Post-game PSLs

[silentscout]

Want to do something post-game with Lalli? Drop a comment here! This can also be for game-AU things too if you want to do a 'what if' thread.

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w/ Kon

[silentscout]

["We'll see each other again" had been a hasty promise made as they were separated by their respective trains. Both of them had a lot of work to do in their worlds before they could even think about going to other places, so it only made sense that they would take care of those things first before seeing each other again. Kon had to take care of Amatsuki, and Lalli had to get himself (and Onni and the others, preferably) to somewhere safe so that he could even bring people to his world. He wasn't going to drop people right into the middle of the Silent World, that would be setting them up for death. And possibly for the Rash to spread to other worlds, which Lalli definitely did not want.

It took four months in total. Four long, long months.

Two months of tracking bears through dead cities and dealing with the surma and then dealing with the kade on top of that and getting Tuuri and Ensi's souls to Tuonela. And once all was said and done, one month of traveling back to the Known World. And then one month of quarantine for Lalli to heal up, and for Reynir and Onni to show that they weren't infected.

Every night he curled up with the blanket Riku had given him, refusing to wash it lest it look that faint trace of smells from Fall dorm. He would have to clean it eventually, but that could wait until he could stop by the Wiwaldi train stop and use the laundry services there. And every night Lalli lulled himself to sleep by reading the stories Kon had written down, tracing the neatly-written letters and imagining Kon was the one reading it to him.

Everyone asked for explanations. Onni demanded them. But all Lalli said was that he had earned the favor of a powerful being who had granted him the ability to understand all languages. He told them nothing of Wiwaldi, nothing of his weeks there. Even if he muttered names during his fitful sleep, or if Emil invaded one of his dreams that took place at Fall dorm, he still explained nothing. They didn't need to know about what he had seen.

Finally, the day came. All of them were released back into Saimaa, free to go.

Onni was the one that had figured it out. Everyone else just assumed Lalli was being weird. But somehow he just Knew. And when Lalli stood there, looking for a way to will the train station to his location, Onni had interrupted him to say "Is it somewhere safe?"

Lalli had just nodded, and Onni let out a grunt of approval. And that was that. They both knew Lalli would be back, he always came back. But for now, he had places to travel to.

But Lalli had no way of knowing just how much time had passed for Kon. He also had no way of knowing that carrying firearms was illegal in Japan, or that 'accidentally' punching a police officer while trying to run away was also illegal. Nor did know that others were recording all of this, as well as his subsequent arrest.

The incident had gone viral by dinnertime, and it's probably one of Kon's co-workers that shows him the video while talking about 'crazy foreign otakus' and how there isn't even a big con going on right now.]

[refate]

[ tsuyukusa's wish might free the NPCs from amatsuki, bringing them to life, but that doesn't get the rest of the sleepers out of the VR. that doesn't integrate them into a just-beyond modern japan.

it takes four years for kon, toki - everyone - to get everything taken care of. four years of radio silence, to make sure that the buzz or ringing of a phone doesn't alert a troll. four years of waiting.

"hey, shinonome, check out this video," fukagawa says at one point, when he notices him and wakasa dicking off to the side during some downtime. even years later, it's weird, talking to him - he sees tsuyukusa in every scowl, after all, but none of the experiences with tsuyukusa are there in his eyes.

there is, however, the viral video that he's playing. "look at this whackjob! man, white people," wakasa cackles, goggles up, before the phone is being held out to kon for him to see.

kon doesn't register it at first. it has, after all, been four years since wiwaldi. four years of going to other worlds - of visiting ichiro, futaba, taichi and yamato's versions of japan; of going to exandria and spending time with the mighty nein; visiting iris' fiefdom and helping where he can - while he waits for any word from lalli that he's out of the silent world and safe again. that they can see each other again.

but then the image in front of him actually processes, and he nearly spits before he snatches the phone up to drag his thumb on the video, rewinding, staring, jaw dropped. ] Oh my god, he could've texted first - fuck! Shit, shit -

[ wakasa and fukagawa watch him book it, only giving the phone back as an afterthought as he runs.

it takes two hours before he can get everything together, but there are a lot of favors he has to pull, a lot of databases that he has to wedge his way into so that he can rewrite records, a lot of things he has to prepare before he can get into the police office that lalli is being held in.

all a misunderstanding, here's the paperwork, here's the money, we'll be taking him into our care now. kon forces the point to stick, until they let him back into the holding to collect his finn.

and whenever lalli looks up, kon is familiar, yet different - older. short hair, broader, bulkier, with the faint remnants of his wiwaldi scars apparent and a few newer ones more noticeable. ]

Kop kop.

