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year 5, quarter 3
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Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The man’s eye widened in fear. Celes couldn’t help a cautious curiosity even as she kept her stance strong, her gaze unwavering. She’d expected some surprise or maybe even a hint of intimidation, but something about his reaction felt wrong. No, in that instant he wasn’t afraid, he was terrified.
Was it her sword? The confrontation in general? Celes didn’t know, but the man looked strangely childish as he touched reflexively at the back of his neck, fingers trembling, red eyes wide. Celes couldn’t help but soften her look, to pull back instinctively and wonder if she could help.
That was her first mistake.
As soon as she showed a sign of weakness, his face twisted. No longer vulnerable but sneering like a cornered animal. Celes blinked her surprise, steadying her sword again, but before she could say anything another voice echoed from behind her. A distinctly prideful muttering. Celes felt her mouth open, felt time slow as she wondered why, why, why would the priest continue? as the man’s expression morphed once again. No longer seething, but murderous.
Then came the darkness.
Celes shuddered at the unfamiliar magic. It seeped between them like caustic gas, and she couldn’t help but flinch even before it took form. He gathered it to his hand where it swirled so thick that his gun disappeared behind it. For that briefest of moments he looked again like a child at the edge of a cliff before he turned and let an entire doorway of darkness overtake him. Celes couldn’t help a cry of warning, a raise of her hand even as she hesitated to touch it. ”Don’t-!” she started, but then he was gone into that nebulous magic that boded only of a slow, corrosive death.
With him gone, the magic dissipated and Celes was left blinking at the space he’d once occupied. Her blood chilled with the implication and a foreboding that she couldn’t entirely understand. And in fact she didn’t understand until she heard the wild screams behind her.
The man hadn’t disappeared but rather teleported past her entirely. She saw the priest stumble away, heard the dual cries of both fear and anguish before the man had full-body tackled the old man straight off his feet. Celes could only watch in horror as the priest’s head cracked against the pavement and the man struck him once then twice then grabbed his neck, screaming about gods in a way that could only be called deranged.
For a moment, Celes could only gape at the shock of it all. Then her thoughts caught up to her and she held up her sword uncertainly. Should she stab him? It felt too extreme even to stop a hot-blooded murder, and she’d already learned the hard way that stabbing a dangerous madman didn’t exactly end well. What about magic then? But none of her spells could strike with enough pinpoint precision to target only him. She’d do more damage to the priest than his attacker ever could, but she was running out of time. The priest garbled for help, veins bulging, eyes ready to pop out of his skull, and everyone else had scattered at the first sight of that dark, incomprehensible power and the man who wielded it.
Celes cursed. She'd have to improvise.
She moved on instinct, thrusting her sword in its sheathe as she dashed towards them, her blood hot with magic. Power sparked at her palm, and by the time she reached them, it crackled with electricity from a spell she hadn’t yet completed. She grabbed his shoulder then shoved her hand hard into his chest, using her momentum and the electric shock to loosen his grip and send them both flying backwards until the man slammed into the ground and she landed on top of him, quickly straddling him at the waist and pinning him with a sharp grip on his shoulder and her sparking magic at his neck. Behind her, she heard the priest cry out in ragged convulsions, but so long as she’d merely stunned him she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her vision narrowed, and at that moment, there was only her and the wraith-like man beneath her.
”Enough,” she said again, harder this time. She gathered every last ounce of authority within her, jaw set, eyes boring into him. Practiced instinct welled inside her, unwavering and deadly. ”You’re going to calm down.” Her voice came low and cold. ”We’re going to leave and you’re not going to touch anyone again. Do you understand?”
A crowd had formed around them, distant and horrified. She wanted to snap at them that he was still dangerous, that lingering would only make her job harder, but she refused to relent from him for even a second. Somehow, she knew that even a second of weakness would end in disaster.
