[LOG] Devin & Sadhbh; Don't let go; no, don't let go.
Sadhbh comes back, all traumad up, and Devin makes sure she's looked after.
Your dependency is showing.
Airmed had, by sheer luck or will, found a red door and had taken the chance to go through it. When she found herself outside the cafeteria and not in some... world that showed her a phony Dian Cect (she realized he was a phony after a while, a long while), she didn't stop to breath a sigh of relief or anything.
Instead, even if she felt like she would collapse at any moment, she set into a dead run, moving as fast as her short legs could carry her, towards Loki. She had to see her brother now that she was back. She had to, she had to, she had to. Even if she realized that that portal world really were just illusions or delusions, it still had scared her to her very core.
The world told her, showed her she would be separated from Miach for the rest of her life, which could be forever, and that--
That couldn't happen! It just couldn't. So she had to see, had to confirm, had to dash the visions that world showed her. She had to believe.
Once in front of Loki B16 and out of breath, Airmed knocked hard and fast on the door even as she was bent over, gasping for much needed oxygen. Please be there, brother. Please please please be there.
Miach had been in his room, a book resting on his lap with notes on the portals inside when he heard the frantic knocking. For a moment, his ears twitched as he listened carefully, then replayed it in his head, double checking.
That knocking- was it...could it really be--
He stopped himself and stood up, the book, his pen, his chair, everything clattering to the ground as he stood suddenly and ran to the door.
And even if he looked desperate as he wrenched the door open, hair messed up and reading glasses askew on his nose, he didn't care. "A- Sadhbh!"
Her head snapped up once she heard the door open and her name called by a voice dear to her. After taking another deep breath and the briefest glance to confirm that it really was him (Miach really was here. He really, really was), she threw her arms around Miach and hugged him tightly.
"Brother," she said breathlessly, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she clung to him as much as she could.
Right now, she just wanted to hug him and never let go. It was the only way she could assure herself that he was here and they wouldn't be separated.
He hugged back automatically, running a hand over her back and shoulders and shushing her, resting his cheek on her head.
"It's alright," he found himself mumbling, "it's okay, it's alright."
She seemed fragile in his arms, small, breakable. He pulled her close to his chest and felt like crying.
She nodded and said, face still pressed into his shirt, "It's all right because you're here with me."
With her eyes closed, she took a few more meditative breaths. Slowly, she loosened her grip on her brother but did not let go.
Feeling her loosen her grip,he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned back to look into her face and check her over.
She seemed to have lost weight since she'd fallen in, and he squeezed her shoulders before taking her by the hand and leading her into his room. "Come on, you need to sit down and rest..."
She followed him in and sat on his bed. Now that she had time to think after making sure she hadn't lost Miach again, she assessed her body clinically - or mentally.
"I probably need to eat and drink something," she noted, suddenly feeling the full extent of her hunger pains and the dryness of her throat that she had ignored in favor of seeing her brother.
"Of course," he said, glancing around the room, one hand furiously trying to push his hair back into place. "Of course...of course."
"Look, I'll go- I'll go get you some water, and something to eat- don't go anywhere, okay? I'll be right back," he turned at that, reaching for the door handle.
"No!" she cried, standing up and stumbling a little when she stood.
"No," she repeated a little more quietly and grabbed one of Miach's hands. "Let's go together. Please?"
There was still some residual fear from the portal world left, and Airmed just didn't wish to be separated from Miach right now. Plus, what if he somehow walked into that world, too, while he was gone? Airmed didn't want that. No one deserved it. Not even Dian Cecht but especially not her brother.
But she would face her fears again if it meant saving Miach.
Miach looked at her, completely taken aback.
"What is it?" He asked, gripping her hand. "What's wrong?"
What on earth had she gone through in that world? Deep inside him, he felt anger churning - it felt almost alien to him now, something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. But it was there now, anger and something he couldn't quite describe rising up in his chest as he wondered what could have happened to her.
But all of that fire was drowned in pure sorrow when he looked into her eyes. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently and forced a smile."It's okay; we'll go together. Everything's fine so long as we're together, right?"
"I'm sorry," she began softly, looking at their connected hands. "I'm afraid to be separated from you right now."
She shuffled her feet, something very odd and off for how controlled she liked to be and then smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Just because I haven't been around you for a while doesn't mean I still can't tell when you're forcing a smile, Miach.
"But you're right," she said and held her head up determinedly. "Everything will be fine if we're together." She gave him a genuine smile and squeezed his hand back.
