I am home safe, yes, but I do not know if I am okay. I feel worn and when I rest, it is not peaceful. Time feels as if it is both stuck in place and leaping forward.
It is much the same for me. I am home but quite weary, and moving around is difficult, as the corruption has locked some of my joints. Do not worry for me. You have enough on your mind. I will be all right.
I am glad you have made it home, but I am also sorry that you are still suffering as well.
My thoughts have been overwhelming since coming home. Consuming. To remember that there are others who understand helps. You are my friend, friend Dedue, and it is my understanding that friends worry for each other in times of stress. Please accept my worry as I accept yours.
I am the same. It is difficult to work more on my garden here. I have areas here to be cleared still, and I have not had the mind nor the drive to do them.
I have my Eli, but he is restless when staying in one place for too long. It has been… hard to leave my home and go with him. I would not mind the company, if it would not burden you.
[He still spends a good five or ten minutes half-dormant, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring at the wall, willing himself to move. Eventually, he gets up, and slowly makes himself presentable. His body feels like lead, stiff and heavy, so each task is arduous. Finally, though, he leaves the Valentia, breathing fresh air for the first time since the escape. He limps to the tram, which takes him to the city's edge, and walks from there.
It helps, being in the forest, seeing the sun shining and smelling the dying leaves. He starts to feel a bit lighter, his movement a bit easier, even before he reaches Cassius' house.
And the house has flowers surrounding it, too, though they are starting to show the effects of the cooling weather. He looks around for Cassius to see if he's outside, and if not, he will knock on the door.]
[Cassius is outside, Dedue's visitation providing more motivation than he's had in days (weeks?). He's been waiting for a good half hour, sitting on a small bench that has seen better days. Flora has bloomed at his feet, where his worms have burrowed and taken root; he has a whole system in the works underneath his home. It's why when Dedue finally approaches, he's already there, winding his way around his home to meet him.]
Friend Dedue, hello. [He looks a little tired - as much as a floral shell of worms can, anyway. There's a small wilt to his petals, and his colors are a shade faded, but he still greets his friend with a faint smile.
His hands go out on instinct, and then stop just before he makes contact. They hesitate in the air between them for a moment, before he draws them into his chest.] You are alright? Your journey was not too much?
[His face is as stern as ever, but his tone is warm.
His own hands lift toward Cassius, but then he pulls back, and—
Vines wound tight around flesh and metal, thorns digging in, both of them warping, bleeding, crying out for help, and the pain, the pain–
Dedue's hands lower. He'd... Forgotten about that.]
I am alright. It is nice to get outside.
[He looks weary, his left hand is bandaged up, and his posture is crooked since one leg won't fully straighten. His modest clothing covers the rest of his wounds, except for a couple of healing scratches that peek out of his collar, and the warped steel on the back of his right hand.
[Ah. So Dedue feels it, too. That something is wrong between them now. That Cassius had held onto him too tightly and hurt him.
That is… fine. It has to be fine. Cassius doesn’t have the right to make it otherwise.]
Thank you, friend Dedue. [There’s an unsure note to friend now, one slight enough it could be easily missed. Even that seems to have been tainted by Patho-Gen.] I have tried. It has been difficult to clear out the neighboring yards for more space, but it is going, little by little.
[They’d already torn down and cleared the handful of closer buildings, but - Cassius is a greedy thing, and with no one else to live in these homes… it’s free real estate, as his Gardener would say. But... hm. Perhaps they should save a home for guests? It does not feel right to not have a home for Dedue after he’s made the journey.
Something to talk to his Eli about.]
Would you like to come inside? Or - I have a place to sit where you can see the flowers.
The dream he had about Cassius could have just been a dream, but when he woke up, he had an explanation for the cuts that seem to wrap around his arms and body, and the wounds that protrude deeply under his metal plates.
Still, he forgives Cassius.
"I could help with clearing, once I recover a little more."
He considers these options for a moment.
"The fresh air is helping, so let us sit out here."
“I would appreciate that, thank you.” He could even set aside a space for Dedue, now that he's thinking about it. A nice place made for him to sit and relax surrounded by flowers and under the sun. He's already begun working on something for his Eli, why not Dedue as well?
He takes a step away, gesturing for Dedue to follow. “Please follow me, then. I think you will like it.”
When Dedue begins to, Cas makes sure to keep his pace at something his friend can follow comfortably. He leads him not to the bench from before, but a stump further out, one large enough to hold Dedue's weight. There's already a blooming garden here - clearly, this is where Cassius had started his work once he had enough space to do so.
He follows Cassius at his shambling pace, and his friend is gracious in going slow with him, which he appreciates even as guilt gnaws at him. He carefully lowers himself onto the stump and looks around in awe.
"It is incredible that you grew all of this on your own." Those terra powers... Hm. He is envious.
