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[ Not long after this announcement, because if the fae are saying not to worry then he's going to do exactly the opposite of that. ]

I think it may be wise for you to take Lune and Maelle and get away from the castle. Somewhere buildings won't collapse on top of you if things worsen.

If you actually know either of them, then you know that it'd be easier for me to try to argue with the castle to hold itself together than to tell either of them to do anything. Not that I'm not prepared.

What makes you think they'll want to argue? It would have to be more comfortable than bunking with strangers in a suspicious castle.

I know that they've missed you.

Just suggest it as a way for everyone to convene on what's been learned about this realm and its rulers so far. A way to reconnect and catch up.

[ It's called manipulation, Gustave, it's easy. ]

And why exactly are you offering me advice on this?

Because the cracks here are spreading, and I don't trust anything the fae have to say. Telling us not to worry should very well make us worry. I know that they aren't going to be ranking our well-being as a priority when they're wrapped up in their own court politics.

I'm not very keen on finding any of you crushed under rubble should buildings start collapsing.

I've noticed. It was my job in Lumière to notice things like this, and I told you, I'm prepared.

Just because I have to ask, why aren't you trying to convince them if you're so, well, "not very keen" about this? I'm just trying to figure out your interest in all of this.

I took them where they needed to go, and somehow most of us ended up here. They don't have much reason to follow my lead anymore. You're here now. You've known them longer.

But I still have an interest in keeping the people I care about away from unnecessary danger.

Maelle told me a little about what ended up happening. And yeah, I have. I know them, which is why I'm doing what I can but trusting them too. I'm not the leader. We're in this, whatever this is, together.

Right, yeah. That, I get. What I don't know is why you won't tell them that, but you're telling me.

nearly forgetting about SPOILERS

Then it's worth the discussion, isn't it? Together.

[ What is this turning into. He didn't come here for therapy. ]

Why won't I tell them to get out of the castle, or that I want them safe? The former, I already explained as much. Leader or not, they look up to you. I saw what it did to them, losing you.

The latter, well, I already have told them. In my own way. They know. Maelle knows.

spoiler warning cont.

Fair enough.

[ Maybe you should have. ]

Where does that leave you in all this?

cont.

Suppose I'm still figuring that out.

[ Maelle has more-or-less claimed him as part of her 'family' but that is entirely too loaded of a statement for Verso to make himself, and he doesn't think Gustave would be too excited about the idea, either. ]

But someone needs to make sure Renoir keeps his distance, now that we're all veritably trapped together. That's my responsibility, so you lot can have a little less to worry about.

cont.

Looks like we've got the time.

[ And then some. The mention of Renoir brings back all the questions he's been mulling over that he just hasn't figured out how to put into words. ]

I think I've got that handled. For now at least. It's a temporary solution, but I'm working with what we've got.

[ Which isn't much. ]

So consider that more time to figure the rest of it all out. The important parts.

cont.

[ Sorry what? ]

Handled how? What, exactly, is a temporary solution?

cont.

Handled in that it's not a problem at the moment. They shouldn't run into each other. And it's temporary because it's not, you know, solving the problem. But it's giving me time to figure that out. And you time to figure you out.

cont.

What would keep

[ Half-realization cuts himself off. Fuck, he doesn't like how any of this sounds. ]

Did you make some sort of deal with him?

Or with the fae?

cont.

We came to an agreement.

[ Because Gustave isn't talking about the deal he made. ]

I said I was prepared, remember?

cont.

Renoir will only keep to agreements so long as it suits him.

[ No matter what he says, this revelation only raises Verso's anxiety about this situation. None of this is good. Apparently Renoir needs another confrontation, because what the hell was he even doing talking to Gustave in the first place?

After a moment's contemplation, ]

It seems both of us are doing what we can to keep him away from Maelle, but should something happen to me, should Renoir find a way around whatever you agreed to, I think we ought to prepare for the worst.

cont.

Which is why the solution is temporary. His demands weren't as steep as I would have guessed they'd be.

[ Technically, Gustave approached him, if we're assigning blame here. ]

And what does that look like? This solution of yours, I mean.

one day we'll be free of these

I wouldn't call it a solution.

You held your own against Renoir pretty well before, but I could teach you how to do better. To last longer and buy Maelle more time, if necessary.

[ While he had assumed Gustave wouldn't fill him in on the details, it can't hurt to ask, can it? Verso realizes not everyone is as dodgy with the truth as he is, and he's hoping that Gustave can at least believe that Maelle is a priority for the both of them. ]

Dare I ask what his demands were?

the end of june can't come fast enough LOL

If you want to get technical, if it solves the problem it counts as a solution.

