21 May 2021, 15:03
A Greek Tragedy
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Ruka had never really considered himself someone who got nervous talking to other people. Frustrated, aggravated, bored, yes, but not nervous. He didn't usually care enough about other people's opinions to let them unsettle him and so far there had only been very few exceptions to that.
So it came as a surprise when he had woken up that morning with his heart beating in his throat and his lungs contracting painfully with every breath he took. The whole morning he had been plagued by a feeling of paranoia settling over absolutely everything he was doing. Had he picked the right time? Was the weather nice enough? Had he forgotten something? What if he ended up sounding stupid? What if he wore something ugly? What if his vocal cords were to give out at exactly the moment he wanted to ask the question he'd been meaning to ask since this year's Blossom Ball had been announced? What if, what if, what if...?
He had fallen into the habit of tapping numerous One, Two, Threes against his thigh with each step he took, had tried to count while breathing, until he had finally managed to calm down enough to get himself dressed and set up for everything he had planned for the day. It took him a few trips back and forth, but finally, not long before noon, he had managed to arrange everything the way he had envisioned it.
Under the tree he had told Dealla to meet him, he had spread out the throw blanket usually found at the foot of his bed, and all around he had put up glass jars containing playfully flickering bluebell flames. On top of each closed jar was a dried rose, much like some of those he had put into the flower crown he had made for Dealla not too long ago. In the middle of it all stood a wicker basket he usually liked to place his plush lynx inside, but this time he had filled it with all sorts of goods from the kitchen; grapes and cheese had seemed like an appropriate food, but he had also brought some sliced bread, a variety of berries and a couple of jugs filled with water and pumpkin juice respectively. Next to the basket he had placed two plates and goblets each but had foregone cutlery since he doubted they were going to have any use for it.
Clapping his hands together once, Ruka decided that he was happy with the results so there was nothing else left to do. He, himself, hadn't dressed up in any specific way to not make things seem too formal. He'd put on his favourite grey sneakers, a dark grey pair of jeans and a blue hoodie that was new enough to seem casual but not lazy. His hair was a mess as always, he realised as he ran his fingers through it, so he tugged at a few strands to try and keep them in a specific place. It was useless.
Still, he doubted his hair was going to be the downfall of this get together, so he simply leaned his back against the tree and calmly tapped a One, Two, Three against the rough bark as he waited.
He needed to count to make sure he kept breathing.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
29 May 2021, 11:08
A Greek Tragedy
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At the same time that Ruka was all nervous energy, fidgeting and preparing, Dee was blissfully unaware that anything unusual was going on. She was in a bright and happy mood - calm, if you could ever call someone with a habit of skipping whenever they were out on the grounds calm - but then, she also didn't know there was anything someone might have to be nervous about when she left the castle that day. She only knew that she'd gotten a vague invitation to a lunch from one of her favourite people at this school a few days ago, and that was now where she was headed. Neither of them had mentioned the short exchange of letters in person, but Dee had written that off as a sort of secret game, rather than considered there might be a deeper reason to the occasion, the somewhat formal invitation.
Despite the teasing, she also hadn't taken any fire-proofing measures. Or any measures for anything, really. The baby pink knit cardigan she had thrown on against the wind was really not what she'd be wearing if she feared getting set aflame. More loose fabric was rarely a good choice near fire.
Pausing shortly to squint at the clusters of trees spread over the grounds, Dee took some orientation from the lake to determine which one she had originally met Ruka beneath last autumn. Or her best guess of it, really, as she wasn't sure exactly. The location hadn't been as important as the acquaintance, and trees all looked kind of similar, didn't they? But as long as he was already there and she wasn't marching into an entirely wrong direction, she was rather confident she'd manage to find him. And the lunch. She'd overslept a little and skipped breakfast today, so food might have been her primary motivation at that moment.
Which didn't mean that she didn't brighten at the sight of the boy leaning against the tree just as much as at the food on the blanket. Adjusting her course slightly and speeding up her steps, Dee waved before she'd quite reached the tree and the picnic set up below it. "Ruka!" she called, then stopped herself and slowed, a brilliant smile spreading on her face. "Hold on, let me try that again."
