entire morning - rounding up reports that should have been on the commandant's desk by breakfast. Once they had been delivered, she was going to make very, very certain that specific individuals got a nice, long training exercise personally supervised by her. This sort of conduct was completely unacceptable. If they wanted to remain knights under the leadership of Commandant Scifo then they were either going to shape up or ship out. And she'd be more than happy to help give them the boot if they didn't improve.

Now for these reports...

Her forward march faltered somewhat once she reached the office she shared with Witcher. It was situated right beside the commandant's, a location she was well pleased with. Commandant Alexei had used the rooms surrounding his office for filing and storage. How he'd still managed to communicate so readily with his subordinates still confounded her to this day. How had they known whenever he'd needed orders sent out? But no, those were ruminations for another day. Today she had work to do and reports to deliver.

"Witcher, you would not believe..." Sodia trailed off, her tirade aborted as she finally took a good look at her companion. There was something about the diminutive mage that seemed... off today. He hadn't looked up when she'd stormed in. In fact, he didn't seem to know that she was even there. And what were those things sticking out of his ears? They looked kind of like strips of fabric torn off from his robes. What in the world?

"Witcher?" She asked hesitantly as she reached forward and plucked one of the wads of rolled up fabric out of his nearest ear.

"Ack!" Witcher flailed in surprise, tipping over in his chair and almost spilling out of it. "What? What? Oh! Sodia, you're back." Once he'd finally regained his balance, he leaned forward, laying both hands flat upon his desk and he blinked up at her in something that almost resembled relief.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you," Sodia murmured absently as she studied the makeshift earplug she'd divested Witcher of, then eyed his robes rather dubiously. There was a little ragged edge near the hem. She could barely make it out, but yes, it was there. That sealed it, the "earplugs" definitely were from his robe. "So why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"Yuri Lowell dropped in shortly after you left," Witcher explained peevishly as he reached up and adjusted his glasses. "And he and the commandant have been yelling at each other off and on ever since."

"Ah, of course," Sodia grumbled in annoyance. "One catastrophe after another." She really didn't want to see Yuri Lowell - ever again -, but she had spent all morning gathering those gods-be-damned reports. They would be delivered come hell or high water... or the natural disaster otherwise known as Yuri Lowell. Steeling herself, she headed towards the door. The sooner this was over with the better.

"Sodia? What are you doing?"

She glanced back at the little mage and spared him a reassuring smile. "I have reports to deliver. Don't worry about me, I've survived worse than that man."

Witcher didn't look reassured by her statement in the least. "If you say so..."

That annoyed her. Were it anyone else, Witcher never would have doubted in her ability to deal with any challenge that might arise. But add Yuri Lowell to the mix and everything just went straight to hell. How he'd survived to maturity was a mystery unto itself. Grumbling to herself, Sodia stalked down the hall to the commandant's office door and stopped. She stood there for a moment, then blew out a heavy breath and straightened to her full height. She would not allow Yuri Lowell to get to her. No matter what he did, he would not get through her iron sense of duty. Not this time.

Nodding to herself, Sodia reached forward, turned the knob and pushed the door open. For all she knew, the commandant might actually appreciate the interruption. And that was about as far as her thoughts managed to get before her brain just basically shut down upon viewing the tableau displayed before her.

That was...

Lowell was...

The commandant was...

...Maybe she should have knocked...

There was this sound, kind of like the one a rhinossus makes in its final moments just as you put it down. It took her a few seconds to realize that it had come from her and then she very deliberately shut the door, turned around and headed back down the hallway towards the stairs. She did not think about anything she might have seen as she took one step after another. Lowell had not been sitting on the commandant's desk with his shirt half off. The commandant's hand had not been fisted in Lowell's hair. And Flynn Scifo's mouth had most certainly not been glued to Yuri Lowell's throat. Not at all.

