onerous | IC Inbox

[ ... she doesn't know.

He definitely doesn't want Hyoubu to be the one to break this news. Merlin would probably do a good job, and Rei might do a better one than he. But he's the one talking to her right now, and he's one of the three that died. He won't shy away from this. ]

Please, don't apologize. We didn't know each other before this. But I'd like to get to know you now, Yuri-san. As long as that's alright with you. I think the others will find their way to you as well.

What you did was amazing. It's us that should be saying something like that. If you're up to it, could I come see you? I'll understand if you're not.

[She supposes it's like what happened with her and Rei-- when you die with or for someone, there's a bond that forms there. A sort of instant friendship and comradery that Yuri finds both strange and fascinating.

Making friends. Wouldn't Hisoka be proud? (Though probably not of the execution of it-- no pun intended.)

'It's us that should be saying something like that.' Yuri's eyes narrow. Had they...?]

No, it's alright. I can meet with you. It'll probably be easier to talk to each other face-to-face anyhow.

I've never made friends through dying before. I'm not sure what the right way to go about this is.

You don't have to call me 'Yuri-san.' I think dying for people means you can throw out the formalities. At least, that's what Mars said.

Why don't I meet you? Anywhere is fine.

I don't think there's a right or a wrong way to go about it. Why don't we figure it out together?

Well... it's hard to argue with that. She said something similar to me, once. Yuri it is. You can call me Yu, too.

[Wtf how can he talk so smoothly. 'Why don't we figure it out together'?? ??? Who talks like that. shonen protags, apparently.]

The park? We can walk to one of the cafes or something.

I can be there fairly soon.

[ can't fight the protag swag. ]

That sounds great. I'll see you in a bit.

[ Yu heads out to the entrance to the park with only one thing in his hands: a small gift he'd made in what little time he had to make it. There are differences between him now and him in the prison, like someone's hit his off switch. In the prison there was an intensity, a sharpness to him at all times even when he was teasing, though she never saw the most focused pieces of him, which came only after she died. Now, though, all that intensity is gone, and a much more normal teenager is left in its wake. He's only seventeen, the youngest of their group, though his maturity (versus some telepathic troublemakers) might sometimes suggest otherwise.

He'll wait for her there, idle and relaxed, and smile when he sees her. ]

Hey. I brought you something.

[ He'll hold out the little paper cat for her to take. ]

[There's almost no difference between her in the prison and her out of it-- she's quiet and serious, trying to betray nothing as she approaches.

(there's a slight furrow in her brow, the corner of her mouth turned down a little too sharply to be anything but anxiety and unease)

It disappears into a look of bafflement when she stops and he offers the cat.]

It-- What? [Eloquent. She looks at it then to him, eyes wide] Why? [She blurts it out and then realizes immediately how poor a reaction that was; her ears turn red and she reaches for the cat, taking it carefully.]

Sorry, I mean... Thank you. Did you make this yourself?

[ He's a little surprised when her reaction is so ... marked, and he couldn't help but notice the furrow in her brow from when she approached, too. There's clearly a lot going on, here, just like before. He worries for her. The cat, well...

... the cat was to try and alleviate a little bit of that. Did he go overboard...?

That her first reaction was to wonder why - to be so surprised that someone would give her such a small, simple gift ...

What does that say for her life?

All he does is smile a little, giving her a nod. ]

Yeah. I had a little time. As for why... I didn't know what you liked, but I thought this would be cuter than a crane.

...I like cats. [She mutters it, carefully holding the paper cat so as not to accidentally damage it, and smiles a little. Lee gave her things all the time--flowers, mostly--so she's come to expect it from him, but other people? Not so much.

She looks up and nods as well, posture relaxing] Thank you again. Um. [She felt like she'd come into this semi-prepared, but this has thrown it all a little off-track.] Should we walk while we talk? I want to know everything that's happened.

[ The mutter wins a grin. Well, at least he picked the right animal. (And anyone who likes cats is good in his book, really.)

But it tones down again at her suggestion, and he nods, tilting his head for her to follow him as he leads the way. ]

Yeah. There's a lot to go over. [ His smile disappears completely in favor of a thoughtful look as he debates how to even approach this. ] It might be easiest to just tell you what happened ... after. [ He states it simply, without inflection. After you died. ]

[She winces a little. 'After.' Yeah, she knows what that means.

She says nothing for a moment, just following after him, before she finally makes a noise of agreement.] Mm. That'd be a good idea. After Mars and I-- After that happened... What happened to the other spirits?

[Of course that's her first question, thoughts going for the spirits that had been trapped] I think we saved them all, but... I wanted to make sure.

... there were no other spirits.

[ He says this without inflection, though his eyes are partly lidded, his expression serious. He does give her one brief, encouraging smile. ]

You saved everyone that had been trapped, don't worry about that. All that was left was what killed you.

[ This he says straightforwardly. He doesn't say it with any hardness in his voice, or harshly. A grim thoughtfulness overtakes him. ]

It was a guard. A robot, actually. It materialized to speak to Merlin and Hyoubu-san and I. It was what had been keeping the spirits trapped there all that time.

Oh. [It's said on a rush of an exhale, Yuri's eyes closing briefly as she pauses in her walking to take the information in.] So we did it after all... [She's glad about that, truly; it's a relief to know they were able to keep up their end of the bargain even at the cost of her life.

The talk of a robot guard has her frowning even as she starts walking again.] A robot guard? Did you learn anything?

IC Inbox

text;

text;

text;

text -> action?

text -> action

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject