gunslingerqueen | IC Contact + Overflow

yes of being a semi-competent and reliable

[There's a gap, then, a lot of bouncing text bubbles to represent the fifty drafts that go unset until:]

i promise I'm fine. if I ever do go back I'll tell you ahead of time, ok?

it isn't just an image. you're real competent and reliable.

[he waits patiently, but no less worriedly]

okay. i'll go with, if you'd like. but i wont force you to take me with you.

I'm glad you feel that way, but it'd be different if we went there together, or even if you saw me now.

[How is she supposed to get it through his head that he is a kid, and it's not right for him to even worry about her so intensely?!]

you're over there fretting, aren't you?

you don't have to be that all the time. if you were there again, you'd be going through it. you have the right to just be.

i'm not fretting.

[you don't have to be that all the time. Let's not even get into how desperately she had always wanted to hear that.]

if you aren't fretting then I guess I can totally do five hundred things and go bench press a building

maybe about 3 things and bench press pasha.

the first of the three things is me typing this, the second is me asking if you could come over and the third thing is me waiting

[Bench pressing to be completed at a more opportune moment.]

okay, i'll be there soon.

[he doesn't rush-- but for Gladion he's rushing]

[No response because she trusts him. It's the same hotel, same room as before and when he knocks, there is an answer.]

Hey.

[Lounge pants, a ratty graphic t-shirt with some band Leah was once obsessed with, no hairstyle and not a trace of makeup. Nariko is a woman who takes pride in her appearance, the absence of it can be strange, but the real nail in the coffin is the bandages along her collarbone and neck, stiff movements. She lets him in with the air of someone desperately ignoring the obvious.]

... Thanks. I probably should have asked if you were busy or something, first.

[it's a little strange at first, until his gaze rises up and up, and spots the bandages. he stiffens for a second-- then scoots inside after her. this'll come up in a moment...he won't let it slide.]

I wasn't busy. It's fine. [a pause] I didn't know if I should've brought anything...

[The door closes behind him, it's a really nice place, a kind of home-away-from home vibe, there's even a little kitchen and small living room! Pasha is napping on a little pokebed that looks like a giant, squishy green leaf.]

Huh? Oh, I didn't even think of that. I just didn't want to be alone.

[How strange, now that she's actually seeing him she is exhausted, more so than before, as if some breathe she was holding in was finally released. Now there's just dizziness and maybe a fever? She's never had one before, so.]

I do have movies, though! And I promised to make you hot chocolate and meet Null last time, too! But then I kind of ran off so I can do at least one of those now!

[He has to let it slide if she keeps talking!!!]

[even her just confessing that is huge to Gladion-- she's rather free with her words, her feelings, some of her feelings anyway. and she's started talking and is already moving away to start on all that and--

he gently wraps his fingers around her wrist]

Maybe you should take it easy.

[She's kind of like those spinning top toys, just go, go, go!!! ]

I look that bad, huh?

[Maybe she caved because, right now, he's the only one who can make her pause. It's not fair to him, but that sense of failure doesn't sting as badly as expected. Not right now, anyway.]

[gonna make him dizzy if she keeps going like that. he doesn't let go of her wrist, gently holding it between his fingers]

No....just tired.

Hah.

[... Okay, fine. Fine.]

I'm sorry for being the world's most terrible hostess, this is the first time you've come inside. I should have had a ... Something, ready.

[She's got manners, okay?! But:] But I might need to sit down. Maybe.

You're not-- [oh, she's, okay, voicing she needs to sit-- he scrambles for a second, widening of the eyes, mouth popping open, and gently leads her somewhere more comfy]

Okay, okay, let's just sit. Don't worry about it.

[....pft. Later, she's going to remember that second, and cherish it. In his own way, he's very earnest.

The couch awaits, she lays out over half of it, back to the cushions and legs thrown over one arm of it. Judging by the heavy exhale, this is comfortable for her but she's grabbed his hand at some point. If he wants to sit in one of the chairs it only means pulling away.

For the first time in nearly four days, she just ... Lies there.]

[he doesn't let her slip his hand away. just sits there on the edge of the couch, like in a second he'd either go flying off it, certainly to fetch her something. or see how Pasha is doing.

he just watches her with those bright green eyes]

[Existing underneath his gaze is peaceful, relaxation comes in waves and continues to such an extent that he’d be forgiven for thinking she may have fallen asleep. The sure grip on his hand says otherwise.]

Hey …

[A too-long pause, she chickens out but tries to come off smooth about it.]

Ask me something. Anything.

[Its a go-to even when she’s sober.]

[oh...oh?? how is-- what's he supposed to ask her...Gladion once again is floundering, unsure of how to proceed]

....Was there someone else there?

[He could ask if the sky was blue or how many times the number 1 could be split or about cars which she also knows a lot about. Sky’s the limit.]

Hm? [What matters is that it’s a little easier to talk now.] You mean, when I went back home?

[he went right for the throat of it. Gladion isn't one to mess around, is he? right to it...]

Yeah. Were you completely alone?

At first. I just went to grab the most important stuff from my old place.

[The photo album, her father’s guitar, a handmade paper rose. Stupid, sentimental things.]

The man I’ve been trying to avoid just … Gave me a lot of trouble.

[he'd found her. he'd hurt her. Gladion's brow furrows]

How did you get away? And...where is he now.

I told you, it's not a Hallmark-like thing. I just want to be really clear that he's not my boyfriend, or an ex-husband. [Because it sounds that way, which is just insult to injury, another layer of discomfort Desiderio enjoys inflicting.]

Same as always, though: Be patient. Something will always come up even if it means waiting longer than I'd like. He's off dealing with family stuff.

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relevant+genuine question how open are u to some premium grade angst

i'm hella open! wide open!

\o/ !!!!

<3333

<333!

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