inbox.text / audio / video / action / ringtone❝ Hello, you have reached Ushiromiya Lion. I apologize for missing your call.
Please leave a message, and I'll reply as soon as I can. Thank you. ❞code credit
[ There is not enough there to lose their point. Mostly this is because, blinded in their annoyance, Lion is ignorant to how they're actually succeeding in basic logging without either maiming themselves, maiming the tree, or sending themselves off the tree into a fate worse than maiming.
The beat of silence is consideration. And only that, obviously. ]
Everyone should have one ranged option for emergencies. [ Said with all the tone of someone gearing up for a lecture, giving Lion one heartbeat to prepare for said lecture - and then promptly ruining it. ] By your logic, I should buy more swords and use 'em like throwing knives.
[ Except he already has that Faerun Knockoff of his own sword that he can teleport back when needed.
[ There are no words for the exact kind of deadpan despair this is causing them. Because they know him. They know where that train of thought is going.
They'd expect that of Battler, Will. ]
And I meant, because you can already set things on fire. Because you can set your sword on fire. [ A beat, and- ] Please don't throw your sword while it's on fire.
[ The worst thing is it started as a sardonic joke for Lion to realize how terrible their logic is, then started edging into actual consideration, then looped back around into 'no, that's stupid'. Ignore that this happened, coincidentally, right around the time Lion uses That Tone. ]
Of course not. [ Good. ] The fire goes out if I stop touching it.
They could elaborate on exactly why that entire concept - and why his reason for not doing so - are the worst thing they've heard this month. But you know what? This is meant to be a vacation and that would be a waste of time and energy so instead they're just
gonna drop the sword off the side of the branch and go pack up their bag. ]
On second thoughts, you don't get to have this anymore.
[ He's just going to teleport it back. They know this. But sometimes you've gotta draw a line in the sand snow and stick to it. ]
[ They're right. He's just going to teleport it back. It reappears in one hand in a burst of violet-black smog, resheathing into the other hand with the same motion, and their despair is answered with the just-barely-there amusement of someone who sees the exact window to win this particular Points Skirmish. ]
That was irresponsible, Lion. Having a sword crash into someone's head would ruin the holiday spirit.
[ Jokes on him, they were ready for it. There is only a matching too-sweet smile - a lesser brat would be batting their eyelashes alongside it, but they're above such petty tricks. ]
Ah, but I knew it wouldn't get that far. I had complete and utter faith that you would summon it back first.
[ That's fine. They'll immediately regret it at the immediate swap to that specific shade of Incredibly Polite Japanese they have grown to fear/loathe so much. ]
For your attention: let it be known this Furniture chooses to interpret that as only things that can be summoned back are allowed down the tree without supervision.
[ This is the only warning Lion receives before they suffer the same fate as Maya a year past, but less a rescue and more a punishment. The bags of lumber are tossed over one shoulder. The sack of Lion is tossed over the other.
There's barely any time to react, beyond clinging to his shoulder with a fury they didn't quite know they had, relegated as they are to their newly minted role of Official Potato Sack. All they can really do is shriek in surprise as the branches whip past - and hey, they are right next to his ear. Convenient! ]
That is not what I meant and you know it--
[ They are, thankfully, smart enough to not yell to be put down. That could only end poorly. ]
[ Even if they yelled to be put down, he wouldn't. That's a bit too rude. They even get away with the screaming - partly because he already won all the points in the betting pool, and partly staying focused on a mathematics balancing act. Draining too much of Maya's magic pool for sheer pettiness is wrong, thus all movements should be minimum loss but without risk of misstepping a landing or gaining too much momentum.
A short mental aside is thrown back to the company team-building exercise where his manual transmission body type was swapped with Lion's automatic. What a nightmare to drive. ]
[ They're not about to assume anything when one sentence made him yeet them both off of the tree like a maniac, okay. Not in the sense that he'd harm them- never, just. Y'know.
Dropping them from a safe but shocking height? That seems like something he'd do to win more points. ]
It's perfectly justified to scream when you juthhhh-
[ And another point to Will as they do, in fact, immediately bite their tongue by accident. Ow. ]
And honestly, the narrative could do a longer bit of prose here, but it's unnecessary. All they earn is that one patient sigh that's both infinite patience and infinite despair, all weighted down with the fondness one has watching a pet do something incredibly stupid.