Taking hold of the sides of her cardigan, she spread it out like she was holding skirts, and bobbed down and up in a quick curtsy. "Prometheus," she said, laughter dancing in her eyes. "I was honoured to receive your invitation, and most delighted to be here." Straightening up, she scanned the setup, her smile softening a little at the flames in the glasses, the roses on top. Her stomach growled softly at the sight of the basket, and Dee scrunched up her nose playfully. "Also, I'm hungry."
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
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"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
29 May 2021, 13:35
A Greek Tragedy
@Dealla Prince
Ruka had been keeping an eye out for Dealla's approach, but even if he hadn't it wasn't difficult to spot the skipping figure in pink coming closer. It seemed like she hadn't been sure of the direction for a moment, but her eyes must have caught on him, or at least the extravagant setup he had prepared for their little get together, because it didn't take her long to speed up and wave in his direction.
Stopping herself after calling him by his first name, Dealla seemed to think better of that decision and curtsied instead as she addressed him by his self assigned nickname. It made Ruka bubble up a delighted laugh, and he pushed himself away from the tree he had been leaning against to close the distance between them. Breathing came easier now that Dealla had joined him; He always felt that her presence put him at ease, like her carefree nature chased all his anxieties away to instead replace them with bubbly excitement.
The way she spread her cardigan out for the duration of the curtsy was cute, he decided without giving it much conscious thought, and it made him smile, his eyes sparkling fondly as he returned her greeting with a deep bow of his own. "Aphrodite," he said brightly before straightening back up again, unable to keep his lips from spreading into a wide grin. "The honour is all mine." He chuckled at her proclamation that she was hungry in addition to being delighted, and held his hand out, patiently waiting for her to take it.
"No reason to delay the feast," he agreed immediately. With her hand in his own, he carefully led her to sit on the blanket, close by the basket which he immediately started to empty to show Dealla the selection of foods he had brought. Once he had put down the various fruits and cheeses as well as the sliced bread across their plates, he reached for her goblet and gestured towards the two jugs. "Water or juice?" he asked, grinning brightly. "I would have brought hot drinks but I don't know any spells to keep them warm." Humming thoughtfully he tapped his chin with two fingers. "And my divine flames might be too strong to keep those mundane containers intact." He stared mournfully at the jugs as if the mere thought of the glass melting and breaking when subjected to fire was distressing him, then looked back up to pour Dealla the drink of her choice as well as some pumpkin juice for himself.
"I'm very glad you came," he told her sincerely before popping a grape into his mouth and starting to tear the crust off of one of the bread slices. He could feel some of that nervous energy bubbling up inside him again but did his best to swallow it down. When he got nervous he tended to let his emotions run wild with him, and that had yet to ever turn out well.
Allowing Dealla some time to eat, Ruka fell into silence for a while, chewing on his bread crusts and kneading some cheese into the middle of the soft part of the dough before eating that as well. He couldn't say he felt particularly hungry himself, but he enjoyed the taste of fruit and cheese so he was happy to much on them in silence, his legs crossed underneath him as he let his gaze drift across the lake before coming to rest on Dealla again. "I did have a reason for inviting you," he told her, a small smile playing on his lips. "That is, other than the fact that I just enjoy your company." he laughed and rubbed the palms of his hands against his knees for a moment. "Not even I am usually this ominous without a reason."
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
30 May 2021, 19:53
A Greek Tragedy
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Dee smiled, somewhere between pleased and smug, when Ruka returned her curtsy and greeting with a bow. The two had always communicated easily despite their differences, clicked together like two puzzle pieces. Being around Ruka was easy, and especially now that some of her other friendships were strained and burdened, Ruka was a breath of fresh air.
Taking the offered hand, Dee let herself be led to the blanket, and more or less gracefully (closer to less than more, honestly) settled herself down, her legs crossed. Ruka appeared to have chosen the food in line with their ongoing greek theme, and, she now noticed, the decoration as well. Fire for him, Prometheus. Roses, she had found out in recent research for the upcoming Blossom Ball, for Aphrodite, herself. In fact, she was planning to wear the flower crown with the roses Ruka had made for her a while ago to the ball as well. It was almost too perfect a coincidence.
