Chapter Text
Ten minutes before they were to land outside their newest destination, Yuri decided to check in on the still-sulking Flynn.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you looked like you’d been sentenced to a weekend in a prison cell rather than an onsen.” Yuri teased with a playful elbow to the ribs as an added attempt to get the blonde’s attention.
Flynn grunted and shot Yuri a dour look. "You don't know the Council. For all intents and purposes, they may as well be equivalent."
“Sooo what you’re saying is I should show the Council what the inside of a prison cell looks like?”
Flynn stared at Yuri for a beat before chuckling lightly. "While tempting that may be," he admitted with the smallest smirk, "I'm afraid that if a council member is, in fact, committing crimes worthy of a jail cell, that would likewise be my responsibility." Then, wearily, "All the more reason for me to be back in Zaphias."
“All the more reason for Estelle to have sent your sorry ass to Yumanju with us.” Yuri countered with a stifled laugh in response, then he shrugged, “I’m sure Estelle and Ioder can tell those crotchety old fucks to suck it this time.”
"Hmm, Lord Ioder has done a surprisingly impressive job in managing the Council, despite his youth. There's even been talks of coronation amongst the councilmen, though I have had my hands full attempting to reorganize the Imperial Knights closer to a system before the previous emperor died and Alexei..."
Flynn paused, both unable and unwilling to unpack the full scope of his statement before he sighed and idly tapped the tabletop with his fingertips.
"Well," he said with a half-wry/half-earnest grin, "we never did say our dream would be easy."
“No, we didn’t.” Yuri agreed with a tired smile. “But we’re so much closer than I thought we’d be. Way closer than I ever would’ve thought if you asked me about this last spring.”
"It truly is incredible just how much can change in one year," Flynn said, meeting Yuri's tired smile with his own. "Although you're just the same as always, Yuri." A chuckle, then, "Even now, you're still dragging me along on your adventures without asking."
“ Ohhh no,” Yuri dismissed the implication with a shake of his head. “This is all Estelle. File a complaint with her this time.”
"I can't tell her no any more than you can, Yuri, you know that," he said, equal parts fond and exasperated. "Even if I tried, she's… well, more stubborn than you sometimes. But, given what you told me about the Weasand of Cados… she has good reason to send you three to Yumanju." Flynn looked over his shoulder to the two sleeping nearby then back to Yuri. "How're you holding up?"
“Honestly? I’m pretty damn sore,” Yuri began, stretching and wincing to illustrate his next point, “so I won’t argue with her decision this time.”
“That's… not quite what I meant, but—”
"We'll be landing soon." Flynn's shoulders flinched tight as Judith's voice appeared behind him and he spun around, only to see her gently smiling at him. "Ah, my apologies. Did I interrupt?"
“Nah,” Yuri answered with a dismissive wave of a hand that eventually came to rest on his cocked hip. “Anything you need us to do before then, Judy?”
"Nothing other than bracing yourselves. And, I suppose, waking Raven and Karol. I believe this makes… the fourth time this week?" she said, lightly bringing a hand to her lips.
Yuri didn't mention that part, Flynn thought, blinking as Judith started her stride over to the two's shared cot. Now that he thought about it… “Yuri, since when did Raven and Karol begin to share the bed?”
A shrug and a familiar, teasing expression. “It’s been a rough week and Boss has been needing some extra comfort.” Yuri stood as Judith passed them and moved to follow her, casually adding, “Speaking of things changing, you should know that the old man-” a nod over his shoulder in Raven’s direction, “i-s a brand new dad.”
Only once Flynn froze in place did Judith turn back towards the sleeping pair and share a smirk with Yuri, which widened only further at Flynn's choked, "Wh-what?"
"Since when? How- With who ? How did I not hear of this...? Yuri , you - How long have you known about this?"
"For some time," Judith provided mildly, settling her hands on Karol's shoulders to start rousing the boy. "I'm surprised you hadn't already heard. It's all Estelle has been talking about these days."
" H-how in the —"
“The old man has a kid now, that’s how.” Yuri answered simply, his familiar smirk filling his tone. Then, before Flynn could ask anything else, he followed after Judith and started to assist in the task of waking up Raven while Judith focused her efforts on Karol.
"Karol, it's time to wake up," she said, gently pushing once more against Karol's shoulders until his eyelashes began to flutter open.
No more than half a second after Karol did, Raven stirred, squeezing the boy closer before releasing him as he stretched his arms. "We're here…?" he rumbled out drowsily.
"Indeed. We—"
" Yes , Yuri, but with whom ? And since when ?"
What the fuck is goin' on this time?
“Does that really matter if he’s a single parent?” Yuri cheekily answered Flynn’s questions with a question of his own. “Like I said, he’s a new dad. The old man is still adjusting to having a kid.”
Before Flynn could respond, Karol had both wriggled himself free of Raven’s hold and sat up on the bed. “Already?”
“Yeah, you two slept the whole flight.” Yuri told him.
“R-really?” Karol asked. Yuri and Judith nodded. . “Whoa…”
"Eh, I could do with some more sleep," Raven grunted, pushing himself up into a sit as he began his slow acclimation to consciousness.
"Captain Schwann! Is- is it true?" Flynn cried, as close to desperation as his Commandant composure would allow him.
