Inbox/Notes

[bajamutblast]

I won't make this prettier what are you talking about.

Notes:

- Gigaflare (March) = 3x Remaining

Comments

a day or two after joshua

[aneikonic]

[ And Clive visits Dion after his brother does, after a day or two, to let the other settle in more. It gives Clive time to decide on his course of action(s), before seeking the other out.

The knock on Dion's door is most definitely not Joshua's, there's no way Clive can mask how heavy he knocks. Not while gauntlets cling to your arms and you're jacked.

But at least it's gentle by his normal standard, and he speaks up as he does. ]

It's Clive.

[bajamutblast]

[Though the clamor at the door does serve to startle Dion from whatever peace he's cobbled out for himself, Clive at least has the decency to answer the door. That means he's spared from the greeting that Joshua had experienced — no lances to threaten him with here.

The door swings open, and Dion regards the man silently. His presence isn't unwelcome, the former prince just isn't sure what the visit could be about.]

Is something amiss?

[aneikonic]

[ A quick check. Up. Down. No worse for wear. Joshua tattled about the curse, sorry Dion, but that makes Clive more willing to try his idea. ]

Not really. Just a few questions.

[ He doesn't bother coming in though, he's not going to intrude on the mans personal space. ]

How bad has the curse progressed, and would you like to try something to reverse it?

[ A pause, then. ]

And would you like to spar if your injuries are up for it.

[ ... Listen, he's always wondered about Dion's skills. ]

[bajamutblast]

[Clive might not bother, but Dion offers it all the same. He steps out of the entryway, motioning with his head toward the chairs situated at a little table inside. It's far from the glamorous parlor of his home, but Dion doubts Clive will mind.]

I see there are no secrets between brothers. [There's a mild note of exasperation in his voice, but also a strange hint of amusement too. It was foolish to expect privacy between the two of them.] Not terribly far. I still have full range of motion in my arm, which is more than I can ask for.

[The second question does give Dion pause. After seating himself, he turns his gaze fully to Clive.]

You know how to reverse it? [His brow furrows as he glances toward Clive's stone hand. But then... that was different, was it not? Joshua had explained that this world had exacted a toll.]

As for your request for a spar, I will have to decline for the time being. I suspect my healer would be cross should he find out I was straining myself. The last thing I want is to encourage him to strain himself, when I know his brother would have my head for it.

[aneikonic]

[ Clive hesitates then steps in with a soft thank you, and indeed, he doesn't care about the lack of decorations. He moves to a chair and sits, and unlike Joshua, he doesn't tuck himself in neatly. The man sprawls, arms folded lightly across his chest, relaxed but guarded as always. Plus it's just comfortable. He gives the Dragoon a lopsided smirk at Dion's exasperation but he doesn't offer an apology.

Good, the curse is just started. He nods to the reversal, pausing, then reaching to undo his glove from his hand, pulling the leather free of the stiff fingers. The spot where stone and flesh meet at his wrist aches as always but nothing worse for wear.

And he arches an eyebrow to My Healer. WELL.

Clive doesn't grin but his eyes crinkle a little and there's a slight sparkle in them. ]

Don't worry, it's not your head I would be going for. He knows better. Another time then. As for your question? Yes. The only reason I didn't suffer a second death here is because we found a way to reverse it. At least, we believe so.

[ He props his arm up behind him on the chair, frowning. Might as well give Dion the full explanation. ]

Immunity to the curse is something that was built into me, due to being Ultima's vessel. Yet as punishment for going against the beast here, I was given the curse. It advances unpredictably on my use of magic, and the last time, it nearly took my life. My brother and a friend of ours who specializes in aetheric healing, managed to reverse it. The death curse remains, but-

[ He draws a line along his jaw and throat, then down his arm to his wrist. Indicating he would have suffocated and his entire head might have petrified had they not done so. ]

We're also working on my brothers, using my aether to replace what Joshua has lost. It's far more delicate, as his is internal, but so long as yours isn't, I suspect we can do the same for you as we did me. It's... not pleasant, but it works.

[bajamutblast]

[At first, Dion doesn't quite understand why Clive is making faces at him but - ah. Right. He scowls down at the table, ignoring the way the tips of his ears begin to burn. He's grateful for the shift in subject, morbid though it may be. At least it's something he can focus on while he calms down.]

