Childe "I Can Make Her Worse" Tartaglia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monoceroscaeli) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
insurmountable2022-11-26 09:40 pm
monoceroscaeli) wrote in insurmountable2022-11-26 09:40 pm
Entry tags:
you hide your face with your disguise // 'cause someone filled your head with lies
[It had been a few days since the hunt for the Great Mujina Youkai had come to an end, having to say goodbye to the kids and to Yoimiya too. The ship that was to take him back to Snezhnaya would be arriving a bit later in the day, and Childe sighs as he sits back in his chair in the tent he's occupying in one such hidden Fatui camp. He had a great time in Inazuma. The country was beautiful, rich with a new culture to learn and all sorts of places to explore and fight new and more exciting enemies. All his things were in order- the gifts that he'd bought to bring back to his family, Teucer's Onikabuto in a little bug box with some food to keep it alive during the trip back- all he'd have to do is wait for the ship and he'd be on his way.
He tells himself that he'd return to the country one day, once tensions between the Fatui and the Shogunate calm down. It was a miracle that he was able to stay as long as he has, evading the Tenryou Commission. He has some people to thank for that, and he won't forget what they did for him while he's been here. Some gifts would be in order for them upon his return.
The Harbinger idly plays with a writing utensil between his fingers. He'd like to bring something from Snezhnaya for Yoimiya, too.
There's a sharp rap at his door, and Childe sighs. He doesn't really want to deal with work right now, perfectly happy reminiscing on the time he's spent in Inazuma before he leaves, but answers with a bored tone to his voice:]
Come in.
[An agent enters, bowing and standing at attention.]
Sir, we've captured a Tenryou Commission spy that was found sneaking around. We've taken her into custody and are awaiting your orders on how to deal with her.
[Childe's eyebrow raises. It should have been hard to find this camp, even by the Shuumatsuban. Somehow, doubt creeps into his mind, but stands from his chair.]
Alright, I'll deal with it myself. At least I can have one last bit of fun before I depart.
[The agent only bows once more, to lead Childe towards the prisoner. He knows better than to argue with the Harbinger, but feels sorry for the spy. The two cross the camp to another tent, the agent stopping him right before lifting the flap for his senior commander.]
She claims to be from the fireworks shop, but we've seen Tenryou soldiers stop frequently at it.
[Before he can answer, the flap is lifted to reveal a certain girl that he'd met not but a few days ago...]
He tells himself that he'd return to the country one day, once tensions between the Fatui and the Shogunate calm down. It was a miracle that he was able to stay as long as he has, evading the Tenryou Commission. He has some people to thank for that, and he won't forget what they did for him while he's been here. Some gifts would be in order for them upon his return.
The Harbinger idly plays with a writing utensil between his fingers. He'd like to bring something from Snezhnaya for Yoimiya, too.
There's a sharp rap at his door, and Childe sighs. He doesn't really want to deal with work right now, perfectly happy reminiscing on the time he's spent in Inazuma before he leaves, but answers with a bored tone to his voice:]
Come in.
[An agent enters, bowing and standing at attention.]
Sir, we've captured a Tenryou Commission spy that was found sneaking around. We've taken her into custody and are awaiting your orders on how to deal with her.
[Childe's eyebrow raises. It should have been hard to find this camp, even by the Shuumatsuban. Somehow, doubt creeps into his mind, but stands from his chair.]
Alright, I'll deal with it myself. At least I can have one last bit of fun before I depart.
[The agent only bows once more, to lead Childe towards the prisoner. He knows better than to argue with the Harbinger, but feels sorry for the spy. The two cross the camp to another tent, the agent stopping him right before lifting the flap for his senior commander.]
She claims to be from the fireworks shop, but we've seen Tenryou soldiers stop frequently at it.
[Before he can answer, the flap is lifted to reveal a certain girl that he'd met not but a few days ago...]
no subject
When his eyes land on the souvenir shop, he thanks everything that it really is small enough that if anyone follows them in, he'll catch them right away. If they choose to stay out and keep an eye on them, there isn't anywhere to conceal themselves.]
Haha, we'll be out of money before we know it.
[He jokes lightheartedly, entering into the store and feeling that chill stall behind them somewhere. So they won't dare come in...]
Well, look at this! What a find, [he says immediately, wandering deeper before he comes across a little oil lamp that reminds him of fantastical stories involving genies.]
Perhaps if you rub it, something magical will happen.
no subject
Do you think a real genie will come out?! I'd give anything to see one with my own two eyes. I heard they can grant any wish you want.
