Chapter Text
Evening fell as Klaudia and Ryza began to settle for bed as the latter brushed the former’s hair upon request. Klaudia didn’t want potential tangling of her hair overnight, and after today’s mishaps it could use some straightening out anyway. She enjoyed the peace, and while it was nice to get along with Bos, it was also nice to be alone with her one true love amidst the quiet. Quiet, contented breaths left her body as she felt the gentle strokes of the brush straighten her hair out, though every so often she’d feel a slight tug and inadvertently exhale a light noise in turn. Ryza was apologetic in each case, but that didn’t matter as much as the fact that she seemed more solemn compared to normal. She’d been eager to hear the tidbits regarding Mrs. Grierres earlier, but Klaudia realized she hadn’t actually laughed all that much. There were smiles sometimes obscured by her latte, but now she seemed especially quiet on her own accord if nothing prompted her to speak.
“Reirei, you’ve been rather quiet ever since Bos left. Is something the matter?”
“I’m just tired from today, I guess. I’ll feel better tomorrow, probably.”
“Ry, I can tell when you’re keeping something inside, just like you can with me. Please talk to me.”
“What am I supposed to say? You saw it all for yourself. My alchemy got attacked for the second time in technically the span of a year. There might not have been a rigged trial this time, but I can’t just call that an improvement. If anything, that woman’s so much more of a nutjob than Bos could ever possibly be.”
“She may be… a character, but I don’t believe you need to worry about her, Ryza. She’s nowhere near us and given that she has a record of asinine behavior, maybe the city guard will see to it that something be done in regard to her.”
“I dunno. The fact she’s been doing stuff this long and still able to roam around free? I’m not getting my hopes up. I hope she stays the hell away from us, but I just can’t expect today to be a one-off. It’s got me concerned, considering she seemed pretty okay with the idea of bad things happening to us, and especially me.”
“I must admit that particular part does make my blood boil. I would go as far as to say that maybe a taste of her medicine, though less severe, would be justifiable. I know I will not be forgiving her like I want to Bos, because someone of her age acting like she does just strikes me as a lost cause.”
“No kidding. I don’t want you doing anything about her yourself, Klaudia. Not unless you absolutely have to, such as if she like… attacks you or something. Frankly though, if she ever tried that I would probably give her a beatdown myself. Sad thing is I can kind of imagine her doing something like that with how hostile she was.”
“Erm… Perhaps we should stop thinking this violent. It’s doing us no good, and I would rather put my thoughts toward you and making you feel better.”
Ryza just sighed as she set the brush she was using on the nightstand, her task of brushing Klaudia’s hair now fulfilled. She laid down on her side facing away from her partner, who was eyeing her with concern. Her thoughts were running amok still, and she couldn’t help but imagine the thought of a good punch to that ridiculous woman’s face. Closing her eyes didn’t dissolve that imagery; she only sighed heavily as she opened them again and tried instead to stare down the wall near the bed. If the bricks in the building had souls, they’d be getting fully stared into right now. She felt an arm dress over her side, and a gentle hand lay itself over her midriff as Klaudia nuzzled her face into the back of Ryza’s head. The smell and feeling of brunette hair would be wonderful if Ryza didn’t feel glum but hopefully an embrace would lighten her spirits even a little.
“Today’s events really did get to you, didn’t they Ryza.”
“Yeah. They did. She tried to hit Bos, what’s to say she wouldn’t have tried to do that to us? I would have hit her back if she did… I don’t like violence towards other people, but she pissed me off so much…”
“I wish I knew how to better combat your troubles, Love. I’m not as good at reassuring others as you are.”
“I’m not sure what would help me either, really. I think I need to just turn in for the night and hope for a better day tomorrow.”
“Alright… I pray tomorrow will treat both of us better. You don’t mind if I stay this close to you, do you?”
“No… I would prefer if you kept it that way. I’ll know your safe right next to me.”
“Mm… Very well. I’ll be right here, Ry. I love you.”
“I love you too, Klaudi.”
