𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙶𝚘 𝙰𝚠𝚊𝚢 - H&S

Kelsier listened, his expression first excited, then a little more serious as Nico continued. He didn’t interrupt, nor even when Nico mentioned going back, which made him want to.
“Apology accepted.” He said, getting a small smile in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “Provided that the next time you face something like this, you contact me. Don’t try to handle it alone, because you aren’t alone and it’s not fair to you to pretend you are. As for worrying, you can’t stop me from doing that. And I’m much more worried when you aren’t letting me help you.”
He shook his head a little. He wasn’t nearly as out of it anymore, which was a good thing.
“Good.” He continued in a softer voice as Nico promised. He gave a smile, trying to reassure the kid. He wasn’t actually upset with him and he understood why he’d done what he did, but he didn’t want to think about what might have happened if the phone hadn’t gone back in time. He paused, then continued seriously, his eyes not leaving Nico. “I’m here now.” He said slowly, clearly, still speaking Scadrial as his brain still didn’t want to switch back. He’d have to, eventually, but giving it a break for a moment seemed a good idea. “If I can’t convince you not to go back at all, then at least you won’t be alone this time.”
He let a pause pass between them, the weight of his words resting on the air. There was no humor to his tone, no light in his eyes that suggested he wasn’t completely serious, because he was completely serious. If Nico went back, Kelsier would follow him. And there wasn’t anything Nico could say to persuade him not to.
He caught the coat, letting a smile onto his face again as he took the mistcloak off and set it aside on the infirmary bed. Then he shrugged the trench coat on, effectively covering his ragged, stained shirt. “Warm.” He noted, looking pleased with himself. He spread his arms. “How do I look?”

The truth was, Kelsier wasn’t angry, he was just relieved. Relieved that Nico was alive, that he was safe for the present. And that now, Kelsier could watch his back, for a little while anyway.
He knew confiding in people, asking for help…he knew it wasn’t easy for Nico. As he’d said, he was used to being alone. No one had had his back for a long time, and he’d been through more than anyone should ever go through, especially not someone his age. The Pits may have broken something in Kelsier, something he could never replace or fix, but he knew that Tartarus had been worse, and he knew that anyone else wouldn’t be standing here now. Pride bubbled up in Kelsier’s chest and he couldn’t help the slow grin that came over him.
“Good.” He said, and dipped his head, acknowledging the promise. He understood what it meant coming from Nico.
He raised an eyebrow a moment later as Nico attempted to...what? Tell him what to do? “You surprise me, Nico.” He said lightly. “Can’t is a very strong word to throw around, you know. Who said anything about letting me? If I can’t stop you, how exactly do you plan to stop me?”
The words were light and almost joking, but there was an undertone of seriousness to them, too. He wasn’t toying with Nico. He wasn’t pretending.
He also knew Nico would try very hard to dissuade him. Good. Every moment he spent trying to make Kelsier stay out was another moment he wasn’t going back. And as easily as Kel had accepted the apology, he hadn’t yet gotten over the terror he had felt back in his room, knowing where Nico was and unable to reach him, unable to stop him, or help him, or even tell him things were going to be alright.
He turned his attention back to the coat, and he frowned a little. “I could try and make a mistcloak out of it…” he mused, raising his arms to look at the sleeves. “It’s the wrong material entirely. But I could shred it, and it would look something like the real thing.”
He glanced at Nico, a playful smile touching his hawk-like features. He wanted to catch his reaction.

Maybe I’ll never leave.
He almost said it. He almost did, but he didn’t, because that wasn’t something he wanted to joke about because he wanted to stay. Of course he did. To have the chance to stay here, where there were flowers and fresh air and clear skies and everyone could see the stars? Where, most importantly of all, his son called home? It was tempting. It was so tempting he almost said it and he almost meant it.
Almost.
But he didn’t. Because he knew better. He knew he wouldn’t be able to abandon his world. He might have been thar selfish once, before Hathsin, before Gemmel, before he had found a purpose.
But now….
Nico was right about one thing. He had a whole world to save. He had countless lives depending on him, and he wouldn’t abandon them. He wouldn’t abandon the Skaa.
But risking his life for Nico...that was different. That was something he did without hesitation in the House, and why should here be any different?
“You’re not facing that place alone.” He said simply. He was stubborn, and he wasn’t backing down just because Nico told him to. It would take a lot more than an attempt to change the subject to stop him.
He did let the topic go, though. Nico wasn’t going today, and he wasn’t going without a plan, and right now? Kelsier wanted nothing more than to experience this world at Nico’s side.
He couldn’t help his mischievous smile as Nico continued, and then his eyes widened in mock offense and he placed a hand over his chest. “Mistcloaks are for more than being dramatic, thank you very much.” He said airily. “There’s also the matter of terrifying your enemies and then there’s feeling dramatic, which is completely different.”
He spun, letting the coat fly majestically out behind him. “Besides, we Mistborn don’t need a mistcloak to be dramatic. We’re the best at being dramatic.”
Was he showing off? Yes. Yes he was. Should he be spinning when he was still technically hurt and had passed out from blood loss a few hours ago? Absolutely not, and yet here he was.
He did stumble a bit, and he had to catch himself, slightly ruining the effect. Not his smile, though. That remained firmly in place.

