The Cooldown [Veigue/Hayle - C Rank]

[Deleted]

[Takes place after Tempest]

Just as Veigue thought, his old village wasn't very far from their previous battlefield. He never thought he'd ever come back here, but with Nayru in tow and her needing immediate rest, there wasn't much choice. The town they accepted that job from was further off than here and he honestly wasn't thinking much about going back to receive their reward...despite how they completed their job. But he was certain that they would swing back by the place when they're all healed up. As long as the bandits were taken care of, the town shouldn't have had anymore problems with raids. It was also odd how Lena bumped into them on their way here. Apparently, his sister was going to also help out with the bandits as per request of the townsfolk, and after learning that it was her brother and friends that were the first people to try and handle them, she didn't hesitate to go after them. But it was already over by the time she arrived and they all decided to travel to the village together.

Upon arriving, a couple of sacaeans on night watch immediately stopped the group in their tracks, and immediately noticed the siblings' faces. "...How dare you two disobey the law of the village and return! If you all leave now, we'll pretend this never happened. Now begone!" The guard on the left burst out in anger immediately. Since when did the village need a night watch? Regardless, Lena didn't seem interested at all in speaking, and Veigue didn't have time for the nonsense in general.

"We're fully aware of the rules of banishment, but this is an emergency! Allow me to speak with the elder on temporary negotiations. My companions need immediate rest." The swordsman tried to keep his tone as controlled and not fight back with the man.

"We don't give a damn about an emergency. It's unfortunate that whatever happened to you all occurred near our home, but an exile is an exile--"

"...Enough." The voice of an elderly man intervened, it being the village elder himself as he stepped in front of the guards and took matters into his own hands. "Voice your troubles, as well as your demands. I'll make an exception if this really is an emergency. Despite your crimes, you're still children of a former respected member of the village."

"A good look at the woman in my arms should be enough, but she, as well as all of us, fought a very grim battle for the sake of another sacaean village, one where we all narrowly escaped. All I ask is for the usage of my family's old home to allow my companions and I to rest and recover our wounds before they become life threatening. We'll be well on our way after we're up and about." Veigue was at least grateful that the elder was always a great listener despite who it was he spoke to. The man stood silent for a little while, rubbing his rugged beard before looking to Veigue.

"...We normally don't do this, but very well. Do whatever you want, so long as you and your companions avoid communicating with the villagers. I'll personally bring over medicine and supplies soon..." And without another word nor allowing the night watchers to intervene, the elder made his way back into the village, likely going to carry out what he promised.

"...I'll camp out here. I'll meet you guys out here when Nayru's doing better. I'll stay out the village regardless." Lena spoke up immediately as she also walked away without giving Veigue any time to respond, or give a reason to come with them. As much as Veigue wanted to chase after her, he knew that it'd only add insult to injury...and it was his fault she was exiled along with him, anyway. However, Nayru took top priority...as he could worry about his sister later. As such, the night watchers forced themselves to allow the group through, and they ventured to the old home with haste.

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[Support begins here]

It didn't take long to get there, and thankfully it was somewhat late enough to run into any villagers. Veigue immediately noticed how the home didn't change one bit, knowing that the elder and others likely took care of the place this whole time while they were gone. Memories and nostalgia came flowing back into the swordsman, but he didn't have time to be overwhelmed by it all. There was his mother's bed in the far corner of the home, hers being the largest and actually sitting above the ground compared to the mats on the floor Veigue, Lena and their father used in the past. Their mother had a bigger bed simply because of her illness. But Veigue wasted no time as he immediately laid Nayru to rest there, feeling a bit accomplished that everything was working out so far, but it was a little too soon to celebrate. They still needed to be treated and all.

...Well, nothing he could really do but wait for her to awaken and the elder to come by with the supplies. He looked to Hayle now, still feeling a bit guilty for how this all went down, but was at least glad the friend was very willing to stick with them. "...Well, that mess outside was exactly as I described how unfriendly this place is. But the worst is over now. Feel free to make yourself at home here. After that storm we went through earlier, we all could use a good night's rest." He looked away a bit to see Nayru still out of it, but then turned back to Hayle as he couldn't help but joke a little despite their situation. "...Though I bet Sere's resting up just fine and more."

[Hayle]

"The cat? Gods no, knowing the blasted feline as well as I do, he'll be off in the trees somewhere finding all manner of bird and beast to harass and terrify."

"Still, rest would be most welcome. I do feel like I should apologise though, clearly being here is causing some sort of trouble for you. Is there anything I can do to help make things easier?"

Indeed, after the welcoming they recieved before even stepping foot into the village, Hayle was somewhat convinced that their presence here, however temporary, was the proverbial boot to the hornets nest. Even if he wasn't personally responsible for whatever troubles, he was part of the group now. And as dysfunctional as this new family might be, he still had some sort of obligation to try and help out where possible.

"If you like, I can try and help out with my herb knowledge, or I could go hunting, or I can stay with your sister to make sure nothing happens to her. Anything to help try and smooth things over with the villagers if possible."

Honestly, he wasn't sure how well the offer would work. It really did seem that they were here under sufference, and if it wasn't for the timely intervention of what he assumed was the village leader, they wouldn't be here at all. While he seemed trustworthy, the guards at the front gate were kinda annoyed with their presence.