She let Ruka play the host, watching as he distributed food on plates, her sense of propriety pushing her to wait with eating until he was done. Well, perhaps she stole a grape or two beforehand. "Juice," was her choice, no hesitation, and she tapped her nose in thought about the hot drink conundrum. "I know there's a spell to heat water. Probably works on other liquids, too. But I don't know it, either." She grinned. "And yes, I guess the house elves would prefer it if you didn't melt the jugs, fire-bringer."
For the next couple minutes, her attention was preoccupied by the food, eating cheese and strawberries and fresh bread. "This was a great idea," she noted, slightly muffled through a mouth full of food. "It's been a while since I had a picnic. Thanks for organising this." His remark that he had another reason for inviting her finally drew her attention away from the food, however, and she straightened up slightly, focusing on the red-haired boy on the other side of the blanket. The corner of her mouth quirked up and she swallowed down a last bite of bread. "It was particularly ominous," she agreed, nodding, but her eyes were bright with curiosity. "And you're still being very mysterious. What's going on?"
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
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"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
31 May 2021, 16:08
A Greek Tragedy
@Dealla Prince
Ruka couldn't hide the small grin that spread on his face as he watched Dealla settle down on the blankets with a little less grace than she had probably tried for. It wasn't like he was doing much better on that front, though the fact that he was a dancer should have allowed him to do better than simply plopping down on the ground with slightly too much force. It didn't matter, though. Being around Dealla was comfortable and there was no need for him to show off any practiced moves or be anything but himself. It was one of the many things he liked about being around her.
"I know that Hot Air spell," he said thoughtfully as he poured Dealla some juice, staring contemplatively at the jug he was holding. "But I'm not sure if it'd do anything at all to the liquid if I just started blow drying it." Pulling a grimace at the thought, Ruka put the jug down again to start on eating some of the food himself. His gaze kept drifting back to Dealla, and he couldn't keep a fond smile off his face when she declared the picnic a great idea through a mouthful of food. "Yeah, this is nice," he agreed as he pulled his knees up against his chest to hug them close.
He got her attention, it seemed, when he pointed out that he had a reason for organising this little get together. Her posture straightened and there was that glint of adventure in her eyes that Ruka was all too fond of. "Well." He shuffled around to kneel rather than sit, straightening his back so he could indicate a little bow in her direction, his lips curled into a smile as he dared to make eye contact with her, semi-confidently.
"You've seen all the Greek Mythology themed invites, I suppose?" It was a rhetorical question. There was no real chance to miss them, and Dealla was social enough that she would have at least heard about it even if she had gone temporarily blind for the past week or so. "We never did get that dance I asked you for at the Fall Ball." If one didn't count the fact that Ruka had dragged Dealla off to show her some fire dance moves, but those hadn't been at the Ball itself anyway. "So I thought..." This was it. No going back now. He could feel his heart beating in his throat. "Well, I was wondering if you would want to go to the Ball." He smiled lightly. That had gone better than expected. Except... "With me." Yes, clarification was good.
Gesturing towards the fire and roses around them, Ruka sank back into the blankets, green eyes sparkling hopefully as he scanned Dealla's face for any kind of reaction. He'd done well, this was good, wasn't it? He felt confident. Them going together, it just made sense. Prometheus and Aphrodite. This Ball was meant for them.
There was nobody else Ruka would have wanted to attend it with.
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
1 Jun 2021, 10:30
A Greek Tragedy
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Dee perked up slightly, pointing her finger at Ruka (or the juice) for a moment, before her hands busied themselves with food again. "I know that one, too!" she announced cheerfully. They had learned it in Astronomy early this year. "I've used it only once, though, to annoy, uh, warm people during a blizzard." In that errand in January, to be more precise. It had been a good use of the spell, in her personal, completely unbiased opinion. "But yeah, would probably be more work than success in this case. Good thing that the weather feels more like cold drinks anyway."
With her stomach temporarily mollified and ceasing its growling, Dee was free to focus on Ruka when he finally started explaining the purpose of this lunch, and she straightened up a bit more, curiosity sparking in her eyes. The question about the ball invitations received a decisive nod, of course she had. Her outfit had already been chosen, too, obviously. He might as well have chosen it for her. Dee was also rather certain she could guess who he would be dressing as, it seemed rather obvious.
