Second Chance

Crocus was well-known for its night life, but even it had hours where nearly no one wandered the streets. This was one of those hours. A time when the moon was still out, but the sky held the faintest hint of color from a future sun. Domus Flau, normally a hotspot for tourists, was completely deserted at such an hour. Except one.

Kaz took painfully slow steps out of the open arena gate. His black trench coat, which normally covered him nearly head to toe, had so many tears in it was practically clothe atop his back. Blood seeped from the tears, a trail leading down his limp arm to his fingers, his other (not broken arm) holding his shoulder to try and mitigate some of the pain. The rest of his body wasn't in any better shape, his hair matted to his head, sheer willpower the only thing keeping him up on his legs. It was a miracle he could take any steps at all in his condition. If he had any more mana, he would have healed himself, but clearly that wasn't an option. The normal trademark Claymore sword that he carried on his back was gone.

Kaz managed to get out of the arena, looking up at the barren streets of Crocus. No one was there. No one could help him. He wasn't going to be able to walk that much further. The rest of his willpower completely left him at the realization. No salvation. He was going to die. Kaz collapsed gracelessly and face first into the ground.

Well, it could be worse, he thought humorlessly. The last two and a half years had been rather nice. He'd met plenty of good people, people he was going to miss... especially those Lamia Scale members, Amie and Astra. They'd always had a special place in his memories; made him think about the world a little differently. And at least the one mistake of his life hadn't actually happened at all. Kind of ironic. That mistake had cost him a lot more than the law's wrath and bounty hunters. It had become a weight that he refused to lift from his mind. Gunther's sword was a physical representation of that, a self-inflicted burden that he carried with him forever. That burden was gone now, along with the sword.

The old man hadn't really shared Kaz's conflicted thoughts. Gunther was pretty clearly interested in revenge. And he was strong... Kaz had thought his years wandering had made him stronger. Clearly, that time hadn't closed the gap between him and his mentor at all. Kaz could feel his strength fading further; his vision was growing darker. I'm going to die... He was certain of it. If there was one regret in his last years of freedom, it was that he hadn't joined a guild. If only he'd known sooner that Gunther was still alive... but it was too late for any of that, now...

Ambrose hadn’t been able to see his friend in a long time. He thought of him periodically though. Things are weird back at Lamia Scale. Not… bad, just… different. His friend had participated in a tournament, and was oddly even more popular. Not that Amie minded, he liked the guy, but it went from being a popular guy in Lamia Scale to being known in the area. Not that Amie tended to care, but everything was thrust into this strangely…. Public reality. Ambrose Wilder did not need publicity. For various reasons he was out of the area. Instead of hanging around anywhere where someone would question him, he was travelling.

And again, he hadn’t seen his friend, Kasimir, in a while. Kaz. Sure, Amie had some sort of thing for him, it wasn’t like he necessarily acted on it. Amie was just a guy who acted comfortable around everyone. He had a personality, not so much situational behavior. He did act a bit different with specific people, or in specific situations, but… in essence, he didn’t drool all over Kaz. He liked him, but that didn’t seem to make much of a difference, so there was nothing wrong with them just hanging out. It crossed his mind periodically.

Since Amie wanted to keep a low profile, he was in Crocus. It was far from anyone he knew. Not really an area he should be visiting, but he was making it work. He had been at a bar that night. His button down shirt was unbuttoned a few buttons, showing the beginning slivers of a scar. His blazer was hung over his shoulder in the warmer summer air. He’d had a few drinks, so he was even warmer than usual. He had helped some woman with a problem earlier in the day, and he was staying out to make sure her brother didn’t come give anyone any trouble. He shouldn’t be able to… really, but Amie couldn’t be too careful.

He had a room in a small inn, and should be making his way back there. It was way too late. As he walked along, his mind a comfortable amount warmer than usual, like the rest of him, he noticed something dark on the ground. Hm, that’s weird. People shouldn’t dump their trash in the street. He wandered over, hands behind his head as he walked along. He would take care of that for them. It was be… easy… just… it would be easier if that pile didn’t look so much like… a person.

Amie got closer, rubbed his eyes, and crouched down. That torn shred of a coat looked awfully familiar. Just like Kaz’s coat. Hm… his hair was Kaz’ color too. Amie touched the man’s head, still warm. The limp body was all too familiar. It was… too much like the man he’d flustered by offhandedly commenting that they could take a bath together. Which, really, wasn’t even what he had meant. His mind cleared and he felt a sudden and surprising cold.

“Kaz?” Amie lifted his friend, but realized something was wrong with his arm. **** “Kaz?!” he asked, louder, and freaking out a bit. He put his arms under Kaz’s chest, gently flipping him over and sitting him up. He could feel that the man wasn’t dead, but he was not going to calm down that easily.

Kaz was fading quickly. Part of him was still conscious, enough to recognize that something was happening, although it was difficult to make sense exactly of what. He thought he saw Amie, and heard him calling his name, but that was probably some trick of Kaz’s hallucinating mind. He seriously doubted Amie would actually be there in his final moments. “Oh…. Hey…” He managed to gasp out, just in case this wasn’t a dream. That was the last thing he remembered before his vision completely blacked out, falling unconscious.

