week 7, saturday w/ stephanie

[alchemenace]

[ i don't even know what they're going to do but varian is just. waving steph down now. ]

Stephie!

[ pay attention to him bitch ]

Comments

[vigilantics]

Thanks. I hate it.

[ they worried for nothing wow. ]

... hey, so.

[alchemenace]

... So?

[vigilantics]

Are you going back to Corona?

[alchemenace]

I-- I guess.

[ that's one way to bring the mood down. ]

I haven't really ... thought about it much.

[vigilantics]

... we can probably get both you and your dad to where I live.

If you want.

[alchemenace]

[ record scratch noise ]

--You'd, you'd want that?

[vigilantics]

Yeah, I wouldn't offer otherwise. I know you're not... the biggest fan of where you live... so if you would rather just not go back?

[ she might as well take all of her favorite people with her while she's at it. ]

[alchemenace]

[ he lets out a weak laugh at "not the biggest fan" ]

That's... yeah. [ but as for the rest... he admits: ] I've, I've never thought about not going back. At least, not like that. I...

[ he doesn't know what to pick. ]

[vigilantics]

... well. I kind of want to use some of my ink for world traveling, and I know others are doing that too.

So you don't have to decide right away.

[alchemenace]

I. Yeah. Time might help.

[ but... world traveling, huh. ]

I-- I used to love Corona. [ it's blurted out, and he rushes to complete the thought. ] I thought it was a, a good kingdom and that the royalty was... that they had the good of the people in mind, no matter what. I, I wanted to improve things, sure, but the way that any scientist wants to improve society. But then...

[ he trails off ]

I don't know that I can get over what happened. It was-- like I opened my eyes to the first time. And I felt... isolated.

[ he picks at his shirt a bit like isolated is a good word to encompass everything he felt ]

Every time I think of whether or not I'm sorry for what I did here, I think of how it made you feel, and I. Being your friend, it. No, just. You made me feel good for the first time in a long time. But I still only feel bad that it made you feel bad.

[ Varian falters and then huffs ]

I had a-- I had a point. What I'm trying to say is I want to keep seeing you. No matter what? Um. Yeah.

[vigilantics]

[ she listens to him speak, nodding slightly throughout all of his pauses and restarts. when he finishes, stephanie just gives him another hug. it's tight, like she doesn't actually want to let go any time soon. ]

I want to keep seeing you too, Varian. Forever.

[ the thought that this could have possibly been goodbye for good scared her. people coming and going from her life isn't an entirely new concept, but... she can't bring herself to leave varian alone. not like other people had. ]

I'll always be here for you. No matter what.

[alchemenace]

[ they been doing hugs a lot but he's definitely hugging back on that one ]

... I know. Thank you. [ he can't explain how much that means to him in words ] I'll-- I'll have an answer by tomorrow, I swear. But, but put me down for people who are giving themselves the capacity to travel between worlds either way.

[vigilantics]

Good. It'll be a lot of fun.

[ and they can finally mug akechi without the fear of being voted for afterwards now. amazing. ]