Chapter Text
Winding along the hard packed dirt walls, formed by the hand of someone drawing power from the ground itself, Falst approaches the source of the disturbance within.
"Erin, wake up." Falst hisses, shaking him by the shoulder.
He awakens, with a sharp gasp and a flail of movement, namely a wild swing as his eyes fly open, which Falst catches by the wrist, and then the barest attempt to access his magic, which Falst also catches by the wrist.
He knows that in his right mind, Erin wouldn't try to hurt him, and from what Kendal told him about his brief interaction with the void dragons influence through Erin, this isn't it.
"It's me, relax." he calls, and Erin's wide eyes stare blindly, as he realizes,
"Falst?" He's calmer now, the last dregs of his panic slipping away as he rouses, so Falst lets him go, pulling his hand back.
"You're fine." Erin reaches for his flame seals, and Falst bats at his hand, lightly.
It's just as easy to reach up and flick on the lamp, which illuminates the solid walls and ruffling tapestry door of the temporary shelter Erin put together for them.
He squints into the light, sitting up on the cot keeping him off the ground, and Falst shifts back out of arms reach as Erin asks,
"Why did you wake me? Is something happening?" Anxiety brewing once more, but Falst is quick to dismiss it.
"No. You were having a nightmare." It took Falst a few nights to realize that's what was happening, the first few times he hovered just out of range, moments from rousing the others and preparing for a fight.
But things never escalated, and now Falst is down with the pattern.
"Was-," he diverts into another question instead, hand fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, "how do you know?"
"I can hear your heart beat faster." Falst says, watching Erin stiffen in alarm. "Relax, I'm kidding, I'm not that good. But you do start to like, twitch around, breathe like youre runnng." Falst gives up the lie pretty quickly, elaborating, "You usually wake up anyway, then read for a bit and sometimes go back to sleep, I figured I'd cut to the chase." A sound justification, in his eyes, but Erin questions,
"Do you, watch me sleep?" Technically he listens, but it's basically the same.
"I watch everyone sleep. So does Kendal." But they have an agreement to trade off nights of keeping watch, rather than redundantly circling the same paths all night together.
"You should also be sleeping,"
"I slept yesterday, and I'll sleep tomorrow." Falst dismisses him, rising to leave.
"Wait," He stills, and turns to meet Erin's gaze right as it flicks away. "It's, cold out, you're welcome to stay." Falst doesn't really get cold, barring actual snowfall, seeing as he's built for a life alone outside, but he suspects Erin's not offering out of his overabundance of kindness, and accepts the request.
He sits down, debating leaning against the dirt wall construct and deciding against it, closing his eyes against the light lacrima and listening to the gentle rhythm of natures night activity, muffled a bit from the walls and drapery.
"Where are you from? I don't believe I've asked." Thus begins the smalltalk, which is easy for people who have normal lives and spent those lives doing normal things that are nice to talk about and share. "I grew up in Asera, I've spent most of my life there actually, but I imagine you're better travelled."
"I've lived lots of places, most further south." He answers with enough information to do his part in the conversation, but doesn't feel like getting any further into this topic, so he changes it. "If you don't want to read, then teach me to play that stupid complicated board game in your bag." The offer is casual, if misleading, and Falst holds his expression neutral as Erin blinks,
"Hexaset? Of course." He all but dives for his bag, and Falst shifts closer, perching on the foot of his cot, across the hexagonal board he is now arranging the pieces atop with rhythmic clicks of polished stone against laquered wood.
It's a nice set, similarly ornate but differently styled.
Falst knows hexaset well, but he'd rather let Erin ramble his way through an explanation of the rules than admit where he learned to play this game.
Besides, Erin loves explaining things.
The biggest hindrance is that the pieces are identical, between players. To Erin, they're probably painted different colors, but Falst can barely spot the two shades of grey as Erin seperates them out.
He's not doing it as a sick mind game, to tilt the playing field in a way only he has prepared for, he just truly hasn't anticipated falsts altered view of the world. Falst hasn't known Erin for very long, but he does know he tends to act from ignorance, not malice.
