sranks | alear deserves better

[Saying that meeting Zephia changed Griss's life would be a completely stupid understatement. The biggest damn understatement, actually; as his life didn't really begin until she took him in as one of the Four Hounds. To say that he owes her everything would likewise be a gross understatement; expressing just how much she means to him would be strictly impossible with words alone.

So needless to say, it didn't matter where Zephia ended up, Griss was always going to follow her. Even if she chose a completely different path and ended up somewhere else entirely - he'd follow without hesitation.

And that's exactly what happened. When faced with the Divine Dragon and her merry little band of followers, Zephia had paused. It was the first time Griss had ever seen her pause at all, honestly - usually he could tell exactly what she was going to do before she went through with it; Zephia's always been a predictable woman like that. But this? This wasn't what he was expecting, and he certainly wasn't expecting her to agree to the Divine Dragon's almost ridiculous request.

"I'll come with you." She'd said. Just like that, she'd been willing to turn her back on Sombron, after a thousand years or so of working for him. To say he'd been stunned would also be an understatement, but he hadn't even hesitated when she'd turned to him with a questioning look.

"Yeah. I'll come too."

And so that's how he ended up here, palling around with the Divine Dragon's worshipers like they belong, like Mauvier isn't beyond pissed that they've been allowed to settle in. And yeah, the man's got more than half a point, but what other options are there? They're two very capable fighters, and if the Divine One's got half a brain, she knows that killing them now would just be a waste of perfectly good talent that she could've used against Sombron himself. No, better to let them live... for now, at least.

He certainly won't rule out the possibility of a brutally painful death eventually, after all.

Which ultimately leaves him bored now. Oh sure, he could spend his time talking to these people and acting like he fits in, but there's not much of a point in it. Aggravating them would be fun (and would likely lead to someone punching him in the face, and that would be delightful) but Zephia specifically told him to "play nice". Play nice! Him! But she'd given it as an order and so he follows, as usual.

Doesn't stop it from being boring, but it's not like Zephia forbade him from talking, right? So it's with that thought in mind that he seeks out Alear, the Divine Dragon. She's probably the person who is least likely to punch him in the face, so she's a safe bet.

He's already scoured the Somniel looking for the Divine One, but seems her Divineness (is that what she's called? eh, whatever) is not currently in - likely out training, if he had to guess. After all, the final battle will be upon them just as soon as she thinks they're ready. So... off he goes in search of her - and thankfully, he doesn't need to look far.

If there's one positive thing he can say about Alear with no strings attached, it's that she's damn strong. Hell, she isn't having any trouble with the Corrupted she's fighting right now, even though that many would undoubtedly prove a problem for anyone else. Griss at least has the decorum to wait until they're dead before raising his voice to get her attention.]

Not bad, not bad. With swordplay like that, maybe you'll be a match for daddy dearest someday.

[...what was that about not being punched in the face?]

[Alear didn't expect that she was going to have to eat some of her words anytime soon, but after finding and destroying one of the dragon shards, she supposes she has a lot to think about.

The battle against her other self was...strangely sobering in a way she didn't expect; knowing now, intimately, the hell that she went through. Everything she'd long forgotten, that she wanted to stuff aside to live as true to herself as possible. The end of this, all of this, one way or another is near, and Alear intends to see this through to the end. For her past self, for the future of everyone here, and for everyone's sake.

...Even so, for perhaps the rarest occurance in the world--Alear can't sleep for the life of her. Her mind keeps going back to the dull, monotone way of speaking her former self had--describing the deaths of her siblings like it was another day. At how she seemed to light up, and come alive at long last, with Lumera's help. At how Zephia...

Ugh. She's thinking too much about this. Alear leaves her chambers with barely a sound, thankful she hasn't awoken any of the others (Vander would certainly worry, as would Clanne and Framme) as she steps out into the cold air of the Somniel. And she walks, and walks, and walks, until the only thing keeping her company are the stars and...

...Oh, of course she'd wind up finding company out here this late at night--]

Griss? [She's not sure if she's surprised to find him out here, but--] What are you doing out this late?

[To say that this isn't what he expected would be understating it massively.

After their discussion about Alear's mother, Griss figured everything would go back to normal. So they'd go beat up some more Corrupted and then fight Sombron. But of course there had to be a complication - and it's in the form of Lumera.

Veyle had wanted to protect Alear from this, but that didn't go as planned and now here they are, facing the Corrupted as predicted. Alear had been shaking when she gave the order to advance; even now Griss isn't certain that she's actually okay to fight. Sure, she's cut down plenty of Corrupted, but this is different. This is her mom.

This is her version of Zephia.

That thought is what causes him to tear away from Zephia's side towards the back. Griss can easily fight his way through lesser Corrupted, so he chases after Alear. Someone has to, right? Might as well be him.]

[Her Mother's death wasn't exactly easy to face the second time, but at least Lumera was herself for those final moments while Alear held her hand. It was the sole solace she could take in all of this, and she's certainly not getting any now.

The medical bay is a little sparse in the Somniel, and the bed is not nearly as comfortable as her own, but she's been told she needs to rest before they can lead the charge to Sombron himself. Which isn't at all concerning, least of which because of the giant hole that looked like it was starting to form in the sky, but literally everyone has told her to lie down and Alear unfortunately has to comply.

...Not the least of which because Zephia seemed very keen to "test her worth" if she was really that ready to go, which definitely got Alear to acquiesce. She's damn threatening when she wants to be, and Alear has even more of a healthy dose of fear and respect for her after that.

But for now, the recovery process goes well, but boring as Alear watches life go on. It's boring, but the rest will at least be good enough to see her at full strength to face Sombron down.]

...At least it can't get any worse.

[Surely saying that won't cause any problems to arrive.]

[The battle with Sombron was fierce. His Corrupted truly did give them a challenge, not to mention the man himself. But through it all Alear stood tall and rallied her soldiers behind her, and Griss was admittedly paying a bit more attention to her than the battle.

She really is radiant. It's no wonder all of these princes and princesses decided to join her.

With Sombron's death - at Alear's hand - they're left to patch up the injured and settle a bit in the Somniel. Griss's own very minor injuries have already been taken care of, and Zephia has decided to retire for the night. That leaves him wanting to talk to Alear... but everyone wants her attention tonight. Better to wait until she's had a moment to herself.

Griss doesn't join the others in their celebration of victory; instead, he's out toward the edge of the Somniel qatching the slowly-lightening sky. It'll be dawn soon, and with it comes the start of a new era.

But that's not something Griss cares about. Instead, he has Alear's gift in hand, turning it over like he's considering opening it... but he hasn't done it quite yet. Like before, he's still very careful with it. Regardless of what's inside, it's already very precious to him.]

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obvs don't worry about this until your laptop's back but YEETS A THING FOR U

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