towerofanimus | 3rd Mission

Entry tags:

3rd Mission

Characters: Rolo Lamperouge and YOU
Setting: Dorm hallways at night
Format: Both are fine. I'll follow.
Summary: Rolo has the normal type of flu but with it comes a nasty cough. His cough is getting so bad that it's interfering with the use of his Geass... too bad those monsters are closing in on him... Some help please?
Warnings: None yet.

Rolo is bundled up warmly in animal skins he's hunted and prepared himself but that doesn't seem to have stopped him from getting the flu. He doesn't mind the flu so much except that he's been afflicted with a bad cough and the medicine he's been taking doesn't seem to be helping much.

He's just on his way to his room rather late at night when he hears monsters approaching. This doesn't scare him and he simply takes out his knife and gets ready to activate his Geass, however, that's when he suddenly gets caught in a nasty bout of coughing. He can't quite keep his Geass up as he doubles over coughing. The monsters get nearer. He tries to control his coughing but to no avail... Help?

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That is enough for now. Most of the monsters are killed by the light arrows and the rest quickly flee.

Rolo sits on the ground for now as he catches his breath from all that coughing.

'For now' being the keywords probably, from the patterns he has seen so far. Jellal can't quite help the troubled look that flickers over his face, hand turning as he arranges the light ball to float right above the two of them, the other one reaching down as offer to help Rolo up.

"We shouldn't linger here for too long."

Rolo lets Jellal help him up. "My room is just a few doors down."

He just nods, tense and wary - who knows when the next of those things might attack - as he waits for Rolo to lead the way.

Rolo starts walking quickly. He is silent for a long while but something is bugging him. "Why did you save me?"

Jellal turns after a second of hesitation, unsure how to answer for a moment.

"Do I need a reason too?"

Mostly he just wants to help out the best he can. There isn't much more to it though.

"Normally... people do things for a reason... or expect something in return..." Don't mind him, Jellal, this is just the way he was raised. "Why would someone help a stranger they've never met before? I do not understand."

He is quiet as he listens, wondering... What reasons can he offer, is he truly doing this only because it's the right thing to do? That's definitely a factor, he decides a moment later, but admittedly it's not quite all there is to it.

"It's the right thing to do. Helping others, protecting them... there doesn't need to be a reason to do so apart of being unable to stand by and watch them get harmed without at least trying to prevent that."

A moment of pause.

"Though I admit... sometimes ago I only used that magic of mine to harm people... to kill even."

He shakes lightly as he remembers Erza's accusations, the truths he had lost with his memories. He remembers her telling him to live even when he had tried to take his life, to seal away the pain and hatred his appearance had to cause her.

"It may be selfish of me, but I wish nothing more than to repent for my sins. To use my magic to protect rather than to destroy. That's all."

"To repent... Why do you no longer use your magic to harm?"

This greatly interests him. Would he too be able to change from one who kills to one who protects?

"...The mere thought just leaves me disgusted with myself."

The thought of bringing harm to others - to comrades, to friends, to innocents - with his power... the thought that once upon a time he hadn't even thought twice about doing it... it drives him sick.

And then there is what Erza told him... to struggle, to live... what she had showed him... the truth of strength found in in kindness. But those are words that he doesn't want to share this easily. Words that he wants to keep closely - selfishly - to his heart.

"Disgusted...?"

Rolo thought about that. But killing did not disgust him. Killing was still very much a second nature to him. He was more afraid of being rejected by certain people or more a certain person for killing, yet, that person has no problem with Rolo killing people in general, especially strangers. And he is more than willing to kill anyone this person wants him to. The idea of being disgusted by killing innocents just... did not make sense to him.

"But what made you change? Was it someone you met? Is it someone important to you? Did they want you to change?"

He confirmed it with a nod, stomach dropping as he makes not of that question mark - of course he is disgusted with himself; any decent person should be disgusted with the thought of killing. Why would someone as young as this boy question that?