And so she waited, silent and unyielding, for his response. When lives were on the line, she would not be the one that backed down.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes’ stomach turned with guilt at Caius’ rebuttals, but there wasn’t time to get into it now. As it was, Caius wasn’t wrong exactly and she certainly didn’t want to fight with him, but the facts of the matter couldn’t be denied. He’d acted carelessly, and Celes refused to abide by that even in someone she trusted. Especially in someone she trusted, in fact. Caius had nearly gotten them both burned, and if she hadn’t acted as quickly as she had, it could have been serious. No matter what his intentions, no matter what the situation, she’d needed to pound reality into his head.
But of course he hadn’t seen that. Perhaps she shouldn’t have spoken so sharply with him. Even as they started up the mountain, she couldn’t help but bite her lip at the thought of it. There went her bladed tongue again. The adrenaline had influenced her, she supposed. The sheer life or death instinct of it all. She’d never done well at keeping her temper in check.
She’d have to apologize to him. The urge welled inside her just as strongly as the shame that kept her away. Instead, she kept her eyes to the path. In this weather, one moment’s distraction could mean straying from the path entirely which could end in death or at least a detour they couldn’t afford. She tried to keep her focus ahead, but still, she couldn’t help the thoughts that echoed in circles through her head.
Had she been too harsh? What did he think of her now? Why hadn’t she given him the benefit of the doubt? Had she upset him? Had she-?
”So."
The word came so suddenly that Celes jumped. When had the emperor approached her? From his casual stance, he likely hadn’t been subtle. She'd lost her focus.
"If you'll permit me to speak, where did you acquire your companion?"
Celes felt herself bristle. There wasn’t anything substantially wrong with what he said, but rather how he said it. He’d lingered on the first part, nearly spitting it like a snake. Then there was that implication that she hadn’t been “cordial” and his laugh. Celes tensed, eyes flaring, before she took a long breath and tried to let it go. If she was going to lecture him on the importance of keeping the peace then she’d be a hypocrite to break it herself. Even if he deserved every word that waited on the tip of her tongue.
Before she could think of a neutral answer, they were stalled by a familiar noise that came far too close. Celes spun around on her heel to face snarling beside them. Celes could have laughed at it. Just a wolf. She glanced to Caius, nodded, and unsheathed her sword. She didn’t need to say any more.
But before she could make her move, the emperor had stepped forward. Celes stared at him incredulously, gaping at his arrogant stride. ”What are you-? Get back!” She shot Caius another look before cursing and sheathing her sword again, grabbing at the emperor and hoping Caius would take care of the wolf before things got ugly. It was only then that she noticed the man’s outstretched hand or the sudden static in the air.
Was that…magic?
It didn’t come quickly and it didn’t come easily but it came nonetheless -- buzzing around his hand until it formed a ball of light. The emperor’s expression hardened and the power shot from his hand, piercing through the wolf with an electric snap. The wolf convulsed with power, sparking and twitching, until it finally gave its last whine and slumped to the side. Celes stared at it. Then she stared at him.
For a moment, the emperor just stood, a look of self-satisfaction on his face before he shook the magic from his hand. ”Now then, I believe you were about to entertain me with a story?”
Celes gaped at him. For several long seconds she could do nothing else. Then her mind caught up to her and her gaze turned incredulous. ”Since when could you do that?” She rounded on him again, all notions of keeping the peace gone. This needed to be dealt with and needed to be dealt with now.
”Do you think this is a game? Why didn’t you tell us you could protect yourself? If we’re working together that’s something you might have thought to bring up!”
More words flared within her, but she muffled them with nothing but sheer willpower alone. No, all the chiding in the world wouldn’t get through to him. The man seemed legitimately incapable of realizing his own mistakes. Instead she let out a short breath through her nose and brought her anger to a simmer.
”What can you do? If we’re going to continue then we should know. Fighting is nothing but teamwork, and we’ll just make mistakes if we’re in the dark. I can cast spells, manage a sword, and absorb magic. And he.” She gestured to Caius. ”Can warp through space and infuse elements into his blade.”
