[ughhhh buddy, she feels so bad. she - liked lillium, but not nearly as much as nico, and her heart aches a bit.
she makes her way over to him and starts fussing, brushing the sand away from him.]
Yeah. Yeah, just a few more weeks, and then we'll get them back. [she says, firmly, using her sleeve to gently wipe his face.] They're talking to us through the newspaper. Ace wrote about the boats because I sent him a message asking. And the horoscopes, those have gotta be Reigen, right?
[ yeah things kind of suck even more because phoenixes bonded more this week after losing one of their own. so he lets her wipe at his face and brush off sand and he follows her like he's not even controlling his own body anymore, on autopilot and dead inside again.
it's not the same level of raw as losing reigen and ace, but damn if it isn't close, actually. ]
Yeah...I read everything. I thought it sounded just like them. My horoscope is way too pointed for it not to be Reigen. So we know they're okay over there for now. That's...better than nothing, right?
[she knows how that feels. she's felt it here, dead on the inside, too tired to do anything but let someone lead her around. so she pulls him to the bathroom and sits him down on the edge of the tub, and grabs a washcloth or two. she's just going to take care of him for a bit, as best as she can.
she wipes his face clean, gets rid of the sand. brushes his hair with her fingers.]
Mine was too. [...] He's right, you know. About all of it.
[ he drops kinda heavily on the edge of the tub, doesn't bother flinching away from her hands and not really looking at her while his mind is very slowly detaching from reality a bit. it's...a lot to process for a lot of reasons and he doesn't know where to start.
so he thinks about the horoscopes. ]
Reigen was more right about a lot of things than he probably knew. [ quietly. ] Did you...read all of them?
No. [ he does subconsciously lean into the touch though and he rethinks that answer. ] I mean yeah, there's that, but I'm choosing to process all of that later. I was just wondering what you thought of Libra's.
Yeah. [ there's a long pause then. and he reaches into his pocket suddenly to pull out an item. he doesn't let her touch it, but it's an old flip phone (like 2012 era). he opens it to show her there are no contacts, and there is a timer that seems to be counting down hours. ]
"Keep an eye out for opportunities to connect this week, as such fortunate events are likely to find you."
I might be reading too much into it, but might be Libra's lucky item? I found it in my room when I went back to meet Jolyne at our dorm. It's not connected to anything yet though.
I don't know. It doesn't look like it can make calls, but...if Reigen wrote the horoscopes, and he said mine would have opportunities to connect, and this is a phone which is Libra's lucky item then...I really, really hope so.
[ a pause. ]
I worked out the numbers. The timer runs out on Sunday...around the usual time things settle down. [ post-execution, he means. ]
Then... yeah. Cross your fingers. If you get anything, will you tell me? [...] Even if it isn't talking to them. It has to be something, I bet it's from everybody.
[she finishes getting the sand off of him, actually.]
What makes you think you aren't going to be with me when this timer goes off? [ he says, letting sand fall out of his hair and trying to refocus and stop being sad for a second. ]
...most of us will be at the arena on Sunday. When that timer goes off, we'll be there. For whatever this thing does. I'm...going to bring it to tomorrow's trial just so everyone knows. I don't want anyone to miss a chance to talk to them if that's what this really is. Even if it's just a text.
[that first bit makes her laugh a little, and she leans in and kisses him against the side of the head. no impulse control makes it so easy to be affectionate.]
Yeah. Be careful with it. I'll make sure nobody tries to snatch it from you. [...] It'll be good. Even if we don't get to talk to them, we know they're not gone forever. Even Lillium. And we know how to get them back, we just have to wait for the right chance.
[she holds his face in both of her hands, tapping him with her pointer finger.]
[ first of all he's a little startled by the sudden affection from her in particular, but it does make him smile faintly. he's leaning into her hands and he's watching her quietly before he takes a breath and sighs out slowly. ]
Feels like I should be saying that to you instead. I'm not ready to give up, trust me. [ it's just hard. all the time. it keeps getting harder. ] ...I am a little worried about Tama as the last goat, but I need to find who did this to Lillium. He...we talked about it, you know? He was pretty sure he'd be next on our team. I'm angry he was right.
You've said it to me plenty, it's not like you gotta say it again. [she tells him with a huff.
she's okay. she's okay, right now, and he needs someone other than just will to rely on, she thinks, so she can do this, even if it's clumsy. it keeps getting harder, he thinks, and she doesn't let go of him.]
... I'm kinda worried about Tama too, but I don't think anybody is stupid enough to wipe her out. [a pause, and then:] I'll help figure out who, you know I will.
[taps him again.] ... You keep losing people and it sucks.
[ reigens horoscope:take a step back and give yourself a break nico: I must take care of everything myself.
but nimona holds onto him and he has the phone in his hand and he's trying to redirect his thoughts when she speaks. ]
They better not. Tama being alone doesn't mean she's an easy target now, and if anyone thinks so...[ angry. but he settles again. ] I know we should try to figure out Albedo, and we can do both. But...if anyone thought we wouldn't start to be biased I don't know what to say. When we found him it was almost...respectful? Like they buried him properly.
[ that said. yeah. there is that. ] I told Ace I had practice doing this, but I was sort of hoping it'd slow down after last week instead of continuing. Weird, right?
[she bonks her forehead against his. it is a little like a headbutt.]
It's not weird. [...] It means you care about a lot of people, man, it's not like that's a horrible thing. Kind of lame, but what do I know.
[she's not saying it to be mean, she's just incapable of doing this right. at least she means it more like gentle teasing?]
