[ Following the quite hectic meeting they had attended, Yuri tugged Byleth aside on the way out. He didn't know the man terribly well, but he did know this place, and that was enough to be concerned. ]
...You should be careful of the locals. They may well be in on all this, considering the casual mentions of doing us harm.
[ Ala, frequently, did just this. Byleth had stopped her from going around breaking fingers, but given how some of the others were attached to her despite the things she said, Yuri had concerns.
Did Jeralt have to spot the red flags for him back home? ]
[The girl - he can't remember her name - who had been overly eager to break fingers had been mildly alarming, but he didn't consider her dangerous. She hadn't tried very hard to hurt anyone, and Byleth had easily disrupted her impulsive scheme just by holding her hands captive.]
But, most mercenaries are strange like that. It didn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary, really.
[ He huffed out some brittle little excuse for a laugh, more surprised than amused by the assessment. ]
Keep in mind that they never volunteer useful information, unless pressed for it, if even then. They make no active efforts to help, yet one collects our blood and another summons demons. Despite there being a barrier barring escape, Ala vanished for weeks and reappeared unscathed. Do they sound like they're on our side to you? Like they share our circumstances?
[ Surely, if Jeralt were here, he'd see it. Yuri found it impossible not to, even as others got attached and took things like promises of violence as charming quirks. ]
We may well be a means to an end for them. They may have brought us here, or at the very least, are complicit. You can't go around trusting just anybody.
[Byleth hummed quietly at the end of Yuri's speech. He appeared unaffected, but he was taking his warning into consideration. Yuri had been here longer than he, after all, and he was a very shrewd man, from what little Byleth had observed.
However, he needed to correct something.]
But I don't trust them. I don't trust anyone who isn't Jeralt.
[He can place trust in his allies, like Yuri, that they would watch his back in combat, and to, perhaps, support him outside of it... but he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure if he could trust anyone that wasn't Jeralt. Not with everything he had. Maybe if he made a friend, he'd change his mind, but for now... Yuri had pragmatic trust, and everyone else had nothing.]
However, I see no need to be actively hostile or distant. For better or for worse, we're trapped here with them. Better to have them view us favourably - or as gullible fools. They're more likely to lower their guard, or say things they otherwise wouldn't, no?
[That's what Jeralt said, at least, that with clients you couldn't quite figure out, it was better to appear genial and accommodating. If they thought you blithely obeyed them, they tended to say a lot of things they otherwise would've kept to themselves. Byleth wasn't good at lying or tricking people, but he was fairly good at being passive and blank-faced, and letting people assume whatever it was they wished from that.
Though, usually, he passed on what he had learned onto Jeralt, who did all the actual tricky, sneaky stuff. Here, Byleth would just have to stay on his toes, and try to see how much he could trust Yuri here. If it came to it, it may just be them against everyone in this strange, alien place, and he'd see if he could upgrade Yuri from pragmatic trust, to actual trust.]
[ Alright, fair enough. Yuri didn't know Byleth well enough to be sure whether he was as shrewd off the battlefield as on it... He'd often seen him rather earnestly offering his assistance around camp, and it was difficult to get a read on the man from a distance.
Or even up close, as Yuri was finding. ]
Well, that's a load off my mind.
[ Not that Yuri was personally responsible for Byleth, a man who could crush him like a grape if he felt so inclined and Yuri wasn't quick enough to escape, but he couldn't help a little worry. This was someone from home, who had only just gotten here... Someone who hadn't seen months of this sheer lunacy for himself.
Yuri had rather hoped that no one he knew would be dragged into this. Let it be only him, he thought, for he'd always been more of a lone wolf anyway. As it turned out, whoever had run of this place either had a mad sense of humor or a death wish, abducting the Ashen Demon. ]
[Actually, now that the topic has been brought up...]
You reminded me, however. In this strange land, we're the only ones from Fodlan. We both wish to return home, and I'm certain you feel as invested in my welfare as I am in yours: you're a valuable asset, and you're more useful alive and functional than pointlessly dead.
[He wasn't mincing his words. Byleth wanted to show all of his cards here, because:]
As my contract to King Dimitri is on hold - for obvious reasons - it would mean that we are no longer allies through our shared employer. Therefore, I suggest that we form an alliance of convenience. Provided I survive this island's destruction, it would benefit us to work together to return to our homeland. Or, at the very least, watch each other's backs in a place where anyone could be some sort of... heart-stealing murderer, apparently.
[The heart-stealing, especially, had Byleth twitchy. His heart didn't beat, so... what actually was in his chest cavity, he didn't know. He had a pulse, so something was pumping his blood around his body.]
[ Byleth had more to say than Yuri had anticipated, but it was all fairly straightforward. And it was sensible: they weren't close comrades, but they both hailed from Fódlan, and that was unique unto them. Their particular circumstances and interests aligned, regardless of being taken away from the war, so it made good sense to continue working together.
Yuri realized, in that moment, that for him that had gone without saying. He was already determined to help Byleth escape this island, and that they were going to get home. It would be a delightful bonus of course if they could show their appreciation to whoever put them through this hell to start with, but as a baseline, they were getting out of here alive.
