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Setting foot on the black sanded shores had an almost dreamlike effect. Gustave looked around at the strange sky – a permanent eclipse that had been clear blue sky, just a moment ago. Everything felt calm, no trace of danger, and yet… Perhaps it felt too quiet, like the calm before the storm. Next to him, Maelle was fidgeting, her hand clenching and unclenching as she prepared to summon her rapier. Gustave put a hand on her shoulder in a way that he hoped was reassuring and didn't show his own nerves too much.
"Stay close." He whispered to her. The tension in the air told him to keep quiet, as if any loud noise would summon the storm. Despite her brave face, he could smell her nervousness – pine grass turning soured as embers joined her scent. Gustave was glad her nose was less sensitive than his, hopefully hiding his own anxiety. Alphas weren't supposed to feel afraid, not when they needed to protect their pack. Gustave wished he was a better alpha in that moment.
At the front, Alan was already advancing with a few others, clearing the perimeter as they had done in a hundred drills. It had never felt so tense before - so real. Lune, a short distance away, seemed ready to start hovering, her pictos already lit up. Half of the Expedition had their weapons in hand, and Gustave wondered if it was paranoia or preparedness that drove them. He knew the protocols, knew all the drills by heart, and yet nothing could prepare for the real deal.
Alan stopped suddenly, as a shape cut through the shadows before them. It only took a couple steps for tension to morph into incomprehension – before them, stood not a Nevron, but a man. Gustave could only watch, transfigured. There had been theories that some people had survived on the Continent after the Fracture, but no one truly believed them. Not without a Dome to protect them. Not with the Paintress so close, and her Nevrons roaming.
Yet there was a man here, facing them calmly as he ignored the Expedition drawn weapons. Gustave tried to put an age to his face, but found he couldn't. His black hair was streaked with impossible white strands, and yet his face remained unlined. Under his scars, he almost looked younger than the Expedition's members. But his eyes belied this first impression – too old and tired.
The stranger looked at his audience in turn, and as his gaze crossed Gustave's, it showed only sorrow.
"Who are you ?" Alan asked, his grip tightening on his sword. Belatedly, Gustave realized he was the only one who had failed to do the same. He hurriedly summoned his pistol to his hand, and felt the stranger's eyes follow the movement with a frown.
"I'm not your enemy." There was something almost pleading in the stranger's voice, but his tone felt too resigned. Like a desperate attempt to be believed while expecting no understanding. "But I know who is, if you'll listen."
Strangely, as the man's gaze stopped on Maelle, the clear sorrow in his eyes seemed to intensify. Gustave instinctively put himself in front of his sister, pistol half drawn.
"Are you working for the Paintress ?"
As the question –the accusation – left Lune's lips, something shuttered in the stranger's eyes. Sorrow disappeared, leaving something cold in its stead. "I'm not." He breathed out. "But she's not the enemy. She's not the one who's killing you. Please, listen. I can help you."
The stranger seemed to want to say more, but he was suddenly cut by a noise – an echoing stuttering sound. "Merde, you need-" Before the stranger could finish his sentence, there was a flash. When darkness fell back a second later, Alan was gone.
"It's a trap !" Lune called out as Nevrons seemed to pour out of the shadows. As Gustave drew his weapons, he saw the stranger flinch out of the corner of his eye. A second later, he had to jump back as another flash cut through the obscurity. At his side, Maelle did the same, her rapier held high as she tried to cut at another approaching Nevron. The stranger rushed forward, quick as lightning, and his hand clasped around Maelle's arm.
"Come with me !" He called out, ignoring Maelle's struggling to get free. Gustave's instincts took over, and he drew his pistol to shoot at the stranger trying to grab his sister – his pack. With a shout, the man drew back, letting go of Maelle as she slashed at him desperately.
Gustave tried to join his sister, the sky flashed again as another Nevron entered the fray. He managed to dodge out of the way again, but when he looked up again, Maelle had disappeared into the shadows. As had the stranger.