“It helps that I am worms, friend Dedue.” Cassius takes a seat next to Dedue on the ground, eyeing the stump and already deciding what he needs to make Dedue more comfortable. “It makes navigating and tilling the earth easier than it would have been.”
His legs pull in, hands curling around his knees.
“Though I suspect that will change with the coming cold.” Winter. Cassius is dreading it a little. He doesn't have his Garden to retreat to, which means he's going to have to tank through snow. Maybe he can just… hibernate through it? “I do not think I am looking forward to it.”
"That makes sense. I have the power to manipulate earth with my natural soul, but not to magically grow plants. That, I must do the old-fashioned way." He smiles faintly.
"Ah. Are you from a warm place?" The cold doesn't bother Dedue, but he's used to it.
Cassius shakes his head. “My Garden is neither warm nor cold, and the weather does not affect it so. When winter loomed on the outside, I often spent more time within my Garden until we moved away to somewhere warmer.”
He pauses. “Do you think there is a difference to the flowers if they were grown by magic rather than patience?”
"Oh." He can't imagine a place that's neither warm nor cold. So much of Fodlan deals in extremes. "Was your garden indoors?" That's the only place he can think of that doesn't have... Weather.
"I do not know. Lauralae's herbs grown by magic do not seem much different from regular herbs, but I have not compared directly."
Eli's gift to Cassius is a circlet with real crystals as dewdrops, and he has drawn a portrait of Cassius in charcoal, as Eli saw him while teaching him to swim in the lake. Hair wreathing his head like a wispy halo, small smile pulling at his lip, big doe eyes that shine in the sunlight, and ripples in big circles around him. There is actually a letter with it, penned in scrawling cursive.
My heart,
I'm not always great at expressing myself in words but I wanted you to have something to hold onto in case anything ever happens to me.
If I hadn't met you, I don't know where I would be right now. You've made my life in Karteria bearable from day one, and I can't imagine it without you anymore. I can't think about losing you without losing my mind, so I just try not to. You're one of the kindest people I've ever met, and your curiosity about the world softens my hard heart. You bring me joy every day, and you make even the most horrible things feel survivable, even bearable.
Thank you for your endless patience with my rough edges and my reckless rage. I know I am not an easy person to be with because of the trouble I tend to get into. I am going to try to make more of an effort to keep you in mind before doing stupid things. I don't want to cause you stress.
Know that I would burn the world down to make you safe, but you've also taught me how to enjoy building things up rather than destroying. Whether planting a garden, making art, dressing up, or building each other up in confidence, I love the little life we've built together, and I want to keep taking care of you and making you happy every day forever.
[For the holiday, Dedue drops off a container of cookies he baked of varying sorts: gingerbread, peppermint chocolate chip, and sugar cookies. For Cassius, he also gifts a pair of mittens.]
Dear Cassius,
You are a kind friend. I am grateful to have you in my life. I hope you are warm and happy this holiday. I look forward to gardening with you in spring.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text, @dde]] d
Are you okay? Have you returned home safely?
Sincerely,
Dedue
no subject
I am home safe, yes, but I do not know if I am okay. I feel worn and when I rest, it is not peaceful. Time feels as if it is both stuck in place and leaping forward.
Are you well? Home? I have worried.
no subject
It is much the same for me. I am home but quite weary, and moving around is difficult, as the corruption has locked some of my joints.
Do not worry for me. You have enough on your mind. I will be all right.
no subject
My thoughts have been overwhelming since coming home. Consuming. To remember that there are others who understand helps. You are my friend, friend Dedue, and it is my understanding that friends worry for each other in times of stress. Please accept my worry as I accept yours.
no subject
I mostly feel... Numb and tired. I have no desire to do anything, though I know I should.
Do you have an imprinted friend nearby you can call on? I hear it helps. Or I could try to come visit you.
no subject
I have my Eli, but he is restless when staying in one place for too long. It has been… hard to leave my home and go with him. I would not mind the company, if it would not burden you.
no subject
[That takes out some of the effort, and also means it won't take a million years with his current stiff limp.]
If we can muster the energy, I can help you with your garden. If we cannot, we can simply sit together.
no subject
[Somewhere warm, with a view of what flowers he's begun to grow. He thinks he can manage this. Maybe he can even make a bench.]
Please be safe.
no subject
[He still spends a good five or ten minutes half-dormant, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring at the wall, willing himself to move. Eventually, he gets up, and slowly makes himself presentable. His body feels like lead, stiff and heavy, so each task is arduous. Finally, though, he leaves the Valentia, breathing fresh air for the first time since the escape. He limps to the tram, which takes him to the city's edge, and walks from there.
It helps, being in the forest, seeing the sun shining and smelling the dying leaves. He starts to feel a bit lighter, his movement a bit easier, even before he reaches Cassius' house.
