[thread] from years before

[face_downcast]

Who: Cain, Emmeline, Riff, Ryou
What: Bringing Emmeline to Ryou to take care of her; reuniting with Riff; general fluff and angst
When: After Cain gets Emmeline from Marik
Where: Cain's house
Rating: PG [subject to change]

Comments

[lady_rotterdale]

"I promise, Cain," she answered sweetly, smiling still although she was so tired. It was a strange feeling, like she couldn't stop now that she'd started. It felt rather good, admittedly, to be nice to him. To not be upset with him. To not feel like she had to be cold or aloof.

Emmeline was at least glad that he hadn't mentioned carrying her, and was allowing her to at least attempt to stay on her feet. He looked almost as tired as she felt. Which was quite a lot.

She leaned up on her tiptoes momentarily, giving him a little kiss on the cheek. "And you promise me you'll rest, before the day is out?"

[face_downcast]

With a soft sigh, Cain managed her a tired smile. "I shall do my utmost, milady."

He might have said more, but a faint buzzing distracted him. Frowning, he realized he'd turned his communicator device back on since leaving the Sohma home. Pulling it out of his pocket, he hesitated slightly before flipping it open, looking once more at Emmeline rather than at the screen.

"You've met Ryou?"

[lady_rotterdale]

"I... no, not in person. I believe we've talked, once or twice, but I... can't quite remember." Emmeline said it as matter-of-factly as she could manage, but it did make her smile fade somewhat. She didn't remember a great deal of the things that had gone on lately. She could only hope that whatever she'd said to Ryou was forgivable, or that she had not offended him entirely.

Sighing, she leaned into him a little more, her smile coming back softer. "You needn't keep trying to smile for me, milord. I know you're tired.

[face_downcast]

"...so please your ladyship."

There were times when Cain was sure kissing Emmeline squarely on the lips was absolutely the best thing to do. After all, words were so sticky; better perhaps to just show her what he meant. The hug was helping. Still, it would have been nice to smile for her.

Pulling his arm tighter as she snuggled in against him, the Brit shot a glance down at the message which had appeared on his screen. As it played, transcribing a voice message he'd received, his face fell. "...bugger."

Something was wrong with Malik. Admittedly, it was good to hear that Marik was gone (presumably) and that Malik was alive, but such a message... it made his insides twist slightly in intense discomfort.

"Ryou will be caring for you. I've some business to attend to."

[coh_ryou]

Ryou leaned against the inside of the front door to Cain's house. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, other than just help however he could. The stress of everything was starting to catch up with him, but he did his best to push it aside and not show how he felt. He wanted to let it all go away, but he knew he had made a promise and now he had to keep it. He was going to help Cain however he could.

So he waited, sitting against the door, with his legs pulled in to his chest and his chin resting on his knees.

[[ooc: continue between them two until you need Ryou, then just continue on Ryou's comment? I didn't know when Ryou would have to come in so I did this...]]

[tea_is_served]

Riff had started off walking, checking the communicator every-so-often to ensure he was following the map correctly, but after a few minutes he’d begun to jog, and after that, had broken into a full run.

Glancing down at the device in his hand, he came stumbling to a halt.
“So this is… Cain’s house.” He murmured aloud, taking time to catch his breath before walking down the path and stopping at the front door.
Returning the communicator to his pocket he curled up the fingers of his left hand and knocked pale knuckles against the door a few times. Then took a step back, and waited.

[coh_ryou]

Ryou nearly fell forward in shock, he hadn't expected anyone back so quickly. He stood up and straightened his clothes before opening the door. He didn't want to look disorderly when he met Miss Emmeline for the first time.

He opened the door and looked up at the taller man, a small smile on his face. "Hello." He said slightly surprised at seeing the man there.

[tea_is_served]

Riff bowed slightly, hoping it wasn’t apparent that he’d run the majority of the way there.
“Would you be Ryou Bakura, the young man I spoke with over the communicator?” He asked, discretely straightening his suit.

[coh_ryou]

Ryou smiled at Riff, pushing the fact that he had been talking to Malik through the communicator to the side for a moment. He was certain Cain would want to speak with the other man before running off to find Malik.

"Riff arrived a little while ago, Cain..." Ryou said, feeling that somehow there was a certain tension he quickly wanted broken before anything happend. He reached a point where he wasn't sure what else to say. What else could be said?

For a moment he considered confessing to Ms. Emmeline, in private, what he was hidding. If he was to take care of her he'd rather not hide something, or she might not trust him. Though what she had said before was still too fresh on his mind. If that was her same reaction, he wasn't sure what good it would do to tell her.

[[ooc: new order?]]

[face_downcast]

[[ooc: Sorry. Cain was having issues. New order: Cain > Riff > Emmeline > Ryou, yes?]]The voice was so familiar that it barely registered in Cain's mind, simply the whisper of his subconscious, the soft voice which still murmured faintly through his dreams almost nightly despite their time apart. Riff was part of Cain's consciousness to begin with, after all; the world was coloured by the faint constant pulse of knowing the older man was alive

[tea_is_served]

Riff watched Cain tense and begin to shake as he straightened up to his full height. He knew those actions, and that tone, from the nights he had spend comforting his young lord; and now, once again the boy was in pain.

What little color had been on his face immediately dissipated, and his insides began to churn over the fact that this time, it wasn’t memories from the past, worries, or an unfortunate incident… but he himself who was the cause of his master‘s discomfort.

He stepped quietly toward Cain then hesitated, directing a worried frown at his back before slowly taking another step; feeling a desperate need to sooth the boy in some way.

[lady_rotterdale]

She felt his hands tighten on her sleeve and wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort him. Since she knew sdhe could not, though, she hoped for the next best thing - that Riff would come to his senses and stop hesitating, because every moment they were even this far apart was clearly agonizing, and she could not wish that sort of pain on Cain for any reason.

Emmeline felt the stresses of the past few days weigh heavily on her. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but... Well, if Riff continued to dally she would never get to sleep, as she wanted to see Cain at least relatively less troubled before hand.

It was almost funny, that she was so willing to share him with Riff, and so unwilling to consider him with anyone else.