[ The minutes and branches pass in silence. Talking is unnecessary; he already proved his point with the sigh, and frankly, they're busy sulking. Not that they can talk, for part of the trip back - one hand is lit up with a healing touch, pressed to their cheek to knit their bloodied tongue back together.
Magic can fix a lot, but it can't soothe their wounded pride. ]
Despite being carried like a potato sack, Lion isn't dropped like one. Rather, they're lowered back down in a proper standing position then given two light pats on the head. In many ways, this might be worse. ]
There there.
[ And that's as far as the game should go otherwise he might earn The Customary Punishment. ] Break after the drop-off?
[ Yep, definitely worse. The extra effort juuust nudges it over the line.
For a moment, the glare is a consideration of whether or not it's worth meteing out The Customary Punishment anyway, before it, too, fades. Can't be too mad. It was well played. Grumble mumble. ]
That would be nice, yes. [ The downside of being on the ground again is now they have no distraction from worried fidgeting. At least they can mitigate it by fixing their ponytail - though there's a brief, almost unnoticable hesitation before they continue. ] .... Also, your interpretation was wrong.
[ This is totally not them blatantly trying to avoid something. Nope. ]
[ Let us all praise the existence of Maya and her corrupting, sinful influence. The answer is immediate, but soulless - the monotone of someone who has lost all will to continue living. ]
I'm never wrong.
[ get it
Ha.
Fucking ha.
Ugh, just void him from existence- ] It was an interpretation made only to mess with you.
[ The single, tiniest violin is playing for you somewhere, Will.
By which we mean- that was definitely not an undignified, amused snort of laughter being hidden behind a cough. Nope. ]
Terrible wordplay aside- [ translation: they're going to nitpick it anyway. ] -I know it was only to tease me, but by your own logic, your reason for jumping down the tree doesn't work.
[ Get it. Because he's irreplacable.
Aaaaaaay- look at least they're not getting snippy about the Furniture thing, for once. And they look far too sincerely annoyed about the bad pun to even register that they accidentally'd a compliment.
Hm. Now would be a good moment for the narration to wonder- where'd that damn butterfly get off to, anyway? They're sure they decided to let it wander about earlier. ]
[ They not allowed to get snippy about the Furniture thing. Nowadays, such language is used exclusively to be a menace. Not like the people who have order rights would ask for the fancy terminology, anyway. ] Besi-
[ Besides what, you may ask? It doesn't matter. The thought disappears as quickly as it came.
Surely, Lion's butterfly was flitting along happily before suddenly landing and going still, as if time stopped. It can't really put into words what happened, mostly because it's a butterfly. But even then, Will can't either. It feels like Yggdrasil all over again, where something is straining before an inevitable snap. He isn't getting possessed, so it's not planar horseshit. That narrows down one option and leaves only a million others.
-Was he saying something? Is he even moving? It's like God hit a pause button and Everything is waiting for It to resume- what's It?, how even- A short breath is forcibly taken, all dust and stagnant air, and the words fall out. ] Can you feel that?
[ Later they'll regret a lot of things - not paying more attention, being so flippant, taking the vacation at all - but the smallest, most vital, is that they will so sincerely regret having started to walk away in the gap between one sentence and the next.
They do stop, at least, when they realise he isn't following. ]
... Feel what? [ It's odd. It's just a normal December day - a bit chilly, maybe they should've brought their cloak, but not unpleasant. Beyond that feeling of- something out of place. Like forgetting something after entering a room. A noise you'd grown used to until it stopped. But Will is Will. There are no pointless questions. So something must be wrong, if the sudden tension in his voice is anything to go by, or why he looks so still when they finally turn around.
[ It's weird to say that silence can be loud, but everyone's had their ears start ringing at least once. That's how it normally applies for his Bonds - there is silence, yes, but if you go still and listen, you can hear them all. An ambient breeze, now infinitely stifled, as if someone hiding their breathing. Two soullights, both helpful and hopeful, but one skitters along faster than the other. The steady pulse of a heartbeat his own beats in perfect unison with; has been for nearly a year.
