Card Fourteen: The Lovers

Cirrus didn’t know what to think anymore. Feather and Leocadies had spent the rest of the day playing in the ocean while Kya went to town and bought them proper clothes and swimming gear with their funds, but all of it just felt so surreal. Eve was feeling glum, after asking and pestering Feather for several instances for him to teach her over the past few days, only to be rejected every time. Not to mention, she wasn’t used to the heat and was essentially wilting under it, so he’d given her ice to lean on so that she might feel a bit better. He’d been trying to comfort her all day, but honestly, he really didn’t know what to say…

“Um, maybe you could try again tomorrow,” he offered softly at their table on an open balcony, Eve picking at her meal with her fork as she kept poking her thick noodles over and over. 

“Whatever…” she sulked, Cirrus’ smile turning a bit more forced as he looked down. 

“Well, ah, have you tried asking why he doesn’t want to? Maybe that could help give you some clarity.”

“He just said he doesn’t want to… I don’t understand how such an amazing healer can be so selfish,” she grumbled, carefully picking at her noodles before she took a lazy bite, chewing on them dejectedly. 

It really was hard to see Eve so down in the dumps. She was usually always happy and chipper, the most optimistic person in their group who held her ideals close to her heart and displayed openly on her sleeve. And yet… the cause of her despair was happily playing in the beach close by, their inn right beside the waters to the point he could see Feather and Leocadies chasing each other around with crabs in the distance without needing to look very far. 

“....well, I do agree that Feather is rather hard to understand. I’m having trouble understanding him myself,” he admitted softly, carefully looking back to Eve to catch her staring at him, slurping up her thick brown noodles before she swallowed them down. 

It took her a minute to finish chewing, but eventually, she set her fork aside and straightened her back, staring at Cirrus rather curiously before asking, “Really? Even you?”

“Ah? What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re always amazing at reading people,” Eve explained earnestly, her blue eyes starting to perk up as she faced him. “It’s like one of your biggest strengths. I figured you’d have somewhat of a reading on Feather by now. You know, since it's been over a week since you met him. That's usually enough time for you, if you don't figure them out in the first day.”

“Oh, you think?” he laughed easily, smiling a bit more truthfully now that Eve looked happier, before he glanced off into the distant ocean with his touched smile, the praise deeply moving him. “I do like to think I’m good at reading people, as well. But Feather’s different from anyone I’ve ever met before. He doesn’t think in a way like anyone else I’ve encountered. It’s taking me a while to understand him because of that.”

“Well, then what’s your read on him so far?” Eve pressed, reaching to tug onto his wrist while he glanced at her, expression softening. 

She really was so earnest, it was admirable. He really appreciated how ambitious she could be, and he understood her desire to learn and grow stronger. Eve always wanted to be dependable, so it made sense why she was fixating on Feather so hard. But still… “Well,” he began slowly, looking back towards the carefree blond to watch him ride a wave on his belly, his shrieking laughter heard all the way from where they stood on the deck before he quickly ducked his eyes. “Well, above all, I think he’s very afraid. He’s running from responsibility, yes, but I believe there’s a core fear beneath that, which drives him to act that way… I think it’s less responsibility he’s running from, and more that he’s running from pain.”

“Huh? But wouldn’t anyone run from pain?” Eve asked openly, and he appreciated her honesty with a chuckle. 

“You would think that. And everyone has different things they run from. But just take yourself for example, Eve,” he smiled, reapplying his melting ice as she leaned back again. “You grew up in a harsh environment and have experienced many deaths of loved ones and people you cared about, but you never let that stop you. Rather, it fueled you to keep working and improve yourself even further. I don’t think Feather works like that,” he explained, Eve’s ice blue eyes widening slightly as she listened with duty. “I think Feather is really close to just snapping and, as much as I hate to say this, going completely off the rails. I don’t think much is holding down what’s left of his sanity. So you could say the reason he runs from pain, instead of facing it head on like you, me, Jayce, or Achitha might, is because he subconsciously senses that if tries to, he’ll break. Though I’m not entirely sure if that makes a lot of sense,” Cirrus laughed shyly, scratching the side of his face with a finger as Eve stared at him. 

“Wow,” she remarked bluntly, not beating around the bush as she stated, “You’re kinda scary sometimes, Cirrus.”

“Uh… wait, what?” the prince blanched, turning around to face her with a certain look of panic on his expression that made her smirk. “No… no, I’m not scary. Me? No way…” he spoke in a rush, Eve raising a pale white eyebrow at the man while she idly twirled more noodles around her fork. 

“Oh? The way you’re saying that is very suspicious, Cirrus. I sense that you’re a very terrifying person underneath all that nice exterior. Show yourself, demon!”

