Homeward Bound

“...So she wasn’t just your second-in-command, was she? You said that you two had been friends for a long time. Did you mean… more than friends?”

“Ugh, why does this have to be the first time I’ve seen you put two and two together at a decent speed,” Adantia growled, turning over on the bed to face the wall. “I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Are you sure? Because you kind of seemed like you wanted to talk about it. Maybe not to me, but…”

“...Shit. Forgot I let you see that,” Adantia growled. Though she didn’t turn to face him, John could see the way her hand clenched tightly around the bed sheets. “I was planning on killing you after I figured out who sent you.”

“Comforting thought,” John murmured. “I take it those statues were people you knew?”

“I said I don’t want to talk about any of this, is there another way I could phrase it where you would believe me?!”

“I believe you don’t want to talk about it right now. Not to me, anyway. But I think that you do, because I also… I mean…”

John trailed off for a while, mulling his words over before releasing them into the wild. Much like Adantia, he didn’t relish the thought of sharing more personal details… but at the moment, the only way John could see this proceed in a genuine manner was to actually be genuine and straightforward. Anything less would’ve been disrespectful to the sensitive subjects he was bringing up.

“I was lucky enough to have people around me to talk to, but it took months for me to open up to them. The first person I talked to about everything, the first time I really let the shock wear away and open up about it… it was to her. A few weeks after everything happened I went back to her headstone and sat there for three days. It was the first time I let myself really break down about it all. We buried her under where our old home burned down. I spent those three days clearing out more of the rubble piece by piece, talking to her grave, crying, or just… sitting there. Remembering some things, thinking about some others.”

John had let his eyes trail down to his lap as he idly fiddled with his clothes, but he glanced over to Adantia as he paused briefly. She didn’t react, either to his words or his silence, but John did notice that her grip on the pillow was a little looser.

“Then a few weeks later I was eating dinner with the others, in our new house. I just sort of, I don’t know, let it slip? We were finishing up the meal and talking about things to add to our new house; I asked everyone what they wanted in their rooms if I made a shopping trip back to the old world… and while they were thinking about it, I said I was going to get a tea maker. I hadn’t thought about it once before then, it just sort of came out. Nobody said anything, and then all of a sudden they were all speaking at once. Agreeing with me, telling me what a good idea it was, how proud of me they were. I just kind of broke down again, all over, like it was fresh and new, but this time with everyone around me. I still use the kettle I bought after every damn meal.”

Still no response, which John took as encouraging. At least she wasn’t telling him to fuck off or shut up, something she seemed to have no reservations about doing.

“I know our situations aren’t quite the same, but I want to try to reach an understanding. I know how hard it is to talk to someone, anyone, whether you trust them or not. I know sometimes the best person to talk to is a wall. I took you out of your comfort zone, and told you things that will probably make you feel unsafe for a long time, even if you went back to your home right now, and I guess… look, if you get to the point where you want to say something, I know you don’t have anyone else to talk to. So if you want to just think out loud, or if you want to say something profound, or even if you just want to talk about memories… I don’t have to say anything, I don’t have to comment, I don’t even have to understand completely. But I can be there for it.”

More silence. Adantia’s body was still, even more so than when she had been outright annoyed at John.

“Anyway,” John said after a lengthy silence, “I only came over here originally to wake you up from whatever nightmares you were having, so I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I’ll head back to our room and keep an eye on the others. Whenever you’re ready to leave in the morning, just let me-”

“You can… you can stay,” Adantia said, her voice half-muffled by the pillow. John paused in mid-turn as she continued. “I’ll keep an eye on the others from here. You can sleep if you want, or not, doesn’t matter to me. Like I said, if anything can get past my aura reading and seismic senses, we weren’t going to see them coming anyway. I, um… I promise I’m not going to fall asleep. Not really an option at this point.”

“I don’t mind staying, but if you’d rather be alone, I understand,” John murmured, not moving from the bed.

“No, it’s… it’s fine. It’s been a long time since I could just lay here, just relax… with someone else nearby.”