Okay was enough for Kelsier. For now, anyway. He wouldn’t back down if it came to an argument, but there was no need to let that ruin their time now. After all...he was finally there. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted to try, and he didn’t want or to lose a single moment.
“It’s completely different.” He told Nico, his smile widening a little as the kid teased him. He could take it, and he was more than happy to, especially coming from Nico. “Feeling dramatic is more internal. It’s about who you are. And being dramatic is also about who you are but in a more external way.”
He laughed a little as Nico continued, and he ignored the slight shakiness of the ground under him, the way he almost lost his balance.
It had been obvious, too, from the look in Nico’s eyes and the way he moved forward. That wouldn’t do. He needed to be at his best. He finally made it to his son’s world, only to end up with a wound that stopped him from doing everything? No, he refused to let that happen. This was not getting in his way, he wouldn’t let it.
He took a vial of metals out, considered it for a moment, then downed it and pocketed the empty vial. Pewter immediately got to work inside him, giving him better strength and balance and sharpening his mind at the same time. He smiled at Nico, feeling much better already.
“Never.” He answered immediately, but was grinning. Oh, he’d wanted this, wanted the for a long time now, and here he was, in Nico’s world, standing in Nico’s cabin. It was almost enough to make him start spinning again, but he didn’t. He felt ready to take on any challenge, do anything, and he wanted to try absolutely everything he could.
A moment later he let his arms fell back to his sides and he looked at Nico instead, one eyebrow raising. “Lead the way.” He said, abandoning his dramatic pose on the interest of seeing what Nico had in mind.

“There you go.” Kelsier grinned as Nico got it. “Then there’s me. I’m pretty much always both of them at the same time.”
He was mostly joking. But he was also objectively cool and he knew it, as well as the fact that Nico knew it too. Was it annoying? Probably. He was also objectively annoying, and they both knew it. One of his many gifts was irritating people half to death, after all, as his brother would confirm.
Having pewter made him feel significantly better almost instantly. He was, at least, a lot less likely to fall over now, which was a distinct improvement over what he’d had. Still...second to last vial, and he wasn’t sure there was any way to get more. Not ideal.
He pushed the thought away. He’d worry about that when the time came, for now he was interested only in where he was and what he was doing in this moment.
He followed Nico blinking in the bright sunlight, which was all the brighter for not having any layers of ash to crawl through. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to that, really. Or any of this, for that matter.
“A what?” He asked, frowning a little at the unfamiliar word. “Probably not, since I have no idea what that is. I can’t wait to try it though.”
Strawberries. One more thing to add to the ever growing list of things his world lacked and desperately needed. He glanced at some of the campers as they passed, and he was very aware that he was sticking out very badly, but he didn’t care. He grinned at them, his mood much too good to be spoiled by anything at the moment.

“Hey!” Kelsier protested, though he couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him. “Uncalled for. I can’t believe that after all this time, your true feelings about me are finally brought to the surface. And after I came all this way too.”
He was still trying not to burst into laughter. After a moment he couldn’t quite stop the grin, though. It ruined his words instantly.
Things weren’t quite what he had expected them to be. But then, where would be the fun in that? They may have a few things they needed to figure out, but he would take that. He would take that if it meant he could be here.
He raised an eyebrow at that...very vague description. “Okay then.” He said, shaking his head a little, his hazel eyes catching on the people who either shied away from him or came closer, curiosity clearly getting the best of them. He hadn’t yet put together that they might assume he was a god. He would have been significantly more obnoxious if he had. As it was, he just assumed they were either people Nico had mentioned him to, or people who didn’t know who he was and were trying to figure out what the hell a weird adult was doing here.
All that was forgotten a moment later and his eyes widened in shock. It was...it was beautiful. Green, so green so alive, so soft and perfect and he stared, wonder written across his face. His gaze caught on the red a moment later and he blinked, his first thought of flowers. Then he finally looked at Nico, just in time to catch the basket. He allowed himself to be dragged, a real smile curling his lips without him even meaning to as he entered the field. He reached forward, his fingers tracing the soft leaves for a moment before he managed to speak. “These are strawberries?” He asked, glancing at Nico, his eyes still wide.

