[Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

[castaside]

WHO: Macaque, Red Son, Wukong, Korone, Donnie, Cole, Wash
WHAT: Soul fixin'
WHEN: March 9
WHERE: Red Son's house, Blossomcrown
WARNINGS: will be marked

Comments

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ ... Oh. ]

[ She leans into the touch. Reaches up, cupping her palm over the back of his to entwine their fingers. ]

That isn't how I meant it ... but if that's how it came across, it's how it came across. [ She sighs. ] You're one of the strongest people I know. There's no way I'd ever think you're incapable. Even when you're hurting, you work so hard for the people you care about ...

I should have asked instead of insisting.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

And you always step up. I can't think of any time you haven't stepped up and done everything you could to help.

[He squeezes her hand.] Even when it was actively hurting you to do so. Even when it wasn't...wasn't likely to work. [That time in the bunker. She had fought so hard, pushed past her limit, when she had already been blinded and weakened and he was a terrifying thing.]

I don't want you to take the memories alone. So.

We both should.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

... There's been ... a couple of times. Or - or at the very least, times where it felt like ...

I just. I couldn't. I couldn't help, or be the person, the teammate, they needed. Or wanted. And the people around me knew it and -

[ ... ]

I know they thought less of me for it. You never have, and I know - I know your worry comes from a genuine place. Because you're my mate. My partner. And I - [ ... ] ... I don't ... want to make you feel like I don't trust you. Or appreciate the way you look out for me.

[ She leans in, pressing her forehead against his. ]

We both should. We ... we both should.

Okay.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

If they thought less of you, that's their problem. Not yours. You are always doing your best. Maybe you weren't suited for the job, but if they thought you were judging you for it, then they should have been able to do the job themselves.

[Fierce and stern. No one should be looking down on Choco.] The whole POINT of a team is for different people to fulfill different roles. If they expected you to do something that wasn't your role, that's them being unreasonable.

[His hand moves to the back of her head, pressing his forehead to hers.]

Okay.

[A robot hand reaches out to pull the crook to them.]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

Pretty sure they just thought I was a weak person and a liability in general, but ... [ A shaky sight that tries to be a chuckle. ] ... At this point ... I barely remember them. S'just a case of healing the scars they reopened. [ Whether they meant to or not. ] And making sure I remember not to let that old pain ... those insecurities, get the better of me. [ Especially with Donnie, who she knows has issues with feeling coddled. ]

[ The robot hand reaches, and Korone ... realises. ]

- Oh.

[ That's what he meant. This time she does laugh, if only quietly. Maybe a tiny, tiny bit wetly. ]

You meant - my bad; I thought you were agreeing we should both ask instead of insisting. [ Talk these things through so they can reach a compromise instead of automatically trying to jump in. ] Do you still want to-?

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

Then they were dumb and blind. [Said with utter seriousness.]

They're not worth that hold over you. [Also serious, but softer.]

What? Oh.

I mean.

Yes, we should do that too, probably, but that is harder to keep up consistently. [Between how protective they can get.] But we can share the burden of memories fairly consistently?

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

People are allowed to dislike me, y'know. [ It hurts and it SUCKS but even she's got to admit that sometimes, some people are going to be rubbed the way by her. Same way she's rubbed the wrong way by some people. But she's smiling.

His unwavering support means a lot. ]

Hard to keep up consistently, but definitely important to try. Even if it doesn't always work out how we'd hope. That's part of being partners, right? We try. Maybe mess up. Try again. Learn from it and each other.

[ She squeezes his hands. ]

... Yeah. If you're sure. [ A tiny nuzzle of her forehead against his. ] But - you were right, before, too. There's gonna be rooms where you're better to take the lead and vice versa. So ... this one together, and then we see how it goes?

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

People of poor taste.

If they disliked you, then that clearly colored their opinion which makes it even less valid. Not only are they wrong, they're wrong because they're biased.

There is a difference between disagreement and hurting you about it.

[A very, very big difference.]

That's true. We can mess up and get up again. [He presses his forehead against hers a bit more firmly.]

...okay. This one together and see for the others. This is better together, isn't it? Less lonely.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ Her thoughts flash back to his confession in the first room. About the geniuses on Mouse, and the way they treated him. ]

... You're right.

