[Don't touch that futon, Mal's brain practically screams as Riye approaches it. It isn't his, it's Luna's, and it smells like him and in the dead of night the blanket's warmth is a pale imitation of his embrace and-
He's been without Luna's company for much longer, when he was overseas and left him and Peony behind to do their own work towards their common goal. But this time, for the first time in months, he's alone and all of the sudden it's so much emptier than he ever noticed before. So that sad, simple comfort is all he has.
The tension eases out of his shoulders only slightly when she pauses, and he frowns.]
Yeah, but you're a weirdo. [He means it nicely. He's one too, after all.] I guess I am a little thankful. I was starting to feel lonesome.
[What was she? A barbarian? You don't touch ANYONE'S stuff without their permission!
Still though, it would be then when the atmosphere of the room would get to her. As much as she was someone who appreciated isolation so she could be with her own thoughts, this didn't feel like it. Maybe it was the idea that people used to be in this room, people of importance. Maybe that had to do with it. All that was here was a single futon in the room, and the silent air wafting through in between them.
The room felt too big. It did feel strange in here. "Lonely"? What a strange word for her still yet to admit to feeling.
Still though, it was his word first, and it made her give a look over to him again.
She knew Luna stepped out for a bit. But...where was Peony?]
Lonesome?
[Her eyes furrowed a little, not much, but enough to let just a small amount of concern to come out.]
[She seemed to still look at him. Was she convinced? No, not really. But she knew better than to press that he was maybe fibbing. After all, what's an emotionally stinted person going to do? Make him confess he was a lonely sack and let out a big cry? That wasn't him, not her either. Still yet though, she crossed her legs in a seating position right on that floor. Comfy.]
You seem to be of far few to get that sense of humor.
Yeah, well, you know. You have to have been there, right?
[He slumped against the wall across from her, crossing his arms.]
But it has been a little while. I almost forgot what it's like to have a whole room to myself.
[Being on bedrest during the worst phase of his bone bruise was one thing, but there was always the promise of someone coming by eventually. This was different. One away on business and two that he'd driven away by being an asshole. Hell, maybe he would take Ethan's company at this point.
Maybe. He wasn't ready to admit to that level of desperation yet.]
[Riye admitted that outright, and she knew the exact implications of it. If she were honest, she could get examples of that from anywhere. But from how Mal was talking, it was straight up. So not longer was there humor in her voice. Especially since he made a pretty big deal about being lonesome, and in not a way that suggested he liked it. So she had to pick and piece what she wants to say. Because whether he liked it or not, she was a bit concerned for this situation right now. But she was going to be in her own way.]
I've been the loner long enough to feel all aspects of isolation. It was what I knew best, and it got me through most of my life. For better or for worse. It became a double sided feeling.
[He rubbed the side of his neck, his gaze kind of wandering down to the far corner of the room. Running away doesn't sound so bad after all. But he's not going to say that to her, not after everything they just discussed.]
Sitting back and keeping to myself... When it comes to someone like me, who only makes a mess of things by getting too close...
[It's better that way, right?]
Tch. Somehow I ended up hurting people less when my only real interaction with them was beating the crap out of them.
Your 'talking it out' method sucks, you know that?
[A frown appeared on her face, she was listening through his whole spiel. Right from beginning to end. Each sentence feeling like a nail being hammered on her person with the very final sentence being somewhat of a finishing blow.]
Why do you say that?
[She could no longer deny the butterflies in her stomach.]
Because I gave it a shot and screwed everything up! Why do you think?
[He slammed the back of his head against the wall, figuring that was better than putting a fist through it.]
Whatever. I knew what would happen and did it anyway. Peony's gone off somewhere, Luna... tch, even if he didn't follow her, I know that's where he'll end up anyway...
[Ethan... who cared, honestly.]
And you? I'll do something to make you run away again, I bet.