“Please. I am very cool, and you know it.” Kelsier announced. Then he raised an eyebrow, giving Nico an appraising look. “Like what?” He asked suspiciously, his eyes still bright with fun. “I bet you can’t name three things I’ve done that make me look like an idiot.” It was perhaps not his wisest challenge, since there were people to overhear Nico’s answer, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see what Nico would say.
He looked back at the strawberries, his expression still open and shocked, because this wasn’t House magic, this was reality. These plants...they were real. They were green and soft and beautiful and perfect and real.
He glanced at Nico as the kid shrank back, and he could immediately guess why, based on the way the other kids moved. He frowned at them, his eyes resting them for a long moment before he tuned back to Nico.
“They’re beautiful.” He admitted. He wasn’t usually speechless, but the things he was seeing here made him pretty close. Then he moved, closer to Nico than the plants.
“Do you want me to Soothe anything that could harm them?” He asked, and he was genuinely asking. He wasn’t sure whether it would work, but he felt it was worth a try, and he didn’t like seeing the way the other kids looked at Nico. The way Nico almost seemed to agree with them. Because they were wrong, and he could see the effects it had on him, the way it got in his head. If Nico had an aura of death, then let him. Kelser saw no reason to treat him any differently because of it. It was am aura, which was pretty damn cool if you asked him.
“I don’t even have to do it yet.” He added. “You could just tell me when you want me to.” He smiled, then turned back to the plants, his attention focused on the little red things.
He selected one carefully, choosing a completely red one and holding it carefully, considering it. Then he popped it into his mouth and bit down.
Juice exploded across his tongue, and he blinked, his eyes widening as he chewed, basking in the sweet, tart flavor. He turned to Nico as he swallowed, a slow grin coming over his face.
“That...is incredible.” He told him. “You can eat these whenever you want? And what are waffles?”

Kelsier opened his mouth, but he closed it again quickly, because he found he couldn’t argue with that. He had looked a like a bit of an idiot in the butterfly room. He had cried, if he remembered right. He nodded, giving that one to Nico.
And then there was the ice skating room. Which...okay, he had to give that one too. “In my defense, you fell flat on your back and started laughing.” He pointed out in his most dignified voice. Then he grinned. “That’s twice. Admit it, in all the time we’ve known each other, twice isn’t bad.” He was enjoying this. Immensely.
He waved a hand a moment later. “My metals do me little good anyway if I don’t use them.” He pointed out lightly. “And Soothing isn’t my forte, anyway. It wouldn’t do me much good in a fight.” That’s what he assumed Nico was worried about, anyway. Which was fair. There were monsters, and some of them were probably particularly annoyed with the strange man with the ouch knives. He didn’t want to worry about that now. He didn’t want to think about being trapped without metals, a thought that made his chest tighten with panic. He hadn’t even had them for overly long, and his Allomancy was still a huge part of who he was. Without it….he refused to think about that. They would find a way to get him metals. He was confident that they would.
He nodded once, and began to gently Soothe Nico, blunting the fear mostly, but also anything else he felt might hurt the plants. Then he gestured towards the plants, moving without looking away from Nico. “Strawberries,” he mouthed at him, reaching to take another one. He put it in his basket.
Then he immediately took it back out and ate it.
“They’re good.” He defended himself without waiting for Nico to speak. “And there’s plenty more. I’ll put some in the basket too, I promise.”
True to his word, he began to pick the strawberries, putting about a third in the basket, eating the rest. He glanced back at Nico, eyebrows raised. “What, you think I’m going to come see you and then just leave before a day has even passed?” He asked, smiling. “You’re not getting rid of me that quickly, I’m afraid.”

