Chapter Text
For the third time in the last few hours, Claudine awoke groggily from an unpleasant nap. Her dreams had been cursed by the same green-orange tint of the roots, as if the slime she'd been soaked in had seeped into her head. The only difference between the last time she'd woken up, however, was that this time she was blanketed by the thick pelt of a white bear. Claudine immediately recognised the smell of it and threw it off her body, ungrateful for the considerable warmth it had brought her whilst she had been sleeping. Claudine shivered bitterly, suddenly more aware of the harsh cold of the night than she'd like to be, and how it accentuated the cold sweat that had collected on her legs. Claudine was still sick, and in no state to make a show of preserving her already shattered dignity. Cursing, she sunk her fingers into the pelt and dragged it back, wrapping it around her shoulders as she did. Claudine sneezed softly as she looked out through the crack in the tent she'd been lent, seeing the figure of the Fungal Plateau melt into the horizon, slightly listing to one side as it collapsed in slow-motion. She'd failed, without a doubt, and it hadn't been Tendou Maya's fault. The scars across her face burnt as she recalled the events of the past few days, even below the layers of bandages and ointment she'd applied to herself as soon as she got a moment alone.
In her fatigued state, Claudine had been brought to a base-camp a few miles away from the Plateau - far enough that they were past that dam that filtered the infection out of the river, but close enough to make daily expeditions. It had been set up years ago by a probably now-deceased adventurer, but was mostly abandoned now, aside from the occasional journeyman, one of which being Claudine herself. Even if it was just a collection of tents sheltered from the rain by a rickety tin roof, there was still one attraction that made it worth using - a greenhouse, still somehow in operation, that was dedicated entirely to growing the extremely rare plants that worked as antidotes for at least half of the toxins in the Plateau. Claudine had found herself tending to their greedy flowers almost more often than her own equipment. It had even become a relaxing routine for her; watching the flowers grow before plucking them and turning them into the life-saving elixirs. The whole place had a calm, quiet energy that let Claudine go about her business with an attentive, silent diligence.
Now, however, the camp was devoid of any of that, especially considering Claudine wasn't alone. There was always some kind of noise distracting her - be it the attentive swinging of Maya's blade, or Futaba and Kaoruko bickering.
"Kaoruko, can I get a light?" The current source of the noise was Futaba's attempt at making dinner. She was supposed to be the party's cook, considering Maya was too busy and Kaoruko was too lazy, but seeing as they all usually persisted on rations Futaba had far less experience that she would've liked. She was currently sitting infront of a pile of unlit tinder, and staring at Kaoruko.
"What?" Kaoruko opened a single eye. "You want a what?" Fully aware of what Futaba meant, she ignored the soon-to-be fire, hugging her bladed staff close to her frigid body.
"A spark, for the fire." Pointing again, more forcibly this time, Futaba couldn't help but groan. "We need a fire if you want to eat."
"And waste my mana?" Kaoruko bit back, fully aware she was already wasting it to heat her staff and keep herself warm.
"Fine, I'll do it myself." Futaba leapt to her feet and snatched Kaoruko's staff out of her hands, which immediately set her off to whining like a baby. "Can't be too hard, can it?" She pointed the tip of the staff at the fire, jabbing it violently as if that would get it to work.
After calming down, Kaoruko eagerly watched Futaba's struggles. "See, not so easy, is it? Magic is a sophisticated art, that only a fraction of a fraction of--"
A cough of fire spluttered out of the tip of the staff, and the pile of twigs lit after a few seconds. Futaba's grimace twisted into a smile as she turned to Kaoruko. "Well, looks like I caught the bug."
Kaoruko's whining returned in earnest. "M-Maybe you should be the mage, then! Do all my work for me! And you can swing that dumb axe around, too!" She huffed, grabbing her staff back as Futaba handed it over cockily. "I never get any appreciation around here. Even when I cast Levitate on Claudine so we didn't drop her in that hideous plant, no-one even said thanks." Despite her indignance, she shuffled a foot or so closer to the fire as it crackled into life.