When he next opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar bed, with an unfamiliar ceiling. All of his wounds had been bandaged, arm being set properly in a cast. Magic had treated a lot of his wounds, but some of it needed time to naturally heal as well. He sat up slowly, wincing a little as the wounds remembered to hurt. Somehow, he was alive. His last fight was still pretty clearly in his memory, although in some ways it felt almost like a dream. He had met and fought with someone he thought was dead. Instinctively he looked around for his sword… before remember that he didn’t have it anymore. That was… somehow unsettling. He had been using that claymore for so long that he practically felt naked without it… even though he probably couldn’t swing it around in his current condition. It was a two-handed sword, and he currently only had one usable hand… assuming he could get to his feet without trouble.

Figuring out where he was and what he could do next would come later. The fact that he was alive was enough… and a surprising relief. He wasn’t quite ready to die yet. He thought he’d heard Amie’s voice right before he passed out… Had that been some kind of hallucination? Or was Amie really there? Kaz seriously doubted it, especially since he’d been remembering Amie before he passed out. It was probably just his overtired mind….

(Hope the time skip was okay, figured he wouldn't be able to do much until then >_>)

One of Ambrose’ favorite people was unconscious and injured. He was a mess, really. Amie normally would have joked about whisking people off their feet, but not tonight. Usually it was a joke to women, because they found it more amusing. Also he didn’t joke about guys, which… might be why people made strange assumptions about him. He certainly didn’t do it with Kaz. That was just asking for trouble. Maybe he would make the joke later, when Kaz was better. When Kaz was better, not if. He was going to be just fine…. In time. Kaz said a small “oh… hey…” before completely slipping out.

The slightly intoxicated Ambrose carried his friend back to his room. He looked rather odd carrying Kaz around, but he didn’t care. He banged around in the inn until he found someone with better medical experience. Amie was not interested in being “polite,” he was getting someone to help. He impressed upon them, and their interest in his jewels, that this was a worthwhile venture, and soon they went to work bandaging Kaz’s injuries. Amie was not very good with his healing spell yet. His magic wasn’t meant to work outside of his body, and it was a strain, but he kept at it for hours.

Amie kept checking on Kaz. He had dozed off for a little while that night, sleeping sitting next to the bed, but he woke up again before sunrise. He went to eat, came back to check. Then he went out to get some clothes. He found things in his size. Kaz liked… dark, right? Sure. Whatever. He got him some clothes, at least enough to replace his obviously torn ones.

He carried them back to the inn and opened his door. His wide blue eyes spotted Kaz awake. Well that was good. He dropped the clothes on a small table and stood next to the bed. “Hey. How are you feeling? Are you okay? I got someone to look over your injuries. And I’m not good at healing magic…” Pause, slow, inhaled, exhale. “Heh… sorry, I was just really worried. You shouldn’t strain yourself. You were really beat up. I had to carry you to bed.” Wait… “Anyway, um…. Good morning.”

The door opened, and Kaz's head turned instinctively. And there was... Amie? Kaz stared with wide eyes, completely not comprehending what was going on. Sure, he'd vaguely thought he saw Amie earlier, but that was a dream. This was a dream. Or was it? It kind of hurt for a dream. "G'morning," Kaz replied almost automatically, the first part that his mind had registered. Err. And then there was all the rest to sort out. His mind was quickly catching up, noticing the clothes Amie dropped on the table, that Amie was indeed still there, and what he'd just said.

Kaz looked down at his arm, which refused to move despite his brain's messages to move it. The rest of him was swathed in bandages. "Well... I seem to be alive," he answered one of the questions. He couldn't say he felt particularly good, but he had expected to wake up dead. If that made any sense. His good arm gripped his shoulder, half checking that this was indeed all real. The half of him that was beginning to understand... was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. His eyes dropped, a small blush rising. "Amie... You saved me again? I don't know how you did it, but, thanks... I don't want to die yet," it almost felt selfish saying such a thing, wanting to live... but the reason why he used to feel that way... that reason was gone. It had become so engraved in him that the feelings were instinct. "It's crazy it keeps happening like this," he laughed a little, nervously. He owed Amie again... and his life. If he could give everything he had to Amie, he would. Amie might not ask or accept it, but... Kaz had to do something. Now he just needed to figure out what. And... considering the circumstances, Amie was going to want to know what happened... and he deserved the answers.

Kaz was apparently quite surprised that Amie was there. He replied with a small greeting, but it was clear his mind was still working things out. Amie sat in a chair next to Kaz, looking him over to make sure he seemed alright. He waited as Kaz started to talk a bit. He was alive… yeah, that was good. He asked about Amie saving him “again” and Amie shrugged, “We were even, I needed to up the stakes I guess,” he said, obviously joking around. Clearly he had nothing to do with how Kaz had gotten this way… how had Kaz gotten this way again? He didn’t want to die, “Good, because you shouldn’t. I’d miss you,” Amie added with resolve. It was true. He didn’t see Kaz very often, but he was fond of him. He certainly didn’t want him dying.

