Oops. My Bad?

Tipping Point
Xavier was on uneven ground.

It was a familiar feeling, unfortunately. He’d been here back on Rhaegar, as his empire was crumbling and the revolution was bearing down on him. If he was being honest with himself, he was even unsteady before that. He’d never really found a solid foundation to stand upon and sort himself out after his father has been killed and he’d just been going through the motions since then. Once he’d come to Earthland, once he had been removed from his past, he had found clarity. He understood his mistakes and sought to make something better of himself. And then Bast had stepped in and offered him an even greater purpose, one he could truly use to do right by himself, his people and the man he was sure his father would be proud of.

But with every step he felt was in the right direction, he always seemed to find a fumbling spot. His ‘affair’ with Mercury hadn’t weighed too heavily on his mind, if only because Saffron and he hadn’t established any official lines. And he had presumed that she was still hooking up with Cedric as well, since she’d never explicitly stated otherwise. The only thing he’d felt semi-concerned about was the fact that she was Vandrad’s fiancé and attempts to rectify their utterly devastated relationship probably wouldn’t start well with banging his future bride. Yet she had stated it wasn’t a big deal and Saffron had later confirmed that Mercury got around pretty regularly. But in that same admission came a devastating rule that she had put in place for herself in concern to her relationships; they couldn’t have slept with Mercury.

And he had. It was supposed to not have any meaning and now it was an added weight onto the constant emotional, moral balance he played within himself. Of course revealing he had in front of everyone would have been awful, for both himself and Saffron. Yet he wasn’t able of really finding a time to go and tell her the truth, what with her sister in town and her wanting to get as much out of that as possible. It was a blessing and a curse; he couldn’t upheave the weight of his guilt off his chest but it also gave him time to think. Suddenly the weight of the universe didn’t seem to matter as much to him as finding a way to keep the woman he was swiftly starting to believe he may be falling for.

Bast, of course, didn’t approve of that. While she sympathized with him as much as a detached immortal being could, she insisted that the role he was meant to play mattered far greater than his relationship turmoil. He’d gotten so agitated by it that he had started ignoring her attempts to communicate with him and after a few tries, she simply left him alone. She hadn’t removed her blessing from him but there was a separation there that he could feel. Like a mother waiting for her child to realize their mistake and come apologize. Ironically, one of the things he believed was that perhaps Vandrad was the answer. Maybe going to talk to him, as Mercury had suggested, would help him figure out the best way to approach his mission and figure out a means to rectify things with Saffron when it all, inevitably, came crashing down. Mercury had told him that he would most likely be blunt without much compassion but he was always willing to listen.

He was just in the middle of trying to work up the gumption to do just that when he’d received a letter. Xavier was used to fan mail at that point and almost dismissed it as such until something told him to open it. A gut feeling really. And when he did, he found a note addressed to him from Aeron, the woman he had basically been courting up until New Year’s. They’d had a few good times together and had connected but after one kiss, she had fled and he’d heard nothing from her since. He hadn’t made any attempts on his end, mostly because how was one supposed to react when a kiss resulted in a hasty escape? He felt she needed time, as she was clearly not as ingrained in society as he or many others were. She said as much in her letter, stating that her anxiousness had gotten the best of her and her fight-or-flight response had hastily chosen the latter. Work had kept her busy enough that she hadn’t really had time to contact him, nearly a year after they had first met. But she was hoping to catch up.

He responded immediately. He needed someone neutral, someone separated from the whole of the group that he could just be casual with, without the fear of feeling like other eyes were staring from over her shoulder. Despite everything, they had been friendly and he liked to consider them friends and there was nothing he needed more than a friendly face at that moment. They agreed to a time and place and as such, a get together was set. He made his way to Oak Town, dressed for the approaching fall. A white overjacket covered a plain gray t-shirt and faded blue jeans. He’d put on a pair of large sunglasses, in hopes that he could avoid attracting fans from running up and interrupting them.

Once he got there, he only had to look around for a moment before he spotted her in the corner. He walked up and gave her a small wave. “Hey,” he said simply as she sat down on the opposite bench, glancing around briefly to make sure no one had made him before he took off his sunglasses. Luckily his position kept people from seeing his face unless they were directly walking up to the table. “Been some time. Thought about bringin’ some of those singing candies again, what with Halloween only two months ago,” he joked briefly, giving her a small smile. “You look good.”

