Chapter 1: Tank
Summary:
Thancred worries and Ito is confused
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was the beginning of dusk when Ito found herself finally settling down for the night. She found a vacant seat around the Rising Stone and quickly placed herself in it, sitting down with a long and relieved sigh.
It was a long day for the Scions, especially for Ito as she played catch up to Alisaie, Alphinaud, and G’raha for most of the week. They were eager to be back home, Alisaie inching for a fight and G’raha excited to finally be back in the Source after… well, a long while. Alphinaud put on a show about only following so they wouldn’t end up hurt but the glint in his eyes was visible to Ito. Alphinaud may say he prefers diplomacy but it was not in the royal halls did Ito find the boy.
But, even as they rolled out the aches in their arms and legs and had to take a little extra medicine for their throat than normal, Ito couldn’t find it in themselves to regret how the days yet. It was nice for once to do something as mundane as going out to kill some giant toads bothering farmers and delivering something for an older gentleman. It beats slowly dying from light poisoning anyway and now that they don’t have to worry about the implication of carrying souls between dimensions, Ito believes they have earned the hard-earned peace they now find themselves cradling.
That was until there was a loud thunk that snapped their eyes open.
Ito had found herself dozing off before the table in front of her shook from a loud noise. She snapped her eyes open to find… a sword? Placed in front of her? And if she moved her eyes just slightly to the left and up, she could find a Thancred with arms folded and a recognizable smirk placed on his face.
Oh boy… This was about to be good.
Ito answered with their customary silence, only raising a brow and looking towards the blade and back at the grinning white-haired man. He got the question if the growing smirk was any indication and that’s when Ito knew this was going to be a roundabout conversation.
“That, my friend,” Thancred gestured grandiosity towards the thing, “is a gunblade.”
Ito looked at the blade again to notice indeed that it was a gunblade. A simple one at that. They placed a finger on the edge to find it dull while reiterating, “A gunblade?”
“Indeed. Custom made with you in mind.”
Now that made Ito curious. She never asked for a gunblade, didn’t even make a mention that she was interested in learning how to use one either. “Me?”
Thancred nodded with a hum. “That’s right.”
Ito looked to the blade then back to Thancred. They opened their mouth a few times, much to the chagrin of the man who just kept that grin plastered to his face, before Ito just settled for the simple, “...why?”
“To train with, of course.”
The man nodded to them as if that made any sense. Ito felt like there was a whole conversation that they had that they were missing. Or simply forgetting which wouldn’t be too far out of the picture. But, Ito was sure that they would remember this conversation if there was any. They certainly remembered all the other ones with the various guilds and members. Especially that one with Estinien…
Sighing, Ito simply just forgot about the idea of even trying to make sense of this conversation and decided that if someone was going to be straightforward, at least they would try. If just for their sanity.
“So…” Ito picked up the blade slightly, feeling the balance as they fixed Thancred with a tired look. “I take it I’m supposed to start training with you. With this blade.”
Now that made Thancred smile as if Ito finally hit the mark. “Aye. Tomorrow at seven sharp if that leaves time for your meditation.”
Ito had to show their surprise at that. The man even had a plan, even left a time for their normal morning routine. “...Yes…?” Ito answered slowly, a question lighting their words.
Not that Thancred would acknowledge it. He simply clapped his hands, a grin still plastered to his face, and exclaimed cheerfully, “Great! I will see you tomorrow morning then!”
With that, and not allowing Ito to even get a word as per the trend here, Thancred patted their shoulder and simply left. This left Ito to simply stare at the hallway he disappeared, gripping a blade that apparently she was going to be getting familiar with.
Looking back to the silver blade after Thancred long disappeared, Ito looked upon their baffled expression upon the mirrored surface. Seeing their open mouth and raised brows, they finally let out one more sigh for good measure and rubbed their eyes.
Well… If Thancred was insistent on training her, who was she to disappoint?
Just after the sun finally peaked across the horizon did Ito finally find themselves moving away from their meditation and moving north to the fields the Scions typically trained in. She tried to find something comfortable to wear as per their meditation standards, but also something that she wouldn’t mind being thrown around. Considering that is what is going to happen apparently.
After yesterdays… conversation with Thancred, Ito didn’t have to think too hard on whether they wanted to actually go train with the damn man. For one, they were curious about why he thought this was important for them to learn. Second, if they could lay him flat on the ground just once they think that would be ample payback for their slightly frustrating conversation yesterday. Besides, Ito was already awake during this time. What else were they going to do other than do her typical sea watching? Or reading their book? Or fish?