The dull grey pieces would be a problem, but Falst doesn't have to win anymore. This is a game, for fun. In fact, Erin's probably looking for an easy win, or at least expecting one.
Falst just needs to play well enough that it's entertaining, in and out, not a big deal.
Soon enough, the board is set out, and Erin has convinced himself he has conveyed the rules well enough for them to begin. Erin allows Falst the first move, and he picks a pawn at random.
He tries, at least. His mind goes back to the strategies drilled into him, over and over, all the possible opening movesets, which ones are optimal for what your opponent chooses.
Now, he has a new challenge; not to win, but to play like he doesn't know how.
Erin's blind assumption that he never guesses wrong should help, he reasons to himself. The game begins and their pieces start to scatter out, and Falst makes sure to ignore the twisting possible paths of play he envisions automatically, trying to narrow down to just the present turn.
Falst opts for the same strategy he started with originally, clear the board and get to the princess last. It never served him all that well back then, but it's likely what Erin is expecting now.
To consciously ignore his own forethought is a bit of a challenge, but he manages well enough. Erin does try to advise him as they go, telling him things he already knows, which would be annoying normally, but Falst resists the urge to roll his eyes and give in to irritation.
Instead, he simply nods along, balancing not using a real strategy with not being too obvious in playing dumb, working to keep track of where his pieces end and Erin's begin.
Erin's not as good of a player as she was. His strategy is clear to Falst, direct and aggressive, nearing predictable. Granted, he's not up against a real opponent, simply working his way through someone that supposedly can't see him coming.
Despite the completely different circumstances, despite knowing rationally, there will be no consequences for losing, the familiar jittery calm builds all around him, anticipatory like the water washing out as it wells up into a large wave right behind you, ready to sweep you out with the tide.
Falst watches Erin slowly lance through his forces toward his tower princess, and has to remind himself to keep his hands still, tail pinned under one bent leg as the end of the game draws closer.
If Erin notices anything off, he doesn't mention it.
"Spot," Erin calls, and Falst does not flinch, inching his most important piece out of the way, into a worse position, and thankfully, "captured," Erin takes the opening. "See, how this file was open to be controlled by the lightning knight?" He explains, and Falst says,
"It's a complicated game," He's not up for the full lecture, what he really wants is to be anywhere but here.
"Well, once you get the hang of it, strategy comes easier." Erin says, yawning. "But, I understand if you find it mind numbingly boring." He wishes it was boring.
"Eh, I'm just not used to slow games." He's certain he could sprint around the entire world and be back by sunrise.
He looks out, and sees the moonlight has closed it's shadows toward each other a bit more. "Still got a few hours to sunup, if you want some more sleep." He suggests and hopes Erin wont suggest a rematch, and thankfully,
"That's probably a good idea," Dismissed, Falst stands to make his exit, reaching for the lacrima as Erin sets the board aside.
Plunged into darkness, he adds, "Thank you, for the match." An afterthought, but a thought nonetheless, and Falst catches himself hesitating in surprise, quick to add,
"No problem." And swiftly slips back out into the night, stepping lightly around the campsite, climbing a nearby tree to perch in it's branches, glad to settle in the protection of being largely out of reach and out of sight.
Eventually, the hunger starts to outweigh the roiling turbulence in his chest, and he realizes there's technically nothing stopping him from going and grabbing a snack. Alinua grows a variety without even blinking, Erin carries them in abundance, it's pretty much all of the contents of Kendal's bag. Falst would have no trouble slipping into common space of the dirt mansion and simply grabbing a bit of fruit or some nuts.
He could even forage himself, catch something or find a berry bush.
No one would stir, and even if they did they wouldn't care, he knows that for sure.
Falst stays in the tree, though. He's no stranger to hunger, and he had a hearty dinner earlier, no need for excess.
The pangs clawing into his stomach make the quiet night longer, but he waits for sunrise with weathered patience nevertheless, refusing to think more of the night's events, neither the familiar tightness in his throat nor the unfamiliar flutter in his chest.