foulplayed | INBOX

Even if I didn't, I'd make time for my favourite Little Sparrow.

Is everything okay?

:) Thank you

More or less. I just think I could use some outside perspective, if that makes sense.

Sure, although I can't promise my perspective will be much help.

What's been on your mind?

That's fair. I guess I hadn't thought to ask how well you know Claude, since it has to do with him.

Claude ...

He's an interesting one. With the Professor by his side he had a vision for Fodlan I could really believe in - that I still do believe in, no matter how far away from home we've ended up.

On a personal level, though, I wouldn't say I know him very well at all. I don't think he's interested in trying to get all close and cosy with anyone, let alone with someone like me.

So that's the kind of experience you had. I never thought to ask what you remembered.

I learned that last part the hard way, I think. I'm still a little lost on it.

That's why I was surprised when he told me he was involved with Bernadetta. I've gotta say though, when he told me they were together he did make a pretty compelling case for trying to experience things here we wouldn't be able to back home -

So, maybe he's working on it with regard to her?

( A beat, then he decides to just go ahead and ask: )

... Did something happen between you two?

We've had a disagreement before, and then we sort of had a fight? I don't know how else to describe it. It's weird.

I think it's sort of resolved, but I don't feel much better about it. I wanted to talk to you about it since you and Claude are similar in a few ways. You two are also extremely different in others, don't me wrong.

Honestly? I agree with you. We're both stubborn guys who've got a lot to learn about trust - but we handle it in different ways, and I think it's rooted in different things.

... It was still kind of interesting to find out that throwing in my lot with him wasn't enough to get him to believe I won't turn around and kill him, though. If we were closer I might've even taken it personally - so, I figured I'd keep my distance.

What did you two fight about?

Yeah that kind of sounds like Claude.

[That strange paranoia that he has. Now Ashe has a better understanding of it, but still. It's odd to him.]

Well, you weren't the only one I caught in my web that night. There were some other people, and Claude was one of them. We were already kind of having a tough time since I didn't understand why he'd pull away from me after flirting or touching me. He tried to show me why he was the way he was. I tried to explain where I was coming from too. I'm not sure if we actually succeeded well.

We kissed, and that was nice, but I felt like it wasn't a good idea to do more. So I said we'd be better off as friends. He said he had one friend, which made it clear he didn't consider me one. I said that he was good at hurting people, but I'd be there for him anyway if he needed me.

He said he didn't, and told me to let him go. I got upset, and I told him I was going to leave for a little while so he could think about what I said. And honestly, I wanted a bit of space to cool down.

I came back in I want to say fifteen minutes or something? And he was gone. He ripped himself free from my web. I thought he left because he was angry with me. Bernadetta told me it was because he thought I left him for dead. I guess it was trauma based, something like that.

( Hoooooooooo boy. )

That ... yeah, that's a mess.

I'd have thought he'd know that you of all people wouldn't leave him for dead, but I guess trauma does have a way of making everything look like the worst case scenario. I'm sorry things got so complicated.

You've apologised to each other? From what you've said, it seems like neither of you were actually trying to hurt each other that night - his self-destructive behaviour just came back to bite you both in the ass.

That's the other thing. He wrote me this long letter that basically said that he wasn't planning on apologizing until he changed or something like that. "I won't apologize until I'm better."

I asked him if he even felt bad about what happened. That's when he finally said he was sorry. And I apologized too of course. If I knew leaving him behind like that would cause that, I wouldn't have. But I'm not sorry for what I said to him. Maybe I should be?

I guess I'm just trying to figure out how it ended up like this, if I should have done anything different.

Hey.

We can only do the best we can with the information we have at the time, okay? Claude's keeps pretty much everything to to himself - and I'm sure he has his reasons for that. Unfortunately it means good people like you are only going to find the pitfalls when you're stumbling into one.

Things ended up like this because you ended up falling into a pretty big one - but you couldn't have known, Ashe. You can't know to do things differently when someone won't tell you that what you're doing is wrong.

( That he knows all this because he's the Claude in situations like this is ... yeah, it's just going to hang there between them for a while. )

As for what you said to him ... maybe he needed to hear it. Those things tend to be the most difficult to deal with.

For what it's worth, though, that you both apologised might mean that something good can come of this in the end. Is that what you want?

Thank you, Yuri. There's not a lot to be done about it now I suppose except to find a way to adapt from it.

Of course it is. But I also don't want to end up in another fight with him. I guess all I can do is just be patient and hope we both find a way to meet in the middle.

Good luck, friend. I mean that.

And hey, if you're at a loose end tonight you'd be welcome to come to my place for dinner. I heard you moved in with the Professor, so don't worry if you already have plans, but the offer's always open.

No, I'm pretty sure His Highness and the Professor are doing something with each other tonight. I'd be glad to come over. Would you like me to bring anything?

Nope. This one's all on me.

Okay, but I may or may not be planning on baking you cookies for a later time.

Oh no, anything but that ...

I know, just terrible.

Thanks again, Yuri. I'll see you later tonight.

Not at all. See you later, Little Sparrow.

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