Chapter Text
Kravitz plays the scene over and over again, turning it and twisting it, searching for a positive spin.
Leader Hunger, staring out into the crowd, fixating on his little party and then honing in on Ko. Kravitz doesn’t even realize it’s happening, not at first. It takes him too long to realize who he’s staring at exactly, and by the time he can even think to cast Pass Without A Trace, the leader’s face sours.
There’s really no way to play that off as a good thing, huh? It only meant one thing- time to get out of the country as fast as humanly possible.
He doesn’t even know these people, not really, but- No time to waste on that line of thought. He casts Detect Magic, and horrifyingly, Ko lights up with a spell from the school of enchantment. That- That worries him, but he’s acting completely normal. He tries Dispel Magic, but- What?! How is that spell that high level? He thinks it over and over- Is this risk worth it? Is whatever’s on him a big enough threat to throw this away? If he’s caught the leader’s attention, should he bail out?
He weighs his options- the trip to Neverwinter, the goal of getting an audience with the expat princess, the reward is all pointless, out the window if he doesn’t have Ko. They couldn’t wait to find another look alike. They don’t have the time, not before this and certainly not now that the leader just stared down Barry like that. Even if they just left him behind, even if they could get Lucy to somehow trust them over him, it doesn’t matter. They need their Taako. With the added bonus of Barry gaining the leader's attention, Tosun has decided for them that they can no longer stay.
It's a risk he has no option but to take.
The others argue and complain, but he can’t waste time when it’s dwindling down around him. It takes them about an hour, but they make it all the way across the city to a quaint little shop on the corner of a quiet street. It’s front is a pawn shop- a rather nice one, even, for the city- but most around know what the store is really for, even if Killian herself denies it. She’s sitting at a comically-short desk at the front when they enter, fiddling with a wooden duck.
“Killian!” Kravitz greets with a smile he doesn’t feel.
“Aw shit,” Killian says the second she sees him. “Never a good sign to see your sorry faces.”
Barry grins and waves from behind Kravitz. “Good to see you too, Killian.”
The half-orc woman crosses her arms and glares at them. “Coming to collect?”
“Unfortunately,” Kravitz admits. “It’s about high time we get out of this city.”
This visibly worries her. “What? You two are leaving? This city must be falling apart.” she remarks.
“Keep your voice down,” he tells her, moving closer to her desk. “We might’ve been followed.”
She doesn’t look amused. “What did you get wrapped into now?”
Kravitz steps to the side, revealing the makeshift royals- two poorly-dressed orphans. Lucy is studying the store as Ko calls, “Hail and well met!”
“Huh,” Killian says. “You know they’re spitting images of the Royals, right? Just like I’ve always said your partner is? Do you just like picking up loose, disenfranchised princes and princesses or what?”
He cocks his head at her. “How did you know that- I’ve told you before that Barry isn’t- Well, actually, the jury’s really out on that situation right now, so- but that’s beside the point. I need exit papers for all four of us and IDs for the two of them.”
Killian looks over Kravitz cautiously, not committing to anything.
“Please,” Kravitz says. “You owe me. Carey’s safe.”
Killian shakes her head, wipes a hand across her forehead, and sighs deeply. “One condition.”
“Yes?”
“I’m coming.”
Kravitz almost grins at that. “What? You wanna leave Tosun?”
“I- Well, business has been slow, so…” she tries, but she shakes her head when she spots Kravitz’ growing grin. “Alright. You caught me. I miss her. I’d like to make it out of this shit show alive to see her.”
“Killian, it’d be my pleasure to bring you with us in our bid for Neverwinter.”
This takes her back again, although not nearly as much as before. “Why are you, Mr. Practicality himself, interested in Neverwinter?”
This fucking prize money was going to be split so many ways… “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you if we make it there.”
“Fair enough,” she says, looking past him again to Ko and Lucy. “You two got names?”
“I’m Taako. You know, the prince?” Ko replies smoothly.
Lucy raises her hand a bit. “I’m Lucy.”
“You’re not going to get through the border with the name ‘Taako’,” she tells them. “Either of you got last names?”
“Avi- Hm. Uh, no,” Lucy tries.
"Were you going to say Avian?" Killian asks, voice hard.