"Fall back !" He heard Lucien call. Gustave turned around, trying desperately to find Maelle again. Behind him, he heard another Nevron, echoing in the dark. Drawing his gun as he turned, he fired in its direction, and heard the impact but not any indication of pain from the creature. The Nevron's enormous hands cradled its luminous belly, and Gustave feverishly went through his list of known Nevrons, trying to remember their weaknesses. The creature reared back, the light at its core gaining in intensity, and Gustave fired at it as he prepared to dodge to the side.
Yet before he could, the Nevron was thrown back as light pierced it. It screamed, unbothered by the absence of a mouth, as it stumbled back a few steps. Before it could collect itself, several daggers flew into its belly, the metal overflowing with white chroma. The Nevron stumbled back one final time, then fell on its back. Gustave tried to will his heart to slow down, just enough that he could breathe again. A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, and Gustave startled as he turned around – to see the stranger looking at him with urgency, Maelle nowhere to be seen.
"You need to go, it's not safe here !"
Gustave wrenched himself from the stranger's grip, drawing his pistol again. "What did you do to Maelle ?!" The stranger had to jump back to avoid a chroma-infused bullet to the chest. "Where is she ?!"
"She's safe ! I'd never hurt her !"
Gustave heard the words, and smelled the lie within them. This man had already tried to grab his sister, had called the Nevrons to the beach. He had tried to lower their guards, but he'd all but admitted to working for the Paintress. Throwing himself forward, Gustave slashed at the stranger, who parried with his own sword but didn't attempt to retaliate. Up close, Gustave caught a whiff of the man's scent – strangely sweet, like honey. He almost drew back as instincts warred within him. The stranger threatened his pack – Maelle, where was his sister, was she safe ? – but he was clearly an omega. Rare and precious, with Lumière's dwindling population. How could he attack a pup ? How could he try and hurt Gustave's sister ?
The stranger's eyes turned stormy as he noticed Gustave's sudden hesitance, and he pushed back. His sword slashed at Gustave's, trying to knock it aside. Gustave came back to his senses, pulling away just enough to fire at the stranger. Point blank, the man had no chance to avoid the bullet, and it pierced his right shoulder with an effusion of blood. The stranger cried out in pain, and his expression shuttered again. There was a sudden distance in his gaze that Gustave would have been worried about, in different circumstances.
With his sword arm crippled by the bullet in his shoulder, the stranger slashed with his dagger instead, using the close quarters to his advantage. Gustave couldn't avoid the blow this time, but his coat absorbed most of it, the dagger only leaving a thin but painful cut on his skin. It only incensed him more. Swiftly, he activated his arm – not fully charged, but enough that it'd hurt. The stranger casted a quick glance at the purple glow, then another behind Gustave.
"Merde -"
Before Gustave could let the lightning flow, he felt a push from behind, a great force stealing his breath away. His chroma flew wide, the stranger not even singed. Gustave felt blood gather at his back, his vision growing black at the edge. He tried to stay upright, but felt his knees go weak. Just before falling to the ground, he saw the stranger raise his arm again. Gustave was unconscious before he could feel the dagger thrown at his face.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
As he came awake, Gustave became painfully aware that he shouldn't have.
He should have died, blood mixing with black sand as either the Nevron behind him or the stranger before him finished what they'd started.
Yet here he was, coming to consciousness with his back hurting but dry of blood. Gustave tried to take stock of his body, wincing as he tried to move. His injuries had seemingly been healed – he could still aftertaste of the tincture on his tongue. He could feel a headache growing even before opening his eyes, but did so anyway. Above him, he could see a roof – or something that could have been one, if half the sky hadn't been visible. There were walls around him – again, full of holes –, and several crates that could be called furniture, if one felt generous. Which Gustave didn't. But what struck him most was the smell. Honey and something almost coppery, all around him. All encompassing, like in a nest.
"Putain." Gustave breathed out. Had the stranger brought him here ? The nest looked pathetic, but it still reeked of the omega enough that it couldn't be recent build. Why would the stranger bring an enemy alpha in his safe place ?
Gustave tried to sit up, and suddenly realised two things. The first was that his prosthetic was missing – he was so used to waking up without it he hadn't thought to miss its weight. The second was that Gustave was tied up. The shock of his injuries and his location gone, he could feel the ropes around his ankles, and binding his remaining arm to his waist, behind his back. Looking around, Gustave tried to spot his belongings among the mess – his arm was probably a lost cause, but perhaps the stranger hadn't thought to remove the lumina converter. Perhaps Gustave could use it, if he could spot his bag.