[ Like an excited kid, she picks up the oil lamp without too much thought. Before she gives it a rub, her ears perk at the sounds of the shopkeeper grumbling underneath his breath. She turns in his direction, catching him roll his eyes at her.
"Tourists..." He says with sheer contempt in his voice.
Yoimiya suddenly feels self conscious, she starts to wonder if she's the being the rude one by picking up wares she might not even purchase. She glances over at Ajax, looking unsure of herself. ]
Maybe I outta put this back...
no subject
Tartaglia's ears perk up as he turns his gaze towards the guy, clearly annoyed. The hell did he just say?]
No, you can keep looking at it to your heart's content, Yoimiya.
[He doesn't leave her side, but he won't let a comment like that slide.]
Hey, mind apologizing to my girlfriend for that remark? Uncalled for is an understatement for your behavior; and it's only fitting you treat your customers with care.
[There's danger dripping out of his voice, like he wouldn't hold back and slug the guy if he'll be difficult. Really, Childe is always hoping for a fight, even though this is a bad time for it. It might be the only reason why he didn't already deck him.]
no subject
Hey Ajax...
[ She's getting ready to stop him, reassure him that it's okay, she's the one at fault. With the lamp in hand, she glances back and forth between the two; Yoimiya can tell the shopkeeper is growing increasingly irate with each passing second. Even if he's staring at her boyfriend, she can feel him shooting a nasty glare directed at her. For a moment, he looks like he's about ready to get up from behind the counter to duke it out with both of them, even though he doesn't wield a vision. ]
What did you say punk—?!
[ As he's raising his voice, the man suddenly... stops. Yoimiya can't quite pinpoint it, but it almost looks like the guy got one look at Ajax and decided not to escalate the matter. ]
Che... fine. I apologize for being rude but you better be careful with it. You break it, you buy it.
[ He practically spits out the apology, not sounding sincere in the slightest but it's clear he doesn't want to get into a fight with Ajax. Maybe he can sense the danger radiating from him, just one look should be enough to tell anyone that her boyfriend isn't one to be messed with. ]
no subject
And then...he backs off. Just like that. Childe's aware he has a certain aura around him, something that powerful people can recognize as downright frightening and dangerous and others can recognize as not worth it just to lose to him. Seems the shopkeep is one of the latter.]
Good. Maybe we were going to buy it in the first place.
[Just to add insult to injury. He's pretty sure that the souvenir shop isn't owned by that guy anyway, it's probably owned by the ship line itself. So it doesn't really matter to him if they buy it or not. He's just being an asshole to Yoimiya for no reason.
Turning back to her, his eyes soften for a moment to reassure her, everything's fine and that she shouldn't feel bad about this.]
Sometimes people need to put in their place. You can go ahead and look at everything you want to while we're here.
[Childe presses a kiss to her forehead just for good measure, but when he pulls back he catches something out of the corner of his eye in the reflection of the glass of the shop. A figure stands in it, dark hair with pink highlights at the ends...]
no subject
But still! She appreciates Ajax for jumping in to defend her. Truly cannot ask for a better partner than him. Now feeling a little less apprehensive, Yoimiya can't help but laugh at her boyfriend's retort, grinning at the man behind the counter as if to say; That's right! She triumphantly huffs and returns Ajax's stare with a warm smile, feeling relaxed and reassured thanks to him. ]
Thank you. I can always count on you to be my hero.
[ Her chest buzzes with warmth at the sweet kiss on her forehead and in turn, she stands on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his chin. Mwah! Take that mean ol' shopkeeper! Ajax has been through so much, she can tell he's stressed beyond his mind and despite it all, he's still going out of his way for her. Yoimiya silently swears to give him anything he wants when they go back to their sleeping quarters. For now, she takes his advice and continues looking around with the lamp in hand, oblivious to the reflection in the corner of his eye.
As soon as Ajax makes eye contact with the figure in the glass, a faint giggle fills the air, the tone is beautiful, haunting, and so sickly sweet that it's nauseating. The giggles go on and on, showing no signs of stopping as it rings in his ears. To make matters worse, Yoimiya and the grumpy shopkeep appear to not notice the terrible laughter all around them.