---

Yuri'd been enjoying the hell out of what Flynn'd been doing to his neck. At least, up until the point where Mr. Stuffy Knight had frozen up and stopped anyway. Ah, so that had been the door he'd heard. Oh well. Bending backwards a little - and giving Flynn what he knew would be a very, very nice view -, Yuri craned his head down and blinked owlishly at the door. Well, they weren't there now. "Who was that?" He asked curiously.

Flynn sighed wearily and simply answered with, "Sodia." He should have locked the damn door before they'd even started in on the first yelling match. He'd known it would lead to other things. It always did anymore.

"Really?" Yuri grinned impishly as he looked back up at his obviously chagrined partner. "Well, I hope she got a good eyeful then." That's what she gets for not knocking, he thought smugly to himself. He never knocked, but then again, he expected to find weird shit behind every other door. It came with the territory.

Flynn scowled and gave Yuri's hair a brief yank. "Be nice."

"When have I ever been nice?" Yuri fired back guilelessly as he hooked a leg around Flynn's waist and tugged him down into a much more agreeable position. Yes, just like that.

Flynn chuckled at Yuri's antics and shook his head. He could talk to Sodia later about what she had not seen. Right now, he was in the middle of something extremely important; something that really needed to be dealt with immediately. "Yuri, do the world a favor and just shut up."

Yuri's answering look was one of the most blatant invitations Flynn had seen out of him in awhile. "Make me."

And that was a challenge he simply could not pass up. The door lock could wait. Sodia and her most likely fried sense of decency could wait. Yuri was underneath him - taunting him about it - and that was something he would never be able to ignore. Not in good conscience, or bad conscience, or any sort of conscience really. Now where was he? Oh right, the nice unblemished skin of Yuri's neck. It would be such a shame if it remained that way after this particular visit. Time to get to work.

[sylphwriter]

Killer Intent

Tales Whump Week

Day 1 Prompt: Wounds Warning: Violence and blood. I’m posting excerpts from my in progress work on rewriting my fic, Fairy Tales and Brave Vesperia. So anyone interested can enjoy a sneak peek at what to expect, but otherwise it should stand alone without familiarity with my work just fine.

Flynn’s door burst inwards with a splintering crack, smashing into the wall and shuddering as it sagged at a broken looking angle. Two gouges slanted across the door, marked by the force that had blown it in. Estellise shrieked at the sudden, violent intrusion.

Revealed beyond the door was a man with wildly bright red and yellow hair and a threatening presence. Feet placed wide apart and upper body slightly hunched over, his arms were still stretched out to the sides and restlessly turning the long, curved daggers in them over and over. Estellise couldn’t help but gasp at the fresh blood flicking from them with each movement. While the tough jerkin and the skintight black suit under it were too dark in color to tell for certain, they also bore spots that gleamed wetly in the light from the city’s barrier and the moon.

Lowering his arms to hang more loosely, but still spinning the daggers about his fingers and wrists by their circular handles, the intruder stalked forward into the room with a manic grin spreading as his eyes skipped over Estellise to fix on Yuri. “Prepare to fall victim to my blade,” he hissed, shoulders lowering into an even more hunched stance that mimicked a feral beast ready to lunge forward. One arm snapped out to the side and the dagger held in it shattered a water pitcher left next to a wash basin.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” That Yuri could speak so calmly, sound unimpressed even, was almost as much of a shock to Estellise as the dawning realization of what this threatening man was.

Snarling a bit at the cavalier attitude, the man glared at Yuri. “I am Zagi. The man who will end your life,” he promised. He sprang forward, sawing a dagger through the air on level with Yuri’s throat. “Now die, Flynn Scifo!”

“Hey!” Kicking a foot up under the arm reaching out a blade towards him, Yuri’s boot landed firmly against the would be assassin’s chest fended him off. Shoving off, Yuri staggered his assailant and pushed himself back across the table. Grabbing the edge with a hand, Yuri swung his legs across the tabletop and back onto the floor with the table between them. He didn’t lose any more time in dragging the sheath off his own sword. “You’ve got the wrong guy!”

