I don't Wanna Battle from Beginning to End

[redlightgreenlight]

Characters: Valdis and Open
Date: Month of November
Location: Various
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: In headers


It felt like the walls were closing in. As if the sporadic mixing of the planes meant that the end was near. Valdis supposed it wasn’t strange for her to be there at the end, she’d just hoped she would find an end before everyone else did. There was nothing she could do to stop it, all she could do was live until it was over, one way or another.

Comments

[iseeall]

Leo had situated himself on the ground so he could talk to Valdis and pet the cat at the same time, as well as check for any ghosts. He really didn't want to to have another 'nice surprise'.

"Well, I probably would've gotten bitten if Mr. Klaus hadn't acted fast enough. Still, I'm glad you're okay too," Leo said, burying his fingers into the white cat's fluff. "We should probably warn other people that ghosts are getting more harmful. As for the planes...."

Leo looked up and around, but that didn't change much at all. "I can see things distorting and happening, but there's a difference between seeing what's happening and understanding it."

[redlightgreenlight]

Anani purred madly, shoving his head and back against Leo's hands, demanding more attention.

"If the ghosts are becoming dangerous, then yes, people need to be warned."

Though Valdis suspected that those with dangerous ghosts were already aware of the problem. Valdis looked around the area with her own sight, but nothing stood out so she let the drab colors flood back in.

"Yeah....seeing can only help so much."

[iseeall]

"Aww, you're cute." Leo said, actually genuinely smiling at the cat, who was extremely demanding for attention. It reminded him of Sonic a little bit, whom he was missing. Leo could only hope that he was also frozen in time while Leo was here on the turtle.

"Do you know anyone trying to investigate this stuff? I dunno how much help my eyes will be, but maybe they can understand what's going on better than I can." He could at least not be a burden here, too.

[redlightgreenlight]

Anani mewed, dropping to the ground and rolling over to show his belly, tail flicking as he demanded more attention.

"Raine is," Valdis replied, "You've met her. Her husband was looking into the planes quite a bit, she still has his research."

Much as she disliked the man, Solomon would probably have been very useful right now.

[iseeall]

"Huh? She's married? I didn't know that." Well, he didn't get to know Raine all that well, since they mostly just talked about his eyes and what he could see. The cat meowing at him caused him to look down and use his hand to 'attack' the cat's belly. "I...we're already trying to find out what my eyes can do. I can just ask her about the planes clashing."

[redlightgreenlight]

"She was," Valdis replied, not offering details.

Anani batted at Leo's hands with soft paws, purring all the while. Hila finally looked over at them, released a huff and then looked back out down the foggy path.

"Your eyes, where did they come from?"

Valdis assumed they weren't natural.

[iseeall]

Leo was playing with the cat's paws, but got very still when Valdis asked her question. Really, he should've expected someone to ask eventually because people were curious and it wasn't unreasonable but, he really, really didn't want to answer.

"I didn't have them until about a year ago." Leo's voice came out sounding strangled.

[redlightgreenlight]

Anani was not amused by Leo's sudden stillness, he reached up with his head and nipped at the boy's sleeve.

"A year?" That wasn't very long, but by the fear and hesitation, it was an unpleasant memory.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

[iseeall]

"..ow. Kitty, no." Anani's prompting got Leo to start moving his hands and burying them into the fluff as a sort of comfort, though he had to try hard not to bury his whole face.


"It's okay. It's just ironic that the-the only thing useful about me came from my biggest mistake," Leo said, trying to pass it off with a smile, but it just ended up as a sort of grimace instead.

[redlightgreenlight]

The fluffy cat resumed purring as if nothing was wrong with the world and perhaps to him, there wasn't.

"We all make mistakes." Valdis pointed out, stroking Hila again as she thought, "And your eyes surely aren't the only thing that gives your life value."

[iseeall]

"You'd be surprised," he said harshly, finally making the decision to lift up Anani if he let Leo and hug the fluffy cat. He definitely needed it. It wasn't fair to Valdis, though, and definitely not to Klaus either.

