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Ruin - Secret Santa for Aliena H.~


SweaterWeather

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SURPRISE! @Aliena H. :D Sorry I'm terribly late with this, but real life got in the way for a while. Still, I'm so stoked to be giving you something for this Secret Santa. Now this is the first half, I'll hopefully be able to have the second one up soon, if anything by the end of January/beginning of February at the latest. Hope you enjoy so far!

 

Long limbs tore through a mass of low-sloping trees and brush, and out of the greenery tumbled one gangly historian, Ethan Birch. Sallow cheeks puffed red and perspiration dappling his skin, upper body fell forward, only stopped by hands slapping atop his knees. "Never... Again... That was way, WAY too close, Xander,"

And following not too far behind, the male in question escaped past the brush with a little more grace than his companion. Xander Holloway, just slightly taller than Ethan with a muscular yet slim build, chuckled softly. "Geez, man, where's your sense of adventure? Did you leave it behind at the hotel?"

"We almost had our tongues sliced off..."

"Which! Which, you can technically live through--"

"XANDER!"

"Alright, I get it, it was a... fairly close call. But the grand prize, Ethan, think about it!"

"Oh, ya' know, I figured escaping with our LIVES would have been enough for you," But as he turns to fix Xander with a stern glare, the adrenaline-soaked grin on his features is enough for Ethan to simply roll his eyes. "Why I even bother still manages to baffle me. C'mon, let's go home while we still have our dignity in tact,"

Xander's smile morphed into a pout as Ethan started ahead, and he strode forward to place a hand atop his friend's chest, features giving off a solemness that had the blonde hair on Ethan's nape standing on edge. "Now, you act like we actually came out of this empty handed. But that's where you'd be wrong, my friend. For we did not just escape with our lives, oh no-- we came out with much, much more,"

With a flick of his wrist, a palm was upheld, dirt-coated fingers clasped around a jade green medallion.

Ethan's eyes widen exceptionally. "You didn't-- you did. Holy Hellscapes, you di   How?!" His own fingers are hesitant to close around the relic from Xander's grasp, turning it over in awe while the other simply grins, pride oozing from every pore. 

"Nothing special. I just... managed to snag it off one of those goons before they could properly tuck it away. Right about now, they should be realizing their 'treasure' is actually that cheap compass I was planning on tossing after we headed back," He's bordering on snickering now, but Ethan's only half listening, still engrossed with the object of both mens desire. That and the fact that for once, they actually managed to come out fairly unscathed, with the actual treasure they were seeking. 

"I still can't believe it, this- this is an indescribable find, Xander," Ethan had honestly become accustomed to being on the non-receiving end of their travels; part of his own line of work didn't really have to do with the actual finding of remarkable gems and relics, but in cataloging the history of them. And although he sincerely believed in their abilities, they had been in the midst of a particularly lengthy dry spell where it concerned actually succeeding. 

This, though? Procuring the Iwa Rhuin was just the break both men needed. 

Xander, for his part, felt particularly jump-started by the discovery, as if the consistent bouncing on his heels didn't make it obvious. "Uh-huh, and you said it was a lot cause. I told you we'd find this one, just gotta have a little faith in me once in a while,"

"Yes, faith and all, right but, would you stop fidgeting?" Huffing, Ethan handed the medallion back to Xander, fingers absently smoothing over the film of dust left behind on his fingers. Xander was all too happy to have it back in his grasp, having already retrieved a length of paracord from his pack. Barely encompassing the palm of his hand, it held a few small holes in-between intricate grooves of what Ethan had deduced to be arms interlocking hand by hand, meeting in the middle to symbolize unity. The stretch of cord eased effortlessly through one of the openings, and with a secure fasten on both sides, Xander had slipped it over his head. 

The weight felt just a tad heavier hanging from his neck, and it pressed firm and chilled even against his clothed chest. Only serving to make the reality of it all the more enthralling. "And, voila! Whaddya think, Ethan?" 

"Hm?" Ethan appeared to have lost himself in thought for a moment, glancing up from his fingers to find Xander displaying their treasure as if the latest prize on a game show. He couldn't help but wince, noting how it just... dangled from his neck so loosely. "That doesn't... seem safe. Listen, maybe you should tuck it away for now. Or, better yet let me hold onto it," Though the second he began to extend a hand, Xander leaned out of reach, disbelief twisting his features. "Seriously? You think I can't handle holding onto this? I've been searching for treasures larger and grander since you graduated college, man. Before you even knew about it!" When Ethan finally backed off, hands raised in surrender, Xander's shoulders relaxed, lips pressing into a firm line, "I've got this. Now let's go, we don't wanna miss Zoe's plane," Slinging his pack rather roughly over a shoulder, he began trudging through the mass of twisting vines, machete carving out a path for Ethan to follow.