[Her eyes shot open when he let out a yell and a head bang. Her heart lodged inside her chest that was readying itself with barbs and iron walls, just in case. She asked because she was lost as to what to think, and learning now what happened...
Needless to say, there was nothing she could say.
Nothing.
She had no words or wisdom, barely anything of comfort. So, everything just went wrong. He tried and they just...left? Like that? Luna had to leave and then Peony just...? What the hell?? Her voice choked her throat, and her brain sorted out all of the possible options. She was coming up with nothing. Riye, who was so calm and logical, ran out of things to say.]
Mal...I'm sorry.
[Her hands clutched her legs, griping on to the fabric. She couldn't lose her place, she fought to find a purpose. She had to keep remembering that. No matter what Mal said, out of fear for everything he had. What apparently he feared for HER. That fear being himself.]
I don't have anything else to say about that, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't do anything but, well, I already told you. I'm not running away again. I don't want to. It was the stupidest and most selfish decision I could've made. You helped me get though it. So I sure as hell don't want you to feel like that.
[She sure as hell wouldn't be sticking by him if she did.
He could recall that series of notes they sent back and forth at the beginning of their friendship, in which he did mention that his past was stained with blood, and she accepted it then. But he never told her the full truth of it.
Maybe it was time. Someone should hate him for it.]
She knew exactly what those implications could mean.
Riye had thought about so much since they met.
When they met, what happened after, what transpired. It wasn't something she had forgotten.
Privilege. Luxury. Those were words that stayed in her head since coming to Koriko. She knew for as much as she would whine and gripe, she DID NOT have it worse than most here. It was just scary to know that at first. When she first arrived and knew she could very well be surrounded by criminals and killers, preventing her from trusting ANYONE.
Then she met him.
A man who she looked at with the same expression she gave anyone else, who loved being alone and found comfort with very little people. Then that was when her guard was let down, and when that whole train of people related to him came to her afterword. Learning bit by bit each day.
Perspective.
She knew...when he said an inkling of his bloodied past, that her imagination could run as wild as it could and it couldn't possibly amount to what he could have seen or done. It was then she gave him that chance, to prove his violent nature to be anything else. He offered no excuse. Just the fact. Then she heard enough.
That was when she took all she learned since coming, and put it against the life she knew back home. When she could look at the awful things in the sick and sad world on the paper before finishing breakfast and going to school. Then coming home to her room, safe in her bed with a good book. Something so many people could kill to have again.
Perspective.
Since then, Mal had asked honesty from her. He was straight-forward, followed her statements, made her challenge her very words, offered support. Offered to protect her. Made her feel no longer alone. Think about her place in Koriko once more, and stay for the haul. If it meant she could have a good friend or a couple along the way. Mallory wasn't perfect, at all. He was a violent man and had said many harsh things. But with all of her hostility and passive aggression, there was always a common ground there.
She could tell him anything.
No matter what, that Mal was someone she wanted to fight for.
If he wanted to truly explain, she owed it to him to listen. To all of it.]
[His lips almost formed a smile, but the furrowing of his brow spoke of a disapproving frown.]
You sure that's a good idea after last time?
[The last time she let him spill his guts to her over drinks was Valentine's Day, and he was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten him getting so worked up over his own regrets he ended up blowing up at her. Even being conscious of the possibility, how was this time going to end up any different?
Maybe it would just be the final straw for her and drive her off anyway. That was what was best, right? Whatever...]
[Riye knew what she was getting herself into. The anxiety in her stomach was evident of it. All she knew was that she wanted to do it for various reasons. The commitment had to be real.]
[It's not like he was particularly picky. Booze what booze, and while he wasn't big on the whole drinking-for-drinking's sake thing, when it was time to do it, anything did the trick.
So the nearest little ikazaya to the bathhouse it was. And so our heroes arrived with little incident and about as much conversation.
Here they were. At a table. Drinks ordered. Mallory kind of sulleny gazing out the window at people passing by in the treets as twilight settled over the town.]
