Heirot

OOC: *accepts blame*


Soran walked in ahead of Sid, who followed into the house without hesitation. "There's a chair," the elf said tightly, gesturing toward a seat on the other side of the room from Mizuki and Rai.

"Your hospitality hasn't changed much," Sid commented, accepting the chair and falling into it casually.

Soran ignored the comment and studied Sid carefully as he went, still finding it hard to believe he was here. "Sid...what are you doing here?" he asked directly.

"I should ask you the same question," Sid said, voice darkening from before, "but then, maybe the answer's pretty clear." He made a circular gesture with one large finger toward Mizuki and Rai, and the house around them.

"What?" Soran said uneasily.

"You're supposed to be dead. You've been dead for ten years. The militia was dissolved. Many of us are dead now. There was no way to live up to the queen's expectations for us, without your direction. Her demands destroyed most of us. Five were executed for attempting to avenge your death on that Sorceress girlfriend of yours. What?" he demanded, noting the tightening expression on Soran's face, "Did you think everyone lived happily ever after while you 'started over'? I'm sorry, it must be awfully hard on you. I'll keep it to myself."

Soran blinked, the color draining from his face. What was that bitterness in his voice? He'd never heard it before. "You think I wanted to leave?" he said hoarsely. In the back of his mind he relived the conversation he'd had with Cerno as he beat the scars into his back. He'd known the men wouldn't take well to military leadership, that his death would mean trouble for them, but he'd never expected the things Sid was talking about.

"Well what else should I think, Rhen?" Sid demanded angrily, his emotions in the open now.

"Don't lecture me about my duty to that militia. You're no better. Returning to Rone must have been like coming home. Don't think I forget that you were a spy." But he had forgotten, for ten years. Nothing had been his choice; he'd been forced out of the country and robbed of the memories that would have enabled him to come back. Why didn't he feel like telling Sid that? He doubted Sid could believe such a story anyway. And he had reason to care either way; Sid had betrayed him before hecommitted the would-be betrayal Sid now seemed to blame him for.

"Yeah, sure, I was a spy, but at least I fucking stayed by your side," Sid said more quietly, resting his head down into his hands like this whole thing was giving him some sort of terrible migraine. He seemed a bit like a pouting child in that position, but Soran knew the subject was too serious to simplify him to that.

"You still didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" Soran said coldly.

Sid's head pulled up, and he looked hurt and angry. "You damned bastard. So you're just going to change the subject. Act like none of this is your concern. Maybe you've caught on to the ways of love, since you're somehow engaging this beautiful lady," he gestured to Mizuki flatteringly, though his voice was growing more and more bitter and intense, "but you still don't understand one fucking thing about friendship. But since you're SO curious why I'm here, it's cause I decided to be here, because I didn't like it there. Are are you the only one who has a right to start over?"

Soran looked about ready to smack him in the face. "Don't throw around a word like 'friendship'. We both know it has no meaning."

"It figures you'd say something like that. What about love, then? Do you trust that?"

"No," Soran returned flatly, and an awkward silence resounded in the room.

"I feel awfully sorry for your lady friend, then."

"Get the hell out of my house," Soran hissed.

"No," Sid challenged.

Soran dropped the fist he'd been making and turned away, storming up the stairs in exasperation. He just had to get away from that guy's face before he tried to put a hole in it.

"What about love, then? Do you trust that?"

"No."

It echoed back in her mind like someone had just yelled in a cave. Of course it hurt, but at the same time she half expected this. Mizuki had been holding Rai tightly without even realizing it and covering the girl's ears. Mizuki's thoughts warred with her for control over how she should feel. Soran loved her, she knew that... didn't he? He was still trying to recover from his past... right? He's still not entirely used to trusting... or is he just like this? Shouldn't he have at least somewhat accepted his past now? He's been with her long enough to know he could trust her....

No... she couldn't think like this. Her heart was stinging painfully and tears wanted to escape her eyes. She turned her pained gaze towards Sid and, without thinking and just wanting to not even think about what Soran had just said, she immediantly hated him. She blamed Sid for everything Soran had just said. It was easier to think that way. Yes, it was Sid's fault Soran said he didn't trust love. He was pushing him!

Her mind pulsed out a current of magical energy causing the air in the room to still. She wanted to break this man's mind in half...

But instead, she just gazed off, her eyes dull and distant and not registering the world. She didn't have that kind of power to break a man's mind, so she had over exerted her energy and was now stuck in her trance-like state.

Sid stared at Soran's back as he went up the stairs, his anger fading in deference to hurt feelings and guilt. Why did he always speak rashly? He knew Rhen was sensitive, so why did he keep pushing him like that? And right in front of Mizuki, too, when he knew what Rhen would say if he pushed those buttons in that order. Now the atmosphere in the room felt like a dead weight from the tension that had built up. Actually, it felt almost unnaturally still. He looked at Mizuki, wondering if he should apologize, but something seemed wrong with her.