“I think you probably look a lot cooler than you think.” Kelsier commented, shaking his head a little. Then he looked back at him, and he couldn’t help grinning back. “You’re on.” He said, his tone mischievous. “What do I get if I win? And what do you want if you do?” Having stakes would make it more fun.
Emotional Allomancy wasn’t something Kelsier used often, if he were being honest. Leave that to the Soothers and Rioters, he was much better at winning fights against near impossible odds, manipulating objects around him to do exactly what he wanted, dancing just out of reach of his enemies as they fell at his feet. All things he used when he sparred with Nico.
He never Soothed or Rioted him without express permission. If he ever would have before...he didn’t now. There was a sort of unspoken agreement between them about what he could and could not do. It would take a great deal to push him over that line.
He looked back at Nico. “Oh?” He prompted, curious. Then he paused, considering that. “I don’t know how long I’m staying.” He admitted, his voice quiet. He hadn’t planned this out, after all...he had merely reacted. Nico had been in danger. What else could he have done?
He wasn’t trying to hide what he was doing. He made no attempt to pretend he wasn’t Soothing, and he was pretty sure Nico could have told if he’d tried anyway. Again, not his forte. He was glad when Nico did step forward, though, and he shot the other kids a look through narrowed hazel eyes, not bothering to hide what he thought of their muttering. He was about 0.7 seconds from calling them out on it, but he settled for indignant glaring for the time being, mostly because he knew Nico wouldn’t actually want him to start anything. Not an hour in and he was on the verge of setting a fight. He almost felt sorry for Nico’s planet.
“Let them try.” He returned, and a smile appeared easily on his face as he looked back at Nico. “Strawberries would be worth exile, if only you’d come with me.”
He paused. “Ah.” He said after a moment. “About that, I wish I knew, honestly. I left a note in case I just disappeared, but I have no idea how this actually works. I’m not even totally sure how I did it.”
He met Nico’s eyes. “I might….not know how to get back.” He admitted after a pause. “But don’t worry. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, and I’m sure I’ll think of something when the time comes.” He didn’t really want to think about leaving. Not when everything wanted him to stay forever.

“Agreed.” The Mistborn accepted the terms almost instantly. He didn’t need to think about it, he wanted to do both of those thing. So maybe they weren’t really stakes, but…still. It was a bet he was willing to take.
All he had to do was not look like an idiot. That wouldn’t be hard, he was very good at looking very cool. And he did want to go to Olympus. He really did.
Which would he have chosen on his own? He wasn’t sure….Italy had been important enough to Nico to risk his life to see again and anything that mattered that much to Nico automatically was important to to Kelsier, too. But,...Olympus.
It was probably a good thing they were leaving this up to a bet. Otherwise, how would they ever decide?
No. Just your hero.
He didn’t say it. But he did think it.
“My plan is working perfectly.” He said instead, rubbing his hands together and looking back at Nico. “I’m here, aren’t I? The rest only matters later.” And they weren’t later yet, so what was the problem?
Another quick glare at the Demeter kids. The mutters were not friendly. Had they bothered to even talk to Nico before judging him?
He popped a strawberry in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, then looked at Amico again, eyebrows raising. “Hey!” He protested. “Why doesn’t Luthadel count? It has buildings. And people.” What more did a city need, anyway?
He paused in the act of dropping a couple strawberries into his basket, frowning a little at the unfamiliar word. It was in English, he recognized how it sounded, and he guessed there wasn’t an equivalent in Scadrial.
“You lost me.” He said, a slightly bemused smile on his face as he looked at Nico. He munched another strawberry. “What are...sight seeing buses?” He managed to make the words understandable, but his pronunciation, though he’d attempted to be slow and careful, was terrible. “Would it be faster to walk?” He added, tone completely serious. He had no idea what the...sight seeing buses….what those were. Or what a tourist was, for that matter.
“Am I a tourist?” He tossed a strawberry high above his head, then caught it in his mouth, relishing the explosion of juice across his tongue. Another curious glance at Nico. “I want to see the things you love the most about this world.” He told him, his smile resting easily on his sharp features. “And I don’t even want to think about going back, not for a while yet.”