This entire above paragraph doesn't matter. There is only Silence. No breeze, no lights, no heartbeat. Lion probably said something, but the sound doesn't get across - air density is too thin. You need an atmosphere to send sound, right? It's all just waves and pressure applied- focus, there's still one line to follow back. The heartbeat is gone, but her magic still flows (no, stagnant, like everything else) and the Contract is leaned on very slightly to adjust the tuning; send a message over.
It only gets across Maya? Are you- before the line snaps. And the world goes profoundly silent.
Lion still gets an answer. He falls to one knee the exact moment half the lights in Aspen go dark. ]
They don't move. They can't. Everything feels frozen, suspended in place between one heartbeat and the next. All they can do is watch him drop, seeing it without really comprehending- what? What is there to understand, anyway? There's nothing wrong. He was just talking-
The moment passes. Time resumes. ]
Will!
[ The scream is unwanted, but they can't help it. It's only the twelve long months of learning to be better then they were that day that keeps them from stopping entirely. Even so, they end up almost tripping on the snow in their haste to get to his side.
shit, they can't tell if- what- happened without the Oath, should they try Ceremony? No time. Spare The Dying is faster, they know it better. It was the first spell they learned of their own free will, after all. It takes no time at all to call that familar golden glow to their hand and
nothing happens.
try again.
nothing happens. ]
What... [ Breathe, Lion, past the awful lump growing in their throat. ] I-if this is meant to be a joke, it isn't funny.
[ So maybe they sound a little desperate, but who could blame them? It's not every day that someone just spontaneously starts to die in front of you.
Somewhere, a speck of gold leaf crumbles into nothing on the wind. And far above, unnoticed, the moon begins to fall. ]
[ For a second, the world stays black - the eternal pause button of discorporeation.
But it flickers back on in time to hear "-isn't funny". The bracer doesn't bother with the voice over. It was only meant to be an extra power source in emergencies, not the only power source, so the numbers go past far too quickly. 99% remaining, discharging. 98, 97, 96, multiple numbers going down in a second and it only takes the most half-assed of math to figure out the time left is Not Long At All, Like, Seriously.
Better than instantaneous, he guesses. Moving is out. It'll drain what's left even quicker. Next on the list: how to explain the differences between a Concept Denial and a despawn. One's a death, one's Enforced Naptime, but from the outside, it probably just looks like death - oh silvanus, and what if Lion takes it as how Ange forcibly despawned the stakes that one time. He needs a research paper presentation for this. And a flow chart. Maybe a sparknotes powerpoint.
Unfortunately, there is none of these. Yet, all must be condensed into thirty seconds, ignoring the time spent Lion is going to spend panicking. That means he can't panic. Maya and Alex still matter (what even happened on that mission, are they okay, Maya didn't answer, it severed, is she d-)
They can't matter. A bracer at 79% and lowering isn't enough time to panic.
It still feels like trying to breathe in pollution, so thick it barely qualifies as air, but it's Something. Even if he can't move, at least he can speak. ] Listen. S'temporary. I won't even notice. So- make sure I'm not damaged.
What's temporary? That- that doesn't make any sense!
[ 'Panic' cannot accurately summarise what is happening here. It's grown well past 'panic', has settled into a specific terror that's become too familiar for their liking since Wonderland, or Lyrabar. (Or Vista Virs.) The raw, fizzing kind that comes when there's a thousand and one ways something might have happened, and no time left to figure out which one, exactly, is responsible. If magic isn't working then they can't fix it- though that's stupid, they can't fix it anyway if they don't know what it is-
Breathe, Lion. Think about it. He's not freaking out, so you can't.
It's a Piece thing. Has to be. What kind of Piece thing doesn't matter- there's no time to argue about the how or why right now, or to rifle through their box of memories to try and figure out what they missed. (shouldn't have kept putting it off, stupid, stupid-) ]
I- [ -don't understand. The word catches, pressed between one shaking breath and the next, as they try to push past that hopeless feeling. ] O-okay. I will. I promise.
[ Will doesn't lie. Will would never lie to them. Not even for their own sake (except he did by avoiding it entirely that one time- stop it). If he says it's temporary, it will be, whatever 'it' is. They have to believe that.