“No, wait… how did we get to demon?” Cirrus fretted, waving his hands around as if all of those statements really punched him in the gut. “If I scare people, I’ll have to apologize… I don’t want to be scary, I think if I came across that way, it would scare me, as well,” he admitted nervously, Eve bursting out into laughter as she finally cheered up, gleefully poking her fork at him while slurping on her noodles. 

“Hahah, you’re so funny, Cirrus!” 

“Eh?! What are you laughing at him for?!” Jayce suddenly stormed in, stomping his way around the corner with Achitha behind him, perfectly dressed in local clothing that was minimal and breathable to navigate the hot weathers and sandy beaches. 

But Eve just grinned at him, still laughing while she exclaimed loudly, “I told Cirrus he could be scary sometimes, and he started freaking out!”

“Huh?” Jayce grimaced, him and Achitha’s gazes turning towards their prince, as if they were considering it. 

“...honestly, I don’t see it,” Achitha shook her head in disappointment, hands resting on her hips while she examined the man in question. “He doesn’t exert his power nearly enough to be anything close to scary.”

“No, no, you’re wrong! He can totally be scary!” Jayce protested, pointing to his childhood friend with vigor as Cirrus looked around like a frightened puppy. “You’re right that he’s not usually very intimidating, but when he decides on something, there’s no moving him! He can be scary as fuck! Don’t mess with that guy!”

“...Jayce, I wasn’t aware that’s how you saw me,” Cirrus wavered, looking utterly horrified with the new information as he averted his eyes. “Wow… that’s so… embarrassing… I’m embarrassed…”

But Eve only burst into more energetic laughter while Jayce gaped at him, turning towards his friend and leader before slamming his olive-toned hands against Cirrus’ shoulders. “No! It’s good to be scary! Keep it up!”

“Hahahaha!!”

“Eve, stop laughing! You’re not helping me prove my point!” Jayce snapped, glaring at her like a rabid dog. “Also, aren’t you supposed to be depressed?! Go back to moping!”

“No, don’t say that…” Cirrus tried to speak up, but was immediately talked over by Eve, who stuck her tongue out at Jayce like the menace she was. 

“Why would I mope when I have something like your face to laugh at? Your hilarious ugliness brightens my day.”

“You take that back! I’m better looking than you’ll ever be!”

“Hah, with all that dog hair? Please!”

“Ahh, stop it, you know I’m insecure about that! Shut your face already!”

Though, all of their energy and passionate arguing was interrupted when another exuberantly happy force came walking through, Feather dripping wet with a towel in his hair before he immediately laughed in the face of the chaos. “Oh? Are we making fun of Jayce? Let me join!”

“No! We are not doing that!” the man snapped in return, only to notice how Eve faltered at Feather’s entrance. It made him snarl, and he turned back to the blond with heated aggression, growling out through gritted fangs, “And why the hell are you so selfish?”

“Hm? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Feather admitted in a voice that seemed honest, though to Jayce it must seem deceptive. But the chaotic man was already walking inside the bamboo hut, as it was getting late in the day, and he had stuff to do. 

But Cirrus was watching him perceptively as his amber eye followed the blond while he walked around the corner. He… really had seemed to mean it when he said he didn’t know what Jayce was talking about. It’d already been clear that he lacked self-awareness, but this felt more fundamental, and so he quickly slid behind Jayce’s growling form while everyone was distracted with their own emotions and followed him closely. 

It was dark, and it looked like Feather hadn’t bothered to turn on a light, so Cirrus quickly moved his hand over a warm stone as the inside of their inn began to shine in response. They got their own small hut, enough for eight people with four rooms for two, and as he turned on the light in the common room where only the two of them stood, he saw Feather moving the towel from his hair to spray water everywhere, which had Cirrus fretting. 

“Hey, don’t do that… you’ll make a mess,” he tried to chide as he stepped forward, before he instinctively halted in his tracks when Feather jumped like he’d seen a living nightmare. He looked so alarmed that Cirrus had even followed him, and so the prince raised his hands as if to prove his innocence, trying his best to give a harmless smile. “Oh, ah, Feather… don’t worry, it’s just me.”

“...why did you follow me?” came the wary reply, with dazzling sky blue eyes that seemed to strongly distrust him, for whatever reasons Cirrus didn’t know. He really had no clue where that distrust came from or where it originated. But he remembered his own advice and the words he’d given to Eve, and replied with honesty as he made sure to keep his distance so that the divine healer didn’t run away. He felt like if he tried to approach too close, he might get scratched…

“I just wanted to know why you don’t want to teach Eve,” he admitted carefully, and he watched as Feather’s eyes gave a dangerous flicker, and Cirrus wasn’t blind to how he protectively held his towel closer to his bare chest. For some odd reason, this rascal of a man always looked more serious when he felt like Cirrus was asking him to do something… that much was clear. He didn’t like being ordered around, and that would make him aggressive. It was odd to understand that even in the face of horror and gore he could retain his gleeful, manic smile, yet he couldn’t in situations like these where he felt like he was being cornered or forced to do something in any small way… but Cirrus was beginning to understand there was a deeper meaning behind that. “I’m not trying to say you have to teach her, I’m just wondering why you don’t want to. It seems like something you’d be really good at,” he instead offered smoothly, trying to clarify his words while Feather raised his chin with arrogance, as if to hold on to any form of pride he had with a huff. 