"That," Maya made herself known, marching into the clearing as Futaba heaved the pot onto the fire. "is because I expect nothing but the best from my party. " Swiping her cloak out of the way, Maya took a seat on the lump of wood prepared for her, rolling her shoulders as the fatigue of her training session caught up to her. "Your thanks is being able to stay by my side." She smiled at Kaoruko with that, not aware of how cold she was actually being.
"Party?" Kaoruko laughed after recovering from Maya's sudden entrance, having been bowled over slightly by the grandeur she possessed, even in such a tepid environment. "I thought we agreed you were both my bodyguards. I am payrolling all your little sightseeing trips, after all." Kaoruko eyed the new boots Maya was wearing, reminding herself of her very literal value to the party - but she gawked after seeing that they'd been near-ruined by their most recent expedition as the light of the fire caught their slick angles. She huffed and tried not to think too much about how far removed this life was from the one she'd lived in the Hanayagi household. "Futaba, whatever are we having for dinner, anyways?"
Surprised that Kaoruko had swallowed her pride, Futaba chuckled as she dragged over a small sack. "Mussels. Might not be all fancy, like you like 'em, but they're pretty big, for one." Giving the sack a shake, Futaba nodded satisfiedly as she confirmed her catch, before dumping it unceremoniously into the pot. Maya gave an approved hum, which was the most she'd got out of her all day.
Kaoruko yelped as she watched Futaba, scrambling to her feet. "No! Not like that!" Running over to the pot, she looked down into it with a disappointed sigh. "What about the butter? And the milk?"
"Do you have butter?" Futaba snickered as Kaoruko found she already knew the answer and slipped back onto her seat - a fold out, of course. "I spent all evening getting them, so you'd better not be picky."
Claudine groaned as the three argued and chided eachother over such trivial things. She was nothing like them, she reminded herself for the third time.
"Hey, Claudine!" A voice called out. If she'd cared enough to learn their names, she'd have known it was Futaba's, but in her bitterness she stayed put. "You want something to eat?" Futaba banged on the side of the pot, as if that would better get Claudine's attention. No sound came from the tent, and Futaba rolled her eyes. "Just great, Maya. Your plan is really working perfectly."
Maya slumped forward ever so slightly. "I'll admit, I underestimated just how... Complicated, Claudine can be." She murmured to herself, intently watching the pot as it began to bubble.
"Wouldn't be the first time." Futaba japed, before turning her attention back to the tent. "Come on Claudine, we don't bite. If you don't eat, you won't get better." Still nothing. Futaba began to feel somewhat like a babysitter - not that she didn't always feel that way, with Kaoruko breathing down her neck. "And if you don't get better, you'll be stuck with us for the rest of your life." Futaba cracked an uneasy smile as the shadow inside the tent reluctantly made to stand, and Claudine emerged.
Claudine's eyes were sunken, and she looked weak despite the stubborn look on her face. She still had Maya's pelt thrown lazily over her shoulders, and she pulled it yet closer around her as the cold bit into her. Drearily, she took her seat next to Kaoruko - Futaba had insisted Kaoruko take that seat so they could strategically position themselves and keep Claudine away from Maya, but all that had really accomplished was letting them stare eachother down instead. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find her words.
"Well, it's a start." Trying to keep the air clear, Futaba forced a laugh as she began to ladle mussels out of the pot. "You've got a pretty bowl, Claudine." Still trying to lift the mood, Futaba gave Claudine's elegant bowl a look over as she poured a spoonful of paste-drowned mussels into it. As with all of Claudine's equipment, it prioritised function over aesthetics, having a small spout in one corner that disrupted the rusted silver lining. "Mussels. Not the most nutritious, I guess, but it'll go down easy enough. The broth is... Chicken, I think?" Futaba looked down at her own bowl, not fully aware of the contents herself. She'd been hurried to pick whatever she could from the pantry before Maya had yanked them all off by the collar early last morning.