[silentscout]

[Having a computer genius for a boyfriend pays off in ways Lalli never could have expected.

There sure is a lot on the arrest record though: possession of a firearm, possession of several knives, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, assaulting another police officer, attempted escape three separate times (they found out pretty quickly that he needs more than standard handcuffs to keep him in check), and a lot of flags to check his visa status because there's no way he got into the country legally. It's a good thing Kon is there to get him out of trouble because odds are he would have ended up either in jail or deported within a couple days.

as it is, the jail cell is stuffy and Lalli spends most of his time in holding complaining under his breath about how itchy the lockup uniform is and how bad the jail smells. He is at least smart enough to keep those complaints to Finnish, as he doesn't expect the officers to change anything. He just wants to complain.

Hearing 'you're being released' after several hours is actually more suspicious than a relief. He had planned on trying to contact Kon as soon as he got his phone back, but he hasn't had a chance to do that yet and everyone is already iffy about him for trying to bite the intake officer. Even the other men in his holding cell are giving him a wide berth as they call him a 'raving madman' in their complaints to officers to be moved to another cell.

Predictably, Lalli does try to run the moment the cell door is opened. The officers have to stop him and shove his clothes and phone at him before he finally gets the idea. (the weapons are given to Kon with the stern warning to register them properly and lock them away, and that Lalli will be coming right back if he's found carrying any of them.) Kon might even be able to hear the shouts from the holding area as an officer goes "Sir, you're already being released! Just get changed and go!" And then there's a string of Finnish yelling about 'not falling for your tricks' and 'give me back my gun' that Kon may or may not be able to get, depending on how good he is at rapid-fire Finnish.

It's only seeing Kon that finally gets Lalli to stop being so aggressively Lalli. Kon looks different- definitely older, Lalli can't believe how much Kon has changed in what he thinks is only four months- but it's still Kon and Lalli doesn't even keep up the emotionless pretenses he usually has. It's been a long four months, and he just. Runs to Kon and grabs onto him and buries his face against Kon's chest. Partially for physical reassurance that Kon is real, and partially to take in that familiar smell he's been missing for months.]

...kon kon.

[It's muffled and a bit delayed, but it's there.]

[refate]

[ having been practicing at making people believe he's a Very Good Japanese Citizen, and not a child prodigy hacker that can be a bit of a ruffian sometimes, kon very diligently listens to what the precinct officers are saying. nods along, collects lalli's things, pays the fines and explains away whatever nonsense that they want to hear. the weapons will be taken care of, he'll make sure all of the I's are dotted and the T's crossed on his papers. yes, of course, he understands, he's so sorry.

the shouting catches his attention as he waits, and he takes a moment to process it. he reached out to someone in the gifted program who spoke finnish, so that he could have real-time practice, so there's a little buffering but he manages to catch enough to snort, faking that he's clearing his throat when he gets the sideeye from the officer.

but all that matters is -

lalli. lalli is here. he looks the same as he did at wiwaldi, so it makes him wonder how much time has gone by for him, if it was the same four years, or if it was less. (the part of his brain that's always thinking, the one that nearly burnt out during their stay at wiwaldi, wonders briefly if perhaps there's an effect about important time benchmarks that would cause it to pass differently...)

but it doesn't matter. it's really lalli, as he grabs onto him and smashes into his chest. kon immediately forgets everything else in the moment, wrapping his arms tight around him and burying his face in his hair. he mutters in finnish: ]

You are. So lucky that somebody recorded your arrest. Otherwise I would've had no idea that you were even here.

[silentscout]

[Fortunately Kon really does look like an upstanding citizen, with a clean record and nothing shady about him at all. Somehow that is enough to gain a modicum of trust from the police, who do lecture Kon on explaining to Lalli 'how things are done in Japan' and to make sure he has his passport with him in the future. It's amazing what looking clean-cut can do for you.