[He could have whatever he wanted. She just got a water. It was all she could really stomach, despite maybe wanting to see if this place had virgin daiquiris or sodas.
Riye sat there right on the seat, not very comfortably, looking right on the table. Occasionally at Mal to see if he could or would say anything.
She asked him to come just so he wouldn't feel so lonesome like he said, but it was like she was placed on the spot to crack the ice. Miss Antisocial had to break the ice. Else no words would ever be spoken. As much as she promised they didn't HAVE to talk, something needed to happen.]
Well, this is convenient.
Edited (It ended up not being THAT short) 2017-04-24 06:25 (UTC)
[Just some good old sake for him. He already poured his second little cup of it by the time she spoke up. And here he was going to take her comment about not having to talk seriously.]
Hn? What is?
[The fact that they could snag a table at this time of evening, or...?]
[It was more or less something she was musing, if for any other reason than to get at least maybe some idle chit chat going. For as much as she could appreciate stone silence, it wasn't a good kind. It was the kind of depressing silence that weighed a bit on Daria's spirit, despite the fact people could say she was already so negative and pessimistic.
Riye was able to read the mood like any book, but at least with a book...there was a written climax and conclusion. It was up to Daria to start writing this story.]
That this place can have a bar at most corners so you don't have to travel too far. All that and no pizza place, though.
This place is a tourist a tourist trap. Alcohol's got more international appeal. ...Interplanal appeal?
[Look, there are a lot more myths where he's from about spirits who like a bit of the hooch now and then, but none about pizza ghosts. That's what he's getting at here.]
Just make a pizza if you want one that bad. It's probably healthier.
[HOW DO WE KNOW THERE ISN'T A PIZZA GHOST. But still, anyway, at least they could start off with talking about something petty and somewhat silly. She could really make one and she thought of it once or twice, but-well. If they were really going to talk about something innocent to get the mind out of nonsense for forever how long...]
I guess I could try, we got the books for it. Never did make one. Then again, we never hardly did any cooking at my house.
[Also she was sinfully lazy.]
The lowest common denominator is missing out; you'd think this place could benefit from the use of a brick oven with how The Witch tries to rope us into the schemes she does every month.
[She hadn't forgotten, but she found it highly amusing that he caught on to it after the damn clock. It was like a huffy kind of amusement. So she would slowly drink her water like she said Nothing At All.]
Does this mean I'm fired?
[Maybe a very. Gentle. Poke. In the form of a subtle snark.]
[Time to pour himself another. This time the cup only fills halfway before what's left in the little bottle runs dry, and he clicks his tongue a little in disappointment.]
I'll look into it. It might not be free.. the building permit Luna's after costs an arm and a leg, anyway.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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He's been without Luna's company for much longer, when he was overseas and left him and Peony behind to do their own work towards their common goal. But this time, for the first time in months, he's alone and all of the sudden it's so much emptier than he ever noticed before. So that sad, simple comfort is all he has.
The tension eases out of his shoulders only slightly when she pauses, and he frowns.]
Yeah, but you're a weirdo. [He means it nicely. He's one too, after all.] I guess I am a little thankful. I was starting to feel lonesome.
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Still though, it would be then when the atmosphere of the room would get to her. As much as she was someone who appreciated isolation so she could be with her own thoughts, this didn't feel like it. Maybe it was the idea that people used to be in this room, people of importance. Maybe that had to do with it. All that was here was a single futon in the room, and the silent air wafting through in between them.
The room felt too big. It did feel strange in here. "Lonely"? What a strange word for her still yet to admit to feeling.
Still though, it was his word first, and it made her give a look over to him again.
She knew Luna stepped out for a bit. But...where was Peony?]
Lonesome?
[Her eyes furrowed a little, not much, but enough to let just a small amount of concern to come out.]
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[He wasn't, not really.]
Thought a fellow loner would at least laugh about it.