She shot the emperor a sharp look, head tilted slightly. ”So what about you? We don’t need any surprises when our lives are on the line.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Another day, another mission.
Celes sighed as she leaned against one of the many weathered arches that littered the ruins like trees in an open plain. She’d accepted a job escorting some kind of priest between Torensten and the Crystalus Divider though she never really learned what he followed or what he’d been doing in the city to begin with. It didn’t matter to her so long as he didn’t plan on hurting anyone, but it was still tedious work that could have fallen to anyone so long as a behemoth didn’t wander into the road. And it hadn’t. At worst, she’d killed a few wolves before they could take more than three steps towards them, but she supposed it could have been worse.
At least the priest had more or less kept to himself. And at least she was getting paid for this.
He’d said that he needed to “convene with the others” to gather her payment, and after nearly a quarter of an hour, Celes wondered if she should barge in and make certain she hadn’t been scammed. Still, there was a certain peace to this place that kept her at ease. Perhaps it was the hushed silence or the light wind that swept pleasantly across the grass or maybe it was the faintly magical aura that pulsed from this place in warm currents.
She’d give them another ten minutes. After that, she made no promises.
Before the ten minutes had passed, shouting jarred her from her idle boredom. The silence had been so pronounced that it nearly startled her as she blinked and looked over just like everyone else in a forty foot radius. It had come from a priest, it looked like, yelling at someone over “disrespecting holy ground.” It was enough to almost make her eyes roll, and it seemed like the perpetrator wouldn’t take it either.
To say this displeased the priest was an understatement. The man turned red with anger, shouting at the top of his lungs about blasphemy. Celes felt her eyes sharpen as she straightened and started towards him. Whatever the man had done, that reaction was absolutely uncalled for. She planned to give the priest a piece of her mind, but she’d hardly made it halfway to them before an odd feeling stilled her.
Was that...magic?
For the first time, Celes really looked at the victim of the priest’s ire. He was a dark man with wild black hair dressed in a way that could only mean he wasn’t native. That alone should have given her pause, but it was his expression that really stunned her. It gave off a feral aura and a malicious one at that, the kind of look that should have sent anyone with better sense than the priest running. The man laughed loudly with a kind of wild abandon that set every one of her instincts on edge.
This man was going to attack. She knew it even before he stated as much. Her shoulders were already tense, her stance grounded, and in an instant she’d leapt forward, grabbing at the priest’s shoulder and shoving him hard behind her. He gave her a cry of protest as she drew her sword, but she didn’t pay the priest any mind. She only had eyes for the man in front of her.
”Enough.” Her general’s voice overtook her with a direct kind of authority that would have frozen her soldiers into place. ”He’s left you alone so stop this.” Still, her instincts hummed with warning. He wouldn’t listen to her or it wasn’t likely at least, not after that crazed laugh. She shoved the priest back further without look at him.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius grinned at her. ”Cel, what fun is it without a bit of challenge?"
”Cel?” She couldn’t help a startled laugh. ”Since when have you called me that?”
Caius lifted the map, studying it carefully. Celes let her hip drop to the side as she waited, gaze drifting to the emperor. The man was too busy watching Caius to notice her, and Celes’ eyes narrowed as she questioned why. Did he have someone in mind for him? Had he noticed something that Celes had missed? What was he-?
”Aaaah....”
Celes glanced at the sound in alarm, blinking twice as she spotted a tiny, reptilian head thrusting itself from Caius’ jacket. It opened its mouth, head rearing back. Celes’ eyes widened. She realized what was about to happen only a second before it did.
”Shell!” She thrust out her hand, directing it towards the emperor rather than herself as she ducked to the side, rolling in the snow as the fireball hit where she’d been standing only moments before. The heat seared past her up upper arm, but she’d already dodged its main trajectory and righted herself on the ice, kneeling there with her hands on the ground.
Had the dragon just sneezed?
Apparently the emperor’s reflexes were honed enough to dodge, at least. He raised himself up again, robes entirely packed with snow. He stood, eyes scanning for the fire’s source. They caught on Vordun and narrowed.