Yes, he wanted answers, but he hadn’t asked that many questions. He wanted to know things, but he didn’t want to pry. People had their secrets and their privacy. He just wanted to know enough to feel like he could make sure nothing bad happened. He worried. “Yeah… how did you end up like this?” he asked. Well, he didn’t want to pry, but it had to be asked. He didn’t think Kaz owed him anything. Answers would be nice, but his life? They were wizards, it was just a thing they did. No one was naming their first born after Ambrose, and he was fine with that. “Are you hungry?” he added. That was another important question.

Kaz laughed at Amie's answer. This cycle of saving each other, they both needed to stop getting into so much trouble. Kaz hoped that he never had to save Amie again, only because he didn't want Amie to be in danger to begin with. "I'd... miss you too," he blushed a little, but managed to say it without thinking too much first. When Kaz was certain he was going to die, his last thoughts had been about Amie. Well... and Astra. Not like he was going to tell Amie about that. Actually, he'd probably leave his last thoughts completely out, because that was just embarrassing. He was alive, and that's what counted. He was fortunate to have friends that he cared about, and that cared back in return.

The inevitable question: what happened? Any sane, compassionate friend would want answers. Kaz's gaze fell. It was going to be a hard thing to talk about, but he felt like Amie deserved the truth. "It's a long story, but... I don't think I'll have to worry about bounty hunters for a while," he tried to smile. His stomach growled audibly, answering Amie's question. Yes, now that Kaz was sufficiently certain that he was indeed alive... he was hungry. The knowledge of being alive just made him want to eat even more, and the offer was too tempting. "Tell you over food?" He wasn't sure if it was a promise, or him begging, or both.

It certainly was a cycle. A cycle both of them wanted to stop. Kaz didn’t want Amie to nearly die. Amie didn’t want Kaz to be hurt. Amie didn’t think he would make it to anyone’s last thoughts. Percy. He didn’t want to think about it. Maybe his parents. Anyone else, it wouldn’t happen. He hated the idea that he hadn’t been there, and Kaz got so hurt. Amie asked Kaz what was wrong, and he looked down. Bad choice, Amie… he realized with a strong feeling of guilt. He should just leave it alone. He didn’t want to make things worse.

It was a long story. No more bounties. He blinked, yeah… how they had met. “Bounty hunters are jerks anyway. They shouldn’t be bothering you,” he said without much thought. Kaz offered to explain over foot. “Uh, yeah. Sure. Fine by me. I figured I would order some food and bring it back. I don’t think you are in much shape to really go out to eat. And, well we aren’t where I live, so I can’t cook for you. Not that I would mind,” he said, smiling but clearly anxious. “Anyway… Is it alright if I go get some food? I won’t be long, but if you want company I understand. I would if I were… you…”

Bounty hunters were jerks. Kaz had never met one that he liked, and that included the people who hadn't know he was wanted. Mercenaries and the guildless were different - a lot of them took on jobs that didn't involve chasing people. It took a special kind of selfish to only care about money. But then again... without those kinds of people, he would have never met Amie.

Kaz fiddled with his blanket, still feeling a bit shy and out of place. Food was important. But now that Amie had mentioned that Kaz would be alone... suddenly he found himself torn. Did he want to be alone? A lot had happened. Amie being here was reassuring somehow. ...Slowly Kaz shook his head. It was childish. Everything that had happened had already happened. If anything, he was safer now than he ever had been in his life. He seriously doubted that anyone was going to come back and try to finish him off. Either Gunther thought he was dead, or didn't care enough that Kaz was still alive. "I'll be okay alone," he promised. Enough of his life had been spent alone, anyway. "Just... don't take too long," he asked, hoping it didn't sound too pathetic. But he was speaking the truth when he said he wanted to live. And one of the first steps to getting better... would mean eating and getting his strength back. Plus... he wanted to be fully coherent when retelling his story; it was already going to be hard enough.

Amie nodded when Kaz asked him not to take too long. He worried about Kaz, after finding him like that. He felt a pull to stay here, by Kaz’ side and encourage him. He already liked the guy, how much more protective could he feel after finding him nearly dead? He couldn’t show this much seriousness. He didn’t want to stress Kaz out, and it was Amie’s role in life to be the happy and friendly guy. He put on a grin, though it was very subdued compared to normal, “I’ll hurry up. After all, when would I ever want to be away from you?” Did that come off weird? Too strong? I didn’t mean… shut up, Amie, get the food. He headed out the door, coughing into his hand once he was far away.

He went to a breakfast diner and ordered several plates to be packaged up. He didn’t like parting with his food, but it had taken him several minutes just to speed walk there, he wanted to get back. He wanted to wash away the imagine of Kaz nearly dead on the ground. He wanted to see him awake, and happy again. Alive. He paid for the food and pilled it up before carrying it back to Kaz.