Lucy presses her lips together and says nothing.
She leans back towards Kravitz and says, "Is there any reason that you have two Royal lookalikes with the names of the actual Birds?"
He pretends to look contemplative. "Hm, quite the coincidence?"
Killian sighs deeply again. She points at Ko- “You’re Justin,” -and then to Lucy- “and you’re Griffin, and your last name is, uh... McElroy. Don’t forget that.”
Ko shrugs. “Okay, I dig it.”
“Isn’t Griffin a man’s name?” Lucy says.
Ko snorts, and both he and Killian say in practical unison, “Gender isn't real.”
Barry is immediately sent into peals of laughter.
Killian nods approvingly, an interested expression shining through her apathy. “Yeah, alright, Prince. Hey Bar, you still sticking with Bluejeans for your last name?”
“Killian, I swear to you, it is my actual last name.”
“You have amnesia.”
“It just feels right!”
She rolls her eyes, grabbing a notepad and scribbling down what she needed to be made up. “This shouldn’t take too long, I can have them done by tomorrow.”
Kravitz winces. “Can you have them done in an hour? Less?”
She stares at him like he’s insane. “Krav, what the fuck have you gotten yourself wrapped up in?”
“I promise I’ll explain everything the second we’re out.”
“Well, then I guess you’ll just have to tell me tomorrow.”
Kravitz grits his teeth, looking back at his companions before turning to lean closer to Killian. “Your Royal comment was right on the nose. I- I’m not going to lie, I barely know who these people are- well, besides Barry- but the resemblance is too good to question. I’m going to try to turn them in for the reward money.”
Killian looks at him like he’s stupid. “Kravitz. I worked at the castle. I dated a duchess. You really weren’t going to let me in on this?”
He shrugs. “We have the exact same insider information.”
“That’s bull,” Killian tells him. “You were way too busy fawning over Prince Taako to pay attention to any of the others and you know it.”
Kravitz face immediately tints pink and his jaw drops. “Fawning- Killian! I was not!”
His shocked cry catches the attention of the rest of the party. “Fawning over who?” Ko asks.
“You should’ve seen him,” Killian teases, nodding to Barry. “Prince Taako would walk by and this kid would melt.”
“Kid- I’m two years younger than you!”
“Ohh,” Ko says, his tone already sinking Kravitz’ stomach. “So you picked me out in the marketplace right away because you were searching for your lost love, hm?”
Kravitz opens and closes his mouth. “I- That is not why!”
Killian’s already cackling. “That is- That’s perfect. Really, Krav, when was the last time you showed your sensitive side?”
He feels the urge to fume and fights it down. “Can you please go finish the papers as fast as possible?”
“Fine, fine, it’ll take fifteen minutes. We’re packing light, right?”
“We’ve pretty much got nothing at all, so only bring the essentials.”
She nods and ducks into the backroom. She pokes her head back out- “You can help yourself to whatever you want! I’m officially going out of business!” -and disappears inside.
Kravitz feels someone bump his arm, and he turns to see Ko with an absolutely shit-eating grin. “So, what was that about your crush?” he asks, leaning up against the desk.
It’s in that exact moment that Kravitz realizes that yes, the resemblance to the late prince really is striking. He… Uh. “Well- It’s- Uhm-” Holy shit, Kravitz, get your shit together! You aren’t fourteen anymore! He clears his throat and tries again- “You know how it is, being a kid and being around royalty. You get crushes.”
“So you liked him, then?” Ko says. “Or- Me, I guess.”
Kravitz laughs a bit too hard at that. “Well, uh, yes. You could say that.”
His head tilts a little bit, and his golden-brown eyes catch the light in just the right way- God, Kravitz was gay. “How old were you when you worked at the castle, anyway? Hasn’t it been a decade since that whole Royal deal?”
“I worked there from ten to fourteen,” he says, focusing on the facts and trying to get his shit together.
The playful teasing drops from Ko’s face. “What? That’s so young.”
Kravitz just shrugs. “Well, yeah. My family died around then and it was either that or the orphanage.”
“Oh,” he says, his face darkening. “I didn’t realize I was playing an, uh, accomplice to something as dark as a reign with child labor.”
