Time to Unwind

Dinner for Corrin was a prepackaged meal from the City. On the plus side, it wasn't from the cafeteria, and Grey had purchased it from some other eatery elsewhere in the City. The house itself was rather warm and cozy, Grey having lit the fireplace which was burning steadily.

Outside the sun had nearly set and the sky was a deep shade of purple. Grey himself had disappeared outside, having said he needed to get something, leaving the princess at the dining table.

She could easily picture Grey, Elyse and his entire fireteam here, sharing meals around the table. The meal itself was better as well, though it was a bit of a shame it wasn't made in-house. Then again, Grey didn't strike her as the type to cook. Or maybe it was just because he seemed to survive entirely on a liquid diet.

Corrin had picked up some cooking tips and tricks during the war, perhaps she'd try her hand at preparing a dish. She owed Grey a lot. He was really sticking his neck out for her.

The Hunter didn't stay for the meal, which left Corrin plenty of time to dwell on what had happened earlier. She'd never partially transformed before. She'd taken that draconic form several times during the war, as it provided a boost in defence and power in the midst of combat. In it, she could fly, breathe out this odd, watery vortex that could easily take out hordes of Faceless, and with her elongated limbs, easily pick off lone enemies.

She stared down at her hands, wondering what else she might be able to summon while retaining her human form. This would've been an incredible discovery… were she not stranded in a world that detested dragons.

The door opened, shaking her out of her thoughts. The Hunter walked back inside, carrying a mason jar filled with clear liquid. He pulled out a chair and took a seat opposite Corrin and placed a pair of glasses on the table. "Here, kid," he said, unscrewing the lid and pouring its contents into the glasses up to a third. "Have a drink."

"Oh, uh..." she stared at the liquid in the glass. Even from where she sat she could smell the alcohol. There was a hint of smokiness in it, too. She turned to Grey as he filled his own glass. She never really drank, given how she needed a clear head in battle.

But she felt it'd be rude to refuse it.

Hesitantly, she picked up the glass, and had to stop herself from gagging at the smell. Grey raised his glass and clinked it with hers.

"Cheers," said the Hunter. She watched as he drank the contents of the glass in one gulp without so much as flinching, and she stared nervously at hers, before taking a swig.

Immediately she wished she hadn't. The drink burned its way down her throat, and she placed her cup down and gave a hacking cough, fearing she might just hurl her dinner back up.

"How… how can you drink that so quickly?!" She asked, giving Grey an incredulous look. She already knew the answer, but still.

Across her, Grey had finished his drink and calmly smacked his lips together, which was a stark contrast to Corrin's coughing fit. "I've been drinking for three quarters of a century. That's enough time to get used to it," he said, pouring himself another glass. "Besides, it takes a lot more to get a Guardian drunk than a civilian."

"You know, that stuff is highly illegal in the City," Saratoga said. "The Vanguard banned moonshine after one two many accidents regarding homebrews."

"Technically, it's only illegal to brew it," Grey corrected, taking a sip. "Nothing wrong with drinking it. Or selling it."

The Hunter cocked his head over to the hold barn, which had a Sparrow-sized hole in its side. "You know, when your Sparrow went through earlier I'd feared it'd have destroyed my brewing station inside. Guess I can count my lucky stars it didn't."

"I'll try and be more careful the next time I'm sent flying on the Sparrow," Corrin rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't want to damage your goods."

Saratoga quickly spoke up. "What my Guardian is trying to say is that he's glad that the Sparrow didn't hit the station and cause anything to explode," he said, rolling his eye. "It's a pretty complex rig in there, to be honest. Some of the stuff Grey here brews is a little more than volatile, to say the least."

Corrin glanced at her glass with a worried look, and then pushed it away.

The Ghost glanced at Grey. "You know, the first time Grey tried to brew moonshine with a custom brewing station he built, it exploded and took out the entire shed he was in."

"Not one of my proudest moments. Or deaths," said Grey, rolling his eyes and finishing his drink. "Let's just say I took it as a learning experience. I've gotten better. In fact, I've spent the better part of my career as a Guardian brewing up batches of moonshine to sell to other Guardians or civvies. I make a decent amount of Glimmer from each sale."

"Selling it inside the City is technically illegal."

"Good thing we're not in the City, huh?" Grey grinned at his Ghost. "Besides, I sell most of it to other Guardians, anyway, and most in the City are willing to turn a blind eye. Never killed anyone."

Corrin chuckled at the banter between Guardian and Ghost. The consumption of alcohol seemed to be a universal pastime, one she didn't often partake in. Still, she couldn't fault Grey. She imagined after all he'd seen and lost, it must feel nice to numb the pain and horror with a glass of home made spirits.

The Hunter poured himself another and turned to Corrin, voice turning serious. "Anyway, kid, I think we gotta discuss that thing that happened earlier."