Raven winced, the low throb of his concussion trickling back into awareness with the shout. "It's… just Raven ," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes, "And is what true?"
"That… that you have a new progeny!"
“What’s a progeny?” Karol asked.
Yuri laughed and gently tousled Karol’s hair. “Don’t worry about it, Boss. Flynn’s just being way too formal, as usual.”
"Hardly!" came the blonde’s indignant cry.
In the beat it took for Judith to stifle her smile, Raven stared at the air and processed Flynn's words until, thoroughly puzzled, "Y'mean Karol?"
"... Karol is your son? "
"Y-yeah, ya didn't hear? It's been days, Flynn."
A heavy thud filled the now thick and quiet air as Flynn stepped… turned… looked towards Yuri, and began marching towards his best friend, where he was thoroughly neck deep in his own amusement and laughter. " Yuriiii- "
"Ah!" Judith's cool voice broke through the air. "It seems as if we are landing now. Brace yourselves."
Yuri was still doubled over laughing even as Flynn marched toward him, red-faced and clearly unimpressed at the situation he found himself in. He would’ve reached him, too, if not for the-
Thoom!
The air inside the hull vibrated from the rough landing, sending those standing up into a half-stagger and Raven into another wince until Flynn, recovering quickly, once more marched over to Yuri, arms outstretched.
"You let me think Captain Schwann was having a baby!"
Raven cough-laughed in surprise as he pulled himself out of the cot. "So, ya did it again, Yuri? That makes Judith, Rita, Estelle, and Flynn."
“Not my fault if they can’t figure it out.” Yuri replied between laughs, narrowly avoiding Flynn’s attempt at grabbing him.
Karol rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. “What would you do with a baby, anyway, Dad?”
Raven paled. "Uh,” he said shakily, “Probably freak out."
"Yuri, stand still so I can strangle you!"
"I mean, if they're my kid then of course I'm gonna try to take care of 'em but… damn, where would I even begin," Raven continued, settling into contemplation as he held his chin, breaking out of his thoughts once to grin at the squabbling young men. "I probably would have a lot of questions to ask Estelle. But I guess just… same thing with you but younger? I'm pretty old to be takin' care of a newborn though, doncha think?"
“I dunno. Rita and Estelle took good care of that little baby we found in Heliord, so I think you could do it.” Karol said, still smiling, “But, yeah, you’re right. Babies seem like a lot of work.”
“See? This is exactly why Estelle sent you here with us, you can’t even take a joke!”
"Mhm. Besides," Raven grinned, beginning a saunter over to the screaming pair, "I think I've got enough kids to take care of."
"Well, maybe if the joke was funny —"
"Now now, children! As much as I hate to interrupt-" and Raven truly did hate to. This was hilarious, "-we've already landed and Judy's got places to be. It's awful rude to keep a lady waiting, ya know," he said, clapping a hand on Flynn and Yuri's shoulders as he began steering them above deck.
Both Yuri and Flynn pulled equal-parts embarrassed and exasperated pouts and Karol had to stifle a laugh as he followed the three up the stairs. Once on deck, they were met with a very amused looking Judith.
While Raven was still busy with the two young men, Karol stopped at her side. “Thanks again for flying us all this way, Judy.”
"Yes, despite the kidnapping, it was a joy to see you again, Judith," Flynn echoed.
Judy covered another small smile as she followed the group off of the gangplank. "Any time, you two. And remember, there is no need to rush your escape from Yumanju. Whenever you three are ready, just give us a call on Ba'ul's horn."
"Noted and heeded, Judith darlin'," said Raven, finally releasing his hands from Flynn and Yuri's shoulders now that the need for his shepherding had ended.
“Will do!” Karol confirmed with a wave goodbye as Judith re-boarded the Fiertia.
“See ya, Judy,” Yuri called just as Ba’ul took to the skies
Thus, they were left with no choice but to check-in for their stay. Hurray for their self imposed vacation!
Karol jogged to catch up with Yuri, stopping only to address Flynn with an apologetic smile. “Guess this means you really are stuck with us, Flynn.”
"Well, at least I am in good company, Yuri aside," Flynn said, smiling gently at Karol to reassure the boy that it was no issue as he continued after Karol and Yuri, Raven trailing behind. "Besides, this will give ample opportunity for you to tell me about your newfound change in relationship with Sir Raven."
" Just Raven."
“Sir Old Bones is more like it.” Yuri countered teasingly as they finally entered the building.
"Sir Old Bones, eh? Glad ta see you're finally recognizin' the plights of the elderly," said Raven, half-mindedly casing out the largely empty lobby with his hands folded behind his head. "Just as long as you're okay bein' assigned prestigious position of resident Old Bones Catcher."
“And take such an important role away from your son?” Yuri asked in mock-horror. “Fat chance.”
"Tsk tsk, look at this young man, foistin' responsibility onto a 12-year-old," he said, cocking a hip, hand on dagger hilt, and gesturing to Yuri in his entirety. "He's got no shame, does he, Karol? I dunno how ya dealt with him for so many years, Flynn."
“ He’s the one that keeps following me around.” Yuri reminded them before starting to talk to the receptionist and providing the letter Estelle had given him, likely detailing each of their unique needs for the duration of their stay.