What's also amazing is how quickly Lalli's mood switches from 'aggressive and flighty' to 'clingy'. It really is like night and day, seeing him practically melt at the sight of Kon. Four months later and his heart still races when he sees him.]

Your accent is terrible.

[His response is in Finnish, which shows the difference in accents. Something something '100 years of language evolution affects regional accents'. But they can both understand each other, at least.

He does sound a little guilty when he speaks next, and the fact that he's still hiding against Kon is a good sign that he's flustered. Getting caught so easily really is embarrassing to him.]

I was going to call you, but they took my phone away.

[refate]

Rude. I'm trilingual and learned Finnish in 2XXX, my accent is fine.

[ his responses are still muffled, and the officers are probably wondering what the hell is going on, but that's fine. kon doesn't care. he just laughs and keeps his arms tight around him, relieved to see him in one piece and just relishing in the fact that he's there, despite he heart attack he was given. ]

Yeah you kind of, basically, broke a lot of laws? I got it smoothed over, you'll be fine. We can leave.

[ one hand comes up to cup the back of lalli's head while he hides, and he presses a kiss into his hair. it's a lingering one, relieved. glad. it's good to see him again. distance makes the heart grow fonder, and all that, but of all the people that he's seen... this is the one that he hasn't, and he's missed him. there's a lot that they need to catch up on. ]

[silentscout]

[At least Lalli isn't one for big romantic gestures, so they're not at risk of being arrested for gay crimes. Even if the cops are shuffling uncomfortably and going 'sir take your cat and get out of here'.

Lalli is in no hurry to let go of Kon though. While he's normally shy about showing affection in front of others, he does still hold onto Kon here. The hug lasts a good, long time, with Lalli sighing contently in response to the kiss pressed to the top of his head. He's really, really missed this. He's missed how safe he feels around Kon, like he can push away his anxieties and actually keep his head held high for once without cowering under the weight of 'what ifs'.]

They're stupid laws if I broke them, I didn't do anything wrong.

[He'll have to ask about the third language later, when he has time to think of 'what's happened since we last saw each other'. He'll also have to ask why Kon looks so different now too. But in the moment, he just shifts a bit so he can pull out of the hug and instead hold onto Kon's hand. They do need to leave, even if Finnish acts as a good barrier there's still things Lalli would rather say in private. Tonal shifts can give away feelings.]

Let's go.

[To where, he has no idea. But he trusts Kon. Wherever Kon takes him, it'll be fine.]

w/ Mandi

[silentscout]

[So what if, instead of the Scandinavian lostbelt we got in fate/go, there was one with a bit more zombie action? Major story beats are the same. Sigurd steals the Paper Moon, Ritsuka and co have to get it back, Skadi is the ruler of the lostbelt, and so on. But now the human population is controlled not by giants, but by trolls of many shapes and sizes that mutate from unfortunate people who happen to get bitten. The divergence point is approximately 90 years in the past, when an outbreak of the rash caused the world's society to collapse. With most of the population gone, all that's left in Scandinavia has to band together for survival. Only a few blessed humans- the Immune, those who cannot catch the Rash- can even risk going outside of the settlements and along dangerous trade routes between them.

Lalli is one of those blessed humans. He's blessed twofold, actually: not only is he immune, but he also is a mage, which affords him even more protections from the trolls. He can sense trolls long before they approach, and his magic is helpful in keeping out of harm's way. It makes him an effective scout, and someone invaluable to take on trading operations. Indeed, Lalli can usually be found traveling with a group of merchants taking their wares between this settlement and that. It's a difficult life, but it's one that most people seem to be enjoying, maybe for a lack of wishing for anything better. What more could they want for than for than the blessing of the goddess to keep living?

But Lalli wants for more. Which is why, when he's out at night doing his scouting duties, he does other things too. He silently picks off strong trolls, weakening their numbers along the trade routes. And when some weird-dressed people come to investigate those kills, Lalli has no trouble picking them off from his hidden sniping position. Even with little training as a mage, he does know how to conceal his presence, and bullets boosted by magic make for deadly weapons against the weaker servants sent out to investigate the deaths.