He laughs. Somehow, it’s equal parts endearing and sad to remember that yeah, child labor is fucked up. Still, the tone of his voice is all wrong. “Dark?” he asks, because he isn’t sure where Ko’s mind is going.
Ko shrugs, his eyes moving up and away from Kravitz’ gaze as he shifts. “Well- I went to the orphanage. Duh. I get child labor, and that shit sucks. It’s a little… Nah, nevermind, forget I said anything.”
“What?” Kravitz says suddenly, caught off guard. Oh- He totally got the wrong idea from that, didn’t he? “No, no, the Birds- Working at the castle is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Working… Working is probably a strong term. Officially, I was a bard for the court but… Well, everyone knows that the Birds loved orphans. I played a lot and composed some things, but it was a lot less ‘work’ than it was living a grand life under the guise of work.”
The mirth that was there before returns to Ko. “Oh, no way.”
Kravitz flashes a smile. “Well, yeah. I told you, your highness, you’re incredible.”
Ko snickers, waving a hand at him. “Don’t let Lucy hear that- it drives her nuts. Anyway, that wasn’t what I meant.”
“What did you mean?”
“You’re a bard!” Ko cackles. “I can’t believe it!”
Kravitz eyes narrow at him. So much for endearing. “What’s wrong with being a bard?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Ko says, trying to play it straight. He fails miserably, devolving into cackles again. “Where’s your lute?”
Moment ruined. “Haha, very funny," he replies bitterly.
“Pshh, what? I thought you liked me!”
“Maybe I did like Taako a decade ago, you know, long before you made fun of my lute,” he mopes, looking to Barry for sympathy.
To Barry’s credit, he tries. He also happens to fail miserably the second that Lucy breaks, the pair of them devolving into giggles. “Laugh at me all you want, Bluejeans, you know we wouldn’t be anywhere without my charisma!”
The three of them fall apart with laughter. “You didn’t even deny having a lute!” Ko cries between frantic gasps for air.
“I’m barely even a bard any- It doesn’t matter. Whatever, like any of your classes are any better!” Kravitz tells them, trying to will the blush growing on his face away.
Ko is able to quell his laughter to answer with a casual, “Oh, wizards are better than bards. Natch.”
Barry stares down at his hands. “I actually don’t know. I think I’m a fighter?”
That comment sends Lucy even deeper into her laughter, unable to even answer.
Kravitz’ pride doesn’t exactly survive the wait, but soon enough, Killian re-enters. “Were you all giggling out here?”
Ko shrugs guiltily. He tells her, “You gave us some solid gold with my secret admirer.”
Killian just shakes her head. “You two a giggly bunch usually, then?” she asks, gesturing towards him and Lucy.
The two share a look. “Not exactly,” Lucy answers, her face falling.
“Mood killer,” he sings, deftly avoiding that line of questioning. “Let’s talk more about how the bard is in love with me.”
“I’m not in love with you!” Kravitz cries.
Killian fake-pouts. “Oh no, you made him grumpy.”
Kravitz crosses his arms, fuming and refusing to answer. Instead, he casts detect magic again. It's a blessing in disguise that his teasing turned him off from that line of thought, as the spell is still there, still swirling around Ko with this light blue, staticky energy. It still reads as enchantment. It’s still a too high level for him to dispel. His stomach churns. Even if they can't do this without him, he still needs to be wary.
Instead, Killian lays out six pieces of paper- two much smaller, each an ID with McElroy, Justin and McElroy, Griffin written on them respectively. Each member of the party also has a respective exit paper, all with the same reason written on them-
“Forced expulsion?” Lucy reads, looking to Killian. “That’s our safest bet?”
Killian nods. “Believe it or not, it’s about the only way to get out of here. It’s only awarded to those dishonorably discharged from the military. I think it’s to make sure there can’t be an armed resistance against the Hunger, but whatever the case, it’s our best chance out.”
Lucy reads over it again and considers it, but she’s still frowning and her eyebrows are knitted together. “What if this goes completely wrong? What if we get to the border and we find out that ‘forced expulsion’ means ‘execution away from the public’s eyes’? That’s a very real possibility here.”
“I wish I had another option, but this is our best and- Well, it’s pretty much our only bet,” Killian admits. “We don’t really have enough time to figure anything else either. It’s already almost six.”