One hand fumbles for his, grips it as tight as they can. It's stupid, won't do anything, but it makes them feel better. ]
[ Even if they don't say the words, it's easy to pick up that they're confused. Yet, Lion's still trying to roll with it. It's impressive. The best he can do to get that across is grip their hand back. Ignore the numbers. It's a comfort worth the cost. There's so much more that needs to be answered, on what kind of Piece thing and why he knows its temporary - but corners have to be cut here. And that means taking it at face value.
They promised. That means it's fine. Concept is protected. Next problem.
It's not like last time: pages don't split open across flesh and there's no sense of pain. The voice even comes out clear, no strain, but slowly turns low quality with each syllable - like trying to hear something played from old gramophones, or from behind closed doors. If anything, there is only a vague exhaustion. ]
I'm easy to summon. My Concept, a sufficient magic supply, and someone who genuinely needs me. That's all. [ Later on, after waking up again, he's probably going to get mocked for that - humans make jokes about easy captures all the time - but not the time. Lion has the memories, even if they don't want to use them, and maybe knowing how it's temporary will keep them... well. Not happy. Focused. Go with focused. And hey, in the worst case, they can just grab Battler to do it. Even if he'd rather be summoned by anyone else in the world, he's at least good at it. Beggars can't be choosers.
Even when the beggars get migraines just from considering that hypothetical reality. ] ...And an espresso. Got it?
[ They don't say the first thing that creeps into mind. "If it's that easy, why can't I fix it now?" That- and the part that would follow, begging him to stay, not to leave, even for this promised temporary time - would only make it worse. They have first-hand experience, and second-hand memories of why, after all.
Even if they want to, so badly that it aches in their chest.
Instead they pull up a watery smile that they don't really feel, and all the years of practice at not letting themself crumble, and strain to hear everything they can. ]
You w-won't have to worry about that, then. [ 'Someone who genuinely needs him' - even if they couldn't, that would never be in doubt. ] But somehow, I'm not- I'm not surprised that coffee is part of it.
[ Bad jokes are better then thinking about why, though they hesitate after. They'll fix it. They have to. ]
... If... If it doesn't work, I'll-
[ 'I'll never forgive you' isn't right. They'd forgive him anything and they know it. ]
-I'll let Battler bring you back just to lecture you instead.
[ That is the single most cursed punishment he's ever heard and wasting the battery power for the disgusted expression is entirely justified. ]
...Can't have that. The coffee is no longer a request, but a demand. Need a weapon if Battler's face s'the first thing I see.
[ There will be no lectures because he'll be back before that. Something probably just happened with the relic - like how Yggdrasil had a moment of Death before fixing itself. It'll be the same here. Lion even has directions. A hope. Even if they're putting on a brave face, that's enough. It has to be. And the last dregs of the bracer are spent resting a hand on their face, squeezing their other hand with a smile hopefully as supportive as he's trying to come off. That might still be taken badly. Keep it light. Hmm.
Add a pinch. ]
See you soon.
[ And unlike what every fear of Lion's and every attempt the narrative takes to be heartless, it's not Vista Virs. Nor is it Ange's tantrum. It's just like whenever the other angels disappeared - a bright flash of white, searing like sunlight, dissolving out into firefly particles before going out. Like a particularly tall and annoying firework. This is Lion's punishment for dating a Piece.
All that's left is two sheets of paper in the snow, yellowed and frayed with age, stains and tears marring the words. Which isn't saying much, considering the handwriting is a shorthand they've seen before - and remember purely from how nigh-illegible it is. Even still, none of this is relevant. There is only one part of these papers that will inspire Lion to panic.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
The beat of silence is consideration. And only that, obviously. ]
Everyone should have one ranged option for emergencies. [ Said with all the tone of someone gearing up for a lecture, giving Lion one heartbeat to prepare for said lecture - and then promptly ruining it. ] By your logic, I should buy more swords and use 'em like throwing knives.
[ Except he already has that Faerun Knockoff of his own sword that he can teleport back when needed.
...Idea. ]
no subject
[ There are no words for the exact kind of deadpan despair this is causing them. Because they know him. They know where that train of thought is going.
They'd expect that of Battler, Will. ]
And I meant, because you can already set things on fire. Because you can set your sword on fire. [ A beat, and- ] Please don't throw your sword while it's on fire.
no subject
Of course not. [ Good. ] The fire goes out if I stop touching it.