"Miss?" he asked quietly. He stood up and carefully went to her side, touching her shoulder lightly. "Miss?" he repeated. Something seemed wrong; he wondered if he should go get Rhen back here.

Mizuki snapped out of her trance as Sid shook her shoulder gently. She came out of it looking as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. She was so tired now; the air in the room returned to normal.

"Ah," she gasped tiredly and fell forward slightly, her body relaxing so much that she almost couldn't hold herself upright. She still held Rai safely though.

Sid held her shoulder firmly as her body sagged forward for a second. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

Forgetting her anger towards Sid Mizuki answered him, "I'll be alright..." would she be? This was unnatural to her but she almost knew why it happened. Almost... She lifted her head to look at Sid and managed to lean back in the couch. She petted Rai's hair lightly, she wondered if the girl had fallen asleep.

"You two go back a long way.." she stated without it being a question. She didn't think to try and hide that she knew.

"You sound as if you've heard of me," Sid said, trying not to sound as hopeful as he did.

Mizuki shrugged tiredly. "I have, in a way." She knew she'd probably have to explain how she knew him, but she didn't have the energy to explain that she was a seer and had seen Soran's memories.

Idly she look out the window on the opposite wall towards the town then said distantly, "Did you ever stop to consider that maybe... Soran didn't want to leave? And left against his will...."

"I've never known Rhen to tolerate anything against his will for long," Sid responded quietly, doubtfully. He wasn't arguing now; the anger was out of his system. He sounded more lost and abandoned than enraged.

"You misunderstand what I mean. When I say he had no choice.... I mean he was subdued by force beyond his control and made to leave." She explained with such ease. She flicked her eyes back to Sid and gestured for him to sit back down. Her hate towards him had gone, but it would probably return once she has regained her energy. "Why do you think he as a strong aversion to magic?"

Sid sat obediently, pondering her words carefully. He hadn't known Rhen post-Reya, but even when he'd known Soran he hadn't liked magic. "Well, I would have said it's because he's a control freak who hates having outside forces affect him. That and he's wary of things he can't understand. Magic is one of the few things he couldn't manage to learn from books," he said, thinking it into words, though he'd never tried to express it that way before.

Mizuki chuckled. Yes, she remembered that Soran had been very studious as a child and youth. "I don't want to tell you too much, I believe Soran should tell you what had happened to him. But Soran had been forced away with magic and forced to also forget." Mizuki closed her eyes. She desperately wanted to talk to Soran, to hold him in her arms. He was so still like a young boy...

Sid's eyes narrowed and then widened in confusion. "Forced... to forget?" he asked, unable to understand. Could that really be? He seemed to remember just fine right now. He didn't know anything about magic, not even from books; was such a spell even possible?

Soran stood gripping the lip of the sink and looking into the mirror. His expression was stern and relentless. But he knew what it really was, and knew that Sid knew that look as well. He was scared. That wasn't good. He'd left Mizuki with him alone. He'd said something stupid in front of her. That wasn't good either. He had to get a grip on this situation, but it was too much to handle. He splashed water up on his face, watching the drops roll into his eyes and off his chin.

He'd abandoned Sid. Even though Sid betrayed him, he'd still abandoned him... no matter what the reason, that couldn't sit right with him. But it wasn't his fault...and Sid was already working for Arken...right? What was that look in his eyes, like Soran had just stabbed him in the back? Where did that come from? He had to decide who he was mad at, and whose fault this was. Who was the victim? He had to decide and go back down, he couldn't stay up here. He paced back into the bedroom, spotting his bracelets on the floor. He bent down and picked them up, fastening them back on.

Mizuki suddenly wanted nothing more than to sleep for a long, long time. Her lids drooped down but she opened them again. Something told her to stay awake. Her thoughts were getting fuzzed and it was hard to focus anymore on her conversation with Sid.

"Reya... betrayed him..." she sighed deeply, closed her eyes again as if to sleep but opened them again. "Locked away his identity and memories for so long--he only just received them back from her." That battle replayed in her mind, God it seemed so long ago...

"..What?" Sid said weakly, trying to absorb what Mizuki had said. But there was a more immediate problem; she definitely seemed unwell. This might be normal for her, but he had no way to be sure. "Stay here, I'll go get Rhen," he said, getting up quickly. He didn't want to confront Soran when he was already feeling cornered, but something definitely seemed wrong with Mizuki. He went up the stairs to the top of the landing and looked around, guessing at which room was Soran's. He made a few wrong guesses before he walked into a bedroom where Soran was standing at the window. The rogue turned and looked at him.

Soran's eyes were hard and cold, - scared, Sid registered the emotion, but they quickly changed to more of a confused wariness when they saw the look on Sid's face.

"Mizuki, she's..." Sid said, gesturing downstairs.

Soran frowned worriedly and rushed past Sid. Sid jogged behind him down the stairs as he went to her side and kneeled in front of her. "Mizu..." he almost whispered, trying to tell what was wrong. He had just known by Sid's face that there was a problem.