The questions that follow make him stop and hesitate... not because he doesn't want to answer... mostly because he doesn't really know. He had just woken up with the knowledge and certainty that he was a terrible person... that he had done terrible things... that he should no longer be of this world.

But then there was Erza, brilliant and angry and strong, upfront with him about the crimes he had committed, demanding that he should live and atone, that death was not a solution. Erza, whose name was the only thing he had held onto when his memory and mind had been blank from all thoughts, but the certainty of his fate, and the resolve to find Nirvana and destroy it for good.

He doesn't know why he had clung to her name... or if she had been the reason why he had changed... but the thought feels right. Whatever had happened, she had been involved.

"...Yes, there was... is someone important to me."

Edited 2013-03-09 23:10 (UTC)

Unfortunately, this boy is completely desensitized to killing. Killing is just about the only things he knows. The only thing he believes he knows.

He could understand changing oneself for the sake of someone important though, and he was curious to know more. Was being disgusted at killing part of being human?

"Are they here, this person?"

Which is an unbelievable tragedy. But hey... maybe with time he can get to know something to know something else? For Jellal, it wasn't so much changing himself... he had been changed (changed back?)... It's been kind of like awakening from a dream he doesn't remember. He's not sure he'll ever want to.

Jellal shakes his head at the question.

"She isn't."

Thanks goodness for that.

Edited 2013-03-22 23:47 (UTC)

Well, there are various people here now working on that, especially Suzaku, who has come to see saving this boy as a way of redeeming himself, especially after he saw how much Rolo is capable of changing during the future event.

"Do you miss her?"

Rolo is a selfishly possessive person though and would rather anyone important to him be with him...

Jellal will certainly offer his help too, because well. If he somehow had come to a second chance (though he certainly doesn't deserve it), then others should not be denied the same.

"I do." A small pause. "But I'm very grateful that she isn't here."

This place is far too dark for someone that shines in the light like Erza.

Jellal's help would be appreciated... deep inside Rolo's heart, not that he'll tell Jellal.

Rolo thought about that for a moment, trying to see this from the other boy's point of view. "Because... you don't want her to get hurt...?"

Good that Jellal is happy to be of service, regardless of what thanks or appreciation he may or may not receive.

He nods in answer.

"Among other things."

Then he can be one of Rolo's sort of friends...?

"Have you known her for a long time?"

Oh, certainly.

"...Longer than I can remember."

...Given that he can only remember the time spend in the tower, the day before that and some scraps from the life that he had lived before that, that much is true to some degree at least. Though... with that one and only memory being of them both during childhood days, of him naming her Scarlet for her hair... it is probably not far from the truth anyways.

\o/

"That... sounds rather nice." And it did. It was nice to have had someone so important for so long.

"Are you lovers then?"

It is rather nice. And well... very, very complicated. He turns around abruptly at that question, eyes slightly widened as he stares at Rolo - how did he ever get that idea???

"No, we- I mean. It's nothing like that."

Okay, so maybe he is blushing because well... uhg. It's all really, really complicated. He remembers only little, and even if his heart flutters a little at the thought of her, he doesn't dare to trust that. Besides. She just barely doesn't hate him.

And deserves so much better.

Well, because you've been together for so long and aren't family so...

Rolo just watches him, taking in the blushing and how flustered he seems.

"Just... good friends then...?"

Well, you can know each other for a long time, not be family and still be just friends. Generally speaking.

Jellal is hesitant at first – it is so, so much more complicated – Erza is the person who stood by him when he had no will to live on, who encouraged him to atone rather than to kill himself… but she is also the one hurt most by the actions he can’t remember. By all accounts… she should be hating him.

Still, he nods.

“Yeah… that’s right.”

That could be true but somehow he just the feeling that it's a little more than that.

"It's great that you have someone like that..." And he falls silent for a long moment. "How does one make a close friend?"

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