week seven afterparty

[clearities]

[ so how is everyone doing today? pretty badly, I'd assume, but there's so little of them left, not to mention that Bolin is going to get executed because of an accident. on top of that, there's the confusion coming from the public.

so what's going on.

today's going to be a little different - as Sakura seeks everyone out. she knows it's tough, but given the circumstances, she wants to invite everyone to meet her in front of the police station.

yeah.

we're having a jail cell afterparty, apparently. oh, and she's brought pancakes because... you all probably need that after. All of This. of course people can always ignore her request and just go somewhere else, but where are you tonight? ]

Comments

[marmoron]

But that doesn't mean that you had to protect me, you know. From that or anything else.

[Sounding a bit more tense:]

If you get hurt trying to do that, it's not okay.

[robitussin]

[She shakes her head.]

I wouldn't have offered if I thought he was going to hurt me.

[Which might be missing the point, but.]

[marmoron]

[...gdit, Natalie. He'll grab her hand.]

I'm serious. If you get hurt because of me, I don't know what I would do.

[robitussin]

[She doesn't pull her hand away, but she does look surprised, making eye contact for the first time since this conversation began.]

...This was my choice. And - I'm serious. I don't think he'll hurt me.

[marmoron]

Going forward then.

[Since they have a week left over where everything else can still go wrong.]

Can we just... I don't know.

[robitussin]

The same goes for you, you know.

[She pauses.]

Can we just... What?

[marmoron]

[...How does he articulate this.]

...Stop doing this to each other?

[robitussin]

[It'd be nice if she could say yes with no hesitation, but...]

I don't know. Can we? Now that we're at the end... If it comes down to a situation where one of us could protect the other, what would you do?

[marmoron]

What do you want me to say to that? That I'd pick the option that fucks you over and save myself?

[robitussin]

[She pauses, then looks away.]

No, I just... I'm saying that if you want me to promise I'm not going to prioritize you or whatever, that's not a promise I can make. It's the same for you, right?

[marmoron]

[Going quiet for a moment.]

I don't know why this has to be so complicated.

[robitussin]

[She gives a small noise that would be amused in any other situation, but sounds discontent more than anything else.]

Because everything about this place is bullshit...?

[marmoron]

[He feels yet another sigh coming on, but quashes it.]

Can't promise my world's much better.

[robitussin]

[She pauses.]

...Did something change?

[Considering the last time they talked about his world was 'I'd ask you to come with me, but'... The sentiment he's giving now seems to have strayed from that.]

[marmoron]

I'm just starting to realize that you and the words "safety" and "staying put" are inherently incompatible anyway.

[robitussin]

...I kind of want to argue with that, but I'm not sure I can.

[smh]

[marmoron]

If you did, I'd have to tell you to can it.

[He's maybe a little exasperated, but... he's still holding her hand.]

[robitussin]

[She takes that in - both the frustration and their still joined hands. After a few moments:]

...Is that an invitation, then?

[marmoron]

Don't know why you'd want an invitation to an intergalactic war.

[But apparently that's a yes.]

[robitussin]

[After a moment:]

That was a yes or no question.

[marmoron]

Sure was.

[A beat. His tone shifts from vaguely irritable to something a little more serious as he looks directly at her.]

I mean it. I really don't get why you'd want to come back home with me after everything I've told you about it and the situation we're in right now, but... you can come if that's what you want.

[robitussin]

[...]

After all this time, you really don't get why I would want to?

[marmoron]

[There's a long pause at that, but eventually...]

Maybe I just think you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and it's hard because I want you to be somewhere where you don't have to be scared.

[robitussin]

[There's a pause of her own, one in which she goes slightly red in the face, but...]

I'd be more scared if I wasn't somewhere I could know you're okay.

[marmoron]

[His eyes stay on her face a moment longer. Somehow it takes her turning red for him to realize just how stupidly sentimental what he just said was. Not that he'd take it back, but he looks away.]

Guess I gotta start thinking about what to tell people then.

[His plan of maybe just reappearing without explaining this whole Cartesio headache is maybe not as solid of a plan if Natalie is coming along...]