"Did you have a nice nap ?"
Gustave startled and fell back on his back, his arm aching as it took his weight. Hiding a wince, he turned to glare at the stranger. Surrounded by the omega's scent as he'd been, he hadn't smelled his arrival. Gustave blamed his nature as an alpha for finding the scent so appealing.
"Where's Maelle ?" He demanded, very aware of how pathetic he had to look, glaring from the ground, tied up and no threat to the omega. He'd never been among those alphas that liked to look intimidating around omegas, but he now wished he could borrow some of their energy. The stranger looked absolutely unimpressed.
"Last I saw her, she was safe with Lune and Sciel." The man said, coming to sit on the ground next to Gustave. Then, he grabbed Gustave's collar and hauled him upright, pushing him to sit against a crate before releasing him.
"How do you know those names ? How long have you been spying on us ?" Gustave demanded again. He had made the mistake of giving Maelle's name up, but he knew he hadn't called out to anyone else. He tried to remember if he'd seen the stranger in Lumière, but soon dismissed the notion – there was nothing discreet about the scar-covered omega with white strands in his hair. He'd have turned many heads in Lumière, and not just because of his scars. Gustave wished he didn't see the appeal.
The stranger seemed to hesitate as he sat back opposite Gustave. "It's a long story." He finally settled on. "But I was telling the truth, on the beach. I'm not your enemy, Gustave."
Gustave felt the snarl coming and did nothing to swallow it back. The stranger didn't even have the decency to flinch. He just sighed, and added. "My name is Verso. I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."
The name felt familiar, and Gustave only needed a few seconds to place it : Verso Dessendre had been a member of Expedition Zero, and one of the few who'd come back to Lumière after. Before his disappearance on the next expedition two years after, he had helped build the Shield Dome protecting Lumière from Nevrons. Of course, that had been almost seventy years ago, and this Verso should have been long dead or Gommaged.
"You recognize my name." The stranger smiled. "Good. Maelle said you studied former Expeditions in detail, but I wasn't sure how much had survived."
"When did you talk to my sister ?" Gustave growled, trying to ignore the clear implication that the stranger in front of him was indeed impossibly old. He tested his bonds behind his back, trying to find some give. If he could just free his hand and summon his gun, he had a chance to escape. He poked around the rope as discreetly as he could, feeling for the knots.
"As I said, it's complicated." Verso sighed, looking down. He seemed to view Gustave as defenceless and far from a threat – his mistake. "In this life, never. But it's not the first time you've disembarked on the Dark Shores. I had hoped to avoid a repeat of the first time, but-" Verso huffed something that could have been a laugh, if it hadn't been full of defeat. "Perhaps it's better this way. I just need to convince you, now."
Gustave briefly stopped working at the knots at his back. "Convince me ? Of what ?" If the stranger thought he could persuade Gustave to betray Lumière and join the Paintress, he was truly deluded. Then again, he seemed to have gone mad long ago. Did he really think he had – what, lived through the same events twice ?
"To go below the Monolith instead of the top." Verso answered easily. "To save your people instead of dooming them. Maelle told me your death was a mistake. Everyone seemed to think you were the lynchpin of the pack. Perhaps you can convince them."
Gustave tried to ignore the sudden chill in his heart at the mention of his death. For a fleeting moment, he felt a pressure against his chest, like blade striking his heart. Rain, falling – except the sky above was clear. There and gone in the next breath. He gasped, as if he had held his breath for too long. When he looked up again, Verso was watching him, something like remorse in his eyes. His scent had taken a sour note that made Gustave's nose wrinkle.
"Why should I listen to you ? Believe you ?" Gustave tried to keep his voice under control.
"Why not ?" Verso shrugged, settling on the ground more comfortably. "It's not like you have anything better to do, right ?" He smirked, and ignored Gustave's answering snarl as he turned serious again. "I know the truth of this world, if you're willing to listen. A truth that could save everyone in Lumière. Isn't it what you want ?"