Adantia didn’t elaborate further than that, but she hardly needed to. John said nothing as he turned himself back onto the bed, sliding under the cheap motel covers and stopping just a few inches away from her back. Silence swept across the room, the low thrumming of the cheap air conditioning unit filling the void.

“Goodnight, Adantia,” John finally said at last. He wasn’t sure that he’d be able to sleep, but it was all he could think to say.

“...Goodnight, John.”

Early the next morning, as the sun shone in through the cheap, yellowed curtains covering the windows, both John and Adantia lay awake, both having an unspoken understanding not to violate the silence. Still, they both knew they would have to move eventually, breaking the awkward but comfortable silence of the room. Thankfully a third party made the decision for them – John’s phone blared out with a ringtone that sounded like a symphony in the still air. Despite not being able to reach his new world, Tricia’s upgrades made sure the phone’s ringtone was loud and clear even in John’s inventory.

“Hang on, that might be Moira,” John mumbled as he tossed the covers away, lifting himself from the bed and opening his inventory immediately. A moment later he had the cell pressed to his ear, hardly able to open his mouth for a greeting before he heard a frantic, even panicked tone come across the phone.

“John Newman, you unbearable fool! Where have you been?! What have you done this time?!”

“W-woah, woah, calm down, Moira. Did something happen?” John asked, an instinctive panic rising in him.

“Of course something happened! A fool I call my friend ran halfway across the country on a suicide mission, all without so much as saying goodbye! If you’d bothered to tell me what you were planning, I’d have knocked you around until you either saw sense or stars!”

“Did you ever think that might be why I didn’t say goodbye?” John grumbled, rubbing at his eyes. Despite not needing sleep, John suddenly felt the unmistakable grievance of it being far too early for this.

“I don’t want to hear excuses, I want to hear answers, John! I’ve been worried sick since the day you left. I tried calling but you didn’t answer, I tried having Tricia hack your phone but you apparently left it in that damn world of yours, and you buried her drone in a mountain! John, where have you been?!”

“You’re, um… you’re going to be upset. And you’re still probably not going to believe me, but…”

John spent the next hour on the phone with a particularly bloodthirsty Warden who alternated between a blindingly heated rage, a stupendous disbelief, and a mixture of emotions that could only be described as the deep-seated feelings of “I can’t believe you’re still alive, or that I’m still putting up with your bullshit”. It wasn’t the first time she’d given John any of these emotions, but it was certainly the first time they had all been so intense and rotated so rapidly.

“You are telling me that you met a Deity, hired a survivor of a lost city burned to the ground by another Deity, and managed to recruit someone so powerful they were rumored to be the next Deity?! Do you realize how unbelievably insane that sounds?”

“I told him that it was stupid. Selfish, too. He really doesn’t like listening though, does he?”

“J-John, I don’t recognize that voice. Is that…?”

“Adantia, yeah,” John said, nodding at the warrior woman still relaxing naked on the bed. “She’s-”

“Oh sweet Lady and her chastity, you were actually telling the truth...” Moira whispered. John could almost feel the redhead’s stress building, and picture the fingers undoubtedly pinching the bridge of her nose. “John, look, I know I said-”

“Promised,” John corrected immediately, already seeing where this was going.

“...Promised,” Moira said through gritted teeth, “...but things aren’t that simple anymore. We’ve already begun the preparations for the move. And we-”

“Can undo them. Can help us fight. Can save Springfield and your home,” John responded, trying to sound forceful with the usually overpowering Warden. “Moira, not only did you promise, but I followed through. She can help us fight this war, and with her on our side, I believe we can win it. Trust me, I should know. She tried to kill me in the first thirty seconds or so after we met, and I only made it a couple of minutes before she almost-”

”Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!” Moira said, voice gritty and laced with a growl. “You are making things so much worse every time you open your mouth!”

“He’s pretty good at that too,” Adantia chimed in loudly. “I think you might have the right idea about pounding some sense into him.”

“You aren’t involved in this anymore!” Moira commanded.

“I’m feeling pretty involved,” Adantia countered.

“John Newman, you get yourself back to this Manor as quickly as possible, alive, and we will continue this conversation then!” Moira ordered one last time. “If you’re not back by the end of the week, I will come find you myself if I have to!”