[ Gustave laughs out loud at that attempt at praise(?), which would have surprised anyone near him, if there was someone. One for three wasn't great odds, though generously, he hadn't... he'd survived the first encounter, too. It doesn't count as far as he's concerned. ]

I did what I had to and I knew I wasn't going to survive so I gave Maelle the best chance she had.

Sure. Yeah. If you think it can help.

[ It can't hurt anyway. ]

All he asked was that I keep Maelle away from you and Clea.

cont.

[ Would he have gotten this far without technicalities? ]

Is that so.

[ "All he asked."

Talk of training is momentarily suspended while his mind does somersaults to keep him from immediately going to tell Renoir off for this. He's a little more flabbergasted about Gustave's end of the deal. More shocked that he hasn't upheld it, at least so far. ]

And yet you haven't told me to stay away from her.

cont.

[ No, well, he thought about trying to and then decided he was going to go about it a different way. So no, he hasn't really been keeping his end of the deal but he didn't think he'd be able to, even if that was something he was considering, which truthfully, he did but also let that pass. ]

Because I know it wouldn't have made a difference if I did. I agreed to his terms and I figured something else out. Just in case.

I know why he asked that. Partly at least. What I don't know is how she fits in. What the threat is. I have theories, but they're just theories. So I guess this is where you decide if you're going to tell me the truth or not.

cont.

[ Which truth would that be? There are so many tangled up in lies that Verso is going to lose track before the end. And, unfortunately for him, it's getting harder to tell when that end might arrive. It may never.

Can silence be loud through texts? Because the pause here is...

...substantial. ]

The truth is that Renoir is deluded. He's holding onto the past, something he can no longer have, and he doesn't like that I've gotten close with anyone else. He feels threatened.

Maelle

[ There's just...no way he's laying it all out in the open. It's impossible at this point. Despite having watched Gustave on and off for at least sixteen years now, he's not about to trust the man with the full of it. He can't trust any of them with the truth of this tragic fantasy they're all trapped in.

Maelle is the key. Is he supposed to believe that Gustave would agree in helping send her back? ]

Maelle shares a resemblance to my younger sister, so Renoir has cornered her as the main threat to restoring his relationship with me. Like with most things, he's grievously mistaken. I stopped thinking of him as my father long before any of you were in the picture.

I'm not sure why he brought Clea into it, but as far as I'm aware, Maelle hasn't met her yet.

[ Although she seems to want to. ]

cont.

[ The silence doesn't bother him. Gustave's never minded long pauses and he doesn't sit with his eyes glued to the screen. There are things he needs to work on and he does that instead of wait, so when the responses do finally come in, he has to stop what he's doing and he reads, and he waits, and he thinks.

And the really funny thing is, he might have agreed with him about sending her back, saving her life, if Verso had bothered to ask him.

Gustave doesn't know that though, he just knows that he doesn't have a reason to trust him because none of this feels like he's ever going to get anything true out of him. Not really. ]

She hasn't said anything to me about her, so I think we're safe to assume probably not. Spoken, maybe, over these things, but nothing in person.

I know the why, though. It wasn't hard to figure out.

[ Sent a little while later. ]

Nice try though. It almost didn't sound completely like bullshit.

cont.

[ The bullshit really does sell better when accompanied by his charming voice and soulful eyes. He needs a second take. ]

It's the truth.

[ It just has some...holes in it. And he really doesn't know why his father brought Clea into it when she hadn't even interacted with Maelle yet, but now Renoir has made it that much more difficult for Verso to manage.

Just as he planned, no doubt. ]

You seem to think you have a whole lot figured out. What exactly do you have worked out "just in case"?

cont.

It's something close to it maybe.

I've figured some of it out, enough to go on. All of you aren't that good at lying actually. Not if someone's actually paying attention.

[ And that was another nice attempt, but no one's getting that out of him. Not yet anyway. ]

cont.

[ At this point, it's fair play. He doesn't blame Gustave for staying wary. Respects it, even.

But it's still frustrating as hell and he's far too sober for any of this. Putain.

After another stretch, ]

I meant what I said about teaching you how to hold out better against Renoir. If you still think it's worth the effort, find me when you've got the time and inclination.

cont.

[ Until you give him a reason to believe otherwise. ]

You'll have to tell me where to find you. Can you manage that at least?

cont.

[ He had been referencing finding him through the Leaf, but if he wants to be a smartass about it...!