This was ignored. “Die!” Zagi’s legs bent and he sprang forward onto the table with the fluid ease of hunting cats. He dove right at Yuri again, slashing his arm across with the dagger held parallel to his outer arm, ready to rip into Yuri with the razor edge and protecting his own arm at once.

It clashed off Yuri’s own sword and he grunted, “You really should listen a little more!”

Zagi followed the motion of his arm in a fast spin, bringing the second arm and dagger across with even greater momentum and his full weight. Yuri grimaced and let himself fall to the ground, Zagi almost right on top of him. The floor was just the support Yuri needed to brace against to slam both feet into Zagi’s stomach and send him flying over and across the room.

Zagi twisted his body in the air and succeeded in not colliding with the wall headfirst. His leading shoulder and back still smacked against it hard, but he spun away from the stone and rolled his head to an unnerving angle as he leered at Yuri. “Yes… Remember my name well, Flynn!”

“Listen, I’m not Flynn!” Yuri insisted on trying to get it through this maniac’s head. He quickly rolled over and pushed himself up with one hand.

With a cackle the assassin lunged forward again. Damn he was fast! Yuri barely had time to read where those daggers would be and get his sword up in time. There was an instant when he could clearly see the unhinged gleam in Zagi’s eyes and rictus grin right before they vanished. A flash of light to his peripheral was all the warning Yuri had to dive away from, the light from outside giving away the dagger aiming for the side of his neck by pure chance. He got away with just a deep slice across his upper arm.

Zagi cackled. “Oh, what’s wrong?” he crooned mockingly. He swayed in place, holding off on resuming the attack to lift the dagger with Yuri’s blood on it before his eyes in fascination. Sticking out his tongue he drew it along the side of the blade, tasting it and the blood.

The sight sickened Yuri. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” This guy was so far gone he was on a level leagues worse than the worst scum preying in the lower quarter.

That dagger was directed to point at Yuri. “I’m gonna kill you and carve your name into my blood!” Zagi exulted.

Street scum were cute compared to this guy. “Yeah, that’s pretty disgusting.” This wasn’t a situation where he could aim to knock his opponent out and move on. The only way to deal with this psycho was to be prepared to kill him.

Zagi dashed in again head on, breaking to the side again when Yuri’s sword angled to block his charge. It didn’t work a second time, Yuri’s sword dipping back over his shoulder to catch and turn it aside. Not even slowing, Zagi circled to his other side with another spin and attacked with his other dagger from the opposite angle. Yuri’s fist rose and clocked him across the jaw, spinning him away instead.

Yuri pursued him, tossing his sword to his other hand and stabbing for Zagi’s chest. “Oh yeah,” Zagi moaned, “this is gonna be fun!” The crazed fighter didn’t even try to block it, driving back in close with both daggers leading, letting the edge of Yuri’s longer sword slide under his arm and right up against his ribs in a long cut. Too close; Yuri didn’t have the room or leverage to get the force to cut any deeper before those daggers would cut out his own neck. He had to snap out an arm to shove off Zagi’s shoulder and jump back, taking more cuts along his arm in the process.

The cut along Zagi’s ribs was bleeding freely, but if anything that seemed to excite him more. “Ahh, now I feel it.”

“You feel what?” Yuri asked, thinking that talking might buy a few extra seconds or distract this guy. “I’m not feeling anything over here.”

Zagi threw his head back and arms wide, laughing madly as he shouted, “That’s it! That’s it! Now I feel truly alive!” His eyes fixed on Yuri again, wide and white in the dark, and he looked even more focused. A split second and he flew from his off balance state of euphoria into another charge, little more than a blur Yuri could hardly track.

Taking a chance on it, Yuri used his blastia and sent an Azure Edge to meet Zagi. Unfortunately Zagi had no problem dodging to the side of the linear attack, leaping up onto a chair in the process. From there he pounced through the air, coming down on Yuri from above again. Yuri rolled forward and under Zagi, pivoting while still in a crouch to send another Azure Edge. It clipped the edge of the loop of strap hanging off the assassin’s shoulder but did no other damage to him. It was much more devastating to Flynn’s table though. A split cut halfway through it.

