Chapter Text
Rusé awakes with a groan, his eyes glued shut from sticky exhaustion and his nose a little stuffy from the bitter air of the Spring night. At first, he's a little taken aback, waking up on damp dewy grass instead of his snuggly bed, finding himself gazing up at a brilliant tapestry of twinkling stars mottling the night sky instead of an off-white ceiling. But what's more puzzling is that there's a heavy woven blanket snugly tucked around him, pushed in underneath him as well to keep the heat in. The ranger grunts, slowly sitting up as he rubs the mucus from his eyes, observing the earth-coloured blanket on top of him. He doesn't remember falling asleep with a blanket, didn't he just topple over in the middle of watering the fields?
Rusé squints through the darkness, relieved that the dampness in the air did most of the watering for him. The fields can wait until tomorrow anyways, he's had a long enough day. Getting up with a grunt, Rusé bundles the scratchy wool blanket underneath his arm as he carefully makes his way back towards the Silo, being greeted with the lights leaking through the windows and Livia's silhouette sitting inside of her office. Rusé quietly shoulders open the door, peeking inside. Scarlett still isn't back, she's probably going to end up being out for a few days, huh?
"Captain?" Rusé calls out, opening the door to Livia's office. The sleepy little girl turns to him with a smile, seated by the coffee table at the heart of her office, comfortably lounging on her beloved sofa. There's a massive half-eaten bright orange mountain of flan in front of her, with a spoon sticking out from its jiggly top. Livia grins and sits up, pivoting her entire body to face Rusé as he keeps walking inside, presenting the blanket over to her with a smile.
"Looks like you're finally awake." She chuckles, taking another spoonful of her dessert with a wide smile. "Welcome back to the land of living, Rusé. Sleep well?" She asks, waving around her spoon before impaling her flan again. As Rusé approaches, the overwhelming scent of cinnamon and pumpkin becomes more noticeable.
"Yeah. Someone put a blanket on me. It's yours, right? Thanks Livia." He says with a smile, tossing the rolled up heap of yarn beside her. "What're you eating?"
"Pumpkin flan. And it wasn't me." She says, giving Rusé a knowing smile as she leans back in her seat, narrowing her eyes at the ranger who just tilts his head quizzically. "Actually it was from…" She giggles, leaning in. "A secret admirer."
Rusé scoffs out a nervous laugh, his cheeks turning pink. No way.
"Don't tease me, Livia. You don't need to--"
"Oh, no. I'm very serious. But it's also very secret too." She hums, taking another big bite of her snack, filling both of her cheeks up. She takes a moment to chew and swallow, leaving Rusé looking even more confused as he glances around the room like a lost puppy. "So no matter how much you ask me who it is, my silence has been bought. With a delicious dessert."
"What? Really? An admirer??" Rusé asks, still sounding aghast as he leans his hands up against the table, his eyes wide and bright. "Me?? Someone admires me?"
"Now, don't let it get to your head…" Livia sighs, wiping her mouth off with a napkin. "Just appreciate the favor and move on." She grumbles.
"No, I want to know now! Who is it?" He asks leaning in, only to get poked in the nose by Livia and pushed back, the latter scowling.
"I said no. Now let me eat my winnings in peace." She huffs, giving Rusé a tired look, one that immediately dampens the young man's smile. He chuckles sheepishly and nods.
"I uh, understood. Good night, captain." He says, taking a short bow to her before turning around to head out of her office. But before he can reach for the doorknob, Livia speaks up.
"One thing, Rusé. You did great today. Gideon already came by to pick up Oswald, but he may still be lingering around. …If you're lucky, maybe you can meet the Warden." She says, her expression blank. "I don't personally get along with him very well at all, but he's a man of great knowledge, power and influence. Maybe he has answers for some of your questions." She says, turning to face him.
Rusé opens his mouth and then closes it quickly, giving Livia a curt nod.
"Understood."
