A few days later, Leon and Risále were in the armory, "So, you think you're ready to go into a base, Risá?" Leon asked as he grabbed a few different types of weapons.
"Why? Are you heading into one?" She asked. He simply nodded.
"I mean, it's been a while since I got out, so I was thinking I should head out again, you know, help out the team?" Leon said nonchalantly, grabbing a knife and covering it.
Risále frowned, "Yeah, sorry for messing up your plans….Did I slow your guys' progress down a lot? I'm sorry if I did," She laughed lightly. Leon whirled around.
"Wait, that's not what I—I mean…That isn't what I—Okay that—That came out completely wrong, let me try that again," He then took a deep breath, "What I meant was I'm glad you showed up because I really was feeling lonely because you know, you see all these idiotic couples who don't have a clue and they all have someone they're really close to, crush, lover, sibling, or best friend. They do everything to make sure I feel loved and included and I do, it's just different with you. I haven't—The last time I was able to connect this closely with someone, I fucked it up. So, yeah, I'm really glad you're here," Leon explained, looking out the window.
"Leon…" Risále was touched by what he said and stepped closer, putting a hand on his arm.
"Sorry, I'm rambling. Why don't you get ready? I just need to grab some more stuff and I'll meet you here soon?" Leon said quickly, brushing off the topic but his face was bright red. All she could do was nod.
"Yeah, I'll be right back."
But only a few minutes later, Risále found herself in quite a predicament. "Ow! What the hell, God, that really hurts...Ouch!" Risále yelped as she put light pressure on her ankle. She hissed in pain as her leg quickly collapsed under her. Of course, she would fall down the stairs and happen to be in one of the unused wings.
What was she doing there? Oh right, she got lost. Again.
"Ugh!" She groaned, as she tried to walk, but failed. She didn't know what to do since no one could hear her if she yelled and she was barely able to walk. The easier seemed the latter, so she started to pull herself against the wall, pulling herself up. She hoped that she would happen to run into someone to help her.
As she turned the corner, though, she walked straight into someone's chest. A very broad and toned chest. That happened to belong to a tall, very surprised man. Xander. She noticed that he was dressed down, probably for a lazy day in, and his long hair was done in a loose, messy braid.
"Risále? What are you doing here? No one comes here," Xander asked, confused.
Oh, damn it. Why did he have to ask why I came here? (R)
This is truly amusing to watch from my standpoint. (A)
Who the hell are you and why are you in my brain? (R)
Uh...I'm your conscience. Think of it as a cyborg thing. (A)
Hey Conscience? I have a little advice for you, mind listening to me? (R)
Sure. It's not like I'm going to lose anything from it. (A)
Shut the fuck up. (R)
You little— (A)
"I..Uh...I don't actually know how I got here, I just kind of—" Xander cut her off while sighing.
"You got lost, didn't you? Don't worry, it's normal. I've seen that look of absolute exhaustion and confusion in the mirror when I first tried to navigate my way around here," Xander laughed.
"Also, my ankle sprained, and I can't walk. Need a little bit of a hand over here," Risále added sheepishly, Xander sighed. He reached out to her and she nodded. He put an arm beneath her legs and one around her back, picking her up. Risále was a bit surprised at the movement but noticed that Xander didn't move until she was comfortable.
As he began walking, a thought crossed Risále's mind and it made her laugh out loud. Xander looked at her, confused. "What's up?" He asked.
She waited until her giggles died down before saying, "You know, this kind of feels like when your dad carries you when you're a kid," She said, calming down, "Well, I'd assume that's what it feels like since if I do have a dad, I don't know him."
"Well, coincidentally, Leon said the same thing when he broke his leg last month. I'm taking you to him since our certified nurse is not in the building currently," He smiled.
She nodded and they arrived at Leon's room quickly. Risále had to admit, Xander was really comfortable, so much so that she almost fell asleep. When Xander knocked on the door, she looked at it as Leon opened the door.
"Hey, Xander—Risá, you're not ready yet? Did something happen?" Leon asked as he stared at the two.
"I...Uh...I fell down the stairs in the other wing and sprained my ankle, now I kind of need painkillers and a splint," Risále said, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm going to leave her in your care. Don't freak her out, Leon, she can't run but she sure can fight," Xander smirked, to which Leon rolled his eyes. The taller man smiled as he put her down and left the room while saying goodbye to the both of them. As the door closed, Xander leaned against the wall.
"What the fuck is going on recently? Kaedan didn't even remember where I got my scar from, even though he was the one that…And then with Leon, I always thought I'd never met him until Lumina and Mina found him but something makes me think that I did meet him. I mean, I'd known Chaewon for so long, how could I have not…" He muttered, running his hands through his hair, "I knew something was wrong but this is—This is crazy," He muttered to himself.
Leon wrapped an arm around Risále's waist and pulled her arm around his shoulders, stabilizing her.
He helped her to sit on his bed as he left the room to look for something. Risále noticed how neat his room was, but something gleaming on the dresser caught her attention. She limped over and saw a necklace with a lily made of diamond on it, a beautiful gold chain, and a simple clasp. She picked it up and heard a noise of apprehension from behind her.
