Rough Seas

42 - Into the Night

This was stupid. Tom knew this to be a fact. Well, at least he had never been known for planning ahead.

He pressed himself up against the stone wall, hand clasped over his mouth in the desperate hope that he wouldn't get caught. Not out here. Not now.

The shadows moved on, the torchlight gradually fading until the shadows crept back in bringing quiet with them. Tom let out a long exhale, letting his eyes close, his head falling back against the stone. This was so stupid. He was going to get caught and brought back to Dianite, who would certainly not be pleased, especially with the recent attack. Being found sneaking out of the city late at night with no warning? That would only make things worse, and Tom didn't exactly want the brunt of Dianite's anger to be on him.

No, it was far safer to not be found, although that was proving to be more difficult than Tom realized. He wished Nade was here. Nade had always been better at moving around undetected, and right now, that could prove useful. Tom rubbed his sticky palms against the rough material of his trousers. His burn was itching, and Tom seriously wished he had brought a bag or something. But no, he had just jumped into this without a plan as he did most things.

Alright. He could do this.

-

Apparently, he couldn't 'do this'. Tom begrudgingly let the soldier check him for wounds, letting the young man's anxious ramblings fill the silence around them. He had expected being caught, although not by someone this... young? Gods, was Dianite equipping teenagers with weapons and expecting them to fight? His mood shifted, and he must have grimaced because the young man was backing off, raising his hands, obvious terror in his eyes.

"S-So sorry sir, I-I mean Champion, er-" Tom sighed, forcibly wiping the grimace away. It would do him no good to have a scared kid on his hands when talking to Dianite. Plus, he didn't want to make the kid scared or anything.

"It's fine. Call me Tom," He watched the kid nod, eyes still fearful but moving farther away from hyperventilating. "What's your name?" The kid blinked owlishly up at him. Tom resisted the urge to groan.

"I-It's Robert si- uh, Tom," Robert smiled awkwardly at him, and Tom nodded, watching as Robert ran a hand through his cropped dark hair nervously. "I-I know it's really none of my business but uh... What are you doing out here?" Tom's jaw clenched, and for a moment, he almost wanted to tell the kid, Robert, the truth.

That he had wanted to leave the city. That he had wanted to leave with the Ianitee's (his Ianitee's). Instead, he had gotten caught up with seeing Ianite in the cells, flashing back to seeing Rupert in the same position, mind descending into panic. By the time he had gotten out of it, it had been noon. A full day since the beginning of the attack. At some moments it felt like he had just seen Jordan and Katherine just minutes ago; at others, he felt like he was attempting to recall a distant memory. Either way, it had been messing with his perception of time. Adding his sleep-deprived state and the lack of adrenaline only made it worse.

Enough that Dianite had recognized that he was exhausted and had let Tom return to his room. Alone. Where he had promptly face-planted into his bed with his armour still on and slept for a couple of hours. He had only meant to get a couple of minutes of rest, and then pick some food up at the kitchens. But no, when he had opened his eyes, it had been dark outside. And his hands and feet had been numb because he left his bracers and boots on. He had been tired, aching and bruised, and he had distantly remembered sitting in the hull of Katherine's ship, listening to her tell stories. The memory had very nearly made him cry, and he had been so filled with longing that he had tugged his armour off and left.

And then he had failed miserably because he was unable to plan ahead, as per usual. Tom blinked, realizing that Robert was still staring at him, seemingly unfazed by Tom's long period of silence. He shook his head slightly, forcing himself into the moment.

"Sorry. I just... needed to get away. From," Tom waved his hands at the rubble and ash around them, "everything." Robert nodded, glancing around them. They were standing by the remnants of a house, the roof collapsed in on itself, dust still settling. It was eerily quiet around them, shadows pushing in on all sides.

"I understand," Robert said quietly, ducking his head. Tom resisted the urge to put his arm around the kid. Gods, he was just a kid, wasn't he? What was he doing here? Tom pushed back the memories of himself during his late teens. Just because tradition called for a champion to begin training at a young age didn't mean that kids this young should be recruited into the army. Tom swallowed, his chest hurting slightly. Instead, he patted Robert on the shoulder, giving the kid a tired smile as he looked up, eyes wide.

"Come on," Tom jerked his head in the direction of the temple. He might as well make sure the kid made it home safe. It was the least he could do, in reality. "I'll walk you back to the barracks." A smile crept across Robert's face, a glimmer of excitement sparkling in his eyes.

"If you want to," Robert was beaming now, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Tom took the lead, allowing Robert to walk beside him, chatting on about nothing in particular. It was nice, Tom realized. A nice thing before he had to face Dianite's anger.

-

As expected, Dianite was not pleased in the slightest. Dianite had put up a nice facade for Robert, yes, making sure that he was escorted back to the barracks. Tom had stood by in silence, carefully avoiding Dianite's eyes. Now he was waiting for Dianite to do something, anything. But no, instead Dianite had decided to do some work at his desk.

It was stifling in the room, and Tom could feel a bead of sweat trickle down from his temple. He swallowed, eyes firmly on the floorboards, hands clasped behind his back. The burn on his arm was beginning to sting again, but Tom pushed back the ache. Not now. He had been standing there for some time, almost an hour before Dianite decided to speak.

"Thomas, Thomas, Thomas," Dianite sighed, dropping the papers he was holding and casually standing from his chair. "You know, I had thought that most of your... disobedience had been trained out of you." Tom gritted his teeth but fought back the urge to reply. "But no, I just happen to learn that you were skulking around the city limits in the dead of night." Dianite raised his hand, almost as if to strike Tom. Closing his eyes, Tom grimaced slightly. When the pain didn't come, he slowly opened his eyes, watching Dianite stalk back to his desk.

"My lord?" Tom said, raising his eyes to meet Dianite. The god simply raised an eyebrow at him, a cold expression on his face. "What will-" Tom's mouth clicked shut as Dianite spoke.

"Training duty for four months." Dianite's voice was sharp, a sneer crawling its way onto his face. "Maybe you can teach that boy who brought you in something useful. Dismissed." He waved his hand at Tom lazily, already turning back to his work. Tom nodded, placing a hand over his heart and giving Dianite a short bow.

He had just opened the door when Dianite spoke again.

"Oh, and Thomas?" Dianite's voice was low, and Tom could hear the smirk there without having to turn around.

"Yes, my lord?" Tom felt a chill go down his spine, swallowing reflexively. Dianite chuckled, deep and sinister before replying.

"Meet me in the cells after you've concluded your business. I have something I need to show you." Fear curled in Tom's gut, and he gripped the door handle with a white-knuckled grip.

"Of course, my lord." Tom had to force the words out, his mouth feeling dry. Closing the door behind him with a small thud, Tom shivered, curling his hands in an attempt to stop them from shaking. He was fine. Tom breathed, relieved, the tightness around his chest lessening as left Dianite's office behind him.