Behind him, Flynn continued squawking. "Quite the opposite! Who was it that followed me down the alley on 34th and Wallbrick when we were 10 and got himself attacked by a stray ratwigle? Hanks grounded him for a week for that one."
“I think Yuri’s pretty gr—wait, really?” Karol looked between the two with wide eyes. “That happened?”
“Yeah, but what Flynn failed to mention was that he also got his sorry ass grounded for that one.” Yuri added, twirling the keys to their room around his index finger.
"Because you decided to kick the dumpster and aggravate the ratwigle inside!"
Raven closed his eyes and sighed. "Ah, children. It seems even the Commandant can't help but reminisce sweetly with his childhood friend."
"I… pardon?"
Yuri’s pale cheeks pinked, Karol snickered, and Yuri, ever the young man, briskly turned on his heel and started walking toward the hallways that would lead to the rooms.
“Where are you going, Yuri?” Karol called after him.
“To the room, where else?” Yuri replied casually over his shoulder.
Karol paused, processing Yuri’s answer for a moment before realizing Yuri was the only one who knew where their room was. Then he ran after the swordsman, “W-wait up!”
It didn’t take Yuri long to reach their room and he unlocked it with ease before entering. He looked around the room, until Karol came to a stop next to him.
“Huh,” Yuri breathed to himself as he paused, waiting until Flynn and Raven arrived before looking them over, and even peering around the three in search of something , “guess none of us brought any luggage.”
A snort, then, "You're kiddin'."
But, nope, they really didn't bring any bags with them off the ship, a fact that none of them realized until now, and a fact that soon had Raven laughing to himself.
"How-" Flynn poked his head and cased the room (clean, crisp, airy, ready to accept new people, and utterly vacant of bags), looked at their hands (all empty), and he smacked his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot."
Karol rested his hands on his hips and heaved a sigh before saying, “I was worried this would happen when Estelle wouldn’t let me bring my bag.”
Raven snorted again. “Eh, it’ll be fine. There’s bound to be some rental stuff we can wear.”
Yuri shrugged, entirely nonplussed. “Definitely proves we needed this, though.”
"Mhm." With no more words, Raven stepped into the room. Soft golden light cast the light colored floor and wood furnishings in a glow from both the large round lantern fixture above them and the wide windows that let the low mid-evening sun filter through and gave full view of the forest surrounding them. Three sections total, a dining/communal room that led out to the patio outside, a bedroom with a closet full of both futons and soft blankets, and a bathroom, all clean and warm.
It wasn't the first time they had been to the miracle waters of Yumanju, but of all their visits it definitely was the most needed.
"It's nice to be back," said Raven, sliding open the door to the patio and breathing in the fresh, pine-tinged air (the sulfuric hint of the hotspring aside). After several, refreshing lung fulls, he found a lounge in one of the two cushioned seats surrounding the low table on the outside patio.
“You can say that again.” Yuri agreed, looking over their amenities while silently noting his own muscle tension and residual soreness. Yeah, I definitely needed this.
The room fell into comfortable silence for a while as the boys settled in and decided who would sleep where and they were idly conversing when Karol asked, “Is anybody else hungry?”
Flynn straightened on the couch he'd been lounging in next to Yuri. "Ah, now that you mention it..."
A loud snore interrupted them before Yuri could answer Karol’s question. “Looks like the old man turned in for the night already.”
“He’s been pretty tired since we got back from the Weasand.” Karol told them. “I’m not surprised he fell asleep already.” His expression quickly grew frantic as Yuri moved to step out onto the patio. “Yuri, wait! He’s really, super exhausted!”
"We can always wake him when the food arrives," Flynn said, attempting for reason as he shifted partially out of his seat. "I don't know exactly what happened to the three of you while you were in the Weasand of Cados, but it was enough for Estelle to insist upon both this trip and a letter detailing your treatments for the employees to heed during our stay. It might be best to let him rest for now."
“Fine, have it your way.” Yuri said, returning to the room. “Fair warning, though, he’s been a major pain in the ass to wake up lately.”
“I think he’ll wake up for food.” Karol said with a level of confidence, slowly relaxing until he was comfortable yet again. “So, what kind of food did you guys want for dinner?”
"I could do with something hearty," said Flynn, finding and flipping through the simple menu Yumanju offered its residents. "It's been difficult to find time for supper amidst my duties, so this will be a nice change of pace. Ah, they have steak here, with honey-roasted carrots and mashed potatoes."
Karol’s face positively lit up as Flynn described his choice. “That sounds amazing.”
“I’ll order the house special for the old man and I. Looks like some sort of grilled fish.” Karol’s expression fell and Yuri laughed. “Alright, so two steaks and two specials.”
With that decided, Yuri exited the room to place their order. A few beats of silence passed before Flynn relaxed himself once more into his seat as the wind brought a soft rustle from the forest and Raven's snores drifted into the room.
Then, "Karol?"
The sound of his name startled the boy, but he quickly collected himself and replied, “Yeah?”
"What, exactly, happened to you three in the Weasand of Cados? Yuri, he..."
Flynn broke off, doubt clouding his face for a moment. Honestly, he'd seldom seen Yuri so exhausted and battered, even while they went through bootcamp together in the days before Captain Niren, and even while they had traveled together in their quest to rid the sky of the Adephagos. What's more, to see Captain Schwann brought to such a state… not to mention Estelle mentioned his ongoing suffering of a concussion.