Mess up their entire schedule apparently.
Ito just sighed once again and continued their track down the path. They at least had the sure chance of this being interesting. Since finally meeting Thancred on the First, Ito was always wondering about his newfound fighting style. It was all quite flashy yet Ito couldn’t argue with the results it yielded. If Ito thought Thancred was deadly with his knives, him yielding a gunblade was something else entirely.
And besides, Ito hasn’t had a real spar with the man in ages. Maybe Ito can fish something out of the man about Urianger with the customary bets they place. Oh, now that would be interesting indeed…
Ito didn’t think much more about it as they walked along. Their thoughts drifted to their missed cup of tea and how they’re going to use the bait they bought before it went bad. It was all just drifting thoughts before they finally saw a shadow of white upon the horizon. Thancred sitting upon a rock, the sound of rhythmic tapping showing once again the still and silent Thancred was fidgeting. Ito could only raise an eyebrow at that, not really knowing if they should point it out or not, but ultimately decided against it once the man turned to face them.
To say he looked surprised would be an understatement.
He seemed to have needed to blink a few times before he got the message that they were standing in front of him. Even needed to open his mouth more than once before words began to form, if in a not so graceful manner.
“You’re here.”
Ito allowed the question to light her face, almost matching the surprise written upon Thancreds. “Of course,” They answered as if that was the obvious choice. “Wouldn’t just leave you stranded where the giant toads could get ya.”
A startled laugh left the man. “A few toads is nothing to worry about.”
Now that left them at a pause. Ito was left with their arms crossed and brow raised as they stared at Thancred while he tapped his figures on his thighs and stared back with a straight face. It probably didn’t even last a few seconds before Ito left out what felt like the hundredth sigh in the last two days. If someone was gonna start might as well be her.
“Before we begin,” Ito waved their hand between them to help break that silence that held the white-haired man. “Can I at least ask why you’re so insistent on teaching me how to use a gunblade of all things?”
This made the man sigh and shrug helplessly as a sorry look passed over his face. “I… do suppose I owe you an explanation after yesterday.”
A brow was raised. “Really now?”
A laugh was all she got before the man continued on. “I just thought that this would be more suited to the role we are now seeing you play.”
That made Ito pause in her thoughts. Role? She played plenty of roles yet they wouldn’t say any of them are new. Hells, they were just getting used to them first off. Warrior of Light maybe not but that title will probably never sound right in her head. The rest? Nothing that gunbreaker would make easier.
“I’m not sure I quite understand…” Ito made voice to their thoughts. She could watch as Thancred began to rub at his neck and then…
Blush? Was Thancred Waters blushing?
Ito almost couldn’t even process what they were seeing and sure as hells almost didn’t catch what the man was saying. “I… We are worried, that is.”
“About the Light?”
Why that came out of their mouth was really a question in itself. One, Ito couldn’t even connect gunbreaker abilities to light poisoning. Pretty sure they have nothing to do with one another so why that was the first thing that came to mind was quite silly. Felt even more silly as Thancred gave her the most exasperated look he had.
“What? No- About protecting yourself.”
Now that made Ito pause. Was she bad at protecting herself? No. No? Right? Sure, the light poisoning was something that nearly got them in the end and perhaps Zenos once or twice but… That’s really all Ito can really think of that has gotten her as close to death as you can get.
Not that it was anything to just shrug off of course. It was cause enough to be concerned but really, it was more about what they were gonna do about Zenos and maybe preventing light poisoning from happening again, as low of chances as that is. Not really anything about her martial abilities.
Seeing as Ito was at a loss, all Thancred could do was pinch his nose. “You’re as dense as a rock sometimes…” As removed his hand from his nose, frown marring his lips as his eyes lost it’s mirth. Ito perked at the look, nothing full well that this conversation is not going to like the last. “You, the Warrior of Light, are expected to lead the fight against Garlamold in the coming days. Again. We all are, yes, but you most of all. And that means you will be returning to the front lines.”
“A lance may be well and good for fighting but defending? You are at a serious disadvantage. And while we are normally there to watch your back… Well, you already know.”
Ah… So that’s where this is coming from.
“So…” Thancred removed the serious look from his face if just for a second as he mentioned his stargazer. “I was speaking to Urianger and he suggested I teach you how to wield a gunblade given it’s a better defensive weapon than your pointy stick. The twins also seemed to agree, if that doesn’t change your mind.”
Ito scoffed, a smile stretching their lips. Thancred knew her too well it seems.
