[ 102 ]

[lilyground]

[The feed opens to silence. A long, long silence. When Lily speaks, her tone is an obviously forced, strained calm.]

Where is Kage's ID?

[Another pause.]

Where's B's?

[Here she tries to lock a post to Kage and B, but with no ID to lock to, ShipNET gives her an error message instead.Where are they? I can't - where did they go? They're not gone.

Comments

[wiserthanusall]

[Sigh]

You are not alone.

[Child, you are panicking. Oogway sighs and puts down his comm and goes to find her. She's got potential, but a Kung-Fu Warrior, she is not.

Yet.]

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

[Oogway pauses to look at her.]

Do you have a better idea?

[Life goes on. If you won't help yourself, and KAge and B won't...then Oogway will. It won't be the first time he's helped raise a child. Gently he tugs her back into motion.]

You are hungry. Shtarving yourself will not help your family, or honor their memory.

[ commentlog ]

[lilyground]

We can - I can talk to Captain Redd, he can send me -

[- to where Kage is. To where Even is.]

... I'm not hungry.

[Dude, she's starving.]

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

Nevertheless.

[Oogway knows better. No one is hungry, when they're upset- the very first bite of food will prove his point.

Oh, hello, Buffet~

Oogway seats Lily and goes for the soup, setting the steaming bowl in front of her, putting the spoon in her hand, purposefully wrapping those long pale fingers around the metal then sits back, expectantly.]

[ commentlog ]

[lilyground]

[Lily stares at the spoon. Stares at the soup. Stares at Oogway. Stares at the soup again. FINE. She'll eat your soup. It's still too hot, but this is Lily Worth. Pain is for pussies.]

This isn't helping.

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

Eat.

[Oogway is the soul of patience and you will eat this entire bowl.]

[ commentlog ]

[lilyground]

[Lily eats - very, very slowly. She's still processing this. They're gone, and they might not come back. Ever. Lily is alone. None of these people are her true family.]

I don't -

[...

She eats.]

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

[He's surprised she isn't crying into her soup- she wouldn't be the first to salt her meal that way.]

You will.

[His voice is as ancient and certain as the sunrise.]

[ commentlog ] 2 weeks later THIS THREAD CONTINUES

[lilyground]

[She's not quite at the crying phase. Lily did enough of that back in her room.

She can barely taste the soup.]

What - ... They were...

[Lily can't really form coherent sentences.]

[ commentlog ] IT'S IMPORTANT CR

[wiserthanusall]

[He understands, anyways.]

Yes, dey were. And now, you.

[God does he understand.]

[ commentlog ] HELLA IMPORTANT

[lilyground]

[Lily leaves her spoon in the bowl of half-finished soup and rests her elbows on the table. She feels all tingly. Adrenaline rushing through her with no outlet. Lily feels she should be in Carnival, or in the gym, or somewhere she can do something mindless, so she doesn't have to think about... all of this.

She doesn't want to think at all.

Is there a way to turn off your feelings?]

Just...

[Come on, Lily. Form a sentence. You can do this.]

My family is gone.

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

Dat is true. But dis is shomething that happens to everything. The sun rises, and in the evening, it sets.

[he takes her spoon, gently]

But if you can survive the night, it will rise again.

[ commentlog ]

[lilyground]

[Miraculously, Lily understands his metaphor. Yeah, yeah, shit happens, get over it. Lily's not so good at that. Two years of her friends disappearing and she's still not used to it.

She's just a kid.]

I dunno if I can.

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

You are not alone.

[ commentlog ]

[lilyground]

Yes, [Lily asserts,] I am. Kage's gone. B's gone. Everyone's gone, and I'm the only one left, the only one of my whole -

[She cuts off and holds back the tears she wants to shed. Sobbing on ShipNet is one thing. Sobbing in front of someone is another entirely.]

- of everyone.

[ commentlog ]

[wiserthanusall]

[Very solemnly, Oogway lifts the spoon and donk! cracks Lily's forehead with it.]