”If one wants to own a pet, it's best if the person knows how to tame their beast." His laugh was harsh and disbelieving. ”If you'll muzzle the creature, we shall be on our way.”
Celes couldn’t help an incredulous stare. Somehow, miraculously, she agreed with him about something.
”No. No, we need to sort this out right now. Between the two of you, I swear! It’s like babysitting children!”
She shot the emperor a sharp look. ”You need to get your attitude under control. I know I’m not exactly the easiest to get along with, but once we’re on that path we’ll all need to work together without a second’s hesitation and certainly without your little quips. Don’t forget we’re doing you a favor bringing you along with us. Somehow I doubt you’ve ever braved anything as harsh as those slopes, and it’s not just monsters up there. We know how to survive so it’s best that you don’t drive us up a wall.”
”And you!” She rounded on Caius. ”That dragon could have just burned both of us before we’ve even started! I let it slide because I trust you, but wasn’t there anyone you could have left him with? Can that dragon even survive in this weather? We could be up there for days and it’s already sick! Surely you could have left instructions for someone and let them watch him until we got back!”
Celes let out a short breath, her nostrils flaring. The fire in her hands had extinguished as soon as she’d cast her spell so there was nothing to stop her from snatching the map away and taking the lead. ”He is right about one thing though.” Celes shot Caius a pointed look as she turned towards the mountain. ”If Vordun’s going to be a danger, you’ll have to muzzle him somehow. I don’t want any of us worrying about a stray fireball when we’re trying not to freeze to death.”
She held the map out in front of her, taking only a moment to identify their chosen path before she started ahead, her blood still hot from irritation and the thrill of dodging fire. ”Well, if we’re all so eager to get going then let’s not waste any more time. God knows we’ve wasted enough already.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
”Alright, Relm. He’ll likely resist at first, but I think he can be persuaded. If he doesn’t, then I’ll bring you along anyway and he’ll see for himself. It’s that simple, really.”
They walked down the street together -- Celes and Relm -- as though they really were the sisters that Relm claimed her to be. The streets bustled at this time of day, and Celes could just barely smell the musk of the river from their busy walkway. Her boots clicked along wooden planks, and she took care to keep her eyes forward, her shoulders back in confidence even as her armor drew stares from all directions.
Today, she was not a civilian but a mercenary. Today, blending in among the people meant nothing if it couldn’t protect her, and today she’d hung her sword comfortably from her hip no matter what kind of attention it drew.
Today, she was meeting with Caius. And that always meant trouble.
”To be honest he’s wanted me searching for new members for a while now. I haven’t had much luck so far -- not that I’ve tried. You’re the only one I’ve met since then who’s been interesting enough to pay attention to.”
She approached the inn’s door without particularly looking at it. She’d come here often enough to know its layout without a second glance, and she strode in as though the world would part before her. Her eyes scanned the crowds without much interest until she found Caius at their usual corner. She approached with the same air as though there was absolutely nothing unusual about the eleven year old girl tagging along at her side.
Bargaining, she’d found, often came down to nothing more than a matter of confidence. And she refused to falter even slightly when it came to Relm.
“Caius.” She nodded to him. “Sorry we’re a little late. Relm got caught up in painting and then we had to clean it all up and some of it dripped onto the floor and-.” She caught herself. Caius didn’t need to hear that part. ”Anyway, here we are. Caius, meet Relm.” Celes gestured towards her. ”She’s from my world and currently living with me. She knows almost as much magic as I do, and she fought alongside me just as bravely as anyone. You see, she can paint things and…” Celes paused. ”...And they come alive...To fight.”
She stopped and silence overtook her. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, cheeks already warming.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Relm looked sad. Of course she did, but some of it had lifted, Celes thought. There was no longer frustration layered behind it. No longer that same sense of indignance. Instead, her frustration had been replaced by understanding. Celes didn’t expect Relm to understand completely, but this was a start at least.