Flynn sighed and shook his head. "I get the feeling that you three endured more hardship than what Yuri has let on so far."
The boy listened quietly until Flynn had finished speaking, his muscles tensing at the mention of the Weasand of Cados before he took a few deep breaths and forced himself to relax. It’s okay to tell him. Flynn has a right to know what happened. He is Yuri’s best friend, after all.
“It was a really tough couple of days.” Karol began, keeping his voice steady. “There was a Giganto monster that caught us off-guard and it caused a cave-in shortly after we arrived there for a guild job. That’s when Dad got his concussion, too.”
Flynn frowned to himself minutely at Karol's discomfort, hidden though it was, and nodded. "I see… I imagine that was quite trying, having to fight through monsters and a Giganto for several days with an injured comrade. I can understand you all's fatigue. I suppose I only have two more questions then: When did you and Raven become father and son and how did the three of you escape?"
Karol relaxed a little at Flynn’s validation, relieved that he wasn’t asking to pry but rather to understand what they had gone through. “We were able to talk about some things after…” —Giganto encounter, rocks collapsing, reliving Baction. He stilled and absentmindedly bit his lip before trying again, “… after about halfway through our escape. The Giganto was relentless .” That was an understatement. “And we ended up having to fight it to escape. But thanks to Dad and Yuri, that thing can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
Flynn's slow nod through Karol's explanation suddenly halted. "Just to clarify… Yuri and Raven, concussed as he was, managed to defeat the Giganto by themselves?"
Karol froze, eyes wide, for a long moment before he averted his gaze and nodded. “Y-yeah. More or less.”
"I… see," said Flynn, even though he didn't. Regardless, he had more of the story than he did before and he got the feeling that he'd asked plenty of Karol for today. "Well, thank you for talking to me about what had happened, Karol. That, and-" Flynn smiled warmly at Karol "-you have my sincerest congratulations for your newfound relationship with Raven. I'm sure you two have many exciting things planned for both here and once you get back to Dahngrest."
A small, warm smile replaced Karol’s uneasy expression and he nodded. “Thanks, Flynn. I’m really excited about it. Having a dad, I mean.”
"As is he, I'm sure," Flynn said, receiving Karol's gratitude with a nod. "I believe Yuri has already mentioned to me a couple of the plans your father has disclosed to him and they were much along the same vein as what I did with my father when I was young as well."
That’s right…! Karol positively perked up at the mention of Flynn’s own father and his eyes sparkled with his excitement at the idea of getting to bring this up. “What was it like? Having a dad?” Heat rushed to his cheeks when he realized how forward that was. “I-I was gonna ask Judith, but she left so fast and this is all so new to me still.”
"W-well, that… could have many answers." Where even to begin? he thought, looking around as he attempted to pull up a good place to start. "But," he started, finding his stride with a small smile, "I suppose the best place to start would be telling you about the kind of man my father was, yes?"
Flynn’s response was enough to let Karol know the topic was okay to talk about, so the boy continued, “Yeah! Or at least, what you can remember?”
"I suppose the basics at first will do for now. His name was Finath Scifo and he used to be an Imperial Knight. While he… died when I was fairly young, younger than you are now, I have many good memories with him. Let's see..." Flynn softened with memories he recalled one by one. "Waking up in the early mornings before he left for his duties on the days he worked and sharing porridge together while he shared stories of his previous day's duties, and on the few days he had off, waking up late instead to the smell of beef hash and potatoes, and then spending the afternoon practicing my swordplay and teaching me drills, on the blade, on how to read, on the history of our empire, and many more… now, what else..."
The child hung on every word that was said, excitement for getting to experience similar moments with Raven steadily overtaking him. It was clear that Finath and Flynn had been close. Close enough for Flynn to speak so fondly of his father several years after his untimely passing. “Was he easy to talk to? Or! Or!! Did you feel safe with your dad? Was he really—?”
The sound of the door opening interrupted Karol’s excited questioning and Yuri stepped into the room with a small cart that contained their meals. It didn’t take Yuri long to surmise what had made Karol so excitable and he flashed Flynn a knowing smirk before speaking. “Careful, Flynn, or Boss will be so wound up that he won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
"I might just have to heed that warning," Flynn lightly chuckled before peeking at the food cart. "Come on, Karol, let's wake up your father-" a flash of a grin as he stood up, patting Karol on the shoulder as he passed to reach Raven "-and we can eat dinner. We'll have plenty of time to talk more later."
Yuri snickered at Karol’s expression, somehow a mixture of disappointment and excitement, but set about moving their meals from the cart to where they would be eating while Flynn took up the task of waking Raven.
A few steps more and Flynn was close enough to nudge the man. "Raven?" Little much other than a wince and a shift. " Raven. " Just another deep snore. A few more beats passed as he pushed the man a bit more before looking to Yuri then back at the still sleeping man. Then, finally, "...Captain Schwann?"
"It's… just… Raven..." the man grumbled, his face contorting as he slowly dragged himself out of sleep and wearily blinked his eyes into focus before finally finding Flynn's. "Ugh… at least it ain't Yuri again… what's up this time?"
"It's time for dinner," Flynn said simply.
"Is it?" Raven turned over his shoulder, spotted the cart, then muttered, "It is, huh. Alright, I'm comin'."