“Shit,” Kravitz swears. “We need to go. Last train leaves at eight.”
Lucy sighs deeply. “We can’t leave if we’re not certain what will happen to us. If we leave now, if we rush into this, we could die.”
“If we stay, we will definitely die,” Kravitz tells her. “So, I like our chances for going.”
“Fine,” Lucy agrees. “But if we’re doing this, we’re not doing it looking even a bit like the Royals. We’re mitigating every risk.”
“Alright,” Kravitz says. “Easily enough done. Anyone have any preferences?”
“Make me look like fantasy Ryan Gosling,” Barry says.
“Ooh! I also want to look like fantasy Ryan Gosling,” Ko tells him.
“How about a human but still really jacked?” Killian suggests.
Lucy just gives them all a deep sigh. After, though, she says, “Just- Older, I guess. So I couldn’t possibly be Lucretia because of the age gap.”
Kravitz rolls his eyes at all of them and casts Seeming. For his own part, he really doesn’t do much to his appearance- the details on his face change a bit, but nothing else does, really. He still has the same stature, the same dreadlocks, the same dark brown skin and warm brown eyes, but it’s all a little off, a little different. Just enough that he isn’t immediately recognizable.
The shift in Lucy is similar- she still has all of the same features, they’re just aged now, twenty years older. It’s a shocking change but not unwelcome one, and Killian stares just a bit too long.
Killian’s transformation is much more dramatic. Her green skin and tusks disappear, melting away into warm brown skin. Just as she asked, she’s absolutely jacked, but she’s a foot shorter now, and her jacket is a lot baggier than it was before. She fixes her belt and tugs it to a few sizes smaller.
Ko and Barry are identical replications of, yes, fantasy Ryan Gosling, except Ko is a foot taller than Barry. It’s… Something.
The two of them look over each other, both laughing as they do so. “We’re twins!” Barry cheers.
“Ko, we’re supposedly related,” Lucy points out.
“No, don’t take this away from me!” Ko cries. “I’m beautiful! I was before but I’m also beautiful now!”
Kravitz rolls his eyes and changes the spell, switching Ko’s form. His image changes, and suddenly he’s twenty years older as well, with the same light hair and deep brown skin as Lucy. His hair is a bit longer, twisted on top of his head in neat knots. “Well, at least I’m still definitely, uh, hot as hell,” Ko says. He points to Barry, though, shouting intensely, “You cherish fantasy Ryan Gosling, Barold. You cherish him!”
Barry puts a hand over fantasy Ryan Gosling’s heart. “I will never forget our brief but impactful twin-ship.”
Ko snorts. “Oh, hey, Bluejeans is witty! Who knew! We rolling or what?”
Barry looks a little offended, but Kravitz pats him on the shoulder. “I knew, bud.”
“Thanks, Krav.”
The five of them take off across the city, carefully making their way through the back allies per Kravitz’ guidance. He carefully leads them around the main streets, lurking through the mostly untrodden paths of the area. For this time of night, the streets are surprisingly empty. Usually, he'd see handfuls of anxious parents and hurrying twenty-somethings rushing through the streets to get out of the chill of winter and into the warmth of their homes. It takes too long for it to click that work must've been called off when the leader called together the announcement earlier. When it does, Kravitz fights off a chill that doesn't come from the air.
It's his nervous look around that catches Killian's attention. “Krav, what’s with the path we’re taking?”
“What, you don’t appreciate a backway every now and again?” he tries, peeking down a street as they walk past it.
She follows his gaze before glancing back at him suspiciously. “... I guess?”
Kravitz simply puts his hands out in a that’s that sort of gesture and continues on. He looks around the allies again- no average traffic, but no soldiers rushing in to arrest them all, so that's a plus- and tries to keep some semblance of calm. His mind wanders back to the scene in front of the castle earlier, that hard look in- but no, he can’t do that to himself. He has to keep them going, get them to the train and get them aboard before it’s too late. He just hopes too late hasn’t already crept up on them. They’re fine, though. They’re fine! They look nothing like the figures the leader of the entire fucking nation picked out of a crowd earlier. They’re fine!
“Alright, you’re clearly not fine,” Killian tells him.