As Rusé is leaving the Silo and crossing the bridge over towards the main street, he's almost tempted to walk into Lackadaisy and try to squeeze the information out of Elsje, who he assumes made Livia's dessert in the first place. Knowing that the captain seldom leaves her resting place, she probably got whoever the 'admirer' is to grab it for her too. Rusé sighs through his nose, glancing over towards the Great Tree Plaza with a frown.
No, if they didn't want it to be known, he really shouldn't badger anyone for the information. He can still hardly believe it though, sure he's definitely friendly with the denizens of Rigbarth, but he can't imagine any of them seeing Rusé as more than a friend. There's really no use worrying about it, for all Rusé knows it's just an elaborate prank or something. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Rusé's leisurely pace slows to a halt when he notices a carriage nearby the gate towards the Phoros Woodlands. It's rather elaborate, with the mechanical coach painted a cobalt blue with white and gold detailing, pulled by two medium-sized green dragons. Rusé squints, putting a hand over his brow to shield his eyes from the pale moonlight to get a better look from the distance, spotting a tall, well-dressed man with golden hair and sapphire blue eyes. He's dressed to the nines with a pressed and elaborately decorated royal blue suit, fitted with gold baubles and medals of honor.
For some reason, looking at his man makes a knot form in Rusé's stomach, but he's compelled to step forward, his shoes quiet on the flagstone until it turns to crunchy gravel. When the warden pauses to look up, his eyes widen as if he's seen a ghost?
"Ares-- no." He says, his throat visibly tightening. Instinctually, the stately man's hand goes to the sword holster at his hip but he pauses, his gloves hand trembling. "No, you're… you're Rusé, are you?" He asks, his deep voice wavering. Rusé stops a few meters away from the man, staring at him before snapping to a salute.
Who is Ares?
"Rusé, at your service, sir. Um, I'm the new SEED ranger hired by Field Captain Livia." He introduces nervously, his gaze flicking to how Gideon slowly relaxes, the color returning to his face. The man clears his throat into his glove, sighing loudly.
"My apologies. You just reminded me of… Oh, it doesn't matter. There's no need for such rigid formality, ranger. Relax."
"Sir--"
"That's an order." Gideon says, holding out his hand. "I am Gideon of SEED. I am the Warden of the organization. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Gideon says, his deep voice sounding a touch pained as his eyes seem to avoid making eye contact. Getting a closer look at the Warden, it's strange; as if Rusé is looking into a mirror, seeing himself, but a decade or two older.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Sir Gideon." Rusé says awkwardly, shifting. The Warden sighs, glancing around for a moment before finally locking eyes with Rusé.
"You've done a lot of good for Rigbarth and for SEED. Thank-you for capturing Oswald." Gideon says stiffly.
"Sir. It means a lot to get earnest praise from you, sir." Rusé stammers, but the excitement of his tone doesn't reach his face. He's never had a reaction like this before with anyone. It's as if every nerve in his body is screaming at Rusé, telling him that he knows Gideon. And yet, the only thing he's pulling from his brain are blanks; casting into an open sea with a line without bait. "I don't mean to hold you up. It's rather late." Rusé says quickly, shuffling to start moving away. But Gideon doesn't budge an inch.
"You lost your memory, correct?" Gideon asks Rusé, causing the ranger to freeze. Anxiously, he nods. Gideon's stuff expression lightens up, almost as it's washed with relief as a small sigh leaves his parted lips. "I see. Well, I wish you the best with your new life, ranger." He says, finally moving back towards his coach, muttering something to the driver before the door swings open for him.
"Sir! Gideon, sir. Do you happen to know anything about," Rusé starts, but the warden doesn't answer, only responding by stepping into the coach and shutting the door with a metallic clack. The reigns around the muzzles of the dragons get pulled and the beasts grunt, starting their trek to pull the heavy carriage behind them as the monsters and the warden's vehicle disappear into view, being swallowed by the dark of the shade cast by the Photos Woodlands, and the curtain of night around everything.
Hey everyone! Unrelated to this current chapter but here's some pixel art of the boy™
