lostcarnival | Parting Gifts [CLOSED]

Entry tags:

Parting Gifts [CLOSED]

Who: Yuuya & Gongenzaka
When: Day 61, after Steven's Rescue
Where: The Carnival grounds
What: Having rescued Steven, Yuuya and Gongenzaka go deal with Cast Matters
Warnings: Nah

With the many of them who had come to retrieve Steven, the Medical Tent was crowded even with their group alone. Of course, the other rescue teams didn't take too long themselves- in particular, the waterlogged Doctor was more than ready to get back to his job- but even before that point, it appeared Steven had more than enough to keep watch over him within its walls.

As such, with one last promise that they would visit later, Yuuya and Gongenzaka both took their leave. Steven would be fine- he had the effects of a healing draught from Tyki, not to mention the man's watchful eye in addition to Amethyst and Joker's own. (Yuugo, meanwhile, had muttered something about having to 'check in' at the Wardrobe tent before driving off)

It left a slight silence over the pair, as they made for Gongenzaka's trailer. No doubt it would be wise if they helped to bolster the Carnival defenses for now...but the fact was, they were both simply too strung out now to focus on anything. It had been a long run of physical activity and improvization both, and the results taxed them mentally and emotionally as well. Hopefully even just sitting for a while could clear their heads again, but the fact was it would all be up in the air.

Gongenzaka carries Yuuya on his back, but when they get to the tent in question he finds himself pausing with belated upset. Ahh. Right.

"...Aaah...that is right...Yuzu had requested to take 'leave', hadn't she..."

Not surprising, but she also left them a few things to sort out on top of directly passing certain things on. "Hmnn..."

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Yuya's fairly luckily to have come out with only stress on his arm. A healing draught makes quick work of the pain, and he walks in silence beside Gongenzaka. It isn't as tense as before--Strange is still out there, but he's confident they'll bring him back as well. Steven is safe. This isn't turning into another situation like the Manor.

But he's still exhausted. As they reach the tent, it dawns on him again that she's gone. They had talked about the danger, that she would simply fulfill her contract later. Knowing what's coming, he wonders if she's really safer there, but... none of that stuff he can rescue her from, can he? At least, he can keep her safe from all of this.

"Yeah, that's right." Yuya doesn't wait for Gongenzaka, simply inviting himself into the tent. There's a pile of pillows with space for him. "It's better this way."

But he can't help the tone of sadness as he drops his staff beside the bedding... and then simply falls forward with a wumph and he plants himself into the cushions.

...There was so much stuff, and it was all things that didn't feel right to use in her absence. A set of 'super heelies', a book or two...

Gongenzaka sighs and finds himself collapsing on the bed as well, somehow managing to both sprawl out and miss hitting even a part of Yuuya in the process. His eyes are still able to see the things left on the side.

"....She is returning to a place where you have already prevented her original fate," he finds himself declaring, recalling the combined contracts between Yuuya and Yuugo. "...She shall be safe, this way, after all..."

Yuya certainly isn't in a rush to sort through her things now. Even if it's safer, he's lost the comfort of one of his best friends--probably for months. It's hard not to miss her.

He grabs one of the pillows and rolls over to face Gongenzaka, clutching it to his chest. "I know. She'll make it back home, and... when all this is over, we'll meet her there." He can't remember the last time his heart wasn't in two places about his friends because of their lack of safety. How has his life become such non-stop chaos so suddenly?

"I, the man Gongenzaka, assume that you mean the entire search for these artifacts," he notes, huffing somewhat. He is, perhaps, putting a bit of effort into not outright panting.

That's just Embarrassing.

Yuya scrunches his face. "I hope this isn't going to take the rest of our contracts." That's too much. Yuya has about half a year, now, if not longer to stay with Gongenzaka.

Maybe a break would do them good as well, but... mostly Yuya wants to get through this for good, so he can return to home and for everything to go back to as normal as it could be.

To that, he can't help but snort with weak laughter, tail even flicking at the ends. "Hmnh-! At the very least...it will certainly take more than just a few days, after all..." They could certainly use a break, but as a Carnival not as individuals, in his opinion.

Even with that, he can't help but feel relieved that Yuzu will be able to be safe regardless of what comes in the near future. "Hahhh... ...We should probably focus on resting, for now..." he determines. "...Just for a little, so that we can check on Steven once again..."