Both Karol and Yuri snickered at Raven waking up only to respond to not be referred to as Captain Schwann before Yuri addressed the man, “You can go back to bed after dinner and some time in the hot springs, old man. Estelle’s orders.”
"Mhm," is all Raven said as he pulled himself to a stand out of his chair with a sigh, wavered there for a moment, before dragging a hand down his face and making his way over to the table. "I can last that long, at least." He passed by Flynn with a pat on the shoulder and a nod, then smiled down at Karol. "Hey, kiddo," he said, sitting next to the boy and pulling him into a slow, loose, half side-hug and releasing him just as gently.
“Hey, Dad!” Karol greeted him cheerily. “How’s your head?”
"Hmm..." Raven set his elbows on the table and let his head fall into his palms as he closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "Not too bad, just gotta wake up first. Gimme a few minutes."
"If you wish, I can attempt a First Aid later, Raven," Flynn cut in, settling himself on the opposite side of the table, next to Yuri.
“Flynn’s probably your best bet, old man, since neither you nor Estelle will allow Karol to use his healing artes right now.” Yuri added before motioning to their plates. “But we can talk about that more after we eat.”
"Agreed," Raven said simply, before finally looking at his plate. "Oh, hey… this looks pretty good."
Scent alone confirmed that Yuri had, in fact, ordered grilled fish for Raven and himself, but Karol glanced over at Raven’s plate anyway. Yep. Definitely fish. And not at all appetizing. Yuri watched in amusement as the bridge of Karol’s nose crinkled, as he had expected, before the boy shook his head in disagreement and returned his attention to his own meal.
None of this escaped Raven, however, and he raised an eyebrow. "You ok, Karol?"
A blush colored Karol’s cheeks as he realized, belatedly, that he’d been more external with his reaction than he thought. “U-uh… yeah! I’m fine.”
Raven looked from his plate to Karol’s then back to his before looking at Karol, part embarrassed, part confused, and part really wanting Karol to just tell him what it was. "Y-you sure...?"
“Yeah!” Karol replied, a bit too quickly, which only served to add to Raven’s confusion.
“As fine as he can be when cooked fish is nearby,” Yuri supplied finally with a smirk. Karol stilled as the heat of embarrassment continued to flush his face, but Yuri continued anyway. “Karol can’t stand the stuff.”
"Oh… really?" Raven blinked. "Wait, really?"
"Yes, he would make that face on occasion when you would make fish and miso sauce," Flynn pointed out with his knife before cutting into his steak.
"... Aw man, why didn't anyone tell me?"
“‘Cause it isn’t a big deal!” Karol blurted out, only realizing he’d done so when Yuri burst out laughing. “I-it’s fine. I just don’t like cooked fish, that’s all.”
A smile flickered on Raven's face at all the hubbub before he lightly pat Karol's back. "I'll make sure not to make cooked fish whenever I'm cooking for you in the future, ok? It's not a big deal; I was just surprised that I had never noticed."
“It took me a while to notice, too, Karol,” Yuri admitted with an amused expression, “since you really love sushi.”
“But that’s different!” Karol insisted. “Raw fish is awesome and cooked fish is just gross .”
"I'll just take your word for it, Karol," Raven grinned. "Just as long as you'll eat for me, I'll be happy. Now, eat up; I think Yuri's dyin' to get to the hot springs."
“You say that like I’m the only one with aches and pains, old man.” Yuri clapped back with a grin before sobering up and wincing. “But yeah, the sooner the better.”
"I believe that we first should find some clothes to wear first, however," Flynn said, already halfway through his meal somehow. "If we don't want to wear dirty clothes for the next few days, at least."
“I’m with Flynn on this one.” Karol agreed, likewise working on his dinner. “Otherwise we’re gonna smell so bad when Judith picks us up.”
"Yeah, Judith darlin' has already had to deal with that from me once this week," sighed Raven, finally snapping apart his chopsticks now that the mystery of Karol's expression had been solved. "Though I kinda wonder, what sort of options would they have for clothes at a resort?"
Raven stared at the bright pink shirt Yuri was eyeing with dismay. I guess I was right to be worried but, again… why… why am I only ever right about the bad things? A glance at Flynn found the young Commandant mirroring Raven's expression and a look down at Karol revealed much of the same. "Uh, we aren't… actually wearing those, right?"
"I sincerely hope not," Flynn said faintly.
“This is all they have.” Yuri insisted, apparently unfazed by both the eye sore that were the brightly colored shirts he’d selected and the other’s reactions. “It’s this, or smell.”
“I think I’d rather smell.” Karol grumbled under his breath.
"Remind me again, why did we let Yuri do the shoppin'?"
There, in Yuri's arms, were four adult sized shirts, all of garishly bright color. One, bright green, another, blue, another, yellow, and the last, pink. What's more, he also had four swim trunks printed with large brightly colored flowers and leaves. Raven's apprehension only grew as he began distributing the 'clothes' and handed the blue shirt and the orange flowered shorts to Flynn.
"Is this… really our only option?" Flynn asked, staring down at the fabric now in his hands as if it were a venomous snake.
“Yeah,” Yuri said, still not seeing what the big deal was. As far as he was concerned, they wanted clothes and these were clothes.