Suddenly, Yoimiya's loud voice cuts through the ominous giggling as she points out a few children's toys lined on the shelves. ]
Ajax! Would Teucer like an Aranara building block set or a mini replica of the ship?
no subject
The next second he hears that giggling in his ears, and it takes every fiber of his willpower to keep himself from shaking. She's here and she's not going to let him forget that she believes that he belongs to her. The giggling gets louder and louder, overwhelming his senses, leaving Tartaglia helpless as his eyes grow wider and wider. That cold he'd felt earlier envelops him, locking him in place while he looks over to Yoimiya and the employee.
Neither of them seem to react, horrifying him before his gaze returns to the reflection in the glass. It's as if his whole world is nothing but that sickening giggling, when suddenly Yoimiya's voice cuts through and the giggling stops, bringing him back to reality.]
...Sorry, um....
[He walks over to her to look at the few toys she was looking at, unable to focus on them at all. Columbina is gone, her voice no longer audible, and his girlfriend is waiting for an answer.]
He'd probably enjoy the replica more than the building blocks, but I think he'd like both, really.
[His head feels like its spinning. Was he just imagining things, or is she here? Did that really happen?]
no subject
Her eyes flash with worry as she peers at him to see if anything is off. ]
Are you okay, Ajax?
[ She's not sure what happened in the span of those few minutes. But she can tell something has set him off-kilter. ]
You look like you're out of it.
no subject
So he offers her a small smile, along with a tiny laugh as he throws a hand behind his head.]
Just lost in thought is all. I guess maybe I'm a lot more tired from our trip than I thought. Perhaps it's just the stress of it all is finally catching up to me, and I just need to rest.
[For now, that sounds like a good excuse until he really figures out what's going on.]
But don't worry about me, Yoimiya. You can still keep shopping for now, it's not as if I won't be able to get plenty of sleep while we're on the ship.
no subject
She presses her lips together in a thin line, still not saying anything. Yoimiya desperately wishes she could do more to help, he's done so much for her and she feels like she's hardly done a thing. But... since Ajax told her not to worry, she'll try not to make it harder on him. ]
It'll be hard not to fret over ya but I'll try. Just try to get some sleep on your end, Kay?
[ Maybe a change in subject will brighten the mood. ]
I think I'm ready to check out when you are. I got a mini boat for our stinkers and some presents for your family.
no subject
Sure, I'm ready. I'll come back down here later and buy something on my own. Maybe after I've gotten a good night's rest.
[He's going to drop it there. No need to say anymore, lest he get caught in another lie. He walks with her up to the counter, to face the shopkeeper once more, and it's like his face hasn't changed from that grumpy look after Childe challenged him a few minutes ago. He makes sure to stand right behind his girlfriend, folding his arms over his chest to make sure the guy treats Yoimiya with the respect she deserves.
But now with his back turned, that chill floats back in and crawls right up his back, like a pair of ice-cold hands running along smooth skin. Ajax shivers, trying to keep his composure, but the feeling of it creeps upwards even onto his face, like that grip wants to pull him in and away from Yoimiya and this world...]
no subject
No doubt Yoimiya is still nervous about approaching him, but since Tartaglia is behind her, she feels a little better about stepping up to the counter to make her purchase. Though the man is careful about setting off her boyfriend's wrath, he still can't help but send another nasty glare her way and roll his eyes as he completes the transaction. ]
So. Are you going to buy that lamp or not?
[ Oh...! Yoimiya nearly forgot about this silly thing. ]
No! But I hope you don't mind if I give it a quick rub.
[ Thankfully for his sake, he manages to bite his tongue. Yoimiya can tell he really wanted to say something rude to her... gosh, now she's wondering what crawled up his butt and died. Since he isn't arguing, she wastes no time giving the oil lamp a quick rub, and to her surprise, a puff of pink smoke floats out of the nozzle. ]
Ajax, look! There's smoke coming out of it. How neat...!!!
[ She calls out to get her boyfriend's attention. Yoimiya looks so happy and enamored with the lamp, like a child discovering a new toy but unbeknownst to her, the smoke takes the shape of eyeballs staring directly at Ajax. ]
no subject
Tartaglia swears for a second that he can see his own breath as he breathes out, but he's forced to ignore that as his attention gets diverted to Yoimiya when she says his name. He's not sure what conversation just occurred between herself and the employee, but she's rubbing the lamp and now a small bit of smoke is actually pouring out of it, as if there really could be a genie inside. His eyes widen, along with the shopkeepers, because that's not supposed to happen.
But what neither Yoimiya nor the shopkeep see are the eyes that form within the confines of the smoke, glowing pink and locking its gaze with his. It's as if they stare directly into his soul, and his head suddenly gets cloudy, confused as to what's happening or who he even is.