He had a box of fresh scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and some fruit. He also had a gallon of juice and some cups and silverware. He opened the door, peeking in. He smiled, Kaz was still alive and well, which was comforting. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and placed the boxes next to Kaz. He opened them to show the contents. “ How does that look? Did I come back fast enough? Or did you miss me too terribly?” he said, teasing to keep things somewhat light.

Kaz blinked at Amie's parting comment. The other's comments were slowly becoming a bit more normal to Kaz. As far as Kaz understood it, they were Amie's attempts to take his mind off things. It worked to some degree. He grinned as Amie coughed and practically ran out the door. Kaz could tell that Amie liked him... he wasn't even sure if Amie knew it himself. He seemed like the type to be feeling without thinking. The fact that someone might like him... it was foreign. Maybe that was why he'd stopped trying so hard to get Amie's attention - he already had it.

The door closed. Minutes ticked by. He was okay being alone, he told himself. He laid back down and waited, trying not to think too hard about what had just happened. More importantly, he needed to plan out what he was going to say to Amie. Was that something that could be planned? By the time Amie returned, Kaz had made little progress on how he was going to fulfill his promise. "It looks good," Kaz agreed, sitting up proper and sliding his feet over the bed. Honestly just about any kind of food would have been good... he was hungry, and not a very picky eater to begin with. But he could tell from the variety that Amie had probably spent more time and effort on this than he should have. "I was pretty lonely, but I at least managed to survive," he laughed. It wasn't so far off from the truth.

He fell awkwardly silent, the first few minutes focused more on the food. But he knew if he didn't start talking now, he probably never would. "I don't really know where to start," he decided to be honest. "It's a little complicated... But basically, someone from my past had a grudge against me. He hired a dark wizard to drag me off to Domus Flau, so that he and I could fight. Obviously... that didn't turn out so well on my end." Kaz had never really thought he'd win, but when they first started... he thought it would at least be a closer match than it was. Maybe these past two years, he had gotten weaker instead of stronger. For what it was worth... if being almost killed was worth anything... their fight had been 'fair'. The difference in their skill level, however, was far too great. "This person was the reason why I had a bounty on me in the first place. I think... it's safe to assume that he thinks we're even now. Whether I survived or not... I doubt he cares one way or the other. I'm just lucky you found me when you did." He wasn't sure how much or how little he should be explaining, so he tried to give the quick version and let Amie ask what he would...

Yes, it was true Kaz certainly had Amie’s attention. He knew he liked the guy, sort of. He didn’t think about it, true. Or he made effort to not think about it. What did it matter, really? He couldn’t exactly do anything about this. He liked being around Kaz when he was there, and he rarely actually knew where the guy was. Now he’d been hurt, and Amie just wanted to help with that. Nurse him back to health, and get him food.

Soon Amie had returned with the food and Kaz said it looked good. Amie smiled. That was good. He knew when he’d been really messed up he was happy for anything, good food or just something to keep him from digesting his tongue. He didn’t care about that right now. Whether Kaz was desperately in need of food or just hungry, Amie wasn’t going to slack off. His smile softened when Kaz said he was lonely but survived. Yeah, he was joking, but that still meant Amie could tease back. “I guess I’ll just have to stay here so you don’t get lonely anymore.”

And then it was quiet. They were working on eating and not talking. He wasn’t sure what he should say to Kaz anyway. So he ate. It actually was pretty good food. He made sure to only eat some of any particular thing. He wanted Kaz to be able to eat whatever he could. Eventually the talking started, and Kaz explained someone with a grudge… hired a dark wizard to drag him off. Well, that was scummy of them. He held his fork tightly, forcing himself to not squeeze and more to show that it irritated him. He was keeping his calm, mostly. He didn’t like whoever this man was. The explanation soon ended and Amie nodded, looking serious, because he felt serious. “So… I’m sorry that happened… People are pretty messed up… I hope you are feeling better… mostly… and… does that have anything to do with how your hands are?” he asked. “I remember how they were pretty scared up… I’m not really sure if I’m allowed to ask that… but I was… wondering.”

Kaz grinned a little when Amie mentioned making him not feel lonely anymore. Honestly Kaz wasn’t sure if he deserved all this, Amie was treating him with far too much kindness. Just saving his life had been enough, but now they were sharing a meal together. With the companionship and warm food, Kaz was reminded of how good it was to be alive.

He had nearly forgotten that Amie had seen past Kaz’s gloves. Yes that had happened, hadn’t it? Kaz blinked a little, surprised at the connection Amie had made, not that it was far off. Unconsciously he looked to his hands, which still had the gloves on. He was so used to them being there he hadn’t really thought of it, he supposed they were still on to protect his privacy, though Amie had probably seen that and more.

“Yeah, I guess it does,” he admitted, shrugging and smiling a bit apologetically. “I’m not the best at words, but you can ask me anything, Amie.” This was someone he trusted, and Kaz wanted to get better at letting his guard down, especially when it came to his past. Even if it was instinct now, he had no real reason to push people away.

