Give Me a Sword and a Thousand Words: [Battle Quadcast] Laguna - "Cold Recall"

5. Family Matters. You’ve probably had your own problems with family flaking on you for whatever reason. Draw or write your character in a time where their family went back on their word… or when they went back on their word to a family member! No one’s perfect, after all. 

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It stung as much as it shocked him, the initial impact and entry into the freezing water. He sputtered and flailed, looking for who had shoved him.

“You did th-that on purpose…!” he shouted, looking up at his comrades at the edge of the water.

“My bad, my arm slipped!”

“Arm s-s-slipped, my appendix,” Scap muttered. His teeth were chattering from the cold wetness seeping through his tattered clothes, into his bones. 

-

Lusabeth sheepishly tucked her hands behind her back. She hadn’t expected the boy to topple right back into the water when she patted him on the back. “I’ll smack you the other direction next time!”

“You’re c-coming down with me next t-time, Acro!” Scap’s eyes flashed. Yellow.

Hal looked at the red-haired girl. “See, play nice.” Then he paused. “Is that a new nickname he has for you?”

“Uh–” Lusabeth looked confused as well. She shrugged. “If it is, it’s the first time I’ve heard it.”

A silver-haired, silver-horned figure brushed past and waded into the water. “Poor blueberry. Someone should fish him out before he catches a cold, hmm?”

-

Strong arms lifting him out of the water. He knew with the weight of his armor and waterlogged clothing, it was no easy task. His ears were ringing, the sounds were swimming. Had he hit his head on something? Nothing hurt; then again, his limbs were still numb.

“You need dry clothes.” A soft voice, full of warmth. Scap leaned into the comforting presence, exhausted.

“These are the only clothes I have…”

“Only because you don’t know where to look to find more. Here, towel down first while I find something for you.”

-

“D-don’t leave yet…” Scap whispered, feeling the warmth shift out of his reach.

Lust draped a towel over the shoulders of the shivering, soaked Scap. “I have some shampoo and soap to get the salt out. I’ll be back soon. With sweets too~”

“Clavi… y-you don’t have to smuggle things for me.” 

With only a little smile and a pat on his head, Lust stood up, going to find the items she promised. She had an idea of the half-dissociated memory state he was in, and wondered what kind of friend this “Clavi” might have been.

“Who’s she?” Lusabeth loudly whispered to Hal, briefly challenging the tall half-feline’s yellow gaze with her own scrutinizing stare. “His mother?”

Hal snorted. “I don’t know if that would offend her or Scap more.” He glanced at the comparatively diminutive red-haired Lusabeth. “Would that make you his-”

“Sassy and cool kind-of-actual-friend?” Lusabeth finished with a snap of flame in her fingers.

“I was gonna say ‘annoying brat little sister’, but you believe what you want.”

“Hey! I’m centuries older than he is!”

-

He closed his eyes, resting with knees hugged to his chest and his forehead resting on them. Someone knelt down next to him, exuding a steady aura not so much jaded as wizened and weathered by experience.

“Chin up, kid. I know you’ve been going through a lot lately. We all have.”

Scap didn’t turn his head, but he made a tiny nod of acknowledgement. “Can you… can you keep a secret for me?”

“Always. You know me.”

“I’m afraid… afraid to go back, knowing that something will change. I’m afraid it won’t be the same.” He swallowed, feeling a tightness in his throat that quickly dissolved into a hollow and distant ache, as he was trained to do with emotions. “I’m afraid they’re going to separate us.”

“Nonsense, Scap. What sort of unit would we be, apart?”

-

“B-but you left,” Scap choked out. “You left first, Hue, and it all fell apart. You all left, and I was alone, and without a unit I was useless so they threw me away–”

Lusabeth dropped her voice. “He’s remembering somebody else,” she realized. “Multiple somebodies.”

Hal didn’t mean to trigger such a flood of memories – seemingly painful ones at that – but he took the opportunity to bring the boy back into the present reality. “Scap. Scap, listen to me. I don’t know where or when or what’s going through your brain right now, but you’re here. Among friends. And even apart from us, you’re still valuable for being you.”

Scap rubbed his eyes, the irises slowly shifting back to an even balance of yellow and blue. “I’m…”

“You’re Scappy, you like smoothies, and we do accidental crimes together,” Lusabeth contributed, sensing his need for a reminder of his current identity. She patted him on the back (gently, this time). “And you’re my friend.”

Lust arrived back on the scene with a bucket of bottles and a basket of baked goods. She sensed a mix of emotions welling up in Scap, the foremost being a sense of nostalgic sorrow with an undercurrent of betrayal or disappointment. It was quickly being replaced by a sense of relief and well-being. She sat down in front of him and offered a cookie. “Eat. You’ll feel better. And then I’ll get you cleaned up and dry.”

Scap sniffed, wrinkling his nose. “What are you, my mother?” he grumbled, but he took the cookie anyway.

“There he is. Back to normal.”

857 Words

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Thank you MMN, Ando, and docgrin for your wonderful cast of characters - Scap won't admit it out loud but he's glad he has such good friends :3