Book Haven, Tuesday

[genesishero]

Evan was burying his face in a book today at the Book Haven, and he wasn't coming out for anything. Not for restocking the shelves. Not for anything. Normally, he'd be in the best place in town in order to deal with emotional traumas, but today his first few steps into the bookstore had been accompanied, out of nowhere, with the face of someone he'

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[pulseof_life]

Yeul wandered around lunch with two hot chocolates, a smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, Evan!" she said brightly. "What are you reading?"

[genesishero]

"It's... um..." Honestly, he hadn't paid much attention. "... It's a cookbook. One with a lot of stuff like granola and quinoa in it. I don't even know what quinoa is."

A grain, Evan. Quinoa was a grain.

But he wasn't looking up. Not quite yet.

"Hi, Yeul."

[pulseof_life]

Yeul's smile faded slightly as she came over to the counter. She set the hot chocolates down on it.

"I brought you a drink," she said, still sounding cheerful but also concerned now too. "Are you alright, Evan?"

[genesishero]

"I'll be fine," Evan murmured, nodding and looking up to offer Yeul a ghost of a smile.

"D-did they kill him?" This time, it was his own voice echoing through the room. "Uncle Clus--"

He pulled in a breath and reached for the drink, talking over the voice in the room.

"Hot chocolate? You shouldn't have, Yeul, thanks."

[pulseof_life]

"I do not see why I shouldn't have," she said thoughtfully, tilting her head slightly as she listened to him talk through two conversations at once. "Though you could tell me, I suppose, since it would be the less upsetting topic for you."

Not for her, though. Whatever he said wouldn't upset her.

"The island, however, perphaps has other ideas..."

[genesishero]

"The island's been having other ideas for the past few hours," Evan mumbled, looking down at the book again. "I was half-hoping it was just me going crazy. You heard it, too?"

[pulseof_life]

"Yes," she said simply. "I'm sorry you've had to listen to that alone."

[genesishero]

"It's just memories," Evan murmured, closing his eyes and pulling in a slow breath. "They can't hurt anybody, right?"

Well. They could hurt him.

[pulseof_life]

"Do you really think that's true?" she wondered, leaning against the counter and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Maybe it's memories that hurt the most. They don't go away."

[genesishero]

"They don't," Evan agreed quietly, setting down his book tentatively, reaching for his hot chocolate and cradling it in his hands. "I hear this conversation over and over in my sleep already, I don't need to hear it aloud, too."

"Why... why didn't you ever tell me any of this before?"

"Because 'Uncle Cluster' was the one who shot you, dear boy."

Deep, slow breath. This was fine. This wasn't real.

"How have you been, Yeul?"

[pulseof_life]

"I have been well," she said, accepting his wish to try and carry out a conversation while... seeming to ignore the other conversation. "I'm afraid that is not very interesting, however."

[genesishero]

"It doesn't have to be super fascinating," Evan replied. "Well is a good thing!"

No, really! And Evan liked good things!

"Have your classes been doing anything interesting?"