Tipping Point
He had apparently caught her by surprise when he greeted her, the Rune Knight jumping just a bit as he sat down. She had been focused on her iLac screen, intent on something that had seemingly been frustrating her but also holding all of her attention. But once he was there, she put it away hastily, only giving him a curious look once he had surveyed the area and removed his glasses and relaxed a little. He playfully teased her about the candies that had once mortified her to her bones and it took her a moment to remember before she smiled and insisted that she’d rather bypass that. The waiter dropped back by to ask if he needed anything. "Uhh… water right now, thanks,” he said, giving the woman a nod before she departed.

Aeron initiated the next part of the conversation, stating that she had been happy to hear from him, since she’d apparently expected not to. She once more apologized for the way she had ‘avoided’ him, stating that she had lost track of time. He gave her a gentle wave. "S’all good, honestly. I know how that can get. Trust me, I wasn’t offended. Besides, with the state that the world is in, it’s not surprisin’ that you would be busy. But I’m glad you reached out; I wasn’t sure when a good time for me to reach out was, y’know? Figured it was best to just… leave the ball in your court.” Granted, time didn’t mean as much to him as it did her; he’d already lived for nearly two centuries at that point.

She asked how he’d been and how she had heard a lot of things about his guild. He chuckled. "Yeah, been gettin’ a lot of exposure lately. We have a lot of members and clients and we’re expanding everyday. It feels good to give a safe place for artists to rely on, y’know? But me? Just runnin’ that business, as well as bein’ in my own band. You remember the song I showed you? We managed to put out an EP a little while back and we’re workin on our debut album. But we’ve been gettin’ gigs left and right; just had a pretty big one in Crocus.” And was, ironically, the night most things had changed for him.

"Other than that, I’ve been… good. Sorry about the shadow game; fans tend to crowd me if I get noticed and I kinda just wanted to be able to have a sit down with a friend without being bothered, y’know?” he said, giving her a soft smile before the waiter came back with his water. "So how’s the Rune Knights treatin’ you? And how’s things goin’ with Mythal?”

Tipping Point
Aeron commended him for the progress his band had been making, stating that while she didn’t listen to music, she would be willing to give it a try when it came out. She even suggested that she might be willing to go to a concert, so long as she didn’t have any anxiety over the matter. "Yeah, I’ll let you know when it comes out. And I’ll do you one better; we don’t play the super large crowds but there are a few that have some VIP areas. I’ll hook you up if you decide to come. It’ll mean less people around so maybe that’ll help?” There were a few concerts coming up that he could probably swing that with, if she was up for it. They weren’t quite big enough to be playing to larger arenas but there were definitely some that had reserved areas.

He turned the questions back around to her, asking about how she had been doing and how Mythal had been. It had been a playful remark, given her clear and evident appreciation of the Rune Knight leader. She fidgeted a bit, admitting that he was good and was even busier than she had been. Understandable, given the situation in Ishgar. She mentioned a big fight, the second time that he’d heard about such a thing. Was it the same fight that Saffron had been a part of? It seemed that there were a lot more levels to that mission than even he understood. She seemed content to leave it there and he saw no reason to tease her any further, if only not to seem unnecessarily cruel. So she continued, talking about the Rune Knights and her time with them. It kept her busy, that much she attested to. She was tired all day but she felt good about being part of them. Other members of the Knights attempted to break through her shell and she admitted they were wearing her down over time, mostly because she was letting them. There had been some tension with her joining but it seemed most of them were coming around to her over time.

"I’m glad to hear that. It sounds like a lot of work but… I’m happy to hear you’re lettin’ people in. I know that probably ain’t easy but it’s good for you in the long run,” he said, offering a little bit of his own advice. "And you’ll earn their trust, I just know it. You gotta lot to offer.” It was true that he didn’t know a hell of a lot about Aeron but he was going with his gut on this one, as unsettled as it was.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, stating that she had gotten her magic back. She showed the closest thing to excited he had seen from her as she clarified that it was a kind of magic, different from what she had before but she was content with that. It gave her the chance to start fresh and though it had materialized in a time of need and requiring some old , unsavory tactics that she didn’t detail, she had still brought it forth. She showed him a prime example, summoning a cloud of darkness that settled over her hand. She admitted it had taken some time to wield properly but Mythal had an affinity for it so he’d helped her control it. It was still in its infant stages of development but… "Only way is up,” he said thoughtfully, nodding and smiling. "I’m happy for you, for real. I know what it’s like, to have everyone around you usin’ magic and you ain’t. It’s… not fun. But you worked and clawed your way to gettin’ it and though you said it took some tricks you didn’t like, as you said, the results paid off right?”

