(GS3) Home Field: Espoir Mansion

[Beryl]

Satoshi sat down in one of the chairs in the visiting room that, a long time ago, he and Haruka had a firsthand experience at meeting Mr. Espoir in. On the couch, a short distance away, a hard smack in the face from Yukino had made him conk out for a little bit. He tried to laugh a bit at this memory, because in his head, it was pretty funny to look back on, but what came out was something akin to a small cough.

A bit of coffee was available to drink. He sipped it. It tasted just as good as it had in days prior, but something felt different about the experience as a whole. It wasn't a welcoming feeling, or a homely feeling. Honestly, there wasn't anything to feel at all. It was just a cup of coffee.

That felt very wrong to think.

Placing the mug back down, Satoshi awaited Yukino's arrival, who, he was told, was on her way down.

[Cherry]

"Satoshi..." She spoke, seeing that it was as expected. Time to get to work.

[Jello]

Back in New York-

After several sips of coffee and brainstorming, Sera and Haruka had come to the conclusion that they need to balance each other out. Sera would take care of Haruka when he was unable to deal with the world. When the pressure got too high, Sera would take the reins and finish what Haruka started no matter what. It was a pact among teammates, in a way. Except they were one person, not a team. People looked at Haruka suspiciously since the rule held true to this day, Sera cannot hear Haruka unless he speaks out loud and vice versa. They can't intercommunicate through the mind, sadly enough.

Haruka's phone buzzes again with a request about calling. He hesitates answering at all at first, not sure if he could face her. No... No there was no way he could face her. His chest started to hurt again, and he only wanted to say hurtful things. He wanted to yell at her or worse, just break it off. His lips quivered a little, reaching for the phone. He made it simple and easy, Sera having his back if he had to take over for whatever reason.

"sorry. too loud, cant call. busy at the coffee house. -haru"

Haruka tapped his fingers on the table in front of him, sipping his coffee. He reached for his Vanguard deck which seemed to be the same-

Wait.

Daunt...less....drive....dragon? Haruka thumbed over the card, reading it's effect.

A restanding effect. Haruka's eyes glowed and a small smile formed. It was the card that came to him when Overlord did not. Dauntless Drive Dragon... Cruel Dragon... Chain Blast... They were all the embodiment of Haruka's emotions when the seal was broken. They came to him as his protectors, and as his comrades. He had to learn to cherish his new friends-

They're not your friends Haruka. They're your protectors. Consider them your shields.

Sera made a point to forget that Vanguard units could be friends in their discussion. Haruka resented the idea, but for the sake of his psyche, he didn't retaliate the idea and simply followed Sera's lead on this one. He knew best, after all.

[Beryl]

Satoshi crossed his leg over the other, seeing the Chosen Swordswoman walk in.

"Hi. It's been a while, right?"

[Cherry]

Yukino's phone buzzed, she'd get to that in a minute.

"Yeah... Haven't had a moment to relax until now. I noticed you were... well, not in the best shape awhile back. How are you feeling now?"

[Beryl]

Satoshi shook his head. "Not the greatest, if I'm being honest." He scratched at his shoulder a little bit.

"Sorry I left."

[Cherry]

"Why are you apologizing?" Yukino inquired, leaning against the wall. "We're both here now, so let's talk about how you're feeling."

[Beryl]

Satoshi sighed. "Okay, but it's going to be a long one, and I'm going to need to stand up for it." He stretched his arms and pushed himself off the chair.

"I ache, a lot. I feel like the things I experienced, the heavy loss that I felt, was real. So very real. Like a 'I don't want this to ever happen again' real." He folded his arms across his chest. "I learned, I would assume, what you felt when you lost Royal Paladins and Shadow Paladins. When you lost your avatars." He bowed his head. "It was indescribable pain. I wanted to cry, to yell, to scream, everything I could do before emotionally. But even when it got fixed, everything was just..."

He snapped his fingers. "Gone."