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[She seemed to still look at him. Was she convinced? No, not really. But she knew better than to press that he was maybe fibbing. After all, what's an emotionally stinted person going to do? Make him confess he was a lonely sack and let out a big cry? That wasn't him, not her either. Still yet though, she crossed her legs in a seating position right on that floor. Comfy.]
You seem to be of far few to get that sense of humor.
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[He slumped against the wall across from her, crossing his arms.]
But it has been a little while. I almost forgot what it's like to have a whole room to myself.
[Being on bedrest during the worst phase of his bone bruise was one thing, but there was always the promise of someone coming by eventually. This was different. One away on business and two that he'd driven away by being an asshole. Hell, maybe he would take Ethan's company at this point.
Maybe. He wasn't ready to admit to that level of desperation yet.]
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[Riye admitted that outright, and she knew the exact implications of it. If she were honest, she could get examples of that from anywhere. But from how Mal was talking, it was straight up. So not longer was there humor in her voice. Especially since he made a pretty big deal about being lonesome, and in not a way that suggested he liked it. So she had to pick and piece what she wants to say. Because whether he liked it or not, she was a bit concerned for this situation right now. But she was going to be in her own way.]
I've been the loner long enough to feel all aspects of isolation. It was what I knew best, and it got me through most of my life. For better or for worse. It became a double sided feeling.
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[He rubbed the side of his neck, his gaze kind of wandering down to the far corner of the room. Running away doesn't sound so bad after all. But he's not going to say that to her, not after everything they just discussed.]
Sitting back and keeping to myself... When it comes to someone like me, who only makes a mess of things by getting too close...
[It's better that way, right?]
Tch. Somehow I ended up hurting people less when my only real interaction with them was beating the crap out of them.
Your 'talking it out' method sucks, you know that?
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[A frown appeared on her face, she was listening through his whole spiel. Right from beginning to end. Each sentence feeling like a nail being hammered on her person with the very final sentence being somewhat of a finishing blow.]
Why do you say that?
[She could no longer deny the butterflies in her stomach.]
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[He slammed the back of his head against the wall, figuring that was better than putting a fist through it.]
Whatever. I knew what would happen and did it anyway. Peony's gone off somewhere, Luna... tch, even if he didn't follow her, I know that's where he'll end up anyway...
[Ethan... who cared, honestly.]
And you? I'll do something to make you run away again, I bet.
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Needless to say, there was nothing she could say.
Nothing.
She had no words or wisdom, barely anything of comfort. So, everything just went wrong. He tried and they just...left? Like that? Luna had to leave and then Peony just...? What the hell?? Her voice choked her throat, and her brain sorted out all of the possible options. She was coming up with nothing. Riye, who was so calm and logical, ran out of things to say.]
Mal...I'm sorry.
[Her hands clutched her legs, griping on to the fabric. She couldn't lose her place, she fought to find a purpose. She had to keep remembering that. No matter what Mal said, out of fear for everything he had. What apparently he feared for HER. That fear being himself.]
I don't have anything else to say about that, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't do anything but, well, I already told you. I'm not running away again. I don't want to. It was the stupidest and most selfish decision I could've made. You helped me get though it. So I sure as hell don't want you to feel like that.
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[She sure as hell wouldn't be sticking by him if she did.
He could recall that series of notes they sent back and forth at the beginning of their friendship, in which he did mention that his past was stained with blood, and she accepted it then. But he never told her the full truth of it.
Maybe it was time. Someone should hate him for it.]
no subject
She knew exactly what those implications could mean.
Riye had thought about so much since they met.
When they met, what happened after, what transpired. It wasn't something she had forgotten.
Privilege. Luxury. Those were words that stayed in her head since coming to Koriko. She knew for as much as she would whine and gripe, she DID NOT have it worse than most here. It was just scary to know that at first. When she first arrived and knew she could very well be surrounded by criminals and killers, preventing her from trusting ANYONE.
Then she met him.
