yoon's palace

[strawsandals]

I thought I told you to leave me alone.

Comments

[idealies]

[ G'night all! Ai's dozing off into a restless sleep and collapsing into the vines, her expression looking more uneasy than when she was awake. ]

[emptyself]

Hoshino!

[ that is NOT a good place to fall asleep in.

soujuurou runs over to her, picking her up in his arms with incredible ease. at least she won't get consumed by horrible living vines while she's napping. ]

[idealies]

[ Her heroes! She's cured of her condition by Atem's Me Patra and finds herself waking up in Soujuurou's arms, blinking the sleep out of her eyes drowsily. Despite the ongoing battle, she feels safe with him and even clings to him as he carries her away from the vines. ]

Hehe, good mornin'.

[emptyself]

[ thanks to the heal, soujuurou isn't actively bleeding anymore, but there definitely still is some dried blood on his face as a result of the vine slap.

but that doesn't stop him from looking down at her with a small smile, relieved to see her. he'll do his best to take her farther away, but she can continue clinging to him if she wants. ]

Heh, good morning. You shouldn't be falling asleep on those vines-- they're pretty dangerous.

[idealies]

[ She's going to bury her face in his chest and cling a little harder then! Battling is honestly pretty scary. She'll only look up at him when she's shaken off her sleepiness and regained her composure. ]

My bad~ This is definitely no place to take a nap. Ah, did you get hurt?

[ Seeing the bloodstain, she reaches up to run a hand across his cheek gingerly. What happened? Is he in need of healing? ]

[emptyself]

[ that's fine. soujuurou would say that he feels similarly, if asked about it, but he lets little of it show in his expression. even his breathing is very controlled, his heartbeat regular.

though when she runs a hand across his cheek, his breath does stop for a moment, eyes widened just slightly as he looks down at her. ]

Ah, well, I guess I got hit by the plant when I cut it. But Josh healed me pretty quickly, so it's not bleeding anymore. [ he pauses, looks ahead at the remains of the vines, and then at ai. ]

How about you? How are you doing?

[idealies]

[ Oh, good. She's relieved. ]

I can keep going. I'm A-OK. Idols are tougher than we look.

[ Ai flashes him a smile, letting go of him (reluctantly) to get to her feet and pump her fist in the air. She doesn't want to let the things that frighten or unsettle her show. She probably worried him enough, falling asleep like that. ]

[emptyself]

Man, you really are. I'll be honest, I kind of feel like I want to jump and run.

[ even though his breathing and heartbeat are calm, that's just the results of years of training. in reality soujuurou is just as frightened as the next person. minds are full of things that aren't normal or possible in the real world, and that unknown has him uneasy.

he'll help her get down, arms falling to his sides. ]

But I'm more concerned about Yoon right now. So until we save him from himself, I can't let myself do that.

[idealies]

...Really? I can't tell at all. You're as steady as a rock.

[ Soujuurou? Scared? She would never have guessed. She had held onto him because he appeared a calm and steadying presence. Her smile softens, becoming less forced and more genuine. It makes her feel better knowing she isn't the only one. ]

Then you were even braver to come to my rescue. [ And braver than her to admit his fears. Sorry, Soujuurou, she will keep her little lie, if only so she can become the kind of presence he can rely on. ] I've got your back, don't worry. We'll save him together.

[emptyself]

If I only ran away every time I'm scared, I probably would have died ages ago.

[ an important part of the wild is to know when to run and when to stand your ground and fight. soujuurou has done both plenty of times, but that doesn't mean that the fear isn't always there like an old friend. ]

But thank you. [ whether it's genuine or not is not a thought that even crosses soujuurou's mind. he has no reason not to trust ai's words, so he takes them at face value. she wants to help him, and he'll gladly accept it. ] I think it helps to know that there's someone watching my back.