Destiny Village ~ The Hero

[TheGOAT]

“Yeah. I don’t… really know how any of this multiverse stuff works. Kinda feels like it’s being made up on the fly, ahaha…” But, she supposed, life might be best lived that way. That was how she’d gone about her time on Cibus, if she was allowed to call it something other than aimless drifting. She’d try to worry about her existentiality a little less.

Only a little.

“I think you’re right. Seems to me like anything is possible. So, nothing’s impossible.” She looked away. “Just wish I could be a little more certain about it. I don’t know.”

She wouldn’t be down about it for long. The Hero had been quick on the beat with their refills, and at some point, Astrid knew they’d start to add up. Didn’t matter. Second round came, and she chugged again, pausing for breath once. A smile had crept onto her face, not going anywhere.

“It seems our memories won’t be sealed forever, right? We’ve made connections. So many connections. And at some point they lead back to each other, and by some chance, somewhere out there, some crazy situation is gonna need people like us again. It sounds so valiant and perfect, aaahhh, I never would’ve imagined this would be me. We’re basically universe hoppers, that’s really cool!”

But, she sobered briefly. “I mean, I really want to find hope in that thought. Hope is something I could use a lot of right now. It’s just… really hard to grasp what comes next, huh. I can try to appreciate it for the sake of science and history, I guess.” She picked up her bottle, realized it was empty, and stared at it for a moment. The smile had returned, at least. “Maybe if I get drunker it’ll make more sense. Ifff I can go long enough without giggling.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa couldn't help but smile so wide she felt her cheeks ache. Hearing Astrid talk about valiant efforts to save other worlds made her heart soar. Yeah. That. She wanted that.

She chuckled along with Astrid and nodded firmly. "I'm damn certain that if Buffet can reach across worlds fer spirits in other universes, an' our worlds ain't so different from this 'un, that we can find each other again. An' hell, if Diyem, the Overseers, or anyone like 'em needs some surefire battlers fer a world-savin' team, I can't imagine you an' I would escape their notice, huh?"

She purred with appreciation as the food arrived, but held herself back from frenzying over it, hungry as she was.

"I'd love that, y'know," she admitted. "Jus' think about it. Meetin' again, rememberin' our time here, savin' folks an' bein' superlative goddamn strikers. Never would've thought it when I first met ya, or most of the folk on our team, but we sure do damn well t'gether."

A bright impulse pushed her to lean forward, eyes fixed on Astrid.

"I promise ya, Astrid. If there's a way fer us t'see each other again, I'll find it, memory loss be damned."

 

[TheGOAT]

“Yeah,” Astrid whispered softly, wanting to believe it. It lingered in her head, stubbornly tugging at her attention as she tried to focus on the curious flavor of her drink.

Soon, she’d nearly downed her third by the time she’d taken a single bite of her main course. It looked like fantasy food from a fantasy world—appetizing and bizarre, unlike Brisa’s steak. Her pupils dilated as long-buried genetics sprung to life at the sight of the fake-real meat. Maybe Brisa’d let her try a bite…? In any case, the sauce on her own dish looked pretty normal, and the smell… it was hard to imagine she wouldn’t like it.

“I can tell you’re hungry,” she said, grinning. “Let’s eat, we’ve earned this. You’ve earned this.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa struggled to smother a smirk as Astrid gazed longingly at her steak. Someone was having second thoughts about their choice of entrée, it seemed. She nodded at Astrid's affirmation.

"So've you," she added, softly, but with a hint of playfulness.

Brisa parted one slice of honey-glazed protein from the rest and took care to savour it with highly visible relish. It helped that, like most food on this world, it genuinely tasted divine.

"This is downright heavenly," she told Astrid. "Ah, I see y'can smell it. Y'want some?"

She grinned at Astrid's obvious hunger.

"Well, you can try a piece... But first, y'gotta tell me, an' honestly: d'you think you'n me'd make a good team, in one of our worlds? Rangers, Guild members, whatever. I recall you told me a couple times you've been an explorer?"

It was an invitation for Astrid to talk about her own life, and she wanted to know more about that, for sure. But Brisa couldn't help but think about what-ifs and could-bes, with the Miracle Matters on her mind.

 

[TheGOAT]

She didn’t need to chew on that one.

“Oh c’mon. I draw strength from your likeness, Brisa. You and Starr, too. The way we are, two of us can take on some of the toughest challenges out there… but all three of us? We could take on anything. We could take on, fuckin’, uhhh, Pop! Hehe, I believe it!”

Patrons at an adjacent table were glancing at her with concern. She didn’t notice.

“But… mmh, I know what you really mean. And I think it depends,” she said, leaning back and smirking at nothing in particular. “You like to run and climb and find stuff like I do. We’d make maps, we’d look out for each other, we’d fight together, we’d fight each other… we’d do stuff we do now. There’s still so much of my world that’s yet to be properly mapped, and it’s tough getting around...” Astrid eyed her friend, eyed her frame (was Brisa always this built?) and stewed. “I think having a strong, empathetic friend like you around would help me get farther into those lands than I’ve ever been able to, and farther at other stuff too.” Like being happier. That was a start. “But. You’d have to promise to let me explore your world too. Common multiverse courtesy.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa beamed at Astrid's candour, and enthusiasm. Yeah, right now, she felt like they could take on Pop. And why not try?

"You know I'd fuckin' love that, partner," she drawled. "Always fancied myself an explorer when I was a kid, an' you'd be one hell of a companion fer that. Or fer anythin' – yer somethin' real special, Astrid. The way you describe it sounds downright perfect. Ain't too late to start, neither."