“I was taught and started fighting at a young age. It was all I knew at the time so… I just thought it was normal. Not just my hands, but… the rest of me isn’t so pretty either. It’s probably a miracle I’m not horribly transfigured in some way. As soon as I saw the rest of the world, though, I knew I couldn’t keep fighting like that forever.” This was honestly the first time he had ever talked so much about his past. He wanted to, but it was still hard, his eyes not quite able to meet Amie’s. “My mentor, Gunther, was the one who set up the attack last night. I maybe deserved some of it though, we didn’t exactly part on peaceful terms last time.”

Amie knew for sure. Kaz deserved all of this. No question, no argument, not open for debate. Not that Kaz was actually trying to debate it out loud, but Amie still had it all figured out. Kaz could do whatever he wanted when they weren’t together, but when they were together, he was Amie’s friend. He was nice. And Amie liked him. So he deserved this because he’d never done anything to make Amie feel otherwise. Besides, people didn’t have to earn kindness.

Amie felt guilty for asking about Kaz’ hands, and apparently they were connected. Apparently Amie could ask whatever he wanted, well Amie wasn’t great at asking things. He worried he might overstep some boundary, even being told he was allowed free reign. So if he had freedom to ask, what did he want to ask? Well… something that seemed fairly off topic, to be honest. He decided to hold off on that for a minute.

Kaz had been taught to fight as a child. It sounded alright on the surface. Being taught to fight… except that meant he was fighting. That meant someone was combating him, most likely. That meant he was getting hurt. Like with his hands. Amie frowned, listening with a serious expression as Kaz explained the rest. “You didn’t deserve it… if someone was treating you like that as a child, you deserved to get out however you could, and you certainly don’t deserve for someone to try to kill you. I’m positive of that,” Ambrose said, his tone conveying that he meant what he said. He sighed after a moment, hoping to lighten his mood, it wasn’t like him to be so forlorn even for a second.

“I’m glad you aren’t horribly disfigured… but I don’t mind the scars… not that I’ve seen them… but…” it was impossible to get all that awkward right now, given the topic, “My parents taught me to be a distraction… which… isn’t as bad as… whatever happened to you. I just… well… some stuff happened and I ended up as a fighting dummy… of sorts, for some people. I’m sure you don’t want the details on that,” he said. He sort of wished he was wrong, but he wasn’t going to get into it just for kicks. “I’m saying that just to say, I have a lot of scars too, and I think the rest of you is probably… prettier than you give credit for. Wow that came out weird. Anyway,” he said the last part in a small rush, “I’m really good at this, clearly… um… on the topic of asking you anything… why do you have a habit of rushing off?”

Kaz still thought he could have handled his situation better in the past. Maybe that was a dumb idea, one that he'd only gotten with the experience of life. When he was younger, he had been much brasher and determined to force his way through. Now, such senseless violence seemed appalling. There must've been a better way to handle it in the past outside of nearly killing Gunthar. "Well... thanks." He knew Amie was trying to cheer him up, and he couldn't argue that. "I don't mean to make it sound like my childhood was completely bad. Just the more time that passes, the longer I seem to remember the bad things better than the good things..." He sighed, not really knowing what to think. His opinion on his past and especially Gunthar had changed many times... but he did feel less attachment towards him with each passing month. Still, he was... probably more happy to find out that Gunthar was still alive, than any amount of anger.

Scars... of course Amie wouldn't mind, he had them himself. And even if he hadn't, Kaz was pretty sure he would have said the same thing anyway. Shortly after Kaz had seen them, that was also the time Amie mentioned something about his parents using him as a distraction. Or bait. "I mean, I don't know, what's 'worse,'" it was too subjective. "It doesn't sound like you exactly had a normal life either. If you ever do want to talk about it I can listen, I just... I don't always know what words to use," he admitted. Kaz was still processing Amie's flattery and wondering if he should respond back when the question hit him.

When Kaz had said Amie could ask anything, this wasn't what Kaz expected. He laughed. A lot too loudly. This was almost becoming a trademark; it was quite ridiculous. He clamped a hand over his mouth and looked down a little. Okay, so Amie had noticed the rushing off thing. Like that laugh, Kaz was painfully aware of how awkward it was. But that still didn't mean he could wave his hand and fix it. "Er, sorry. I guess I just over-think things too much. I know if I think too hard on how to make things better it gets worse, so sometimes I think it's just better for me to not be there at all." That maybe wasn't the complete answer. But Kaz didn't know the complete answer himself.

Everyone could handle almost everything better if they could go back and do it over. They knew the answers. They had had time to calm their emotions. They were different people. But it didn’t change the fact that no one could go back and fix things. Amie could never save Percy and Kaz could never go back and change what he’d done. Things were set in stone the moment they had been done. It was how the past worked. Etched out for the rest of time, and he couldn’t help that. “I don’t know… if it was good or bad, really,” Amie said. Truth be told, if in his childhood he had to fight and got all those scars, it sounded like it was all bad. But then Amie looked at his own childhood, and even looking back on it without the tinted glasses of his youth… it wasn’t all bad. Not even most bad, up until they got separated.