“Wait, really? What about planning for-”

“We can discuss that when you’re home, safe and sound – and where I can reach you with this hammer!” Moira grunted, a loud crashing and breaking sound echoing over the line that made John wonder if Moira had really just slammed her hammer into the Order’s furniture… or perhaps a full wall.

“Understood, have a pleasant day,” John hurried out, ending the call before he could make things even worse.

“I like her,” Adantia said, grinning. “I think we’re gonna get along well. As long as she knows who’s in charge.”

“By Gaia, what have I done…”

After that night spent in the motel, Adantia stopped getting herself a separate room, although she and John didn’t share a bed for the remaining two nights of travel. Most of the time Adantia actually crashed on the couch, when she didn’t just sit around outside or wander the hotel grounds. With her along for the ride, they spent a lot less time worrying about stealth and secrecy, which sped up their travels considerably, though it still made John nervous. Even if she could handle a random group of mercenaries or rogue mages, John didn’t relish the thought of being ambushed.

But no one in their path attempted an ambush, at least so far as John was aware. Both Layla and Adantia sensed a few mages as they traveled, but they went unbothered by the few that they did sense. Either they had no intentions of attacking them or they were smart enough to look a little deeper and saw the absolute monstrous cluster of cables Adantia was controlling inside her Barrier and decided better of it.

Only one truly notable thing happened during their brief travels home after that night at the motel, an unexpected but not unpleasant event. They were nearly home, cruising along the interstate and zipping between cars as John zoomed along as fast as he could.

“I think… I think I have an idea,” she said, her voice so quiet that John almost missed it over the dull background noise of the radio.

“An idea? An idea about what?” John asked, glancing into the rearview mirror.

“About my name,” she said, smiling and meeting his gaze. “Would that be alright?”

“Oh, sure, if you’re ready. What inspired this?”

“It was one of those signs on the road. I think you told me they were street signs? I don’t know why, but I read it and… it really sounded nice. Is that silly?”

“Doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks is silly, just matters if you like it. Besides, if you decide later you want to change your mind, you can always change your name.” Truthfully, the idea of picking a name from something so mundane was actually adorable to John. Though explaining so many things to her had gotten somewhat tiresome at times when her questions wore on for hours, and covered so many extremely basic things, the moments of genuine innocence and adorable joys that she found in things others wouldn’t even notice made it all worthwhile.

“Okay. Well, anyway, the name was actually ‘Farrah’. Do you think that sounds okay? Is that not a good name for a person, only for streets?” The tone of her voice was like that of a child expecting to be patted on the head and told to mind their own business, awaiting the condescending tones of ‘let the adults talk’.

“That sounds like a great name,” John said. “Nice to meet you, Farrah.”

“Oh. Um… yes, I think that will do. For now, at least,” Farrah said, twirling a lock of her hair in her fingers as she blushed and glanced out the window. “Thank you, John.”

“You don’t need to thank me for letting you pick your own name,” John said with a wry smirk. He couldn’t help but notice how unusual and refreshing it felt to have one of his creations call him by his actual name.

“Not that this isn’t adorable and all, but do you actually have a plan on what to do when we get there?” Adantia asked from the backseat, idly staring out the window. “She didn’t really seem receptive to sticking around, even if you bring me along for the ride.”

“I’ve got… a few ideas, still mulling over which one is going to work best,” John mumbled.

“And how long do you think you’ll need to ‘mull over’ your plans? Might be a good idea to let the rest of us know before we get there,” Adantia noted.

John glanced at his GPS, swallowing nervously.

“Well… hopefully less than three hours, because by then we’ll be at the Order Manor,” John said, sighing.

“Um… John, could you drop me off on the way there?” Layla asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

“Oh, sure. Where’s your place?” John asked, realizing that he’d never actually been to Layla’s home.

“Just drop me off at the market, I need to take care of a few things before heading home,” Layla said, eyes also pointed out the passenger window.

“Oh, alright,” John murmured. He would’ve offered to give Layla a ride home, but he wasn’t sure what kind of a mess the Manor was in. John didn’t want to waste any time. “If you’re sure.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Layla said, nodding firmly.