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OH GOD FINALLY .___.; The drabble that refused to be written every time I sat down to write it! Oi...
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Word Count: 1,635
Spoilers: Post-game, so yeah >.>;
Summary: Request from fabre. The scion of Lorelei goes to visit the one friend he didn't see in Tataroo Valley.
Cheagle Woods was relatively quiet for early morning; only a few monsters were roaming about along the path, the birds creating a quiet orchestra above it. The weather was mild, leaves dripping water from a recent rain, a gentle wind blowing through his hair as he made his way towards the northernmost clearing, where he knew he would find Lorelei's sacred beasts.
A faint smile crossed his lips. It had been too long.
Luke paused to glance up through the trees, shielding his eyes and studying the sky. From the look of it, there would likely be another storm before long. Either this would be a short visit, or he'd be camping out with the cheagles in the giant tree they lived in.
His journey was surprisingly quiet until just before arriving at the clearing, his battles few and far between. He was grateful for that; even with monsters, he'd grown weary of fighting. After the final fight with Van, battling the kinds of monsters found in the cheagles' realm seemed terribly unfair.
He was so far gone in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the awaiting ambush before he was pounced.
"Mieu!"
"A-ah!" Luke flailed, staggering a few steps forward as a light but surprisingly strong weight hit the back of his knees. He blinked, curving his head around to look, and spotted a small figure hugging his leg, beaming up at him. "Uh... Mieu?"
"Mieu!" The cheagle - not so young anymore, bigger than he used to be, yet still as annoyingly recognizable as he'd always been - chirped enthusiastically. "Mieu! Mieu mieu mieu, mieu-mieu mieu!"
Luke grinned despite himself; his usual reaction would be to give the creature a good boot to the head - the highest form of compliment from Luke fon Fabre, really - but seeing another friend after such a long absence was enough of a balm to soothe any retort he might have given. Instead, he crouched down, reaching out to ruffle the top of Mieu's head. "Slow down! You forgetting something? You don't have the Sorcerer's Ring. I can't understand a thing you're saying!"
"Mieu!" The cheagle squeaked, tiny hands lifting to cover his mouth, then beamed, bounding off towards the giant tree where they had first met. Luke smiled and straightened up to follow.
He was greeted by a nest of cheerful furry faces, all bouncing and pushing amongst each other to welcome their guest. He couldn't help but laugh. After all the times he'd called them annoying (and they were, always and forever would be) they were still a sight that brought back a number of memories. Back when he'd simply been Luke fon Fabre, a naive, somewhat - okay, really - obnoxious youth who had never seen such creatures before.
Back when he barely knew a thing about himself, despite thinking the whole world revolved around him. Naive indeed...
He listened to them chatter amongst themselves, not terribly bothered by his inability to understand, until Mieu bounded over to him, the Sorcerer's Ring held up around his waist. "Master! You came back!"
Luke grinned, scratching his nose. "You don't have to call me that anymore, you know. The year's already passed, right? You repaid your debt."
Mieu bounced up and down, looking like he was about to burst with excitement. "Oh, no, Master! I couldn't help you after you left!" His eyes widened, and he stopped jumping. "I said I'd wait for your return, but the Elder called me back for the Sorcerer's Ring! Mieeeuuu..."
... I forgot how annoying this thing was...
"It's okay," he shook his head, plopping down on the ground and leaning back against a tree. "I told you to go home, didn't I? You were just following orders."
Mieu blinked. "I did a good thing?"
"Heh, yeah."
"Yay, Master complimented me!" The young cheagle started bouncing around again, wobbling a little, unbalanced by the ring he carried. "Mieu mieuuu!"
"What've you been up to, anyway?" Luke hastily cut in, biting back an insult, wanting to stop the cheagle before it started running off on some tangent about how wonderful his stirring compliments were or something. "This place looks like it's done a lot of growing since I last visited."
Mieu curved his head to one side, then hopped over to a new sapling, beaming proudly. "Hee! Yes, Master! We've been working hard to replant trees in the burned part of the forest! It's hard work, but everyone is helping!"
Luke blinked, then glanced around again, eyes narrowing slightly. "... Huh. Won't the ligers come back if you do that?"