Relm smiled and flipped to a new page, covering the first from her sight. ”If he comes. And stays, I'll finish it. Otherwise..." “
Celes looked at her in surprise. ”I think I’d like that.” Yes, on the day that Locke returned -- if that day ever came -- then she could manage that painting. On the day that she heard the slightest rumor a thief in a bandanna that was when she would take on hope and search for him just as feverishly as she ever had. But that day was not today, and it was foolish to think otherwise. That path led to nothing but pain.
"I want to join you, just like before.” Relm looked stronger now. More determined than ever before. ”I want to do more than sitting around painting while you keep us stable. Celes, I know I'm a kid but I'm strong too! I can help you.."
Celes smiled weakly. ”Relm…” She’d known this day would come. She’d known it since the moment she’d invited Relm back with her. Celes had never taken much time to know Relm specifically, but living with her. Fighting with her. There was no denying the girl possessed a spirit as stubborn as it was strong. She’d known it all along that this day would come, and yet she wished it hadn’t.
Celes had been given no choice but to fight too young. She’d hoped to spare Relm of the same -- if only for a short while.
Relm had already turned away, brush in hand, as she pressed it against her new canvas. Her brush strokes came bright and even. ”Our world's safe now.” She arched her brush in one smooth motion. ”Everyone's free to build their own hopes and dreams.” Celes’ eyebrows furrowed her confusion. That certainly wasn’t the world that she’d remembered. No, she’d remembered one of desperation and loss, barren of both life and hope alike. Even she in all of her insistence had only realistically expected to die fighting rather than groveling under Kefka’s boot. Relm couldn’t have been serious, and yet…
”Kefka's gone.”
”What?” Celes sat straight up, startled and staring. What on earth was Relm talking about? To say such things was nothing short of delusion, and yet Celes couldn’t bring herself to ask the obvious question. She couldn’t bring herself to ask anything at all. As unhinged as Relm sounded, there were more important issues at hand. And so Celes settled back into an uneasy silence. There was nothing to be done now that couldn’t come later.
"Life... Sounds…” The girl stopped, struggling for words. ”Everything. That can happen here too. Your stuck with me anyway so. Just let me help ok? You know I can! Let's do it side by side!"
And that at least, Celes could answer. ”There's no point arguing, I suppose.” Celes sighed. ”Asking you not to fight. Well, that would be unfair, wouldn’t it? As much as I want to.” Celes tried for a smile. It didn’t come naturally. She’d survived too many emotions in too short a time.
”Well, if that’s the case then there’s no point in delay, is there?” Celes rose to her feet. Somehow, her own authority cleared her head. This was something she could manage without doubt. She’d always felt most comfortable with an order on her tongue or a sword in her hand. ”I’ll speak with Caius. He might be less than agreeable, but I’ll win him over in the end. And once he relents, you’ll just have to prove yourself. Even he won’t be able to argue that you’re more than capable of helping.” Celes laughed to herself as she imagined Caius’ reaction. Bringing a child into a deadly battle? Oh yes, he’d have many objections to that, but he was a pragmatic man above all things, and somehow, she knew he’d have less reservations than most.
And Relm would only need to prove herself once to sway him forever.
”Welcome to the Dragonblades.” She turned to face Relm, a flicker of warmth passing over her. Hadn’t she once been told the same? The Returns had welcomed her whether she’d wanted it or not. Or at least Locke had. Celes shook her head, smirking wryly. ”Now doesn't this feel familiar?”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius was laughing.
Celes stopped, almost disarmed by the laugh. It was tired, it was exhilarated, and it was loud. It went on for what felt like far too long as Caius just laid on his back, staring up at the sky and laughing. After a moment, he tried to push himself up, wincing even as he kept laughing. Apparently there was a problem with his ribs.
”I can heal that,” she said. ”If you’re hurt. I still have enough magic.” But Caius was still able to get to his feet at least so it didn’t seem serious. Nothing was broken. Nothing was fractured, and they’d both come out the other side victorious. With all the laughter in the air, Celes couldn’t help a soft one herself. He was just too convincing.