[
Less good. ]
no subject
They could elaborate on exactly why that entire concept - and why his reason for not doing so - are the worst thing they've heard this month. But you know what? This is meant to be a vacation and that would be a waste of time and energy so instead they're just
gonna drop the sword off the side of the branch and go pack up their bag. ]
On second thoughts, you don't get to have this anymore.
[ He's just going to teleport it back. They know this. But sometimes you've gotta draw a line in the
sandsnow and stick to it. ]no subject
That was irresponsible, Lion. Having a sword crash into someone's head would ruin the holiday spirit.
no subject
Ah, but I knew it wouldn't get that far. I had complete and utter faith that you would summon it back first.
no subject
For your attention: let it be known this Furniture chooses to interpret that as only things that can be summoned back are allowed down the tree without supervision.
[ This is the only warning Lion receives before they suffer the same fate as Maya a year past, but less a rescue and more a punishment. The bags of lumber are tossed over one shoulder. The sack of Lion is tossed over the other.
And thus they descend to Aspen. ]
no subject
There's barely any time to react, beyond clinging to his shoulder with a fury they didn't quite know they had, relegated as they are to their newly minted role of Official Potato Sack. All they can really do is shriek in surprise as the branches whip past - and hey, they are right next to his ear. Convenient! ]
That is not what I meant and you know it--
[ They are, thankfully, smart enough to not yell to be put down. That could only end poorly. ]
no subject
A short mental aside is thrown back to the company team-building exercise where his manual transmission body type was swapped with Lion's automatic. What a nightmare to drive. ]
Don't scream. You'll bite your tongue.
no subject
Dropping them from a safe but shocking height? That seems like something he'd do to win more points. ]
It's perfectly justified to scream when you juthhhh-
[ And another point to Will as they do, in fact, immediately bite their tongue by accident. Ow. ]
no subject
And honestly, the narrative could do a longer bit of prose here, but it's unnecessary. All they earn is that one patient sigh that's both infinite patience and infinite despair, all weighted down with the fondness one has watching a pet do something incredibly stupid.
Oh, Lion. What are we to do with you. ]
no subject
Magic can fix a lot, but it can't soothe their wounded pride. ]
no subject
Despite being carried like a potato sack, Lion isn't dropped like one. Rather, they're lowered back down in a proper standing position then given two light pats on the head. In many ways, this might be worse. ]
There there.
[ And that's as far as the game should go otherwise he might earn The Customary Punishment. ] Break after the drop-off?
no subject
For a moment, the glare is a consideration of whether or not it's worth meteing out The Customary Punishment anyway, before it, too, fades. Can't be too mad. It was well played. Grumble mumble. ]
That would be nice, yes. [ The downside of being on the ground again is now they have no distraction from worried fidgeting. At least they can mitigate it by fixing their ponytail - though there's a brief, almost unnoticable hesitation before they continue. ] .... Also, your interpretation was wrong.
[ This is totally not them blatantly trying to avoid something. Nope. ]
no subject
I'm never wrong.
[ get it
Ha.
Fucking ha.
Ugh, just void him from existence- ] It was an interpretation made only to mess with you.
no subject
By which we mean- that was definitely not an undignified, amused snort of laughter being hidden behind a cough. Nope. ]
Terrible wordplay aside- [ translation: they're going to nitpick it anyway. ] -I know it was only to tease me, but by your own logic, your reason for jumping down the tree doesn't work.
[ Get it. Because he's irreplacable.
Aaaaaaay- look at least they're not getting snippy about the Furniture thing, for once. And they look far too sincerely annoyed about the bad pun to even register that they accidentally'd a compliment.
Hm. Now would be a good moment for the narration to wonder- where'd that damn butterfly get off to, anyway? They're sure they decided to let it wander about earlier. ]
no subject
[ They not allowed to get snippy about the Furniture thing. Nowadays, such language is used exclusively to be a menace. Not like the people who have order rights would ask for the fancy terminology, anyway. ] Besi-
[ Besides what, you may ask? It doesn't matter. The thought disappears as quickly as it came.
