trustfelled | i'll be dreaming of the day we meet again

i'll be dreaming of the day we meet again

[ After she gets Fern patched up, Aligula starts on what might be her Best Party Ever.

...until her next one, anyway. It's no surprise where she's hosting today: it's the dormitory area. Throughout the hours of setting it up, it gets more and more colorful—the doors of the dead (both newly deceased and old) get childish paper cut-out flowers (think the daisy looking ones), while the living get stars. They're all in different colors, with no real discernible pattern! Long strands of ribbon decorate the walls along with more colorful party hat-looking cut-outs, in and out of the little cul-de-sac areas. In the center of the area are blankets laid out with plates of pancakes and trays of tea, stacked on tables made out of books. (There are also parfaits in wine glasses, because of course there are.)

More importantly, there are pillows across the floor of the entire hallway and especially stacked around the center, and in every little room area there's a nice note posted to one of the walls, in Aligula's ever familiar curly handwriting:

Apparently, today's after-party is the slumber party type to even help people who might not want to wander the hallways tonight. ...and look, Luca, she even took your advice. ]

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[ He is decidedly not at this party, but he does have to pass through to get to his room and Isaac's room and stuff. When he spots Jean on the floor he stops and looks down at her.]

Thanks for hitting Fainting Beauty, Buttercup~. Knew you wouldn't do a bad job. [ Even if he didn't show reaction to it, seeing it was still satisfying enough.]

Thanks, Terumi. Although it would be nice if it was against someone who could feel it.

[Or anything, like the weight of his own actions. She sighs -- maybe it's a symptom of her bleeding heart, but she has to ask.]

... how are you holding up? Do you think you're going to be all right?

For someone who didn't like boring things, he was freakin boring himself. But there's still fun in breaking things anyway~.

[ ...]

Why the hell would you ask that?

Because... I don't know. You've lost people here today.

And I'd hate to see you do anything rash because of it. [A pause, before she admits,] Or to see you stop doing the rash things you normally do.

[ Terumi does not have a response to that except to laugh for several seconds. Lost people. Him.

...shh no one tell he's actually kind of upset.]

Concerned, huh Buttercup? It's nothing I haven't dealt with before even if he was a bigger idiot that I thought.

I always am. I can't write anyone off as a lost cause. It's the curse I have to live with.

[She looks away, thoughtfully.] So... how'd you deal with it the last time?

[ HE SHRUGS.

I mean, I guess Relius did get himself killed at one point, but he just popped out 100 years in the future instead of actually dying because Blazblue things.]

I was patient until the next opportunity came along to fix things. It's kind of what my job is~. [ ...in an extremely skewed manner of speaking.]

How long does it take, usually?

I mean... opportunity doesn't knock very often for me. So I usually end up making my own.

You don't want to know the answer to that question. Eventually though, things will line up just right~.

"Eventually."

[It's not even a real measure of time, and it crawls on her skin.]

You have a lot more patience than I've given you credit for, then.

Keheheheh.

I don't think you know me very well, Buttercup. But it's been a while since you last asked me something personal, so I guess you can ask me something now if you want~.

Yes, well, my mind's been elsewhere these past weeks. Watching a god treat your planet like a buffet table has a way of breaking your focus.

... then again, you said you saved your world once, right? So perhaps you're not impressed by that.

Gods have the habit of doing whatever the hell they want. [ He tilts his head slightly, it's something he's curious about apparently.]

I did~.

... that's about the best way of putting it, yes. Even the good ones, sometimes.

[It's funny. A week ago, what had bothered her the most about their end-of-the-world scenario was Zophar's actions, and how he successfully set up a no-win scenario. But after that last dream, it was actually Lucia's actions that suddenly struck her as the main issue -- taking humans out of the fight for their own protection.

She spread out a little further, chin dropping to the floor. She didn't want to be reflecting on that story after the fiasco they had just been through.]

Did you say before what it was you saved it from? Refresh my memory.

The Black Beast, a gigantic monster and all that. [ He's had this conversation with a few people, including a certain purple haired one. Which reminds him of something.]

Yo, catch. [ He tosses her the letter from Yuri.]

That's right. I think you did-- hm?

[Even distracted, even from a prone position -- Jean lifts up and successfully catches the letter.] Is this...?

[She has a sneaking suspicion what it is. She has two more like it, actually. One's from Aymeric, a quest assignment that would require leaving the dead behind here. The other is from Angel, still sealed, and probably the same -- but with a note to only open it if there isn't a way to save them. Hedging her bets.