Ajax sways back and forth as he fights the uncontrollable feeling of emptiness that washes over him, but at least he's able to keep himself there enough to realize that the lamp is the culprit- and maybe by muscle memory alone, does he reach out and grab the lamp from Yoimiya's hands suddenly and throws it directly out of the entrance and onto the hard wooden floor of the ship. The lamp smashes to pieces, but he feels his mind return to him, blinking a few times as he stares out at the shattered remains of a simple oil lamp.]
I'll...I'll pay for it.
[There's a shake to his voice, one that he can't disguise anymore. Childe frantically takes a bag of coin out of the pocket of his trousers and slaps down giant coins of mora that are huge in comparison to the normal coin, knowing that it would easily cover the price of the lamp and anything else that Yoimiya bought.]
Let's go, Yoimiya. We should head back to our room.
[Urgency lines his tone of voice, and he quickly begins to move as he grabs her free hand to go. He can't stay in here any longer, she's here, she's watching.]
no subject
However, the shopkeep doesn't seem to be bothered. Sure, he looks agitated but the fat stacks of mora seemingly make up for it. Yoimiya has a feeling if she was the one to break the lamp, she'd never hear the end of it. But that's not important, she's far more concerned about Ajax's reaction because that wasn't normal. She opts to stay silent during the exchange, giving her thanks to the shopkeep even as she receives one last scowl from him.
What a rude guy... she's so relieved to get out of there. It almost seems like he's targeting her specifically and it hurts. Her mind flashes back to all the exchanges and try as she might, she can't figure out for the life of her what, she could have possibly done to make this guy harbor a huge disdain for her. Despite that it greatly bothers her, she figures it's best to brush the interaction off and not look too hard into it. After all, she's far more concerned about Ajax than some guy with a stick up his butt.
With her purchases tucked away in her bag, Yoimiya lets him take her hand, even going as far as to lace their fingers together and give him a gentle squeeze. She senses the urgency in his voice, that's a man who needs to get the heck out of here ASAP. It's more than evident he saw something that spooked him.
And Yoimiya has a feeling she knows the answer... as much as she doesn't want to say it outloud. ]
Ajax... did you see her?
[ She doesn't dare say her name in fear of drawing too much attention. It's not like she needs to anyway, there's only one crazy stalker after them. ]
no subject
At least, he thinks she's here.
What if he's so stressed out he's starting to hallucinate? He's been worrying about this for so long now that even the thought of her getting near Yoimiya freaks him out a little bit, knowing that she could take anyone's body at any time and there wouldn't be a single thing he could do about it. Tartaglia's anxiety just spiked to past a hundred percent and now he's trying to figure out what he can do to prevent the worst from happening, hoping that he's just seeing things.
He can't hide it from Yoimiya, he shouldn't and he's not sure how he could after what he just did.]
Yeah. Well, sort of.
[He lets a heavy sigh out, looking down at the ground as he slows himself so he can think and talk.]
I thought I saw her reflection in the glass, and when you rubbed that lamp, there was a pair of eyes that manifested from that smoke, suddenly making my mind go blank and confusing me. But, no one else seemed to notice her but me...
[Maybe he is going crazy. Was she really there? Was she???? Did he just have a panic attack? He's never had a panic attack.]
Maybe I'm just starting to see things from the stress. It's not her MO to appear and leave you alone while she's at it. Every opportunity she has, she tries to hurt you...
no subject
She doesn't think he was hallucinating, Columbina is an awful, terrible person and it makes sense she'd want to inflict as much pain on them as possible. However, he is right on a certain matter...
Why didn't she get targetted?
For now, she decides that's not too important, she'd much rather focus on comforting Ajax. ]
No, I think you're onto something. Columbina is unpredictable and maybe she's switching up tactics for her own sick reasons.
[ Letting go of his hand, she snakes her arm around his back to give him a comforting rub. ]
If that was really her then... looks like we were right about her powers. She can reach us now we're out of Vanarana.
no subject
Tartaglia feels like he should've known that she wouldn't just let them disappear and not find them the second they stepped out of that protective realm. With as obsessed as she is with him, it was naive to think otherwise. He hopes for the best, expects the worst- it's the only thing he can do.]
I'm not surprised. Her reach was already proven to be able to get to us here, after all. Let's just stay on the lookout, and ensure Aramiya and Arajax's safety. Since they're elemental beings related to the Archon, there's a chance they might be immune to her magic. But I don't want to take any chances.
