psychedelica | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ he has made tea once again, and there is once again a cup for her, if she wants it. This time, he's sitting on the edge of the bed (respectfully distant from whichever side she sleeps on, of course), and despite the fact that he was right today, he doesn't look satisfied. There's the fact that a bunch of people are going to die regardless of the successful investigation, of course. And on top of that... ]

... She was Cinderella. Well, this is off to a great start.

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... I see. That's good.

[ his response is hesitant; somewhat tentatively, he returns to his seat beside her on the bed (with the space between them replenished, of course.) Comforting people is not his strong point. He wonders what the right thing to say in this situation is... At the very least, he feels like he should be beside her for it. ]

I'm sure you'll see her again soon.

[ hikage: that's rough buddy

it's fine though. steph is at least used to going away on dangerous missions enough that she's always aware that any day could be the last time she sees her mom. this is the same, even if it's in a different flavor. and her dad... well. she's more upset that he took the one secret she wanted to know to the grave than the fact that he died. that probably makes her a terrible person, she thinks, so she won't say that out loud. ]

I will. Just like how you'll get what you need back, too.

[ he's doing his best!! but empathy is hard. At least she doesn't look put off by his response; it can't have been too bad, then. He doesn't truly remember anything about his own parents to relate to her story with. The knowledge of what parents should be remains, however, and he knows she must miss them, at least a little. It's complicated, no doubt. ]

What I need? [ a blink. ] Are you talking about my memory?

Your memory, or... whatever it is that you need to do when you leave this place.

[ and also when he leaves purgatory, maybe, she doesn't know too much on how that works to really say. ]

[ his mouth twists into a dissatisfied frown, even deeper than it had been when he'd learned about Cinderella. This time, though, there's something a little more serious in his eyes. Fear? ]

... I don't know if I want to remember. [ she might be the first person he's actually admitted this to; the others he'd been with in the old manor wouldn't have accepted it. ] The fact that I'm in that manor at all means... the circumstances when I died were bad enough that my soul is refusing to pass on.

[ a pause; he opens his mouth like he has something else to say, but closes it again, ruminating. A small thorn of pain pricks at the back of his mind. ]

Oh. [ she's quiet, trying to imagine his circumstances. there are things in stephanie's life that she would prefer to forget, but if it meant that she had to lose the rest of it, she wouldn't. but hikage can't even make that distinction of if the good outweighs the bad or vice versa. ]

I know it doesn't compare in any way, but I'm going to make as many good memories with you as possible.

[ it's a weird comment. Hikage thinks it's weird, at least, judging by his expression. He looks like he has no idea how to react. ]

... Why? [ wait, let's rephrase this. ] There's no point. I'm dead already. Besides, for all you know, both of us will forget any of this ever happened. And even if you do remember, the best-case scenario for me is... my soul passes on, and I get reborn as someone else. I won't remember you.

Edited 2018-06-14 22:49 (UTC)

Well, right now, stop thinking about what might happen. The future is nothing but possibilities. But right now? It's what we got, so I want you to have as decent of a now as you can while stuck in this place.

[ it's simple. and like she said, she knows it won't make up for anything else. but hikage is depressing and she wants him to be less so. ]

[ thank you for trying to pull him out of his evanescence-filled existence, steph

it's hard for him not to make plans for what will happen or might happen; he's a perfectionist, and a bit of a control freak, and he wants to know exactly where everything lies on the table. His existence in the manor was a struggle for survival and answers; trying to stop and enjoy anything for too long would inevitably lead to his demise. This place, too, is full of danger - but it's danger sandwiched between long periods of peace, and with a future he doesn't know and can't plan for. Is he being foolish by not taking advantage of this opportunity? Surely, most dead would give anything for a chance to brush against life and the living one more time... ]

... You're a weird girl. [ a sigh. ] All right. I'll hold you to that, then. If I don't get killed again.

We are definitely going to do our best to make sure you stay not killed.

[ it kind of feels like a joke that he would be brought here only to die again. but tiger and dragon don't seem like the type to care about things like that. ]

But I won't let you down.

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