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umbry-fic · 1 year

Text

Passed between these hands of ours

Summary: It’s easy, really! I’ll show you!

The passing of joy from one person to the next, like stones pressed from hand to hand.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving, Original Character Relationships: Colette Brunel & Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel & Original Character Rating: G Word Count: 3218 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 16/01/2023

Notes: This was a fic I wrote for day 1 of @tosrcountdown! It also has art by @silent-shanin, which you can see here :) This fic takes place maybe two to three years after the end of the game, when Lloyd and Colette are still on their post-canon journey to hunt down all the Exspheres.

I was super happy to be able to take part in this event and see everyone else's amazing work for one whole month! Do check out all the other contributions!

~~~

Lloyd trudged up the path towards the lake on the outskirts of Palmacosta, stifling a long yawn with one hand. His other was preoccupied with carrying a sack slung over his shoulder, preventing it from dragging along the ground and gathering dirt on the burlap. It was filled to the brim with various fruits that he’d picked up at the market, the colourful, sweet foods that Colette loved so much now much less of a rarity. He hadn’t yet had the time to pack it into their travelling supplies, hurrying to catch up to wherever Colette had wandered off to.

Just an hour ago, with the sun barely cresting over the hills, he and Colette had arrived in town, unable to muster up even the energy to mutter the usual “We’re here”. Neither of them had caught much sleep last night, the usual nightmares having intensified into a terrifying crescendo that descended upon them without warning. They’d taken to huddling by the ashes of their campfire with their knees pressed together, a blanket haphazardly thrown over their shoulders and a cup of coffee in hand, counting the stars together. Their flickering brilliance, never dimming and reassuring in their constant presence, served to calm their racing hearts, until an uneasy sleep finally claimed them, their cups abandoned on the ground, their fingers intertwined.

The reason she’d specifically raised the suggestion to come to Palmacosta a week ago had escaped him. She’d simply stated that it was on the way, and that it would be a good place to stock up on supplies once more, her gaze never straying from the orange tongues of their campfire, reaching towards the sky. The silence of the night had remained unbroken after, Colette staring off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Far be it for him to deny her request, no matter what the reason behind it. It was, after all, still a rare occurrence for her to speak up about something that she wanted, even if she was getting better at shrugging off all that the role of Chosen had placed upon her shoulders. There was a long, difficult path ahead of her, and he would do anything to help her walk it, to ensure she didn’t have to do it alone.

The moment they’d arrived in Palmacosta, she’d split off towards the Church, while he’d paid a visit to the marketplace. Rather unusual, for Colette still loved to peruse the interesting wares on display at the various stalls, and never missed the chance to do so. Running her fingers over their surfaces, both rough and smooth, and conversing with the stall owners to learn more about them. Her curiosity never dimmed, shining bright like a star, no matter how many times she’d done it before.

By the time he’d fought his way through the small crowd that was already forming - despite it being the early hours of the morning - and made his way back to the Church, Colette was nowhere in sight. Asking around had led to one of the priests kindly informing him that she’d headed towards the lake.

Maybe she just really wanted to see it? It was beautiful, in that spectacular way that small Iselia couldn’t replicate. Thinking of the lake by his home, no matter how clear the water was, only made him feel like he was soaking in the warmth of familiarity, as if he was sitting by the hearth, Noishe curled around him. The lake here, in contrast, was twice as large and pristine, stealing his breath away without fail. He supposed, no matter how far and long they travelled, that the world outside of home would never lose that sense of wonder.

A glimpse of gold snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickened his steps, making his way towards Colette. Finally, he’d found her! She stood by the lake, the golden strands that had caught his attention waving in the wind. Right next to her was another girl that was barely half her height, curly green hair falling to her shoulders. And on a checkered picnic blanket nearby was an older woman with the exact same shade of hair - the little girl’s mother, if he had to guess. She was calmly unpacking food from a basket, though her pale green eyes never left her daughter, staring like a hawk. There was, however, not a hint of wariness within them.

The lake itself was as gorgeous as ever - with the sun now hanging higher in the sky, it cast diamonds of light across the water’s surface, dragonflies dancing through the air to land on the sprouting lily pads.

“Lloyd!” Colette waved him over with a bright smile, her exhaustion from this morning having seemingly melted away, introducing him to the girl that had quickly ducked behind her legs at his approach. “This is Miriam. And over there is Miss Emma.”

At the mention of her name, a thought arose, tickling the back of his mind. Something that Colette had once told him, a long time ago, back when they were still on the Journey of Regeneration and sleep had evaded her. About Palmacosta and the Mana Lineage…

The shy blue eyes that blinked at him from the pale face that peeked out from behind Colette’s legs were what confirmed his suspicions, making the pieces click into place. They were the same eyes that had stared at him in shock when he was six and had barrelled straight into one of his fellow students outside the schoolhouse, sending them both tumbling to the dirt.

The girl before him now was the next in line to be Chosen, and would have been the next Chosen at her young age if the worst fate had befallen Colette at any point on the Journey of Regeneration.

The thought itself made him feel sick to the stomach. Both at the idea of something even happening to Colette, and at the realisation that, in some way, she had been replaceable from the very beginning. That the Church, at least, wouldn’t truly have cared if anything were to happen to her, for they had another Chosen waiting in the wings.

Both of them must have been subjected to the same dehumanising treatment, seen as nothing more than tools.

“Hey,” he whispered, giving Miriam a little wave as he knelt to be at her level, not wanting to scare her any further. Her vice grip on Colette’s legs loosened a little as she continued to blink at him, still not saying a word. “I’m Lloyd.”

“I’m gonna teach her how to skip stones across the lake!” Colette uncurled the hand she’d been holding by her side this entire time, revealing the smooth pebble hidden within.

Starting at those words, he shot back onto his feet in one go. He hadn’t expected that she would still remember - she had only managed to try stone skipping on a summer day from long ago, and never again. A single day which should have faded easily from memory, after so long being worn down by the sands of time.

But she’d held onto that memory all this while, never letting it fade.

Colette grinned, the sight sending a current of warmth straight to his heart.

“Just like you once did!”