“Well, first off, don’t let anyone from Ishgard hear you say ‘pointy stick’. Might get them riled up. And second…” She let her smile slip, turning it more into a grimace as she finally gave thought to what Thancred is saying. “...What happened at Ghimlyt Dark is not your fault. No one’s fault. You know this, yes?”
Thancred looked away, a grimace matching her own showing he thought otherwise. That everyone probably thought otherwise. “...Aye.”
Ito closed her eyes then. They weren’t… The best at providing the most comforting of words. One would think they had the knack since they raised a kid but that seemed to have all left when Kei couldn’t be held in their arms anymore. But… Well, one couldn’t say Ito never tired.
They stepped over to Thancred, laying a hand softly on his shoulder to draw his attention from the still corpse of Midgardsormr. They then whispered, “While luck - and a certain dragoon - may have saved me that day, it was everything the Scions have taught me that kept me standing to the last. You guys did not have to be there to protect me for even when not there, it is still all of you that guided my hand. But… If the Scions think I should wield a blade in all the more preparation, so be it. You have not led me astray yet, no reason to think otherwise. Pointy stick comment aside.”
Thancred didn’t exactly relax at the words, but he rolled his eyes and grinned nonetheless. A win if Ito ever saw one. “Aye, aye, point taken.”
Ito returned the grin as they removed their hand and stepped back. Taking just one more sigh from their chest, Ito finally took their blade that was resting forgotten upon their back and gave it a twirl a few times. Thancred seemed to get the message and slowly took a newly blunted training blade into hand. A grin was met with a scoff as both rested into opening position.
“But enough of all that feeling talk. Let’s see what Thancred Waters can teach this old goat, yes?”
Notes:
You can find me on Tumblr!
Chapter 2: Sleepless
Summary:
Estinien can't sleep and Ito is talkative
Chapter Text
Sleeping out in the wilderness was something Estinien was quite used to. Especially back in his training days, almost every other month was spent in some part of the frozen waste that is Ishgard. Yet, here out in the Churning Mist, it was... much more difficult to find any semblance of sleep, especially as dragons passed his field of vision every so often.
He was not the only one awake, however. The Warrior of Light sat next to him, eyes slowly tracing the words of a worn tome Alphinaud loaned them before he fell asleep. How they have not bored themselves to sleep from reading something titled "The Metaphysics" was beyond him. Yet, here they were, the turning of pages occupying the sound of distant roars.
It seems his eyes lingered in her direction for too long for the sound of pages being turned stopped completely. Estinien finally brought himself back from his wandering thoughts to find those eerily white glowing eyes now turned towards him. He frowned at her look yet that seemed to be the reaction Ito was expecting for her eyes wrinkled at the edges in what he would guess was a smile.
"You want me to read this out loud?"
Estinien didn't even need to glance at the book again before he scoffed at the question. "Hardly."
A hum escaped the covered helm as they placed a small piece of paper between the pages. "Fair." With a soft thud, Ito closed the tome to trace the golden letters printed on the front. "Sometimes I wonder what constitutes as fun for kids in Sharlayan if they have a sixteen-year-old reading this."
Now that gained a small laugh out of Estinien. It wasn't more than just a huff of breath but it caused Ito to snort all the same. "And what do you suggest the boy do?"
Ito didn't answer for a second, simply staring at the book before they moved their shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know. Go catch frogs, play tag, jump in a river. Certainly, anything is better than reading a pitch on how mathematics is fun." Ito waved her hand in the air before she smacks his leg with the book. The sound of the dull thud startled him slightly, making him grip his lance with white knuckles. This didn't go unnoticed by Ito who furrowed their brows just slightly. "Ah... Sorry there."
Estinien didn't grace them with an answer, just a barely-there nod before he turned away from them and stared at the dulling fire instead. Silence washed over them then, the sound of Ito shifting to lay with their arms behind their head lasting just a few seconds before the sounds of the night continued their call. Every time a roar came too close or the shifting of the ground echoed a little too loud caused Estinien to grab his lance tighter and tighter, making himself wound harder and harder. The rage of Nidhogg constantly signing in the back of his mind certainly wasn't helping. If anything it was making him feel like he was going to go mad by the end of the night.
He was sure his inability to sleep most nights probably wasn't helping either but it hasn't bothered him before.
"What was Coerthas like?"
Startled once again by the sudden noise made on by the Warrior of Light, Estinien nearly cracked his lance in half. He quickly turned his head to find Ito with their eyes closed, simply waving their foot in the air. He found himself snapping out "What?" at the odd statement.