[Being trapped on a boat makes this infinitely worse. They literally, have no where to run.]
I'd like to head back, for now. Tonight ended up being a little too much fresh air.
no subject
Besides, she can imagine Ajax needs to get far, far away from the shop. There's no telling when Columbina might strike next but regardless, she's here to stay by her man's side through thick and thin. On this boat out in the open waters, all they have is each other and their Aranara counterparts. ]
Yeah, let's head back so you can rest up. We probably need to check up on those little rascals anyway, there's no telling what kind of trouble they're getting into.
[ She doesn't hesitate to grab his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze before leading him back to their room. Slowly, she opens the door, almost terrified of coming across something horrible on the other side, thankfully, they're met with the sight of Arajax and Aramiya looking like they just finished up their own adventure in their sleeping quarters. ]
Welcome back! Arajax and I explored the whole room. There's sooooo much to see! Aramiya has never jumped on a bed this bouncy before.
[ Cute... Yoimiya cracks a small smile at the mental image of Aramiya jumping like a monkey on the bed. It's not much but it's a nice change of pace from all the doom and gloom they experienced just a few moments ago. Maybe it would have been better if they stuck around to watch the cute Aranara explore to their heart's content but it's far too late for that. ]
no subject
Tartaglia couldn't be more thankful for having Yoimiya with him in this moment. Even the simple squeeze to his hand is enough to tell him that she's there with him, that she's supporting him through this.
Opening the door at least leads to something happy. He puts on his best face so the two little ones don't suspect something is amiss, though he knows he'll have to address it with them at some point. He even manages to let out a little laugh at Aramiya's comment, also imagining her bouncing up and down, without a care in the world.]
It sure is a nice Nara room. Much bigger than Aranara rooms, and I even found a waterfall inside of it.
[His eyebrow perks at that. What?]
Waterfall...? Where on earth is there a waterfall in here?
no subject
Yoimiya stares at the two Aranara, dumbfounded and confused. A waterfall...? She knows the Aranara's language is more simple than humans but she's struggling to figure out what exactly the little plant creature is talking about. ]
I didn't know we had a waterfall in here. Where did you find it?
[ Naturally, the chatty Aramiya has to chime in. Yoimiya isn't surprised that she too got into some shenanigans. ]
It was in that other room with another mini waterfall! It's all the way up in the sky and we had to climb up to see it! I don't know what Arajax did to set it off, but the water blast was so powerful that it nearly sent us flying.
[ A mini waterfall on top of all this. Oh, Archons. The mental image of Arajax and Aramiya blasting away is what she and Ajax both need. She's trying so hard not to giggle at their expense but thankfully, the answer is straightforward. Those two rascals went inside the bathroom...!!!! ]
Umm... are you talking about—
[ But it's then, Yoimiya's ears perk up at a peculiar noise that's been bugging her since they entered the room. She's been too worried about Ajax to really hone in on it but now that she's paying close attention, it sounds like running water endlessly pouring out of...
Oh no. Oh no no no no no no. The blonde's eyes grow as wide as saucers as she immediately bolts to the bathroom, only to find water gushing from both the sink and the showerhead. The tub is somehow full of water and is spilling out onto the floor. ]
THERE'S WATER EVERYWHERE!!! BOTH THE SHOWER AND SINK ARE STILL RUNNING!!!
no subject
It clicks a second later at about the same time at Yoimiya, realizing they went in the bathroom is all. That seems fine, and he even manages to be actually amused by the image of the Aranara going up against the fierce foe of the showerhead that certainly won its battle against them. He's about to say something when Yoimiya tears herself from his side and runs into the bathroom.
The next thing he hears is her scream.
Tartaglia's shoulders sink, letting his head fall right into his open palm. Of course they wouldn't know to turn it off, thinking that maybe the "waterfall" had somewhere to go. He follows Yoimiya into the bathroom, finding the floor sopping wet and water everywhere just like she said. They'd managed to seal the sink by pulling the lever up, and the tub is no different. They'd also figured out how to seal that up.]
Well, I suppose not everything can be easy for us, now can it?
[At least this problem is so much less terrible than dealing with Seraphina.]
Here, let's get these turned off...
[He starts with the tub, stepping inside of it and stopping the water. The little latch is released so it can drain, and slowly the water finally begins to recede. What a day...]
no subject
First they leave the Aranara village to get ready for a week long boat ride, find out their Aranara counterparts snuck on board with them, found out Seraphina is still relentlessly chasing them and now here they are, cleaning up the mess of their Aranara friends...