"...Thanks." Was the first thing Futaba heard out of Claudine. She thanked the Gods it hadn't been some kind of dismissal, considering the effort she'd gone to to make the meal. In fact, she even managed a modicum of pride at having earnt the first round of thanks out of Claudine, beating Maya to the punch by a long shot. She took a hesitant spoonful, but as soon as it met her lips she began the wolf the rest down - whether she was starving or actually enjoying it, Futaba had no idea.
The four ate in general silence, with Futaba saying whatever came out of her mouth in a vain attempt to cheer up Claudine. "You know, I've got a liquid metal axe. It doesn't rust or chip, so I can do whatever I want with it." She said it with a measure of pride, but Claudine muted answer killed her excitement. "...Kaoruko just usually makes me open cans with it, though." She returned to her food, content that she'd at least had a go at getting Claudine to warm up to them, as Maya had practically begged them all to earlier. Kaoruko was keeping her mouth shut, however - apparently she didn't need another bodyguard - but considering her track record, it was probably for the best.
After finishing her meal, Claudine stood. "Thanks." She croaked, nodding at Futaba as she turned to retreat to her tent.
"Claudine." Maya bit through the silence, and the air seemed to freeze up. Futaba couldn't help but look away as the girl's shoulders jerked at having her name called. "How're you feeling?" Maya attempt at smalltalk was hideously transparent, and Claudine considered not even gracing her with an answer.
"I've been better." Claudine tried to restrain the acidic feelings bubbling in her throat, but found herself barely lucid enough. "No thanks to you, that is." She regretted it, but Maya's stunned silence made the comment mostly worth it.
Maya's voice rose. "Does your life really mean that little to you?" she gripped her bowl as she leapt from her stool, ignoring Futaba and Kaoruko wordlessly advising her against antagonising Claudine any further. "That you'd throw it away over a petty achievement?" She'd seen the same rhetoric so many times. The desperation of an adventurer, clawing and scraping at the dirt for any purchase in a violent, unforgiving world. Even her parents had sported the same ideals, chasing lofty goals instead of being there for Maya in her youngest years. She finally had a chance to find out what was behind it. She stared into Claudine's eyes, as if she could find the answer there.
"As if you'd know anything about that, Tendou Maya." Venom spilled from Claudine's mouth, and she dared herself to turn to face that woman. She stepped up to the fire, the light from below illuminating her malice perfectly. "The whole world was singing your praises since the day you were born." She wanted to step even further - to wade through the fire and smack her, but Futaba was already on bodyguard duty, having stepped up to stop Maya from doing the same. "I, on the other hand..." Claudine felt her guts curling in on themselves. "Without my achievements, I'm nothing. I'm just another mercenary who'll wind up dead and forgotten." Her croaking voice could hardly contain the power Claudine was putting behind it. "I needed this... And you stole it from me."
"You'd really..." Maya, for once, came up with nothing. Claudine's scorching stubbornness had her floored. "You'd really rather leave a legacy than live a long, happy life?"
"Without a second thought." Despite her shaking knees, her hoarse voice, and her pale face, Saijou Claudine stood true. "I thought we all made that decisions when we became adventurers."
"Really..." Repeating herself, Maya swallowed, trying to digest Claudine's words and fit it into her puzzle of the world. After a moment, Maya's composure returned, and Futaba could almost feel the plan taking shape inside her. "If your legacy means so much to you, Saijou Claudine," Futaba sighed, knowing that Maya had somehow managed to have this whole incident spin around in her favor, as Tendou Maya was prone to do. "then why don't you join us? With you, I'm sure we could carve out a legacy no-one will be able to forget." Maya held out a hand for Claudine, reaching across the fire, and the still bubbling pot of mussels, the shells of which had all been gradually pulled open by the boiling water.
Claudine stood stunned for a moment, her face shifting between an offended disbelief, to a confused fascination. The ground around her melted as her knees finally buckled, leaving Claudine barely standing. Finding resolve once more in Maya's promise to her, she forced herself up. "You really think you can sweet talk me like that, Tendou Maya?" She laughed bitterly, but she was already fully aware she couldn't refuse. "Fine. If you're so confident, let's see if you can't live up to those words."