And he said "take my hand, live while you can..."

[tiercelet]

[Some time in between the battle with Izanami and the start of the new school term, the much changed world inside the TV had become his place of solace. The fog-covered, dangerous dungeons of the old world had been replaced by wide, sweeping landscapes that reminded him of Camelot. Of Johto. Places like this are difficult to find in the modern

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[usedkunai]

[Things have been awkward, so say the least. Class was uncomfortable, and not just because he felt far too out of place, but because even Yosuke knows the other students can sense the tension between he and Merlin. He's guilty -- he knows he let his emotions get the better of him, and it eats away at him.]

[He knows he has to say something, and even after being told by Teddie that he's been going to the other world a lot, Yosuke doesn't know just what to say. He enters the TV, immediately summoning Susano-o. It won't help him find Merlin, but doing it for the first time in what - to him - was nearly five years? It was freeing, in a sense.]

[It's a vast enough that it takes a fair amount of time, but he spots the figure and his accompanying Persona in the distance, and he pauses once he's in ear's range.]

...Hey. [He says it quietly, tone neutral, but somehow apologetic.]

[tiercelet]

[His first reaction to flinch and quickly shift into a battle-ready stance while groping his side for a scythe that he doesn't carry around anymore. After seeing that it's Yosuke, and not a Shadow trying to sneak up on him, Merlin straightens, sheepishness temporarily overriding any other emotion he might feel at seeing Yosuke in close quarters.]

Sorry. Habit, you know? [Never mind that he hasn't seen a Shadow even once after the fog had lifted. Then again, a few weeks isn't enough to erase nearly a year's worth of time being alert in the TV world.] But I guess Viridios would have warned me if there was something around.

[He seems to remember what had transpired between them at that point, smile fading to something curious and wary at the same time.] What're you doing here?

[usedkunai]

Ted told me you've been coming to this side... [His words come out a bit reluctantly, ruffling his hair a bit sheepishly. He can't make eye contact with Merlin yet -- something of a pride thing, he guesses. Tilting his head back, he looks to the sky; it's still unbelievable that this was once full of fog and shadows.]

[While he does this, Susano-o is floating above him, saw-blade shifting so it can put his hand on Yosuke's shoulders - it's an obvious showing of Yosuke's acceptance of himself, especially in a case where it could have been easier to run and not face the situation head on like this.]

I wanted to talk... you know. About last week.

[tiercelet]

Reminds me of Camelot sometimes. It's peaceful here. [A soft chuckle crosses the chasm between the two, filling the empty space with something a bit brighter. By the light smile that pulls at his lips, Merlin obviously knows the slight irony of that statement. He, too, looks up at the clear skies.] Strange, isn't it? Knowing this place used to be so dangerous.

[It's only by chance that Merlin focuses his attention on Yosuke just in time to see the gesture passing between the Persona and man. He, too, knows that Yosuke would have avoided this confrontation before. It's a good reminder of the twenty two year old mind housed in the seventeen year old body. It's also a good reminder that he, too, had lost his temper despite the hundreds of years he has over Yosuke now.

The thought is a shameful one.]

I'm all ears. [There's a quick, blink-and-you'll-miss-it grin at the joke. He keeps his posture open, easy to show that he's willing to listen.]

[usedkunai]

[He draws a breath in, relaxing ever-so-slightly. The contact from his Persona, the subtle jokes being cracked made it all seem a bit more bearable for him to confront this situation. It's still not easy for him, but boy, he's learned from this mistake one too many times to ignore.]

I... kind of overreacted. Well, I totally overreacted. I've... I dunno, my train of thought's just been really screwed up since I go back. I wasn't thinking straight when I came to you last week.

I'm still not really, at all... [Which is obvious just based on his features already beginning to look hollowed out, a shell of himself, to some extent.] But I couldn't just let it sit, you know?

You're been through a lot of shit too. Way more than me. I... shouldn't have said all that. S-sorry...