camppetoskey | After...party...?

After...party...?

[SO THAT SURE WAS AN EXECUTION, HUH

Shirou's just been kind of staring off into space, still holding on to Usagi's hand, ever since Kon and Natsume's deaths. Just when it starts to look like he might stay like that all hecking night, he suddenly blinks and looks around.]

I'm going to go get some food.

[And indeed, he disappears off to the lodge and returns a little later with a huge pile of beautifully made sandwiches and other snacks. Did he have them prepared, or did he just make them really fast somehow? Who knows.

Anyway, there are now sandwiches. And the shack might still be on fire. This is fine.]

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[Chuuta doesn't move, just stays on his hands and knees in the dirt.]

Why? Why wouldn't you let me help them?

[You couldn't.]

But--

[By being in symbiosis with you, Drew has been able to act in defense of others, but Drew is programmed for self-defense first. And Drew wants to stay in symbiosis with you. So Drew won't let you hurt yourself.]

But--

[If you try to attack Red, she'll hurt you. You can't win that fight. So Drew will protect you, Chuuta.]

[Chuuta laughs, or sobs, and curls up on the ground. Just. Give him a minute.]

[Here Chuuta, have a sandwich.]

[Chuuta, there's a sandwich.]

[...]

[Chuuta, a sandwich!]

[Well fine, Drew's going to take that sandwich in his mouth because it would be rude to refuse it, and hold it in front of Chuuta's face.]

[Chuuta, you're hungry.]

[ The cabin that falls apart together...

Nine goes back into let's ignore the feeling of helplessness and feeling like everything will end with the people he likes dying, and try to do something with this Chuuta shaped ball on the ground.

Nine moves to sit down by him. A hand on his back to just pat there as he moves with soblaugh.

Then he'll move his hand up to pinch his cheek hard. ]

Come on, yo. You should sit up.

[Ow.

His cheek aches under the bruising pressure of Nine's fingers, but it's a centering sort of pain, it helps make him aware of his body and begins to pull him out of his spinning thoughts. He sits up, slowly, still looking at the ground.]

I want to go home.

[ Once he's up, he throws an arm around his back to pull him closer. ]

I know the feeling, yo.

[ He'll stay like that for as long as Chuuta needs. ]

What's the first thing you're going to do when you get back?

[For as long as Chuuta needs? That might be a long time.

He doesn't let himself relax against Nine. He can't. He just lost someone he... not knew well, but knew enough, liked. He's let himself get too close to people here.]

I need to see Aunt Mimi. She's... [and that's a sob for sure this time, not anything like an exhausted laugh.] she's probably so worried about me.

[ Like any of them would actually let him detach. ]

Hey, you'll see her again. I'll make sure of it. What about Drew? Is he looking forward to anything?

[ Gotta include the little one. ]

[Drew's going to sleep for a long time.]

Yeah. Me too. [Sorry Nine, you might need to remind Chuuta that no one else can hear Drew.]

[ He tilts his head. ]

I can't hear him, yo.

[ Where is little alien dude anyways? ]

Oh. [It's not like Chuuta doesn't know that no one else can hear Drew. It's just that Drew is so real and so present and so loud that he can't really believe no one else can hear him.]

We're going to sleep. For a week. [And Drew's not visible right now. He... probably couldn't show himself, even if he weren't tired from being up since Thursday morning. Chuuta doesn't have the self-confidence to really power Drew's physical form.]

[Richie will be waiting nearby, with a blanket. and a hug. and a Solo cup of water. because when you cry you need to drink afterwards.]

Hey...

I really thought it would work. [Chuuta says, subdued. The hug helps, if only in the sense that it helps break some of the tension holding the breakdown back.]

I [and his voice catches on the words, so he tries again, louder and tearfully frustrated] I thought it would work. I thought everyone would be okay. Why are they doing this to us!?

Because they're evil sons of bitches. [Richie just keeps on holding him, resting his head on top of Chuuta's, his voice soft despite the swearing]

I think ... if it's worth anything? I think if it had just been up to Red, it would have worked. She looked really pissed.

She still did it! She's still here! She could have figured something out, she could be helping us, or telling us things, or just telling us there's nothing we can do! But she's just jerking us along! It doesn't matter if she feels bad if she's still screwing with us! [He can't do anything. Can't do anything but yell at the ground as his eyes burn with tears.]

[Richie just holds him a little while longer, thinking about that. everything is so complicated, and there are so many missing pieces]

I feel like we're trying to put together a puzzle but someone burned half the pieces, and peeled the picture part off some of the ones that were still left.

[it's not a perfect metaphor. he's only fourteen, after all]

They don't want us to get out of here. [Chuuta says, getting angrier the more he talks. But he doesn't shake off Richie's hug.] They're going to make it as hard as they can. They're going to just keep hiding things and lying to us! I don't-- [he's still kind of choked up] I hate this place.

[Richie was mostly doing okay pushing it down - he's suppressed a lot, for a kid his age - but when he hears Chuuta failing, his own defenses waver]

Me, too. I ... I wanna go home. ...

[hey. that's a distraction, right?]

Hey. Hey, tell me about home.

[He doesn't want to talk about home right now, but if it's Richie asking...]

What do you want to know?

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After...party...?

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