Amie shrugged when Kaz said he didn’t know what was worse. He couldn’t really look back on things and blame his parents. It was confusing. “Well… I…” he had to smile. It was too hard to be so serious and negative, “I was just the distraction. I wasn’t doing any of the fighting. That was my brother. That was far more dangerous…” His smile faded as his eyes moved down to the floor, moving still as if avoiding finding something. Nope. Couldn’t do it. Couldn’t just keep his usual bravado and talk about this. Kaz said that he could talk about it, if he wanted, and Kaz would listen. However that was directed at the training dummy thing. Well no, surely it was directed at everything. He would address that another time.

Right now was a moment to address Kaz’s disappearing act. He laughed. Awkwardly. It was cute. Amie smiled a little, feeling better, despite the fact that it probably made Kaz just more awkward overall. Not the smiling, the laughing, but anyway. Over thinking, huh? “Well, if there is anything I can help with… as far as wanting to make things better and not knowing how… I’d rather you not just disappear… it is up to you, I guess, but that’s my preference. Especially while you are hurt. Don’t go disappearing on me now,” he told Kaz sincerely. He didn’t sound harsh though. He was just being honest with the man.

Maybe no one could know if the past was good or bad. Kaz thought on Amie's words. Sometimes things just happened without a reason, there was nothing to do but keep going forward. Good or bad, they were too mixed to distinguish one from the other. Amie did tell a little more of his story. And about a brother... for the first time Kaz's gaze flickered back up, but now Amie was the one who seemed hesitant. This was the first time Kaz had heard about Amie having a brother. A sister, sure... but it made him wonder about the rest of Amie's family. Kaz had a strange habit of forgetting most people had families... particularly siblings that they grew up around.

"I'm..." Apologizing couldn't really do it justice. What if Amie's brother had died as a result? He was too scared to ask, because he didn't know what to say if that was the case. "I-if there's anything I can do to help you too, let me know..." Kaz said. Amie's nervousness was making Kaz even more nervous too. "There is... one thing you could help me with," Kaz hesitated, trying to stop himself from blushing. Amie was making him self-conscious. "You're right. I should really become more dedicated... no more running away." He took a deep breath. When he was out in the arena... he had been thinking of his life for the past two years. He didn't want to regret the same thing when he finally was at his real deathbed. Most of his life, he'd avoided the guilds... trying to shake off any unnecessary attention. Now... it was a place where he'd met friends.

Maybe that had come out wrong; he hoped it didn't sound like the start of a love confession... although he'd already tried a few of those in others in the past."I want to join Lamia Scale," he said, completely sure of his answer. "I-I just... I don't know how, exactly. Is there a test or something?" Suddenly, less sure of himself. What would happen after coming to this conclusion... and they wouldn't take him?

Ambrose wasn’t philosophical, but it was nice when his words could help someone else. Usually he was just smiles and happy comments. His relationship with Kaz was completely different than with most people. Kaz actually had the chance to make him uncomfortable. No one made Amie nervous like Kaz. He knew better though. He knew better than to expect anything from Kaz, despite liking him. They could be friends, and run into each other a lot, and Amie would make sure that Kaz was safe now, but he wasn’t confused as to what Kaz meant by saying he wouldn’t run away.

It was good to hear that Kaz wouldn’t run away though. Whether he could believe that or not. It was a nice thought. Apparently there was something the blushing Kaz needed help with. It was probably best that he didn’t dwell on the reference to Amie’s brother. There was a reason Ambrose never mentioned his brother. Was there anything Kaz could help him with? Well… he could think of things, but he pushed that back. He was listening to Kaz say he wouldn’t run away.

His eyes widened a bit, surprised to hear that Kaz wanted to join Lamia Scale. Then he grinned. That was great! “No, no there isn’t a test.” He couldn’t help but keep grinning, “Its just… well, I guess you need Daedalus’ permission, but he’ll give it to you, I promise. I mean, I know I’ll vouch for you, and you might know other people in the guild. That’s awesome. Wow…. I should probably be less enthusiastic, or I’ll end up just carryng you there. I mean, I could do that, but you probably want to rest or something. You can meet my bunnies!” Okay, so Amie was excited. His crush was joining his guild. His friend was joining his guild. “I’d say you can room with me, but you probably want your own room… well, either way. No test, you will be perfectly fine to join. And that’s awesome.”

The reassurance was very much a relief. It would be awful to have this new resolve and then somehow fail a criminal background check or something. And while Kaz knew that Amie would be excited... to hear his friend react in such a way, it was honestly quite flattering. He laughed a little, glad that he now had a plan. Well... as soon as he could move properly at least. And... bunnies? Kaz never faltered, but the thought of Amie with bunnies seemed... well, the guy was so buff, imagining him with fluffy animals seemed like an oxymoron. Then again, knowing his personality.... Kaz was certain he was serious.