So he had no objections to that proposal. ]
I'd be a fool to decline the help, wouldn't I? Besides, that house I mentioned before's got a spare room... And I've had more time and means than you to gather supplies.
[ Ones that didn't up and vanish, what's more. ]
Just a matter of how we get you off of this island, first.
[Byleth relaxed at their alliance being confirmed. Not that he doubted Yuri - he was a very pragmatic man - but it was nice to hear it stated outloud. From now on, he and Yuri were allies in this strange, hostile land.]
Thank you. And yes, I would like to escape this island before its inevitable destruction. I had hoped to have a few more years before death claimed me.
[He lapsed into a brief, considering silence, before saying carefully:] Speaking of... I always thought I would die on the battlefield, when I inevitably ran out of luck. Never would I have thought it'd be in a scenario as bizarre as this. It's almost funny.
A few...? Have a little more ambition than that, would you?
[ At the very least, Yuri suspected that Jeralt wouldn't be able to handle outliving his child. The two of them were thick as thieves, and he doubted anything came close to mattering as much to the old mercenary as his son. ]
Can't say I expected my luck to bend in this direction either, for what it's worth.
[ Then again, who would ancitipate madness such as this? ]
[Byleth abruptly sighed, and though it was minute, his expression shifted into something almost downcast.]
I really do dislike being trapped on this island, though. Everyone else speaks about this other location where they have some level of stability. Or, as much stability as you have in this place. There's nowhere you can truly settle here on the island.
[He was, dare he say it, lonely. Jeralt wasn't here, and neither were any of his men. Yuri, understandably, couldn't stay on the island 24/7 with him, so it left Byleth kicking rocks in the long stretches of time left to him. It was honestly eating at him. Never before had he felt so restless and ready to claw at the walls.]
[ Yuri had stalked around the place like a caged beast for days before it sunk in that there was no simple option of escape, and if there was a weakness in the barrier around the town, he had still yet to find it.
That didn't stop him from looking, though. ]
Makes a man feel powerless... Yet if we don't pull through this, where's that leave us?
[Byleth's tone was blunt. Not pessimistic, but not optimistic, either. He had long since come to terms with his mortality after his first near-miss on the battlefield, and was somewhat desensitised to his eventual death - whenever that may be in a week or years after. If he was even properly 'alive', considering...
He fought the urge to press his hand over his unbeating chest. He couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something vitally important regarding that, but the fact of the matter was: his heart did not beat, he couldn't recall why, yet he still breathed and he still had a pulse. How was life measured in his circumstances?]
[ He huffed out a soft sigh. Not that Byleth was wrong by any means, but it was the sort of truth that went without saying. If they didn't find a way to escape all this, the likely eventuality would be that they wouldn't survive.
The difficulty was that there was so little they had to go on, and this place was downright bizarre. How it all worked was something the lot of them could only guess at, and information was hard to come by. It was what they had to deal with, though. ]
In the end...we'll just have to overcome this. Whatever that takes.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A is for Austice
...You should be careful of the locals. They may well be in on all this, considering the casual mentions of doing us harm.
[ Ala, frequently, did just this. Byleth had stopped her from going around breaking fingers, but given how some of the others were attached to her despite the things she said, Yuri had concerns.
Did Jeralt have to spot the red flags for him back home? ]
no subject
[The girl - he can't remember her name - who had been overly eager to break fingers had been mildly alarming, but he didn't consider her dangerous. She hadn't tried very hard to hurt anyone, and Byleth had easily disrupted her impulsive scheme just by holding her hands captive.]
But, most mercenaries are strange like that. It didn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary, really.
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[ He huffed out some brittle little excuse for a laugh, more surprised than amused by the assessment. ]
Keep in mind that they never volunteer useful information, unless pressed for it, if even then. They make no active efforts to help, yet one collects our blood and another summons demons. Despite there being a barrier barring escape, Ala vanished for weeks and reappeared unscathed. Do they sound like they're on our side to you? Like they share our circumstances?
[ Surely, if Jeralt were here, he'd see it. Yuri found it impossible not to, even as others got attached and took things like promises of violence as charming quirks. ]
We may well be a means to an end for them. They may have brought us here, or at the very least, are complicit. You can't go around trusting just anybody.
no subject
However, he needed to correct something.]
But I don't trust them. I don't trust anyone who isn't Jeralt.
[He can place trust in his allies, like Yuri, that they would watch his back in combat, and to, perhaps, support him outside of it... but he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure if he could trust anyone that wasn't Jeralt. Not with everything he had. Maybe if he made a friend, he'd change his mind, but for now... Yuri had pragmatic trust, and everyone else had nothing.]
However, I see no need to be actively hostile or distant. For better or for worse, we're trapped here with them. Better to have them view us favourably - or as gullible fools. They're more likely to lower their guard, or say things they otherwise wouldn't, no?
[That's what Jeralt said, at least, that with clients you couldn't quite figure out, it was better to appear genial and accommodating. If they thought you blithely obeyed them, they tended to say a lot of things they otherwise would've kept to themselves. Byleth wasn't good at lying or tricking people, but he was fairly good at being passive and blank-faced, and letting people assume whatever it was they wished from that.