The Soothing was as gentle as Kelsier could make it, only targeting the negative emotions. He would never have done it without permission, he reminded himself, even though a part of him didn’t want to do it at all. It was a weapon, he knew, just not his preferred one. But this way, they could walk through the plants together
He smiled as Nico ate the strawberry. It was Nico’s world, and he didn’t want to experience any of it without him at his side.
The smile deepened as Nico spoke, and he nodded, his eyes sincere as he met Nico’s. “Then that’s what you’ll have.” He said, and he meant it. “I’m not leaving, not for a good while. You don’t really think I would come all this way and then just turn around and go home, do you?” He wasn’t leaving. Not until he was good and ready, and not until he had seen everything Nico wanted to show him. Even if he didn’t know what to expect from this. Describing a world was one thing, actually experiencing it? Very different. He was barely an hour in and he was already in awe. What was the rest going to be like?
Kelsier, too,maws eager to see everything, to experience this world with Nico, to see the things he lived with and the things he loved about his home. He picked a few more strawberries, piling them into his basker as he did, then eating another one. “The city that never sleeps.” He repeated, tasting the title. “How does it not get dark? Wait, no...electricity.” He grinned, because he’d gotten it before Nico had had to explain it.
“Sight seeing buses.” He repeated, slower. The words were still not quite right, but they were, at least, closer.
He frowned a little as Nico continued, and he paused. “How bad?” He asked finally, rather than promising not to punch the bus. He couldn’t go making promises he couldn’t keep, right? And he refused to lie to Nico.
“Great, then I’m a tourist.” He said, his tone suggesting he was happy about that fact. Even if he didn’t know what that was, exactly. But hey, everyone hated them. It was a good match already.
“Nope.” He confirmed, shaking his head a little. “At least, not by that name. What do tourists do?”
He paused. Then he took one more strawberry and tossed it to Nico. “I would love to stay here all day, but what I would love even more is to see everything you want to show me.” He told him. He smiled. “Time to get started?”

Kelsier loved that smile. The one he had learned how to bring out, the one that he didn’t see Nico give anyone else. He saw Nico, he saw how relaxed he was around him. He didn’t know all of it, but he knew enough, and it was easily one of the things he counted most precious to him.
“Exactly.” He agreed, even though the sights were far from the real reason he wanted to stay. He had imagined this moment for so long, imagined making it to Nico’s world, seeing him outside the House. He would have come even if Nico’s world was as ugly as his own, or worse. He would have come even if Nico’s had been nothing at all.
“Of course.” He nodded and stopped Soothing, trying to release the emotions slowly so they wouldn’t crash into Nico too hard. Once that was done, he turned back to the plants, still unable to keep the wonder from his eyes. Not that he was trying. Let Nico see how much this meant to him, let Nico see how much it mattered. It wouldn’t be the first time Nico had seen Kel cry because of something beautiful.
He looked back at Nico, raising an eyebrow at that. Nico was right, he couldn’t quite imagine what this electricity could be like. He knew only what he’d seen in the Hoise and what Nico had described, but that was nothing compared to seeing it himself. Oh, he was excited for this, he really was.
He had no idea what to expect. But he was eager to find out.
“Fair enough.” He said, considering that. Apparently New York was busy, then. He wasn’t worried, he could handle busy just fine. Not that he had the faintest idea what it was going to be like, but...no, he was excited, and nothing was going to take that.
“Buses.” Kelsier repeated slowly, attempting to use the same vowel he’d leaned for ‘trust’. It wasn’t easy, but he was trying his hardest to get it right. At least he had practiced that word until he could get it right every time. He smiled, pleased with himself. A moment later a more serious expression crossed his features, and he considered Nico for a long moment, chewing on that information.
“I’m not surprised,” he said finally, “to hear that.” He wasn’t really. Still, it sounded an awful lot like the nobility to him, which he supposed was why Nico had been worried about him punching something.
“I’ll try not to punch anything.” He promised. That was the best he could do, really.
Kelsier considered that description for a moment. He didn’t know what taking pictures meant, but it sounded like tourists were obnoxious. Well, so was he. That was nothing new.
He also didn’t know what the metro was. Another question for later, he decided.
“More than ready.” The Mistborn stepped forward, taking Nico’s hand without hesitation, more than ready to see the rest of Nico’s world, to see the things that Nico lived with every day.