"... Mieuuuu..."
"Er... I mean..." He offered a grim smile. "Anything's possible. But if the forest grows, then they won't have any reason to attack the cheagles."
Mieu brightened up somewhat at that. "I hope you're right, Master. It was scary when they came here!"
With a playful grin, Luke crossed his arms behind his head, ignoring the part of him that protested at being so relaxed in a forest that could still potentially be dangerous. He had confidence in his abilities; any fretting about monsters wouldn't come from him.
It isn't -fretting-! Stupid...
"You need any help?" he offered, against his better judgment. Planting trees would be a pain in the ass, but it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. Plus it would give him a chance to get away from everyone - as happy as he was to be home, he was growing a little weary of all the pampering and fretting. He knew Natalia and Tear both were puzzling over who he was, how he behaved, and whether or not he'd stick around, who he promised what to, where things would progress from here. Anise had sent him a letter (only half-jokingly) petitioning him as a patron to the Order of Lorelei. Jade inquired in his own obscure way about his health. Guy, last he'd seen him, had grinned in that way of his (the way that always told Luke he was holding something back, and that he'd never, ever explain why) and told him "Let's start over as Luke and Gailardia," or something along those lines. Natalia had giggled. He still wondered why.
He missed all of them. But he was tired; bone-weary and in desperate need of a new purpose - if not one grand goal to work up to, a lot of little ones to at least keep him occupied. Freeing Lorelei, defeating Van, all of it was over. He had nothing left to work towards, not the same way the others did. A part of him was angrily insisting that there was plenty to accomplish; upholding the peace, helping out with the replicas, working with Guy to attempt to restore Hod - he'd mentioned it a while back, and Luke had liked the idea.
Another part of him was still wondering why he was alive, why he'd somehow survived and been able to return like this.
Stupid replica. Just like always - you can never just accept things as they are, can you?
"Master?"
Luke blinked, glancing down, and saw Mieu was standing beside him, perched on his toes, watching him in concern. "... Huh?"
"I said yes, Master!" The little cheagle chirped in response. "Some of the trees get too big before we can move them, and it's hard for us to carry them! I'm sure the elder would be happy if you helped us!"
"Only the Elder?" Luke quipped with a grin. Mieu blushed and flailed about, protesting hurriedly and eliciting a laugh from his master. "I'm just joking, relax! It's pretty obvious you guys are happy to see me. And... yeah, sure. I can stick around for a bit and help you."
Mieu brightened again, head bobbing. "Okay, Master! We can talk to the elder about it!"
Luke smiled faintly, then glanced up at the sky again, reaching out a hand, palm lifted. "... We'd better go inside now. We're about to get rained on, and I don't feel like sitting in the mud." Okay, maybe vanity was a trait they'd always shared, and could never truly outgrow. But dammit, he liked being clean.
The cheagle agreed as cheerfully as he always did, leading the way into the giant tree just as the rain began to dot the ground. They found a spot near the back, a respectful distance from the elder's designated area, yet still at a decent angle to watch the rain fall, the tiny spatter swiftly becoming a chilly torrent, the sky turning to pitch and darkening the cave until a few cheagles lit a small, manageable fire. Luke lapsed into silence then, staring out at the storm and letting Mieu chatter on for once, only half-listening. The cheagle was terribly annoying, and yet... having him around and being that way made things feel almost normal. Like nothing had changed, like he hadn't been gone for more than a year.
Like his entire existence hadn't been flipped around, like there weren't two voices constantly swapping positions in his head. The head that was only half-his, though he didn't know what half he was most of the time.
Augh, dammit. You're just going to confuse yourself again, shut up!
He blinked abruptly, eyes drifting downwards, as he felt a soft weight at his side. Mieu was curled up against him, the Sorcerer's Ring drooping at his waist, snoring softly beneath the sound of the falling rain.
More than a year ago, Luke would have yelled, gotten irritated, shoved him off. More than a year ago he wouldn't have allowed this.
But it was now, and he wasn't sure who he was yet, and he wasn't sure who he'd become in time.
