shifted_logs | (no subject)

Characters: Firo and Angela
Location: Altena's castle and the plane, probably
Time: After Angela's last post.
Summary: Firo and Angela go back to Altena to... well. Tell her mom the news, I guess.
Warnings: Gratuitous fluff?

It was raining when he left. It took almost two days to finish everything, to gather everyone, to explain and promise and give awkward, manly goodbyes. Most of the second day was spent with Ennis, not speaking, just feeling each others' presence, making vows that would outlast everything else, holding hands and watching the snow fall in Central Park. If Angela could bind herself to guarding one place, one country, until someone else rose up to take her place, if she could save her whole world with little help and no immortality, Firo could find his way back to the city some day.

"I'll keep the Alveare open." It was the first and last thing Ennis said to him. She kissed his cheek, smiled, and handed him a wrapped box with a card that said, 'This isn't for you, give it to Angela.'

And then she walked away. Firo closed his eyes and felt her draw away in his mind, fade again into that constant background hum like a blanket around his shoulders.

As long as I can feel her, I can find her. And he would feel her there forever. He knew that, felt that, without a doubt.

"Right." He said it to the silence. "So. I won't say goodbye, 'cause. Well. Once she's got an heir--" He coughed. Looked up at the skyline where the Empire State Building should have been. "Once she's got an heir, once she can leave again, I'll be back. We will. And maybe some time away will be good for both of us." He meant the city, not Angela, but hey, maybe that was true to.

And he vanished.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She was glad that the time on the Plane was more fluid than that of the different worlds. She doubted she could say goodbye to everyone for that long, mostly because she didn't have enough tears left. Her eyes were red and puffy when he returned. She'd finally moved away from Mu, Hei, Amaterasu, and finally Dino. She couldn't be around them anymore, for fear she'd back down. Or worse, make them hurt any more than she needed to.

She was waiting in the little spot in the woods, surrounded by the glowing flowers she'd brought there. She sat on the rim of the fountain, kneading her hands. Hopefully he'd know to look for her here when he returned.

When he didn't see her in the spot he'd left her--or presumably the spot he'd left her, it was hard to tell sometimes--his first thought was the theater. Before he'd taken two steps in that direction he remembered her little hollow in the woods. It was a little bit of a pain to get to with a shoulder bag and a trunk, but at least she would hear him coming.

She was watching one of the electric butterflies float lazily by when she heard him coming. She stood to help him with the trunk before it got stuck on a tree root.

"I thought you said you didn't have much," she teased, smiling.

"I didn't. Boys gave me stuff." He dropped the trunk in her clearing with a thump, looking up at the trees. "Too bad we can't take this with."

A pause, then a bit of a smile. "'spose we should leave it for the others."

"Dare I ask?" She smiled, nudging the trunk with her foot.

Her eyes lifted to the clearing around her when his did. "In ways I want to take it back, maybe it'd be easier if we didn't leave any reminders. I don't want Dino to..."

She bit her lip, trying to keep her voice from trembling. In the end, she'd chosen Firo. Much as she'd told herself she could love them both, much as she felt she did, she knew somehow, some day, she'd have to make a decision. And while she'd hardly come here intending to bring either of them back... She could have told him no, and she could have fooled Dino into coming with her.

Instead, she'd asked Firo to marry her. Somewhere deep down, she'd known she'd chose him in the long run.

She still wished it didn't have to be this way, though.

"We can spend plenty of time in the actual Lampflower Forest, anyway."

A sheepish grin. "Stuff they thought I'd miss, I guess."

He watches her, has a fair idea what she's thinking--there aren't that many real possibilities at the moment. When she spoke again, he brushed her cheek with two fingers.

"Yeah? I thought..." Well, he doesn't want to remind her if he's right and it hurts, but if he's wrong... "Thought you couldn't leave. The city, I mean."

[[Sorry I've been AWOL, it's the last couple days that I'm going to see my parents, so we've been doing a lot and I've been sort of tired. ><;]]

That was right. She still wasn't used to the idea of being trapped in one place for years to come. She sighed. "Still not thinking that way, I guess. And you'll want to go back, after..."

She bit her lip. "Well, maybe we can get some planted in the royal garden."

(( It's all right. ))

Edited 2009-01-11 17:41 (UTC)

He rested both hands on her shoulders and kisses her cheek, his expression serious and his eyes holding just a hint of wickedness. "Won't be forever. And I'll just have to come up with ways to keep you entertained."

"Something tells me you won't have a problem with that." She moved a little closer, so she could rest her head on his shoulder and cuddle close. "Mother's going to freak out. She's been trying to marry me off anyway, but this is kind of sudden."

He grinned a bit. "For her, yeah."

He scratched his chin, the first tweak of awkwardness prodding him in the nervous part of the gut. "Your friends won't like it much."

She had to think about that a moment, still snuggled close.

"Riesz will be all right with it, so long as she's clear on how I feel about you. Hawk will pat you on the back and offer to give you a place to sleep if you're ever in the dog house. Kevin and Carlie will probably just be happy to have cake. And Duran..."

She sighed. "Duran had his chance. And if he gives you any trouble over it, I'll fry him."

She giggled then, giving his cheek a pat. "It'll be fine."

Edited 2009-01-13 06:38 (UTC)