Though, usually, he passed on what he had learned onto Jeralt, who did all the actual tricky, sneaky stuff. Here, Byleth would just have to stay on his toes, and try to see how much he could trust Yuri here. If it came to it, it may just be them against everyone in this strange, alien place, and he'd see if he could upgrade Yuri from pragmatic trust, to actual trust.]
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[ Alright, fair enough. Yuri didn't know Byleth well enough to be sure whether he was as shrewd off the battlefield as on it... He'd often seen him rather earnestly offering his assistance around camp, and it was difficult to get a read on the man from a distance.
Or even up close, as Yuri was finding. ]
Well, that's a load off my mind.
[ Not that Yuri was personally responsible for Byleth, a man who could crush him like a grape if he felt so inclined and Yuri wasn't quick enough to escape, but he couldn't help a little worry. This was someone from home, who had only just gotten here... Someone who hadn't seen months of this sheer lunacy for himself.
Yuri had rather hoped that no one he knew would be dragged into this. Let it be only him, he thought, for he'd always been more of a lone wolf anyway. As it turned out, whoever had run of this place either had a mad sense of humor or a death wish, abducting the Ashen Demon. ]
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[Actually, now that the topic has been brought up...]
You reminded me, however. In this strange land, we're the only ones from Fodlan. We both wish to return home, and I'm certain you feel as invested in my welfare as I am in yours: you're a valuable asset, and you're more useful alive and functional than pointlessly dead.
[He wasn't mincing his words. Byleth wanted to show all of his cards here, because:]
As my contract to King Dimitri is on hold - for obvious reasons - it would mean that we are no longer allies through our shared employer. Therefore, I suggest that we form an alliance of convenience. Provided I survive this island's destruction, it would benefit us to work together to return to our homeland. Or, at the very least, watch each other's backs in a place where anyone could be some sort of... heart-stealing murderer, apparently.
[The heart-stealing, especially, had Byleth twitchy. His heart didn't beat, so... what actually was in his chest cavity, he didn't know. He had a pulse, so something was pumping his blood around his body.]
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Yuri realized, in that moment, that for him that had gone without saying. He was already determined to help Byleth escape this island, and that they were going to get home. It would be a delightful bonus of course if they could show their appreciation to whoever put them through this hell to start with, but as a baseline, they were getting out of here alive.
So he had no objections to that proposal. ]
I'd be a fool to decline the help, wouldn't I? Besides, that house I mentioned before's got a spare room... And I've had more time and means than you to gather supplies.
[ Ones that didn't up and vanish, what's more. ]
Just a matter of how we get you off of this island, first.
no subject
Thank you. And yes, I would like to escape this island before its inevitable destruction. I had hoped to have a few more years before death claimed me.
[He lapsed into a brief, considering silence, before saying carefully:] Speaking of... I always thought I would die on the battlefield, when I inevitably ran out of luck. Never would I have thought it'd be in a scenario as bizarre as this. It's almost funny.
no subject
[ At the very least, Yuri suspected that Jeralt wouldn't be able to handle outliving his child. The two of them were thick as thieves, and he doubted anything came close to mattering as much to the old mercenary as his son. ]
Can't say I expected my luck to bend in this direction either, for what it's worth.
[ Then again, who would ancitipate madness such as this? ]
no subject
[Byleth abruptly sighed, and though it was minute, his expression shifted into something almost downcast.]
I really do dislike being trapped on this island, though. Everyone else speaks about this other location where they have some level of stability. Or, as much stability as you have in this place. There's nowhere you can truly settle here on the island.
[He was, dare he say it, lonely. Jeralt wasn't here, and neither were any of his men. Yuri, understandably, couldn't stay on the island 24/7 with him, so it left Byleth kicking rocks in the long stretches of time left to him. It was honestly eating at him. Never before had he felt so restless and ready to claw at the walls.]
no subject
[ Yuri had stalked around the place like a caged beast for days before it sunk in that there was no simple option of escape, and if there was a weakness in the barrier around the town, he had still yet to find it.
That didn't stop him from looking, though. ]
Makes a man feel powerless... Yet if we don't pull through this, where's that leave us?
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[Byleth's tone was blunt. Not pessimistic, but not optimistic, either. He had long since come to terms with his mortality after his first near-miss on the battlefield, and was somewhat desensitised to his eventual death - whenever that may be in a week or years after. If he was even properly 'alive', considering...
He fought the urge to press his hand over his unbeating chest. He couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something vitally important regarding that, but the fact of the matter was: his heart did not beat, he couldn't recall why, yet he still breathed and he still had a pulse. How was life measured in his circumstances?]
no subject
[ He huffed out a soft sigh. Not that Byleth was wrong by any means, but it was the sort of truth that went without saying. If they didn't find a way to escape all this, the likely eventuality would be that they wouldn't survive.
The difficulty was that there was so little they had to go on, and this place was downright bizarre. How it all worked was something the lot of them could only guess at, and information was hard to come by. It was what they had to deal with, though. ]
In the end...we'll just have to overcome this. Whatever that takes.