He smiled faintly, and let Mieu sleep, waiting as the storm raged on.
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Word Count: 1,635
Spoilers: Post-game, so yeah >.>;
Summary: Request from fabre. The scion of Lorelei goes to visit the one friend he didn't see in Tataroo Valley.
Cheagle Woods was relatively quiet for early morning; only a few monsters were roaming about along the path, the birds creating a quiet orchestra above it. The weather was mild, leaves dripping water from a recent rain, a gentle wind blowing through his hair as he made his way towards the northernmost clearing, where he knew he would find Lorelei's sacred beasts.
A faint smile crossed his lips. It had been too long.
Luke paused to glance up through the trees, shielding his eyes and studying the sky. From the look of it, there would likely be another storm before long. Either this would be a short visit, or he'd be camping out with the cheagles in the giant tree they lived in.
His journey was surprisingly quiet until just before arriving at the clearing, his battles few and far between. He was grateful for that; even with monsters, he'd grown weary of fighting. After the final fight with Van, battling the kinds of monsters found in the cheagles' realm seemed terribly unfair.
He was so far gone in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the awaiting ambush before he was pounced.
"Mieu!"
"A-ah!" Luke flailed, staggering a few steps forward as a light but surprisingly strong weight hit the back of his knees. He blinked, curving his head around to look, and spotted a small figure hugging his leg, beaming up at him. "Uh... Mieu?"
"Mieu!" The cheagle - not so young anymore, bigger than he used to be, yet still as annoyingly recognizable as he'd always been - chirped enthusiastically. "Mieu! Mieu mieu mieu, mieu-mieu mieu!"
Luke grinned despite himself; his usual reaction would be to give the creature a good boot to the head - the highest form of compliment from Luke fon Fabre, really - but seeing another friend after such a long absence was enough of a balm to soothe any retort he might have given. Instead, he crouched down, reaching out to ruffle the top of Mieu's head. "Slow down! You forgetting something? You don't have the Sorcerer's Ring. I can't understand a thing you're saying!"
"Mieu!" The cheagle squeaked, tiny hands lifting to cover his mouth, then beamed, bounding off towards the giant tree where they had first met. Luke smiled and straightened up to follow.
He was greeted by a nest of cheerful furry faces, all bouncing and pushing amongst each other to welcome their guest. He couldn't help but laugh. After all the times he'd called them annoying (and they were, always and forever would be) they were still a sight that brought back a number of memories. Back when he'd simply been Luke fon Fabre, a naive, somewhat - okay, really - obnoxious youth who had never seen such creatures before.
Back when he barely knew a thing about himself, despite thinking the whole world revolved around him. Naive indeed...
He listened to them chatter amongst themselves, not terribly bothered by his inability to understand, until Mieu bounded over to him, the Sorcerer's Ring held up around his waist. "Master! You came back!"
Luke grinned, scratching his nose. "You don't have to call me that anymore, you know. The year's already passed, right? You repaid your debt."
Mieu bounced up and down, looking like he was about to burst with excitement. "Oh, no, Master! I couldn't help you after you left!" His eyes widened, and he stopped jumping. "I said I'd wait for your return, but the Elder called me back for the Sorcerer's Ring! Mieeeuuu..."
... I forgot how annoying this thing was...
"It's okay," he shook his head, plopping down on the ground and leaning back against a tree. "I told you to go home, didn't I? You were just following orders."
Mieu blinked. "I did a good thing?"
"Heh, yeah."
"Yay, Master complimented me!" The young cheagle started bouncing around again, wobbling a little, unbalanced by the ring he carried. "Mieu mieuuu!"
"What've you been up to, anyway?" Luke hastily cut in, biting back an insult, wanting to stop the cheagle before it started running off on some tangent about how wonderful his stirring compliments were or something. "This place looks like it's done a lot of growing since I last visited."
Mieu curved his head to one side, then hopped over to a new sapling, beaming proudly. "Hee! Yes, Master! We've been working hard to replant trees in the burned part of the forest! It's hard work, but everyone is helping!"
Luke blinked, then glanced around again, eyes narrowing slightly. "... Huh. Won't the ligers come back if you do that?"