Okay, Verso can respect that, too. Won't stop him from smacking that sass right into the dirt. ]

Now? The train station. A safe bet for most nights.

Can you manage to find it?

[ Gustave knows, but he couldn't resist that one last dig though he doesn't rise to the one volleyed back at him. ]

Now works for me.

[ This guy misses the sass from a certain friend, so if anyone's going to appreciate the attitude, it's Verso.

And he did offer to match Gustave's 'schedule', so he's not about to back out now. ]

Fair enough. I'll be here.

[ → action ]

[ His camp is just past the treeline, but Verso will move closer to wait by the actual station so that he's easier spot. At least he's not covered in mud and blood this time, but the old Expedition uniform still probably stands out against the backdrop to anyone looking for it. ]

[ This was probably a terrible idea, but Gustave has made plenty of those since he formally decided to join Expedition 33 and this, going out to the train station at this hour, didn't actually rank in the top ten. Gustave is aware of how bad that looks on paper, too. ]

All right. [ His voice isn't all that raised. If Verso was close enough to hear him, then Gustave figured he'd hear him. ] I'm here. What is it you wanted to show me?

[ It isn't the wisest choice that he himself could have made, considering the spike in anxiety Gustave's very presence creates, but to completely avoid him would only hurt Verso's cause in the long run. He's already been forced to accept that he can't cross a certain line again, at least not right now, so instead it's to everyone's benefit that he try to win the other man over.

One may question his methods, but if Gustave's going to serve Verso's interests while staying alive, then he has some catching up to do. There's no shortcut for experience, but some tips never hurt anyone. ]

Right.

[ Wasting little time, he unfolds his arms and lowers a hand, where the shape of a slender sword shimmers into view. The golden gleam of the blade's tip fades into an onyx black as it reaches the hilt, where his grip shifts deftly from right to left. He's mimicking Renoir's grip on his cane. No dagger this time. ]

Should there ever be a next time defending against Renoir, I'm going to show you how to stay alive for as long as possible.

[ His shrug is tilted. He would like to believe that everything's going to go smoothly from here on out and Gustave will never be in that situation again, but Verso stopped dreaming ages ago. ]

[ Coming here wasn't entirely reckless, though it might have seemed it. Gustave knew next to nothing about who this man was, though he had thus far painted an unflattering picture, between the events of the maze, the dancing around the truth, and Zorya's inciting words, but there was something to getting a fuller picture, especially because they were, for now, all trapped here together.

As they say, the devil you know. ]

All right. [ As the pictos solidified into a sword, Gustave flexed his fingers, testing his own grip. He chooses not to bother with the pistol this time. ] Survive longer than last time, you mean,[ he says, staring across the space between them and watching to see how Verso reacts. ] Demonstrate away. I'm ready.

Hm... [ There's the slightest head tilt and grimace, a mocking apology in the form of a nod and shrug. ] It wasn't hard to figure out how long you lasted, by the state of...well, your injuries.

[ A word he uses gently, as soft as his next step. He's not striking, he's just deciphering Gustave's stare at the moment. Something in it, a questioning, triggers a darker intent that shifts his grip on the hilt. ]

Lune and Sciel hadn't found a way back up in time. Which is good. To be honest, most people don't live long past their first meeting with him, so consider yourself...luckier than most. You may not have lasted long, because no one does...but you clearly gave him a good scrap. It was probably like...a brisk jog for him, you know?

[ If there's any venom in the taunt, it may be favored for Renoir over Gustave, but it may also be difficult to make that distinction, given the way he's scarcely restraining a hooded glare. Gustave existing at all is going to complicate everything, making it impossible to reason with Maelle should that opportunity ever arise. Inconvenient doesn't even begin to cover it.

And yet, he owes him. Or, at least, he owes Maelle. ...Even if still that makes him the bad guy to someone. ]

I've seen him obliterate entire Expeditions without breaking stride. You— [ A gesture with the tip of his sword as he shakes his head, forever wrestling that headache of awe and shame. ] —you saw it too, what he was capable of, and you stood up to him, anyway. It was brave. ...Foolish. But, brave.