~~~

“I’m sorry you had to get scolded by the priests,” Colette mumbled, fidgeting as she bowed her head, staring at her feet. Above them, dense leaves blocked out the sky, leaving the sun’s rays no space to squeeze through. And before them was the lake that was but a stone’s throw from his home, clear and serene.

“Hm?” He glanced up from where he was sitting on the dirt, stacking pebbles into a pile that would be essential for what he wanted to do next.

With the summer heat looming over his head at all times, it was rather hard to remember things, slipping from his mind as easily as sand would slip between his fingers. He’d forgotten about his homework countless times already, and gotten punished by Professor Raine each time in return. But he could at least remember the scolding he’d gotten barely half an hour ago, when he’d gone to the Church to fetch Colette from her training, as was his usual routine. Wait for her long and stuffy training to finish, before bringing her along to have some fun!

And hope he could put a smile on her face.

The priest had prattled on and on about proper titles and respect, face growing redder by the second. He’d tried to follow the priest’s words, he truly had, but he’d started tuning them out before long.

“I guess you should just call me -”

“No need to think about any of that!” he interrupted, grabbing a smaller pebble from atop the pile and pressing it into her hand. “It’s time to have some fun. We’re gonna skip some stones!”

She stared down at the pebble in her hand like it was some mystical artefact, confusion clouding her face, his hand still covering hers. “But I… don’t know how…”

“It’s easy, really! Come on, I’ll show you!” He was an expert at this, having practised until his stone could hop across the lake not once, not twice, but thrice. Surely there’d be no problem teaching her all that he knew!