Estellise had been in shock as the implications of the blood on this person and his claims sank in. This was the assassin, and while Flynn wasn’t endangered for the time being, other people had been already. This very moment Flynn’s friend was in danger! “Yuri, let me help you!” She scrambled to retrieve the sword and buckler she’d set down by the door.

Did this girl want to get herself killed? “Stay out of this!” Yuri snapped, trying to keep up with the ferocious barrage.

“But-!” she hesitated.

The only warning she had was this Zagi person turning his disturbingly wide grin on her before he lashed out at her with a blade. Her lessons from Sir Drake came to good use; her thoughts scattered in shock for a fearful second but her body still moved as she’d been taught.

Her buckler lifted to catch the blade, angled to deflect it away rather than hold the brunt of the force and weight. And in return she thrust her own sword to damage or force her assailant back. Zagi’s second blade was already following up, and part of her thoughts caught up to the moment to realize; if he hadn’t avoided Yuri’s attack earlier in favor of trying to land a hit anyway then her own sword was not a reliable deterrent. She changed its course to intercept the second dagger, buckler and sword now both occupied keeping both daggers at bay.

For a second she was locked into place, staring into Zagi’s face. That twisted grin of bared teeth coupled with the feverish glare of his eyes, they horrifically reminded her of artist depictions of monsters said to be the most voluntarily turned to man eaters when given opportunity. Or the demons in old tales handed down to scare little children.

Zagi’s red eyes barely flickered away from her and then he was a flash of movement diving to the side. Yuri’s sword swished through the air where Zagi’s head had just been, and he took the assassin’s retreat as opportunity to place himself between Estelle and Zagi again.

Unable to spare the attention to take his eyes from the crazed lunatic cackling by the splintered table, Yuri turned his head only a fraction to call back to the girl behind him. “If things get out of hand, run for it.”

“I will,” she agreed, voice steady. He couldn’t help a slight grin of his own. For a noble she held up under that attack well. Just because he believed her when she said she could use that sword didn’t mean Yuri hadn’t expected her to faint or cry in a real fight.

“Oh, don’t give up so soon!” Zagi goaded them, “I haven’t had a fight like this in years!” With another mad laugh he added with evident relish, “This is fun!” He raised a hand and then smashed his dagger down across the damaged table, snapping it in half along the earlier cut. With a quick spin he snapped a leg out and kicked half the collapsing table at Yuri and the girl.

Smashing it out of the air with another Azure Edge was possible, but not worth the energy and the mess of flying debris it would make of the table. “Move!” he barked instead, breaking to the side. The noble did too without much delay.

But she went the other direction.

Split up now, it made the downside of this choice of action harder to deal with. Zagi would easily predict where they’d move and would be ready to pounce on one of them. Yuri had no worries he could handle that, but the assassin was lunging again for the noble girl who’d butt in on the fight.

The girl’s eyes flew wide in surprise and she fell back several steps in retreat. But she wasn’t running thoughtlessly; before Zagi got too close she drew on the blastia artfully incorporated into her elegant gloves. Aer fueled energy slid down her blade to coalesce into a glittering spark on the tip that, much like the Azure Edge taught among the Knights, she propelled straight ahead with a quick slash of her sword.

But like with Azure Edge, Zagi didn’t have much difficulty avoiding the oncoming Star Stroke. In point of fact, there was less speed and force behind it than Yuri’s own attacks. But for the moment Zagi was distracted.

Another Azure Edge connected with Zagi from the side, catching him right where he had swerved to avoid Estelle’s arte. He crashed and tumbled across the floor towards the broken door, jerkin and tight black under suit ripped and shredded up the side and arm. With no mind to the pain he should be feeling, the assassin sprang right back up and shook it off, feet already kicking off the floor to pounce right back in.