“But, Yuri! This is an adult shirt. It’s way too big,” Karol whined in dismay. “Dad, do I have to?”
"Well," Raven sighed, taking hold of his own given outfit, pink shirt with light blue flower shorts, "we could try to take a look inside the store ourselves-" he started staying, only to see the store flip its sign from open to close "-but I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow. They aren't accepting any more business for tonight, it seems."
Karol peered around Raven and pouted. He’d have to deal with it for tonight it seemed. “Fine, but for the record? I don’t like this.”
“Clothes are clothes.” Yuri said with a shrug and… was that a pout? “Besides, we won’t need any in the onsen, anyway.”
"Oh yeah," Raven said simply, careful not to betray his wishes for an empty onsen to not come through. As usual, being aware of his blastia was exhausting, and he sighed under his breath until he caught movement in his peripherals, Flynn starting forward.
"Come on," Flynn said, smiling cheerfully at Yuri’s tiny pout before striding towards an unknown destination, "let's find somewhere to get changed. Maybe this establishment offers laundering services so we can be back in our normal clothes tomorrow."
“I really hope so.” Karol added in agreement.
It didn’t take them long to find such a place, either. And in no time at all, they were changed into their newest outfits and gathered once again, with only Yuri being unbothered by their appearances.
"...Hey, Karol, ya wouldn't happen ta have a camera on you, wouldja?"
“Huh?” The sudden question caught the boy off-guard. “Well… I did in my bag but Estelle made me leave that behind with her and Rita.”
Raven slumped a bit. "Fuck. I wanted to show Hanks what Yuri and Flynn looked like in this get-up. I guess I'll have to wait until Yuri wears it again next."
Karol’s unimpressed expression broke and he snickered. “Yeah, I bet he’d like to see this.”
Raven managed a small smile at Karol's laughter. "No doubt. Though I bet he's already got an entire story's book worth of tales on those two growing up."
Flynn turned away from where he was explaining, in depth, all the things wrong with their outfits and looked at the two. "Ah, my apologies, did I make you two wait? We wish to go to the hotspring now, yes?"
"Yeah, but ya don't gotta stop the show on our account," smirked Raven. "Maybe if ya tell Yuri about how he looks like a flowering sea cucumber enough times, he'll finally get it."
Yuri rested a hand on his hip and gestured to the trio. “You just planning to stand around or are we actually going to use the hot springs like we came here to do?”
Karol rubbed the back of his neck and offered Yuri an apologetic smile. “Right, sorry. Let’s go.”
"Yes, I should know by now that I'm never going to get through to Yuri on this subject," sighed Flynn, shaking his head before glancing at the quiet corridors around them and pointing to their left. "If I remember correctly, the hot springs are in this direction."
With no more words, the group began their migration in that direction, Raven easily striding in the back before suddenly saying "Ya know, Yuri, denial can only getcha so far. Sometimes ya gotta just accept the hard truths."
Yuri paused for a moment, understanding the double meaning behind those words and silently cursing the old man out for it, before eventually shrugging and waving it off like it was nothing at all. “Sometimes you have to make the best with what you have, old man.” Then he entered the dressing room that connected to the men’s side of the onsen.
Karol looked between the two with a confused expression. They weren’t just talking about clothes anymore, it seemed, but he had no idea what they were referring to. But… now was neither the time nor place to pry, so he’d have to ask them later.
With nothing more to be said, Raven filed in behind Karol and Flynn, dropping the subject and opting to poke his head into the open air of the spring.
"There ain't anybody else in here, right?" Raven said, heat and moisture instantly wicking his face as egg-tinged sulfur rushed to fill the far fresher air of the dressing room. A few probing glances across the rocks told him… they were alone, and he relaxed minutely, hiding a sigh before pulling his head back into the dressing room.
Flynn raised an eyebrow as he began undressing, taking one article of clothes off at a time before folding it and setting it in one of the many baskets lined up on a rack nearby. "Will we have the area to ourselves?"
"Yep," said Raven before disappearing behind a set of shelves.
“Awesome!” Karol replied, already having removed the oversized shirt Yuri had given him.
It didn’t take them long to disrobe. Yuri had finished first and waited until Flynn and Karol were just about to leave before addressing Raven, who had hidden himself behind some of the structures in the room. His unease was palpable and it didn’t take a genius to understand why, either. “Want help covering your scar?”
Raven slowed from where he was still hidden behind from view, idly rubbing the collar of his shirt between finger and thumb, all too aware that the others were waiting for him and tensing further when he heard Flynn ask, "What scar?"
"Nah, it's ok," Raven choked out, somehow delivering his words somewhere in the vicinity of convincingly casual. "Y'all can just go ahead, I'll be out there in a bit."
Yuri raised an eyebrow in a silent you sure? even though Raven couldn’t see just as Karol spoke up, “Hey, Flynn, can you help me make sure that we actually have the place to ourselves?”
"O-oh, of course," Flynn said, confusion evident in his voice. And yet, a rattle of the door sliding open and the quiet pad of foot on wet stone later and Flynn was out of the room.
“Coast is clear, old man.” Yuri called into the room.
A long second passed before fabric rustled and Raven's messy hair popped out of the side of the shelves, embarrassed even past the neutrality he was trying to push forward. "Yeah, maybe I can just join y'all later or somethin'."