The blonde paused momentarily, still a little unsettled from the Rhuin's current carrier. Still, deep down, he wouldn't trust anyone else but his best friend to hold onto it. Although, the fact that it had been turned into a fashion accessory wasn't the only matter he was concerned about. Some of the rumors of locals he'd read up on didn't exactly paint possessing the ancient in a positive light.
 But   they had held onto it for more than a few hours, and Xander appeared to be fine, as well as himself. It was just residual paranoia, he was certain. Maybe a little faith wouldn't hurt to start toting around."Yeah. Right," he murmured, fully shaking the nagging voice in the back of his head and grabbing his own pack, lightly beginning to jog after his friend. 
-----

"hiihH'SHUU!"

"Blessings," Azure gaze lifted across the desk towards Xander, finding the other scouring a palm up against the tip of his nose. For the umpteenth time. In exact numericals, the expulsion count had reached twenty-one  

"hiH'AKSCHH!hh..."

Er, scratch that. Twenty-two. He doesn't want to admit that he's been keeping track, and certainly won't do so aloud. But the progression of this, cold or other virus truly has him worried. It started the moment they touched U.S. soil again - Xander had startled Ethan with an impressively obnoxious sneeze, to which he abruptly began cackling upon seeing the torn crossword in Ethan's grip. Damn hair-trigger nerves.

It didn't help that they rented a flat together, either, and Ethan had a near constant view of his friend's deteriorating state. Over the course of the next two weeks, Ethan had seen Xander go from lightly sniffling at breakfast to bolting into the bathroom late at night, barking coughs reverberating off of the thin walls. And it wasn't like Ethan could drag him into the hospital - no, Xander had a stubborn aversion to anything relating to hospitals, doctors, needles, all of it. The only way he could ever manage to haul his friend into anything of the like was to go and see Zoe. She was a nursing student, and the closest to a real professional Xander would ever agree to letting check him out.

A thick snuffle pulls Ethan from his thoughts, and a sympathy charged wince tenses his frame. Xander's listlessly staring at his computer screen, fingers digging at the keys slower than usual. Eyes are rimmed with smudged, dark circles and, his already pale complexion appears ghastly with the pink hues adorning his cheeks and nostrils.

Over all? He's the epitome of the term ill

Though, that isn't the weird part. Colds can run their course, and yes, certain viruses can remain dormant for a while. But... it's the medallion. Ethan's noted that over the past few weeks, it's jade color has dulled, significantly. At first he attributed it to possibly being exposed to the open air after years of seclusion, but he managed to debunk that theory. And the other factor, the one that truly caused Ethan's gut to knot in worry.

Xander hadn't removed it since landing. No, more like refused

Any time Ethan even mentioned the Rhuin lately, he could see a shift in his friend's demeanor. Exhaustion would give way to a taught defensiveness, gaze darkening at the mere thought of removing the relic for examination. He would, for a short while, but he insisted upon returning it to his person the moment Ethan completed the process. Unsettling would be an understatement to describe Xander's behavior. Still, Ethan was determined to figure this out. Whether there was a link between this illness and the Rhuin, or not.
 

 

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Okay, what can I say there except: THANK YOU!!! I love it! I don't know how you did it but there's pretty much everything I like in this story. Adventure, friendship AND a mysterious illness AND (slight) angst. What else could I ask for? To be honest, I was a bit concerned about recieving an original fic for Secret Santa, but this is amazing!

The beginning was just like an Indiana Jones movie (and I love Indiana Jones), and I love the interaction between the two characters.

37 minutes ago, Grey on a Sunday said:

That doesn't... seem safe.

I'm with Ethan on this!!! :rolleyes: This medallion has too much similarity to the Ring of Power to be completely safe...

39 minutes ago, Grey on a Sunday said:

It was just residual paranoia, he was certain.

Yeah... No.

39 minutes ago, Grey on a Sunday said:

For the umpteenth time. In exact numericals, the expulsion count had reached twenty-one  

"hiH'AKSCHH!hh..."

Er, scratch that. Twenty-two. He doesn't want to admit that he's been keeping track, and certainly won't do so aloud.

... And I started to become incoherent right there. :sweatdrop:

41 minutes ago, Grey on a Sunday said:

Over the course of the next two weeks, Ethan had seen Xander go from lightly sniffling at breakfast to bolting into the bathroom late at night, barking coughs reverberating off of the thin walls. And it wasn't like Ethan could drag him into the hospital - no, Xander had a stubborn aversion to anything relating to hospitals, doctors, needles, all of it.

In fact, I could quote the whole story. But concerningly-deteriorating-health + hospital-phobia? I HAD to quote that specific part, because it's perfect.

43 minutes ago, Grey on a Sunday said:

Over all? He's the epitome of the term ill

I know I should empathise with Xander, I really should, but at that point my brain was completely gone, sorry not sorry. Medical mysteries will be the death of me, and the one you offered me here is just awsome.

To sum up, it was a wonderful gift, and don't worry about being late, I know that real life has an unfortunate tendency to get on the way! And also, take your time for the next part (I have to admit that I CAN'T WAIT to read and I WANT TO KNOW it but it's well-known that patience isn't exactly my strong spot, so...:rolleyes:)! Anyway, thank you so much!!! I enjoyed every line of it.

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This is fantastic. How exciting! Love the mystery!

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