Yuri wasn’t about to give him that time. He rushed in to meet Zagi, hearing the chime of a blastia activating a spell and a whoosh behind him. Golden sparkling light enveloped Yuri’s sword just before it clashed against one of Zagi’s daggers again. The dagger chipped, cracked, and broke in two, Yuri’s sword cleaving right through. In the instant of shock before Zagi could reevaluate his style of attack, Yuri used his free arm to fend off the second dagger by bashing against Zagi’s forearm and angled his sword down to pierce through Zagi’s leg.

With a strangled cry Zagi dropped the broken dagger and directly grabbed Yuri’s blade with his own hand, adding more blood running down it as he yanked it back out. He twisted his other arm to try and saw down the length of Yuri’s guarding arm with the edge of the whole dagger. Yuri pulled away, but not before his own arm was opened with a deep cut from shoulder to elbow.

They both fell away from each other, holding their latest injuries. Yuri grit his teeth against the pain, it would get even worse once there wasn’t any adrenaline in the way. Now he wished he’d pocketed a few more of those gels earlier.

Well that hadn’t been the best trade off. But Yuri could fight with just one arm when the need came to it. And that bleeding hole in Zagi’s thigh was gonna slow the assassin down at last. Still had the feeling this wouldn’t be enough to deter the assassin’s crazed bloodlust though. Zagi was panting but between breaths he kept laughing insanely, muttering, “You’re strong, heh. Good, Flynn, you’re good…!”

“You’ve got the wrong guy,” Yuri almost shouted at him with frustration. “Aren’t you supposed to know this stuff?”

“He’s not Flynn!” Estellise tried to add in, but Zagi was already growling dismissal, “Details, details! Bring it!” He raised his remaining dagger and held his other hand up with fingers stiffened into claws.

“Flynn sure has made some interesting enemies,” Yuri muttered.

At that moment a shadow outside Flynn’s open door seemed to move and peel away. A new figure slipped into the room behind Zagi with unnatural silence, the long and heavy dark blue coat he wore made it difficult to tell his outline from the darkness of the hall. The hood was pulled up and further blurred the impression to just a humanoid shape. It also hid half of his face, although the way his jaw and lower nose were visible before abruptly becoming shadowed could be a sign of a black mask. One with red lenses fixed into it, glowing ominously in the barrier light through the window.

Most importantly, by Yuri’s judgement, was the kris styled knives fastened to the back of the newcomer’s gloves or wrists, sticking out past the long sleeves. Reinforcements. Now that he was looking for it, he could maybe see more shadows moving outside. Damn, hopefully the noble girl could find an opening to escape if Yuri could just draw them away from the door. He didn’t think she’d be very good at taking the window.

Instead of jumping into the fight and overwhelming them by sheer numbers, the red eyed intruder slunk up next to Zagi. “Zagi, we’re leaving,” he hissed with a harsh whisper. “The knights are onto us.”

Zagi’s face twisted into a silent snarl. His unarmed hand balled into a fist and blindly struck back, hitting his ally across the face. The red eyed one reeled at the blow before catching himself. His own snarl at Zagi looked all the more monstrous with the glowing red lenses and otherwise hidden face.

“Mind your own business!” Zagi’s rage abruptly reverted back to that manic glee as he cackled. “I’m just getting to the best part!”

The newcomer didn’t back off, standing his ground even with one hand pressing to his nose. Blood was dripping from it. “Hurry, before the knights get here. Or would you rather your fun end today?”

Rage filled Zagi’s face as he glared back at the hooded man. Yuri saw his grip on the remaining dagger tighten before Zagi turned on his good leg. The dagger swept an arc through the air and tore through the man’s throat. The girl gave a strangled shriek as with a gurgle the red eyed man grabbed for his neck helplessly, more blood running over his hands. Zagi didn’t stop there, pulling his dagger side to side in several more strokes before the unlucky bastard even dropped to his knees.

Yuri didn’t even try to stop him, backing away as far as he could and making sure the noble girl was safely behind him. A few more steps and they could be at the window.

