Goodbye and Good Riddance (Bailey/Open)

[Blake Oleander]

The letters with his home had been... practical.  There was little of personal exchanges to his letters, which made sense he supposed.  He was a freak now, it must feel like he wasn't the same person.  But he hoped that he could prove his usefulness still.  His desire to serve his people, to fight and die for them.  He had no hesitation in reporting on the weaknesses in Cabal's security to his people.  About the abilities and the capabilities of the Agents that he'd encountered, the Dragons, and the Command Squad.  Being promoted to the command squad had given him more access than he may have otherwise had.  And now he felt that he would be able to return home and serve them once more.  

Against Cabal maybe, but he would gladly fight and die for his people taking out as many of these freaks as he could.  It was the only way to make his curse mean something, to secure the future of his people and to eliminate as many monsters like himself that he could.  He didn't want to make a big deal about his departure.  He didn't have any friends here, no overly close ties, just the one.

He was unsure on if he should seek her out, he'd made something for her, but giving it to her might cause her to ask too many awkward questions.  She was good at that.  Asking stupid questions rather than accepting things for how they were.  But she was kind, in her own naive way.  And while she was pathetically weak, and from a lazy people, she had shown dedication to her training under him.  She followed his orders and when it had come down to it, she had his back on their last mission.  It was all he could expect from this place, and it was more than he had hoped for.  In a way, he was lucky that Bailey had been his partner.  But that was over now, duty called and he would answer it.

He decided he would just leave without a word.  Perhaps he would send a letter back to Cabal with her gift, a token of their time together and for being the only person in this place that had really tried to make him feel at home.  As unwanted as that was.  She never did get that he didn't want this to be his home, and he didn't want these people to be his family.  But he could recognize the kindness for what it was.

It was with his blades strapped to his back, and a pack with what belongings he had slung over his shoulder that he'd make his way to the main gate with the rising of the dawn.  His time in Cabal was over.  At least from this side of the fence. 

[Bailey Oleander]

Her mind was on the past few weeks, especially the events of the scorpion attack and the time after. Of friends who had fought, people lost, and things she had learned since then. Her entire time at Cabal had been...trying. Mostly, hard work, which she expected. Lessons learned, and not just from classes, some friends, and of course her partner. It brought things to mind that she still questioned, but she had to admit that Blake had also brought to mind things she'd wondered herself.

She'd wanted to thank him again, to talk to him. They had worked well in the filed together because she had obeyed orders without question. Because she'd been so nervous, but also the rescinded order that she was grateful for. He didn't use words much, but he didn't need to. And yet, words or not, she still didn't know much more about him than she did when they first met. She had time before meeting up with Rhona later, so she'd intended to find him at the training grounds per usual.

Instead, she found a familiar figure walking towards the gate, unmistakable without the swords. More notable was the bag that he carried with him. It made her stop, certain she'd seen wrong, but it coudln't hurt to check.

"Blake?" She continued approaching her partner, her voice probably the clearest and loudest he'd ever heard it despite the surprise.

[Blake Oleander]

He'd slow his pace and look behind him to see Bailey. She was up early... That was problematic.

"Yes?"

[Bailey Oleander]

"What's going on?" So it was him, after all. Bailey continued walking towards her partner as he slowed and turned to face her.

"Are you going on a mission?" With everything he had? Not likely, but maybe. The doubt was in her voice, but she trusted his honesty. He hadn't held any words back before now.

[Blake Oleander]

"I'm going home."

[Bailey Oleander]

Bailey blinked, uncertain of what to say. They had both agreed when they first met that neither planned to stay, but this seemed rather abrupt. Then again, she had seen him fight against Dragons. She had seen him make one of them bleed, at the least. He had been promoted to the Command Squad soon after he joined. Statistical information that amounted to so much and yet so little against the simple fact that he was going home. A place everyone wanted to come back to one day, whatever home would end up being. It was where the heart was, after all.

"I see." Her shoulders drooped slightly, but she nodded at the statement. "Take care of yourself, okay? I'll miss you." She would need to find someone else to continue her training with, it seemed. He had his mission, his people. They were a stepping stone towards what he wanted, and nothing more, even if that stepping stone had become something of a routine for her now. Training with Blake was part of her daily life.

She worried at her bottom lip, wondering what that would mean now. A new squadmate, most likely. A new team and chemistry.

