[Infinity Nikki] Of Clay and Wattles Made

[avicinda]

• Fandom: Infinity Nikki
• Series: Oaths
• Relationships: Afubo & Yoyoda | Morimoda/Yoyoda | Afubo/Durida
• Characters: Afubo | Yoyoda | Morimoda | Durida
• Rating: Gen
• Word Count: 3690 words
• Content Tags: Post-Canon, Fluff and Angst, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Requited Unrequited Crush, Jealousy, Pre-Relationship, Sibling Love, PTSD from an external POV

On her day off from work, Afubo gets a surprise visitor with a box full of things from the Temple of Wishes.

---

Of Clay and Wattles Made

The newly established broadcast station at the crown of the Grand Millewish Tree was playing cheerful music, blanketing the entirety of the Wishing Woods with a generally jovial mood. In her hanging treehouse in the residential area below on her day off from work, Afubo couldn't help but hum along as she dusted a row of trinkets on one of her shelves. She'd collected all sorts of oddities over her many lonely years, things like threads of purity that were the wrong colors at the ends, or a yellow glimmergrass flower she'd preserved in resin, or a jar of shrunken pollen puffs Durida had given her.

Were this just a month ago, she would have been annoyed to hear such happy songs drifting down from above, but today, she didn't mind it so much. She could even hear Yoyoda in the other room, tapping his hand against the frame of his bed in time with her humming, so it seemed she was not the only one who felt that way.

So distracted by the music as she continued her dusting, it took her a moment to realize it was not just Yoyoda, but also someone knocking on the frame of the house's front door—which was odd, because Yoyoda wasn't due for another visit from Dr. Charlobo for a few more days.

"Just a moment!" she called toward the door, taking a moment to put away the duster. Yoyoda had gone silent, as he usually did whenever a visitor came calling. It wasn't often, but there had been a small number who came to wish him well, and even Giroda had come to see him once with the new Captain of the Paladins hovering behind him and looking as apologetic as possible when Yoyoda had flinched away at the sight of him.

When Afubo pulled open the curtain to the front door, she was greeted with her visitor pushing past her and into the house. He set the large, heavy-looking crate he'd been carrying down on the floor with a loud thud, its side bumping against her cushioned chair, then slumped against the box, gasping for air.

"S...sorry...I was...waiting...a long time..." he managed to say between breaths. "H-heavy...oh Wishing One...why did I...collect so many things..."

Afubo blinked, adjusting her glasses as she stared down at the Faewish Sprite on her floor. She wasn't sure she knew him but then, she had spent most of these years since Yoyoda's death...since Yoyoda's disappearance keeping to herself and doing her job and ignoring nearly everything else.

"Who are you?" she said.

Once he'd caught his breath, the Faewish Sprite shot up into the air, momentarily bumping his head on the ceiling before coming down to a more reasonable hover in front of her. He twirled and swished his cloak.

"I'm Morimoda!" he exclaimed.

She stared at him blankly.

"Okay..." she said, then looked down to the crate below their feet. "Why did you bring your trash into my house?"

Morimoda huffed. "It's not trash!" he said, "Well...it was trash, but not all of it is trash!"

"That doesn't make sense," replied Afubo. She glanced at the open doorway to Yoyoda's room. Morimoda seemed...really excitable, and he was loud, and not even the happy music coming through the windows could distract Yoyoda from the noise he was making. "If you don't want to explain why you're here with your trash, can you leave? My brother is resting."

To her surprise, Morimoda's face lit up at her words. He took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Yes! I mean...yes, of course." Just like with his flight, he brought his voice down to a more acceptable level. "You're Miss Afubo, right? Um...the truth is...I think a lot of the stuff in the box belongs to your brother."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean? What things?"

Morimoda flew down to the crate and pried the lid off, revealing a collection that rivaled her own. Inside were neatly arranged rolled-up sketches, folded vestments, wooden toys, and a variety of other knick knacks like quills and scraps of fabric and little pieces of glass or metal, old materials that could no longer be used. Afubo hovered close. To her eyes, most of it looked like trash, but she reached in and picked up one of the toys, only to recoil and drop it back into the crate when she realized it was a carefully carved likeness of herself, accessories and all.

She lifted her glasses to wipe away the tears forming around her eyes. Then she turned to Morimoda who was gazing at her with a strange look. Some small part of her that still liked to collect oddities wanted to capture a photo of the face he was making.

"Where did you get these things?" she asked.

"I used to sneak around the Temple of Wishes," he admitted with a sheepish look, "I um...I really idolized Lord...I really idolized the former Wish Master, so I was sneaking in to take the things the Paladins were throwing away that I thought belonged to him."