All this happens without him even being seen. Nobody knows his true identity, but stories of "the grey sniper" persist, with word reaching even as far as Skadi's castle. "I will love them, or I will kill them." That has always been Skadi's rule. And given how much death 'the grey sniper' has caused, how many servants he has taken from Ophelia, it's a given that Skadi would put out a call for his death. Lalli has anonymity to hide behind, but even that can only last so long. Eventually someone will make the connection between the trade routes and the troll deaths and the servant deaths.

In the meantime, Lalli is going to spend one early evening hiding in a cave, escaping the downpour of rain outside. He's already secured the entrance and built himself a fire. Given how heavily the rain is falling, he'll probably have to hold off on scouting for the night. Maybe some early sleep is in order. This is what Lalli is contemplating as he cooks up a freshly-caught rabbit for dinner, unaware of the fact that anyone else is nearby in the overgrown forests of the Scandinavian countryside.]

[duranduel]

Shit!

[Well, this is not how he wanted to be caught outside - drenched in the sudden onset of rain. He had been sent to scout, but there's no way that any scouting is going to happen in weather like this. How unfortunate. But it isn't as if Skadi herself had any control over the weather. He would have to return later to let Ophelia know that for now, his search for the "grey sniper" was quite stalled. Not that he was particularly eager for the search, what with the dead Servants already in the menace's wake, but a duty was a duty.]

[He rushes through the forest, cursing under his breath, when - oh, a glimpse of hope! A fire! And a cave! Shelter! Everything he needs! He rushes towards it, finally coming into the entrance before leaning on the cave wall and just sliding down to the ground with an exhausted, but relieved sigh.]

Thank goodness.

[But..........wait.]

[There's.....someone here.]

[Mandricardo's eyes widen, and he just. Blinks, awkwardly.]

[silentscout]

[Lalli really isn't expecting any visitors. The merchant train he's working with is nearly a kilometer away, safely hidden in some old ruins of a farmhouse and barn. Nobody had any reason to go out looking around once camp had been made, so Lalli had assumed he would be alone until he got back. So seeing someone else, and someone who is not from the group of merchants and their guards, is quite surprising indeed.

Almost enough for Lalli to go for his weapon. Almost. But Mandi looks juuuuust enough like an unfortunate soul lost in the dangerous zone between settlements that Lalli doesn't immediately ping him as a servant.]

...

[He is definitely in a standoff with Mandi there for a moment, wondering if he will be attacked. He looks ready to jump up and flee (or fight) if Mandi makes a wrong move too. But the longer the awkward silence stretches on, the more Lalli starts to wonder if he even needs to be worried here. Mandi doesn't look particularly strong or dangerous, and he doesn't look like a servant...]

...

What are you doing out here?

[A valid question, since it looks like Mandi is traveling alone.]

[duranduel]

Uh.....um.

[This is...horrendously awkward. Mandricardo freezes, glancing at him, then at the fire, then back out in the rainy cold.]

I was heading back towards the settlement. And this bad weather started up, so I rushed towards this light, and...

[He shakes his head.]

I'm sorry. If you'd like to be alone, I'll leave. Not a problem.

[silentscout]

Wait.

[It sounds reasonable. If someone was coming up the path from the other way, then that explains why Lalli's group hasn't seen this man before. And if he's traveling alone, then it's all the more reason to keep an eye out for him. He must be a foolish man to travel alone, after all.]

The storm is too strong to go back into. Some sit down.

[Lalli isn't really one for sharing, usually, but he can make an exception here. He wouldn't want to be cast out into the storm either.]

[duranduel]

...

[He falters, sincerely having meant to just go and leave if he was causing this person trouble, but then settles for just staying where he is. Mandricardo nods dimly, almost regretful, but grateful all the same.]

T-Thank you. I really appreciate it.

[silentscout]

Mmm.

[This is where the awkward silence creeps in. While Lalli is willing to share his campfire and keep Mandricardo from becoming a drenched rat, he's not much of a conversation partner. Sure, there's things he could ask, like why Mandricardo is out traveling on his own in such an inhospitable world, but he doesn't. Not yet, at least. Mandi seems a bit too skittish to approach directly like that.]

...

Lalli.

