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]

[ Her shutting down is so immediate that the change is visible. ]

I told him about my berserk state and my turning abilities and my hibernation from the very beginning, he chose to hide his fear until after we were married despite knowing about it. He hid it from me.

Don't you dare compare things I can't control to something he absolutely could.

[at_heart]

[ Okay, that's not the part he was talking about, but he pivots easily enough. ]

Chose to hide his fear until after you were married.

[ Just. Repeating your own words back to you, in the hopes that you'll hear the contradiction. ]

[sangreine]

Yes. I had a perfect right to know before we got married that he might not be able to stay with me, so I could decide for myself if I was okay with it. He used his words fine a few minutes ago when he told me the truth, they would have been just as easy to say before we were married.

You don't think I was scared, telling him about all that? I still did it, because he deserved to know what he was getting into. I've never hid anything from him, never. And this is a huge thing to not tell me, and it's unfair that he didn't, I don't care how hard it was to say.

[at_heart]

[ Sorry, Saya, but he's — sighing. ]

I think you're comparing something you did when your relationship was still brand new with something he did after you'd been engaged for... how long, again?

It'd be different if these were memories he'd had back in Tokyo-F, but they aren't, are they. They're memories that slammed into his head after he woke up here, same as me. When you two were already engaged, already planning a life together.

[ Smallest pause, then, ]

I'm not saying you don't have a right to be hurt. I'm not saying you don't have a right to end things.

[ He is expressly not encouraging you to stay with Doc unless you decide you want to; not wanting to is all the reason you need, in his estimation, but then — what does he know about long-term relationships? ]

I'm just saying: if you're trying to compare your apples to his oranges, he had a lot more to lose when he came clean with you.

[sangreine]

Fine. [ Her tone could not be less fine. She just wants to be done hearing an exhaustive defense of the man who lied to her, especially when she started this conversation saying she wasn't in the mood for neutrality. ]

I came out here to be alone. [ so, you know ]

[at_heart]

[ ...Wasn't really neutrality, and he doesn't move. ]

I can shut up, but I'm not going anywhere.

[sangreine]

[ She wants to hear people scold her and take his side even less. Saya gets to her feet. ]

Feel free to stay here as long as you like.

[ She starts walking. She could easily just be gone given her blinding speed, which he well knows, and she'll consider that if he forces it. ]

[at_heart]

[ It wasn't that, either. Raising his voice: ]

Head back into town, if you won't stay here with me.

[sangreine]

Why. It's not like anything can happen to me.

[ What's going to happen, some big monster want to try and make a meal out of her? Any such creature can make her fucking night. ]

1/2

[at_heart]

[at_heart]

Because I won't be able to sleep if I know you're out there, by yourself, because of something I said.

[sangreine]

I wouldn't worry about what you said. I won't remember it in a few months.

[at_heart]

[ Cool, he hated resorting to that and it didn't even work. On his feet, then. ]

You know I've never bought that line of reasoning. Just because someday you might not remember being hurt doesn't ever make it okay to hurt you.

[sangreine]

Didn't stop you a second ago--

[ She scrubs at her face. This is what happens when she feels cornered, she gets cruel. ] Sorry.

...I'm trying to get out of this conversation before I say something I'll really regret. I don't want to be around people because if I am, I will say something like that. Just let me go.

[at_heart]

[ It does sting a little, but he doesn't blink. ]

You can say whatever you want to me. I can take it. [ Ever so slightly muted. ] You can also head back into the city — find a quiet rooftop. Or a club with music so loud it drowns out your thoughts.

All I'm asking is that you not spend the night in the segments.

[sangreine]

No I can't.

That isn't something you get to ask. You had a point to make, you made it, and now I get to deal with this however I want to.

1/2

[at_heart]

[ ...

He could go back to their little house and wake everyone else up. He could point out that he could do that, see if it has more of an impact once she's worrying people she isn't currently upset with.

He could insist on following her into the segments himself, see if threatening his own safety works better than the emotional blackmail.

But he really, really doesn't want to do either. ]

[at_heart]

The only point I had to make was that he didn't do any of this to hurt you.

If that's such an awful thing to say that you have to punish me for it — so be it.

[sangreine]

I'm not punishing you or him. I'm trying to get some space and think.

...It doesn't matter what his intention was. Good intentions can still cause hurt. Sometimes there's no coming back from it. I won't know if this is one of those times for a while, but I sure don't need his side of things spelled out for me, because I had no doubt he didn't intend to hurt me. I only need to decide whether that matters enough.

But hey, now at least I know where you'll be at if I decide I'm done. I'll have to live with being a disappointment, but I'm damn well going to do it somewhere else for a little while.

[ She resumes walking. ]

[at_heart]

[ Sure does feel like a punishment, when he suggested several ways you could be alone without worrying him and you told him you had a right to 'deal with' the point he'd made however you wanted. Sure does feel like a punishment with that parting shot. But okay, Zari. ]

I'll have my phone with me.

[sangreine]

[ Part of her wants to take her phone out and throw it to him. But instead she'll silence it as soon as he's out of eyesight. She just keeps walking. ]

1/?

[at_heart]

[ Well, whenever she turns it back on, she'll get a series of texts. ]

2/?

[at_heart]

12:01AM Hey
12:01AM Just so you know

3/?

[at_heart]

12:05AM Nothing I said tonight came from anything but caring about you

4/?

[at_heart]

12:06AM And I'm sorry if that didn't exactly shine through
12:06AM Or didn't shine through at all