Afubo frowned and glanced once more at the door to Yoyoda's room.

Yoyoda had, in complete silence, come to the doorway to watch them.

He was looking toward Morimoda and the crate with his brow furrowed, and his mouth drawn into a thin line. His eyes were completely blank of any emotion, carefully schooled in the way he regarded the sight before him. His head was raised slightly, and his body was completely rigid as he held his limbs straight down. Afubo had never seen such an expression or posture on him before, not even when they had both been deep in the throes of Desperation Syndrome. She suppressed a shudder as the realization dawned on her—this was what he must have looked like when pretending to be the former Wish Master.

What a horrible sight it was.

"Yoyoda?" she broke the silence deliberately, unable to take it any longer. Hopefully he would forgive her for revealing his presence.

Immediately, Yoyoda relaxed. His hover became more natural, his expression shifted into confusion, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

Morimoda whirled around with his mouth open and eyes wide. "Lord—no...you're...you're Yoyoda."

"I am," whispered Yoyoda, trembling.

Afubo flew over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder until he looked up at her. Her heart ached so deeply for him, but she offered him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "Yoyoda," she said, "Do you want to take a look at the things Mr. Morimoda brought?"

His gaze was downcast again as he nodded.

She guided him over to the crate, shooing Morimoda aside with a small gesture. To his credit, he complied and went to hover near the front door, looking just as anxious as she felt.

Yoyoda paused as he neared the crate, making Afubo stop too. She watched him reach a hand out, then pull it back, then try again, only to shake his head and take a deep breath. Gently, she moved her hand to his, grasping it tight, and she felt him squeeze back as his breathing calmed and he began to move closer on his own.

"I..." he breathed, so softly she almost thought he didn't say anything.

"Do you recognize these things?" she asked.

This time, when Yoyoda nodded, tears began to flow from his eyes.

Out the corner of her eye, Afubo could see Morimoda becoming alert and looking alarmed, but she kept her attention on Yoyoda. She squeezed his hand again, and he shifted his hover, reaching up to wipe his eyes with his free hand. He moved forward until she had to let go of him, until he was hovering right over the crate that was not just holding his things, but his memories.

Wordlessly, he reached in and pulled out one of the sketches, then unrolled it. From where she hovered behind him, Afubo could easily see the meticulous drawing within: a Faewish Sprite wearing large glasses with multiple layers of long, colorful capes and ribbons. He rolled it back up, then placed it on her chair carefully, as if it were more a precious treasure than merely a sheet of paper. Yoyoda took out another and unrolled it. The Faewish Sprite in this one wore a cute pink hat and a fur-lined cape over her vestments. He put that on top of the chair too. The next wore a mask and had diamond patterned ribbons flowing from the button over her star brooch. The one after that wore a crown of glimmergrass flowers with their stems tucked under her hood. Afubo sniffed as she adjusted her glasses again. Every Faewish Sprite in each sketch wore glasses as square and as large as the ones on her own face, as did most of the wooden carvings that Yoyoda now picked up with shaking hands.

He had never once stopped thinking of her.

"I swear I didn't read the letters," blurted out Morimoda, perhaps unable to handle the silence for much longer. "I—I did read the first one I found, but—but I realized it was too private even though I didn't understand back then what it meant...and...and I'm sorry! I should have realized..." He paused to take a breath. "I should have realized what these things meant sooner. I think I just—I couldn't even consider the possibility that the person they belonged to wasn't really Chigda."

Yoyoda flinched.

Afubo moved, intending to—well, she didn't really know what to do, but maybe she could start with asking Morimoda to leave. That name was taboo in this house, unless uttered by Yoyoda himself or by Dr. Charlobo.

But Yoyoda's voice stopped her.

"No...it's a good thing you didn't," he said, voice still quiet. "If you had realized the truth and tried to tell anyone, you would have disappeared."

The words hung between the three of them for a long moment.

Afubo thought of the last time she had gone to Dorobo's restaurant to get herself and Yoyoda a treat, after a session with Dr. Charlobo where he had spoken more than the session before that. Sheer rage had blanketed her when the one who delivered her order was none other than Avicinda himself. He'd recognized her a moment too late, quickly flying away to the back of the kitchen without a word to her while Dorobo hurried over to offer her an extra Delicious Orb.