“What?” Kravitz says with a start.
Killian takes a peek at the other three, but if they notice what’s going on, they carefully avert her gaze. “You’re mouthing ‘we’re fine’ over and over again.”
“...Huh.”
“Yeah. Want to explain that?”
“So... Alright, this is going to sound insane.”
“Bud, can I- Can I be frank? You look pretty insane right now, mouthing to yourself.”
Kravitz nods repeatedly. “Yeah, uh- Yeah. That’s fair. But-” he leans in close to Killian and whispers, “I don’t think I know these people as well as I thought I did.”
“You mean the two of them?” she asks, gesturing to Ko and Lucy.
Kravitz shakes his head. “I don’t think I know any of them.”
“What?” Killian asks, brow furrowing. “Krav, come on, we both know who Barry-”
Before she can finish the statement, the two are pushed slightly to the side as Ko worms his way in between them. “Hello! Hey, yes- Yes, it’s me, it’s Ko, now, you wanna share your mysterious muttering with the class or…?”
Killian just winces, pressing her lips together and shaking her head, signaling that she’d really rather not dive into that one.
Kravitz gives her a look that just screams betrayal. “No,” he tries. “Well- We were just talking about how we don’t really know you guys.”
“Uh huh,” Ko says, easy as anything. “Well, as I said before, I’m Ko, and you know Lucy, we’re orphans, but not the dumb, easy to manipulate orphans you thought we were before? That’s about it.”
“That’s it?” Killian questions. “No… No idea of your family or any life details, accomplishments…?”
Ko gives her a grin. “You want the long version? Fine by me, my man. Here’s the deal- like ten years ago, we both got dumped at an orphanage at the same time. I literally don’t remember shit before that, so the two of us just kicked it together. And then like last week, we got kicked out and we started squatting in an empty castle, and then today these two hooligans wrapped us into their extortion plot.”
Killian raises an eyebrow. “You don’t remember anything before that?”
“Nope,” Ko answers, popping the p. “Well, I mean, I know I’m royalty and all that before that, but the details painfully slipped away from me after my harrowing escape.”
“Krav, that sounds a lot like someone we know.”
Kravitz makes a dismissive noise. “Psh, what, Barry? You think they’re related?”
Killian just shrugs and adds, “Hey, it’s a weird coincidence.”
“Yeah, coincidence,” Kravitz emphasizes. “It’s a coincidence. What are you teasing at, anyway?”
“Nah, nevermind it. Besides, you’re clearly worried about something besides that and we’re getting kinda close to the station, so you better share that with the gang before we rush into an already sticky situation without the full deal.”
"I already said what I was worried about," Kravitz lies.
"I'm calling insight check on that bullshit," Ko says, looking him over. "You went from confident to checking over our shoulder. What's the change?"
Kravitz makes a pained face.
"Come on, Krav, spill all your secrets!"
He stops short, putting his head in his hands and hissing out, “I saw the leader staring at you.”
“What?!” Lucy shrieks. Clearly, any semblance of pretending to not be eavesdropping is abandoned. “What do you mean he was staring at Ko?!”
“He was looking over the crowd,” Kravitz explains, his voice flooding with panic. “and he stopped, and for a second I thought he was watching me, but I realized he was staring over the three of you. He was watching the three of you for a couple seconds, but something about Ko... I don't know, caught his eye? I saw this… Flash? A flash of bright red in his eyes? I already cast detect magic on him, there’s…”
Kravitz considers the group for a long moment. Barry, who he loves dearly but is a nervous wreck already confused as hell around this entire situation. Killian, brave but calculative. Lucy, who is loyal to Ko above all else. Ko, who’s under a- He casts detect magic again, wincing at the waste of three spell slots on the same first level spell, but needing to know. That same light blue, staticky glow around him. School: enchantment. Too high level to dismiss with dispel magic.
Ko, who’s under a spell. Ko, who they need desperately.
“There’s nothing,” he finishes. “But it’s still worrying.”
“A flash of-” Lucy repeats. This time, Kravitz watches Lucy stare intently at Ko before relaxing, sighing in relief. She seems to remember herself, though, because barely a second later, her brow furrows. “But- What?!”
“I felt it.”