So she starts opening the letter -- who is this one from? Is it who she hopes it is?]

Letter from Yuri. Guess this is how he expects me to pay him back for that candlelit dinner. [ Shrug. It kind of is still annoying that Yuri is gone, and now he has to hand out all these letters and crap.]

[Huh. Well. That's a complicated feeling.

On one hand, Jean isn't the jealous type, not by a long shot. Even when she was painfully envious of Lucia, who seemed unable to appreciate Hiro and everything he did for her, she still cheered them on and encouraged Hiro's feelings. Trying to keep the good people in this world all to yourself is immature and petty.

At the same time, she does feel a different kind of envy. The kind that Terumi might have gotten something she might have missed out on, if this all falls apart despite her efforts.

So, while she's working out that feeling, let's focus on someone else for a second.]

... wait, Isaac let you have dinner with another guy?

[ For a second, he's actually genuinely surprised. It doesn't happen too often, so cherish this moment Jean. Then his face settles onto something that is somewhere between amused and testy.]

Just what are you implying, Buttercup?

Well... come on. Let's look at the facts, here.

You two were going at it week after week. Those bruises you two brought to the trial were way more than you'd pick up from a normal, healthy training session -- and yet every time, you were both grinning like idiots. Like you had both found something that made you happy in a way most people could only wish for.

[She shrugs. She's actually well-acquainted with the sort of feeling -- that rush of adrenaline and endorphins that actually makes fighting so satisfying, even despite the conflict with her ethics. And so, naturally, she has to draw a comparison to something else.

Fortunately, she's not lewd enough to refer to it like that out loud.] I'm not sure where the line between fighting and flirting is, but...

Edited 2016-08-22 14:31 (UTC)

[ "Normal" "Healthy" and Terumi do not go together. But if she was expecting him to be embarrassed or anything of the sort, he's not at all. He's lived a long time and although romance and relationships are decidedly not his thing, it's not like he's avoided other stuff if he's had the time for it. ~~And if anyone was ever crazy enough to try~~ .

He does however, laugh.]

If Isaac wanted to hit on me, he should have been more up front about it like Yuri was~. And what can I say? He liked being kicked, and who am I to deny him that?~ [ Though it's apparent by his grin that he very much enjoys such a thing too. Kicking people is one of his favorite hobbies.]

Edited 2016-08-22 17:51 (UTC)

Oh, please. You were clearly getting a thrill out of it, too. Why do you think I had to ask if you were okay?

[... it is starting to bother her that he's bringing up Yuri again, though. She doesn't believe Yuri was just playing the field, since there was something far too genuine about what had happened between them. But then why is Terumi bragging about it so much? It's almost like he's trying to get a rise out of her, but she can't understand how he'd know--

... ... ...

Jean looks down at the letter in her hand. And then side glances at Terumi.]

... you didn't read this personal, private letter to me, did you?

I never said I didn't~. [ Terumi is very good at reading people, but Jean didn't give any big tells. He is however, always looking to push peoples buttons which is exactly what he's doing here...to Yuri, who's dead. Because this is how they talked, and why he enjoyed fighting with Yuri so much, because few people would ever keep going with him like this. So it's actually not on purpose, just a lucky coincidence in a way.

And with her accusation, he does look somewhat offended.]

Why the hell would I do that? I've got enough shit to do without reading what those two idiots wrote to everyone. [ Cause they're both stupid for dying, obviously.]

My apologies, then. I'm not sure where I got the idea that you would disrespect something just because you could.

[Her tone's flat and sarcastic, as if she's not sure how much she believes him. But hey, as penance for accusing him, he'll be getting a big tell out of her in just a moment.

Because it's about time she ignored Terumi's antics and read the letter that Yuri wrote for her. At first, her face isn't unusual for someone who's lost a close friend here -- an expression of pain and concern, but one trying to hold firm in the face of loss. Not far in, though, her firmness breaks away for something far more honest. She's touched, but it's also a fresh reminder of what she lost. Of what Ferid took from her, simply because unlike Terumi he didn't have enough to keep him occupied. Her heart is aching, and she's not able to hide it at all.

She's gone quiet for a moment.]

Edited 2016-08-22 21:32 (UTC)

[ There's a retort on the tip of his tongue when he notices her reaction, which causes him to pause. He's seen that look before, and he's immediately amused again.]

Oh, don't tell me he promised you something and didn't follow through on it either? His cookings not bad too, it's a shame~.

Edited 2016-08-22 22:31 (UTC)

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