He put both his hands on the table. "That whole dragon wings thing of yours. How'd you do that?" He asked. "Think you could do it again?"

"I've never done that before. Back home, I either assumed my dragon form, or I was, well you know," Corrin frowned and gestured to her current, humanoid figure. "I've gotten used to my dragon form. I'm comfortable with the flight, extended range and breath weapon. But none of that has ever manifested outside of that form before. Maybe coming here somehow altered my powers..."

She set the glass on the table, her hand moving to her Dragonstone. She ran her fingers over its surface, and found no scratches or dents in the gem. "My stone isn't damaged, so that isn't the cause. As for doing it again… would that be a good idea? I mean, it could be useful. Super useful even!" She brightened a bit at the thought.

"Maybe it's the Light interacting with your brand of magic, or something like that," Grey theorised, scratching his chin.

The Hunter placed his drink on the table, thinking. Corrin being able to manifest selective parts of her draconic form could prove remarkably useful. He'd seen what she could do in that form, with the whole water beam thing.

It was almost like a Guardian's Super. On the other hand, there was no telling how much she could actually do, or whether it'd be as useful as her other form. It'd be more covert and inconspicuous for sure, but he didn't want a situation where she'd mess up and do something too obvious.

That'd be too much of an Ahamkara thing, given how that was exactly the type of thing they'd pull.

But he digressed. He'd never actually seen an Ahamkara anyway. Not in person.

Corrin continued. "I bet I could learn to control it, but I don't want to cause any trouble. Might be hard to explain the sudden appearance of wings or a tail or something."

"If you can learn how to control it, I'd say it'll make all the difference," said Grey, pouring himself another drink. "You just gotta learn how."

The princess glanced down to her own drink with a deep frown on her face. "I'll work hard to control it! I have to."

She looked to Grey. "Anything to further my goal to get back home, and to help humanity here in any way I can."

She flashed a determined smile before taking another small sip of her drink, wincing at the taste. These things came in baby steps. Mastering her new powers and drinking alike, both would take some time and dedication.

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By the time dinner was over the sun had set completely. The light from the full moon glinted off the calm surface of the lake and the house itself. In many ways Grey's home was incredibly isolated. During the Golden Age and before it was probably the only sign of civilisation for miles. Now it was likely the only one in the entire region.

Still, it was cozy and homely inside.

Grey was letting Corrin sleep in his room, which she had first objected to, but had given in after Grey insisted. She sat on his bed, idly taking a look at the various trinkets in the room. There were a couple of posters of the Last City's weapon foundries decorating the walls and an ancient shotgun on a plaque, but no sign of litter or filth. Well, aside from a bin half-filled with empty cans.

It was staggering to think this place belonged to the same person behind the pit back in the City. She wondered if he took more time to keep this place clean due to the sentimental value it held.

Had he shared this room with Elyse at one point? The thought made her a bit uneasy.

Grey appeared through the door. "Hey, here," he said, tossing her a duffel bag. "Got some stuff for you to wear."

Corrin caught the bag and took a moment to look through its contents. Inside were several sets of clothing, much of it regular civilian clothing for a variety of occasions. Most of it was for casual wear, however. Interestingly, they also seemed to go with each other, and it seemed like Grey had actually taken the time to carefully pick each one out instead of randomly buying the first few he saw.

"Thank you! I'll take good care of them" she bowed slightly and smiled. "I hadn't even thought about extra clothes. I just figured I'd wear the Hunter armor or my old set..."

"Thought it'd be best for you to have a fresh set of clothes," Grey shrugged as he watched the princess look through the clothing within the duffel bag. "Besides, Guardians, especially us Hunters, take fashion very seriously."

"Fun fact: Hunters have two main goals. One, protect the City. Two, look better than the Warlocks," Saratoga said.

The Hunter grinned at that. "I think we've done a mighty fine job of that, haven't we, Toga?"

"Couldn't have said better myself."

Corrin had never really been interested in fashion, so she couldn't understand why an entire class of warriors would be intent on looking better than their allies. Perhaps Oboro would be able to empathise more.

"Regardless, I appreciate the thought. I promise to take good care of these", she set the clothes aside. She'd look through them more tomorrow, though all seemed perfectly suitable as far as she was concerned.

The Hunter picked up an ancient sheriff's bade off the shelf and fiddled with it. "I know I've said this a few times already, but if you wanna find a way home, you're gonna have to fight for it," he said, tossing the badge into the air like a coin and then caught it. "The wilds out here beyond the walls? Dangerous as all hell. You ain't gonna get far without a good gun, a sharp blade, or keen eye. For us Hunters, it's home where we belong. For people with only one life like you? May be all the difference between life and death. Tomorrow ain't gonna be any easier, you know that, right?"