“Won’t that just make Flynn more suspicious?” Yuri countered as he rested a hand on his hip, “Besides, Karol seemed excited that he’d get to be here with you.”
A minute flash of doubt is all Yuri caught before Raven's head disappeared behind the shelf once more.
Yuri sighed. “C’mon, old man, we’ve been to Yumanju before.”
"Y-yeah, I know." A long stretch of silence passed but just as Yuri opened his mouth to say something else, Raven cut in with a rushed, "Sorry, I'll be right out. Just..." His words fell off with a frustrated sigh and a moment later began the telltale rustle and light thumps of someone getting undressed.
A few moments longer and the sound stopped, all while Yuri kept watch to ensure Karol had, in fact, distracted Flynn.
"Sorry, again, for, ya know-" Raven finally walked out from behind the shelves, his clothes a bundle in his hands before he shoved them into a basket nearby. His eyes flicked to both doors before he snatched a nearby towel to throw over his shoulder and settled himself in front of Yuri, back first. This was, in no shape or form, a comfortable situation but they were here in Yumanju and damn him if he was gonna screw it up for everyone.
"Alright," Raven said, forcing calm as he flexed, then relaxed his shoulders, "if you could, actually, ya know, help with covering, that'd be good."
The young man gave a short nod and raised his hands to grip the fabric of the towel. Then, with great care, Yuri set about completely concealing the large, angry scarring that spanned across Raven’s back and left shoulder blade. Once he was sure that the towel would stay in place, Yuri stepped back. “Got it.”
“Thanks.” Raven huffed, short and quick, before turning to face Yuri, his back shifting out of view with the motion. “Maybe someday this won’t be an… issue, but uh, hey, what about your own?” he said, loosely pointing towards Yuri’s side. “You got it?”
“Yeah,” Yuri assured, though it didn’t escape Raven’s notice that the young man’s hands were anxiously fidgeting with the fabric of the towel around his waist, hiked up far higher than what was necessary for a young man covering his modesty but the correct height to completely cover that raised, red line of scar tissue on Yuri’s abdomen. “You ready, then?”
Raven nodded, a sympathetic smile playing on his lips as his fingers fiddled with the towel draped across his front, taking a step towards the door, then paused. Took a half-step back towards Yuri, and pulled him into a quick squeeze. Cleared his throat, stepped back towards the door with a point, and casually said, "I'll be optimistic and say 'Ready enough' at least. Hope Flynn doesn't ask any questions though."
“Flynn’s too polite to pry in public.” Yuri told him with complete confidence, even if he was a little flustered from the unexpected hug. “Besides, he knows this is supposed to be a relaxing trip and that we all need this.”
"True enough." Raven pulled the sliding door open and stepped through. "Still… kinda wish I didn't have to deal with—there they are." Raven pointed at where the two were soaking nearby, already neck deep in the water and lightly pulled Yuri's shoulder as he approached them before releasing and walking ahead, Raven's small wave and cry of, "Hey, guys, how's the water?" quiet in Yuri's ears the further he got.
“It’s awesome!” Karol answered from where he was, water up to his shoulders from where he was sitting.
"Glad to hear it," Raven said, taking his first step into the water, tingly heat instantly running across his skin, and taking a step more. And then he snorted. "Flynn, ya know we're here to relax, right?"
Flynn looked up from where he crossed his arms, spine straight-backed and stiff as he took on the likeness of a statue, albeit a content one. "I am relaxed. Karol and I were just talking about how we supposed this establishment came to be, what with there not being any other notable settlements in this part of the world."
"Heh, alright then," he said, finally dropping further into the water and sitting on the bench, sucking in a sharp breath when the water splashed a bit too high.
“I’m not so worried about how it came to be.” Yuri’s voice said, suddenly close as they all realized he’d slipped chest-deep into the water some time during their conversation. “I’m just glad it does exist.”
Karol rolled his eyes but laughed all the same. “Me, too. I didn’t realize how much I needed this after this week.”
Raven hummed, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the rock wall.
"You can't deny that it's intriguing, though, right?" insisted Flynn, somehow sitting up straighter and emphasizing with a wave of his hand. "Yumanju's origins."
Karol perked up, having far more energy than the older three. “So! You think it’s cool, too? Are there any other places like this that you’ve been to, Dad?”
“Hm?" Raven opened one blue eye. "Like, a hot spring?"
“Yeah!”
"Hmm… now that I think about it," he started, closing his eye once more and shifting his back more comfortably on the rock, "There did used to be a city that was known for it's hot springs on the Ilyccia continent when I was younger; northwest and somewhere along the Southern Muluroccia Peninsula. I think it was called… Fume-Dame. Never went there myself though."
“On Ilyccia, huh?” Yuri cut in, now having sunk low enough so the water swirled about his shoulders. “Never heard of that city before.”
Karol gave a single nod of agreement, some stray hairs flopping in front of his eyes from the action. He waited a moment longer before asking, “Did something happen to it?”
"Y-yeah.."
"Fume-Dame… now that I think about it-" Flynn blinked and straightened taller than Halure's tree, "-I believe I heard about that location while I was going through some of our old records. Records show that it was destroyed, along with several other towns on Ilyccia, some time towards the end of the Great War. Further information was largely kept classified from the populace, however, likely in an effort to retain the Empire's morale after the losses of the war."