“You curl your fingers around the pebble, just like this,” he instructed, using his other hand to position her fingers just right. This was the grip he’d perfected over countless hours spent here alone, hurling stone after stone as he waited for the sun to dip beneath the horizon, when Dad would come and get him, Noishe nipping at his heels all the while.

“And then you pull your wrist back, like this!” Colette demonstrated, pebble in hand, her grip an exact mirror image of his own, so many years ago. Miriam watched with rapt attention, having finally emerged from behind Colette.

“You pool all your strength into it…”

“And let go!” she cheered, her stone practically whooshing across the lake’s surface with enough noise to rival a roaring dragon. It arced into the air before bouncing once onto the water, a mini geyser shooting into the air at the impact. Before it exceeded the lake entirely, slamming into - or rather straight through - a tree at the opposite shore, tearing through wood like it was nothing more than paper and scattering splinters. Emitting a huge crash that made all of them wince and leaving behind a pebble-sized tunnel that provided a wonderful view of the forest beyond.

“...oops. I might have forgotten how much strength I have now…” Colette smiled sheepishly, frozen in place. If her wings were out right now, Lloyd knew that they would be flapping rapidly, dispersing the nervous energy she had always radiated whenever she got chided by Professor Raine.

“That was so cool!” exploded out of Miriam, the first words she’d uttered out loud in front of him. It seemed she was finally starting to warm up to them, as she clapped her hands together, a small smile beginning to form. “Please, Miss, won’t you teach me how to do that?”

It was enough, to observe from the sidelines with a contented smile playing on his lips, as Colette showed Miriam the ropes, the sight filling his chest with a sweet warmth.

This was what they had fought so hard for. The future they had dreamed of - where all were free as a bird, able to spread their wings and soar, regardless of who they were or where they came from. Able to do whatever it is they wished to, not weighed down by any burden.

Even if that wish was as simple as skipping stones across a lake, giggles rising into the air.

~~~

The sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon, painting the lake’s surface in strokes of pink and oranges, so different from the pale blue it had been this morning.

They’d been at it for hours, throwing stone after stone, ensuring that the lake’s surface never saw any rest, ripples constantly spreading across it. Lloyd had joined in at some point, before leaving with her cousin to go rent a room at the inn.

Miriam was tuckered out by now, having tried her best to improve, her stones making their wobbly trips across the lake. Colette had watched the quiet, formal demeanour slowly slip from the other girl, who had begun acting more and more like a child, with nothing to interrupt this moment of peace and fun - no priests to pull either of them away, snapping at them to return to their prayers. Days like these had been rare for her, and she hoped that Miriam’s coming days would be stuffed full of them.

“Miss.” Miriam yawned, eyelids drooping as her head fell against Colette’s arm. “I still don’t know your name.”

Colette sighed, folding her hands in her lap. It was a little too much to hope that this question wouldn’t come up.

“It’s Colette.” She gave a weak smile, patiently waiting for the dots to connect in Miriam’s head.

She’d considered it, not letting the truth slip. To lie about who she was and remain nothing more than a family friend who had come to visit. Not the person who this little girl must have been taught to treat with the utmost respect, and whose shadow had hung over her for her entire life.

But it wouldn’t be fair to obscure the truth, and besides, it wasn’t feasible to keep it from her forever, even if Colette didn’t wish to see the aftermath.

The moment Miriam realised was obvious. Her back stiffened, head bowing slightly. A familiar pose, reflected to her in a mirror. How many times had she adopted it herself, begging for forgiveness for whatever transgression she had committed, fear rolling off her in waves?

“C - chosen!” she stammered, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know -”

“Hey, it’s okay.” She placed a reassuring hand on the other girl’s shoulder. A hand that had she had very much needed when it seemed like the loneliness would swallow her whole, a hand that Lloyd had given her so often, until she realised that it was alright to lean on him.

“I’m not in trouble?”

“No, you’re not.” She gently wiped away a tear rolling down the other girl’s cheek, hoping her smile could somewhat calm the turmoil that must surely be raging within her heart. “You can call me whatever you want, really. But I like being called Colette!”

“Okay, then. I guess I’ll… call you Miss Colette?” The grin Miriam tried for was shaky at best, tears still budding in her eyes.

“Would you like a hug?” she offered, perfectly ready to give one. “There was someone who gave me hugs whenever I needed one, and they always made me feel -”

The other girl had already buried herself in Colette’s outstretched arms before she could even finish her sentence, silent sobs racking her shoulders.

“So don’t ever be afraid to ask for one,” she murmured, rubbing comforting circles into the other girl’s back, waiting for the storm to tide over. Like all things, it would come to an end, just as the shadows of the night would inevitably be burned away by the morning sun.

And the future ahead was bright, illuminated by the stars. Infinite paths stretched out before them, paved with the hopes and dreams they were free to explore, now that there was time to figure out who they wanted to be, without anyone telling them who they needed to be.