A man who she looked at with the same expression she gave anyone else, who loved being alone and found comfort with very little people. Then that was when her guard was let down, and when that whole train of people related to him came to her afterword. Learning bit by bit each day.
Perspective.
She knew...when he said an inkling of his bloodied past, that her imagination could run as wild as it could and it couldn't possibly amount to what he could have seen or done. It was then she gave him that chance, to prove his violent nature to be anything else. He offered no excuse. Just the fact. Then she heard enough.
That was when she took all she learned since coming, and put it against the life she knew back home. When she could look at the awful things in the sick and sad world on the paper before finishing breakfast and going to school. Then coming home to her room, safe in her bed with a good book. Something so many people could kill to have again.
Perspective.
Since then, Mal had asked honesty from her. He was straight-forward, followed her statements, made her challenge her very words, offered support. Offered to protect her. Made her feel no longer alone. Think about her place in Koriko once more, and stay for the haul. If it meant she could have a good friend or a couple along the way. Mallory wasn't perfect, at all. He was a violent man and had said many harsh things. But with all of her hostility and passive aggression, there was always a common ground there.
She could tell him anything.
No matter what, that Mal was someone she wanted to fight for.
If he wanted to truly explain, she owed it to him to listen. To all of it.]
Let me buy you a drink.
[hand over heart emote]
You sure that's a good idea after last time?
[The last time she let him spill his guts to her over drinks was Valentine's Day, and he was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten him getting so worked up over his own regrets he ended up blowing up at her. Even being conscious of the possibility, how was this time going to end up any different?
Maybe it would just be the final straw for her and drive her off anyway. That was what was best, right? Whatever...]
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I'll pay you to buy you a drink.
[She had to do this.]
Even if we say absolutely nothing the whole time.
[Riye didn't want him alone.]
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[Maybe it would be a nice distraction for a few minutes, in the best possible scenario.]
Lead the way.
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[She was still paying, but she made her way to the door. The definition of insanity, think Daria.
She put all of her nagging thoughts aside, throw away any insecurity. It was go time, make or break.
Off they go, to wherever.]
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So the nearest little ikazaya to the bathhouse it was. And so our heroes arrived with little incident and about as much conversation.
Here they were. At a table. Drinks ordered. Mallory kind of sulleny gazing out the window at people passing by in the treets as twilight settled over the town.]
. . .
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Riye sat there right on the seat, not very comfortably, looking right on the table. Occasionally at Mal to see if he could or would say anything.
She asked him to come just so he wouldn't feel so lonesome like he said, but it was like she was placed on the spot to crack the ice. Miss Antisocial had to break the ice. Else no words would ever be spoken. As much as she promised they didn't HAVE to talk, something needed to happen.]
Well, this is convenient.
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Hn? What is?
[The fact that they could snag a table at this time of evening, or...?]
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Riye was able to read the mood like any book, but at least with a book...there was a written climax and conclusion. It was up to Daria to start writing this story.]
That this place can have a bar at most corners so you don't have to travel too far. All that and no pizza place, though.
no subject
[Look, there are a lot more myths where he's from about spirits who like a bit of the hooch now and then, but none about pizza ghosts. That's what he's getting at here.]
Just make a pizza if you want one that bad. It's probably healthier.
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I guess I could try, we got the books for it. Never did make one. Then again, we never hardly did any cooking at my house.
[Also she was sinfully lazy.]
The lowest common denominator is missing out; you'd think this place could benefit from the use of a brick oven with how The Witch tries to rope us into the schemes she does every month.
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You know what my job here is, right?
[Easy to forget when he's probably the guy who causes half the HR disputes in the first place, but...]
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Does this mean I'm fired?
[Maybe a very. Gentle. Poke. In the form of a subtle snark.]
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[Time to pour himself another. This time the cup only fills halfway before what's left in the little bottle runs dry, and he clicks his tongue a little in disappointment.]
I'll look into it. It might not be free.. the building permit Luna's after costs an arm and a leg, anyway.
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hhhh
B)
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