My injuries. [ It was almost funny, that word. Gustave had been dead long before any of them had realised, but that wasn't exactly true. Though he trusted the fae as much as he trusted Verso, that needling thought lingered. Condemned to die. In the end, it doesn't change anything — Gustave would have still stood between Renoir and Maelle, he would have chosen to die to protect her no matter what led up to that choice. ]

I was as lucky as I needed to be. [ A half-hearted shrug and a flickering smile. It was... an understatement, just as comical, just as heartbreakingly final. Gustave hadn't been lucky, no one in Lumière had ever been, but he'd had hope and he had dreams and in the end, he did what he could. For those who come after. ] Your motivational speaking needs work, [ he jokes as he shifts his feet, watching and waiting, knuckles blanching where he gripped the sword too tightly. ]

Yeah, I... I know. I saw. [ Every time he closes his eyes, he sees. That kind of terror doesn't go away without a fight, even if the blood was gone and the screams had stopped. ] I did what I had to. For Maelle. For Lune. Sciel. I'd do it again if I had to.

You're really here.

[How's that for a Hello, I'm sorry I thought you were a cursed hedge maze hallucination?]

I am, yeah. Here. Me.

[ Alive, somehow.

But he erases that part.

Honestly, he could keep going, digging that hole, but the benefit of these things is he can put the Leaf down instead of continuing to run his thoughts into the ground. So there's that. Instead, when he picks it back up after a second, he says: ]

Did you know they have a ship in the harbour that sails itself?

[His response is both better and worse. It lets her off the hook in a way, and it doesn’t require her to get him moving again.]

I heard mentions about it, but I haven’t made it out to see it yet.
Can you imagine if our ships could have navigated themselves?

It's nice to watch. Calming. I thought about jumping on it and seeing what's going on in it, but I haven't yet. We could go together?

Yeah, the things we might have seen. Maybe there's more out there, past the Continent. Have you ever wondered what else might be there that we just didn't know about? I do sometimes.

It's worth taking a look. Let's do it.

[They're well past protocol keeping them on a planned track, aren't they?]

There's a lot of things we never would have expected to see. Esquie would have flown us, if there had been a chance.

That's what I thought. I've watched it a couple times but I think getting on board will be interesting.

[ There's no part of him that knows what to expect but that's part of the fun. ]

Well now I'm curious. What's the most surprising thing you saw then?

We'll have to start by seeing if there's anything to keep us from boarding. Go from there.

[Let her just. Think. About what she should write back about that.]

Well, grandis are also real. We made poems together.
Also, Esquie was full of wine.

[Was being key.]

Yeah. I haven't gotten closer than the shore. I've been tracking it's course. When it starts, when it stops.

[ Gustave is amused by the first part of that, slightly horrified by the second part. ]

I have too many questions to know where to start.

If it's on a consistent schedule, that would be convenient.

It seems the grandis prefer combat with words. If that helps.

[Because surely the grandis are the part that raise the most questions. And not the Esquie wine.]

It's pretty consistent. Same path every day, always starting once the sun is low enough on the horizon.

Right. That's... not what I had questions about.

[ There's a slight pause. ]

Esquie was full of wine?

Was?

We could start out at its nearest point. Or its slowest.

Oh, yes. We all had some after Sciel found out.
Except Maelle. Looks like she'll have the time to gain a taste for it.

From my observations, it's only slowest at the start of the night and the end. Closest though... It passes by that sandbar on the east at least 4 times a night.

[ Give him a minute. He's processing all of this. ]

Was.

[ Sorry, he's stuck on that part. ]

Lune, how did you all drink that much wine?

Suppose I could always launch you at it from the sandbar.

[A veritable dispenser of solutions. Just fastball special him.]

Maybe it was a bit much for one night, but it wasn't just me.
Sciel had her fair share, not to mention Verso.

[Hard to say for certain Monoco was drinking so he doesn't get part of the credit. Even if he was very sporting with her.]

You know, I expected worse so yeah. We could... we could try that.

Right. So the three of you drank an... Esquie full of wine.

[ Just let him lay down because even splitting that between three people... that's a terrifying amount to drink. He's doing the math from memory, but. ]

That's impressive.

I would have been out for four days if I had that much.

Good to have somewhere to start.

[And despite Lune’s poor participation in the expedition’s launch party, she actually can keep up with Sciel pretty well, drink-for-drink.]

It was fine. We just needed a little recovery time in the morning.

That's fair.

[ Gustave... cannot do that. Couldn't then, couldn't now. Just the thought of it makes his stomach twist. ]

I'm on the line between awe and disappointment now.

I'm sure we can find some wine for you. Try to make up for what you missed.

If I try to catch up, I'll be down for a week.

You're being dramatic.
If you weren't back on your feet in two days, I'd get you on them.

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un: verso | text

text — un: demain;

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action;

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i'm just chucking the spoiler warning in the subject line, reader be warned lmao

un: chanson | text

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