“ Sooo, ” Yuri likewise straightened as the conversation turned serious, “-you’re telling me that in order to raise morale, Alexei just decided to pretend an entire city never existed?”
"I… suppose, yes, that's exactly what he did."
Damn, did not mean to drag down the atmosphere , Raven grimaced to himself, hiding it quickly as he suddenly sat up to look at Karol, sloshed the water around him, and waved his hands with a bright, "Hey! But, ya know, it really puts into perspective just how cool this sort of place is, right Karol? I don't think the book Judy gave ya had any information on how hot water's bubblin' outta the earth by itself but maybe we can look into it when we get back to Dahngrest. That or ask Estelle; sound exciting?"
“Yeah!” Karol replied enthusiastically, subconsciously pushing some of his hair out of his eyes and to the right side of his face. “If anybody would know, it’s Estelle.”
"Gotta love our princess," Raven nodded before wetting and brushing his fingers through the stray strands and side of Karol's head to help better contain his copious amounts of hair. And then he spotted Flynn staring. "Uh, you okay there?"
"Ah, ahem, yes, of course. I was just realizing; I've never seen you with your hair down, Karol. I'm impressed," he said, quickly trading his embarrassment for a small smile meant to reassure he wasn't teasing.
“What’s impressive about it?” Karol asked, tilting his head to show his curiosity. “It’s just hair…”
“Yeah, and a lot of it.” Yuri clarified with a grin. “You gotta admit that its sheer volume is pretty damn impressive.”
“I… wait, really?”
"And then it just poofs right back up like it's nothin'. I gotta do a special somethin' to get this volume," Raven grinned, gesturing to his luscious locks with a flourished hand, sound in the secret that his special something was refraining from brushing his rats nest of hair for weeks on end. Even as he spoke, however, his hair likewise began to droop and stick flat against his forehead.
Karol looked between the three of them for a moment longer before replying, “I guess I never thought about that before. It’s always done that, even when I was a kid.”
“You still are a kid, Boss.” Yuri reminded him with a smirk.
“When I was little then.”
“Still little.”
Karol huffed in mild annoyance, his lip quivering in a small pout before dismissing him. “Whatever, Yuri.”
Raven lightly pat Karol on the back with a small, sympathetic grin before slowly shifting himself out of the water and sitting on the edge of the rocks, flushed and slightly huffed. “But yeah… here we are in Yumanju. What kinda stuff can we even do here, y'all think? We got the woods and the springs but… eh, I’m just thinkin’ Yuri might start gettin’ antsy if he can’t do something physical in the next few days.”
Something… physical? Flynn flushed pink, glad that the heat and steam from the spring could provide some modicum of out in the chance that Yuri… no, he's always been denser than a rock when it comes to this sort of stuff. Still, Flynn couldn't help but wonder why or how the great Captain Schwann could have fallen from such grace.
"Why did you have to say it like that?" Flynn muttered to himself, sliding further into the water even as Raven raised an eyebrow at the weird noise Flynn made.
Entirely missing Raven’s double entendres and without missing a beat, Yuri replied, “You got that right, old man.” His eyes looked past the onsen and into the forest that surrounded the peaceful place. “I’ve been meaning to check out the woods here for a while anyway.”
“Me too.” Karol chimed in. “We didn’t get to the last time we were here.”
Flynn cleared his throat and straightened. "I-indeed; This continent is largely undiscovered so I'm curious to see what sort of creatures live here."
"Well, y’all will have plenty of time to do it," said Raven before pausing then grinning. "Yuri, Flynn, you two can get some time to enjoy the wood while Karol and get some good father son time in, yeah? Give y’all some time to catch up ."
Flynn splashed his own face with water and turned away.
“What’s wrong, Flynn?” Yuri raised an eyebrow, confused. “I don’t mind giving these two some time to bond, especially if we get to hang out at the same time.”
Karol, meanwhile, was also thoroughly confused by what was happening and turned to Raven and lowered his voice to ask quietly, “What does wood have to do with anything, Dad?”
"They're in the forest," Raven whispered back. "It's a pun."
“It wasn’t a very good one, then.” Karol muttered to himself, still not catching the insinuation.
After a few more seconds of furiously scrubbing his face, Flynn turned back around, once more recomposed. "N-no, yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea," he said, ignoring the smirk Raven gave him.
“It’s decided then.” Yuri said decidedly as he sank further into the water, neck and shoulders now entirely submerged in hopes to soothe the aches in the muscles there. “We’ll do that tomorrow.”
Raven scratched the back of his head, half abashed by Karol's disapproval, before slicking his bangs away from his forehead. "Well, if y’all go the day after, I think I can join ya, but I think I wanna take tomorrow slow, to be honest."
"Understandable," Flynn said easily. "As for myself, I look forward to the opportunity to stretch my legs."
“You and me both.” Yuri agreed before turning to Karol. “So you’ll get some one-on-one time with the old man, after all, Captain Karol.”
The boy couldn’t help but smile. “Estelle did say we need to take it easy.” He subconsciously touched his recently-healed wrist beneath the water. “So I don’t mind just hanging out with Dad tomorrow.”
Raven hummed to himself with a light smile. "Guess we have a plan for tomorrow, then. Here's to a relaxing stay at Yumanju, the most magical place on Terca Lumireis."