The princess flashed him a smile. "You'll find I'm no stranger to working hard. I've spent my entire life honing my skills. At first it was to impress my father and siblings. And then the war came, and even in peace times one always has to be prepared. I'm not scared of hard work or a challenge, no matter how long the odds."

"Good to know," said Grey, looking to Corrin with a small smile on his face. Corrin couldn't quite tell if that small smile he'd flashed was one of irony or favour. She chose to take it as the latter.

The Hunter might have her beat in years and experience, but Corrin cam equipped with near boundless optimism. She would rise to his every expectation, if no other reason than she had to. There was far too much riding upon her success to allow the long odds to dishearten her.

Grey placed the badge back on the shelf where it belonged and turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'll be downstairs if you need me. Good night."

As he left, Corrin took out a set of casual clothes and headed to the bathroom. She changed out of the Frumious Set and stepped into the shower, turning it on. She allowed the warm water to calm her mind, but her thought still began to wander.

She thought of her siblings, wondering if they were as worried for her as she was for them. How was the peace treaty with Hoshido holding up? How was Hinoka adjusting to the crown, and Sakura to being the first princess?

Had her family even noticed that she was gone? Surely they would. She'd been missing for over a day already. They must've noticed something was up by now. Worse, could her disappearance spark another war with Hoshido?

She sighed, finishing her shower and grabbing a towel to dry herself off. She changed into the clothes and retreated back into the bedroom, laying on her back and tucking herself in. Staring up at the ceiling, she tried to have those memories carry her back home. To her own bed, her own castle, surrounded by her family.

"Xander… Ryoma. I promise I won't give in..." she spoke softly with a yawn. "For all the innocents in this world, and for all those that I hold dear, I'll figure this out. Well… we'll figure this out."

She would be lost without Grey's support. She still wasn't fully sure why the Hunter was going so far for her, but Corrin wasn't the type to question the kindness of others.

A small frown came to her lips. Whatever happened would happen, she saw no reason to fret over something as trivial as Grey's motives. There was no place for such emotions in the heat of battle. Corrin assumed losing someone he'd clearly been close to had made that perfectly clear for Grey.

She sighed, and tried not to dwell on things as the night wore on. She did have a long day ahead of her, after all.

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Grey made his way downstairs. He stopped at the kitchen counter and poured himself a glass of bourbon before heading outside to the porch and sitting down on a chair. It was an old piece of furniture he'd recovered some years back. He'd imagined it was something old ladies would sit on and just reminisce about the good old days, just as he often found himself doing.

In many ways, he was old. Not by Guardian standards of course, but he was still older than most people in the City. He'd seen children grow old in his years as a Hunter, and those years just seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. The fastest years of his life were those he spent with Elyse.

He sighed, taking a sip of his drink. Again he'd found himself thinking of her, as he always did. He'd spent so many days alone in this little farmhouse. Hunters found peace in solitude, he'd keep telling himself, so he was fine with that. He glanced inside and remembered that Corrin was there with him, so now he wasn't alone. It'd been years since he had someone in his home other than himself. The Hunter shook his head and took out a cigarette and lit it up.

"You know, you're being awfully nice to her," Saratoga spoke up, appearing next to his Guardian.

Grey blew out a puff of smoke. "Why not? There a problem with being nice for a change?"

"No, it's just that you're never this nice to someone you've just met," the Ghost said. "Hell, the only other time you were this nice to someone was... was... oh. Oooh, I get it."

The Hunter turned to his Ghost, who was chuckling as he made the connection. "What?"

"She does remind you of Elyse, doesn't she?" Asked his Ghost, shifting his plates to appear as a grin. "See, what'd I tell you?"

Grey rolled his eyes and tapped on his cigarette. "Okay, you got me," he said, taking a puff. "I'll admit, she does."

He blew out some smoke and took a sip of bourbon. "She's got that whole fish outta water look like you said, but she's also got that whole will to fight to her. That spark of determination. I see it in her eyes. She's the kind who ain't gonna let anything slow her down," he told his Ghost. "Just like Elyse."

"Ha! Guess that's why you brought her here, huh?" Saratoga laughed. "She's one hell of a looker too, ain't she?"

The Hunter gave his Ghost a skeptical look. "Really? You're doing that now?"

Saratoga rolled his eye. "Come on, you gotta admit she is. Besides, maybe she can help you get over Elyse."

"We're not going there just yet," Grey rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his drink. "Even if we do somehow, it's just that I ain't sure how to handle it. I ain't gonna lose anyone else."

The Ghost sighed and floated closer to his Guardian. "Hey, don't think we'll be finding her a way back anytime soon. Plenty of time to change your mind."

Grey finished up his drink. "No, I won't." He discarded his cigarette into his glass and took out another one.

The two of them remained there for the rest of the night, until the sun rose above the horizon the next morning.