Gustave wanted to reject everything the stranger had to say. It'd be easy too – why should he listen to a man that had attacked their expedition and now held Gustave hostage ? But Verso had gone to the trouble of capturing him instead of killing him, and he clearly wanted something with Maelle. Gustave couldn't afford not to listen. He'd just need to parse the lies from the truth. And use the time to work on the ropes binding his arm.
"You claimed the Paintress isn't our enemy. Who is she, then ?"
"A grieving mother, losing herself into the last piece of her son's soul." Verso answered nebulously, his words and scent steeped in pain and sorrow. Gustave wondered if the Paintress had created this anguish that was clearly personal, for Verso. Had she Painted him like she did her Nevrons ? To act as a spy against Lumière ?
"What does it have to do with the Gommage ?"
Verso sighed. "That's her husband's doing. He's trapped below the Monolith, trying to get free by absorbing chroma from Lumière. The Paintress is trying to protect you all, actually. She Paints the numbers as a warning system."
Gustave tried to wrap his mind around the idea of the Paintress being their ally instead of their executioner, and found he couldn't. Years, decades spent trying to reach the Monolith, to save Lumière's people. And according to Verso, expeditioners had always rushed toward their doom instead.
"You're lying." He growled out, summarily squashing his doubts down.
Verso laughed at the accusation, the sound bitter. "It's rather ironic. The first time, I hid the truth from your pack, and Lune said I should have trusted them all, told them from the start. And now that I'm telling the truth, you call me a liar."
Gustave felt another growl climb his throat, and he struggled within his bounds again. The rope around his wrist felt loser, almost enough for his hand to slip out. He just needed a moment, then he could summon his gun. "Why would I believe you ?" He accused again. "What proof do you have ?"
"I can't prove it." Verso shrugged, leaning back on the wall. "The only way to prove my point would be to go to the top of the Monolith and kill the Paintress. Then you'll know your mistake." He looked sad at the idea, and Gustave tried not to feel sympathy. He wondered how much choice the omega had in his words and fate – perhaps the Paintress had simply convinced him of her lies. In other circumstances, Gustave would have liked to try and convince Verso to ally with the expedition instead. But he had to find Maelle – he couldn't waste more time with an insane omega trying to challenge every truth Lumièrans were born with.
And so, the moment Verso looked away, Gustave wrenched his hand out of the rope, his gun appearing in the same motion as he aimed it at Verso's head. In the split second before firing, his gaze crossed Verso's – there should be shock and fear in those pale eyes, not resignation and sorrow. Gustave had the fleeting impression that the other man could have done something, could have moved or defended himself.
Instead, it was over with a single bullet.
Gustave panted as his captor slumped to the ground, leaving a bloody path behind. He willed his heart to slow down, for his hand to stop shaking. Hurriedly, he freed his legs and stood up. The nest around him suddenly felt cold, and his presence a violation. It had been ingrained in his childhood that an omega's nest was their safe place – and Gustave had just killed Verso within his own nest. He looked around again, trying to ignore the scent of blood overpowering that of honey, his heart still in his throat. The place was as rundown and pitiful as it had seemed from the ground – barely standing walls, no furniture, no comforting piles of pillows and blankets as his mother had loved. As a reflexion of the omega's self, it only showed how miserable Verso had been. Humans weren't supposed to live alone, without a pack – and omegas were more susceptible to instincts going awire. How long had Verso lived there alone, without a pack or anyone ? When had he gone insane with the solitude ?
Gustave looked at the body slumped on the floor, and felt only regret. Verso had been insane, yes, and he'd clearly held lies as truth. But he had tried to reach out, in his mad way, and Gustave had just killed him.
"Putain de merde." He swore quietly. He should have tried to convince him. Perhaps Verso had just needed a pack. Something stable. He had seemed worried about Maelle, in that brief moment on the beach before Gustave's protective instincts had taken over.
The smell of blood was becoming overwhelming. Trying to breathe through it, Gustave took another look, locating his arm and bag in a corner, behind cooking utensils. Quickly, he picked both up and rushed out of the hut. He looked behind him for another moment – should he do something for Verso ? Or would it be too disrespectful, considering Gustave was his killer ?