“I just don’t want to. It doesn’t sound fun. Why are you pestering me about it?” Feather spat, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground while he grinded his teeth, rolling his eyes upwards as he decided to glare at the straw ceiling. “It doesn’t even have anything to do with you, why do you care so much?”

“Because my friend is having a problem, so I want to help her solve it,” the prince explained more clearly, Feather’s eyes flickering back towards him with his attention caught, like those words were something he could finally understand or empathize with. And so Cirrus gladly continued, his calm friendliness remaining while he spoke his mind. “I know it doesn’t have anything to do with me personally, but Eve is my friend. And it’s just the simple truth that she’s not as good of a healer as you are, which is why she wants to learn from you. Because she’s insecure. She’s afraid that if ever a time comes where you aren’t there, and someone needs that kind of advanced healing again… that she won’t be able to do it. Her desire in asking for you to teach her stems very much from fear,” Cirrus explained calmly, and in turn, Feather calmed down as well. 

It seemed like breaking things down for him in this way worked well. He wasn’t talking down to him, but rather calmly explaining and trusting him to understand. And it was satisfying to watch Feather become a bit more thoughtful, the blond nodding along as he looked innocently at Cirrus, with eyes that no longer looked so threatened. “Why is she so scared? She’s not a bad healer. She’s talented for her age.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that. Honestly, I agree with you, I also think she’s pretty great,” he admitted with a chuckle, Feather’s eyes widening a bit at the honest praise of his companion. “But still, the real issue here that she sees is that she’s still not as talented as you. Eve doesn’t think she’d be able to prevent people from turning into monsters, like you can. No matter how good you are, there’s always room to learn and improve, and Eve understands that better than anyone else I know. She wants to improve so that she can save people like you can, which is why she came to you for help. In a way, she’s complimenting you, because she thinks you’re really that amazing and wants to trust you with her own growth, as well, because she believes that’s something an amazing and brilliant person like you can help her with. Don’t you see?”

“Oh… really? So that’s it?” Feather suddenly grinned without warning, looking awfully happy with Cirrus’ complimenting words before he took a few eager steps closer. “She’s right, I am amazing! Do you think so, too, Cirrus?” he smiled happily, eyes staring deep into the prince like wonderful glowing stars. 

Their pure intensity almost overwhelmed him, but he stood strong in his stance while he gave another kind smile. “Of course you are. I wouldn’t have tried so desperately to recruit you if I didn’t think so, right?” he offered sweetly, before… a sudden thought entered his mind. He was thinking... in some ways, Feather could be immensely logical and intelligent, but in others, his logic didn’t make any sense. And in moments like these, Feather didn’t seem very logical at all. So, with those thoughts bouncing around in his mind, Cirrus suddenly began to feel a bit more confident before he added easily, quite aware it didn’t make any functional sense in a standard way, “And don’t you think your amazingness could be contagious? Wouldn’t it be great and further show just how amazing you are if you helped Eve be that amazing too?”

It almost made Cirrus want to laugh when Feather’s eyes glowed and sparkled, the man nodding along with the energy and eagerness of a child as if that made perfect sense to him. “Yes, alright, I get it! I’m amazing, and Eve wants to be amazing too, so of course I’ll help her! I’ll make her the greatest healer the world has ever seen!” he beamed confidently, his haughty laughter sounding almost angelic as he ran past Cirrus in a rush, leaving the man to finally sit in silence inside the common area of the large hut while he heard Feather screaming from outside. “Eve!! Guess what!! I’m gonna teach you!! I’m going to make it to where you’re super super super SUPER amazing, just like me!!!”

And the cold silence he was left with was almost palpable, muted and muffled sounds still coming through the thinly carved walls. He had to let out the breath he’d been holding, his heart beating dramatically inside his chest while he thought over what had just happened. Feather really was… kind of cute, in a way. He was so complex, and yet also adorably simple-minded once you understood what his logic was and the ways his wonderful mind worked. The absurdness of it made him crack a wide smile, and he shared a genuine laugh with himself as he put his face into his hands, not able to stop himself from cackling as he let his emotions spill over. But, well… at least Eve would have a teacher now. That was what really mattered. And as he lifted his smiling features up from behind hands, he felt relieved. Maybe having Feather as an ally wouldn’t be quite as unbearable as he had first thought. Maybe… he could make this work.