linkingup | shawarma time

shawarma time

[ some time after Atem's palace when everyone has had the time to get back from braphine's temple, and more importantly get that sand out of your everything (and enjoy NOT 40 degree Celsius weather)

everyone who was in Atem's palace will find themselves suddenly added to a group chat by joshua and he just sends a singular address

it's the address to a shawarma place that somehow magically has a big enough table to fit 14 people. amazing. we love fluid locations like this.

post palace dinner, y'all know the drill ]

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[Aubrey probably had to be dragged out because fam, the penalty game was rough on this one.

She's also just going to decline to eat right now, sitting quietly and listening to the others talk.]

...

( if she places one of her hands over aubrey's, would that be okay? )

[She startles a little! But she allows it.]

... There's a mint lemonade. It might help.

...You think so? I still feel pretty unsteady.

Mint's good for things like that, I think... and lemonade is supposed to be sweet.

( she's trying to find something that could boost her mood a little, but when it comes to food and drink she is the literal worst. )

For lemonade, it depends.

...I think I'll just hold off for now.

Okay.

--Hey, let me see your phone? Please.

...?

Sure.

[Handing it over.]

( just fiddling for a moment. when she hands it back, aubrey will have...

t. the entire nightcord discography? and some stuff by a band named leo/need and another group called vivid bad squad downloaded onto her phone.

more importantly, there's a pre-made playlist called "bed time". if she checks, it's some of nightcord's gentler songs, and a lot of music box instrumentals of them, too.

one specific song is starred. whenever aubrey does hit play, she'll find it's the song that the music box celeste used in the palace. )

...

I thought it might help later. And, the other groups... are my underclassmen's band and group, respectively.

[When she takes the phone back, the surprise is clear on her face at how much music there suddenly is on her phone. Whoa.]

I- um, thank you.

[She's never been much of a music person, at least in the sense of listening to it on devices - Mari and Sunny always performed for them, and she loved that plenty, but she never had the money for a portable cassette or CD player.]

...Do the other two have a certain genre?

Edited 2024-10-06 22:59 (UTC)

Leo/need is a standard band...? I'm not sure how to classify it, but they're very talented. My friend's little sister is in it as the bassist. Vivid Bad Squad focuses on street music though. I also have a friend's idol group, and another's theater group, but I wasn't entirely sure if those would be your thing...?

...Probably not. But - thanks. I'll give them a listen.

I'm not really good at this sort of thing. But music is what's helped me, so... I hope it can do the same for you.

...I don't know if it's even possible to be "good" at something like this.

Someone's got to be able to do it, if we have therapists.

I've never seen one myself.

[Shocking to learn, I'm sure.]

Neither have I.

I think maybe I should fix that? Japan's take on mental health is.... immensely flawed. But...

...

I'm not sure I want to go back.

...

I mean, I get it, but... where would you go?

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Aubrey... I...

[What, exactly, do you say to someone you brainfucked into thinking they were murdering their friends?]

... I'm sorry.

[His voice sounds small, and he hates it.]

[What, indeed, do you say to any of this...?

She opens her mouth. Closes it. Thinks, for yet another moment, of just how to respond to that.]

...

I know it wasn't all just you. [The god of conflict is the one causing the palaces to begin with. She knows that - she was at the center of one, too, even.]

...But I'm not sure if I can accept it yet.

[She still feels - shaky. Sick.

It was so much.]

[He bows his head to her.]

I understand.

[Because she shouldn't--- there's still much to be done. He knows that. And she may never forgive him.

That's alright.

Regardless of any outcome, he will try harder to do better. It wouldn't be genuine if he expects to be rewarded.]

I'll leave you to your dinner then.

[She's not eating, but:]

Thanks.

[He lifts his head, but as he does he notices something.

Aubrey isn't actually eating anything.

All this about trying to be better, and he assumed what she was doing!

His face feels uncomfortably hot as his heart sinks to his stomach. He damn well knows this feeling isn't because of how warm it is with almost more than twelve people shoved into this tiny restaurant.

He quickly walks away to the counter.

Ten minutes later he returns to Aubrey. Places a styrofoam to-go box before on the table.]

I didn't realize you... [He trails off.] ... You don't have to eat right now, but I brought you some falafel and hummus in case you do... The falafel reheats well if you want to try it later.

[Now that Atem has sufficiently made an ass out of himself, he quickly walks away again to return to his own seat.]

Edited (dont phone tag kids) 2024-10-04 05:51 (UTC)

[Shockingly, a vision of bashing your best friend's skull in does not make one crave meats for their next meal.

Still, when he comes back with food, she looks... abashed.]

Oh. ...Thanks.

...

[Before he's out of earshot:]

It's not your fault, you know. ...Not completely, anyway.

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