welcome home

[outofoffice]

Who: Venti, Yuri, Saya, Lumine, and Kantera
What: A moment of respite
When: March 4th
Where: A house at the far edge of Blossomcrown
Warnings: Probably mentions of previous game trauma/violence


[ Venti has always been the type who wanders to the beat of his own drum, dipping in and out of people's lives as easily as the blowing wind. But Tokyo-F . . . changed things, somewhat.

Though his initial instinct had been to sleep under a tree and call it "home," an invitation to live with old friends put a halt to those plans. For starters, it would be protection from the unpredictable weather in the segments. For another, maybe he did get used to having a bed and a room to call "home," in no small part because of the teammates and friends who inhabited it with him. Now that solitary tree feels . . . lonely, in a way it didn't before.

And so here he is, standing at the threshold of a house full of people he loves and trusts, who asked him to stay . . . it makes him feel his age, but not in a bad way, for once. Nor does he feel that nagging urge to disappear into the wind.

Should he catch anyone watching him, the pensive expression dissolves into a smile. ]

Hehe, is this the part where we fight over bedrooms?

Comments

[sangreine]

I was. But I messed it up. I should have kept my mouth shut about wanting to help people to make up for my past. He said it was selfish and he's right.

Between that and the fact that I beat him so easily, I think it probably didn't help.

[ She will be happy to be wrong in a few days! ]

At least he won't be accepting any challenges for a few days. He's pretty hurt.

[happydreamed]

I don't agree with that. Wanting to help people is a good thing, even if your motivations aren't entirely selfless. You and I are the same, there.

[She can't call herself selfish without calling him the same.]

[sangreine]

[ She sniffs again, wanting to disagree but knowing she can't without unintentionally also accusing him of the same. ]

I should have just fought him and gone. I offered to help him train and all that, but he didn't want to hear it. I should have expected that, I guess. Who wants help from someone who just beat you twelve different colors and is doing it for what you think are bad reasons?

[happydreamed]

'Tis easy to get off on the wrong foot, with him. [Gently rubbing your back.] But if it wasn't you, it would have been someone else teaching him that lesson, and he might not have survived it.

[sangreine]

That's what I was worried about, yeah.

I know how hotheaded he can be. Maybe by the time he heals up he'll have cooled off and thought about it.

...I'm sorry, though. I hated doing it.

[happydreamed]

I know you did. You need not apologize to me.

[This isn't Bomb, and this isn't Heart Soldier. And Kantera is a stranger to him who could not have convinced him to be more cautious even if he'd tried.]

[sangreine]

I need to apologize to someone, and he wouldn't accept it.

-- I hate that all I can do is hurt people. Even if it's to help them, it's still hurting people. [ She only likes hurting people when they sign up for it with due enthusiasm. This was... ] Even before I recognized him, I knew he wasn't a bad kid. Just naïve. No one deserves to be humiliated to learn a lesson.

[happydreamed]

I understand your worries, but at the same time, I don't think Bomb would have listened to any kind of a lecture from anyone he didn't already know. That isn't your fault.

[At least in this instance, anyone trying to help would be in the same position.]

[sangreine]

I could have just not answered his poll. I knew it would be trouble, but I hate acting like I'm hiding.

What if I made everything worse?

[happydreamed]

What if you're the only reason he doesn't immediately get himself killed? -There's no way to know, and you'll only guilt yourself fruitlessly over what-ifs.

[He's done the same, so he can't really blame her, but still.]

[sangreine]

[ Exactly why she did it despite it being terrible. ] I guess I had to try.

I just hate waiting. Especially to find out if I've done something slightly good or something awful.

[ She slumps over onto him. ]

[happydreamed]

[Squeezes tight.]

I'll put on some tea for you, if you like.

[sangreine]

[ She's not especially interested in tea, but she knows it'll make him feel better to make her some. ]

Okay.

[happydreamed]

-He will be alright. He's resilient.

[He knows that about Bomb, if nothing else.]

[sangreine]

I know.

[ She does, it's just cold comfort. ]

Do you know anything about his world? Why he's so obsessed with heroes?

[happydreamed]

As far as I know, Bomb never took any memories.

[Which is an issue all its own, but it's not like he can talk to him about it now.]

[sangreine]

Ah.

[ Relatable as a thing to not want. ]

He seemed really earnest about his beliefs. That's a good thing, but it's also a bad thing. He wants to help, but it makes him overconfident about the good side always winning.

[happydreamed]

Perhaps it really does work that way in his world. I certainly couldn't prove it doesn't. But that won't hold true everywhere.

[It's a form of culture shock.]

[sangreine]

Mmhmm.

I think if he believed my intentions were good he'd probably feel differently. I can't really blame him. I'm a stranger and I admitted I did something bad.

[happydreamed]

Perhaps someone else might get through to him, then.

[sangreine]

Maybe.

Like I said, at least he has a few days to think about it.

[happydreamed]

Nothing to be done but wait and see.

[He gives her a gentle squeeze.]

[sangreine]

[ She nods and plonks her head on his shoulder. This sucks. ]

wrapup

[happydreamed]

[It really sucks that all he can do is hold her close and hope for the best, but that's the position they're in.]