How lucky you must be, to have stumbled upon a friend like that. [He is curious how this friend managed to come upon such abilities, especially when the siblings had said that no one else of their realm had arrived in this world. He doesn't ask after that for now.]

I had wondered what ailed Joshua when we were eating the other day. [The detail hadn't been lost on him, even if he'd been distracted by Clive's terrible habits.] An internal ailment such as that is certainly far more problematic than that which we've experienced.

[He leans forward, far more intrigued by Joshua's case than the alleviation of his own.]

Is there anything I can offer to assist you in assisting him? Curing him would not come anywhere near all he has done for me, but it would at least be a start.

[aneikonic]

[ Oh, Clive might be dense when it comes to his own feelings and the feelings of those towards him, but he can see Dion's clear as day. Or at least he thinks he does. He's truly not one to know about who likes who here, he barely understands his own feelings.

His offer to help Joshua does make Clives features soften, however. And he feels sort of bad with his initial response of: ]

No. Any use of your aether now would progress your own, and Joshua would rather cut the curse out than force yours to progress.

[ But that does lead him up to one of the reasons he's here. ]

Unless I do as I did my brother, and give you back the pieces of your Eikon that I took. That should not only replace the aether lost and prevent further lithification, but allow you to dole some out in return. So you could give some to Joshua, if you desired.

[bajamutblast]

[Dion's expression falls the moment his offer is shut down. It takes only seconds for him to mask his disappointment, but it's a few precious moments too long. He would not be surprised if Clive saw through his attempts.]

Of course. And I would not wish to burden him with such a weight, should I insist.

[Clive's offer stops him short though. He stares up at the man, expression unreadable. His mind, however, whirls with the implication. There is no denying the emptiness that clings to his soul without the presence of Bahamut. And yet with that desire comes a healthy layer of fear. It rises in his throat and forms a lump, one he struggles to swallow down.]

Glad would I be to offer something up. But - [He looks into Clive's eyes, then away once more.] I would fear what may happen, were I in full possession of Bahamut. This town seems to have already suffered enough.

[He closes his eyes, and sees the wreckage of Twinside, clear as day.]

No. It is best that it remains with you.

[aneikonic]

[ Oh, that hurts. Not just Dion's fallen expression but the way their eyes meet the last time and he can see the uncertainty. He hesitates a little, trying to find his wording. ]

...

[ Give him a second here. ]

That wasn't you.

[ He raises his hand to stall any objections Dion might have, shaking his head. Just remain quiet for a second. ]

What happened was exactly what Ultima wanted to happen. He chewed you down until you were raw and on the verge, then made you shatter yourself. That's what he does. He makes us break our own wills. It... was also likely part of his plan for me to end up with Bahamut. A clash between Dominants, for Ifrit to devour yet another.

[ He clenches his fist a little, frowning down at it, before glancing up to Dion. His expression is hard at the memory of Dion's memories. Ultima making Dion get his hands dirty, to break the mans spirit, so he'd spiral and fall and become a menace Ifrit had to stop. ]

Have faith in your resolve, Dion. You Primed despite it all, you controlled yourself and Bahamut with skill and wisdom. It was thanks to you we reached Origin, it was thanks to you we got in, and it was thanks to you Ultima was stopped enough we could continue on.

[ He leans forward a little, his eyes locked on the other Dominants. ]

Take Bahamut back, and prove to yourself your will is stronger than Ultima's. You are not his puppet, you are not a part of his machinations. And if you still doubt, do you think my brother and I would let you go it alone? We are beside you, where we weren't before.

[bajamutblast]

[Dion wants to protest. Clive may be onto something, that everything that happened to him was simply the product of machinations beyond his ken. The intention might well have always been to break his will, but that doesn't mean it's broken now.

And right now, his will says that he wants to be as close to normal as he can. He does not want to fear who he is, and what he can do. His control over Bahamut had not faded, of that Clive is correct. But suffused with more power, with the true might of his Eikon, he fears what might come next.

He glances away from Clive, eyes trying to focus on something other than his thoughts. The walls. The ceiling, his bedside table, and finally, the flower that rests there.

Of course.

He has always been a tool. Even if Clive doesn't mean it, and Dion knows this to be true, he cannot help the path his thoughts go down. The Rosfields have need of him, just as his father once did. There is no choice here, not when there is something he may yet give. Dion will do as he is directed, as he ever has.]

