INBOX FOR songerein

[zephyrean]

luul

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[zephyrean]

Come on, man, this again? I'm fine! [He is not fine. But it's fine that he's not fine, he'll keep pretending he's fine until he no longer can.]

Besides, you're one to talk. You've probably got more skeletons in your closet than a friggin' cryptkeeper after everything you've been through.

[refire]

That's enough! You're not fine and we never were. I'm a mass slaughterer and a pathetic excuse of a human being. Talk about a freak. Being the Sovereign will do that to you. I'm not the heroic knight everyone thought I was. Do you want to know how many people I've killed? There's way more skeletons in my closet than you could possibly even imagine.

Tell me what's really eating away at you. I'm not leaving until I hear an answer.


[ He's not even trying to deny who he is so all of Law's claims are more or less true. Alphen just wants a more honest discussion. Zephyr would have known what to do in this situation. It's a shame his time was cut short. ]

[refire]

I'm far from finished!

[ Certainly Law is just getting faster and stronger. Alphen isn't about to let up so soon and he can take a few beatings. He doesn't last too long in a fight and that is especially true when Shionne isn't around. The flames from his firey weapon keep burning away at his hands.

He tries to avoid Law's Talon Storm but he can't completely dodge the attack. The force of Law's blow knocks him back. Alphen thinks it puts him at a prefect range to strike. ]

Plasma Shock!!

[ A powerful burst of light comes from Alphen's sword. He can use elements apart from fire too. Maybe changing things up might come to his advantage. ]

[zephyrean]

[There's a pause before Law responds to Alphen.]

Then you should already get it, because we're both screw ups.

[Alphen knows better than anybody the life Law's had and the things he's been through.]

I've tried my damnedest to be better than I used to be. Thought I was passed everything that happened. But ever since coming here, I've been having nothing but nightmares. About... what happened in the past.

[Another pause.]

I know I've grown, but... It's hard to feel like it when your head keeps shoving your mistakes back in your face, you know?

[refire]

[ For a while Alphen just doesn't respond. He needs time to process all of this and Law might need time as well. He carefully reads the page and thinks deeply about what he needs to say. ]

Law, believe me when I say you're not alone in this.

We're Dahnans. We were slaves.

Slaves don't get the right to choose damned if they do and damned if they don't. We were lucky to just be alive, but isn't that why we were fighting? So that things didn't have to stay that way? So that we might see a better tomorrow?

I still believe in the path that Zephyr left for us. As long as we follow him we won't lose our way. You're not weak.

You've come such a long way from when I first met you. You've really changed and you're making progress.

Are you home now? Maybe we should continue talking in person just like last time.

I'll listen to everything you want to say.

[zephyrean]

you're not giving me much of a choice here, are you?

[he knows how you are, Alphen. Stubborn, won't take no for an answer. Even if he said he didn't want to talk, you'd somehow find a way to get him to talk. ]

Yeah, I'm home. Taking a lunch break between training sessions.

> action

[refire]

I'll be home soon.

[ Alphen comes home sooner than later. Not even five minutes would have passed before he returns. He shows up looking utterly exhausted with a worried expression. He's more concerned for Law's well being than himself at the moment. He doesn't care how tired he is or if he's in any pain. ]

Law.

[ He better be ready to get THE WOLRD'S SMELLIEST HUG. ]

[zephyrean]

[Law doesn't make an effort to hide from Alphen, or anything of the sort. In fact, he's waiting for him outside the house, leaning against the door frame.]

That's me, in the flesh.

[He gets off of the door frame, taking a few steps forward. He grips the back of his neck, squeezing his shoulder as he does so.]

Can't promise I've got a lot to say right now.

[zephyrean]

[Law was expecting fire. He always expects fire when it comes to Alphen. It's kind of his thing, after all. So the Plasma Shock catches him off-guard, and he staggers backwards from the damage.]

Geh... You got me good there!

[He wipes his cheek with his glove, dabbing off some of the sweat forming.]

C'mon, show me what you can really do with that sword!

[refire]

That's fine, I'm just glad I could see you. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

[ He just wants to be there for Law. When Alphen speaks he sounds unusually tense. He grumbles under his voice being unable to hide his sigh. ]

Sorry if I seemed angry over the journals. Do you hate me?

[ Hate is a strong word and one that Law's more than familiar with. Alphen isn't exactly the hero people think he is and everything that Law said is accurate. They're both screw-ups. He doesn't have the right words for this situation. Zephyr would have known exactly what to say at a time like this. ]

[zephyrean]

[the question actually catches Law off-guard. It seemed like such a weirdly vulnerable question coming from Alphen. ]

Huh? I- what, no! Of course I don't hate you.

[Law sighs, he shifts his footing as he places his weight on his right foot, scratching his chest as he contemplates what in the world is going on. ]

Alphen, I don't think there's a single thing on the planet you could do that would make me hate you.

[refire]

Even though I'm the Sovereign and have skeletons in my closet? That hasn't scared you off yet.

[ Alphen really just wants Law to realize some things. He doesn't hate his friends and maybe it'd be nice if he could rely on them more too. ]

Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's okay if you don't have answers right away. I don't have anything figured out. We are just living our lives. Those lives don't belong to anyone else.

How bad are your nightmares?


[ The nightmares must be bad if it's keeping Law on edge like this. ]

[refire]

I can tell you've been getting faster. Is that your hard work paying off?

[ Alphen's desperately trying to hide the fact that he's burning up from holding fire. Using fire without Shionne wasn't a good idea. IT WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA. He tries to hold his ground and braces himself for another attack. ]

I won't lose to you! You've still got a lot to learn.

