[So, after as long as it takes to get from Melee Island to Section Three, Hawk is knocking on Krile's door, heedless of the early hour.]
Krile. [And then he pauses, uncertain if she wishes to see the place, or to hear what happened, or simply for the company of a friend. He'll offer any of these best as he can, but there's a beat of hesitation.]
[Krile hasn't gotten dressed or tied up her hair yet. It hasn't occurred to her; she was just doing her morning journal check.
When she hears the knock at the door she gets up from the kitchen table and shuffles over. She only realizes when she opens the door that she didn't think to hide her crying.
...Not like she could, anyway. She looks up at Hawk and starts feeling shaky again. Rather than trying to speak, she just hugs him.]
[Hawk has hardly slept, a few restless eyefuls towards morning; he's not too many notches more presentable than her. As her arms wrap around him, he does the only thing he can: holds her close in answer, there in the doorway, until she's ready to let go.]
[She starts crying again, muffled by Hawk's shirt. Sniper dead... how can it be possible? He's always so big, so vibrant. She tries to picture his long limbs torn off or his scrawny body chopped almost in two by an insect's pincers, but she just can't hold it in her mind's eye. It always turns back into Sniper grinning or flailing or sulking, even though she knows what the reality must be.
A couple of fireflies settle in her hair and on Hawk, unnoticed by her. She should apologize for this, making a scene and probably making him feel worse, but she just can't think of the right words.]
[His own fireflies are still trailing him, a group of some tens, perhaps a hundred at most, too thick to be properly counted. They keep their small distance for now.
He arrived expecting something like this, but his heart aches for her all the same, stirring his own grief again. Humming acquiescence at her question, he speaks quietly.]
I did. He was taken to Wellspring. He... put up a fight and a half, but...
[Little elaboration is needed, and he'd rather not go into detail if he can help it. Krile is a fighter and certainly has seen her share of bloody aftermaths. She still doesn't need to know, he thinks.]
So do I. [He was about to let go, yet simply shifts his grip around her shoulders as she leans closer. If it is what she needs, he doesn't mind, not truly. There is a part of him that wishes to gather closer those he has left in the face of this loss.] So do I. You, or I, or anyone.
I suppose he didn't... want us tangled up in that. [It's apparent in his voice that he considers that hollow comfort.] But, listen, maybe we'd better continue this inside. If you don't mind.
Probably. [She's sure that's the reason, but it's no comfort to her either. He should have let one of them help.]
[She straightens up and pulls away when he mentions going inside, though.] Oh... yes. [She keeps her hand on his elbow to draw him in, not ready to completely break contact.]
We should be quiet. Sailormoon and Nova are still asleep.
[Unbidden, his thoughts circle back to Huo, suddenly not that different from Sniper in this way. Is it pride? Needing to prove something, this going off alone to solve problems that should by all rights be too heavy for one person to carry alone? Then again, he's not sure he can judge.]
Quiet as a quiet thing. That, I can be. [Hawk steps inside and finds a seat on the first chair he spots. He's not here to be made comfortable, but to offer what comfort he can. He brushes light fingers on her arm as he withdraws from the touch.]
I'll tell you what you want to know. It might not be easy to hear, but that, we both already know.
[Krile tugs over another chair, fortunately across carpet so it doesn't make a scraping noise. She sinks into it and sits clutching her knees.
How much does she want to know? Sniper was killed by an insect... does she have to ask for more than that? Krile's fought monsters like that before and seen the aftermath of people who've lost to them. She knows it is a painful and messy way to die.
And with that in mind... should she make Hawk spell it out?]
I think... I think I can guess. Even if I can't picture him--[She swallows back tears.] That drawing he made. Did you see the real thing?
Not up close. Cloud went down there, but by then people started to wander in, so I thought it best to see that they didn't trample anything that might matter later.
[Something had been peculiar about the tree roots. He isn't sure that should be Krile's first concern right now, freshly woken and still beside herself with upset. Hawk has at least had the night to get a tenuous grasp of the events.]
You shouldn't even try, Krile. Picturing him. Wouldn't do anyone much good, that.
[It probably shouldn't, but she's not sure what else to think about. Sniper died--Sniper was murdered for that reason. So oughtn't she try to figure it out?
...But when she tries to think about it, all that comes to mind is Sniper. Sniper can't be dead. He's too alive... just like Grandpa was.]
No. [She wipes at her eyes.] And it's not... he'll be back. He has to come back.
Yeah. [After a beat, he nods, slow and solemn.] He will.
[He doesn't say that only for her benefit. There's a tiny, whispering certainty nestled deep inside him. Death is a step, a wade across the river, a winding path that circles back again. Something like that.]
If you want to know what he found, I'll ask Cloud later. It just... wasn't a good time for questions.
slowlog! now with actual slow on my partfeathered_earthJuly 16 2011, 02:06:53 UTC
No... [She nods. She wants to know what it was that Sniper died for, but... not now.
