Victor was not expecting to hear the light knocking sound on his door in the middle of the night, especially in the middle of the lights festival.
He'd always found the festival condescending, the elves from Above bombing them with their light. He also hated having to clear the Lanterns the following day but that is besides the point.
He picks up a wrench laying on his bench and slowly approaches the door, hastily rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
When Roan sees the door crack open slightly and the tip of a wrench peering out to look at him, he smiles. "Victors hurry up, I'm freezing my butt off out here."
When Victor recognizes the voice, he swings the door open wide, grabbing Roan's sleeve and pulling him into his shack before looking to see if anyone followed him. "What are you doing here? Do you know how dangerous it is? The Valsari have been more aggressive than usual and their numbers are multiplying by the day...do you know the trouble you're in?"
Victor swallows his words and chooses to lower his tone. "I mean, how are you doing?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Sure, I'm good with not talking about...it."
Roan takes the hat laying helplessly on the side and shoves it onto Victor's head. "I'm not going to be here for long." he says, slowly treading around the room, looking at all the weird items in Victor's home and all the weird places he puts them, endlessly fascinated by the seemingly random choices.
"Hey, I didn't mean to shout, I've just been a little overworked lately..." Victor watches Roan carefully as he walks around the shack. "I saw what that sick bastard did to you."
Roan groans. "What happened to not talking about it?"
"I'm used to having a big family. We didn't do that!"
Roan hums in response, hitting the weird looking elf with a giant head, surprised when it starts to wobble. "It doesn't matter anymore."
Victor follows Roan into the next room. "What do you mean it does not matter anymore? It matters, he hurt you."
Roan drops his bag on the last cleans space on Victor's bench. It lands with a heavy thud. "These are the last Vara-boxes that I need to leave. I only needed two or three, but I know the people in Below need them."
Roan can barely manage to take the straps off the bag without the button bursting off. He takes out the twelve Vara-boxes from his bag and places it on the side near the murky sink.
"Is this something that the elves from Above do, just whip out twelve Vara-boxes like candy?" Victor takes a closer look. "Where did you get these?"
"Let's just say the sports team at my school won't have any floating baskets to shoot in for a while."
Victor picks up one of the boxes with his greasy hands. "How do you get away with stuff like this?"
"Haven't you heard? I am the main character." Roan jokes bitterly.
Victor drops the box and walks over to Roan, who is leaning against the sink rolling his eyes up to the sky to stop himself from crying.
"What's wrong? Did I do something? You giving me the silent treatment or something?"
Roan laughs when Victor prods him in the side. "No, I am not mad at you Victor."
Victor smiles. "So, what is it?" The smile on Victor's face fades when Roan does not answer him. Victor looks at the Vara-boxes next to them and comes to his own conclusion. "You're really leaving aren't you?"
Roan turns his head to look at Victor but seeing his disappointment, it stops him from saying anything at all. "It's okay if you are." He tells him. "This was the plan all along, remember." Victor swipes Roan's bangs out of his eyes with one, long, finger. "This is a good thing."
"Then why does the idea hurt so much?"
Victor pulls Roan into a hug. "You're okay, you're just afraid. Everyone is afraid of leaving their home."
Roan shakes his head. "But this place was never my home."
"Home isn't a place, it is the people around you."
"You stole that from that picture of you and that older guy in the picture sitting on top of the bookshelf."
Victor squeezes Roan tighter. "Just let me have this moment, I'm not smart with my words alright."
When Roan leaves he looks up at the sky and sees the last of the Lanterns gracefully falling to Below. The people from Above think the festival looks good up there but they have no idea how beautiful the lanterns look as the float down towards the earth like the fingers of a god.
When Roan is further away from Victor's shack, Isis appears out of thin air, walking up to him in a long slowing white gown. "Why are you following me creepy dream lady?"
"Excuse me?"
"You were in my dream, and you were being creepy, hence the name."
"You're not dreaming Roan."
"Oh, I know."
The corners of Isis's mouth are always slightly pointed, giving her a mysterious charm. She smiles like a person who knows something that everyone else is missing. "We have met before."
"The white Wyvern princess?"
"Call me Isis." When she extends her arm Roan takes it. "I heard about the unfortunate event that took place a few nights ago. I apologize for not being able to protect you."
"It isn't your fault."
"But can I ask why you aren't using this newfound fame to spread to the rest of the Capitals the injustice the Draven are faced with in Varian?"
Roan frowns. "I am not famous."
"Then this new platform you have been handed. The media have been flocking all over your school and the courthouse. The Daily Direct has its hands in almost one-hundred Capitals, a meeting or speech given to them would surely bring aid to our people here who are trapped in Varian."
Roan thinks silently, knowing that Isis is correct. He can help his people in a way that none of the others could replicate. It would also mean his cover and his life as he knows it would be over. "I would need proof."
"What more proof do you need, the Valsari are everywhere, surely that is enough."
"No, I need more like a picture...or..." Suddenly, Roan remembers a small detail from his dream earlier. "I know someone who may have something, but I need you to fetch him for me."
"Tell me who it is, and I can get two of our best warriors to catch him."
"Just...be careful with him, he is very.. delicate."
+/+
Charles screams his head off as soon as Zaria pulls the sack off his head. "I have money. Please don't kill me. I won't tell anyone I swear...I mean who am I kidding, I have no friends. Oh my Harmonia, I am going to die. No one is going to pay my ransom, not even my family because they-"" Ivan puts tape over Charles' mouth to shut him up but he still makes moaning sounds and even starts crying.
"That was unnecessary." Roan sighs.
Isis turns to Roan with an amused smile. "I see what you mean by...delicate."
"I said be careful." Roan swats Zaria and Ivan away before bending down in front of Charles. "Charles, this is going to hurt, I am so sorry." Roan keeps apologizing whilst ripping the tape off Charles mouth.
"Ahhhh, Roan, what are you doing here with these bandits? Were you kidnapped too? Where are we?"
Roan regretfully is forced to covers Charles mouth with his hand. "Charles, listen to me, everything is going to be fine. We just need to ask you a few questions. Now I am going to move my hand, I need you to promise me you won't start screaming again because otherwise Ivan might get angry again and I honestly don't know what happens when he gets angry so I can't protect you. Do we have a deal?"
When Charles nods his head, Roan smiles. "Good."
"What do you want from me?"
"I was wondering if for the last couple of months if you had any footage of Draven attacks? Specifically, where the Valsari kill a Draven?"
Charles gulps. "How do you know about my tapes? No one knows about my tapes. How do you know about the tapes Roan? Are you a Mind elf?"
"Sure." he lies, gesturing towards Ivan and Zaria. "If you don't want to show me the tapes then you can get them by yourself. These two gentlemen are going to put you back in your bed now and I will see you tomorrow, with all the evidence, recorder onto one tape. I can guarantee your safety from the Draven. I promise they will leave you alone from now on. Do we have a deal?"
Charles' eyes flicker over to Ivan and Zaria before returning to Roan. "We have a deal.
"We need it before the trial with the Danari, that is when the Supreme and the Chaos Walker arrive." Isis informs them. "Ivan, Zaria, you have your orders."