He couldn't help but give her a real smile at that, but turned away quickly afterwards, feeling guilty. "I think there are some scones downstairs," he said, in a little stuttering, awkward tone as he led her out the room. Really, she should be resting, not being dragged all over the dorm by him...
"I like scones," she said simply and followed him out and down.
Normally, she would call him on his tone and tell him not to worry, they were they, and they could do anything together, but she was really tired, and it took all her energy just to keep walking. She knew she should eat and drink before she slept, though, and she couldn't leave Miach's side, at least for now, so this was how it would be.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He started to ask, but then stopped and turned his back to her, leaning forward slightly. "Come on," he said, "I'll carry you."
"I'll be fine," she said and squeezed his hand again to reassure him. "I'll be able to make it. Don't worry."
It wasn't that she wanted to show her independence because she was fine being dependent on her brother to a point, but she had to try to be strong. She felt that if she leaned too much on her brother now - even literally - she might break down and tell her brother everything that happened, and she wasn't sure now was the right moment.
"If you're sure..." he said, but he really wasn't happy with it. His fingers laced in hers, he led her down to the kitchen, where he pointed her to a seat and began rifling in the fridge before bringing out a sealed container with his name on it.
"I'm sure."
She sat in the seat pointed at and rested her head on crossed arms on the ... table top? Countertop? She was so tired that she couldn't even tell, but she managed to lift her head and smile at Devin when he returned with the container of promised food.
Inside were some scones, and he buttered them for her, before busying himself, finding some milk and a glass.
There, scones and milk. He sat down beside her to stroke her hair, waiting for her to eat so that he could put her back to bed.
Even though she was ravenous, she ate and drank slowly, pausing every now and then to give Devin a small smile.
Finally, though, she finished and could no longer control her need to rest, her ability to keep her eyes open massively decreased.
Seeing her eyelids drooping, he lifted her gently, beginning to propel her back up to his room. Hopefully, his room mate wouldn't mind if she slept over, but he would not allow them to be separated. At least not for a little while.
Airmed let Miach carry her, making sure to hold onto him loosely but firmly even as she was falling asleep. "Stay with me," she mumbled in her sleep-filled voice, eyes shut in preparation for a long rest.
If she felt Miach's presence leave her side for too long, she would wake in a small panic, but so long as she could feel him there, it would be all right.
Everything would be all right as long as they were together.
Your dependency is showing.
Airmed had, by sheer luck or will, found a red door and had taken the chance to go through it. When she found herself outside the cafeteria and not in some... world that showed her a phony Dian Cect (she realized he was a phony after a while, a long while), she didn't stop to breath a sigh of relief or anything.
Instead, even if she felt like she would collapse at any moment, she set into a dead run, moving as fast as her short legs could carry her, towards Loki. She had to see her brother now that she was back. She had to, she had to, she had to. Even if she realized that that portal world really were just illusions or delusions, it still had scared her to her very core.
The world told her, showed her she would be separated from Miach for the rest of her life, which could be forever, and that--
That couldn't happen! It just couldn't. So she had to see, had to confirm, had to dash the visions that world showed her. She had to believe.
Once in front of Loki B16 and out of breath, Airmed knocked hard and fast on the door even as she was bent over, gasping for much needed oxygen. Please be there, brother. Please please please be there.
Miach had been in his room, a book resting on his lap with notes on the portals inside when he heard the frantic knocking. For a moment, his ears twitched as he listened carefully, then replayed it in his head, double checking.
That knocking- was it...could it really be--
He stopped himself and stood up, the book, his pen, his chair, everything clattering to the ground as he stood suddenly and ran to the door.
And even if he looked desperate as he wrenched the door open, hair messed up and reading glasses askew on his nose, he didn't care. "A- Sadhbh!"
Her head snapped up once she heard the door open and her name called by a voice dear to her. After taking another deep breath and the briefest glance to confirm that it really was him (Miach really was here. He really, really was), she threw her arms around Miach and hugged him tightly.
"Brother," she said breathlessly, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she clung to him as much as she could.
Right now, she just wanted to hug him and never let go. It was the only way she could assure herself that he was here and they wouldn't be separated.
He hugged back automatically, running a hand over her back and shoulders and shushing her, resting his cheek on her head.
"It's alright," he found himself mumbling, "it's okay, it's alright."
She seemed fragile in his arms, small, breakable. He pulled her close to his chest and felt like crying.
She nodded and said, face still pressed into his shirt, "It's all right because you're here with me."