Ryza had turned her head to face the ceiling as she talked to Klaudia, and a light kiss to the cheek marked the end of the conversation, and the cue for her to lay her head back down. They didn’t bother to turn out the light, because neither of them were willing to get up to do so. The alchemist could eventually feel the breathing of her partner calm, and she could tell Klaudia had drifted off. She had Ryza for cover from the light, but poor Ryza herself had to deal with the brunt of it for now. The creases in the bedsheets caught her eye, and they made her think of Lake Ellips as her eyes followed the “waves”. It made her think of her trips between Kurken and Ashra-Am Baird. Her first arrival was a fun memory, maybe that would be fun to relive. She allowed darkness to cover her vision and tried to reminisce on the day she arrived in the capital.
The day was full of sun and clouds dotted the sky. They held a bright white color; happy clouds, so-to-speak. As the ship docked, Ryza took in the sight of the port, rather familiar now that she’d passed through it twice on her trip to speak with Mr. Mortiz. What seemed odd, however, was the people. The vessel she was on seemed to be desolate, and the port was packed - more so than Ryza remembered. As she disembarked, everyone crossed the gangplanks and boarded the vessel. Even stranger was that Ryza saw no one else leave the ship with her, and not a soul remained in the port as everyone piled on the ship, and it left rather quickly. The ship didn’t leave while Ryza and Klaudia were there, did it? Actually, for that matter, where was Klaudia? Ryza would have recognized her partner anywhere, and yet there wasn’t any trace of her here. What was going on? She looked around the port for any sign of her beloved, but there wasn’t any kind of life here beyond herself. Out in the distance, there wasn’t any sign of the carriage the two had ridden to the capital… Something wasn’t right here. Better to abort this dream and try again later.
Ryza awoke to find the light was turned out, when did that happen? She’d have noticed if Klaudia had gotten up to… Wait, Klaudia wasn’t here either! Where could she have gone? The silence was eerie, and only the moonlight’s glow gave any kind of light as it bled through the closed curtains. Maybe she was out on the upper level? Not sure why she would be, but it was a possibility nonetheless. Best to turn on the light first, though. Circumstances would serve to betray her, as the light wouldn’t illuminate. Seemingly the Fairystone had lost all power and luster somehow.
“(How in the hell…) Klaudi! Did the light die on us? Where are you, anyway?”
No response. Strange. Opening the curtains would have to suffice to illuminate the apartment, and thankfully that didn’t require any “power”. The moon was full tonight, which Ryza thought odd. It had just been in a crescent phase the night before… She thought it had been, anyway. Maybe she was losing her marbles. More importantly, Klaudia still wasn’t here. Everything else in the apartment was the same as it had been last left. The Brunnen artifact sat by the weird metallic object from the ruins, which was beginning to collect dust. That didn’t matter right now, but a good dusting later would probably be good. The nearby clock read that it was around midnight, and Ryza groaned. She’d really like to be asleep next to Klaudia, but that was a little difficult if Klaudia wasn’t actually around.
“Klaudia, c'mon! I’m not sure what you’re doing, but it’s the middle of the night! I would like to sleep!”
“(...za!)”
“...Klaudia…? (She did go outside? Why? She sounds kind of scared, too…)”
Ryza hurried to the front door where the sound seemed to come from and opened it. Nothing could prepare the alchemist for what was waiting for her. A newly familiar middle-aged woman with a newly familiar dirty blonde hair color was outside, arms crossed. Beside her was a not-so familiar man of similar-appearing age, and in his arms in front of him was…
“Klaudia!! What-”
“Ryza, help m-
The man holding Klaudia hostage silenced her with his sizeable hand over her mouth, as she squirmed helplessly in an attempt to break free of his hold. He was well built, and it seemed he had no difficulty keeping his captive contained. He said nothing, and but the look on his otherwise nondescript face echoed nothing but pure disdain. The woman beside him - Mrs. Nancy Grierres - wore an especially sinister and twisted smirk on her face.
“About time you showed yourself, witch! We tried to lure you outside, but we had to settle for your little apprentice instead.”
“What are you talking about, lady?! That’s my girlfriend! Let her go!”
“I don’t care what she is to you; she’s not the important one here. Our business is with you.”
“The hell do you want at this time of night?! I’m not doing whatever it is unless you let her go!”
“Ah, ah, ah, I think you’ll do what we want if you want any chance of us freeing her.”
“Tch… Just tell me what you want, jeez! Stop being cryptic!”