Everyone snaps to Ko, shocked.
“What do you mean?” Barry asks. “You felt what?”
“It was- It- Alright, guys, let me preface this with I know this sounds insane? But- For literally as long as I can remember, every once in a while, I feel this- this heat? In my chest. And sometimes, a voice calling out through it? It’s really fucking weird, not gonna lie. When he stared me down, it- Well, it was kind of like that, but it wasn’t- It didn’t feel natural, like how it normally does? It felt like it was plucked- like someone tugged on my chest?”
Lucy pales. “What?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Uh, it's not like we had time to whip out the scroll and recast. Krav here basically took off the second after it happened, and besides, we just did it this morning. I felt the spell and it’s definitely not waning. I’m all good here, not gonna drag back the group for a weird feeling.”
“Ko, this is- This is the- Fuck, Kravitz, how long do we have until the train?” she asks, stopping short.
“Not enough time to even pause. Come on, we have to keep moving and you need to keep your voice down,” he tells her.
“Shit,” Lucy swears again. "Ko-"
“The spells still up, right?” Ko questions, an uncharacteristic tone of nervousness rising in his voice.
“Yes, I just checked it.”
“Alright, you have to tell us what you’re talking about,” Killian tells them.
“What? I already did!” Ko argues.
Killian holds up a hand to him and nods to Lucy. “What’re you worried about?”
Lucy purses her lips. “Well… Uh, long, awful story short, I cast a spell on Ko every couple weeks because he has a really powerful bond that he can be tracked through.”
The reactions of the rest of the party are about what Kravitz expects- Barry laughs hysterically, Killian cards her hands through her hair and looks at Kravitz like he's dragged her straight into hell- except for Ko. Ko looks shocked, his nose scrunched and eyes blown wide.
“What?!” Ko cries. “What do you mean I have a magical bond that I can be tracked through?”
Did- Wait, how could he not know?
“I’m sorry, Ko, I promise you I will explain everything the second we get a moment of downtime, but right now, we really need to keep moving and I promise you this isn’t the kind of conversation we can have on the move.”
“Why not?!” Ko demands. “I’m game to have a complete breakdown while on the move, try me!”
He had to have known.
“No, Ko- It will stir up too much static, and I need you right now,” Lucy pleads with him.
“What?!” Ko asks frantically. “Is there- What does this have to do with the spell?”
That's when it clicks. Charm person, modify memory, confusion- all of those are enchantment school spells. The one he's been seeing on Ko all day is similar- but what is it?
“It-It protects you from being tracked- at least, it should’ve, but we’re too close to too many people, and I think you’re remembering more-”
“Remembering?” Ko repeats, horror dawning on his face. “What- My past, I- Did you take it? Is that why-"
"Please, just stop thinking about them! Just trust me, I'm so sorry, you can't remember her but-"
"Who can't I remember? Who?!"
On the last word, his voice cracks and Ko freezes. He falls behind the rest, clutching his head and making a tiny, pained noise. Lucy whirls around the second she hears it, running to him. “Oh, no, Ko, I told you!”
Kravitz does nothing. He stands shocked, watching, horrified.
“Is he alright?” Barry calls.
“He’s- He’ll be fine,” she tells him. “Ko, can you come back to me?”
He doesn’t answer, staring blankly ahead of him.
“Shit,” she says, patting his face lately. “Please, Ko, come on…”
“What’s… Is he…?” Kravitz says, staring at the scene without any clue of how to comment on it. He looks totally fine besides his apparent disconnect from reality. Kravitz wastes his last first level spell slot to cast detect magic one more time- same staticky, enchantment-school magic, unchanged from the last time he checked. He still doesn't recognize it. "Is it a panic attack?”
“Uh, no- well, actually, that’s similar,” she says, her shoulders sagging when she waves a hand in front of his face and his eyes don’t even seem to register it. She takes a long, sad sigh before picking him up bridal style. “He’ll be fine soon, but we need to go.”
Killian’s eyes practically pop out of her head. Kravitz wants to call her on it, make some joke about her girlfriend waiting in Neverwinter, but the situation definitely doesn’t warrant it. Admittedly, it might also be because he’s concerned for their Taako.