"Mr. Klaus says that all the time and it's hard not to believe him but-he's just one person. Like, what if the rest of the world doesn't think that way? What if the rest of my friends don't?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"I can't say I know you well enough to be your friend," Valdis replied slowly, "But if you truly believe that your life holds no value aside from your eyes...then find new value. Keeliai is a place for second chances, take it and keep moving forward."

[iseeall]

Leo continued to hug Anani, softly stroking the fluffy ears as he tried not to get too emotional. "What good is that if I don't remember any of my time here? I'll just go back to being the same Leo I was before."

[redlightgreenlight]

"It's like muscle memory, Leo," Valdis said, watching him snuggle her cat, "Even if you don't remember, the things your learn here, what you think of yourself...it doesn't have to go away."

[iseeall]

He was absolutely snuggling the cat and really didn't want to stop as long as Anani didn't object. "Do you think that could happen? Even if I somehow learned how to fight here I'd still remember it? Or I found a way to help my sister?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Anani continued to purr, turning his head to lick Leo's nose with his tongue.

"Nothing's impossible," though she was talking about instinct, not knowledge. "What's wrong with your sister?"

[iseeall]

"Ah-kitty, that tickles." But Leo let the cat continue to groom him because the attention felt weirdly nice. And it distracted him from turning into a slime ball of tears for like the eighth time.

"She. Can't walk. She also got her eyesight stolen from her as well, and I need to find a way to restore it."

[redlightgreenlight]

So his sister couldn't walk and was blind, things that would seem to be beyond his control, but Leo had clearly said 'stolen' when it came to her vision.

"Why is that your responsibility?"

[iseeall]

Well, that wasn't keeping the tears away, but at least he didn't break down and start sobbing like he did in front of Devin, which was much worse. Leo just imagined like he was talking to the cat.

"These eyes...I told you they were the eyes of the gods, right? For someone to receive them, another person's eyesight must be taken away. That's what both me and my sister understood as-as that thing appeared in the sky," Leo said.

"I-I-couldn't speak. I was so scared I couldn't say anything. And Michella, she just-she told the thing to take from her. I couldn't speak up so she had her happiness taken from her!!!"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis tipped her head, mulling over what the boy said for several minuted before forming a reply. Anani continued to purr, quite happy to snuggle with Leo for as long as the boy wanted.

"Leo," Valdis said gently, "I don't claim to understand what happened, but did you consider that perhaps your sister sacrificed her eyesight so that you wouldn't suffer in darkness? I hear people do crazy things for love."

Her tone was soft, but her aura was the opposite. The divine seemed to enjoy messing with people no matter what world they were on. It was so unfair.

[iseeall]

Thankfully, Leo was too busy burying his face into cat fur and didn't spot any changes in Valdis' aura. He just hoped the cat didn't mind all the tears he was getting into his fur.

"She's not supposed to!! I'm her big brother, I'm supposed to be the one protecting her, but I just failed again and she has to suffer."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis fell silent, wondering if Michael felt as Leo did. She didn't remember him as being her brother, but the lack of memory didn't mean he hadn't been.

"I'm sorry Leo."

Anani mewed softly, kneading Leo's shoulder.

[iseeall]

Leo just gently held and petted Anani's head until he felt less like his emotions were going to explode out of his body. He was such a good cat; Leo was going have to go find some treats for the fluffy beast later.

"It's okay. Sorry, I shouldn't of just unloaded on you. I've been crying a lot lately; it's stupid," Leo said. He was always too emotional, and people had made fun of him for it before. "Do....do you think you could help me get better at fighting though? I just am tired of being so weak."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I used to think that emotions made people weak," Valdis replied, considering his request "But emotions are what allow us to connect to others, they make people strong. So don't be ashamed of being able to feel."

She looked at him, evaluating. "I can certainly try. Self defense skills are important for everyone to possess."

[iseeall]

"Yeah easy for you to say that, you look scary enough that people wouldn't pick on you for being a crybaby," Leo quickly stopped when he realized exactly what he said. "I mean-sorry. I'm sure you're fine..."

He was just going to bury his face in cat and stop being so goddamn emotional. It was making him say stupid things now. "I...I want to get stronger. And show Mr. Klaus I can, too. He has faith in me..."