"Risále, please put it down. I don't like anyone touching that," He said quietly, but Risále could hear the tenseness in his voice. She put it down, apologizing immediately. He helped her back to the bed and she sat down on it as he began working on the splint, kneeling down on the floor and beginning to gently wrap her foot.
She wanted to ask about the necklace. It was something that would have typically been worn by a woman, but it was a beautiful necklace so she would understand why he had it. Something about his reaction, though…She could tell there was something more to the story. Another thing she did notice was that the voice in her head seemed to have caught its breath as well, which was quite strange to hear.
"Hey," She smiled a little awkwardly, "I'm really sorry about the necklace. I wasn't sure and I should have asked you about it first," She said.
"It's alright, it's just really sensitive for me. I'm glad you understand," Leon said hesitantly, his face looking complicated.
"Leon, whatever it is, just know that I won't judge you. I also will keep it a secret if you would like. I also don't mind if you don't want to tell me, it's all up to you, alright?" She said softly.
Leon sighed as he finished the splint, "You know, the reason I know how to make a splint is because my older sister taught me. My parents weren't around and…She couldn't be around all the time either so she taught me. Just in case," Leon explained quietly, his eyes still not meeting hers.
"You have an older sister? What's her name?" Risále asked, gently.
"Chaewon. Her name is Chaewon. She and I were separated when I was around nine or ten. Actually, Xander, Kaedan, Lumina, and Mina were friends with her. Well, that was all after the separation and before they met me, so…Apparently they only knew me by name," Leon said, "Unfortunately, they also fully lost contact with her about four to five years ago. They've been trying to help me find her but…"
"I see, What was she like?" Risále said, patting the bed next to her, taking note of how the voice in her head which very clearly was not her conscience, seemed to be reacting to the name. Leon sat down next to her.
"Well, she was more like a mom than a sister, she was the one that raised me. Well, it was only her at first, until her best friend came into our lives—Turns out she got married to them about five years ago. Anyway, Chaewon can be a bit uptight sometimes, but she actually gets embarrassed and flustered really easily. She also can only take care of people in ways she knows they won't notice, or else she gets awkward. She was really protective and she probably would have killed for my sake…" Leon laughed softly, but it was tinged with a sense of melancholy.
He didn't mention how if he didn't find her and save her, then it would all be his fault.
Leon was spacing out a bit, though Risále couldn't help but notice his eyes light up as he talked about his older sister and the little curl tucked behind his ear. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "She sounds like an amazing person," She said softly, "Is she…" Risále didn't want to say it, hoping that Leon would understand what she was asking.
"No. Xander, Kaedan, Lumina, and Mina have said that if something had happened to her…They would have known. Xander and Kaedan are a bit infamous, especially in relation to Sector 1, but my sister and her partner were just as infamous. I'll tell you about that someday, I just…I wish I knew how she was doing."
Okay, new goal. Gotta find this pretty boy's sister to make him happy.
"Anyways, come on. Let's head out, shall we?" Leon stood up and reached his hand out for her.
She took it.
Meanwhile in another place, far away, a woman woke up from her bed with a gasp, panting as she felt the sweat dripping down her neck, "...What the fuck?" She murmured to herself, "Who…Who's voice was that? And why was she apologizing to me?"
The bed creaked as the person in the bed next to her seemed to awaken slowly, long pink hair falling down his body like a waterfall as he raised himself a bit, leaning on his arms, "Chae? Are you alright, love?" He asked, sleepily. The woman took a deep breath before smiling down at her husband.
"Sorry for waking you up, 'Lili. I'm fine. I think I just had a nightmare…It felt like someone was talking about me," She replied.
He just smiled softly before pressing a butterfly kiss on her forehead and gently pulled her back down onto the bed next to him.
"Come on, Chae. We've had a long mission, and you need your rest. Besides, you know our dear Lady of Fire won't let you go on any other missions if you're tired."
"She'd probably lock the door and take the key with her, you know how protective she is of the Rebellion members even though she doesn't take care of herself enough," The woman sighed, curling into her husband's side.
Her husband chuckled softly, "That's what she's got Hyun for. You know that boy will always take care of her."
"Hm, sounds kind of familiar, don't you think?"
"Well, Hyun helping her manage an entire Rebellion organization isn't exactly equivalent to me being on the sidelines while you raised Leon."
"You were more than just on the sidelines, Elliot, you know that. You were the closest thing he had to a father figure."
"If you say so, Chae. If you say so."
"...Do you think he's still out there? Do you think he blames me?"
The man turned to look at her, "No, darling," He said softly, cupping her face, "He would never. He knows you'd never leave him if you could help it. You know they would have killed him if you even tried to get near him while he was at Sector 3."
"...Still. At least I knew he was alive then. Now, I don't even know…" She took a shaky breath, "I just want to see him again."
"I know, Chae. All we can do is keep looking. Besides, I know that we're not the only ones who are desperate to find him again," The man pulled her closer, "I get the feeling our paths will cross again. Trust me."
She nodded, closing her eyes, "Your feelings are always weirdly accurate, babe," She said sleepily.
"Sleep, Chaewon."
Chaewon decided not to mention the voice in her dreams.