"I'm sorry." He whispered to the corpse. "I need to find Maelle, then I'll come back."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The night was strangely calm. Perhaps deceitfully so. Gustave had tried to walk back south, hoping to find traces of Maelle, but he had no idea of where he was. He had left the red forest, but had no idea of the path to take. Perhaps it would have been better to wait somewhere, but Gustave couldn't risk his sister getting in danger without him. And so he'd made camp under a half fallen house, hopefully far away from Nevron paths. He'd already decided to continue south the next day, following the direction of the Indigo Tree. If Lune had followed protocol, he'd find his sister there. He refused to think about why they might not be. They had to be alright.
Then there was Verso. Gustave had started to regret killing the man the instant the bullet had left his gun, and it had only gotten worse from there. The more he thought about the man's words, the more he wondered : why would Verso have lied about all this ? What would he have gained from Gustave believing lies ? He still couldn't wrap his mind around the Paintress being Lumière's ally somehow, but Verso had clearly believed his own words. It wasn't his fault that the omega had spent too long alone, perhaps manipulated by the Paintress. Gustave should have made more of an effort to reach out, instead of focusing on escaping only. Besides, Verso had apparently lived on the Continent for years, if not decades. He'd have been able to guide their expedition, to help Gustave reunite with Maelle. Perhaps they could have helped each other.
Gustave felt on edge, alone and vulnerable so far from anyone. He was exhausted, but every noise in the night made him bolt upright with his gun in hand, sure that a Nevron had found his camp. Twice, he'd heard howls, cut short. Part of him wanted to investigate – what if Maelle was fighting, trying to get to him ? – but rationality prevailed. It was against protocol to travel at night unless there was no other choice. The noises might just be Nevrons fighting each other.
In the end, his exhaustion won out against his wariness, and his eyes closed against his will. As darkness swallowed him, the faintest scent of honey reached his nose.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Gustave woke up the following morning, almost surprised by that fact. He stretched carefully, his left arm protesting the movement – he hadn't dared removing the prosthetic, and now paid the price. As he sat up to look at the dead fire, he froze.
In the cold ashes, sat an Expedition's journal.
Gustave shot to his feet, looking around hurriedly, but nothing else was amiss. Someone had entered his camp while he slept, and just left him this journal. Gustave thought back on the scent of honey, his guilty conscience following him in his dreams. Perhaps Verso hadn't been as alone as Gustave had thought.
Dismissing his gun – whoever had left the journal could have killed him in his sleep if that was their goal –, Gustave sat down next to the journal. Hands trembling with trepidation, he looked at the number inscribed on the crystal.
60.
That strange expedition that insisted on forgoing weapons and technology, relying on their own strength instead. Another failed expedition, but Gustave had admired their dedication despite people mocking their doomed strategy. He activated the journal, and smiled as he listened to old William's words about their training, the pride in his voice. Then William talked about the Monolith, and Gustave froze.
"... and reach the Paintress. But it seems we've been wrong about who she is. The Paintress is just as trapped as we are. The real terror lies beneath the Monolith."
Distantly, Gustave was aware he'd stopped breathing. His hands trembled on the journal as he rewinded, listening to William's words again. "...aim for the bottom of the Monolith !"So close to what Verso had said. What Gustave had dismissed as the ramblings of a mad omega. Before putting a bullet through his brain. His breath caught against the thought, and the journal fell from his lax fingers.
"Do you believe me now ?"
Gustave's eyes flew open – when had he closed them ? Seated on the other side of the cold fire, with blood on his clothes and a guarded posture, Verso looked at him expectantly, and Gustave wondered when he'd lost his mind. Perhaps, he thought deliriously, he'd never even left Lumière. Nothing made sense since boarding the ship. He chuckled at the idea, then laughed harder as Verso looked at him like he was mad. At least I'm in good company.
"I killed you." Gustave breathed out, and the impression of Verso winced.
"Death doesn't really stick to me, I'm afraid."
Gustave laughed again – feeling more and more unhinged as he did. His heart pounded in his chest, and his hands refused to keep still.