This day has been a wild ride to say the least.
How did they figure out how to seal both the sink and tub? So many questions. But regardless, she's thankful for Ajax's assitence. While he takes care of the tub, Yoimiya unseals the drain, allowing the water to fall through the hole. She lets out the loudest most exasperated sigh imaginable as she pulls a couple of spare towels from underneath the drawer. ]
Yeah... it seems trouble lurks around every corner for us these days.
[ Accompanied by a plip-plod plip-plod plip-plod, Aramiya sticks her small plant head into the room, slowly coming to the realization they might have made an oopisie. ]
Were we bad Aranara...?
no subject
He grabs another towel to get down and help Yoimiya with the bathroom floor at least, soaking up water left and right as it's covering every inch of the floor. The familiar sound of Aranara footsteps grow near, and he sees the visage of little Aramiya looking guilty.]
Bad? No, [Tartaglia replies, feeling numb to any sort of emotion that might usually come with finding your bathroom underwater.] You couldn't of possibly known that the sink or tub did anything at all, let alone supplied this room with water. You just need to be shown how not to flood it.
[Floods in the rainforest were whatever, but floods in a small cabin on a boat are not good. So he just continues to mindlessly clean up the mess, doing everything he can to keep his stress levels from reaching critical mass.]
Just leave this to us. Why don't you and Arajax enjoy the view of the ocean? We should be sailing through Port Ormos any minute now, and from there it's nothing but the ocean as far as the eye can see.
[Though his voice sounds normal, there's a bit of emptiness to it, like it's all an act to make sure Aramiya doesn't feel bad about the mess they made.]
no subject
Okay! Aramiya will tell Arajax. This is our first time seeing the ocean this close... thank you so much Orange Nara, Red Nara! I promise to try my best to not make any more messes.
[ Try is the keyword, here. Knowing her little plant counterpart, Yoimiya would not be surprised if she got into more trouble. But as Aramiya begins to plip-plod her way to Arajax, she stops to look over at Ajax one last time. ]
But umm... if there's anything on Orange Nara's mind, you can always talk to me. Don't be afraid to scold Aramiya if she really did do something wrong.
[ She might be simple-minded but seems like she has some of her Nara counterpart's perception. Yoimiya doesn't say anything in response because she knows exactly what's bothering Ajax and she can also tell he's doing his best to put on a brave face for Aramiya. With one last wave of her stubby arm, she heads out and begins boldly declaring to Arajax that they shouldn't play with the waterfalls anymore.
As cute as it is, that's not really important right now. What's far more concerning is Ajax... she could hear the emptiness in his voice clear as day, he doesn't have his usual spark. Listening to him sound so down in the dumps feels like her heart is getting crushed into many tiny pieces. Forgoing the mess, Yoimiya walks up to him from behind and wraps her arms around his stomach, burying her head into his back. ]
Hey, I know you're not okay, there's no way anyone would be okay after what happened today. But please don't hesitate to talk to me about anything, Ajax. I'm here for you. If there's anything, anything I can do for you, I'll move mountains and swim the deepest ocean for you.
no subject
[He offers a little wave in return as she plip-plods off. But once the Aranara's back is turned, he returns to look down at the water blankly to clean it up, letting the boring process of sopping up water empty his head of any thoughts. Letting his temper get the better of him now wouldn't do any good, the perpetrator of it all isn't able to be reached, so there's nowhere to direct it, and he sure isn't going to direct it at his girlfriend or his friends.
The feeling of emptiness gets interrupted by the sudden warmth of Yoimiya's arms around him, getting him to stop his cleaning and look down at them, sighing in content to feel her body and head against his back. It's an easy switch to go from feeling a little hopeless to soaking in her presence, grateful to have her here with him.]
...I know. I just need some time, time to process everything and sort it out. I don't think I'm ready quite yet to talk, but when I've been able to rest a bit and taken a little bit of time to myself, I'd appreciate it if you could listen to my thoughts on it all.
[His arm comes down to wrap around hers, taking a deep breath to calm his mind. If he begins to think on it, his mind becomes turbulent, and where he knows he can't run from it, right now he needs to concentrate on not letting it bother him until he's ready.]
I've just got a lot on my mind. I wasn't lying when I said I thought I should rest for a bit. The pressure's been coming down on me more than I thought it would.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)