[ Law has yet to learn the secrets of dlc artes after all. ]

[zephyrean]

[Law understands Alphen's point, but... it doesn't make things any easier for him. He needs the answers. He needs to know he's doing the right thing.]

...Sometimes I see my old friends. Sometimes it's my Mom. ...Sometimes, it's Dad. But it's always the same. People I couldn't save, or do anything at all to help... I see their faces in my nightmares, and I'm just reminded of how useless I was.

[zephyrean]

You ain't seen nothin' yet when it comes to my speed, Alphen. Prepare yourself!

[It's true, Law's been training hard, harder than he's ever trained before. He's had no traveling to do, no foes to fight, he's had nothing to do but train, train, and train some more. It's unknown whether he's managed to make any progress with dreamotion or not, but his strength has unquestionably improved.]

Mirage Blitz!

[He sprints towards Alphen, and then thrusts his fist forward, suddenly closing the gap between them as a supernatural speed to land a powerful punch.]

[refire]

You're not useless, Law. You've already helped plenty of people by tearing down walls that were built up by the lords. Zephyr never once regretted fighting.

[ Alphen had an idea it might be something like this. Zephyr's death is still weighing on Law. That's hardly a surprise. What happened back in Cyslodia was tragic beyond words. Law's experienced nothing but pain for a long time. Alphen would know about some of it because he was right there when Zephyr passed away. ]

What do you really want to do from here on out?

[refire]

I wouldn't want to trip and fall if I were you.

[ It's good that Law's improving everyday. Alphen doesn't want him to get overconfident though. He stands with a defensive battle formation and just endures the impact from the incoming blow. He'd never admit to being pushed back though.]

Have you ever beaten me in a fight before? Infernal Torrent!

[ Alphen readies his blade and charges ahead with a counterattack. This time he uses fire.]

[zephyrean]

I... Dunno.

[Law trails off on his words there a bit. He'd never given his future much thought even back home, much less here.]

Back home, I just planned on following you to the ends of the earth, and then seeing where the road takes me after it's all over. But here? I don't really know what I want.

[zephyrean]

[Oh crap, he's pulling out all the stops. That's a Blazing Sword technique right there. This right here is Law's worst case scenario right here, Alphen burning up without Shionne around. Maybe it'll be fine, maybe Alphen learned how to control the flames with dreamotion.]

Hey, Alphen! You sure you should be using those artes without Shionne around?!

[Law knows the range of Alphen's Infernal Torrent, so he's careful to stay out of the attack's radius, but he's worried about Alphen now. Is this safe...?]

[refire]

Why not come work with me in the smithy? We could use more help down there and you don't have to do anything too different.

[ He can just be himself. Law doesn't have to pretend to be something he's not. Alphen just wants to give him something to focus on while they're here. ]

I've got my hands full as it is. Having you around would really make things run more smoothly.

[refire]

....!

[ Law's right to be concerned. Everything is painful. It hurts so bad that Alphen can't stand it. The flames continue to burn away at his skin until it turns him into ash. ]

Where are you, Shionne? It hurts. This is really painful. I need...Shionne.

[ He couldn't feel pain for a really long time. Before something like this wouldn't have been a problem for him. Alphen just collapses into fire and it continues to burn. He wasn't called the Blazing Sword of Calaglia for nothing. ]

[zephyrean]

--!! Oh, shit?!

[The worst case scenario's become a reality for Law. He runs over to Alphen to assess the situation. But even before he gets there, his mind is already racing.

Alphen is burning alive, what should he do about it? What can he do about it? Can he do anything about it at all?!]

Dammit, Alphen! This is exactly what I wanted to avoid!

[The panic sets in. There's no Shionne anywhere in sight. Even if he tried to go find her, it'd probably be too late. Water? There's no water nearby, and he'd have to find a large enough bucket to carry enough water from the house and then it would be too late. Dirt? How would he even kick up enough dirt to smother the flames? It'd be too late.

And so Law tries the only thing he can think of, even though it's the most reckless and dangerous of all.

He tries to pat out the flames with his hands. At least he's wearing gloves.]

Don't you dare go dying on me here after everything we've been through, damn you! Keep it together!

[He's not even sure whether what he's doing even is making a difference, as he frantically tries to pat the flames down. And it actually seems to be working, but not in the way he was hoping or expecting. Rather than the flames being smothered, they begin to move with his hands, getting caught up in a flow of energy and moving away from Alphen's body. Not that Law's noticed phenomenon happening yet, too panicked about trying to save Alphen's life to notice he's actually saving Alphen's life.]

[zephyrean]

The Smithy? [Ah yes, that place Alphen seems to spend most of his non-training or home time at.]

Ehhh... I dunno. What would I even there? The sound of hammers clanging against steel is really kinda just your thing. [Does he try to mimic Alphen's voice when he said that part? Yes.]

[refire]

[ Alphen's screaming in pain as the flames choke him to death. His arms are charred beyond recognition and he's suffering from severe burn injuries. The scent of burning flesh is so prominent with Alphen because he's literally burning alive.

He really needs Shionne. Her healing artes were powerful enough to save him from this pain. He remembers feeling like this at the Gates of Fire back in Calaglia. The flames from the Blazing Sword were so strong that it nearly killed him.

He starts to see visions of Naori before he inevitably passes out. Naori is the reason he's even alive.

Whatever happens next isn't death but sleep. Law's efforts really did save Alphen's life. ]

[refire]

Do I really sound like that to you? [ Law's Alphen impressions aren't inaccurate though. He really sounds like that.]

You could help develop weapons and armor. If we don't take care of our equipment then we won't be in good shape for a real fight.

How would you feel about getting a new pair of Gauntlets?