Surely, Lion's butterfly was flitting along happily before suddenly landing and going still, as if time stopped. It can't really put into words what happened, mostly because it's a butterfly. But even then, Will can't either. It feels like Yggdrasil all over again, where something is straining before an inevitable snap. He isn't getting possessed, so it's not planar horseshit. That narrows down one option and leaves only a million others.
-Was he saying something? Is he even moving? It's like God hit a pause button and Everything is waiting for It to resume- what's It?, how even- A short breath is forcibly taken, all dust and stagnant air, and the words fall out. ] Can you feel that?
no subject
[ Later they'll regret a lot of things - not paying more attention, being so flippant, taking the vacation at all - but the smallest, most vital, is that they will so sincerely regret having started to walk away in the gap between one sentence and the next.
They do stop, at least, when they realise he isn't following. ]
... Feel what? [ It's odd. It's just a normal December day - a bit chilly, maybe they should've brought their cloak, but not unpleasant. Beyond that feeling of- something out of place. Like forgetting something after entering a room. A noise you'd grown used to until it stopped. But Will is Will. There are no pointless questions. So something must be wrong, if the sudden tension in his voice is anything to go by, or why he looks so still when they finally turn around.
Their cheek stings and they don't know why. ]
Will? Is... something wrong?
[ And then it hits them:
They can't tell.
The Oath isn't there. ]
no subject
This entire above paragraph doesn't matter. There is only Silence. No breeze, no lights, no heartbeat. Lion probably said something, but the sound doesn't get across - air density is too thin. You need an atmosphere to send sound, right? It's all just waves and pressure applied- focus, there's still one line to follow back. The heartbeat is gone, but her magic still flows (no, stagnant, like everything else) and the Contract is leaned on very slightly to adjust the tuning; send a message over.
It only gets across Maya? Are you- before the line snaps. And the world goes profoundly silent.
Lion still gets an answer. He falls to one knee the exact moment half the lights in Aspen go dark. ]
no subject
They don't move. They can't. Everything feels frozen, suspended in place between one heartbeat and the next. All they can do is watch him drop, seeing it without really comprehending- what? What is there to understand, anyway? There's nothing wrong. He was just talking-
The moment passes. Time resumes. ]
Will!
[ The scream is unwanted, but they can't help it. It's only the twelve long months of learning to be better then they were that day that keeps them from stopping entirely. Even so, they end up almost tripping on the snow in their haste to get to his side.
shit, they can't tell if- what- happened without the Oath, should they try Ceremony? No time. Spare The Dying is faster, they know it better. It was the first spell they learned of their own free will, after all. It takes no time at all to call that familar golden glow to their hand and
nothing happens.
try again.
nothing happens. ]
What... [ Breathe, Lion, past the awful lump growing in their throat. ] I-if this is meant to be a joke, it isn't funny.
[ So maybe they sound a little desperate, but who could blame them? It's not every day that someone just spontaneously starts to die in front of you.
Somewhere, a speck of gold leaf crumbles into nothing on the wind. And far above, unnoticed, the moon begins to fall. ]
no subject
But it flickers back on in time to hear "-isn't funny". The bracer doesn't bother with the voice over. It was only meant to be an extra power source in emergencies, not the only power source, so the numbers go past far too quickly. 99% remaining, discharging. 98, 97, 96, multiple numbers going down in a second and it only takes the most half-assed of math to figure out the time left is Not Long At All, Like, Seriously.
Better than instantaneous, he guesses. Moving is out. It'll drain what's left even quicker. Next on the list: how to explain the differences between a Concept Denial and a despawn. One's a death, one's Enforced Naptime, but from the outside, it probably just looks like death - oh silvanus, and what if Lion takes it as how Ange forcibly despawned the stakes that one time. He needs a research paper presentation for this. And a flow chart. Maybe a sparknotes powerpoint.
Unfortunately, there is none of these. Yet, all must be condensed into thirty seconds, ignoring the time spent Lion is going to spend panicking. That means he can't panic. Maya and Alex still matter (what even happened on that mission, are they okay, Maya didn't answer, it severed, is she d-)
They can't matter. A bracer at 79% and lowering isn't enough time to panic.
It still feels like trying to breathe in pollution, so thick it barely qualifies as air, but it's Something. Even if he can't move, at least he can speak. ] Listen. S'temporary. I won't even notice. So- make sure I'm not damaged.