“Very well. We want you to admit to your witchcraft and surrender yourself. Your ‘partner’ is already in our custody, and we won’t be leaving without you either.”
“Wh- What do you mean custody?! You’re not part of the city guard! And just what do you plan to do with us?!”
“Why, we’ll be turning you over to the city guard, of course. You’ll have a confession ready for them that you have been scheming and plotting something vile here in the royal capital. My husband, friends and I may not know what, but that’s what you’ll be telling us first.”
The audacity of this bitch! Using her husband to hold Klaudia hostage and attempting to take her and Ryza away to be punished for witchcraft they weren’t even guilty of, and in the middle of the night no less! The time of night made more sense at least, because daylight hours would see many people out and about and no doubt there would be interference at minimum, or more likely Klaudia would be at her work training. There were more pressing thoughts on hand, though, like getting Klaudia away from these psychos. She was trying desperately to get words out through the hand over her mouth, but all that could be heard was muffled panic.
“There’s no way the guard would believe you! You have a bad record as it is! Klaudia’s not part of my alchemy, leave her out of this!”
“We might have considered had we gotten to you first… But you proved harder to lure out. We had to use her calls to get you outside, and I think we’ll hold onto her for… we’ll say a compromise.”
“What compromise?! I’ll fight you both if I have to, I’m versed in combat!”
“Hm… Versed in combat, are you? For what reason?”
“When I go and gather materials for alchemy, I have to fight off monsters sometimes! What else would I need to know how to fight for?!”
“So you admit to plundering resources from nature, including the slaughtering of wild animals and beasts, yet you’ve also expressed a willingness to fight other people who aren’t experienced combatants?”
“Wh-what?! I’m only willing to give you a good smackdown to get you away from my girlfriend and to leave us alone! That’s self-defense! If I go get my staff you’ll learn real quick not to screw with me!”
“Well then… Hmhm, I suppose we should up the ante a little bit. I’d have preferred things not coming to this, but, ah well…”
Ryza looked at Mrs. Grierres baffled until that was replaced by sheer terror as the madwoman sneered and produced a dagger from behind her somewhere. That sinister smile returned when the horror took over Ryza. There wasn’t any mistaking what this threat was, and Klaudia could see it in her peripheral too. Her cries of fright only served to fuel the insanity dwelling within Mrs. Grierres, while her husband remained entirely stoic to the matter. He’d said nothing, and clearly he wasn’t the one in control of things here, so he had no need to say anything.
“N-no! Don’t do this! Klaudia doesn’t deserve any of this!”
“Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. Frankly I couldn’t care less, Miss Ryza Stout. Witches don’t get my sympathy, and neither do their cohorts. She might be spared if she can prove she’s a victim of yours, but I don’t believe that to be the case…”
“She’s just my romantic partner, she’s not my apprentice! Please, let her go! I’ll give myself up if you let her go!”
“Give yourself up, hmm? Well, that does sound like an easier solution. You will confess then?”
“I’m not confessing to doing anything I didn’t do! I’ll come with you, but I refuse to be slandered like this!!”
“Well then… I had hoped for a simple end to this matter… I see I will have to punish your resistance. Honey, if you would allow me.”
“Wait, NO!!!”
Klaudia squirmed furiously as Mr. Grierres put just a little space between himself and her, still silent. She managed to free her face and shout a blood-curdling “RYZA!!” as the unthinkable played out. In the next few seconds, Ryza bolted in the direction of her girlfriend as she watched the dagger blade thrust into Klaudia’s gut. Blood spilled instantly, and the silent husband let go of Klaudia to swing his arm in Ryza’s direction, scoring a direct hit. The alchemist was knocked backward, and when she sat herself up in a hurry, Klaudia was on the ground with her hand over the wound, a pool of crimson surrounding her. She hardly moved; the wet, red trail could be followed to the tip of the dagger, which had returned to the side of its wielder, still dripping onto the ground.
“KLAUDIA!!”
Ryza shot up in bed with a start, drenched in sweat and struggling to breathe. Her heart was racing, and so too were her thoughts. Equally startled right beside her was Klaudia, who yelped from her own surprise. She might have been a little more confused about what was going on if it weren’t for the sight and sounds of her lover sobbing next to her, clearly broken by whatever she’d seen in her sleep.