She could feel that same rage bubbling up right now. That her sweet little brother—the naive child that had clung to her cloak as soon as he awakened, that had promised to make her lots of clothes when his Stylist powers awoke in him, that had cried so much from the despair overtaking him in the middle of his illness—could even utter such words so coolly and with the weight of experience and certainty behind them—Afubo began to, not for the first time in the past month, mentally curse at Chigda with all her might and with every insult and swear she had ever heard in all her life. She hoped every bit of her hate reached and tormented him somehow.

Morimoda was shivering from the full impact of those words. "W-well, I'm glad I didn't realize you were an imposter then—"

"You dummy, that's still bad!" said Afubo, frowning. "You could have told someone like Giroda!"

"But then I would have disappeared!" Morimoda turned to her, ready to argue. "Master Giroda is wonderful of course, but even he couldn't have done anything against the Paladins back then."

"Then what about Mr. Babarada—" snapped Afubo, ready to point out that Morimoda would have been oblivious to not know about Babarada's longstanding reputation for dissent against Chigda, but a strange noise interrupted her.

Yoyoda was laughing.

She blinked in surprise, and Morimoda seemed taken aback too. It wasn't as though nothing had made Yoyoda laugh since their reunion, but those had been few and far in between, and never to the point he was doubled over like he was now. She didn't really understand what he found funny about their argument, but she didn't mind that at all.

"Morimoda..." said Yoyoda once his laughter died down. He was smiling, and his eyes were bright with shining starlight. "Thank you. If not for you, I...I wouldn't have been reunited with these things."

"Oh..." Morimoda scratched at his chin, looking away. "It wasn't—It's nothing."

Yoyoda shook his head. "No, these things...they're not nothing," he said, "These were the things I made to remind myself of the most important person in my life in a time when I had no one. The Paladins kept taking them and throwing them away, because they were things the real Wish Master wouldn't make...but I still made them, because I had to...I had to believe I'd see Afubo again one day, so I could make her these clothes and give her these toys."

Afubo understood now: the box was not just one of memories, but of lifelines.

Morimoda bowed his head, looking even more embarrassed. "I...you're welcome," he said finally, after a moment. "Um, Yoyoda, is...everything in there yours? Maybe I can help you sort through them, since I remember when most of them were thrown out. I'll take the rest back and ask Master Giroda what to do with them..."

Silence.

Yoyoda was looking down again, trembling. Morimoda looked from him to Afubo with wide eyes, clearly unsure what was happening. Afubo shook her head at him then approached Yoyoda once more.

She touched his arm to let him know she was beside him, and he acknowledged her with a slight tilt of his head. She remembered still, how difficult it had been to get him to even speak with Dr. Charlobo during their first session. He'd said a lot to Morimoda, but maybe most of it was things he'd been hoping he could say for a long time. This was, now that she thought about it, the most she'd heard him speak to another Faewish Sprite that wasn't the doctor.

"It's okay," she told him, "You don't have to force yourself."

The silence stretched on.

"I, I think I should go," said Morimoda. He turned toward the door, reaching for the curtain.

"No, wait."

And once again, Yoyoda surprised Afubo. He gestured to the crate. "I...I would like your help, actually."

---

Today, Durida told himself, was the day.

He hummed along to the music of the broadcast station as he flew through the residential area with all his determination, carrying a small gift basket of Delicious Orbs cooked specially by Dorobo at his request. He had spent the past year paying special attention to the flavors Afubo liked most, so that the entire basket was full of those she would enjoy. He'd also chosen the Delicious Orbs himself, which meant that, as he was the best auditor of Delicious Orbs, they were bound to be extra tasty. He'd also topped the whole basket with the very bow she had thrown aside from a Wishing Orb he'd tried to give her once, and he'd taken care to wear his fuzziest accessories—as fuzzy as the one she wore over her brooch. His were, of course, blue, because Afubo liked Bizarre Orbs the most.

Today was the day, his day off that he had ensured would fall on the same day as hers.

Today was the day Afubo would look at him and smile and call him her best friend.

Maybe even...her da-friend...?

He quickly shook that thought away. No, no, he had to be her best friend first!

Dorobo had even given him a gentle smile and patted him and wished him good luck when he'd told her the gift was for Afubo. Surely, that meant he was going to succeed.

(Of course, he hadn't noticed that the other patrons of the restaurant had been shaking their heads and looking at him with pity in their eyes.)

Durida paused as he arrived in front of Afubo's home, suddenly nervous. Afubo still came to work everyday, but she had spoken about her brother coming home and how he had been forced to do terrible things and that she was going to take care of him for as long as it took him to get better. He hadn't been able to get her to play with him for some time since then, but he understood of course. Durida was very understanding toward Afubo, even when she said she didn't have any friends.