"What's that ?" He managed to croak out, gesturing to the journal on the ground. He wasn't sure if he was laughing or sobbing anymore. Nothing made sense. He could only look at the dead man across from him, desperate for any lifeline.
"Proof." Verso answered softly. "Esquie fished it out of the water near Lumière. I should have thought about it before." He shrugged, tone apologetic. As if he'd simply forgotten to buy bread at the bakery. As if he hadn't apparently asked a mythical being for help finding that proof.
Gustave tried to get his thoughts in order. Since hitting the dark sand on the shore, everything had felt surreal, confusing. Verso's cryptic appearance and words, the kidnapping and subsequent insane claims from Verso. The blood on the ground, the scent of honey covered by its coppery tang. Gustave looked at Verso again, but the omega bore no new scar on his face. If not for the blood on his coat, Gustave almost doubted his own memories.
"I'm sorry." He murmured as he let his gaze fall back to the ground.
"What for ?"
Gustave's head shot back up, and he squinted suspiciously at Verso. The omega just cocked his head to the side, seemingly confused, and Gustave felt another dubious laugh climb his throat. He squashed it down furiously.
"I killed you."
As he repeated his earlier words, he found as surreal as the first time. He had refused to listen to Verso, even after the omega had brought him to his nest and made clumsy attempts at communication. Gustave had clung to the idea that Verso had been insane and lying, that he needed to be killed so Gustave could find his sister again. It turned out, Verso hadn't been lying, even if his sanity was still very much in question. Especially as the confusion didn't clear from his grey eyes at Gustave's clear explanation.
"You just shot me in the head. It's not even in my top hundred." Verso shrugged again, and smiled at Gustave. "Besides, it was my own fault. I'll have to remember for next time, not to kidnap someone I want to convince of something." He winked.
Gustave tried to smother his anger as his instincts reared up. He had ignored them as long as he could, but hearing Verso talk about dying, apparently more than a hundred times, and then claiming his death was his fault, was a bit too much. Protect ! His instincts screamed as he looked at the confused omega. Claim and protect ! He tried to ignore them again, even as he tasted blood from his aching teeth. But he couldn't stop himself from staring at Verso, and cataloguing everything. His stature, tall and powerful, but clearly too thin even under several layers of tattered clothes. His features, beautiful and regal, but aged by his scars and exhaustion. His scent was enthralling, but also so alone – not mixed with his pack's, as an omega's should be.
"Why did you bring me to your nest ?" Gustave asked when the silence became too awkward. He wasn't sure the place had been worthy of the title. His instincts and his professional pride were clamouring for his attention, begging Gustave to offer to build something better. Safer.
"It's close by, and the forest is free from Nevrons." Verso easily answered. Again, he seemed to find nothing wrong with bringing an unknown alpha in his safest place. Gustave resolved to find the biggest book on dynamics as soon as he got back to Lumière. He could either offer it to Verso or throw it at his head in frustration. "Oh, don't look at me like that." Verso continued with a teasing smile. "I've lived on the Continent for decades, there's nothing respectable about me anymore."
"It has nothing to do with respectability, and everything to do with safety !" Gustave protested. "Not that your nest is very safe. The roof looked about to collapse. And I'm being generous, calling it a roof !"
Verso looked dumbfounded. “You shot me in the head, and now you’re worried about my roof falling on me ?”
“That’s – It’s not the same.” Gustave replied uncomfortably. How could he explain that the moment Verso had ceased to be an enemy, every protective instinct had come roaring back ?
“You’re a strange man, Gustave.” Verso chuckled, shrugging off the matter before changing the subject. “So, what’s the plan now ?”
“I need to find Maelle, and the rest of the expedition. Hopefully, they’re still at the Indigo Tree.” Gustave answered, instinctively looking in the vague direction of the tree, even as it was too far away to be seen. A small part of him still rebelled at telling Verso this, but he reasoned that the omega probably knew already anyway, if his claims of time travel were as true as those of their real enemy. “The journal should be enough to convince everyone of our new goal. You really should have started with that.” He added, looking reproachfully at Verso.
