X Fiendfyre X

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Enjoy your weekend, if I don't hear from you. Whenever you get back, I want to discuss Kaito's future abilities.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

The crow of a cockerel within the village cut short Kaito's vivid dream. Morning's first light was beginning to seep in around the doorframe and the shutters. He gazed around without moving his head, his brain struggling to comprehend where he was for a moment. The previous evening's events returned to him within a moment. Then there had been that dream. It was still fresh in his mind. The Sage had been trying to tell him something about the gems. They were for a barrier, it seemed. A barrier that would keep him from Lilia if not otherwise dispelled.

Kaito remembered Gilda mentioning that she still had possession of some sort of gem. He hadn't been able to ask about it the night before, but it was going to be the first thing he brought up this morning. The young man sat up and stretched his arms and legs out before him. The low mattress had not been as uncomfortable as Kaito had feared, but it still didn't hold a candle to his bed back home. A wave of homesickness enveloped him, as he realized there was a good chance he would never go back. This was the life he had to look forward to, it seemed.

His white tee-shirt was soaked through with sweat at the back, no doubt thanks to the stress of the end of his dream. It had been cold and suffocating, and it felt so real. Only the Sage's words in his ear had filled him with the resolve to see it through. Kaito took a sniff at the inside of his shirt and grimaced. Not the best smell in the world; that was for damn sure. He didn't even have anything to change into. Unless he could borrow some clothes off of Gilda's father, he was only going to get worse.

"Gilda!" he called out. "You wouldn't happen to have anything else I could wear for now, do you? I'd rather not keep standing out like I do. I'm no good with being stared at like yesterday, if you couldn't tell."

In Search Of A Missing Friend

The story kept Kaito's full attention. It all seemed too perfect. A few scenarios coursed through his head as Gilda went on, but he couldn't decide which one was most likely. Lilia couldn't have always had those powers. No, she must have obtained them upon coming here somehow. Perhaps Gilda was not the first person Lilia had encountered on Al-Farna? Maybe she'd already had some experience with her newfound power by the time they met? That made a little sense, but it didn't exactly fit in with Gilda's description of events.

The more of Lilia's prowess Gilda revealed, the more a lump in Kaito's throat seemed to grow. The once-delicious food seemed to turn to ash in his mouth. Though he had initially been hesitant to do more than sip the wine, he suddenly drained his cup in almost one swig. It did very little to parch the dryness in his mouth. Kaito had only imbibed on the rare special occasion with his family, not counting the one time he and Lilia had snuck some liquor from her parents' secret upper cabinet. Drinking that quickly was bound to cause him some issues before long.

Fire. Lightning. Flight. Super speed, Kaito thought to himself. Goodness, what wasn't Lilia capable of?

Gilda's story was over before long, giving way to a stunned silence. Kaito blinked a few times and had another bite of lamb. The ability to discern flavour was beginning to return to him, now that he'd managed to calm down a little. He set down his utensils long enough to give Gilda a little clap in appreciation of her impromptu performance.

"I'd say that tale's almost as good as your broth," he complimented quietly, managing a bit of a grin. "Excellent stuff, by the way." Kaito dabbed at his lips politely with his cloth before continuing. "I take it that means I should go to the Capital as well? If the Sage brought me here, would her Order be willing to assist me, too?"

"Although, I wonder why you didn't go with her?" Kaito added in afterthought, eyeing Gilda curiously. "If you got such a rush from that bit of adventure, why not go seeking more? You can't really be content slaving away as a shepherd's daughter." Kaito had not meant to insult her; it was merely an observation. Perhaps his filter was beginning to wear away under the assault of alcohol.

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In Search Of A Missing Friend

I don't intend for Kaito to be so sentimental and seemingly fragile forever, obviously. I love working through character arcs.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Fire magic? Kaito thought, his eyes widening. He didn't look away from the stew he was stirring, allowing himself to process this additional nugget of insanity. How in the world?

"I did. Or, at least, I thought I did," he responded, finally breaking his silence. "Never knew she was capable of using magic. She wasn't capable of much of anything, as a matter of fact." Kaito set the stirring spoon down across the top of the pot and sighed before looking over at Gilda. There was a certain amount of pain in his eyes. This was never easy to talk about.

"Lilia had a condition that limited her... severely," Kaito explained. "She was prone to sickness. Very frail. I was tasked with bringing home her schoolwork on the days she couldn't make it in. Before long, we were really good friends. We hung out all the time. Played games. Made up stories together. Then she just up and vanished."

By now, Kaito was staring at the ground again. There was a certain wetness to his eyes that he hastily wiped away. He hated showing weakness, but it was hard not to when thinking of the times they'd had together. The times they may never have again. Even knowing Lilia had been here was no consolation. His assumption was that she was in serious danger or had already died.

