[HIATUS] The Tide Rises

Chapter 18

When Fade had been told Drift was around and was looking for him, he was more than a little annoyed.

Actually, annoyed was a complete understatement. He had succeeded and pushed the thoughts of his home into the corners of his mind for some time, but now, just the mention of Drift had forced them to resurface. The person who he had initially trusted to help him find a way home, who had talked to him about training and channeling his strange powers, the person from the same world hadn't shown his face since their talk, and suddenly, he was here looking for him.

So, Fade was more than a little pissed off upon setting out to find him first and seeing him lingering near the power plant, having stopped to talk to a henchman. His kitsune mask, pink jacket, and glowing cape were discernible from a distance. Fade marched over to him, but despite his frustration, he awkwardly stood to the side in wait to be noticed. It took the henchman glancing at him several times for Drift to finally turn around. Fade spoke before he could even try. "Why did you lie to me about going home?!"

Drift was physically taken aback, enough so that he actually took a step backwards. Had he gone too far, he would have fallen into the sea. He cleared his throat, and instead of trying to avoid the question, he asked, "who told you?" He knew exactly what he was talking about.

Fade hadn't actually expected that. Drift was the only one to not avoid the topic upon being caught. "Some agents ended up telling me on accident, and Jules showed me the storm, but why didn't you tell me?"

Drift fidgeted with the sides of his mask and pulled it off. "Look, I just... didn't want to get you down," he muttered after a beat of silence. He cleared his throat and spoke louder. "I mean, I know I should've told you, but home, it's... not a big deal for me. Not to say it isn't for you, of course, but..."

Without realizing, they had begun to carry the conversation down the dock. "I've only been homesick twice, and it wasn't even for SoCal," Drift admitted. "It was for Athena, our old island. I didn't have a lot going on for me in our original world, so... it doesn't bother me ever. But I should've told you about the island, because I know you're eager to get back."

"Yeah, well now I can't," Fade huffed. Somewhere inside him, however, he wasn't too eager to leave just yet. The more he got used to it, the more he didn't mind this strange island. If GHOST were to win, he would be able to find his own adventures again without limitation, and what he was eager to do was explore the entirety of the island.

The only thought really holding his thoughts hostage anymore were the thoughts of his family. His parents, his sister... he had been gone with no contact for weeks. Somewhere in his world, he was a missing persons poster. For all his family knew, he was dead, and that thought alone hurt.

He would give anything to tell them he was alright. Alas, he could not, and most likely never could.

He sighed. "It's... fine, though. Everyone says they just wanted to keep my hopes up, so I get it."

The conversation again turned to silence. Drift looked around. "How did we get over here?" He mused, earning a chuckle from Fade. "Well, if you want... we can try and see what you've got. With the rift powers and whatnot."

Fade glanced down at his white oni mask, which was pinned at his waist. "Sounds like a plan," he said, letting a smile pull at his face.

They followed the dock into an empty corner and sat down before each other. "So, I'm pretty sure Luminos and Dream do something similar to what you have," Drift explained, sliding his mask back on. "They say Luminos has really strong rift powers, but he stays hidden and doesn't use them, and I've actually seen Dream do some maneuvers, plus she has a really strong connection to rift butterflies. But otherwise, yeah, no one can ever find them."