Zagi stopped brutalizing the corpse, letting it fall forward on its face. In the stillness he straightened to full height for the first time, turning enough to look back at Yuri and the girl from over his shoulder. When he made direct eye contact with Yuri, Zagi gave the slightest smile, all the more eerie for its serene calm after the assassin had been anything but that this whole time.

Then he limped through the door, injured leg the barest drag on his pace. The shadows of other compatriots waiting outside all withdrew before he got in striking distance of them.

x x x

“That was the target, wasn’t it?” one of the Red Eyes faction whispered to another as they slipped silently through the halls of the castle to their marked departure point. They’d already set a distraction in place to draw patrols away from the spot. “Why didn’t we just finish him?”

“Shut up,” the other assassin hissed back. “If Zagi even thinks you’ll steal his prey from him, you’ll be the next one breathing through a new hole in your neck.”

“Then how do we know for sure that was the right one?”

The more experienced member reasoned, “It was Flynn Scifo’s room, who else could it have been?”

They glanced up ahead at Zagi’s back, waiting for a moment if the talented but volatile special agent would bother to answer. If he wasn’t off in his own headspace again, he should’ve heard everything they said.

An unpleasant giggle drifted back, not really a good indicator either way. But then Zagi said aloud, “Of course that man is our prey… Finally, a worthy fight!”

“Well there you go,” the veteran muttered to the newer member. “Must be Flynn Scifo.”

Up ahead Zagi had begun smiling to himself. What did it matter if that man was or was not Flynn Scifo? If Zagi crossed paths with him again, he would see if this wonderful reminder in his leg was only a fluke, or if he’d finally met a worthy match.

Nobody had faced him without fear in their eyes for a long time.

[r0botarmsapts]

Title: Wherever You Are, In Thoughts You’re Always With Me. Cross-posted to Ao3, dA and Fanfiction.net. Characters/Pairings: Flynn Scifo, Yuri Lowell. FlynnYuri, FureYuri, Fluri. Words: 1k+ Disclaimer: I own this fanfiction but not the characters or game they’re from. Notes: Talk of death but Yuri isn’t dead, canon compliant there. For the 10 Hurt/Comfort Lj community. This is 1/10. Table: DIY Prompt: Regret.  Summary: Flynn stood in front of his large window, staring at the night sky, his thoughts and heart on one man. Wordlessly, he opened the window, letting in a warm breeze. His eyes were drawn to the heavens, clouds few and stars bright, some twinkling in the sky. “Can you see this sky, too, Yuri?” He wondered, knowing the swordsman enjoyed lazing back, taking in the view of the skies at different hours. Torn in two, the romantic part of him would have taken Yuri somewhere private, a view just for them and kissed him under the night sky. Yuri looked ethereal under the light of a full moon, the mental image bringing a small smile to him that was short lived while the memory of that day atop Zaude intruded once more.

From the sharp pain in his head that refused to leave him alone, Flynn knew tonight would be another sleepless night. Staring at the ceiling with weary eyes, he doubted much sleep would have come to him anyway. Going on a week in, the few nights he managed to rest, Yuri had appeared in his dreams, the scenes nightmares come to life from one of his strongest fears since he lost almost everything as a child. Losing Yuri.

‘Yuri’, Flynn thought, a strong sadness in his heart. Alone in his quarters, the blond too quickly got out of his bed, staving off a wave of dizziness that threatened to take a firm hold. Needing a moment to steady himself, Flynn repeated a mental checklist of actions to be taken, one that he had gone over and over, and over again. The end result would be the same as the first time, but it gave his mind something to focus on. Papers were too neatly stacked on his desk, set to the side while a map laid out in the open, marks on it with notes where to go next. A candle almost entirely burnt out beside the parchment, leaving Flynn to have a few seconds of feeling similar to the object.