“Ryza, what’s wrong??? Oh my goodness, there there… You’re safe, you’re okay…”
“...I-it’s not about… me…”
“What…?”
“I thought… I was losing… you…”
“...Mmh, I see… I’ll get you some water, hold on just a moment.”
As Klaudia left the bed, Ryza tried to get ahold of herself. She watched Klaudia, who was clearly fine and well, and it began to sink in that what she’d seen was a nightmare, and a horrific one at that. She wiped the now subsiding tears and held onto the covers for the sake of security while she just stared at Klaudia. The unnerved expression on her face was hard to miss, and it broke Klaudia’s heart to see. She could tell something had disturbed Ryza greatly, but what? She handed her her water and sat back on the bed, intent on finding out.
“You experienced a nightmare, I would guess.”
“...Yeah, I did.”
“I know maybe you don’t want to, but I would like to know what you saw.”
“I… saw that woman, with her husband, even though I’ve never seen him… And they had you… They… They… T-they…”
“Now now, it’s okay… Please take it easy, Reirei. I’m right here, and I’m perfectly okay.”
Klaudia scooched over to nuzzle her face to Ryza’s in an attempt to comfort her without spilling her water. Ryza had to process everything that she’d seen, including before that dreaded scene. She wordlessly took sips of her water as her partner shifted further to properly embrace her; she was sad that Ryza was unhappy, and she didn’t fully know what to do. The only sounds the alchemist made were sniffles, and it wouldn’t be for another five minutes that she would speak.
“I… tried to relive our reunion when I first arrived here, but things played out weird. No one was on the ship with me, and everyone at the port got on the ship and left. I never saw you or that carriage we took, so I tried to interrupt that dream by waking up… I thought I woke up to the light being out and you being gone, and I had no idea what was going on.”
“I never let go of you until you woke up like that and surprised me, I can promise you that. As you can see, our light’s fine, too. What happened next?”
“She demanded that I confess to evil witchcraft, and that I go with them to confess to the city guard. Her husband was just holding you hostage and keeping you from speaking, and I tried to argue with them. Eventually I told them I would go with them, but that I wouldn’t admit to any guilt. She… pulled out a dagger… and… and she… well…”
“I see… You don’t need to finish that sentence, I can understand how that scene ended… That certainly explains why you screamed my name when you awoke.”
“Mm-hm…”
“Could you look at me for a moment, Ryza?”
Ryza did as asked without questioning it, but she wasn’t expecting a direct kiss on the lips suddenly, much less the involvement of a tongue in her mouth. Here she was with both of those things relevant now, and she decided to just give in and return the favor. She felt safer with Klaudia here, so close that a part of her was technically within her right now. Something about that proved a great source of relief, and when the two broke apart, Ryza smiled slightly with a blush on her face. Klaudia was glad that she could make Ryza feel better, even if it was a little abrupt.
“You needn’t worry about me, Ryza. I won’t be taken away from you like that if I can help it, and that woman is far away from us. I know she’s scary, but I hope you can stand strong with me at your side should we encounter her again.”
“Yeah… I’m sorry for worrying you, Klaudia.”
“Please, do not feel sorry, Ry. I only care that you feel better. That woman attacked you verbally, and it stuck. Perhaps we can pursue some form of damages against her for defamation and emotional abuse.”
“Right now, I just want her to be away from me…”
“I understand. If she repeats her actions from earlier against you again, I will be taking that course of action regardless. I will not stand by to see my partner slandered and attacked, because I love you far too much to let that slide from anyone.”
“Mm… Thank you… Honey. It means so much to me.”
“Honey, hmm? That’s a bit different, but I do like it a lot.”
“Eheh… I’ll use it more, then. I do want to try to get back to sleep shortly, or at least lay down for the moment. Could… we kiss some more while we do? I feel really good doing that right now, and it’s embarrassing to ask, but-”
“Of course, my love. It would be my pleasure.”
Ryza smiled a bit more as the couple laid themselves down in a hug and exchanged plenty of gentle kisses until they eventually drifted off to sleep. Feeling better for now, the alchemist hoped tomorrow would be better, and that she could enjoy her day with some alchemy and some love from Klaudia when she came home. Klaudia could only silently share that sentiment in full.