His mention of the missed dance at the last ball received a smile, wide and shining, and she nodded again, although personally, she didn't regret that part much. References to their first meeting aside, she'd thought the evening had been much more exciting the way it had gone than simple dancing would have managed to be. She'd danced enough earlier that night before meeting Ruka, not all that fond of the activity just for the sake of it.
At this point - much earlier than this, really, but by now at the latest - it should have been clear where the conversation was headed. What Ruka's mysterious intent was, the setup and the invitation already speaking for themselves. Yet, somehow, Dee managed to remain entirely, blissfully oblivious, right up until the last moment. Her reaction, of course, was the only possible one.
Dee froze.
For a moment, her mind was entirely blank. Then, she felt like an idiot. Of course. Even ignoring all the glaringly obvious clues Ruka had given, it should have been obvious. Of course they should be going together. The ball theme had basically been tailored specifically for them. She had based her outfit on the nickname he'd given her, was even planning to wear the flower crown Ruka had made for her a couple of weeks ago. Now it all snapped into place - but now, it was too late.
"Oh," she managed, finally, when she felt like the silence had already been dragging out too long. The sound was abrupt and entirely insufficient, painfully awkward. There was still a shadow of her bright smile on her face, not quite gone yet but fading fast. "Um."
Blood rushed to her face, turning her cheeks and nose pink, and she blinked, forcing herself to move her hands to look less stiff, placing down the piece of bread she'd been holding and picking it right up again. She was fidgeting. Awkwardly. Dee did not usually fidget awkwardly. This was terrible.
Dee cleared her throat, forcing herself to look back up, meet Ruka's eyes. "Ruka, I... I'm so sorry, I'm already, kind of, going with someone else? Kazuo, I'm going with Kazuo." She paused, then suddenly rushed on, the words stumbling from her mouth with none of her usual confidence or ease, too abrupt to be anything but sincere. "Not! Not because I'd want to go with him more than with you it's just... It's kind of stupid." And it did feel silly, at that moment, her plan for revenge. "It's just that Ileen is going with Rainwood, and apparently she doesn't even care at all that he tried to push me down the stairs, and she really really hates Kazuo? So I thought it would be only... fair." She stopped, cheeks pink, feeling like the explanation wasn't good enough and at the same time not knowing how to make it any better.
"Sorry," she repeated quietly, biting her lip, her fingers curling into the fabric of her cardigan. At least her regret was crystal clear on her face, sincere and unmistakable.
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
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"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
2 Jun 2021, 03:42
A Greek Tragedy
@Dealla Prince
Ruka couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside him as he listened to Dealla's small story about having used the Hot Air Charm to annoy - uh, warm - people during a blizzard. "Sounds like you had honourable intentions that went thoroughly under-appreciated," he concluded with a grin before nodding at her observation that using the spell on drinks would most likely not do much good.
It was nice, the way the picnic was going so far, but Ruka hadn't really expected much different. Being with Dealla was always comfortable and conversation flowed easy between them. It helped ease his nerves tremendously, and he could have claimed to even feel sort of confident when he finally got himself to ask the question he'd been meaning to ask for days now. The question he had somehow assumed barely even needed asking, that would be answered with Yes by default.
Except, Dealla's expression shifted into something unexpected, like he had hit her with a brick without warning. Her first one-syllable answer was far removed from the one Ruka had thought he was going to hear, and it didn't exactly get better from there on. In a way, he thought, it might have felt better if she had just said No instead of launching into an explanation for why she wouldn't be attending the Ball with him. With every word she said he could feel his insides crawling. His eyes had become unfocused as his thoughts spun out of control.
"Right," he said, and he barely recognised his own voice as he spoke. "I mean.. Kazuo. Yes, he's... Yeah, he's nice. You'll have fun." Unlikely, actually. Kazuo could be stiff as a broom, and Ruka knew exactly how little Dealla liked those.
A bitter taste spread across his tongue and he took a moment to swallow it down. This wasn't Kazuo's fault, not really. It wasn't like Ruka had mentioned wanting to ask Dealla to the Ball to anybody. Nobody could have known, no matter how obvious he had thought it should be. Heck, he wasn't even sure Kazuo was aware of Ruka and Dealla even knowing each other. What a mess.
Taking a deep breath, Ruka reached a hand up to rub across his face, lips slightly parted as he struggled for something worthwhile to say. What could he possibly say after he had humiliated himself like that? All the effort he had gone through for something he'd been so convinced would have a positive outcome... How stupid he had to look.