[Blake Oleander]

"Keep training."

He'd sling his pack over his shoulder and dig into it. He'd pull out two carved escrima sticks, made from Australian Buloke the hardest wood in the world. It had been hard to get, and it's what he spent most of his allowance on since he didn't spend any money that he'd earned since coming to Cabal. But she'd been his partner, it was the least he could do since she had destroyed her other pair.

"These will help keep you safe. But I would suggest leaving Cabal and going home with what you had learned. It would be for the best."

He wouldn't tell her he'd miss her, even if part of him would miss the routine. And part of him wanted to see how far she would be able to go in her training. However, that would need to stay a mystery to him. It would be for the best that way. Because when he returned, it would likely not be as an ally.

[Bailey Oleander]

"I will," she promised with a nod. And she would. He'd taken the time to show her what she knew so far, which was more than those back home had. And she'd been so convinced she didn't need it because of it. The first time he'd trained with her, he'd shown her that. She paused as he dug into his pack, presenting a new pair of escrima sticks. She stared at them, then up at her partner as he handed them to her.

"I...thank you, Blak." But his words had her worried again. It sounded somewhere between a promise and a threat.

"Something's going to happen soon, isn't it?" she asked softly, still looking up at him. Her grip tightened slightly on the sticks, bu they did not break. He knew, or suspected it. Why else would he advise this? But then, why advise her of this at all?

[Blake Oleander]

He'd stare at her in silence for a few moments before turning to leave. She was smart enough to understand.

[Bailey Oleander]

His silence said more than words could. Funny how that tended to be the way he operated. She gave a small nod as he turned his back, then took another step forward, not wanting to leave it as it was.

"Thank you, Blake. For these, and the warning." Her voice dropped a little. "I know I probably held you back compared to other partners you could have had, but you did more for me than anyone else." A half second of hesitation before her shoulders straightened and her volume returned, even if he was going out the gates.

"Just promise me one thing, okay? No matter what happens, remember we're all more than just the powers we have." All of them. "There are just as many monsters out in the world that down have any."

[Blake Oleander]

He heard what she said, but he didn't say anything. There was nothing to say, nothing to add. He had his path, and she had hers. He'd given his warning, more than he should have probably. But she'd die if she stayed, beyond that it was her choice.

[Bailey Oleander]

For a moment, she hesitated. In truth, Bailey didn't expect him to say anything. It wasn't his way, and what else was he supposed to do? Suddenly change, agree that she was right? They both knew better; it was simply something she wanted him to keep in mind. There was no reason to tell him not to go home or to think it would be wrong to let him go alone. He was her partner, not a younger brother.

So why was she worried? Even as the thought came to mind, she knew. She knew enough about the territory to know how they felt about anyone with qi abilities. She'd meant her words for him as much as anyone else, after all. Would he be the exception to the rule, a vaunted hero? Someone who came with honor and could give a Dragon a struggle?

She took one step forward, then another, thoughts swirling and crashing against each other as she passed through the gates.

And the warning, a little cryptic but very clear. If they saw each other again, it would likely be on different sides. She should alert a superior, but what then? He would still be gone. They would have to learn, possibly too late, what lay ahead. She didn't want that - any of it.

"I'm coming with you."

[Blake Oleander]

That gave him pause. He hadn't considered the idea that Bailey would wish to come with him. He didn't see the appeal in it. Where he was going she wouldn't be welcome. She wasn't one of them, and worse she was a freak. There was nothing that he could see for her to gain by this choice.

"I'm not planning on returning."

This wasn't a mission, and it wasn't leave. This was him saying goodbye to Cabal. Goodbye and good riddance.

[Bailey Oleander]

Bailey kept walking, stopping when he paused. It was obvious in the way he said it, going home. That sense of finality. But there was something she'd worried about since the beginning: what his going home would mean for him. Going back as a qi user in a territory that hated them to the very bone, the very soul. He was willingly going back into that.

She worried about him.

There were other reasons, of course. The warning that was blatantly advising something was coming, and his sword that oozed something toxic. Not to mention the warning from the tree she had received. Whatever darkness was spreading, she had a feeling he'd find it first. People took note on who he was, and there was hatred there. He was strong enough to give one of the Dragons a run for their money.

"I know."

[Blake Oleander]

"When they find out what you are, they may kill you."