You're right, and I love you, and I'm so ... so glad to have you with me. [ A chirp, love, that rings with gratitude and pride in him. ] Thank you, my heart.

Better together. [ She keeps his hand, the other one ready to reach for the crook when he gives the go-ahead. ] On three-?

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

I love you too. [He chirps in return, his own affection and appreciation, lightly pecking her on the lips.] We'll be okay. Together. We'll get through this.

[He nods and reaches out himself.]

Three.

Two.

One.

[And touch.]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[castaside]

You are Macaque, and you are a failure.

With Wukong imprisoned under the mountain, you tried to keep your brothers together. You tried, but you weren't strong enough. You're not Wukong. DBK left to pursue a Celestial maiden. The other three, thick as thieves, see little use for you without Wukong around.

They come by Flowerfruit Mountain occasionally, but for the most part you're on your own. You used to be accustomed to this, but then you let yourself grow warm with the sounds of chatter and drinks around a full table. That was naive at best, foolish at worst.

You really should just go. You're not needed here anymore. Except you can't bear to leave the monkeys. They miss their King. You're not Wukong, you're not what anyone needs, but you keep trying anyway. Taking care of them as best you can, because you're the only one left to do it.

You'll probably mess this up too.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ She comes out of that one with her eyes stinging in sympathy ]

Oh, Macchan ...

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

....we're going to terrorize him so much.

[There will only be LOVE and ACCEPTANCE and WANT FOR HIM AROUND in Birdtile house.]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

Damn right we are. [ And there it is, that spark of fierce, undying determination. ]

We can't change his past, but we can be here for him now and into the future. And that's ... that's something we're both good at.

[ She tries, then, to very gently lean into the silksteel purple threads within her soul; the lines of code that spell out him and her and us and we and together, connecting her and donnie. ]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

[Donnie reaches out in turn. A pulse of love, affection, assurance of 'not being alone.' There is him, his purple, but also all the countless other threads that came with the ninpo.]

We are. We'll make sure he knows he'll always have a home with us.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ The ninpo is incredible. It's a lot; it's so much that it could be overwhelming, but - ...

... but it's not as scary as she'd feared. It just ... is, and it is love. Acceptance. Belonging.

Together ]

Always. No matter what.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

Always. He'll never be alone.

[He bonks his forehead against hers.]

We should head downstairs. I love our emotional talks, but we have work to do.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ It's a bonk she returns ... along with a quick, chaste kiss. Then she stands, easily pulling him up with her. ]

You love them?

[ Back to work. Their monkeydad needs them. ]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

They are immensely tiring, but also helpful. [He gets to his feet, squeezing her hand as he tugs her downstairs.]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

As long as they're helpful. I trust you to tell me if they're not. [ She hadn't realised she'd hurt his feelings earlier, and he hadn't pointed it out until she opened up ...

But that's something for them both to work on, maybe. ]

It felt ... important, this time. To try to talk it through instead of leaving it for later, even with the mission. So ...

Thank you, beloved. For meeting me in the middle.

[ DOWN. TO. MORE FEELINGS. ]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[castaside]

The spiral staircase winds down for a very long time before you get to the ground. Every floor you go down, you feel like you want to reach out to the other to ensure yourself that they're still with you. You're worried about being left alone.

When you finally get to the bottom, you find:

> A glinting gold item that stands out in the ashy din
> A fireplace poker
> A potted plant which is very dead
> A burned piece of wood that's absolutely covered in blood

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[othellovonryan]

[Well we are definitely holding hands the full way down. He squeezes her hand.]

Let's see what that is. [Toooo the glinting object.]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[bluediligence]

[ Handholding all the way. ]

Yeah ...

[ Maybe it's something like the ring she found in the theater? ]

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[castaside]

You find an intricate golden masquerade mask covered in shining feathers. It has a golden monkey on one edge, near the very edge, unobtrusive.

Like before, you feel that this is important to hang onto.

Re: Level S (sub 1) - East Door

[castaside]

You also find a golden item. There were two in this area, not that it was easy to tell through the ash. You find a golden cloak. It fits you perfectly, over your battleshell and other mechanical implements and hangs down to your knees. It is flowing and impossibly light, but to the touch, thick and sturdy.

You get the sense that this is important for you specifically to keep.