(Untitled)

[thispromisekept]

[ it's taken alma.. a long time to recover. and not only recover, but to find some kind of peace with himself, with who and what he is. he still-- isn't really sure he knows, even after months, but he's-- he's doing better, anyway. he knows he is. he's not so terribly confused by it all, now, and he thinks he might remember what it was like

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[flowercomplex]

-- Alma? [Approaching the bench from behind and leaning over to get a look at his face, to make sure this was the same one. He thought he'd gone home]

[thispromisekept]

[ a blink, and he tips his head back to smile faintly up at him. ]

Yuu. [ he reaches up, fingers curling loosely in the end of kanda's ponytail, tugging fondly. ]

[flowercomplex]

Have you been here this whole time?

[thispromisekept]

Yeah, mostly. There's parts I don't really remember, but I think-- I think I've been here-- [ the faintly distressed expression returns, because.. he really doesn't remember. but a moment later, he shakes it off. ]

[not_the_spirit]

[Walking along the nearest path to the bench, she stops, eyes drawn to this person she hasn't spoken to before. But...it can't be. From what she's been told so far, the second Exorcist Alma hadn't survived to be this old.]

Good...morning.

[thispromisekept]

[ his eyes come up, because.. the voice is familiar. he hears it, sometimes-- in dreams, or.. memories, maybe.

yeah. he supposes they're memories. bits and pieces of them, anyway. to hear it outside his head, though--

and he freezes when he catches sight of her, going abruptly stiff. a heartbeat-- two-- and he scrambles off the bench, falling, shoving his back up against a hedge. his eyes, pale and a little horrified, are huge in his face. some part of him knows, remembers, that yuu had told him about this. that there can be doubles of people, people from the past or future..

he just hadn't expected to encounter her here.

tears fill his eyes, and before he realizes it's happening, they're spilling down his face, tracing the dark lines the akuma had left behind. ]

You-- [ he shudders, hiccuping out a soft sound that might've been laughter or a small, heartbroken sob. ] You really are p-pretty.

[not_the_spirit]

Oh-! [She goes pale at his reaction, unsteadily taking a step back at first. Oh god, this is awful - having this other self so shocked just to see her. And she can't even blame him. It's so much harder for her than meeting child Almas who don't know what the real situation.

Hesitantly, she takes a few, slow steps towards him, but doesn't try to go right up to him. Her voice is shaky, but she manages to almost smile.]

...Thank you. Are you...okay?

[thispromisekept]

[ he sniffles, lifting his hands to scrub at the tears. it's a childish gesture, but he hadn't really grown up in the conventional sense. locked away, kept all but inanimate-- not quite conscious, but enough to feel the time slipping by. the years.

he's probably lucky to be as adjusted as he is, in all honesty.

after a moment, he manages a small nod. ]

I-- [ his voice is small, a little meek. ] I was just-- surprised.

[promisedlotus]

Alma...? [That's... definitely him. It can't be anyone else. The same Alma he grew up with, the same one he ended up killing... older. Why older?

He was definitely missing something.]

[thispromisekept]

[ he pauses at the sounds of the familiar voice, gaze lowering to meet kanda's, expression flickering into a faint smile. ]

Yuu. [ despite his rather confusing thoughts, seeing the other exorcist leaves him feeling-- warm. terrified. safe. it's.. strange. ] I-- I've missed you.

[promisedlotus]

[Yeah, that's definitely Alma and he's definitely not dreaming.]

How...

[thispromisekept]

[ a blink, slightly bewildered, before he remembers that not all versions of kanda here are from the same time. ]

Oh. [ he slowly stretches his legs out, clawed toes peeking out from beneath the silk pants, curling against the grass. ] .. I came here after I died. The-- the second time, I mean. I wasn't.. exactly dead the first time you killed me.