”We make a pretty good team,” he said, and she couldn’t deny it. Despite her reservations and the man’s complete cluelessness in everything social, once their blades had drawn, it was like they’d moved in sync. In action, she could have easily mistaken him for one of the Returners at her side -- and one of the talented ones at that. Like Cyan or Sabin -- someone with a clear heads and the talent to see it through. How long had it been since she’d worked so well with someone else? Since she’d fallen into this insanity at least.
”Thank you for coming along today,” he said and then paused. ”Any chance you'd be interested in doing this again in the future?"
”Oh.” Celes blinked at him, so taken aback that she couldn’t manage the words. Was that an invitation? An invitation to fight with him? It felt odd after all this time and after that disastrous first meeting, and yet she wasn’t opposed to the idea. Hadn’t she just been admiring his battle finesse? No, it wasn’t a terrible idea. It wasn’t one she would have considered herself, but it certainly wasn’t terrible.
So why not? Celes straightened with resolve. What exactly did she have to lose?
”I think I would,” she said. ”I haven’t had that kind of fight in...Well. However long it’s been since I found myself here. I’d prefer if we weren’t always taking down three story behemoths, but I might as well. Sometimes. If you ask.” She smiled faintly to herself, glancing at him with an almost teasing air before she pushed back her hair again.
”I guess it’s time for another wagon ride back. I can heal you once we get started. That ride won’t be over any time soon, that’s for certain.” Celes looked over the beast. They’d need some proof that they’d kill it before they left, but she assumed that part was self-evident. No, for all intents and purposes, this mission was done. She hadn’t known what she’d expected at the outset, but something this satisfying certainly hadn’t been it.
”I enjoyed myself,” she said without looking at him. ”So really. If you have another job in mind...Well. Don’t hesitate.” It was all she could manage without sparking her own embarrassment and so she kept it at that. As she unsheathed her sword to take the beast’s horn, she couldn’t help but wonder at the man beside her.
Caius Dragelion. He was a man with more layers than he let on, it seemed. And as they wrapped up their business and started back to the city, she couldn’t help but wonder what their future would bring.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius couldn’t be persuaded. She honestly hadn’t expected him to be, but she still couldn’t help a beleaguered sigh as he justified himself. He’d done his research. He’d thought about it. Celes supposed she couldn’t argue that -- he was an adult afterall and likely older than she was. He could make his own choices, and she didn’t take enough issue with it to leave him over them. Still, she couldn’t help a cautious optimism as he coddled the dragon, eyes bright and aimed towards the future. The Dragonblades. It really did slip of the tongue. Celes let out a little laugh despite herself.
”I guess we will need a name,” she admitted. ”This all feels so official now. And what will we do as the Dragonblades? Help those in need? Hunt down evil? It’s a little over the top, but I don’t mind.” Celes knelt down beside them, legs folded to her side as she watched the dragon. Vordun sniffled at the noise, but quickly settled his head back into Caius’ jacket once Celes had stopped moving. It let out a short series of whining noises that Celes could only assume were snores.
”Where should we go?” Celes glanced at him, suddenly serious again. ”If we’re making these plans, we’ll need something more solid than just names. We’ll need a base of operations -- or a home city at least. And a recruitment method. Strategies and rules, I suppose, if we’re taking this past just a few stray mercenaries.” Celes smiled wryly. It was all well and good to go about spouting ideas, but it was something else to actually follow through on them. She knew that all too well.
”Well. I guess it’s not something we need to think about tonight. We’ve already been through more than enough. What do you say to calling it a night?” She offered him a smile that she hoped didn’t come off too dry. She was still getting used to this whole “comfortable around people” thing.
”I’ll set up the tent. Then we can talk in the morning. And the morning after that. And after that until we know what we’re doing. I hope you don’t mind planning. We’ll need a lot of it.” Celes glanced at him and shook her head. ”Stay with the dragon. It needs you. I’ll set up everything myself.” Celes got to her feet again, careful not to rouse Vordun as she started back towards the fire.