He shook his head. "See, the difference between what you felt and what I felt is very, very small, but so very significant." He gestured to her. "You did lose your avatars, and the pain was unreal, but here's the thing. You were given a fallback. Ezel wanted to help you through it, and as far as I can tell, he did way better than Haruka and I could've hoped to, and Haru's your bloody boyfriend."

He pointed to himself. "Me, though? What happened back there? I was directly responsible for it. Even when Tsubasa succeeded and freed everyone, I, the champion of Neo Nectar, even with the strongest power I could put forward, failed my own clan and lost them to the abyss." He clenched his hand into a fist. "When you can't even succeed at protecting those you care for the most...when I couldn't help you get through your struggles, I felt I failed you. Not just as the Royal Guard or whatever, but as a friend. One of your best friends, even."

He shook his head again. "Failing Seph and Neo Nectar felt even worse than that. I don't want that to happen to them again. I don't want anyone to suffer because of a stupid mistake of mine."

He scratched the back of his head, looking up at Yukino. "So I told Seph I couldn't stick with him and the clan. At least not now. I don't have it in me right now, and I don't know when I will again. I...don't really have a direction I can think of." He gave an awkward chuckle. "Also, since you're leaving for Cray, I'm out of a job, so I have to find something better to do with myself. I can't be that stalwart force their world wanted me to be."

He reached into his pocket and waved a golden deckbox sheepishly. "Don't worry, though, they won't actually leave me alone. Apparently I'm important because I helped put an end to the War of Liberation or something, so I have to be watched over like I'm some kind of VIP by Cray's new security sect. They're called Genesis, I think?" He shrugged. "They're a part of the United Sanctuary. I'm sure you'll see them while you're out there."

[Cherry]

"You really shouldn't think about the difference", Yukino stated on the matter of comparing their pains. It was the simple fact that they felt and experienced it. The queen listened to how he went about it, noting that he had nothing to fall back on. She had Ezel, but that was because her loss was early. Satoshi's was at the endgame. Still, not having a new friend like the lion to lean on, even for a shorter time span, was painful.

"I failed everyone else first, so don't worry about helping me. I was directly responsible for our losses too."

This whole affair was because she couldn't beat Neu the first time around. Putting the blame where it belongs should take away some of the burden, but not the aching born from losing their own clan. Despite having Royal and Shadow back, she can't say that she doesn't feel remorse over losing them in the first place. Hearing about how he wouldn't face Neo Nectar for the time being, at least without them pestering him, the woman approached a friend in need, and patted his shoulder.

"You are still a champion. Genesis should take good care of you, and your bond with Neo Nectar will stay intact."

[Beryl]

"Yeah...even then, I need some time away if I can. Clearing my head, I guess, coming to terms."

He hugged her. "Gonna miss you. Keep in touch somehow if you can."

[Cherry]

"I'll try to", she said, hugging him back. Hopefully there really was some way to stay in touch with Earth. Maybe something for Star Gate to figure out, seeing as the nation is made up of visitors from different planets. Giving Satoshi a few more pats and a reassuring gaze, one of her hands texted Haruka back, then Hana.

"Call me later then, Haruka."

And...

"Hana, how are you feeling with how things are going?"

[Hope]

"Better. At dance practice at the moment. Concert in two days. ~ <3 BELLA"

[Cherry]

"Oh, so you're getting your first gig? That's great! Tell me about how dance practice went when it's over. Wanna hear about the moves you're gonna be using."

[Hope]

Hana wiped her face with a towel. It was difficult, but she managed to keep up with the formation work, having to have had worked extra hard as the center. She replied back.

"It went well, kind of difficult, but I could keep up. It was more going into formations today and reaching them on time. What have you been doing?~ <3 BELLA"

[Cherry]

"Is that manager still gonna put you in the back? Or is he letting you have the spotlight? I'd love to see you leading said formations. I've been talking with Satoshi here, that's all."