Various ficlets: Star Ocean 2. (See headings for characters)

[wallwalker]

Archiving some more Star Ocean 2 ficlets written for fic_promptly. All are safe for work.

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Title: Parting
Characters: Rena, Dias
Summary: Rena gives Dias a gift before he leaves Arlia.

When Dias arrived at the town gate, wrapped in his travel gear and laden with herbs, Rena was waiting for him. She was sitting on top of the gatepost in her plain cotton pajamas, kicking her legs, the way that she'd always done when they'd been children.

He stopped, shaking his head. "We've talked about this, Rena," he said softly, not wanting to be angry with her. She had done everything in her power to convince him to stay, running the gamut from anger to tears; she was the reason why Dias had decided to leave in the middle of the night, because if she had been awake she would've come to see him off, and she didn't want to hurt her any further. She was only trying to help him, he knew that... but she didn't understand. She couldn't. "I can't stay here."

Rena sighed, pushing herself down onto the ground. "I know," she said, brushing herself off. "I mean... I want you to stay, but I know you have to go. That's not why I'm here."

He frowned, shifting his pack slightly as the weight began to pull at his shoulders. "How did you know? I thought that if I left now -"

"- that it might not hurt as much?" She rubbed her puffy, half-closed eyes, as she spoke. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I'd let you leave without even saying goodbye?" Rena smiled as she finished, a fragile expression, as if it hurt.

"I'm sorry, Rena," he said. "I never wanted -"

"Shhh." She hushed him, and reached into her pocket, pulling out something that glittered in the light. "I wanted to give you something before you left, okay? Please, take this with you...."

He nodded, peering down at it to take a better look. It was a thick silver chain, supporting a polished domed sapphire. The setting wasn't perfect, but it was done well-enough; whoever had done it must have had some skill, though they lacked in training. He looked back up at Rena. "Where did...?" he started to ask, before he made the connection. "Did you... make this?"

"Yes. The Mayor is teaching me a little; he says I have a knack for it." She smiled, and even through the sadness he could see a trace of pride. "So I asked him if I could make something magical, something that might help protect you, since I wasn't going to be able to help you anymore."

Dias looked up, at a loss for words. The silver-and-sapphire talisman was suddenly very heavy in his hand, and he gripped it tightly, because if he did not he would be far too tempted to give it back. "I don't deserve this," he finally managed, barely more than a whisper.

"I don't care. I made it for you, so it's yours." She moved closer to him, holding out her hands. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

He nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He didn't resist as Rena gently opened his hand and took the chain, or as she gently reached up and fastened it around his neck. Her arms stayed around him for a bit longer, and it was all he could do to awkwardly lower his own arms, hugging her back.

"I'll be careful," he finally said. This was all he could give her in return; he hoped it was enough. "I promise."

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Title: Sweets
Characters: Dias/Claude
Summary: Dias has been frequenting the cafe in Armlock. Claude notices.

The patisserie in Armlock was excellent. It had been a long time since Dias had found a place that took its art so seriously; like weaponcrafting, the art of making sweets had been going downhill in many of Expel's cities. He did not advertise his preference for them, but he found himself returning to the cafe there whenever he was in town, hoping to try everything.

He'd thought he'd been discreet about his visits, until Claude had approached him. "Hey, Dias," he said, "want to get some cheesecake?"

Dias had turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he'd asked.

"Well, I keep seeing you visiting the cafe, right? The people here say they have amazing deserts, and I thought you'd want to split a piece of the cheesecake with me. They say it's pretty rich, and I don't think I can finish a whole slice of it alone."

"You're very observant," Dias hedged, looking away.

"Hey, you don't have to if you don't want to. Just figured we could grab a bite to eat too, if you wanted." Claude shrugged. "Maybe you can give me some suggestions?"

Dias turned his back on Claude for a moment, to hide the small smile on his face. "All right," he said. "I think I will."

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Title: Departure
Characters: Opera, implied Opera/Ernest
Summary: The circumstances surrounding Opera's departure.

Ernest had run off again!?

Opera marched through her house in her evening dress and high heels, stopping only to grab her old flight jacket and pull it over her shoulders. He'd promised her they could go out that evening! She didn't like her family's soirees any more than he did, but he wasn't asking him to stay all night - a few minutes' appearance would've been enough to convince the rest of society that he wasn't a complete crackpot. She'd gotten him a suit and everything, and she'd put on her best dress and her finest jewelry, so that they wouldn't have to stay too late to make a good impression. Everything had been perfect!

But no, he'd apparently gotten cold feet, and gotten his smuggler buddies to get him off-planet before she could even come to pick him up! Well, that was it. She loved him and she was going after him, whether he liked it or not.

She went into her personal shooting range and grabbed her Kaleidoscope, took a quick glance at the power levels, and nodded. Not the fanciest weapon she had, but it would do. Now to get to her personal ship, before anyone thought to order her grounded.

She could hear her personal communicator buzzing in her jacket pocket - most likely her parents, wondering where she was. She ignored it. Some things were just more important than society dinners, and someday she hoped her parents would understand that.

For now, Ern already had too much of a head start for her to wait any longer. She had to go.