Of course. [There is a distance to his voice, a blankness to his face. Nevertheless, he holds his arm out. He doesn't know what needs to be done in this instance, but he'll do it. He just wants to make it quick, lest the thoughts he runs from catch up to him.]

Let us be about it then.

[aneikonic]

[ Clive watches Dion glance away, around, then... Ah. He sees that shift, the way Dion's face smooths and blanks. The blandness to his voice, the way he holds his arm out. It makes Clive snarl a little and slap Dion's hand away. ]

You have your own will. Say no if it's what you want, I will not push you. The offer is there, I believe in you, but if you do not want it, do not offer yourself up to take it.

[ There's no real anger in his voice, at least, not towards Dion. There's a touch of frustration, because he wants to grab the Dragoon and shake him. But he understands that feeling, even if Dion doesn't think he would. He knows what it feels like to be a tool to use with no choice of his own. ]

Live. Make your own choices.

[bajamutblast]

[The last thing Dion expects is such a volatile reaction. He flinches back first, then briefly rises upward as if to meet a fight. When he realizes that Clive isn't angry, and that he doesn't intend to strike again, he quickly sits back down. Shame burns through him briefly at the scolding, before this too is swallowed down.

I don't know how, some small part of him thinks to say. He folds this voice into the palm of his hand and squashes it before it can further haunt his thoughts.]

If neither answer will satisfy you, then I know not what you want.

[Clive had already spelled it out to him. The problem is that it's not something Dion can yet comprehend.]

[aneikonic]

[ And Clive gets it. It took him finding Jill again, for Cid finding them both, and five years after that, to realize his life was his own. That he wasn't obedient to anyone's desires but his own. That he could turn down being a tool to someone else. It's not going to happen over night, as much as Clive wants it to, for Dion to realize he's free.

Maybe it's the understanding, of Clive knowing how it feels, that makes him get to his feet. Reach out the small distance and grab Dion by his arm and lift the other to his feet.

Then pull him into a hug. Yes, it's more than a little awkward, it doesn't have the ease of Joshua's hug, but there's a fierce understanding and care there nonetheless.

Have your back patted awkwardly, Dion. ]

[bajamutblast]

[Yanked to his feet in the manner that he is, Dion fully expects a fight to break out. He lifts his free arm at first, seeking to shove Clive back or to block his face, he isn't sure. Thus, he finds himself in a bit of an awkward position, arm half-extended, as he's pulled into an embrace. He remains frozen there for the space of one breath. Two. Three.

The arm in the air settles around Clive's shoulder. He can't will the other to lift, baffled as he is, but at least he's trying? The confusion doesn't ebb, made clear by the stammered out:]

What — are you doing?

[aneikonic]

Trying to think of ways to call you an idiot without it being too rude.

[ He claps a little more forcefully, a good hearty whack on the back, before pulling away. Now that he's sure he sufficiently embarrassed them both. ]

I know what you're feeling. If you need someone to talk to, I'm all ears.

[ It might not be quite the same, but he recognized that tone, that look. Bearers wear it often when they're broken. It was on his own face enough when Cid first found him. Lock the emotions away and just do it. Run the task, fight the enemy, do as your told and be good.

Wyvern tail is in both of their lives, in different and similar ways. ]

[bajamutblast]

[Taken aback as he is by that level of bluntness, Dion lets out a startled note of a laugh. It takes him a moment longer to figure out what to say in response. After a few long seconds of stumbling, he finally just shakes his head.]

I may yet deserve it at this point.

[He winces at the blow to his back, mostly at the way it jostles his poor wounds. He leans back, a hint disgruntled, before his expression eases into a wry grin.]

I suspect I will need time before I am willing to talk about it all. But... it seems we have more than enough to spare, given our arrangements.

[He appreciates that Clive doesn't press. And, above all, it means a great deal to him that he would even try to urge Dion to put down his burdens.]

Thank you, If - [A pause.] Clive.

[aneikonic]

[ Ah, the mans injuries are still paining him. His healer has been good then, and hasn't used any magic to truly heal the other. He'll have to sigh at Joshua and give him the do what you must look, because he knows his brother probably desperately wants to ease Dion's pains away completely. And if they can cure the curse, then it should be all right to do so. ]

Time is most certainly something we have plenty of.

[ He steps back further, feeling more than a little awkward now. He's not his brother, but Dion is a friend, so he wanted to offer the other the same help he offered him back at the Hideaway. The same understanding.