But what would her brother think of him? Or maybe her brother was already her best friend? Durida hesitated as he contemplated the curtain of her front door, and how easy it would be to knock on the doorframe...

He blinked as he realized he could hear voices coming from inside. Not just Afubo's but more. Did...did she have other friends over? Was she having a party and she didn't invite him?

Durida sucked in a breath and knocked on the doorframe.

When the curtain opened, it was indeed Afubo. She was smiling brightly, and Durida wondered what it was that could elicit such a look on her face.

"Oh, hi Durida," she said, then her gaze traveled to the basket he was carrying. "Wow, how did you know that's exactly what I need right now?"

He blinked. "It is?"

"Yes!" She grabbed him by his free hand and pulled him over the threshold. "I was just telling Morimoda I'd go pick up some Delicious Orbs, but here you are with a basket of them! Isn't that kind of strange timing?"

"Huh? Morimoda as in the Wishball player?"

Durida focused on the scene before him. There were two other Faewish Sprites in the room that was starting to become rather crowded, rummaging through a large box of all sorts of objects he couldn't make sense of. One of them must have been Afubo's brother, and the other...

"Wishball player? Morimoda, you're a Wishball player?" said Afubo, eyes brightening behind her glasses.

The two Faewish Sprites stopped what they were doing. One of them looked up at the sound of the name, and then began to look embarrassed. Durida could see now that it was, indeed, the Wishball player he was thinking of. What was he doing here, in Afubo's house?

"Yes, but...it's not a big deal," said Morimoda.

"No it's not!" Afubo clapped her hands together, startling Durida. "This is great!"

"It is?" asked Durida, glaring at Morimoda, who was blinking in confusion.

"Yes, it is," said Afubo. She flew over to the second Faewish Sprite, who had been so quiet the entire time. "Yoyoda, you used to want to try playing Wishball one day, right? Maybe Morimoda can show you how to play when you're feeling better."

"A-Afubo..." protested Yoyoda, "That's not necessary..."

Oh, that was her brother.

"I know the rules," said Durida quickly, but Afubo was now busy convincing Yoyoda that this was an excellent idea. He sighed, and set down his basket beside the box on the floor, the only free space left. The entire floor and the nearby surfaces were all covered in scrolls and knick knacks and things he couldn't even really describe.

His gaze was quickly drawn to the walls, where the shelves were just as covered in all sorts of trinkets, but ones he recognized. Durida paused as he realized half the things on the shelves were the oddities he had given to her. She'd kept them. All of them.

Despite being ignored right now, he couldn't help but find the thought reassuring.

"Wow, are these Delicious Orbs cooked by Dorobo?" said Morimoda beside him.

Durida turned to him, glaring. "They're for Afubo," he said, then after a second, he added, "And Yoyoda."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I didn't think I would be here for so long today..." Morimoda nodded, then looked back over to the two siblings in deep argument. "Um, you already heard my name, but I'm Morimoda."

"I'm Durida," he replied automatically. "I'm Afubo's...friend."

"Oh," said Morimoda, looking thoughtful. Then, a moment later, "Ohhh...I get it."

"What? What does that mean?"

But Morimoda didn't get a chance to reply, because that was when Afubo came over to matter-of-factly inform him that he was now Yoyoda's future Wishball coach.

And then before Durida had a chance to tell her that the Delicious Orbs were specially for her, Afubo was dividing them up amongst the four of them.

Not feeling very hungry, Durida contemplated his Delicious Orb in silence as he listened to the others. Afubo was humming to the music outside as she hovered beside him, distracting him from his thoughts with how nice her voice was. Morimoda and Yoyoda had gone back to the box and were carefully picking out items and discussing each one, once more giving Durida the sense that he was the only one missing context here.

After a moment, Afubo suddenly turned to him. "Wait, Durida, why did you come here? Did something happen at the Wish Inspection Center?"

He sighed. "No, Afubo. It's my day off too..."

Today was, in the end, not the day.

---

Later that night, as the broadcast station winded down with gentler music that enveloped the Grand Millewish Tree in a sleepy haze, after Morimoda and Durida had both gone home—Morimoda had shyly asked if he could come see Yoyoda again sometime, and Durida had, in his usual cool way, waved bye to her and taken his basket back with him—after Yoyoda had gone to bed—tired from all the effort he'd made to talk to Morimoda and even Durida, and for that she was so, so impossibly proud of him—Afubo couldn't help but smile to herself as she placed one of the wooden carvings of herself up on the shelf.

It had finally come home, right where it belonged.

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