~~~

“That was a nice thing you did today,” Lloyd whispered, continuing to comb a hand through her hair. Now that the sun had said its final farewells for the day, the only source of light was the flames dancing joyously in the fireplace of the inn room, casting a soft orange glow that only served to make Lloyd’s expression seem ever more gentle.

Humming, she turned to press her face further into his chest, letting the soothing rumble of his voice reverberate through her. With the natural silence of the night descending upon them and Lloyd’s comforting warmth embracing her, it was difficult not to simply fall asleep, carried away by the kisses he pressed to her hair. But still, she clung to the final threads of wakefulness, wanting to enjoy this moment in time for a little longer.

“Not really. You were the one who taught me all of this first, you know. So, thank you…”

The courage to chase her own happiness - he’d taught her that, so long ago, when he’d still been a bright-eyed child with scratched knees, holding her hand tight and never wanting to leave her behind. That day by the lake was a treasured memory that she cradled close to her chest, refusing to let go of.

She could only hope, as sleep finally claimed her, that she’d successfully passed on what he had taught her - like passing stones, from hand to hand, in hopes that it would lead to a better world.

~~~

“Hey,” he mumbled, the heat making his words come out slurred, his head stuffed to the brim with cotton wool. “Do you want me to call you Chosen?”

His head lolled backwards, his feet kicking in the clear water of the lake, forming ripples that spread outwards and distorted his own reflection. After all the vigorous stone skipping they’d done - Colette gradually improving as her stone chased after his with each throw, courageously leaping closer and closer - he was utterly exhausted. There was sweat dripping down his forehead, his eyelids heavy, shirt sticking to his skin. Perhaps that was what had made the words slip out, to echo within the safe buzz of summer, under the vibrant blue sky that seemed like it would never fade.

“I… well, you probably should.” She shifted, just slightly away from him, her hair falling to shield her face from sight. Yet it didn’t hide her hands, curling into fists in her lap. “It would help you avoid getting scolded by the priests.”

He blinked, the words taking a moment to worm their way through his mind and register. “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you wanted me to call you that.”

“It’s… who I am, isn’t it? So it’s only right…”

“No, silly!” A soft knock to her head finally made her turn towards him, blue eyes wide. “I’m asking if it would make you happy for me to do that. You could just as easily stay Colette forever, if that’s what you want.”

“Well, I…” She bit her lip, hands wringing in her lap, voice dropping to a shy whisper. “I’d like that. To remain me forever, however you see me.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard!” He grinned, taking her hand in his. “Besides, I like you best as just Colette.” His closest friend in the whole wide world.

Happiness bloomed in her eyes, like the sweetest of flowers that he would ever get to see, a light flush dusting her cheeks. A sight that made his heart trip over its feet, for reasons he was yet to understand.

He’d just have to call her Colette forever, so he could see this very sight, again and again.

#fanfiction #one shot #tales of symphonia #colette brunel #lloyd irving #tales of symphonia remastered countdown

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