[It's his name. And a far cry from the reputation he has within the Lostbelt. In this cave, he's not 'The Grey Sniper'. He's just a man trying to survive a cold night.

[duranduel]

...Lal...Lalli?

[What is that supposed to mean? Some word he doesn't know...?]

[Oh. Wait.]

A-Ah! That's...your name. Sorry. Nice to meet ya, Lalli. I'm... [Does he say "Rider" here? Probably not. Maybe that Grey Sniper was afoot, somehow, and the last thing he wants is a target painted on his back.] Mandricardo. That's me.

[silentscout]

[It's definitely a good thing that Mandi didn't say 'Rider' because a fight might have broken out in that moment. Mandricardo is a mouthful to say, though, and Lalli frowns thoughtfully as he tries it out.]

Mandri...cardo. Mandricardo. Alright.

[It's definitely not a Finnish name but it could be from one of the other Scandinavian countries, who knows. His hair isn't pale enough to be a Finn anyway.]

You can stay, until the rain lets up. I can't go back to my traveling group either.

[Lalli isn't really good at idle talk, so this is more to give Mandi more information: he has a group he's traveling with, so there's others nearby. If Mandi is wary of traveling alone, there are others he can go with. Or if he means trouble, then now he knows that others are around to track him down.]

[duranduel]

[Honestly, giving out his True Name isn't too much of a big deal. It isn't as if everyone knows his legend, let alone know how he was involved with it.]

Your traveling group? I see, I see... [He nods - that's wise, to go around in groups, especially in times like these, with threats like these.] Did you get lost from them?

[silentscout]

[That is honestly fair, Lalli has no idea where Mandi is even from, much less what his legend is. His shame from his lifetime is hidden, for now.]

No. I'm the scout. I was checking to make sure the path ahead was clear before the main group got too close.

[duranduel]

That's real brave of ya.

[Scouts always have to be, to get into unfamiliar territory.]

Especially with these trolls around. It's super dangerous.

[silentscout]

It's fine. I'm good at not being seen.

[Except when someone else stumbles into his cave whoops.]

You should travel with a group too though, it's not safe to travel alone for long distances.

AU psl w/Sieg

[silentscout]

[Someday, years down the line, Lalli may be able to look back on the events of this summer and be amused by them. Or, at the very least, just mildly annoyed. But right now, in the moment, he absolutely hates it and wants to go home immediately.

Stupid bears. Stupid Onni. Stupid everything! Why did his idiot cousin have to make a deal with a god to rescue the soul of their dead grandma when that fight would inevitably involve bears?

Lalli is only cursing in his mind though, as he's too busy trying to run away from a rampaging mama bear that is pissed off at him and his group for killing one of the baby bears. It's a chase that leads them through an overgrown path and up a hilly road, all the way to a large building of some sort that had been built at the top. It's a weird place for a building that large, but whatever. It's what they have, and they're going to have to use it for cover while they work out what to do next.

Lalli's magic senses are already alerting him to the dozens of trolls slumbering within the building, but they don't have time for that right now. Trolls are dangerous, but bear beasts will kill them all faster. He can just steer the group around the troll nests for now and hope they're not too loud, or that the trolls are scared off by the bears.

Some details are initially overlooked though. Like the condition of the building, or how they can actually see in the depths of the halls and rooms to be found there. Or how the rot of the trolls hasn't spread quite as far in some areas. Blind panic makes Lalli a little less observant than he would otherwise be. But as he follows Onni and Reynir into what used to be a kitchen of some sort, and they all go to hide in a large metal pantry, Lalli suddenly notices an important detail: ice.

There's ice on the walls of the metal pantry. And when they stand at the door to it, Lalli can see his breath.]

This building has power!

[Reynir can't understand him, but Onni does. And he understands the implications of it.

Something's here. Something important.

It's dangerous, but Lalli leaves Onni and Reynir behind in the kitchen. The cold metal box isn't so cold as to kill them instantly, not with the warm layers they have been wearing all this time. And the cold will be enough to keep the trolls away, the metal door enough to stop the bears from entering. But they can only be in there a limited amount of time, maybe an hour at most, before the cold will be too much. That pantry is somehow as cold as the coldest nights of the Finnish winters, and even someone like Onni wouldn't last for ages.