As she left Caius to his thoughts, she was surprised at her own optimism. They were alive, for one. And safe more or less. But most importantly, they had a plan, and that wasn’t something Celes could say for her entire stay in this world before now. As she rummaged through their supplies, she couldn’t help a slight smirk.
Even the worst of nights could be salvaged with the right attitude, it seemed.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
"Because I'm a kid right? You guys always do this."
Celes blinked in surprise. ”No, that’s not…” she started, but couldn’t bring herself to finish. Wasn’t that exactly why she was brushing her feelings aside? Of course, the thought divulging them even to adults made her cringe, but she wouldn’t have put on such a strong front for anyone but Relm. Celes frowned faintly. Well of course that’s what she’d done. Wouldn’t it have been irresponsible to do anything else?
Relm took her hand and Celes was so taken aback that she didn’t resist. ”Relm,” she started but didn’t get far before Relm was leading her forward and Celes couldn’t help but follow. They both stopped at the painting and Celes’ stomach twisted in anticipation. Sure enough, Relm ripped the tarp away and there it was again. Locke’s smile. Celes swallowed and looked away. Even unfinished it was beautiful. She couldn’t stand it.
Relm started on about dreams and never giving up hope, but that wasn’t it at all. Celes still had plenty of dreams. For better or worse, she dreamed nearly every night that she was home again and almost always those scenes would thrust her awake, gasping and sweating as she clutched at her throat and tried hard to keep her hands from trembling. Perhaps she had given up on Locke. Perhaps she’d given up on ever returning, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t move on. This was her world now and these were her people. She didn’t need anyone else.
But the sight of him. It still took her breath away.
”I'm not just some kid,” she said, and she was right. Relm had gone through more than any person -- adult or child -- should have to. She’d been forced to grow up early, and anything in this world was surpassable compared to the hell they’d left. Still, what she was asking wasn’t so easy. ”Doesn't that make me someone able to lend an ear Celes?”
Celes let out a breath, trying hard to steady herself against the remnants of grief that had overtaken her. Relm made sense. She made far more sense than Celes had, but it wasn’t that simple. Child or not, there wasn’t a person alive that Celes would want to have this conversation with. Speaking wouldn’t be a relief, but another twist of the knife.
Relm let go of her hand and looked up at her with a look that Celes could hardly bare to return. There were those eyes. Those concerned, slightly worried eyes. How could she deny that? It would only distress Relm further.
”Come on, I know you’re way less than fine,” she said. ”So please.”
And Celes broke. There were no more defenses she could build, no more rationalizations to sweep her feelings away. Relm needed this. There was nothing else to it but that.
”No, I’m not fine.” Those words alone felt as though they were being ripped out of her throat. Her tongue worked against them. What was she supposed to say?”I’ve been here a long time, Relm. Much longer than you, and it’s been hard. Being alone. More than that, I’ve gotten used to it here. It’s...easy to forget. What we left.”
Celes glanced at the picture again, fighting back a wince before she looked away again. ”All this time, I’ve wanted nothing more than to find you all again. And to find...Locke. But this isn’t like before. Before, I knew he was alive -- or I believed it at least. But here? People fade in and they fade out. I don’t know that he’s come or that he ever will. And I…” Her throat tightened. ”I miss him.”
She felt heat rise to her face. She felt her eyes burn, but she fought back the tears and the pain that she’d already allowed far too much purchase. She wouldn’t do this, not now. Not ever again. ”I’ve started to wonder if I’d leave here even if I could. It’s safe here, and...Easier. When I first came, I’d forgotten.” She gave a little laugh half choked with the tears she wouldn’t allow to fall. ”I’d forgotten what the world used to sound like. The birds. The crickets. Sounds of life.” Celes took a long, shuddering breath. ”The people here. They all looked so normal. They weren’t grieving or hungry or haunted. I hated it at first, but now…”
”Now I couldn’t go back. And I don’t want to remember. Even if it meant seeing him again, I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t want to.”