Right. The results had paid off for tricks that weren’t exactly the cleanest, or so he assumed. His brow furrowed slightly in his own inner thought before he spoke up again. "Aeron, can I…?” he started, his eyes flitting between her’s. After a moment, he shook his head and scoffed at himself. "Nah, never mind. Just got some shit in my head. I shouldn’t be letting it get to me. But for real, that’s awesome. Much flashier than mine; I can just use music to make myself or other people stronger.”

Tipping Point
Xavier, of course, wanted to encourage Aeron’s growth. He could already tell, just from the way she talked, that she felt more comfortable in her skin than the last time they saw one another. Granted, she had been dolled up and at a party that she didn’t really know how to adjust to. But she seemed settled into herself, no doubt feeling better now that she had her magic back. She admitted it wasn’t easy to open up to other people but it wasn’t as difficult as she had imagined and she stated that he might have helped with it. She blushed and corrected herself, stating that interacting with him during the Halloween party and then agreeing to see him again had done leaps and bounds for her bravery and comfortability with the world. She hadn’t run into any issues, simply ran away from him after her first kiss. He chuckled through a smile. "Well I’m glad I was able to help by just bein’ there then. It feels good to know I helped, even if its in some little way as that. And you’ve been growin’ and growin’ since then. Who knows, maybe you’ll wind up a party animal someday?” he joked.

He’d made a connection between her experience regaining her magic and the one he was currently wrestling with and she admitted that no one important had gotten hurt. Something had been trying to kill her and Mythal but that was the only thing that suffered any kind of injury and that’s all that mattered in the long run. He was a bit moved by her words and he began to open up before his better self pulled him back down. What could he even say? What kind of advice or anything could he expect Aeron or really anyone to provide that would pave a path for him? Or make it easier? So he circled back to her magic, comparing it to his own, to which she said his sounded useful. As she put it, she preferred less flashy kinds of magic. Her former one was an attention getter, allowing her to become horrifying monsters on par with awful nightmares. It helped keep her alive during the bad times but she’d never really enjoyed it. She could still transform but it was more aesthetic now than anything else, a silly cosmetic trick she could pull off if she really, truly needed it. In comparison, the darkness magic was much more her style and speed and she felt at ease with it.


"It’s important to have a power that you’re comfortable with, y’know? Otherwise, you’d never really know how to wield it right.” His champion outfit was something he’d had to get used to but once he had got it down, it felt as comfortable as his own skin. Same with his music magic. If someone had something forced on them, then it wouldn’t have felt right… right? He sat back in his booth and lifted up his glass to take a sip. But just as the water touched his lips, she spoke up, hesitantly asking him if he was okay. His eyes lifted up to look at her as she pushed herself forward, stating that he could talk to her if he wanted, about whatever he was going through. She didn’t think she could offer much help but she was willing to listen if he wanted.

It was a big step from her, he understood that. The Aeron he had met wouldn’t have been as forward as this, more comfortable in silence than anything else. But she clearly wanted to be more open to listening to people, helping them with their issues. It was commendable, admirable even. He gently lowered his glass and scoffed amusingly. "Not doin’ a great job of hidin’ it, am I?” he asked ruefully, still holding the glass despite it being flat on the table. "I’ve been caught between what I think is right and what I know is right. I need to do something, sooner rather than later. Something that would help a lot of people. But in doin’ so, I’ll be revealing some lies that I’ve told and will hurt people too. Not… physically but just… you know, in their hearts. And though I know I should do it without question, I don’t want to move into the place where I hurt those people. Man, if my pops could see me now…” he looked away. She’d been treated to a mutated version of his memory of his father and it seemed he had never quite shaken the words that the image had spoken to him. In fact, it almost seemed like he was living them fully at that moment.