Unlike Hawk, she doesn't feel the same certainty that Sniper will return. It's a hope, and a very strong one. Most people come back, and Sniper seems far too alive to simply end. But there's still that chance...]
Do you... want some cocoa, or tea? [She doesn't expect he's slept tonight.]
Tea, if it comes without sugar in this hospitable home. [Where his voice would normally be teasing, it's now gentle and quiet. If she wants him to stay and sit with her, that's what he will do.
It seems to be all that he can do.
It occurs to him that she's been through this before, and many times over. Krile has friends all over Edensphere: she cares so without restraint or doubt. He bites down the flitting thought that he knows, knows far too much about what got Sniper killed. It's not his story to tell.]
I'm... not sure what to say, not truly. Talk and I'll listen. Or I'll speak of something you want to hear about.
[She nods and heads for the kitchen to get started; making a cup without sugar is a simple request. And Hawk would be right... two and a half years has meant many meetings to deal with partings. Whether it is from death or disappearance, each time seems just as painful as the last.
And there is never quite anything right to say, whether she is being consoled or doing the consoling.]
I'm not sure... [She absently pets Lucky as he jumps onto the counter.] Tell me about Fuu.
Krile. [And then he pauses, uncertain if she wishes to see the place, or to hear what happened, or simply for the company of a friend. He'll offer any of these best as he can, but there's a beat of hesitation.]
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When she hears the knock at the door she gets up from the kitchen table and shuffles over. She only realizes when she opens the door that she didn't think to hide her crying.
...Not like she could, anyway. She looks up at Hawk and starts feeling shaky again. Rather than trying to speak, she just hugs him.]
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A couple of fireflies settle in her hair and on Hawk, unnoticed by her. She should apologize for this, making a scene and probably making him feel worse, but she just can't think of the right words.]
You saw him.
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He arrived expecting something like this, but his heart aches for her all the same, stirring his own grief again. Humming acquiescence at her question, he speaks quietly.]
I did. He was taken to Wellspring. He... put up a fight and a half, but...
[Little elaboration is needed, and he'd rather not go into detail if he can help it. Krile is a fighter and certainly has seen her share of bloody aftermaths. She still doesn't need to know, he thinks.]
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I wish I'd been there. [She holds Hawk a little tighter.] I could have helped him.
[And there is another question. Why did he do it alone? Even if it wasn't her, he has other friends who are able to fight.]
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I suppose he didn't... want us tangled up in that. [It's apparent in his voice that he considers that hollow comfort.] But, listen, maybe we'd better continue this inside. If you don't mind.
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[She straightens up and pulls away when he mentions going inside, though.] Oh... yes. [She keeps her hand on his elbow to draw him in, not ready to completely break contact.]
We should be quiet. Sailormoon and Nova are still asleep.
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Quiet as a quiet thing. That, I can be. [Hawk steps inside and finds a seat on the first chair he spots. He's not here to be made comfortable, but to offer what comfort he can. He brushes light fingers on her arm as he withdraws from the touch.]
I'll tell you what you want to know. It might not be easy to hear, but that, we both already know.
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How much does she want to know? Sniper was killed by an insect... does she have to ask for more than that? Krile's fought monsters like that before and seen the aftermath of people who've lost to them. She knows it is a painful and messy way to die.
And with that in mind... should she make Hawk spell it out?]
I think... I think I can guess. Even if I can't picture him--[She swallows back tears.] That drawing he made. Did you see the real thing?
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[Something had been peculiar about the tree roots. He isn't sure that should be Krile's first concern right now, freshly woken and still beside herself with upset. Hawk has at least had the night to get a tenuous grasp of the events.]
You shouldn't even try, Krile. Picturing him. Wouldn't do anyone much good, that.
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...But when she tries to think about it, all that comes to mind is Sniper. Sniper can't be dead. He's too alive... just like Grandpa was.]
No. [She wipes at her eyes.] And it's not... he'll be back. He has to come back.
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[He doesn't say that only for her benefit. There's a tiny, whispering certainty nestled deep inside him. Death is a step, a wade across the river, a winding path that circles back again. Something like that.]
If you want to know what he found, I'll ask Cloud later. It just... wasn't a good time for questions.
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Unlike Hawk, she doesn't feel the same certainty that Sniper will return. It's a hope, and a very strong one. Most people come back, and Sniper seems far too alive to simply end. But there's still that chance...]
Do you... want some cocoa, or tea? [She doesn't expect he's slept tonight.]
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It seems to be all that he can do.
It occurs to him that she's been through this before, and many times over. Krile has friends all over Edensphere: she cares so without restraint or doubt. He bites down the flitting thought that he knows, knows far too much about what got Sniper killed. It's not his story to tell.]
I'm... not sure what to say, not truly. Talk and I'll listen. Or I'll speak of something you want to hear about.
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And there is never quite anything right to say, whether she is being consoled or doing the consoling.]
I'm not sure... [She absently pets Lucky as he jumps onto the counter.] Tell me about Fuu.
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