Yuya nods, closing his eyes. "Yeah. Steven's safe now..." Yuya wishes they could have saved him a little sooner, before the Rose Queen could do that to him. But Steven was able to have the strength to stand against her, even through that. So, at least, they came fast enough that he didn't lose hope.

"I'm glad Creation was here for us in the end."

To that, Gongenzaka nods quite firmly. "Aah. ....Had Creation not been there..." The man grimaces, and to offset the grim mood finds himself laying his arm over the other, if at least to remind himself that all of them are there in some way shape or form. "...What matters is that he is safe now. He shall recover...and hopefully do so without much pain."

The arm won't be protested, though Yuya only hums in response. He does slowly relinquish the pillow, rolling over to half-press his face into it.

"Reira wouldn't agree to leave too," he grumbles. Having the Fae walk straight to their doorstep and take people is still a little shaking. Reira stayed safe, but what if trying to stay out of trouble doesn't actually protect her? It may not be enough to protect any of them..

At least this time he keeps himself from digging his claws into Gon's pillows.

Mmm. Reira... ...Quietly, to himself, he confesses that he doesn't really know much about that one, but.... "...And her brother?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. He shifts the arm he has over Yuuya, moving to gently place his fingers over Yuuya's own. It feels rather like the bottom of an animal's, more than anything, but he rests it there for now.

"Didn't go any better." And Reiji is new, he hasn't really had to face the Fae. Yuya's a little worried his warning wasn't taken seriously enough, but... what else could he say to convince them?

He glances down at Gon's hand as it shifts over his, his fingers twitching up slightly against the texture of it. "It's Reiji, so... I know he can handle himself. I guess." It's a little hard to believe that when they're faced with the power they are.

"Hnnn...." Part of him wants to challenge Yuuya on that. CAN Reiji handle himself? There was just something about the way he held himself now that he saw him again, that had him stuck on how true that was. Perhaps it was the result of having senses along the lines of a canine, more than a human being. Or maybe it was the way he had read his soul, for that matter. There was just something...Off.

But without anything concrete he simply sighs.

"...At the very least, we must trust them-both of them, to do what is best. As I, the man Gongenzaka, could hear...both of them successfully did what they could to remain within the grounds, or remain safe, correct?"

So...there is That much, at least. Unlike someone who nearly made a deal with Ignatius...

Yuya cringes a little. He definitely remembers what he heard on the radio. "Yeah. I know, I should trust the Ringmaster to keep the carnival itself safe." He should at least try.

He flips his hand over under Gon's, fingers curling slightly as he lets his thoughts and emotions settle into something more of a haze. He'll have to thank Strange, when they retieve him. Maybe it wasn't quite like he intended, but he did save Yuzu from sacrificing herself. He's still in a little bit of disbelief that she did that.

"Can our promise include not sacrificing ourselves to the Fae?" Is it too late to add that caveat?

Yet another scoff, in reply to that. "I, the man Gongenzaka, should hope it already did," he growls, almost warningly.

"Particularly with what we have done just now- especially with what you did, given that the Queen was distracted enough to suffer under my own blow- I, the man Gongenzaka, should think we have particularly large targets upon our backs." Especially Yuuya, but he decides not to phrase it Quite that way.

"Especially?" Yuya raises a brow, unclear what he's refering to. He'd lunged in such a moment of passionate anger, it hasn't really caught up to him logically.

He shakes his head and sits up a little. "We all just took Steven away from her. You saw how she is, she won't be happy with any of us," he frowns. "But the way she hurt Steven... we couldn't let her have him."

No, Yuya doesn't regret his decision here. If the Rose Queen is angry, that's fine. If the Ringmaster's quest is worth anything, it won't be a problem when they have the other miracles.

"Aah! We could not! However," he adds, raising a brow, "That does not come without consequences. Most certainly, if we were to go back through time to perform the rescue again, I, the man Gongenzaka, would not change much...

"...However the fact remains, we will now be greater targets until we retrieve those other miracles." He even pauses-now grimacing. "It....may be wise, if anything...to ask the Ringmaster how long she believes such a target upon us could last... ...after all, these Fae have pursued more than Steven..." Even if only a passing matter, Ignatius did voice interest in Rita, as he recalls; no doubt others with connections to the Fae of Portland had some sort of risk to deal with.