"Coerthas." If they were bothered by his sharp tongue, they certainly didn't show it. They just continued instead, adding almost a wistful sigh before continuing unperturbed. "My mother was from Ishgard. Wouldn't speak of her home nation often but whenever I could pry it out of her, she always described it as ‘green’ instead of all this…" They shrugged. “You know.”
“...Snow…?”
A thoughtful nod before a reiteration, “Snow.”
Seems like the whole conversation was being processed at a snail's pace now. It was more than likely because he has barely slept in the last 48 hours but he was able to connect Ito was trying to distract him. Or some semblance of it. Just…
When was the last time Estinien ever talked about Ferndale? His home?
It… has always been bitter, when spoken about. Like the last two decades haven’t smoothed the burns those raging fires have left him. Yet here Ito was, not even looking at him with those otherworldly eyes and perhaps not even expecting an answer as the sound of humming began to wash over them.
He didn’t know how to even form a response, not without the taste of ash in his tongue. But that didn’t brother Ito, not when they stopped their humming to let out a slight huff.
“Grew up in a fishing village.” They turned their eyes towards him as a smile lit their words. “Had the sea stretching out as far as the horizon so I always had more blue to look at than green. Or white, when it was winter. Plenty of snow that it could tower even over you!”
Estinien blinked. Ito let out a laugh, not the snorts or huffs of air he began to familiarize himself as their intimidation of a laugh, but a real laugh. It was rough and deep, almost like they haven’t spoken in days and… Wistful. Filled with a longing he almost could feel himself.
“Salt was always licking your tongue, the smell of fish only wicked away by the wisteria.” They continued, spreading one of their hands out in front of them and tracing where the sky met land. “There were always two suns, one in the sky and one on the water. How it painted the sky during the mornings. And by the Kami, what a sight to see when you’re out on the ocean and it snows…”
Ito ended their sentence there, almost ending off in a drag like he could hear the smile slipping off their face. A sigh completed their thought, especially as they closed their eyes to the horizon and whispered out a small, “It was good.”
Silence met her longing, especially as Estinien simply started out to her painted horizon. He could almost picture it, her home. Could almost see the simple homes, the sun just rising as the beginning toll of people awakening began. It almost sounded close to his home, as villages were wont to be. Small… Simple…
A soft memory.
Perhaps it was because he could feel the yearning rise in his chest did he respond. Perhaps it was because he felt it was due since Ito just revealed a piece of themselves. Or perhaps he was starting to just get a tad bit stir crazy simply sitting here.
But the words slipped his tongue in a whisper all the same.
“...Aye… It was green. Green as far as the eye could see.”
Ito opened her eyes then, the soft white glow now occupying their mother moon. The wistful look was there if dulled and her humming continued even if it just turned into a different pitch as to egg him further in his description. And he did. Surprisingly.
“Blue too, as creeks cut through the prairie intermediately. The sun peaked every day, hidden only when the clouds rolled in and rain poured upon the land. The breeze whispered through the grass and played its tune on the bells amongst the karakul.” He continued on, surprising even himself as the words just poured out of his mouth. “The days did not always come 0eacefully. The winters were hard, especially when the crops were not always plentiful. But… It was good.”
Estinien didn’t even bother to look at Ito, not when just behind his closed eyes did he erase her home to picture those pastures he hasn’t dared vision in so long. They were not as clear as they could have for time wipes even the clearest of memories. Yet… He could see it. The green that stretched horizon to horizon. The karakul playing amongst the grass. The creek they always stopped by up north. The frogs his brother always caught...
Oh, how he missed those days…
Before he could spiral into the thought of how much he has lost, to lose himself in that tasteless ash, a simple noise perked his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes to find a still lazing Ito but now a beautiful silver bell hanging just a few inches above them. It was wrapped around their hand, two misshapen tassels of pure white fading to a purple swaying with the music of the bell. The sound was quiet, like… the lapping of waves upon a lake’s shore with how Ito waved the thing slowly in the air.
Ring, ring, ring.
“...Do you miss it…?”
Estinien didn’t move his eyes from the swaying bell just as Ito didn’t move theirs. He didn’t have to look at them, knowing full well the look he would see. It was the same one every time he so much as glanced upon those icy fields wishing they were still green.
“Do you?”
The chime of that silver bell was his answer.
Notes:
You can find me on Tumblr!
Xeylah on Chapter 1 Sun 19 Dec 2021 08:12AM UTC
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