With her eyes closed, she took a few more meditative breaths. Slowly, she loosened her grip on her brother but did not let go.
Feeling her loosen her grip,he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned back to look into her face and check her over.
She seemed to have lost weight since she'd fallen in, and he squeezed her shoulders before taking her by the hand and leading her into his room. "Come on, you need to sit down and rest..."
She followed him in and sat on his bed. Now that she had time to think after making sure she hadn't lost Miach again, she assessed her body clinically - or mentally.
"I probably need to eat and drink something," she noted, suddenly feeling the full extent of her hunger pains and the dryness of her throat that she had ignored in favor of seeing her brother.
"Of course," he said, glancing around the room, one hand furiously trying to push his hair back into place. "Of course...of course."
"Look, I'll go- I'll go get you some water, and something to eat- don't go anywhere, okay? I'll be right back," he turned at that, reaching for the door handle.
"No!" she cried, standing up and stumbling a little when she stood.
"No," she repeated a little more quietly and grabbed one of Miach's hands. "Let's go together. Please?"
There was still some residual fear from the portal world left, and Airmed just didn't wish to be separated from Miach right now. Plus, what if he somehow walked into that world, too, while he was gone? Airmed didn't want that. No one deserved it. Not even Dian Cecht but especially not her brother.
But she would face her fears again if it meant saving Miach.
Miach looked at her, completely taken aback.
"What is it?" He asked, gripping her hand. "What's wrong?"
What on earth had she gone through in that world? Deep inside him, he felt anger churning - it felt almost alien to him now, something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. But it was there now, anger and something he couldn't quite describe rising up in his chest as he wondered what could have happened to her.
But all of that fire was drowned in pure sorrow when he looked into her eyes. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently and forced a smile."It's okay; we'll go together. Everything's fine so long as we're together, right?"
"I'm sorry," she began softly, looking at their connected hands. "I'm afraid to be separated from you right now."
She shuffled her feet, something very odd and off for how controlled she liked to be and then smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Just because I haven't been around you for a while doesn't mean I still can't tell when you're forcing a smile, Miach.
"But you're right," she said and held her head up determinedly. "Everything will be fine if we're together." She gave him a genuine smile and squeezed his hand back.
He couldn't help but give her a real smile at that, but turned away quickly afterwards, feeling guilty. "I think there are some scones downstairs," he said, in a little stuttering, awkward tone as he led her out the room. Really, she should be resting, not being dragged all over the dorm by him...
"I like scones," she said simply and followed him out and down.
Normally, she would call him on his tone and tell him not to worry, they were they, and they could do anything together, but she was really tired, and it took all her energy just to keep walking. She knew she should eat and drink before she slept, though, and she couldn't leave Miach's side, at least for now, so this was how it would be.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He started to ask, but then stopped and turned his back to her, leaning forward slightly. "Come on," he said, "I'll carry you."
"I'll be fine," she said and squeezed his hand again to reassure him. "I'll be able to make it. Don't worry."
It wasn't that she wanted to show her independence because she was fine being dependent on her brother to a point, but she had to try to be strong. She felt that if she leaned too much on her brother now - even literally - she might break down and tell her brother everything that happened, and she wasn't sure now was the right moment.
"If you're sure..." he said, but he really wasn't happy with it. His fingers laced in hers, he led her down to the kitchen, where he pointed her to a seat and began rifling in the fridge before bringing out a sealed container with his name on it.
"I'm sure."
She sat in the seat pointed at and rested her head on crossed arms on the ... table top? Countertop? She was so tired that she couldn't even tell, but she managed to lift her head and smile at Devin when he returned with the container of promised food.
Inside were some scones, and he buttered them for her, before busying himself, finding some milk and a glass.
There, scones and milk. He sat down beside her to stroke her hair, waiting for her to eat so that he could put her back to bed.
Even though she was ravenous, she ate and drank slowly, pausing every now and then to give Devin a small smile.
Finally, though, she finished and could no longer control her need to rest, her ability to keep her eyes open massively decreased.
Seeing her eyelids drooping, he lifted her gently, beginning to propel her back up to his room. Hopefully, his room mate wouldn't mind if she slept over, but he would not allow them to be separated. At least not for a little while.
Airmed let Miach carry her, making sure to hold onto him loosely but firmly even as she was falling asleep. "Stay with me," she mumbled in her sleep-filled voice, eyes shut in preparation for a long rest.
If she felt Miach's presence leave her side for too long, she would wake in a small panic, but so long as she could feel him there, it would be all right.
Everything would be all right as long as they were together.