[Rosamund smiles. It's small and brittle, but the gratitude reads plain as day.]
He would have been very easy to love, I think. No matter how much he kept to himself.
[His kind heart shone through. Why else would he rally such a crowd? Why would it be so hard to convict him, to watch him go?]
I'm afraid it might, too. It was all much too routine to think it wasn't on purpose.
[She could go on, discuss the logistics, speculate, plan. She instead finds herself torn. Something about the other girl's posture maybe, or the way she phrased things.]
Yuri?
[Rosamund reaches out, setting her hand atop the other girl's.]
[ Yuri blankly stares at the floor despite how Rosamund's hand is on top of hers. She doesn't move it away--it stays there. It's neither tense nor relaxed. It just is. ]
I don't know. I can't only know if it's close if it's... very obvious. But he was a good friend at the very least. You must have liked him a lot, right?
[The lack of reaction spooks her some. Has she messed it up again? It's enough to make her miss when their thoughts all bled together.
Doubly so, when the question flips back on her.]
I...did. [It feels very hard to swallow suddenly, and yet she has to rid herself of this awful lump somehow.] But I didn't know much about him, really. Except that he was very kind. I wish I knew more?
[Deep breath. She doesn't let the other girl's hand go, even if she's no longer certain it's welcome.]
But I don't know how much was him being my friend, or just being too polite to turn me away. Even in the end. Honestly, I think I was being selfish. That he was leaving, and there wasn't going to be any more chances to find out. So...
[She shrugs.]
He didn't tell me much about himself at all, come to think of it.
He wanted to keep people at a distance and had to mute his emotions due to his condition.
[ Yuri turns her hand to hold Rosamund's that's on top of hers. ]
I think it would be fair... to say that you were his friend at the very least. If he wanted to turn you away, then he would have. Being selfish... is something people should balance out. I told him that too... that it's okay to look after himself for once. That he should do what he wants to do instead of being restrained all the time.
I hoped... that he would have gone into a cryosleep until the trial at the court. That way, he could have rested... not think about anything for once.
[There's a flutter in her chest when the second hand joins hers. She listens, utterly silent, throat thick as Yuri lays out all that ails her in simpler words and kinder conclusions than anything that's run through her head thus far.
Give her a moment to catch her breath. The threat of tears has reared again, and she has more yet she needs to say.]
Maybe so. [There's a ghost of a smile. All the better to match the phantom they've both been chasing.] I think...I think he was very lucky, to have a good friend like you. Someone who could see into his heart.
[Who understood it quicker than she had. Maybe Rosamund's making assumptions again. It's not her business to pry, and she has no greater claim to the man than anyone else.
And she'd rather embrace what was left of the living than become estranged over the dead.]
Would you do me the same favor, Yuri? Would you like to be my friend?
[ When Rosamund holds back her possible tears, Yuri doesn't cry. She's done enough crying about this. That's why she'll say this: ]
I could understand... being an outcast. I was one back in my home world. I also worked with Abnormalities, which were like monsters on the daily... or at least, I used to. Ever since coming here, I got... softer towards anything and anyone that was not human-like. Coming to that realization helped me deal with Eunhyuk's secret as well. So I'm not... that nice. I'm not someone who who has fully cast aside their previous perceptions.
But still, despite his condition, I wanted that for him--to be free... as I'm sure many of us did too.
[ But she's just rambling now. ]
Of course I would like to be your friend, Rosamund. And... it's okay to cry. I already did... a lot before this.
[Abnormalities. What a way to put it. Fitting though, with the clean cut terminology and the chilly architecture of this future world. She'd said she lived in a place similar to that last planet, but not much more about the dangers.
It makes her worry. Not just for the people here, but for a little girl back home, with wolfen ears and eyes and teeth, and a family who'd rather she stayed dead than become something strange. But then what might she have thought in their shoes? What people do to protect themselves in troubled times can't account for their whole worth.
They're all trying to survive. It's as hard to let go of fear as it is to let go of love.]
It's okay. [She nods.] Nobody should be nice all the time either. Sometimes that gets you in trouble.
Still. I think it's wonderful that we've all had the chance to meet each other. There's so many things to learn and the universe is just...it's so big.
[She laughs at the end, and that's what does the trick. The waterworks unleash, and she pulls her hands back to stem the flow. It's futile work but she does her best.]
I did too, though! How am I not bone dry by now?!
[And she keeps laughing, keeps crying, until she's lost to hiccups and half-loses her voice to the sobs.