If Kelsier had known what Nico thought, he would have stopped right there and told him in the plainest way possible that he was wrong. That Nico was not only the main reason, he was the main reason by far. That if it came to a choice between spending the next week (at least) with Nico or seeing the sights and experiencing everything this world had to offer...it wasn’t really a choice. He would choose Nico without hesitation every single time. He would choose to spend time with Nico even if it means he never saw another flower or tasted another strawberry.
It there had been a way to make the emotions easier on Nico, would Kel have done it? With permission…of course he would. He didn’t like seeing Nico in any sort of discomfort, but he knew they were a part of Nico, and he knew Soothing them didn’t actually make it better. It just made it feel better for a little while.
He trusted Nico. He trusted him to say something if he thought he was going to kill the plants, if he needed Soothed again. But he was also glad Nico was in control of his powers enough to be fine without him.
Kelsier couldn’t help the wonder in his eyes, even if he’d wanted to, which he didn’t. He didn’t try to hide it, he didn’t try to pretend it didn’t affect him. Let it affect him. He was fine with that, fine with Nico seeing him like this, vulnerable in his joy. Vulnerable and yet strong, at the same time.
He grinned back as Nico confirmed he’d done it better that time, even if he could tell it wasn’t perfect. It didn’t need to be, really. He knew his accent was stronger in English than Nico’s was in Scadrial, and he also knew Nico was better at Scadrial than he would probably ever be at English, but that was okay. He was just glad they could understand each other.
He listened to the history, nodding a little at it. It sounded very familiar, after all. Nico might as well have been speaking of Luthadel, aside from the part where it got better. Or, maybe that part too, if Kel did his job well enough.
The factories were different.
His eyes did darken a bit at the description. It was wrong, so wrong, and he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was because this was Nico’s world and it was supposed to be better. Why did he continue to believe it was actually better?
“I do wish things like that didn’t happen in this world, as well.” He said quietly. “If they happen at all, I wish they would be confined to one world. Easier to fix, that way.”
He smiled a little. The unions…they mattered. They were people refusing to take it sitting down, people refusing to be frightened into submission. And he was glad. He was glad to hear that at least somewhere, a fight had been won.
“I look forward to seeing the victories,” he said, his smile deepening. As excited as he was to go on the sight-seeing bus, he was possibly even more excited to get to see the things Nico specifically chose, because those were things he knew he would love seeing.
Then they were in the shadows, and Kelsier stumbled just a little as they came out the other side, almost flaring pewter before he could stop himself. Better not to use it that fast if he could help it, though. And he didn’t fall, just had to catch himself.
“Still not used to that.” He said, shaking his head a little, then looking around to see where they were. He glanced at the sky, half expecting it to be clouded with smoke or ash. It wasn’t. He smiled.
“Tickets?” He repeated curiously, looking at Nico. He supposed his constant questions were probably getting annoying, but he couldn’t quite help himself, not when there were so many new things to see and experience.

Kelsier didn’t interrupt. He knew Nico was right, he knew that was how people were, but...well, was it so wrong to wish Nico’s world was better? He would never admit it, but he was tired. Tired of people being the way they were, tired of fighting this war, though he would never give up.
“You may be right about that.” He admitted, looking at Nico. “When I win my war, when the Skaa win, I expect they’ll be very protective of their freedom. They’ve more than paid for it, in blood, in lives.”
He looked at Nico. His expression was serious, but he wasn’t upset. “You’ve already won your wars.” He pointed out lightly. “It’s a lot easier to say that when you aren’t actually in the fight anymore. But...I do understand what you mean.”
He wasn’t sure he was disappointed. How could he be? This wasn’t his world, this was a completely different one, nothing like his own.
He knew the fight mattered. He knew that, he just...wished it wasn’t necessary. Hated that Nico had been forced through multiple wars.
“That may be true.” He said quietly, still looking at Nico. “And you know I’ll never stop fighting. But if I could erase the nobility? If I could stop the war once and for all? How can I say I wouldn’t do it?”
He shook his head a little, a smile coming over his features as Nico walked off. He didn’t follow, but he was ready in case anything happened. Monsters, or anything else’s, he didn’t know what to expect here, but he was armed and no longer at risk of bleeding out. He glanced down as he waited, remembering his still-bloodstained shirt. Hopefully no one would notice that. He pulled the coat over it as best he could,
When Nico returned, he grinned, excited in spite of having no idea what was about to happen. “That’s the ticket?” He said curiously, reaching to take it and hold it up to get a better look at it. “It’s so small and...flimsy.” He could have ripped it in half if he’d wanted to. He didn’t, of course, but the fact remained that it was a possibility.
“Got it.” He said, nodding as the thing...what the hell...came around the corner.
The House had somewhat prepared him for it. Having seen a lot of things before, he wasn’t quite as shocked as he could have been. Still, this was an actual world, not a room...which he was having a hard time remembering at the moment.