It took him a moment, but in an effort to move on from the rejection, Ruka's mind decided to focus on the explanation she had given about why she was going with Kazuo. To spite Ileen, apparently. Her best friend, Ileen, whom Ruka had seen supporting Dealla at her recent bike errand just the day before. He hadn't even realised there was any tension between them.
Though... "What do you mean, she doesn't care?" he asked, a little more heat behind his words than he had really meant there to be. He'd heard the story about Percival Rainwood, even if Ruka himself had never actually talked to the Slytherin before. That Ileen would be going to a Ball with him after that... "Doesn't she... Doesn't she know it bothers you?" There was no logical explanation in his mind for why Ileen would be going so stubbornly against her best friend's comfort zone, though at least it helped Ruka understand why Kazuo had apparently been the preferred choice as a Ball date.
Frowning slightly, Ruka watched the way Dealla's fingers fidgeted around her cardigan, and it was so uncomfortable a sight that he couldn't help but reach out and take one of her hands into his own, offering a comforting squeeze. No matter his personal feelings on the matter, the last thing he had wanted to do was to make her feel bad. It wasn't like her intentions made all that much sense to him - He was aware Ileen didn't like Kazuo, but would taking him to the Ball really bother her that much? - but she had made it abundantly clear that she hadn't meant to hurt him by it, so who was he to hold it against her?
"Fighting fire with fire then, I see," he said with a small upwards quirk to the corners of his mouth. "Never thought that'd ever be something I don't fully approve of." He chuckled lightly and shuffled a little closer to be able to hold Dealla's hand in a more comfortable position. "You really think that'll work?"
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
2 Jun 2021, 15:59
A Greek Tragedy
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Dee had her lower lip between her teeth, a small wrinkle between her eyebrows while she watched Ruka's reaction, worried. Guilt bubbled in her stomach, for not having seen this coming... No, really, for not having thought of it herself, because she should have. Merlin, she was terrible at this ball date thing.
"Yeah, he's... nice," she agreed slowly, not really meaning it. Kazuo and her had gotten along fine so far, she'd enjoyed his company, but she didn't think 'nice' was the first word she'd use to describe him. Which was a good thing, honestly. If you couldn't think of a better word to describe someone than nice, they were either boring or you were just trying to be polite. "We can still dance?" she offered, a little uncertainly, likely making the situation worse instead of better. "We can still have fun together, right?"
Switching topic to Ileen was just as welcome to her as to Ruka, and she huffed slightly with a tired attempt at a smile, but dropped it again instantly. Instead, there was a bitter twist to her mouth, and she shrugged. "They're friends. She says nothing bad happened, so it's okay. He almost accidentally killed her, but no big deal, right?" Giving up the pretense, Dee groaned, burying her face in her hands, her frustration boiling over. "This is so... I'm just so angry at her? Ileen is such a judgmental person and holds grudges literally forever, but somehow he's the exception? And yeah, he didn't mean to push her, but he did want to push me down the stairs. And apparently, that doesn't matter to her at all."
The anger was back, and the burning in her eyes, the same way it had felt when she had found out that Ileen was going with Percival last weekend, but where she had pushed it down before, it now all came spilling out, resentment rooted so deep she hadn't even been aware of it. Truth was, it had started long before Halloween.
"Rainwood has done nothing but attack and insult me since the first time we met, and somehow Ileen still acts like it's my fault. Like I shouldn't care about everything that happened, that I should just let it go, although he could have killed me if he weren't so incompetent, and it wouldn't have been an accident." There were angry tears stinging in her eyes now, and Dee wiped at them erratically, tilting her head back to glare up at the branches overhead in an attempt to force back the tears.
She barely registered Ruka's hand on hers at first, too caught up in her feelings, but then let out a long breath. She couldn't make herself smile at his joke, but felt herself calm down a little all the same, coming down from her outburst, and turned her hand over to link her fingers with his without even thinking about it. "It will," she said confidently, a bitter edge still to her voice. "Kazuo also asked if there was anything more to my plan, but you don't know Ileen like I do. She'll feel betrayed, the same way that she betrayed me, even though Kazuo didn't do anything to her that was even half as bad as what Rainwood has done. Maybe then she'll understand."