And looks awkward to the thank you. ]

Don't thank me, it's the least I could do.

[ Well, one more thing, as he tilts his head. ]

Still interested in seeing if we can get rid of that curse on you?

[bajamutblast]

[It's hard to hard to fathom that Clive was of the same blood as Anabella. There is such kindness in his soul, love the likes of which he only ever saw the woman show her precious son. In fact, the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that such acts were suspiciously devoid across Sanbreque itself. To see it given so freely, so unflinchingly continues to baffle him so.]

Some of us even more than others.

[After all, it isn't as if he has anything waiting for him back home. This will have to suffice as his home, and he will have to learn to live.]

The curse. Right. [He glances down at his arm, as if he could even see through the bandages. He puzzles over it silently, before nodding.]

It would be wise. The less of a hold it has, the better.

[aneikonic]

[ And he wont be doing it alone. Joshua is there with him, Clive is there with him. He's got support, whether he knows it or not yet. He will eventually realize it, Clive knows Dion is an intelligent man, a lot like his brother. Maybe that's why they pull so hard at each other.

Not that he thinks either of them notices it.

He hm's softly and nods to Dion agreeing, thinking. ]

There's no guarantee it won't return. [ Especially with Dion down Bahamut. ] But we can push it back. There may be ways to stop it entirely but we haven't figured out that yet.

[ Is there nothing you can't do, Dion had asked, and there's the answer. They can't stop it.

Yet. ]

I'll contact my friend, he's the one able to shift aether around. He's a good man.

[ Unaware the two bristled at each other. He pauses a little, that little smile not having left. ]

If you need anything, Dion, our room isn't that far away.

[bajamutblast]

[Eventually, he will. When it all stops feeling conditional, and when Dion is finally able to get through to himself that suffering wasn't the only way forward, only then would he come around. It's still a long way off, but maybe not nearly as far as it could be, were he going it alone.]

I will have to adjust to fighting without the rest of my abilities. [Thankfully, he doesn't sound too bothered by that. In fact:] It will be a good excuse to put my skills as a dragoon to the test. Long has it been since I relied solely on those.

[The smile he offers Clive is small but... he's trying.]

I thank you for the offer. And... [He pauses for a moment.] For how hard you and your brother have already worked for me. I do not yet feel that I am deserving, but I do appreciate it nonetheless.

[aneikonic]

If you ever need a partner for that, let me know. I've always be interested to see how we compare.

[ Clive may have a few years over Dion, but like himself, Dion began training at a young age. And keeping their skills sharp is important here, with no one knowing what each month will offer. The small smile is noted and it's cute. Dion is trying, and he gets it.

The thank you makes him wave his hand again a little, not quite dismissing it but awkwardly trying to show the other it's... not something Clive thinks needs to be thanked for. ]

Give yourself more credit.

[ All right, he's made this awkward enough and he moves to the door before it gets even more so. ]

Rest, Dion, I'll contact you later.

[bajamutblast]

Perhaps one day.

[Is he talking about sparring? Or giving himself credit? Too bad, he doesn't give Clive time to ask. He follows after the man, making sure he can't turn back and ask any questions. You thought it was awkward already, Clive? Now Dion is hovering behind him. Looking.]

And rest I shall. [He gives a respectful little nod.] Take care, and try not to cause too much trouble about the place in the interim.

[You know, gotta tease to lighten the mood, lest Clive actually worry about him.]

[aneikonic]

[ Now that Tal is aware Dion is LOOMING and not LOOKING-

He turns to say goodbye and pauses, the looming makes him arch an eyebrow as he tilts his head up, but mostly in amusement. And a little bit of deciding it's unfair he's the eldest out of the three and still smaller.

All right, all right, he's going. And he actually laughs to the not cause too much trouble. It's a warm, slightly rough noise. ]

No promises.

[ He's not out to find trouble, but trouble finds them nonetheless. He nods back and turns to leave. ]

[bajamutblast]

[He can be looking too ijs.

Anyway.]

I suppose I should not expect more.

[Said with half of a grin and everything.

As Clive makes his way out of the door, Dion lingers. He doubts there's a single threat to be found in the inn, but he makes sure that the man makes it safely down the hall before remember that he failed to do exactly this for Joshua.

He should call him probably do something to rectify that. Oops.]