"I know lyin’ ain’t great and I really wish I coulda gone without it. But I didn’t have much of a choice. I should be relieved that I’m gettin’ a chance to do things right and finally tell the truth but… I dunno, maybe I’m just a coward. Scared of havin’ to deal with the hard things that’re comin’.”

Tipping Point
It was not easy opening up about the issues that were bothering him, even if he had only done it a little bit and without much detail. The last thing he wanted to do was burden her with his truths, forcing her to make a decision on whether to keep his secrets or tell her friends. Plus, and more selfishly than he cared to admit, he didn’t want it to get out beyond his control. He liked Aeron and trusted her to a point… but the weight of his honesty would be too much to keep in. He couldn’t ask her to do it. Yet it was clear he needed something and if she was offering to be an ear for at least some of his stress, he could hardly say no.

She admitted that she understood, staring down at her glass. She had been afraid her entire life of most everything. She had been forced to do things that weren’t great, things she wasn’t proud of, just to stay alive but even then, she couldn’t lie and say that she hadn’t enjoyed it a little bit, when she had been part of someone else. She even went out of her way to do a veritable list of terrible things, a list in par with what Xavier had been known for while God-King of Rhaegar, save for a handful of things. Her and Thana had been part of the same soul and she said that it would have been easier to say it was just Thana who had done those things but she understood that there was a part of her that had and had enjoyed it.

And because of that, it had taken a long time for her to finally ask about being a Rune Knight. She figured given her past and affiliation, she would be turned down immediately, even with a friend leading the organization. She understood the lunacy that came from handing responsibility and authority to someone who had blatantly ignored and abused it before and yet she still had. She knew she’d be treated differently, as she was, because no matter what she said or did, her past was still a part of her and it always would be. She knew she couldn’t fix the mistakes she had made but she had learned that she could do everything in her power to make sure she never strayed again. Mythal and Serilda had wisely told her that fixating on the past wouldn’t help her move forward. She had to understand who she was and decide who she wanted to be without fear, without concern and without giving into those worries that could bog a person down. Doing so would paralyze her without control and any opportunity to do what was right would slip between her fingers.

It was remarkably succinct and he stared at her almost in wonder. She had identified so many things that he hadn’t even put into full detail and spoke from a place of understanding. Sure, it didn’t provide a clear cut answer to what he needed -- advice very rarely was as black and white with him. But there was no denying that she had cut through the bullshit and gotten to the heart of his pause, addressed the issues that he was weighing and unsure how to balance out. Her eyes met his as she remarked about how unsure she was that it helped, understanding that it could be more confusing than anything else. But at the heart of the point was that she believed that if she could be forgiven for her acts, then he could be forgiven for anything he had done and would do. The people worth keeping around would forgive him after some time and if they didn’t, then it was just time they parted ways. It was a bit soul crushing, understanding that he had to accept that he may not be forgiven… but she was right. And hearing it from her made him understand it better in his heart. What she did make sure he understood was that no matter what happened, she would still be there.

He smiled softly. "Give yourself some credit, Aeron. I like to think we’re friends. And… I appreciate that. Really, I do.” He wasn’t sure if that would hold true once everything came to light, depending on how close she was with the likes of Vandrad and Saffron. But just hearing her say it made him feel at ease, a cherry on top of the metaphorical sundae she had provided him.

She was right. Being afraid of doing what needed to be done wasn’t going to help anyone. And while it hurt to think that Saffron would be furious with him once he was revealed, he knew that his mission, in the long run, meant that she would be safe. He could hope that she would forgive him but if not, the very least he could say was that he did everything he could to protect her no matter what. And he would be doing right by his family, his people and the galaxy as a whole. He let out a gentle sigh. "Look at you, talking comfortably and offering advice. Long way from the girl that ran out on New Year’s,” he said, opting to slip back into a slightly teasing mood.

Within, he unlatched the barrier between himself and Bast. Immediately he was back in the Dreadlands, looking out at the barren wasteland once more. He already knew she was behind him as he let out a sigh. "A’ight,” he said softly.

“You are ready to do what needs to be done and save your world?” She asked, her tone firm but not sharp.

He nodded. "I am. Let’s get this Ulthar bastard out of Vandrad and save him, my people and everyone else. And in the end, I can thank Aeron for giving me the courage to face my fears.”