resumed | NIMONA 💀

[a little later...

she comes to find wherever he is and just immediately turns into a cat and jumps in his lap, carefully. hi. she is here for cuddles if you need them.]

[ they're in phoenix dorm and on a couch. will's next to him, asleep, and nico's awake and too painfully aware of this fact.

but there's a little pink cat and she jumps, startling him with a small sound. normally he would just pet her with one hand but since she's carefully settling he's just picking her up with his good hand to hold her closer. he's had a few remedies by now so he's partially healed, but. it's still kind of a mess. ]

...sorry about your sweater.

Don't worry about it. We can go get another one.

[not that. she will, because he picked this out specifically for her and she'll wear it until she can't anymore, but it's fine. she just doesn't want him to feel bad.

she lets him pet her, easing close.]

... This one seemed worse than the last one.

Maybe...another day. [ it's a weak joke, but also yikes. he continues to pet the cat and slumps down a little to try and be more comfortable. ]

It wasn't great. [ he can admit that. ] I don't know if it's better I was able to control my own thoughts this time or not though.

[she is purring gently.]

I mean, you got - you looked like something sliced you up, man, like... [she's kind of scared to ask, with the way all three of them looked at her.]

That...was kind of the end of it. [ he frowns, fingers burrowing in her fur gently. ] I've taken hits like this before. But usually we can heal faster and we have items that help us at home. This is an adjustment.

[ he knows that's not what she's asking. but he is deciding what to say. ]

Yeah, same. I mean, the - healing... faster, thing.

[a pause.]

You can just say whatever it is. All three of you keep looking at me like. Like, you know.

[like she hurt them, or something. she probably did. she knows herself well enough.]

[ ...picks up cat.

he's careful, especially with a bandaged hand, but he holds her so she's eyelevel while she's still purring at him. ]

...I don't want to talk about this until you're ready to hear it. Because it's not really my story after a point. It's yours.

[well she probably stops purring, if only because that strikes the fucking fear of god in her. she is very, very still.]

What's that supposed to mean? [she is a little defensive. just a little.]

[

you know the thing from httyd where hiccup just kind of bonks his head into toothless's and stays there? that's what's happening. ]

...it means I wish you had the chance to tell us things yourself instead of this place doing it. I wish you hadn't lived that kind of life. I wish you had been treated kinder for things that weren't your fault.

[ he could stand to explain literally anything but that cycle of thought has been looping his head for a while today. ]

I wish it were easier to believe things could be better without second-guessing all the time, I guess.

[ooooh, oooh. oooooh, this feels bad, it's scary. it's very, very scary, when he tells her that, because nobody tells her that and then stays.

you changed the way you see me, right? and then he pulls a sword on her, and she is still so very raw from the last person who said he understood, and that he wished the world wasn't so cruel. nico bonks her head with his own, and she's so stiff it actually kind of hurts.]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[she does, though.]

My life is fine.

[ ...he doesn't want to fight with her. so he lowers her again to settle in his lap and continue petting her slowly. it's fine. maybe he said too much. ]

I know. [ he says, but in the tone of "I know this is a defense mechanism, I know it hurts to think about, I know you don't want to admit to otherwise." ] Sorry. What did I miss today...?

[ easy as always. giving her an out if she wants. ]

[there's something fighting in her, with this. because of all the people who have understood so far, nico has understood the most. her fur is bristling and standing straight up, but she's not angry, she's frightened out of her mind. maybe it's the same, for her, anger and fear all mixed up in one.

he gives her an out. and she should take it, but - there's a part of her, that despite everything, doesn't want to let it go. because whatever he experienced, it probably hurt. and she cares a little bit too much about him to just leave him floundering.

she kneads at his clothes, trying to steel herself. just - act normal. just be normal. even though you hate it.]

Nothing. [she says, and then, tersely:] Can you just tell me what happened? Because whatever I don't hear I'm going to - make something up. And it'll be worse. Whatever it is that happened to you because of me.

