Prince of Fire Emblem: Calm Before the Storm

[volleygenius]

The sunset that bounced light off the fire opal of Lissa's ring has long disappeared, overtaken by the melancholy night. A cool breeze prefaces the mass of storm clouds on the horizon, steadily rolling towards the castle and swallowing the stars. Bunta exhales into a gum bubble as he gazes at the moon from his recline against the roof of the Kuwahara inn. A lot happened today.

"Hey," he prompts his companion. "Today's meeting... What did you make of it?"

It's deliberately an open question. Jackal has always complemented him so well, strong where he was weak. Picking up the ball wherever Bunta happened to drop it. That meeting had a lot to unpack in it. For all that Bunta saw and responded to in it, there would be just as many things Jackal saw and reacted to, and with only partial overlap. It would be good to get his perspective of things.

Comments

[volleygenius]

Bunta frowns, nonplussed.

"What do you mean?"

[senselessness]

"I mean I think we were played," Jackal said, calm, but with anger starting to thread in between his words. "Mizuki and his miracle cure is... is where the change started, right? He was different while he was sick, but not the way he is now. He was angry, but he wasn't..."

He was running out of words, he thought ruefully. Or he just didn't want to put any to the guilt he was starting to feel. Because their job had been to give Yukimura the information he needed to make the decision soundly, and they'd failed.

"His anger made sense, there were reasons for it. There's no reason for him to be so... careless with us and the princess. What's... what is it that he's struggling with? What's... imprisoning him?"

[volleygenius]

What Jackal said made sense. Bunta, admittedly, had never really concerned himself with understanding the past, even for a subject as important as Yukimura. Jackal's ability to take a bunch of background observations and facts and weave them into a cohesive explanation was pretty cool.

The questions it was raising, though, those were a distraction as far as Bunta was concerned. Reaching out, he plants a companionable, steadying hand on Jackal's shoulder.

"Well, what we should focus on is what we can do about it. Let's leave the diagnosis to Yanagi. What's our strength? How can we support him? That's the question we should answer."

[senselessness]

He smiles in spite of everything. Part of him feels guilty for it, but he feels like he can deal with this happening to Yukimura better than he could with Bunta-- if it only because it meant Bunta was on his side to do it with him.

"Those are questions I should be asking you. You're the one he's giving new responsibilities to."

[volleygenius]

Bunta smiles back.

"I already know what I'm doing, though."

[senselessness]

"I don't think I'll know what I need to do until it's time do it," he said honestly. "Or until I see what you do first."

[volleygenius]

"No need to wait that long. I'm right here," he jokes.

The air doesn't last. Remembering the promise he made, and what it meant, is bittersweet. It's a loss of its own flavor to displace Yukimura from his status as Bunta's Most Important Person, and that change is one he's still working through. Grief isn't regret, though, and his conviction that this is the right choice, true both to Yukimura's wishes and to his own values, keeps his expression steady and his voice confident.

Subconsciously, his fingertips gently curl against the firm muscle in Jackal's shoulder anyway.

"I'm gonna do this properly, Jackal. Being a fiancé."

[senselessness]

Jackal looks at him over the same shoulder, almost contemplative.

"Neither the princess nor the king deserve less," he said, still a little confused. "I mean, are you going to act like you're really in love with her? Does she know that?"

[volleygenius]

As expected of Jackal, he gets it.

"No, I don't think there's going to be any confusion about that. But..."

Awkwardness stops him from finishing that sentence. His smile relaxes, and becomes a little wistful.

"Well, in all likelihood it won't change anything. Yukimura-kun already looks out for her more than anyone. I'm just the failsafe, right?"

[senselessness]

"Yukimura has no weaknesses, and no need of failsafes," Jackal corrected. "If he gave you a task, it's because he had perfect faith in you."

[volleygenius]

Under normal circumstances, Marui would agree with that assessment of Yukimura 100%. Even now, to argue with it felt like a kind of heresy.

So he doesn't. He meets Jackal's eyes and lets his grin grow back to its usual wild confidence.

"As he should."