When he could finally muster the courage to look up at Gilda again, a bit of redness came to his cheeks. This was so embarrassing. "Did she tell you how she learned this fire magic?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

To say Kaito felt awkward during the exchange was an understatement. The way everyone eyed him and talked down to him spiked his anxiety rather fiercely. It certainly didn't help that he was winded from the long walk. He kept his dark eyes down, staring at the path as Mary and Gilda had their conversation. A couple of the children tried moving into his field of view to stare up at him, and he tried to offer them a weak smile. It didn't do much to placate them.

At long last, the uncomfortable situation came to an end as Gilda spirited him away to her house. Kaito felt it odd that she had seemingly lied about who he was, but before he could ask why, Gilda had disappeared into the kitchen. He waited uneasily for a few minutes, glancing around at their meager belongings. Perhaps Gilda and her father should have kept more of the treasure. This place had nothing. How people ever lived in these sorts of conditions completely baffled Kaito. Unfortunately, it looked more and more like something he was going to have to get used to.

It seemed clear that Gilda had no siblings. Her mother appeared to be out of the picture as well. Kaito assumed her to be dead. It wasn't like he was going to ask if that were the case, of course. It was just her and 'Pops', apparently. How she kept herself in such bright spirits despite everything seemingly being against her was beyond Kaito. Perhaps it was all a carefully performed act. A mask she wore so well.

Kaito strode over to the entrance to the kitchen, popping his head in and taking a large whiff of the upcoming meal. It smelled wonderful. "Anything I can help with?" he asked, more than willing to be set to a task. "I feel awkward just waiting around while you do all the work." Kaito felt as if it was probably expected for women to do this sort of thing around here, but it was not how he was raised. Perhaps he could get a few questions in while they worked.

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Lilia had slain a dragon? That seemed a little ridiculous. She had been very frail and sickly when Kaito had known her. Did that change when she was sent here? Would he be capable of such feats, or was he truly out of his element. He didn't feel any different. Certainly not powerful enough to vanquish a dragon. And the way Gilda seemed to move away from the topic of Lilia was rather strange. There was something she wasn't telling him.

"Please... Call me Kaito," he told her, growing uncomfortable with the whole 'Sir Hero' thing. With a gesture, he indicated for her to lead on. "Let's get to your home, then. Hopefully your family won't mind you having a boy over." That had been a bit of an issue with Lilia's family at first. "Believe me, I may actually have enough questions to keep you up all night if you let me." Kaito didn't even know where to begin, but he wasn't dressed for Autumn weather. He would wait until they were safely inside to ask much more.

Following closely behind Gilda, he tried to ascertain exactly what sort of timeline this place was in. Based on her clothing and manner of speech, it was probably something like medieval times. Maybe a little later. If dragons were real, there was probably magic and other similar creatures. He wondered if there were elves or dwarves, but he kept that to himself for now. Kaito didn't want to appear stupid or too presumptuous in front of his only friend in this strange land.

"As a matter of fact, I think she did," Kaito replied with an affirmative nod. "It was kind of garbled, but I think she wanted me to obtain some type of gems? I'm guessing they must be pretty powerful. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

In Search Of A Missing Friend

Kaito's legs felt shaky. There was a loud rushing sound in his ears, like that of an oncoming train. Most of Gilda's words were lost in that madness. Bits and pieces trickled through, and they did nothing to calm him down.

Lilia. She's here. This is where she went.

He fell forward onto his kness, placing his palms flat against the ground. It was spiky with dry dirt and up-sticking hay, but it was the only solid thing he had to grasp at the moment. Kaito could feel his throat tightening, and his rate of breathing increased threefold. His chest heaved as he looked up at Gilda wide-eyed. She was watching him with a sparkle in her eye, as if she expected great things of him at any moment.

"I... I knew her. Lilia Akatsuki," he gasped whilst nodding. "I knew her on Earth. She came here, you say? We were chosen?" It was a bit of a tough pill to swallow, but strangely enough it didn't hit him as hard as it probably should have. Kaito had seen this kind of thing dozens of times in the video games he played, books he read, and anime he watched. Even if it was a dream or hallucination, there was nothing wrong with enjoying the ride while it lasted.

"Alright. Alright," he nodded slowly, swallowing hard and struggling back to his feet. Kaito reached to Gilda for assistance, but whether or not she helped, he was able to pull himself back to his feet. "Village of Autumn. Land of Wind. Easy enough to remember," he murmured, trying to retain some of the knowledge being spouted at him. Perhaps if he showed some understanding, she'd settle down, too.

"So... what's the problem, then?" he asked, trying to see where he fit in with all of this. "If this Sage brought me here, which I'm pretty sure she did, by the way... What's the matter? Is Lilia in trouble? What am I to do?" For some reason, the word 'gems' kept echoing in Kaito's mind. This 'Sage' had said it to him just before. Surely there was some significance to be had there.

What Are You Listening To?