Chapter Text
Ivan Luperco always thought that he was exceptionally unlucky, to the point where it would almost be funny if it was not so tragic. Despite being so tall now, he was born early and the stories say that the midwives did not expect him to last the night. When he was a child, he stuttered out his first word, and then nearly every one after. It’s difficult to make friends when a person is scared to speak. When he reached the age for lessons, they realized he didn’t see the letters on the page the same way as everyone else.
It appeared that every way of interacting with the world was doomed from the very beginning.
But he was never a pessimistic child, despite all of it. He had great parents, who were always patient with him. His dad never interrupted him when he tried to speak, and his mother used to spend hours working with him on his reading. He was at least blessed in some respects. Until he wasn’t.
The apostasy. His joy crumbled to dust until the only good that remained was the peace of being left alone—preferably in a quiet forest, away from people who looked at him with disdain and distrust.
Ivan shifts nervously in his seat in the commons, knowing he arrived much too early. He believes that Violet was sincere when she invited him along to her squad’s study sessions, but he can’t help but feel like the rug is going to be pulled out from under him any second.
He thinks for a moment about leaving before any of them can arrive.
After-all, Ivan spent over five years thinking about running away. It’s hard not to want to pack up everything he can carry and leave when the future waiting for so long was at the bottom of the ravine. Since the apostasy, all of his dreams that don’t include his mother and father have been around escaping into the mountains and never being heard from again.
But Xaden Riorson took a cut for every last one of them and that means something to the Tyrrish, even cowards like Ivan. It would have meant something to his parents. Even if Riorson’s sacrifice wouldn’t carry Ivan across the parapet and onto a dragon in the end, it could save at least some the others. The stronger ones.
He thought he could be okay with that in the end, until he had a blonde asshole named Jack Barlowe breathing down his neck and Ivan remembered that he didn’t want to die.
It fucking sucked not to have a choice in the matter.
And then Violet Sorrengail showed up and decided to change the course of his life, or rather his death. After killing a man more than twice her size on the fucking parapet, Violet looked him in the eyes, reached into the depths of his despair, gripped him tight and pulled him towards survival whether he liked it or not. The last person he ever expected became his savior, and then his real, true friend. One of the only people he's met that he doesn't seem to have trouble speaking in front of, even from that very first day.
“You’re going to live today, Ivan.”
It was inspiring. It was also fucking terrifying.
So he stays in his seat, wringing his fingers in front of him with clear anxiety.
Rhiannon and Sawyer were kind, he reminds himself. For a moment during their last meeting, he felt almost… accepted. Like the people in the room with him weren’t looking at his arm the entire time. Even the other marked ones, besides Liam, have been hesitant around him since he made it clear during their first meeting that he was friends with Violet.
He sighs again and pulls his long sleeves further down.
“Hey!” Ivan hears a bright voice suddenly call out, causing him to jump and make a noise that’s embarrassingly close to a squeak. He whips his head around to find a dark boy with wide, brown eyes standing in front of the table Violet’s squad gathered at a few days ago.
He’s shorter than Ivan by a large margin, but most of the quadrant is. Ivan has been an unfortunate six feet tall since he was sixteen and wanted nothing more than to take up as little space as possible. Ivan opens his mouth to apologize for sitting there—or existing, he hadn’t decided yet—but the boy continues speaking with a large grin before he can.
“I’m Ridoc Gamlyn! Vi mentioned we have a new member of our study group.” Ivan closes his mouth and nods numbly, and Ridoc quickly moves to sit down directly across from him.
“I-Ivan Luperco,” he manages, looking to the left of his face. He thinks about saying something else, but can’t find the words, even if the newcomer looks friendly. Plenty of people seem friendly until they see the mark on his arm.
After waiting a moment to see if he had anything else to say, Ridoc moves to fill the silence. Ivan finds himself pathetically grateful. “It’s always better to suffer with others, you know? I think it makes everything easier when there’s somebody around to laugh about it with. How did you meet Violet?”
Ivan studies the wood graining on the table in front of him. “S-she, uh, saved my life on the parapet.”
He looks up at Ridoc’s sound of surprise. “Oh, that makes sense! She told us something about that. The rumors were crazy,” he says with a chuckle. “How was it from your end?”
The quiet boy sits with his question for a long time. “I-it was…”
Words fail him again, and he resists the urge to groan out loud.
Except Ridoc just waits patiently for him to find the words this time. Most people would have rolled their eyes or chimed in by now. Ivan is used to that. He’s had these problems for his entire life, and it’s rare to find someone with the patience for him even if they’re not necessarily bad people.
Ridoc’s encouraging smile is downright confusing.
“Scary,” Ivan settles on finally. “Honestly, I t-thought she was going to kill me too for a second.”
He’s surprised how evenly the words come out. Ridoc smiles kindly. “But she didn’t.”
“Nope,” Ivan answers, and then takes a deep breath. “She wanted to be my friend instead. But I still think she’s scary.”
His answering chuckle makes some of the tension in Ivan’s shoulders ease. “Yeah, I’ve been getting the impression that’s sort of her thing,” Ridoc says, leaning forward to whisper conspiratorially. “A good friend to have in your corner though.”
That sounds about right. “I’m happy we met,” Ivan adds, thinking for a moment about what to say, planning the words in his head before he says them. “Especially if she helps me pass, which would be about as impressive as c-casually stabbing someone on the parapet.”
Ridoc throws his head back with a laugh and Ivan looks at the table to hide his small smile. It’s nice to make someone laugh.
“Glad to know you’re funny!” Ridoc says brightly, leaning his head down close to the table to catch his gaze. Ivan jumps back slightly to look at him in surprise. “I can’t do it all alone.”
Ivan feels a sense of satisfaction at Ridoc’s words, like he was inviting him to be a part of something more than just a joke.
“I don’t know,” he says slowly. “Your squad seems like a g-good time.”
Ridoc shrugs. “But I’m the funniest. You’ll see,” he promises with a wink. “And I have a feeling you’ll have them all laughing soon.”
Ivan is fortunately spared from replying when Violet comes barreling through the door and to their table like someone is chasing her, Rhiannon and Sawyer right on her heels.
“Sorry we’re late!” Violet calls out, resting her hands on her knees as she breathes heavily. Rhiannon and Sawyer are not much better, immediately collapsing into their chairs. “I was running away from my squad leader and then Rhi and Sawyer saw me and decided to join.”
Ivan’s brows knit together at her words. Why was Violet running from her squad leader?
“I don’t understand why Aetos won’t leave you alone,” Rhiannon grunts.
Sawyer lets his head slam down onto the table. “I don’t understand why you kept running,” he cries out in accusation. “You led us away from here! In a circle! Aetos had given up!”
Ivan’s strange new friend shrugs with a devious look to her eyes. “Maybe I didn’t hear you calling my name.”
He doesn’t believe her for a second.
Rhiannon laughs and pats Sawyer’s shoulder comfortingly before turning back to Ivan with an easy grin, breathing having returned to normal. “Hey Ivan! I’m happy Ridoc didn’t scare you away while we were gone.”
With as much courage as he can muster, Ivan smiles crookedly. “If Violet c-couldn’t scare me away, nobody can.”
Violet squawks in protest, pulling her chair back in a huff to sit at the head of the table. Ridoc, Sawyer, and Rhiannon all laugh in response.
The chorus of noise makes Ivan feel warm inside, even as he finally pulls out his dreaded history assignment. Maybe he has to go back to his squad eventually, but for a few times a week, he could actually have this.
It doesn’t hurt that Violet was right—and he fears he may have to get used to that.
He does kind of like Ridoc.