discovering mysteries not revealed in many ages [finished]

[squishyarms]

Characters: Riza Wildman, Raiel
Content: Raiel just broke up with Hamel and it was all Riza's fault. He'll probably have some words for her.
Location: Raiel's room, BPH
Time of Day: A few hours after this log.
Warnings: Swearing at the very least. We're playing it by ear.

Comments

[pianistofraieln]

After watching Hamel leave, he'd just stood there for what felt like years, staring at the empty space where once he'd had a friend. Staring until he couldn't see anymore, until the entire world had dissolved into blurry shapes and abstract colours through his tears. Then he'd finally turned away and slowly retreated up the stairs back to his room

[squishyarms]

She knew how people could get sometimes. How they hid themselves away when the going got too tough to handle. How they didn't want to talk to anybody and just prayed the world would shut up and go away. She'd coached more than a few cubs out of that mindset. But something like this would be tough.

"Raiel," she said through the door and knocked again. After a cautious pause, she added, "It's me." Like he wouldn't know. Understandably, she didn't sound happy. There wasn't reason to be happy about a lot of things going on between these two. If Hamel could be as vicious as Raiel implied, then... well, Riza could form a good idea. And whatever had happened was all her fault, let's not forget.

Forcing the door open would get her nowhere. From the dull thump, it sounded like she knew from trying. All she had left was hoping she could get his attention. Somehow. "I want to talk." She didn't want to. She had to.

[pianistofraieln]

Riza.

Fuck.

He let out a ragged sigh, pressing his hands over his eyes for a moment before letting his head slide between them, burying his fingers in his hair. He didn't want to talk to anybody. Why was Riza even here?

He shouldn't ignore her, though. She was involved in this too, wasn't she?

So he pulled himself to his feet and pushed the piano aside, so it was leaning against the wall instead of the door. It took him longer than it should have; he felt like he was moving in slow-motion ever since--...

He pulled the door open. He wasn't looking at her. His eyes, red from crying, were downcast, unfocused on some point between them.

[squishyarms]

She was more involved in this than she wanted to be. But this was how she made her bed; she swore to God she'd lie in it.

That Raiel opened the door at all was enough of a response for her. It meant that he wanted to talk. Or yell. Or break down. On whatever level, he wasn't done with her. For better or for worse. And that was good. It was better than silence.

Riza hadn't been crying. She was never one to do that. But she felt like shit all the same. If Raiel looked for it, he might have seen that the skin on her knuckles was torn, or that her hair was a bit more unkempt. If any of that even mattered to him. It probably didn't.

"I'm sorry."

Was that ever going to be the right thing to say?