And the house has flowers surrounding it, too, though they are starting to show the effects of the cooling weather. He looks around for Cassius to see if he's outside, and if not, he will knock on the door.]
no subject
Friend Dedue, hello. [He looks a little tired - as much as a floral shell of worms can, anyway. There's a small wilt to his petals, and his colors are a shade faded, but he still greets his friend with a faint smile.
His hands go out on instinct, and then stop just before he makes contact. They hesitate in the air between them for a moment, before he draws them into his chest.] You are alright? Your journey was not too much?
no subject
[His face is as stern as ever, but his tone is warm.
His own hands lift toward Cassius, but then he pulls back, and—
Vines wound tight around flesh and metal, thorns digging in, both of them warping, bleeding, crying out for help, and the pain, the pain–
Dedue's hands lower. He'd... Forgotten about that.]
I am alright. It is nice to get outside.
[He looks weary, his left hand is bandaged up, and his posture is crooked since one leg won't fully straighten. His modest clothing covers the rest of his wounds, except for a couple of healing scratches that peek out of his collar, and the warped steel on the back of his right hand.
He looks around.]
This place has come a long way. It's lovely.
no subject
That is… fine. It has to be fine. Cassius doesn’t have the right to make it otherwise.]
Thank you, friend Dedue. [There’s an unsure note to friend now, one slight enough it could be easily missed. Even that seems to have been tainted by Patho-Gen.] I have tried. It has been difficult to clear out the neighboring yards for more space, but it is going, little by little.
[They’d already torn down and cleared the handful of closer buildings, but - Cassius is a greedy thing, and with no one else to live in these homes… it’s free real estate, as his Gardener would say. But... hm. Perhaps they should save a home for guests? It does not feel right to not have a home for Dedue after he’s made the journey.
Something to talk to his Eli about.]
Would you like to come inside? Or - I have a place to sit where you can see the flowers.
idk why i kept brackets. switching to prose lol
Still, he forgives Cassius.
"I could help with clearing, once I recover a little more."
He considers these options for a moment.
"The fresh air is helping, so let us sit out here."
b l e s s
He takes a step away, gesturing for Dedue to follow. “Please follow me, then. I think you will like it.”
When Dedue begins to, Cas makes sure to keep his pace at something his friend can follow comfortably. He leads him not to the bench from before, but a stump further out, one large enough to hold Dedue's weight. There's already a blooming garden here - clearly, this is where Cassius had started his work once he had enough space to do so.
no subject
He follows Cassius at his shambling pace, and his friend is gracious in going slow with him, which he appreciates even as guilt gnaws at him. He carefully lowers himself onto the stump and looks around in awe.
"It is incredible that you grew all of this on your own." Those terra powers... Hm. He is envious.
no subject
His legs pull in, hands curling around his knees.
“Though I suspect that will change with the coming cold.” Winter. Cassius is dreading it a little. He doesn't have his Garden to retreat to, which means he's going to have to tank through snow. Maybe he can just… hibernate through it? “I do not think I am looking forward to it.”
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"Ah. Are you from a warm place?" The cold doesn't bother Dedue, but he's used to it.
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He pauses. “Do you think there is a difference to the flowers if they were grown by magic rather than patience?”
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"I do not know. Lauralae's herbs grown by magic do not seem much different from regular herbs, but I have not compared directly."
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“...yes,” he eventually decides on. “It is… a self-contained environment that is not attached to any specific place. It is complicated.”
Cassius tilts his head. “Lauralae?”
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"A friend of mine. She runs the Augmented farm now, and I am going to help out there when I recover."
gifty
My heart,
I'm not always great at expressing myself in words but I wanted you to have something to hold onto in case anything ever happens to me.
If I hadn't met you, I don't know where I would be right now. You've made my life in Karteria bearable from day one, and I can't imagine it without you anymore. I can't think about losing you without losing my mind, so I just try not to. You're one of the kindest people I've ever met, and your curiosity about the world softens my hard heart. You bring me joy every day, and you make even the most horrible things feel survivable, even bearable.
Thank you for your endless patience with my rough edges and my reckless rage. I know I am not an easy person to be with because of the trouble I tend to get into. I am going to try to make more of an effort to keep you in mind before doing stupid things. I don't want to cause you stress.
Know that I would burn the world down to make you safe, but you've also taught me how to enjoy building things up rather than destroying. Whether planting a garden, making art, dressing up, or building each other up in confidence, I love the little life we've built together, and I want to keep taking care of you and making you happy every day forever.
I love you.
Your Elijah
no subject
Dear Cassius,
You are a kind friend. I am grateful to have you in my life. I hope you are warm and happy this holiday. I look forward to gardening with you in spring.
Your friend,
Dedue Molinaro