smallfandomflsh | Ys IV, Adol/Dogi, Elena/Adol, Challenge #214: 'Auld Lang Syne', Tehexile

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Title: Distant Empty Promise

Author: tehexile

Fandom: Ys IV

Pairing/Characters: Adol/Dogi, unrequited Elena/Adol

Rating/Category: PG-13/Multi

Word Count: 606

Spoilers: none
other tags: unrequited love, awkward, riotous drunkenness

Summary: Adol and Dogi go back to Esteria to meet old friends. Elena waits for Adol under a tree.

"Esteria's not been as peaceful of late, what with the Romun army sniffing around so much," Elean told him, her voice more nervous than usual, her eyes darting to the side every now and then as though she genuinely expected legionaries to jump out of the bushes. When she looked over to the redhead swordsman, his hand balanced with lethal grace on his silver blade, flashing a confident smile that had won many a heart, she looked a little more relaxed but not entirely.

"Looks a lot quieter than when Dark Fact was the problem," he noted, waving a hand to indicate the continuing lack of rampaging fiends from Hell terrorising the beautiful Esterian countryside.

"I guess so. It's more about the tension, the feeling that something's about to go down. It's a little like having a Rheboll stalking around your china shop. There's no real reason for it to deliberately break your things, they probably want to avoid noise and get on with their business, but..."

"Dogi ate a Rheboll once," remarked Adol casually, "Roasted it on a spit and ate the whole thing. Didn't leave any for me. He was sick the next day, serves the big gorilla right."

"I'm glad you to are having fun on your adventures," she smiled. Adol looked a little uneasy at the way she said that, "Did he go to the pub to get drunk again? Don't you want to go with him?"

"He can get drunk enough for two men. And with Goban? Between them, drunk enough for five, easily," said Adol, "Watching a gang of thieves start a fight and then throw up everywhere isn't really my style."

"I just thought you might want to keep an eye on them in case, you know, they make trouble with the Romuns in the local barracks."

"Trust me, they'll give up after the fifth time they try and put him back in jail. No army has that much mortar to fill holes in walls," Adol grinned, "Besides, Sarah and Jebah ambushed me on the way in and made it very clear that you really wanted to see me and were waiting underneath a tree. Isn't it cold? What if I was late?"

She shrugged, "Like you said, Esteria's a peaceful place now, mostly. Especially under the Roda tree. Those leaves are big and they feel like they deliberately shelter you and sometimes I feel like they talk to me. I think I must doze off or something."

"Well, as long as you're okay," he shrugged, looking up at the tree's enormous, broad-leafed branches, the setting sunlight streaming through them, "I'm seeing these in other continents, did you know? I heard they even have them in Celceta. That's where I'm going next, and..."

"Adol," she interrupted him, looking deep into his eyes as she grabbed his hands in hers. They were almost as small and slender as her own but rough, battle-scarred and strong, to go with his small but sinewy frame. He hadn't aged in appeared but his eyes had seen so much, his body filling up with scars, "Please be careful, okay, Adol?"

"Careful I can't promise, it doesn't save you in the end and you never see anything of the world or your dreams," he replied, "But I'll come back to you again in the end. I promise. I'll always be back for you."

She smiled and hugged him, breathing in his scent, always of the sea and the outdoors. Closing her eyes, she didn't see the worried look in his eyes, or hear him whisper:

"... Because if I don't, Dogi will never forgive me."