1 | Route 29 -> Cherrygrove
[The feed begins with a normal sight: a pokémon tinkering with the pokégear. It's a ledyba, which is strange considering how cold the weather has been these last few weeks days. Stranger still are its surroundings. No warm rooms for this little buggy, it's exploring the great outdoors! ...A bug-type? Wandering in the snowy outdoors? Without its
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I'm...not a lady. I'm part of the mafia, a Guardian and a fighter.
[If she were there she'd be reaching to grasp at his sleeve, but she's not so she just looks downwards]
...I just like being useful. [It's a quiet admittance, nearly whispered and she sighs] I'm sorry. I didn't mean to turn this into an argument. I do appreciate everything, a-and I even enjoy it, but... I want to be able to stand and move on my own two feet, and carve the path myself, so to speak. At least some of the time.
[she really means "ALL OF THE TIME" but figures "some of the time" sounds more like she's letting Sebastian win some of this, though she has no doubt that Sebastian could force her into doing, or not doing, things.
And it irritated her, the implication of not being strong enough to handle herself, even if that's not what Sebastian was going for exactly.
But now Chrome just looks tired. :C She probably skipped out on some meals today]
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Sebastian listens quietly throughout, and when she falls silent, he smiles again, looking just a touch tired, himself. ]
Would you come speak with me in person? I'm in my room; Ciel is out training.
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She blushes brightly]
Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk like this over the network. [And especially not here. Derp Alois.]
I'll be over right away.
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She glances to Gressil, blinks, and moves forward in surprise.] He's evolved?
[Sebastian, despite being a very intimidating figure in his armchair and the giant fucking spider looming like a harbinger of doom behind him, doesn't strike much fear in Chrome. A sensible caution, yes, but never fear.
Which is probably why she has no problem moving right in front of him, until her knees brush his, to see Gressil closer, because what are preservation instincts?]
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Gressil touches Chrome's face with one long leg, the fine hairs on it bristling a bit. Then he retreats, back along the back of the armchair, so that only his front legs remain visible. ]
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But he retreats, her hand that had been petting Gressil drops to her side again and she faces Sebastian fully. There's a flutter of anticipation, unable to judge which way this conversation will end up going]
You wanted to talk to me?
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[ Sebastian studies her for a long pause before he speaks. ]
I'm sorry.
[ He leaves the words there for a moment; they're different from the usual 'my apologies,' maybe more sincere, definitely more candid. ]
I'm... not sure what it is that's made it so difficult for me to recognize that you and I are the same, but I understand it now. You are, just as I am, a guardian.
... I require no assistance in looking after Ciel. As weak as this place has made me - [ there's a harshness in his voice; a bitterness ] - I am still more than capable of defending him, and he grows... more capable by the day, himself. [ His voice goes quieter, unhappy for just a brief moment. ]
But I can hardly object to your help, either. He is your friend, which is more than I can say about him. One might argue that you have more of a moral right to protect him than I do.
... But he belongs to me. [ There's no flash of pigeon's-blood, but his eyes are sharp when he looks up at her. ] He won't let you protect him from me, but if you can live with that, then you can protect him from everything else.
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But even when his gaze pierces her, she doesn't move away. She lifts her hand, reaches for him a moment in a quiet sort of understanding and companionship. She understands, touching the side of his face, his cheek; it's similar to what Mukuro would say and she's struck again by the similarities between them.
And with her as well] I understand.
And I understand-- [A pause, because she might be wrong] I think you're afraid. Even if you don't realize it yourself, or refuse to admit it. You don't want to lose him, to anyone-- and neither do I.
Ciel-san... What I feel for Ciel-san... [Another pause, because Chrome can't quite bring herself to name the feeling the stirs in her, because that makes it tangible and scary and she trembles with the weight of it momentarily before steadying herself] He means a lot to me as well.
I don't have to protect him from you, because I trust you. Maybe more than I should, and maybe you or others would think I was foolish for it, but... His soul--he, himself... He's yours', just as I'm Mukuro-sama's.
I understand that, at least. [Another pause as she realizes she might not have gotten to the point exactly] I'll protect him with my life, if it comes to that. But I think you already knew that.
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It takes a great show of will not to look away at the word 'afraid.' It's the truth, and he knows it. He has no concern for other people, whether they might try to save Ciel from his fate. The only one who can save Ciel is the boy himself. Should he someday no longer need Sebastian, he is the only one who can sever their contract. Johto has turned their entire relationship around, and more and more, Sebastian fears that Ciel is growing independent.
Chrome's understanding, like her courage, surfaces unexpectedly every time. Somehow, he hadn't thought she'd grasp it at all, but just like that, she's taken hold of the very core of the contract itself.
He might like to have her, too.
When she falls silent again, Sebastian smiles - it isn't a particularly friendly expression, but it is a pleased one - and takes her hand from his face, pulling it back so he can kiss her palm before he releases it. ]
Thank you.
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[The kiss to her palm is like an electric shock that makes her lips form an 'o' of surprise, inhaling sharply. Her fingers curl in and she drops it back to her side when he lets her go.
He'd have to be sneaky about it, because Chrome, first and foremost, belongs to Mukuro. It's one of the three driving forces in her life along with being a guardian to Tsuna and, now, protecting Ciel]
I said before...I like to be useful. I don't mind being used, not if it's Mukuro-samam, or you. [or Tsuna, but Tsuna would never utilize Chrome's talents without extreme reluctance]
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I will use you as I see fit, then. [ It's a promise. ] And Ciel will, too.
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She steps back at last, embarrassed and nods]
I look forward to it. [it will occur to her, much much later, that she probably should have laid down some boundaries here]
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