𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞 ➵ 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐠

【ＣＨＡＰＴ １３】

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THIRTEEN||

PRESENT DAY
AUSTRALIA

I've only ever been drunk once. I really don't plan on doing it again. I say things I don't mean to say and confess to things I would never when sober.

The thought of Gilgamesh reminded me of my only drunk occurrence, yet I can barely remember what happened on that occasion.

As I walk to where I know Gilgamesh and Thena to live, I push my sunglasses back up my nose and adjust the straps of my tank top. It was the closest I could get to stripping completely bare in this heat, because being naked seemed too extra for meeting some old friends.

And then finally, I see their little house in the distance. Just the sight of the tree next to it with a crouched figure makes me smile, bringing back some memories I had sworn had been forgotten.

I put up with the hike there, knowing I've come this far already. Approaching the tree with the kneeling woman clad in white fabric makes me nervous, dropping my backpack onto the sandy ground.

The woman whips around, a golden weapon of her choice attempting to latch onto my arm, the black sheen around my skin stopping it.

"Hello, Thena." I lift one corner of my lips.

She lifts her head confidently, retracting her weapon, "Hello."

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"I assume you're here about the Deviant attack." Gilgamesh asks, pottering around in the kitchen.

I nod, looking between him and Thena who sits across from me at the table, "How did you know about that?"

"What do you mean? We were the literal victims of it." He scoffs.

I bite my bottom lip, "Sersi was right. . ."

"How is Sersi?" Thena asks quietly.

"Alive." I answer shortly, "Visited me with Sprite and Ikaris to inform me of our dilemma."

"Ikaris?" Gil asks, glancing at Thena, "They're back together?"

I sigh, "Don't even ask, I have no idea. I was not asking that question and making it awkward."

"Someone's gotta do it." He places a cup in front of me.

"I asked last time." Thena shrugs, taking a sip of her drink.

Sighing, I shake my head with a smile. Being here for a mere five minutes I have has reminded me what I've missed out on, what we've all missed out on by being separated.

And that makes me think about how better off we would've been if we had been all together when the Deviant's attacked.

"Nova?" Thena's voice brings me out of my thoughts, "Do we have a plan?"

I lick my lips, "The other three are currently recruiting Kingo as I'm doing with you two. If you guys agree we're going to meet at Kingo's jet," I raise a brow, "And then-"

I cut myself short.

"Then what?" Gil prods, but shuts up when Thena kicks him from under the table.

"Then. . ." I stare at thin air, "We drive the Deviants back into extinction again."

The pair share a look as if they know what I've avoided admitting.

"Nova if you want to talk-"

The atmosphere becomes too much for me, so I push my chair back and barely hear the scraping noise it makes. All I care is that I get outside to the fresh air, just wanting clean oxygen in my lungs.

Once I reach outside I let out the heaviest breath I ever have, dropping to my knees when they fail to support me.

I feel like screaming my anger and pain out. I might've lied about how I felt about Ajak, and I haven't been given the time to mourn. Everything is coming at me too quickly and I can't process it in time, the feeling of anxiety creeping up in my throat, begging to be let out.

I suppress it. The grief, the pain from the past day and over the course of 7000 years.

Even then, a tear still drips from my cheek, a singular reminder that I'm going to have to do some things I don't want to do within the next week.

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"Nova." Thena's soft voice graces the room the pair have given me to sleep in for the night.

It's dark outside now, and we meet the others tomorrow anyway so there was no point going early.

Thena leans in the doorway, arms crossed against her white dress and blonde locks framing her gorgeous features.

She slowly sits on the end of the bed, facing where I sit cross-legged.

"Did you know," I sniffle, "That he can feel it too?"

She doesn't say anything, doesn't ask anything. She just lets me talk.

"Whenever I go through a great amount of pain, he knows. We never figured out why." I wipe underneath my eyes, "It happened once, during a Deviant attack. I got hurt and even though he hadn't been there to even know it had happened. . . He knew something was wrong."

Thena's eyes soften as she watches me fiddle with my fingers in my lap.

"I assume he knows what's happened. If we. . . If we go to him, no one will need to tell him what's going on." I swallow and sniffle again, "He knows."

Thena takes a steady inhale, hands on her knees, "After all this time, are you still able to communicate with him?"

"I think, but I'm not sure. Recently I've been convinced I've heard his voice, but it makes no sense as to why he would reach out now. Not after what happened."

She swallows, remembering the story I had told her, "But you could reach out, if you wanted to?"

I shrug, "I suppose. It would feel weird, I haven't done it in a while plus I have no idea where he is, so if he's far away it would take more energy than usual."

"Does that mean you can find out where he is?"

"I can get a good guess, but it won't be exact." I then shake my head, refusing to let more tears fall, "I can't see him again, Thena. Not after-"

My voice fails to form words, so as Thena rubs my arm in comfort, I finally allow the tears to fall before relaying the story of what happened on the last occasion I saw Druig.

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A/N; muahaha

i think I've published at least five times today but I just can't help myself, I'm literally writing the next chapter rn

~💋