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Kevin sighed to himself as he looked up at the night sky, seeing all of the constellations. His breath a soft mist in front of him in the somewhat cold night. The gleaming lights above being a little overwhelming after having spent so long in the Empire’s Capital. One of the last times he saw the stars was a few days before… the incident that separated him and everyone else across so many areas. He gently brushed a hand through his chin-length messy red hair, one of the few forms of rebellion he had back then. The Night wasn’t exactly safe even here but he wasn’t worried about being attacked by anything or anyone. The others were at the camp they set-up nearby and he had Crimson Dragoon on him. The trusty Gunblade he’s used for many years and his powers over fire would deter anything that did get the idea to stalk him. Plus it wasn’t like his outfit wasn’t intimidating anyway. He wore a tight, long-sleeve hunter green shirt with a black trim underneath a sleek, short-sleeved black jacket with a high collar. On the left shoulder was a burnished steel shoulder plate with an embossed Dragon insignia on it. Alongside that was a jet-black, slim-fit pair of combat pants with leather accents and straps criss-crossing around the thighs with a wide crimson belt that had a flame pattern around his waist. Not to mention even if the Gunblade on his back or the fire magic didn’t deter someone, the sleek black combat boots he had on would certainly do the job with one good kick to the head. Putting his hands into his jacket pockets, he continued with his drifting thoughts about what his life was like at this moment… he was on the road with all of his friends, trying to stop a major evil from taking over the world due to the damned Empire’s sinister schemes. He was so glad to have gotten out there when he got the chance.
“Heya Firestarter. Whatcha thinking about?”
Looking over he saw Eddy giving him a friendly smirk, part of him wanted to roll his eyes at the nickname. Ever since they’ve met up again and he found out about his proficiency with Fire Magic. The drifter has been calling him various nicknames related to fire because he found the redhead being a magic user incredibly hilarious. There’s a lot that could be said about the current Eddy aside from that. Especially considering his outfit. He wore a bright red duster coat with a golden trim over a pale yellow flannel patterned button-up shirt. Alongside that he wore a pair of slim-cut blue trousers that had a silver pocket watch chain hanging from his belt. His dusty ol’ cowboy drifter boots were in a firm yet relaxed stance. Glancing at his ear, Kevin still couldn’t believe he got it pierced with a cross of all things. All he needed was a cowboy hat and he looked like a real drifter. But the interior of his jacket being a deep violet and the rapier sheathed at his side was flashy enough as is. Softly adjusting his black fingerless gloves, an old nervous tick he picked up, Kevin just simply responded with this.
“Just… looking at the stars.”
“Yeah, I can tell that much genius. I’m askin’ what you’re thinking about?” Eddy said with an eye roll
“Nothing really important. Guess not minding your business hasn’t changed even now… ya dork.” Kevin said with a small scoff
“...You know, I’m kinda just asking ya because I am a little concerned about you.” Eddy stated seriously
That caught Kevin off guard. The words hit him like a cold splash of water as he noticed the usual slight sarcasm in his voice was missing. The guy he wasn’t just bitter rivals with but also someone he regularly bullied a little was… concerned about him? The same person that was so eager to stir up a bit of trouble in their home village to boot? Seeing that his gaze was resolute, Kevin sighed as he looked back at the stars for a moment.
“...You know the Vandrian Capital makes it hard to see the stars. Thanks to all of the magical pollution and all of the lights being on. There wasn’t even a glimmer to be seen.” Kevin explained
“...Don’t blame you for wanting to stare at them then… hell if I was in your situation, I’d be staring pretty often also. Heard the Capital was a shit place to live in, didn’t think it was that bad but…” Eddy trailed off before leaning against a nearby tree
“...What happened to us Eddy?” Kevin asked quietly
Eddy stared for a moment, his fingerless glove-clad hands teached up to scratch his cheek as he looked up at the stars with a thoughtful expression. His expression became more stoic as he thought over the redhead's words. There was a lot that could be said. Ever since what happened to their home… what they were all doing while they were separated… how they managed to find each other again and how it led into this whole situation in the first place. All of that could explain what made them so different compared to what they were like as kids. Sure some things didn’t change but other things were actually different. Some days he’s amazed at how thoughtful Ed has become about life itself or how quiet Sarah can be when it comes to the topics of death. Even Jimmy has waxed some philosophy during a few discussions with Double D.
“...Kevin… our home was destroyed. And ever since then we’ve been dealing with a lot of things. I mean you talked about what happened to you and I told you about… my whole thing with being a Drifter… but there is something I didn’t really mention there.” Eddy said softly
“Really? Because it seems like you were real eager to tell us about your adventures as being the ‘Badass Drifter that kicked ass and took names’.” Kevin said making air quotes
“And I am that, shovel-chin, you’ve seen me shoot three guys with Holiday Starr in a single quick draw.” Eddy said, gesturing to his trusty revolver with some annoyance
“Right right… well… don’t beat around the bush then. Tell me what you didn’t mention.” Kevin said, crossing his arms
“...I thought y’all were actually dead. Like I… had to come to terms with the fact I might have never saw you, or Ed, or Double D, or Nazz or hell even Jonny. Some nights were hard… I laid awake and wondered what would have happened had our home never been taken like that?” Eddy said, his voice getting tight near the end as his teasing demeanor vanished as quickly as it arrived
Kevin, in all honesty, had never thought about the incident in that sense until now. He knew that some people had survived, he found the old mission reports when he was in the Capital related to their village’s destruction. But he never thought about Eddy or any of the other kids thinking the others were just… gone. Dead. Never to be seen again because their bodies were long since eaten by the birds and animals or some magic corrupted beast. Considering what Sarah mentioned about Veltheim when she was there? That was a possibility even if they managed to make it past the day they survived their home being destroyed. In the end, it was a situation that was all too real a possibility. At the end of that day, they all would have just been another set of casualties from taking over another part of the Empire’s hunger for conquest. Looking down at the ground, his hands clenched tightly into fists. His knuckles white from the pressure.
“...Eddy… I hate this.”
“Hate what?” Eddy asked, his tone laced with some concern
“Hate that we had to confront this sort of thing. I… never asked to be a Soldier but I was fucking put into that army. I had to kill people and get used to it because otherwise I’d be killed or worse. And I just… I just wish we would have been kids for a little while longer.” Kevin said with venom and frustration lacing his voice
“Then we’ll make sure the Empire pays. That’s what we’re doing right? Going out, finding these powerful magical objects and just… making sure they can’t get their hands on them. We’re gonna take them down, Kevin, I promise you that.” Eddy said with a determined voice
“...I’m gonna burn that Kingdom to the ground.” Kevin said nodding
“There ya go Firestarter. Now come back to camp, Nazz has made some stew and it’s damn good.” Eddy said, grinning a little
Kevin rolled his eyes before putting his hands into his jacket pockets, walking towards his friend with a small smile that he couldn’t suppress. Soon after the two headed back to the camp. Their footsteps softly crunching against the dirty path as they walked. Even if their childhoods were taken from them, even if the Vandrian Empire had damaged them in all sorts of ways, and even if they were all scarred deeply… they’d get through it. Together.