"... Mieuuuu..."
"Er... I mean..." He offered a grim smile. "Anything's possible. But if the forest grows, then they won't have any reason to attack the cheagles."
Mieu brightened up somewhat at that. "I hope you're right, Master. It was scary when they came here!"
With a playful grin, Luke crossed his arms behind his head, ignoring the part of him that protested at being so relaxed in a forest that could still potentially be dangerous. He had confidence in his abilities; any fretting about monsters wouldn't come from him.
It isn't -fretting-! Stupid...
"You need any help?" he offered, against his better judgment. Planting trees would be a pain in the ass, but it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. Plus it would give him a chance to get away from everyone - as happy as he was to be home, he was growing a little weary of all the pampering and fretting. He knew Natalia and Tear both were puzzling over who he was, how he behaved, and whether or not he'd stick around, who he promised what to, where things would progress from here. Anise had sent him a letter (only half-jokingly) petitioning him as a patron to the Order of Lorelei. Jade inquired in his own obscure way about his health. Guy, last he'd seen him, had grinned in that way of his (the way that always told Luke he was holding something back, and that he'd never, ever explain why) and told him "Let's start over as Luke and Gailardia," or something along those lines. Natalia had giggled. He still wondered why.
He missed all of them. But he was tired; bone-weary and in desperate need of a new purpose - if not one grand goal to work up to, a lot of little ones to at least keep him occupied. Freeing Lorelei, defeating Van, all of it was over. He had nothing left to work towards, not the same way the others did. A part of him was angrily insisting that there was plenty to accomplish; upholding the peace, helping out with the replicas, working with Guy to attempt to restore Hod - he'd mentioned it a while back, and Luke had liked the idea.
Another part of him was still wondering why he was alive, why he'd somehow survived and been able to return like this.
Stupid replica. Just like always - you can never just accept things as they are, can you?
"Master?"
Luke blinked, glancing down, and saw Mieu was standing beside him, perched on his toes, watching him in concern. "... Huh?"
"I said yes, Master!" The little cheagle chirped in response. "Some of the trees get too big before we can move them, and it's hard for us to carry them! I'm sure the elder would be happy if you helped us!"
"Only the Elder?" Luke quipped with a grin. Mieu blushed and flailed about, protesting hurriedly and eliciting a laugh from his master. "I'm just joking, relax! It's pretty obvious you guys are happy to see me. And... yeah, sure. I can stick around for a bit and help you."
Mieu brightened again, head bobbing. "Okay, Master! We can talk to the elder about it!"
Luke smiled faintly, then glanced up at the sky again, reaching out a hand, palm lifted. "... We'd better go inside now. We're about to get rained on, and I don't feel like sitting in the mud." Okay, maybe vanity was a trait they'd always shared, and could never truly outgrow. But dammit, he liked being clean.
The cheagle agreed as cheerfully as he always did, leading the way into the giant tree just as the rain began to dot the ground. They found a spot near the back, a respectful distance from the elder's designated area, yet still at a decent angle to watch the rain fall, the tiny spatter swiftly becoming a chilly torrent, the sky turning to pitch and darkening the cave until a few cheagles lit a small, manageable fire. Luke lapsed into silence then, staring out at the storm and letting Mieu chatter on for once, only half-listening. The cheagle was terribly annoying, and yet... having him around and being that way made things feel almost normal. Like nothing had changed, like he hadn't been gone for more than a year.
Like his entire existence hadn't been flipped around, like there weren't two voices constantly swapping positions in his head. The head that was only half-his, though he didn't know what half he was most of the time.
Augh, dammit. You're just going to confuse yourself again, shut up!
He blinked abruptly, eyes drifting downwards, as he felt a soft weight at his side. Mieu was curled up against him, the Sorcerer's Ring drooping at his waist, snoring softly beneath the sound of the falling rain.
More than a year ago, Luke would have yelled, gotten irritated, shoved him off. More than a year ago he wouldn't have allowed this.
But it was now, and he wasn't sure who he was yet, and he wasn't sure who he'd become in time.
He smiled faintly, and let Mieu sleep, waiting as the storm raged on.