Celes looked back at the painting. The lines were perfect replicas, the unfinishing brushstrokes almost breathed with life, but it was still only a painting. He wasn’t there to question her or doubt her or comfort her. There was nothing there but charcoal, canvas, and paint. She suddenly felt very tired.
”Thank you. For the thought.” She shook her head. ”It’s already beautiful. But I don’t know if it’s something I can appreciate any more.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Just as Celes was about to march after him, Caius pulled her aside like a voice of reason. ”You're aware we can just leave him here, right?" he said, and Celes bit her tongue. Of course that was an option. They could always leave him behind, go off on their own, not have to deal with him and all his lofty words and arrogance. It was all an option. So why hadn’t she thought of it before him?
Because her mind was clouded with rage. She’d been so struck by his sudden appearance that she hadn’t been thinking clearly. He’d left almost too quickly to really react.
Not left entirely, it seemed. He snarled at them from the door about how dishonorable it would be to “leave the weakest among them” and how he’d go there whether they came or not. Celes swallowed back hot fury as he turned and finally disappeared through the inn door. That man irked her in a way that few others could claim, and she could hardly think the moment he opened his mouth. What she needed was to cool her blood, to dial back her frustrations, to-
”Here.” Caius touched her hand and brought it forward, carefully placing a small flame in her palm. Celes blinked in surprise. Its warmth lapped at her fingers and caused her to shiver all over again.
She laughed.
”I’m fine,” she said and gave him a smile more genuine than she’d given in a long time. He was worried about her in the cold, convinced she should go change or that she’d need his magic. ”I can use my own spells if I have to, and there’s magic in my blood. Ice magic primarily. I don’t get cold easily.” Still, she kept his flame in her hand. Half-freezing in the snow certainly wasn’t fun for anyone, her included. And she liked it all other things aside. He’d given it to her.
He left to give her a moment in case she changed her mind, mocking the emperor’s name as he left and assuring her he didn’t care one bit what the emperor would have to say about it. Celes snorted in laughter and stood there for a moment, watching the flame. This had been a bad shock, that was for sure, but it wasn’t all bad. Not with Caius at least. She felt like she was really part of a team again whenever they were together. Like it was Sabin or Cyan or Edgar beside her.
Though if she was being honest, he reminded her most of Locke.
Celes sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear. The fire still flickered its warm glow in her other hand and she considered it carefully. Caius was right about one thing -- it would be best for everyone to leave the emperor behind. He’d only distract her and he’d be a burden beyond that, and yet…
He’d promised to go up the mountain alone if they refused him. As much as her blood boiled at the thought of another minute in his company, she couldn’t let a man freeze to death because of his own stubborn ego. Not if she could stop it. This was an escort mission now more than anything, she supposed, but it all came to the same end. They’d find that elixir. They’d help cure the epidemic in Provo. That was all there was to it.
She slipped outside to join them without much bravado. The emperor stood resolutely in the snow, and Caius wasn’t far away either. Celes sighed and approached them. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
”We’ll take you up the mountain,” she said. ”I doubt you know how to survive a hike through the snow, and I don’t want your blood on my hands. Just try not to get in our way. We’ll bring that elixir back to Provo no matter what it takes.” She eyed him coolly before stepping closer to Caius.
”I cleared my head,” she said. ”We might as well go together if he’s determined to do it on his own. It’ll just be a little harder this way.” She smirked bitterly. ”Exactly what we needed, I know, but we don’t have much of a choice.”
Celes took a breath and looked up at the mountain peaks looming before them. There was only one way to go now, and that was up. ”Are we ready then?” She glanced to Caius. ”You have the map, don’t you? I’ll trust you to lead us ahead. I’m… a little short-handed anyway.” Her cheeks heated as she glanced to the fire still nestled safely in her palm. Its warmth pulsed gently against her fingers.
"Well, no use hanging around here when we’ve got work to do.”