He nods to Lucy and they head off again towards the train station. Killian comes close to him, whispers, “Maybe you’re right to be a bit paranoid…”
Kravitz gives her a solid look of duh, no shit!
It’s only Barry, once the group sets off again, that lingers back towards Lucy and Ko, and it’s only because of a gut feeling he has that her holding him is backward somehow. Upside-down compared to a pattern he doesn’t remember. He doesn’t comment on that, but after a long, awkward silence, he asks the same question again. “Is he okay?”
Lucy gives him a soft smile. “I don’t know, Barry. It doesn’t usually hit him this hard…”
“What doesn’t- What happened to him?”
“I can’t explain it right now. It’ll only make the static worse for him.”
That makes his heart sick in a way he doesn’t expect. He keeps feeling that, recently, that sickness he can’t place.
“Barry- You- You’re a brilliant wizard, and you know these kinds of bonds. Do you think their bond- Is our only fear being tracked right now, or can he do worse with this?”
Barry gives her a confused look. “Lucy, I’m a fighter.”
That sends her into a peel of laughter, high and disbelieving. “Good one, Bar.”
He doesn’t drop the confused look.
“You- Barry, you’re kidding?”
He isn’t sure how to answer.
She sobers in an instant. “You know you’re a wizard, right?”
He just shakes his head. “No, I’m- I’m serious, I’m a fighter.”
“Barry, how much do you remember?”
Barry flashes her a guilty smile. “Well, I know I remembered more earlier, but-”
Her face falls and his heart is clawing at him again. He thinks he remembers a certain pattern on a bedsheet, a quiet tone of voice to use, but the memories are scattered and disjointed.
“-but… I’m sorry, Lucy, I’ll be honest, I- I don’t remember what we talked about earlier. I’m sorry, I know it seemed important but my memory really doesn’t, uh, love sticking around…”
She stares at him for a long, long moment. He tries not to feel awkward under it, looking up to where the people he actually remembers his history with are whispering to each other. He also fails at fighting down a quick pop of jealousy that bubbles to the surface- how come he’s suddenly left out of all of the plots, now that he’s a fake Royal? He got left out of the loop so fast it makes his head spin.
“What happened to you?” she asks him bluntly.
It pulls him out of that line of thought in an instant. “Well… I don’t know. That’s why I really want to go to Neverwinter- besides, obviously, the fabulous wealth and the way out of the uh-” he whispers this part- “the dictatorial regime.”
“To… find your past?” she supplies.
“More to find a cleric, really. The only doctors here are government-issued now and according to them it was initially from blunt trauma and now from post-traumatic stress disorder, which, I don’t know, would I remember something that caused something like that?”
The corner of her lip quirks up. She says, “Not if you have amnesia,” with just a touch of humor.
He smiles sheepishly. “I guess you got me there.”
She smiles at the ground and shakes her head. It’s a sweet little moment, but it shouldn’t warrant the ache that shoots up from his chest yet again. At the rate he’s feeling that lately, he should really be trying to find a cleric for a cure for heartburn, but… Well, he just feels guilty. Especially after how excited she seemed to have him remember her.
So, he apologizes- “I’m sorry, Lucy. That I don’t remember what you wanted me to.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize.”
“But you really seemed happy when I did, and-”
“I mean it, Barry. Really,” she repeats. “If I were holding grudges for forgetting things, then I’d have some serious beef to work out.”
She looks down absently at the man she’s carrying, too deep in thought to really see him, and that’s when Barry sees that he winces a bit at her sentence and then blinks it off. “Ko?” he says, shocking Lucy out of her train of thought. “You good?”
“Uh… Yeah?” he says, slowly. “Why am I vertical?”
Lucy carefully puts him down, helping him back onto his legs. He wavers for a moment but shakes it off. “Sorry, Ko, you had an, uh, episode.”
“What? I haven’t had one that bad in… Uh, a while.” He notices Barry standing with them as they fall behind Kravitz and Killian and the tips of his ears flush red, drooping as he looks away.
Barry catches a hint and takes a few steps away. He runs a little bit to catch up to Kravitz and Killian, but he realizes that they’re pressed up against the edge of the wall ahead, peaking out of the end of the alleyway.
“Guys?” he calls back to the orphans. “We’re here.”