The other man had the decency to look abashed, like Maelle usually did after Gustave had to correct her. Then Verso turned back to his teasing smile. “I’ll take that into account for next time I want to kidnap a handsome alpha.”
Gustave hoped the dirt caked into his skin would hide the blush. As Verso laughed, he knew it hadn’t.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Why is it taking so long going back ?” Gustave asked two days later, as they rested in another abandoned house.
“Esquie flew us, earlier.” Verso shrugged. “He’s a good friend.”
Gustave considered asking why Verso’s good friend the godlike being Esquie didn’t fly them back, then, but refrained. In the past two days, he’d understood that Verso operated on different rules than normal people. Apparently, being friends with Gestrals and gods could put strange ideas in a man’s head. Or perhaps it was living on the Continent for decades, only surviving by virtue of being functionally immortal.
“Where’s Esquie now ?” He ventured to ask when Verso didn’t elaborate further.
“Arguing with François, probably. Or just lazing around.” Verso didn’t clarify either statement, just grinning as he dared Gustave to ask.
“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you.” Gustave just sighed, but a smile fought at his lips.
As Verso laughed, Gustave couldn’t help but chuckle along. The other man was taking pleasure in being infuriating and nebulous, but it was oddly charming. He had a face more suited for a smile than the haunted look that Gustave saw every time Verso forgot himself. Gustave understood the seriousness of the situation, of course. Everything had been turned on its head, Lumière’s sworn enemy revealed as an ally, the true danger hidden until now. It was also clear that Verso hadn’t said everything, that he still kept many truths close to his chest. Considering the one he had seen fit to reveal, Gustave dreaded the truths Verso had deemed too devastating to tell.
“We’re close, now.” Verso said. “Even if they’ve already left the tree, we’ll see them on the way.”
Gustave smiled. Soon, he’d see Maelle, his little sister and most important member of his too small pack. Perhaps he could convince Esquie to fly her home, to keep her safe. With the changing truths, perhaps she’d even agree to go back.
And perhaps the Tower would right itself.
Right, Maelle was stubborn as a mule, and would only see the new mission as more exciting, somehow. Gustave looked to his companion, his ease at navigating the Continent, his easy grace in every movement, even outside of battle. It had been a waking call, to see him fight Nevrons in their travels, the gap between his skills and the Expedition’s clear and wide. Gustave wondered why he’d recruit them, when Verso was immortal and so much more powerful.
“Have you ever thought about what you’ll do, after ?” Gustave had the urge to ask.
“Not really.” Verso shrugged, the lie clear in the uncomfortable set of his shoulders.
“You could go back to Lumière with us.” Gustave continued anyway. “Enjoy your hobbies, instead of constantly fighting.”
“Maybe fighting is my favourite hobby.” Verso threw back, but he had turned wistful. Gustave desperately wanted to ask more. His glimpse of Verso’s nest hadn’t told him much, apart from the omega’s complete disregard for his own comfort. There had been a few books around, but Gustave hadn’t taken the time to read the titles.
“You know, it’s rather unfair that you seem to know so much about me, and I don’t know anything about you.” Gustave finally settled on, smiling in what he hoped showed more teasing than awkwardness.
“Maybe I like being mysterious.” Verso teased back, but his smile fell a moment later, and he seemed to turn more serious. “I don’t know that much about you. The subject was… painful, before.”
He winced, and Gustave flinched, his hand automatically coming to rest on his chest, reminded that in another life, one so close to his, he had died. He tried not to imagine Maelle’s grief, and hoped fervently that she hadn’t been seen him die.
“It won’t happen again. I won’t let it.” Verso’s voice brought him back. He looked concerned, and regretful, hand hovering near Gustave’s shoulder as if to offer comfort he wasn’t sure would be accepted.
With effort, Gustave smiled. “Thank you, but you can’t promise that. We all know what we’re signing up for, when we join the Expeditions.”
“Why did you join ?” Verso asked gently. “You could have spent the year working on your inventions, but you chose to fight instead. Why ?”