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
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"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
4 Jun 2021, 11:56
A Greek Tragedy
@Dealla Prince
Ruka shuffled around uncomfortably for a moment as he listened to Dealla's suggestion for them to dance anyway. To have fun. It seemed like some sort of consolation prize, a way to make him feel less bad, but the way her forehead had creased and she was worrying her lip as if pained by the situation herself made Ruka offer her a nod and a smile. "Are you saying I'll get to steal you away from your Ball date again?" he asked, a small chuckle accompanying his words. "If I'm not careful I'll get a reputation." His eyes twinkled with vague amusement, disappointment still flickering beneath.
It was alright. He hadn't been quick enough, circumstances had gotten in the way, but Dealla was right. They could still dance. They could still have fun. Next time he'd just have to make sure to ask her right away, rather than waiting until the last moment to gather the courage to.
Watching Dealla bury her face in her hands for a moment made Ruka's chest sting painfully. He wanted to reach out and rub her back in comfort, but decided against it for the moment, while she was still talking, clearly a broken dam of resentment streaming from her lips. There was nothing for him to say at the moment, so he just listened, attentively, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what Ileen might have been thinking when she disregarded her friend's comfort zone like that. He could imagine what Dealla was feeling, had let his own emotions take over for things much less severe.
As she intertwined their fingers, Ruka shuffled closer, used his free hand to move any plates still stacked between them out of the way until he was able to feel her shoulder pressed against his own. Her eyes were reddened from tears and her own hands rubbing at them, and her cheeks glistened wetly. He almost reached to wipe at the moisture but pulled himself together at the last moment. Instead he released her hand, just to entangle their fingers again with his other as he wrapped his free arm around her waist to allow her to lean against him.
"Is that what friendship's about?" he asked quietly. There was no accusation in his voice, merely a lack of understanding. "Hurting each other, getting even?" Maybe Dealla's plan would succeed in hurting Ileen's feelings in return but what would it lead to? More resentment? More spiteful plans to hurt one another? He took a deep breath as he rubbed his thumb idly against the side of Dealla's palm in a soothing gesture. "What if she just... wants to get back at you again? Where does it end?"
~Hell is other people~ - Jean Paul Sartre
Stamina: 7 ~ Evasion: 10 ~ Strength: 4 ~ Wisdom: 14 ~ Arcane Power: 6 ~ Accuracy: 9
15 Jun 2021, 23:44
A Greek Tragedy
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A slow, cautious smile spread on Dee's face when Ruka nodded at her words, some relief lifting the awkwardness and uncertainty, smoothing her frown. "I'm sure Kazuo won't mind," she assured, at first not recognising the joke for what it was, then huffing slightly. "Do you care what people think?"
But the lightening of her mood didn't last. Explaining the story behind her conflict with Ileen brought waves of feelings crushing down that had so far been carefully kept at bay; overwhelming her in a way she wasn't used to, didn't like. Perhaps, beyond all her teasing, she understood kids like Hanako better than she thought: Emotions could be scary, could wrestle her control from her.
Yet, at the same time, it was oddly freeing, feelings that had been shut away so tightly she had convinced herself they didn't exist finally breaking through.
Ruka was silent through her rant, through her tears, only moving closer to provide physical reassurance, which was better than any words he could have said. Their fingers threaded together, Dee didn't hesitate to lean into the comfort he offered, shuffling and adjusting until her head could comfortably rest on his shoulder. He was warm, and surprisingly solid.
Crying makes you tired, she hadn't been aware of that.
"No, it's not," she replied to Ruka's question, sounding almost offended, despite the situation and her plans. She paused, not moving, realising how contradictory she sounded but not knowing how to explain it. Oddly, the question of how this would affect her friendship to Ileen long-term hadn't even crossed her mind.
And true, Ileen was usually the one to hold grudges, for the smallest things. Held onto slights that Dee would have forgotten within five minutes. There was no logical explanation why she wouldn't do the same to Dee after this.
Still. "She'll understand," she said, but sounded unsure, almost pleading, as if asking for reassurance. "That's the whole point. She'll get it." She had to.
Dee wasn't used to feeling this small.
@Ruka Burnett-Tân
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"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."