So Lalli heads out, moving as quickly and quietly as possible, looking for any signs of an electrical room. Though he's used to living without electricity he does know how it works and how to identify electrical sources, so tracing the labeled signs on the walls isn't difficult. And when a strange locked door asks for a password, it just takes a little bit of Lalli's magic for him to brute force his way in. Mostly by forcing the lock to open itself even without the password.

...it also sets an alarm off, but Lalli is past the point of caring right now. He needs to find the source of that power, and whoever might be living there. Someone has to be maintaining the electrical work, and they might be able to help. And given how pristine and white this new hallway looks, Lalli's hopes are reinvigorated. If the usual growth of weird fleshy moss hasn't spread in here, then someone must be keeping it clean.

Of course, he finds a few worrying contraptions along the way, ones that set off his mage senses in an eerie way. He can at least dodge around those for now and hope that they go the other way and attack the bears- oh nope, they're following him, and Lalli just has to run now.

This is the scene of chaos that surrounds Lalli when he finally makes it to the containment room. He barely gets the door shut and locked behind himself, and he pushes a desk in front of it too. Then he leans back against for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

That's when he sees the big green glowing tube, and the person in it.]

What...?

[Stepping away from the blocked door, Lalli walks over to the tube, marveling at it. He's never seen anything like it before in his life. Just what is it? And what's inside of it?

The monitors that run diagnostics on the setup have long since decayed to the point where they don't work anymore, but the machine itself seems to be functioning still. And luckily there's a manual release on the tube too. So Lalli taps his knuckle on the glass, only to go and press the button once he gets no response.

Welcome to the world of nightmares, Sieg.]

[heartmunculus]

[A nameless homunculus, a battery source for mages so they could provide easy mana for their summons, and didn't ever have to give up their own. It only made sense everybody wants as many advantages as possible during war.

He almost made it out. The people surrounding him, who were willing to see him as a person, giving him a core, a sword and a name... before getting recaptured and getting used as a battery. While he was in stasis, it was impossible for him to be awake or aware. Just left here in a hospital, when the mages decided that they couldn't stay impartial anymore. They would be willing to share their inventions.

When Lalli presses the button the entire hospital's power goes out.

The green glowing liquid spills onto the floor, and Sieg takes his first, shuddering breath in decades.

What has he missed? Who is this person?]

Who...?

[silentscout]

[The darkness is sudden and puts Lalli right on edge again. Could this strange contraption be what powered the whole building? If that's the case, then Onni and Reynir aren't going to be safe in that cold pantry for much longer. He has to get moving, quickly.

But he can't leave this strange person here looking confused and sickly. He'll get picked off by trolls before he even has time to get his bearings. So Lalli goes right over to him to help keep him steady, as he has no idea if this man can even stand right now.]

Come on, we need to get moving. Is anyone else here?

[He asks these questions like Sieg knows the answers. He does not realize that Sieg doesn't even know Finnish.]

[heartmunculus]

[After spending decades in a tube like that, it's going to take just a little bit more time to remember how his limbs work. He leans a bit into Lalli, and then looks completely lost as he begins to speak. A hand moves to the hilt of his sword, slightly surprised to have it still be there.

He's sure the stranger is not Romanian, but he only had a limited time "alive", so it's hard to place it at all.]

... ?

[A confused noise. He points at himself-] Sieg.

[That's the most he can communicate at the moment.]

[silentscout]

[Whoo boy. So he doesn't speak Finnish. That blank look is at least familiar enough to Lalli by now that he knows what to do: drag this guy along until he can get him to Mikkel or Onni. He can get that there's a name being spoken there though, so Lalli will answer in kind.]

Lalli.

[And as annoying as it is to support someone else's weight, especially given how much of a noodle Lalli is, he still keeps Sieg upright. Because they do need to keep moving. The mechanical taps that are coming from the door now. Lalli takes in a sharp breath, and then he's quickly looking around for an exit that is not the door he has barricaded.

Fortunately there is another door at the far wall, so he can drag a still-sticky Sieg in that direction. Even if it takes a bit for Sieg to find his legs, they need to get moving now. By the time they reach the far door, the automatas will be cutting their way through the other door.]