Sprace: Nero

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Comments

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Jus' wanna hold it for a bit.

[He looks upset. Maybe the comfort is for him this week.]

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A little. But only during the day, never in the evening. I wanted to see it for the first time with you.

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[Nero's not heartless enough to pull away.]

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[How can. you just say things?]

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[Because he's Bradley Fucking Bain, that's why.]

C'mon, over here.

[There's a spot not too far from the lodges, where a fallen log on a snowy hillside provides prefect seating to view the night sky. There's no auroras yet, but it's getting dark enough for them to make their appearance.]

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[Good, because Bradley is squeezing that hand tightly.]

They were just kids, Nero.

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[ A wisp of air escapes his lips and he notes how visible it is. ]

Feels a lot like North.

[ Even if they can't make contact with the spirits here. ]

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I know. [ It's hard not to know. ]

This place isn't kind.

Week 3, Tuesday

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[Time for some MEMSHARE VOID]

---

Man. And you had tried to skip out on all the excitement too. It would have been a perfect cover for you to slip out and have a bit of fun before being dragged back to jail! But no, here you are, being forced to introduce yourself to the new wizards. What a waste. It's not like you'll even need to see each other for another year anyway!

You need that time to figure out how to deal with this curse. The fact that you're covered in snow is proof of how out-of-control things have gotten.

"Tch...Northern wizard, Bradley."

The others in the room fall quiet as you step in, brushing some snow off of your shoulders. "Just when I thought I could finally kick back and get away from it all, I had to get dragged back into this fucking mess."

Once glance up is enough to drive away all of that irritation, though.

Most of the new wizards are indeed new to him. But this one Eastern wizard with blue hair, you know this one. You would recognize him anywhere. And oh, even with all the time they've been apart, you feel your chest flutter when you see that face again.

"Hey, Nero. It sure has been a while." You can't help but smile, just a little bit. "Did you have fun going clean and washing your hands of the bandit gang while I was stuck in jail?"

Clearly it's not the best way to say hello, because Nero's mood instantly turns sour. "......This has nothing to do with you."

You can't help but laugh at that reaction. Same old Nero. You remember getting on his nerves so many times in the past, only for him to get sullen in return. But somehow, those memories are fond to you. Like a treasure wrapped away in newspaper to keep it safe, those memories are held tightly in your heart. You had thought that 100 years apart would dull your feelings, but they ring as true as they did the last time you saw him. There's no mistaking the warmth and affection you feel for this man.

And then you notice something. "That crest! So you were chosen too, Nero!"

This is amazing. Now you have something to look forward to with this "Sage's wizard" business.

-----

[Okay actually that's a pretty nice memory, Bradley can live with that one being shared.]

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[ It's a familiar memory, something that they both experienced... He never really got it from Bradley's point of view though. If it were him, wouldn't he be much angrier to see the person who tossed him in jail like it was nothing? Bradley is a much more positive person than Nero will ever be. But that's what it's like for an Eastern wizard, they're known to be gloomy for a reason.

You've been on the brink of death and somehow Bradley brought you back from the ledge. There's really something about him that makes his commands impossible to ignore. You're laying in bed, trying to heal from injuries that certainly would've taken your life if Bradley had arrived any later. It's guilt that keeps you alive, the specters of their past, and the weight of what you've done to people you could've called family.

Bradley's the person who deserves to take your life, after all the ways you've betrayed him and hurt him.

"Let's do it right now. You wanna deal with me, don't you? I get it. You've more than got the right to turn me to stone."

Bradley's silent, and even after all this time you can't quite read his face. For as expressive as he is, he knows how to keep his feelings hidden when he wants to.

"But... Can you wait until the Great Calamity hits? Once we're done beatin' it back, you can turn me to stone with your own hands." Finally... Finally you'll stop having to exist and bear the weight of all those lives lost, all the time Bradley's been locked away. You'll finally be a stone, and you'll have worth.

Bradley, doesn't believe you, and why should he? "You love sayin' whatever you want. But y'know what, Nero? You already ran away from me once. What makes you think I can trust what you say."

You're so tired. Living like this- despite what you said to Faust, you don't have all that much to live for. The least you can do is die to the person who deserves to kill you the most.

"I promise." With all the weight that entails of a wizard. You'll lose all your magic if you dare to run away this time. It's almost the same thing as being dead.

It's worth it to make Bradley believe you.

There's no reason to run anymore. ]

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[Man, what a tone shift. It shows how different they see the world though. And it makes a strange look come over Bradley's face.

Quietly, Bradley finally says something:]

Why do you keep punishin' yourself like this?

[Nero can't claim ignorance anymore, he saw how Bradley feels about everything. He doesn't blame Nero for what happens, and he doesn't understand why Nero still blames himself.]

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Why shouldn't I?

[ It's not just about Bradley. It's about all the other bandits that he turned to stone through one action.

He knew that the only thing keeping them all bound together was Bradley, and he still turned tail. He still betrayed him. ]

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Yeah, it does.

[A mild version of North, but still close enough.]

's why I thought of the northern lights. Space Doc said we'd see 'em on this planet, so I wanna see 'em.

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It ain't.

[It reminds him of how unforgiving the North is.

...but no, it's worse. The North is never cruel for cruelty's sake. The North just Is. Living and dying is all by chance, merely survival of the fittest. This is somehow crueler than that.]

Nothin' back home would've prepared us for this.

[Stuck in an awful position with ticking time bombs in their veins, and no magic to help them escape.]

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Because it ain't right. I already told you what your punishment is, and it's not "linger sadly until you die". Do you really think that's gonna make up for everyone who died?

[His heart feels like it's going to rip right out of his chest. This would be so much easier if he wasn't in love with this stupid Eastern wizard.]

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[ North is the way it is. And Nero left because he couldn't stand it anymore.

People just are the way they grew up, and whatever baggage that left them with... they live with. ]

No.

[ It'd be nice if there was a way out. Or even if they had their magic back, even if it was only on Thursday nights. They can't even pinpoint a reason for the murders that are happening here. ]

I hate it here.

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...yeah. Me too.

[He could say he likes some of the people he has met here. But the absolute horror of the weekends overrides that completely.]

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[A soft laugh.]

Space Doc? Do you know their callsigns?

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[ Nero, who is an eastern wizard, and one of their worst flaws is simply never letting anything go looks at Bradley and thinks- "Why is it so much easier for you to accept me than for me to accept myself?" ]

I'll let you kill me when the time comes. You already knew that.

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...

I'm tired.

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'course I do! Space Doc is Io.

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Yes. I'm gonna kill you when the time comes.

[He steps forward to place his hands on Nero's shoulders.]

But you promised to not run away, and that means your life is mine. So until that day when I decide to kill ya, you're gonna live the best fucking life you can.

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Yeah. Me too.

...wanna go lay down?

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Guess they are over health. How much did you tell them?

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I'm still alive, ain't I?

[You can lead an East to a good life, but god can you not make them live it.]