[ Yes. That answers every question. Perfect. ]
no subject
[ 'Panic' cannot accurately summarise what is happening here. It's grown well past 'panic', has settled into a specific terror that's become too familiar for their liking since Wonderland, or Lyrabar. (Or Vista Virs.) The raw, fizzing kind that comes when there's a thousand and one ways something might have happened, and no time left to figure out which one, exactly, is responsible. If magic isn't working then they can't fix it- though that's stupid, they can't fix it anyway if they don't know what it is-
Breathe, Lion. Think about it. He's not freaking out, so you can't.
It's a Piece thing. Has to be. What kind of Piece thing doesn't matter- there's no time to argue about the how or why right now, or to rifle through their box of memories to try and figure out what they missed. (shouldn't have kept putting it off, stupid, stupid-) ]
I- [ -don't understand. The word catches, pressed between one shaking breath and the next, as they try to push past that hopeless feeling. ] O-okay. I will. I promise.
[ Will doesn't lie. Will would never lie to them. Not even for their own sake (except he did by avoiding it entirely that one time- stop it). If he says it's temporary, it will be, whatever 'it' is. They have to believe that.
One hand fumbles for his, grips it as tight as they can. It's stupid, won't do anything, but it makes them feel better. ]
no subject
They promised. That means it's fine. Concept is protected. Next problem.
It's not like last time: pages don't split open across flesh and there's no sense of pain. The voice even comes out clear, no strain, but slowly turns low quality with each syllable - like trying to hear something played from old gramophones, or from behind closed doors. If anything, there is only a vague exhaustion. ]
I'm easy to summon. My Concept, a sufficient magic supply, and someone who genuinely needs me. That's all. [ Later on, after waking up again, he's probably going to get mocked for that - humans make jokes about easy captures all the time - but not the time. Lion has the memories, even if they don't want to use them, and maybe knowing how it's temporary will keep them... well. Not happy. Focused. Go with focused. And hey, in the worst case, they can just grab Battler to do it. Even if he'd rather be summoned by anyone else in the world, he's at least good at it. Beggars can't be choosers.
Even when the beggars get migraines just from considering that hypothetical reality. ] ...And an espresso. Got it?
no subject
Even if they want to, so badly that it aches in their chest.
Instead they pull up a watery smile that they don't really feel, and all the years of practice at not letting themself crumble, and strain to hear everything they can. ]
You w-won't have to worry about that, then. [ 'Someone who genuinely needs him' - even if they couldn't, that would never be in doubt. ] But somehow, I'm not- I'm not surprised that coffee is part of it.
[ Bad jokes are better then thinking about why, though they hesitate after. They'll fix it. They have to. ]
... If... If it doesn't work, I'll-
[ 'I'll never forgive you' isn't right. They'd forgive him anything and they know it. ]
-I'll let Battler bring you back just to lecture you instead.
[ Wow, harsh. ]
no subject
...Can't have that. The coffee is no longer a request, but a demand. Need a weapon if Battler's face s'the first thing I see.
[ There will be no lectures because he'll be back before that. Something probably just happened with the relic - like how Yggdrasil had a moment of Death before fixing itself. It'll be the same here. Lion even has directions. A hope. Even if they're putting on a brave face, that's enough. It has to be. And the last dregs of the bracer are spent resting a hand on their face, squeezing their other hand with a smile hopefully as supportive as he's trying to come off. That might still be taken badly. Keep it light. Hmm.
Add a pinch. ]
See you soon.
[ And unlike what every fear of Lion's and every attempt the narrative takes to be heartless, it's not Vista Virs. Nor is it Ange's tantrum. It's just like whenever the other angels disappeared - a bright flash of white, searing like sunlight, dissolving out into firefly particles before going out. Like a particularly tall and annoying firework. This is Lion's punishment for dating a Piece.
All that's left is two sheets of paper in the snow, yellowed and frayed with age, stains and tears marring the words. Which isn't saying much, considering the handwriting is a shorthand they've seen before - and remember purely from how nigh-illegible it is. Even still, none of this is relevant. There is only one part of these papers that will inspire Lion to panic.
It's a list. ]
(no subject)