He sighs. "...Either way, we do not sacrifice ourselves to Fae. That does not change."

Probably forever, but Yuya won't say that. The Fae are long lived, however, and obviously no strangers to holding grudges.

But he doesn't want to make Gon worry more about the potential danger they've specifically landed themselves into. Yuya just nods, his hand almost grasping Gongenzaka's in an absent reflex. "Yeah. We have to remember making it home."

So... he's got to tame his impulses just a little. That's fine--he wants nothing more than to go home, too, and be with all his friends and family. At least there's one less person he has to be worried about losing their lives or freedom to the carnival. Or sanity.

"Aah. That is correct," he says softly, not voicing the rest of his worry. What happens after all, when the target becomes Too large? When the protection of the Carnival...is the only protection enough?

Can Steven go home, ever, like this?

Will they be able to go home? The thoughts gnaw at him like insects, and he finds himself pulling Yuuya somewhat closer in his absentminded stress. They have to be able to go home. They must, and yet-

"Rll."

And yet-

"RNN!" Gongenzaka stiffens, and jolts, blinking his eyes open as a certain mossy Granbull huffs at them both. "GRrrrN! Gran!"

He has to believe they'll go home. It's the end he's been fighting for this whole time.

Yuya snaps his attention up as Gongenzaka pulls him even closer, and shifts to make it a little easier to close the distance. Even if Gon proceeds to squish him, Yuya can give him at least this much. It's hard for him, and Yuya knows he isn't making it easier.

They stay like that, silent for a moment with Yuya staring up at him... until he feels a breath on the back of his neck and jerks, twisting to see who it is. "What--Suzu!"

Jeez... Yuya frees his hand so he can pet her snout.

Gongenzaka himself loosens his hold so that Yuuya can move- something only 'helped' by the fact that Suzu is using her incredible access to 'paws with grip' in order to simply grab Yuuya's hand and move it to her head. Pet Here, sir.

"Hmm! Either she is acting upon impressive coincidence, or she has decided we are too worried for the moment," Gongenzaka finds himself grunting, shaking his head. "I, the man Gongenzaka, almost envy that..." Such brazen calm about this, really...

Yuya is... a little unsettled by the way she just grabs his hand. Suzu was more dog like before the evolution, and it feels like she's grown a little more away from that. Maybe it's just because her limbs were short and useless.

Regardless, her head is getting scritches now. His expression twists in a small smile. "Pets have a way of knowing when you're upset. You've never had one before Suzu, have you?"

"Auh...aah, certainly not- though," he adds, watching as Suzu promptly sits down and starts beating her short tail against the ground gleefully at the scritches, "It does not entirely help, no doubt, that Pokemon are fairly intelligent as a whole..."

Suzu isn't exactly 100% dog in mind, by virtue of being a pokemon after all...

Yuya laughs, his attention thoroughly stolen by Suzu. "Even then! You know, when I'd come home sad En and Core would always come and curl up with me. They just kind of know when you need them."

For comfort, love... to wake you up because you're late for a duel. Yuya blinks rapidly, fighting off a wash of tears as he thinks about home. It's been six, almost seven months? He hasn't seen his mom, or his home, or principal, or Nico, or the school...

He tries to reach with his other hand to wipe his face, but it's a little trapped with the angle he's laying in now.

"Hmnnn....I see..." He finds himself half muttering, but even while his words trail off, his attention is drawn to Yuuya's distracted motions. Without really thinking of it, his snout is right near the other's face- and a few moments later, his hand instead, moving to get the tears in Yuuya's stead.

(Quietly, he hopes he never forgets to do that so late that he's nosed someone's tears away. That, would REALLY be embarrassing.)

Yuya makes a muffled sound as there's suddenly a nose and a hand up against his face, and he twists over to his back to try and look at Gongenzaka in bewilderment. His reaction is delayed, but as soon as Gongenzaka motions to wipe the tears away more of them start to fall.

Yuya takes a shaky breath in a belated attempt at control. He attempts to speak, but it only comes out as a hiccup and Yuya quickly swallows his words.

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