Flynn stood in front of his large window, staring at the night sky, his thoughts and heart on one man. Wordlessly, he opened the window, letting in a warm breeze. His eyes were drawn to the heavens, clouds few and stars bright, some twinkling in the sky. “Can you see this sky too, Yuri?” He wondered, knowing the swordsman enjoyed lazing back, taking in the view of the skies at different hours. Torn in two, the romantic part of him would have taken Yuri somewhere private, a view just for them and kissed him under the night sky. Yuri looked ethereal under the light of a full moon, the mental image bringing a small smile to him that was short lived while the memory of that day atop Zaude intruded once more.

How many times now had he picked apart that afternoon? Thought of what he could have done differently?

The answer remained the same.

That spike of anger struck as he thought of Alexei firing the laser at Yuri, no real time to do anything different. When it came to Yuri, he always reacted quicker, moved faster. More than anything else in that moment, Flynn wanted to protect Yuri, even if it meant his own life was to be taken in Yuri’s place. Lady Estellise had rushed to his aide, healing him with wide, frightened eyes for his life. A scar remained that she apologized for but he quieted the guilt she bore to him and denied her kind offering to try and take it away. The scar remained near his heart, a blow taken to protect his best friend.

Yet...

Eyes narrowing, his body tensed while he attempted to remain steady on his feet, a rolling wave of guilt and sadness, filling him, wanting to drown him on the inside, nearly needing him to sit. Flynn managed and remained standing in the face of another difficulty as he always did. Yuri still ended up worse off, and at the heart of it, there was little that could be done. Flynn knew this, yet still put some blame on himself. His heart knew before his mind did in that moment that Yuri would have died from a direct hit, his body acting to save the swordsman.

The one time Yuri fell and Flynn could not catch or save him.

Bringing a hand to the front of his face, old memories struck bringing a variety of emotions with them.

Pulling him from a river when they were kids, pulling him closer by his shirt when they fought with built up pain and frustration over misunderstandings, pushing each others buttons, and too soon afterwards, when Yuri nearly fell to his death on the top of the tower after being separated by that monster.

Flynn, in his actions, had gripped Yuri’s hand hard while pulling him upward. His heart beating loud enough to be deafening back then. While catching their breaths, a silent conversation went between them, one that did not need to be heard by anyone else. They would not have understood and did not need to. It was far from the first time they could have talks without a word being uttered, something that proved to be a comfort. Yuri understood him better than anyone else, and he, Yuri. They could borderline read one another’s minds.

It was with that deep bond, Flynn knew Yuri was with him still.

Lowering his hand back to his side, tension slowly easing from him, blue eyes went to the skies once more, tired but determined and wanting answers only Yuri could give him. Flynn felt every moment of their separation with a hard acceptance of what was, the ongoing ache in his heart and pain as each day yielded the blond nothing new. There had been no sighting, no hint, nothing to clue them in Yuri was okay. Someone had gotten to Yuri before they could, and that was what left him with no satisfying answer. The swordsman had still been standing, Flynn knowing how agile and fast on his feet Yuri was, made less sense the more he thought on it. Something else had happened, leaving Flynn knowing he and Yuri were going to have a long talk waiting.

Whether he found Yuri first, or Yuri came to him, they would be together again. Flynn could feel the connection there, it giving him hope.

All too suddenly with the weight of his duties and missing friend, Flynn felt more drained than he had when he left the bed. It was late enough for the night life of Zaphias to be going strong, making sometime before he could continue with anything. The room around him beginning its dance once more, Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose, focusing enough to turn away and make it back to his bed. It would be hours until dawn broke, giving him sometime to lay down at least.Flynn could feel Yuri’s stare on him, the look he would have while forcing Flynn to go rest instead of overworking himself further. Being able to predict what Yuri would say to him while the blond slid back under the covers gave him a pained peace. Flynn badly wanted Yuri in the bed with him, to see his smile, hear his voice in person and not from a memory. With their shared connection strong, Yuri would never be just a memory. Not now. He was alive, Flynn knew it.

Their reunion was only a matter of time.