You have a heart that's easy to break. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. It just sucks to see you hurting and try to hide it. You don't have to.
[ ow? he makes a face but it's not really because it hurt, but more out of what she says. mostly because she's right. he does care about a lot of people, and he cares a lot about people in general despite the way he presents himself.
you'd think the pieces would stop fitting together by now.
but he shrugs instead. ]
I'm not...[ he's not sure which part to protest first, is the thing. ] I know I don't have to. But I'm still trying to figure out how to be less worried about being too much for other people. [ which is very funny that he'd been talking to at least three different people about this and why he's resistant to getting help sometimes and now all three of them are dead. fun! ] Part of it is also I don't need to worry everybody when we have things we still have to do.
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it's ok
penthouse empty?
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yeah it is
i'll leave the blinds open
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[ it's all he says before he eventually turns up at the penthouse, eyes faintly dimmed red and also. sandy as shit for some reason. ]
...a few more weeks. That's what we have to keep telling ourselves, right?
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she makes her way over to him and starts fussing, brushing the sand away from him.]
Yeah. Yeah, just a few more weeks, and then we'll get them back. [she says, firmly, using her sleeve to gently wipe his face.] They're talking to us through the newspaper. Ace wrote about the boats because I sent him a message asking. And the horoscopes, those have gotta be Reigen, right?
[... tugs him towards the bathroom, actually.]
Just a little bit more.
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it's not the same level of raw as losing reigen and ace, but damn if it isn't close, actually. ]
Yeah...I read everything. I thought it sounded just like them. My horoscope is way too pointed for it not to be Reigen. So we know they're okay over there for now. That's...better than nothing, right?
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she wipes his face clean, gets rid of the sand. brushes his hair with her fingers.]
Mine was too. [...] He's right, you know. About all of it.
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so he thinks about the horoscopes. ]
Reigen was more right about a lot of things than he probably knew. [ quietly. ] Did you...read all of them?
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[...]
I mean, he was talking to the person that killed him, right? In the Gemini one. Is that why you're asking?
[she is actually just going to keep brushing his hair, gently.]
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[a pause, and then:]
... It was to himself, right?
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"Keep an eye out for opportunities to connect this week, as such fortunate events are likely to find you."
[ "lucky item: cell phone." ]
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she blinks at it - doesn't touch it, but.]
What's that?
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Do you think it's to talk to them? [don't be too excited about it don't get your hopes up, but --]
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[ a pause. ]
I worked out the numbers. The timer runs out on Sunday...around the usual time things settle down. [ post-execution, he means. ]
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Then... yeah. Cross your fingers. If you get anything, will you tell me? [...] Even if it isn't talking to them. It has to be something, I bet it's from everybody.
[she finishes getting the sand off of him, actually.]
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...most of us will be at the arena on Sunday. When that timer goes off, we'll be there. For whatever this thing does. I'm...going to bring it to tomorrow's trial just so everyone knows. I don't want anyone to miss a chance to talk to them if that's what this really is. Even if it's just a text.
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Yeah. Be careful with it. I'll make sure nobody tries to snatch it from you. [...] It'll be good. Even if we don't get to talk to them, we know they're not gone forever. Even Lillium. And we know how to get them back, we just have to wait for the right chance.
[she holds his face in both of her hands, tapping him with her pointer finger.]
No giving up. I'm here with you the whole way.
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Feels like I should be saying that to you instead. I'm not ready to give up, trust me. [ it's just hard. all the time. it keeps getting harder. ] ...I am a little worried about Tama as the last goat, but I need to find who did this to Lillium. He...we talked about it, you know? He was pretty sure he'd be next on our team. I'm angry he was right.
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she's okay. she's okay, right now, and he needs someone other than just will to rely on, she thinks, so she can do this, even if it's clumsy. it keeps getting harder, he thinks, and she doesn't let go of him.]
... I'm kinda worried about Tama too, but I don't think anybody is stupid enough to wipe her out. [a pause, and then:] I'll help figure out who, you know I will.
[taps him again.] ... You keep losing people and it sucks.
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nico: I must take care of everything myself.
but nimona holds onto him and he has the phone in his hand and he's trying to redirect his thoughts when she speaks. ]
They better not. Tama being alone doesn't mean she's an easy target now, and if anyone thinks so...[ angry. but he settles again. ] I know we should try to figure out Albedo, and we can do both. But...if anyone thought we wouldn't start to be biased I don't know what to say. When we found him it was almost...respectful? Like they buried him properly.
[ that said. yeah. there is that. ] I told Ace I had practice doing this, but I was sort of hoping it'd slow down after last week instead of continuing. Weird, right?
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It's not weird. [...] It means you care about a lot of people, man, it's not like that's a horrible thing. Kind of lame, but what do I know.
[she's not saying it to be mean, she's just incapable of doing this right. at least she means it more like gentle teasing?]
You have a heart that's easy to break. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. It just sucks to see you hurting and try to hide it. You don't have to.
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you'd think the pieces would stop fitting together by now.
but he shrugs instead. ]
I'm not...[ he's not sure which part to protest first, is the thing. ] I know I don't have to. But I'm still trying to figure out how to be less worried about being too much for other people. [ which is very funny that he'd been talking to at least three different people about this and why he's resistant to getting help sometimes and now all three of them are dead. fun! ] Part of it is also I don't need to worry everybody when we have things we still have to do.
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a pause, and then she takes ace's hat off and puts it on his head. just for now.]
I can multitask. [you're not too much for me.]
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