Gustave hesitated. It had been an argument with Emma, and with most of his engineering team. Why would he waste his brain on a doomed fight, when he wasn’t that much of a fighter and would be more useful working in Lumière’s workshops. “I couldn’t spend the year pretending I wasn’t going to die. It felt too much like hiding. Maybe I was just selfish.” He shrugged, and tried not to think about how his decision had impacted Maelle. He knew that if he had chosen to stay, Maelle would have waited too. She’d have left with the 32, probably. Alone, without Gustave to watch over her.
“You and I have very different definitions of selfish, then.” Verso scoffed.
“What about you ?” Gustave asked back, ignoring the flutter in his chest at the indirect compliment. “After the Fracture, why did you go with the first Expedition ?”
“It was chaos, back then. We just wanted to find survivors on the Continent.” Gustave tried not to show his disappointment at the impersonal answer, but he must have failed, for Verso looked down and continued. “My mother and my older sister were among the missing.”
“Did you find them ?” Gustave asked as gently as he could.
“In a sense. It’s complicated.” Verso sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll tell you everything, when we join the others.”
Gustave nodded, drawing back. He should have known better than to ask Verso about his family, considering his lonely scent.
“I love playing the piano.” Verso suddenly said, apropos of nothing. At Gustave’s startled look, he added. “You asked about my favourite hobby.”
“Do you have one in your pictos ?” Gustave asked, allowing Verso his abrupt subject’s change. “I’d like to hear you play. Maybe you and Lune can do a little concert.”
“I do, actually. Do you play an instrument ? You could join us.”
Gustave laughed. “You know, I tried the guitar, when I was young and trying to impress my crushes.” He hadn’t had much success in any of them. Sophie had mostly found his attempts endearingly pathetic, according to Emma. “I learnt to read partitions, but I have no sense of rhythm, and my sister begged me to stop while I was ahead. I’ve kept to the hard sciences since.”
“Now I know that’s not true.” Verso rebuked. “I’ve seen the drawings in your journal.”
“Maybe it’s just music, then.” Gustave shrugged. “It was my biggest problem while working on the Dome Shield. I just couldn’t get the right harmonics, it took me years to be comfortable working on its maintenance.” He frowned, suddenly remembering. “Wait, you worked on the Dome, didn’t you ? Now I understand better.” He had been fascinated by the Dome, which had clearly not been built by an engineer but still strangely worked so well. That it was the work of a musician was fitting, in retrospect. Perhaps it also showed who Verso had been, all those years ago : someone who had used his own expertise to protect all the people in Lumière. Looking at the man covered in scars in front of him, the thought was almost painful. Clearly, the protection hadn’t been reciprocated, and Verso hadn’t felt comfortable taking shelter in Lumière.
“I did, but it was a long time ago. You probably understand it better than I do, by now.” Verso shrugged again. “I could teach you some piano, though.” He offhandedly suggested, and Gustave could almost be fooled into thinking he didn’t care about the answer.
“Lune has tried with the guitar and has given up in frustration.” Gustave warned. “But sure, I’d love to.”
It didn’t work, at least not as Verso had intended. Gustave could only play music mechanically, according to everyone that had listened to his attempts. But he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to sit next to Verso as he attempted to teach him the keys, and he definitely wouldn’t miss on listening to Verso playing his piano. And as he sat on the piano bench, he looked at the omega, his face focused as his hands danced on the ivory keys. For the first time, Gustave saw no melancholy in his eyes, his smile untainted by worry.
The sight was as beautiful as the music surrounding them.
It wouldn’t last, of course. Soon, they’d need to continue, to find Maelle and everyone else. They’d need to plan around painful truths and many more reveals, and Gustave knew their struggles were only beginning. But just this once, he let his worries vanish, and enjoyed the moment of peace. He hoped Verso enjoyed it just as much.
Perhaps later, they would be able to steal other moments of peace. Perhaps later, Gustave would muster the courage to do more than look and listen. Perhaps one day, Verso would agree, his scent mingling with others again, not alone anymore.
For now, Gustave just smiled and chased the music, his fingers clumsy on the keys as he attempted to follow Verso’s lead. When he stumbled, Verso laughed without mockery, and adjusted his own tempo to mask the mistake, winking at Gustave.
For now, Gustave enjoyed the peace, smiling at Verso as they continued their simple tune, together.