"Th-thanks, I appreciate it!" He really did. And other people at Lamia Scale... Astra might be another reason why he was joining. Balancing between the two of them in the same location... he was going to have to be careful, or he might get himself into serious trouble. "Yeah I should probably take it easy, at least for today... but I'll go as soon as I can," he promised. He didn't want to wait either... The longer he waited, the more likely he was to back out. And that was why he was joining; he needed it to be an official commitment. "And check out your bunny collection. I didn't know you could keep pets at a guild..." But somehow, he wasn't surprised about it, either.

Then there was the matter of the room. Amie had offered, but was pretty much implying that he'd be shot down. "I um, I snore really loudly, you probably wouldn't want me as a roommate anyway," he rubbed the back of his head. It was half a lie. He really didn't know if he did or not. "Besides, I've been alone these past few years, I don't know what I'd do if we were roommates. If possible, I'd rather just have a single room - sorry." That and it would be infinitely harder to sneak others in if Amie was also sharing the room. Probably just a pipe dream, but he could hope.

Amie couldn’t have even pretended to turn Kaz down. The idea of his friend actually joining his guild. It was too good to be true. It was like a birthday present. Except his birthday was actually coming up. Kaz could be there for his birthday! Great. So all the people that were important to Amie would be at Lamia Scale for his birthday. He knew he wouldn’t have any pull to get Kaz there, but if he was actually there… well that was pretty great. Not that it really helped… Kaz had a thing about running away. He could tell Amie that he owed him his life… then the next second be gone and not feel a second of guilt. He knew that. Still, it was nice. He would be crushed if he thought Kaz joined the guild to meet girls. He could accept Kaz not being interested, but that would just make the whole friendship feel cheap. Lucky he didn’t know.

Amie was actually really happy now. He felt light and just… better. Finding his friend nearly dead had been awful. Hearing that he wouldn’t just see Kaz once on a whim, that was lucky. That was great. His naturally open personality was a bit into hyper drive. “I will wait with you,” he told Kaz confidently. He was not leaving his injured friend to fend for himself. “You’ve never been to Lamia Scale, have you? I’m a pretty good guide. I have come and gone… all the time.” Kaz wanted to join Lamia Scale for commitment. That was good. He chuckled, “Yes, my bunnies. I… had to raise them when I was younger… as… for… food,” he said, forcing himself past that, with only a limited look of distance in his eye, “but… right, so I have a bunch of them back at Lamia Scale. As pets. They’re great,” he said, able to push himself right past the bad memories.

Amie shook his head, but smiled. Yeah, Kaz could make excuses, it was fine. “That’s fine, Kaz. You don’t have to have excuses either. Going from running away when I turn my back, to having a roommate would be a lot for anyone. I’m usually not there much anyway. No worries. I’m just… happy. I can talk to Daedalus about you having your own room if you like. I don’t care.” He genuinely was happy. Like a puppy. He remembered he should eat, so he did some more of that too.

Amie’s own excitement was starting to rub off on Kaz. Joining a guild was a big step… it was a life time of commitment. It would definitely take some time to adjust, but he knew it was important. Both for the other guildmates, and himself. He’d have to try his best to live up to Amie’s and the other’s expectations… this really was a huge step for Kaz, but one he wanted to take, even if it was a bit daunting. He was honestly a bit relieved to hear Amie would wait for him. Kaz had no idea how to tell a guild that he was joining, and it would be much better to have someone there he knew would help him out, just in case anything went wrong.

“I’ve been to Cerulean, but never inside the actual Lamia Scale guild hall,” Kaz nodded. He had been all over Fiore, but he had never stepped foot inside one of the official guilds. Who would have thought, he’d be joining the guild that he originally thought was for balding old guys. Obviously his first impression had been completely off. “Well, I promise not to eat your pets,” Kaz laughed a little, trying to keep it light. Obviously that was a part of Amie’s past that he resented… at least now Amie was free to keep his own rabbits. Kaz wasn’t extremely fond of animals, but it wasn’t like he hated them, either.

He hung his head a little sheepishly. Amie was so close to the mark about what he was saying, it was a little hard to hear. The only reason Kaz made excuses was because he didn’t want to hurt Amie’ feelings. At least the other seemed okay with them having different rooms... honestly, Amie had probably expected as much. Then there was the mention of Daedalus… “Is there anything I should know about your Guild Master before we meet?” He wondered. He had heard very little about Lamia Scale’s master, and obviously first impressions mattered a lot. “And your Ace, too… I guess even though I’m joining, I don’t know all that much about Lamia Scale,” he admitted.

A big step, but an awesome one. It was important to grow as a person, and if this was going to help Kaz grow as a person, Amie was happy to have any part of that. It had been good for him to join a guild, and it was still a good resource and home for him. Well, he also had a house. Had he told Kaz that? He didn’t want Kaz to live there or anything. It was easier to actually sometimes run into Kaz if he lived in the guild hall. Besides, Kaz needed a commitment, and to get to know the guild. It would be more helpful to live in the guild hall. However… “I actually own a house in Cerulean. I just don’t live there, I rent it out to people. Not that it makes much difference, but it came to mind…” he said with a small shrug.