It feels so much better than sitting alone in the stale air.]
[ There's a small smile on Yuri's face as she reaches over with a handkerchief to gently wipe her tears and tries to work around the thorns to give her a hug. She even gives her slow pats on the back as Rosamund cries. ]
Sets you free from week 1 tears in time for week 2 tears
[The hug is immensely appreciated, as is the handkerchief, and she does her best to keep her briars out of the way. Awkward when they're both sat down, but it's managed all right. And after the fit calms she will pat her back in kind and give her thanks in hoarse whispers.
Nothing is fixed, but it's all a little bit better.]
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no subject
He would have been very easy to love, I think. No matter how much he kept to himself.
[His kind heart shone through. Why else would he rally such a crowd? Why would it be so hard to convict him, to watch him go?]
I'm afraid it might, too. It was all much too routine to think it wasn't on purpose.
[She could go on, discuss the logistics, speculate, plan. She instead finds herself torn. Something about the other girl's posture maybe, or the way she phrased things.]
Yuri?
[Rosamund reaches out, setting her hand atop the other girl's.]
Were you close with him, too?
no subject
I don't know. I can't only know if it's close if it's... very obvious. But he was a good friend at the very least. You must have liked him a lot, right?
[ Isn't that what the kiss meant? ]
no subject
Doubly so, when the question flips back on her.]
I...did. [It feels very hard to swallow suddenly, and yet she has to rid herself of this awful lump somehow.] But I didn't know much about him, really. Except that he was very kind. I wish I knew more?
[Deep breath. She doesn't let the other girl's hand go, even if she's no longer certain it's welcome.]
But I don't know how much was him being my friend, or just being too polite to turn me away. Even in the end. Honestly, I think I was being selfish. That he was leaving, and there wasn't going to be any more chances to find out. So...
[She shrugs.]
He didn't tell me much about himself at all, come to think of it.
no subject
He wanted to keep people at a distance and had to mute his emotions due to his condition.
[ Yuri turns her hand to hold Rosamund's that's on top of hers. ]
I think it would be fair... to say that you were his friend at the very least. If he wanted to turn you away, then he would have. Being selfish... is something people should balance out. I told him that too... that it's okay to look after himself for once. That he should do what he wants to do instead of being restrained all the time.
I hoped... that he would have gone into a cryosleep until the trial at the court. That way, he could have rested... not think about anything for once.
no subject
Give her a moment to catch her breath. The threat of tears has reared again, and she has more yet she needs to say.]
Maybe so. [There's a ghost of a smile. All the better to match the phantom they've both been chasing.] I think...I think he was very lucky, to have a good friend like you. Someone who could see into his heart.
[Who understood it quicker than she had. Maybe Rosamund's making assumptions again. It's not her business to pry, and she has no greater claim to the man than anyone else.
And she'd rather embrace what was left of the living than become estranged over the dead.]
Would you do me the same favor, Yuri? Would you like to be my friend?
no subject
I could understand... being an outcast. I was one back in my home world. I also worked with Abnormalities, which were like monsters on the daily... or at least, I used to. Ever since coming here, I got... softer towards anything and anyone that was not human-like. Coming to that realization helped me deal with Eunhyuk's secret as well. So I'm not... that nice. I'm not someone who who has fully cast aside their previous perceptions.
But still, despite his condition, I wanted that for him--to be free... as I'm sure many of us did too.
[ But she's just rambling now. ]
Of course I would like to be your friend, Rosamund. And... it's okay to cry. I already did... a lot before this.
no subject
It makes her worry. Not just for the people here, but for a little girl back home, with wolfen ears and eyes and teeth, and a family who'd rather she stayed dead than become something strange. But then what might she have thought in their shoes? What people do to protect themselves in troubled times can't account for their whole worth.
They're all trying to survive. It's as hard to let go of fear as it is to let go of love.]
It's okay. [She nods.] Nobody should be nice all the time either. Sometimes that gets you in trouble.
Still. I think it's wonderful that we've all had the chance to meet each other. There's so many things to learn and the universe is just...it's so big.
[She laughs at the end, and that's what does the trick. The waterworks unleash, and she pulls her hands back to stem the flow. It's futile work but she does her best.]
I did too, though! How am I not bone dry by now?!
[And she keeps laughing, keeps crying, until she's lost to hiccups and half-loses her voice to the sobs.
It feels so much better than sitting alone in the stale air.]
no subject
Sets you free from week 1 tears in time for week 2 tears
Nothing is fixed, but it's all a little bit better.]