And angry people often do rash things in the heat of the moment.

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"Oh...no need for apologies. That's just the way this village is, unfortunately." He leaned against the nearby wall, keeping his tone neutral. A real shameful thing to admit about one's hometown, but what good was actually there to say about it? This place was full of cowardice and misguided people to where he wasn't expecting anyone to think well of it. At the very least, the village elder was literally the only sane and reasonable person in the village now. Veigue honestly had no idea of the direction this village was headed in terms of any good coming upon it. However, he can see nothing but a continued dark future for it...though at this point, he stopped caring long ago. Aside from his parents being laid to rest here, he held no more attachments to the village nor anyone residing within.

"...Really though, you and Nayru are fine. The night watchers already hinted at it, but Lena and I were exiled from here nearly a decade ago for a crime I committed. Compared to us, the most anyone would give you is weird looks. The people here are too cowardly to interact with strangers. But it was ultimately my idea to come back here, so you don't have to feel any guilt about it." Even though he kept a serious face throughout all that, Veigue wasn't sure how Hayle would take the whole admitting he was a criminal thing. Any sane person would want to distance themselves from the swordsman after knowing he wasn't all that "good" as he appeared to be. But the companion stuck it out with him for this long, so he at least didn't deserve to be left in the dark about it, especially since they've already been traveling together for a bit.

Hayle's suggestions for help did help ease things along though, as Veigue was sure he wasn't the type of person to just sit around and do nothing. Veigue couldn't really ask him to do anything. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like it'd be rude to have him do any of what he suggested when he was a technically a guest here. But given how Hayle seemed sincere, he couldn't really turn him down. "I forgot that you're a good hunter. Given how the elder probably won't give us much of anything, we'll definitely have to fend for ourselves when it comes to food. I'm also capable of hunting and would join you, but I probably should stay here for the most of my time in the village..." Other than it actually being dangerous for him to go out with the villagers, he also wanted to stay close to Nayru for whenever she woke up. Didn't want her popping up and the place was deserted. Plus, he was generally just concerned.

...He was still worried about his sister though, remembering that being one of Hayle's other suggestions. "Oh, and on Lena...normally, I'd say she's capable of fending for herself, but given how she's pretty down about what happened here a long time ago, I am worried about her. I wouldn't burden you on looking out for her the whole time, but I appreciate keeping an eye out for her regardless." It honestly hurt his pride a little bit to be literally helpless and relying on others a lot more than usual, but given the time of emergence, Veigue had to act more logically instead of worrying about personal feelings and petty pride.

[Hayle]

"Well, I'm sure that whatever happened in the past, you had a good reason for it. I can't say you've ever struck me as the kind of person to go around commiting crimes with reckless abandon. Especially if the consequences would have a direct impact on family."

It was obvious that being back here was having an effect on the swordsman. There really was more happening here than he was letting on, but it was hardly Hayles place to intercede. Whatever was in play here in this small village was out of his hands. All he could do was try and minimise the impact on his companions; if such a thing were possible.

"I'm happy to try and help out with a bit of hunting though. Do you happen to remember if anywhere near here was particularly good for it? I'm afraid I don't know this area. I can investigate as needed though, but it might take a little while longer to find sufficient food for all of us."

"Of course, I could always attempt to kill 2 birds with one stone. I could take your sister with me hunting. That way I could help out by keeping an eye on her at the same time."

Hayle was completely unaware as to the proficiency of Veigue's sisters skills in hunting. Hopefully he could teach her something if need be, it just might take a little longer to gather food. He was however, banking on her having at least some skill, considering her exile at a young age would have forced her to adapt to the land or survive.

[Deleted]

Veigue didn't immediately respond, not too surprised of Hayle's opinion, but felt like he more or less didn't deserve the good view his companion had of him. True, Veigue could have done better to explain himself, but he knew how things went down that fateful day and knew he couldn't make any excuses for himself despite the...uniqueness of the situation. If Hayle knew the full story, he did wonder if his opinion would remain the same. However, there was no need to get into that type of story or trouble another friend with it. He already burdened Nayru enough with that. "...I appreciate the kind words." He settled for a slight smile afterwards, not having much to say in response, but he knew it was probably for the best to leave things as they were for now.

Hayle's questioning on hunting grounds was an interesting one though, as while Veigue had been gone for a while, he at least still remembered the hunting ground outside. At least he had his father to thank for that, being his first teacher on survival. "Actually, yes. Right outside the back entrance of this village right after a long, narrow and straight path is a hunting ground the tribe here use. It's nothing too special or a sacred ground or anything, so you don't require any permission to hunt there." At least there was one laid back thing about this village. Though when he thought about it, them not caring if guests hunt in their territory was probably just a way for them to avoid interacting with others much. He at least saved Hayle the trouble of asking someone else about it.

The idea of Lena tagging along with him was actually a good idea, Veigue nodding his head before rubbing his chin a bit. "...Considering I know what she's going through, I'm certain she could use the distraction more than anything. And it would put my mind at ease that she'll have some company out there. Lena's actually pretty good at hunting when we used to go out there together. Picked up some tricks from her myself. I'm sure she'll tag along if you ask."