[ he lets her knead at him and he tries not to crowd her with his hands as he thinks of how to begin. ]

...Nimona, I don't even know if it was because of you. I don't think it's something you caused. [ there's a difference. ] But I think...even early, I think I knew it had something to do with things that happened to you. I didn't understand how, and I didn't want it to be. I was hoping that the house we woke up in was just a safe place for you instead of somewhere to hide.

[there is a difference. she's trying to believe that.]

I haven't lived in a house ever, so it probably wasn't mine. [blatantly lies]

It probably wasn't. [ he'll play along. ] But it would have been a nice place for you if people left it alone. Pink. Very pink. But comfortable...a bed, a couch, little furniture and things that would make it easy to invite friends if you wanted. The little cat that lived there seemed to have a lot of them that cared about her. We found a lot of pictures.

[ but he frowns. ]

...but I think something happened to her. Someone...didn't want to try to understand her. They just wanted to use her. So we left her house to try and understand what happened. [ ... ] Reigen went to check on the town's post office. And we went to find Chiemi's house.

The raccoon at the door gave us a list of tasks, but I think we ignored him.

[hghghghghh. hghh.

she curls up in a ball. she doesn't want to hear about a magical world where everybody liked her and she had a nice home with a nice bed. especially if it went south.

she also doesn't want to think about raccoons, so:] Did you find anything at Chiemi's house?

...a gun that was supposedly used to kill Norma. And a file of stuff that Will found that Chiemi and our friends were working on, probably. About a director who was changing things in this little town. Outsiders weren't welcome. She demanded a lot of money from everyone who lived there in order to get rid of a creature that she thought was a problem.

...but people protested. Either they didn't have the money, they couldn't meet the deadline or they just didn't want to. Anyone who went against the director was dealt with the same way. Mouth sewn shut, and instructed to be a good neighbor. Keep your head down. Smile and wave. Don't cause a scene.

[ he sounds pretty venomous about that, actually. ]

There was a note about Norma's death. How the gun was found in Chiemi's house, and how the villagers drove her away. She left behind another note apologizing she couldn't finish what was started.

...if there was anything else, I don't know, because the house suddenly blew up because Rita bombed us. [ he does not mention her (probably) blood sample. ]

[this is a lot to take in, but. she's listening.]

... Okay, but that kinda sounds like her. [don't be mean]

She bombed us and she ran away. [ angy!! it does sound like rita is the thing so. ] The whole thing collapsed on us. We probably should have died then, but we didn't. So we had to get ourselves out of the debris and chase after her.

[probably should have died makes her wince a little, but.]

Did you catch her?

Yeah. [ staring into middle distance. ] She kicked us, and then Datz and Hung showed up with baseball bats so we ran until we found Reigen at the post office. There was...this whole main street area with shops. The post office was there...Club Apollo. Di Angelo Attire. And a place called Ballister's. Plus the museum that was totally taped off.

[ ...he lets her pick what she wants to hear. ]

[hmmm... she's not a fan of this choose your own adventure

she's quiet for a minute, and then:] Where'd you go? [she doesn't like the sound of the attire place, but. they're kind of both batting back and forth in terms of i'll let you talk about what you want to - even if this is making her jittery.]

[ she's not a fan, said nimona, played by flurry, cyoa runner.

but you know... ]

Where do you think? It had my name on it, and I'd fooled myself into thinking it'd be fine if I pretended it was mine. [ ... ] Norma's ghost went that way, too. So we wanted to follow her. She disappeared once we were inside though. Reigen...I think saw everything, first. For what it was. I didn't at first, and Will saw it all last. But before...it was a cute shop.

[ vaguely nostalgic. ]

Clothing store, you know? Skull wallpaper, chainmail, all the classics. The owner did a good job decorating. It suited her.

[yea!

ugh, she doesn't like where this is leading, either, but. her tail flicks back and forth.]

The owner was someone you know, I'm assuming. [i can't remember if he has ever mentioned his sister but i feel like he hasn't]

w2, THURSDAY

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