“Well its pretty cool. Do you like flowers or vegetables?” he asked. It was the first thing he thought of. Kade’s gardens. Amie had personally tended to them when Kade was gone on trips. It usually fell to either Ava, Ambrose, or a combination of the two. Amie knew how Ava didn’t like getting dirty, and he was happy to help her with things. He was reasonably fond of the young girl. It had resulted in him forming a bond with her roommate Astra as well. Amie could only go to their room so many times to fix shelving and the like before a relationship formed. He chuckled when Kaz said he wouldn’t eat Amie’s pets, “I appreciate that.” Honestly, if anyone ever tried to hurt Ambrose’ bunnies, he would lay into them in a way guaranteed to leave scars. He didn’t expect it from Kaz though, clearly.

Kaz seemed embarrassed when Amie told him he didn’t have to make excused. Really though, Amie didn’t mind. He would rather Kaz be honest than try to spare his feelings, but he couldn’t control was Kaz actually did in any given situation. Now, what should Kaz know about Daedalus and Kade? “Well, Daedalus is pretty mellow. I’d just say he is old. He likes to act like it, but he’s already really strong. So if he gets to have his naps and his teasing, he’s golden. As far as our Ace, that’s Kade. He was in the tournament. He’s… a pretty cool fellow. We are friends. If you don’t try to hurt any of his friends, and you mind your manners, he’s very friendly.”

Kaz blinked blankly as Amie mentioned owning an entire house in Cerulean… which he rented out to people. But that… took a lot of money, right? Wait, he already knew Amie had rich parents. He recalled some of their other conversations. Somehow that seemed like something far in the past though, not relevant to the present. Or maybe it was just finally hitting home when Amie said he owned an entire house.

“I haven’t done much of it, but I do enjoy gardening,” Kaz nodded. Never owning a plot of land himself, he had yet to grow anything that was completely ‘his’. But he had done some temporary work in the fields, both tilling the soil and especially harvesting… there was always plenty of work to be had around harvest time. He found that kind of work relaxing. “You mean there’s a place in Lamia Scale for gardens?” He realized. It wouldn’t be the first thing he thought of when he thought about joining a guild… but it made sense. A lot of people enjoyed flowers and herbs.

Kaz was a little reassured to hear Amie’s description of Lamia Scale’s leaders. Both Daedalus and Kade, he was going to remember their names. They seemed fairly calm from how Amie described them… “That’s good. Not like I was planning on trouble.” Whether he knew them personally or not, Kaz was just more concerned with not stirring up trouble in Lamia Scale. First impressions were pretty critical.

One way to look at Amie owning a house was that he was rich. Another way was to look at it as something he adventured, earned, fixed, and used for income. He liked money. He didn’t talk about how much he had, because he hoarded it. He’d given a lot of it to Lamia Scale for repairs, but he still had enough. He would have to hoard more. A quirk of being raised around piles of loot for loot’s sake. Amie didn’t think his owning a house was particularly strange, but Kaz was blinking at him like something was up. They didn’t mention it again though.

Kaz apparently enjoyed gardening. Amie paused, trying to imagine Kaz tending the garden like Kade. Well, he didn’t necessarily think Kaz had that kind of patience. It would be interesting if he did… but unlikely. “Well, Kade has a garden that I sometimes tend for him if he is gone. Its out back. I imagine anyone would be allowed to garden there if they were so inclined,” he admitted. It was a big plot of land after all.

Amie smirked when Kaz said he hadn’t planned on trouble, “Knowing you, you’ll find trouble, whether you’re planning on it or not. But I am sure it will be good. And if they have any doubts, I could use that card where you sometimes think you owe me, so I’m just keeping watch on my investments.” Sounded weird. He didn’t care. He just felt like teasing a little to lighten his mood.

Gardening did sound nice, actually the more Kaz thought about it, the more he wanted to try. He'd never been in one place long enough to actually own a section of land. If he could borrow Lamia Scale's plot, or rather Kade's plot from the way Amie spoke about it... Well, Kaz was interested in at least trying. That could be a future project. Plus, it was something that Amie enjoyed working on as well. "Hm, maybe I'll try that later then, once all the initial Guild stuff is taken care of," he said.

He hung his head a little sheepishly when Amie mentioned that trouble would probably find Kaz. It was true. He had an uncanny way of attracting trouble like none other he'd met. Maybe Amie had it to some degree too, but Kaz almost felt like he was cursed. "Hey, that's no fair," he protested but grinned, knowing that Amie was joking. "What is this, blackmail now? That's not how favors are supposed to work," he laughed. "Well, I guess I can leave it at I'm not planning on trouble. So anything that happens past that can't be my fault.” For a moment he paused, looking at Amie. This man... had certainly done much for him. He had jumped in for Kaz when they were practically strangers, and it was probably the first person Kaz could consider a friend. “Seriously though, thanks Amie. If nothing else, it'll be nice to meet the people you consider friends at Lamia Scale.”