She offered a forkful of brisket to Astrid, and grinned. "Never too late fer much, if'n you ask me. ...Even though we don't have long t'go now, I want you t'know I still got feelings fer ya, Astrid. You can do what y'like with those words, an' I'll respect it, but you oughta at least know."

Brisa smiled warmly at Astrid's expression as her cocktail-soaked brain tried processing what had just been said.

"Didn't you know?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck and chuckling.

 

[TheGOAT]

She accepted. which she was now convinced was real and part of a mass-conspiracy to cover up for the fact that nothing could possible be fake and taste this good, melted in her mouth, washed down by another drink.

“Yeah,” she said, burping a little and immediately covering her face. “—mm, I mean, I… I knew. It isn’t that I didn’t know, it’s just…” she stopped and sighed, and then laughed a little bit. Exploring this side of herself was strangely fun, even if it meant admitting hard truths. “Ahh, I just didn’t know what to do. And, y’know, I envy your conviction. I—I admire your conviction, it’s just, this whole adventure’s barely given me time to think about these things.”

A lie. She’d had way too much time to think.

“I’ve spent so much of my life trying to fly under the radar. First it was leaving my birthplace, but when I got to the Expedition Society, it’s not really like that changed. And after a while it started to rub off on me, I guess. I’m not used to being sought after. A-and everything that entails…”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Hmmph." Brisa gave Astrid a crooked grin and levelled a claw at her. "Yer worth anyone's time, darlin'. I hope you remember that much when y'get home. So don't let anyone grind ya down, y'hear? Or I'll find a way t'cross over yer way an' knock some heads t'gether."

It was more relief, than angst, that Brisa felt in her chest. Astrid knew, and she wasn't reciprocating, no . . . but she was happy in Brisa's company, and she cared. Of course she cared. If Astrid wasn't ready to tackle feelings like that, then Brisa would continue to enjoy the closeness and affection they had as friends. How could something that special be a disappointment?

Her smile softened, and she scratched her cheek fur absentmindedly. "I get what y'mean, though. Fer a while, I figured I'd keep t'myself an' to trainin', here. Took some drama t'get me outta that headspace, an' other drama to damn near make me reconsider. Despite all the trouble an' strife we've been through, I gotta say though..."

Brisa raised her glass to her companion. "It's been more'n worth it. In no small part down t'you."

 

[TheGOAT]

“Thanks,” she said with a stunned shrug. The dopamine and alcohol had left her feeling lightheaded. “Gee, that’s about the best compliment anyones could’ve asked for, ahaha, ehehee…”

She was slipping down the hole, how many drinks in? Five, she was drinking her fifth, and now it was gone. For once, she forced herself to focus on her food and give herself something to balance it out.

“Eheh… I don’t think I’m gonna be fully healthy for this colosseum thing. But we’ll still have some time after that to heal up and stuff.” She shot Brisa an unsteady, yet pointedly wry grin. “What do you think we should do with that time?”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa waved a paw dismissively. "Ah, we'll be fine. We beat the other Tao dragons on our first try! An' we're stronger'n ever~ But yeah, maybe after the throwdown with the Miracle folks."

She considered their spare time, and Astrid's grin. It was a good question! And a few strong whiskey cocktails down the hatch were shifting her ideas from low-key fluff like 'take a long walk together' and practical concerns like 'get some team training in' to stuff that was causing her ears to heat up before she'd even finished thinking it.

"Any time with you is good," she mumbled, hiding in her drink for a second. "Y'have somethin' in mind, partner?"

 

[TheGOAT]

“Not really,” Astrid admitted. “I don’t plan to start thinking about the future that hard. Maybe figuring it out as we go isn’t so bad.”

Oh, but at some point, it would fail. They’d have to leave, they’d cling to their hope for the future, and then submit themselves to it. She wouldn’t be ready. Knowing that, Astrid cupped her chin with her drink and let the excuses flow. It doesn’t matter, she thought, reflecting on Soda, because that’s just life. It was tomorrow’s problem. Team Spectrum worried about today’s problems.

Astrid shrunk a little when glancing down at the table. At some point between their meal sharing, they’d practically split them evenly. But Brisa looked happy, and the renewed warmness that Astrid felt left her wondering why she’d been concerned in the first place.

Finished, Astrid stood up and wobbled. She leaned on the stall for support and shot Brisa a toothy grin that carried up to her eyes. “Wanna climb that tree in the park again? Wait, no, we’d never make it up… well, maybe to a lower branch. I dunno. Far enough to relax for a bit, talk about this colosseum fight and stuff.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I could stand t'figure out more shit as I go," replied Brisa, feeling a strange mix of peace and excitement. "I thought we'd have desserts, but y'know what, headin' to that tree sounds perfect right about now. The night air'll be just how I like it this time of night. Maybe no racin' each other there this time, though~"

She caught the attention of the waitstaff and asked for the bill, and with a smile to Astrid, she made her departure. The other patrons... She'd hardly looked at or listened to them all evening, she realised. How about that. She'd actually had a good time instead of fussing terribly over how respectable folk would perceive her. She shouldn't be so surprised. Astrid held her attention pretty damn well, after all.

As they stepped outside and into a windchill that neither of them minded, Brisa thought back for the dozenth time on the history between the two of them. Of how long it had taken her to realise Astrid was special. Of how Astrid had thought her brash and careless at first. On how much she would miss her friend.

"Real proud of ya," she mumbled into the wind. Then, choking up a little, she lightly tapped the ninetales' shoulder instead, paw flickering with radiance.

I'm proud of both of us.

She didn't wait for an answer. Brisa just grinned, and loped off in the direction of Sundae Park, knowing Astrid would be beside her. And as long as that held true, she'd be more than fine.

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