You are not wrong, of course. Though were I repentant, doubtful would we be here at all.
[ He is very helpfully pointing that out. Though isn't he simply doing as he has been told to do? To live and latch onto life itself? To not think of himself as expendable?
Which is... Actually quite opening for this younger version of himself. To think that there would be a time where such a thing is actually being considered. That there might actually be worth and that there are those who do desire his presence. G'raha is sitting there, reflecting in that corner he has temporarily tucked himself away in. The Exarch actually kindly reminds him that it is their greatest wish - to be allowed to fight alongside those that they care for.
This is an opportunity to do just that. ]
Perhaps I might find myself properly scolded when the elation wears off.
[ But then they are through the doors. Both of the souls see through red eyes at how they close. Marcel speaking to the mechanisms as if they are truly alive. There is something that settles within the chest of both G'raha and the Exarch upon the sight of it. Upon the knowledge that they are well and truly leaving the Tower behind. Moving onward. Forging ahead, so to speak. ]
None will enter unless you or I are present. Worry not.
[ And he pats the door in approval. Good door, opening when he wants it to open and closing when he wants it to be closed. It's taken it a while, but this is ideal door behaviour.
He had not realised how much more alive G'raha would look, outside of the tower. In the sunlight, without the blue of everything draining the red from his face and hair. A little weak-looking, perhaps, from the long sleep. But alive. Alive and happpy, despite everything. He closes his eyes. His breath comes out stuttering. And that's the only warning he gives before he pulls the Exarch, pulls G'raha, in close to himself and wraps his arms around him tightly. ]
I am still. Very cross with you, Raha. You are not allowed to think that I am not cross. But I am glad that you are here. For me to be cross with.
[ It is very much a Miqo'te looking back at Marcel. There's an amused curl to his lip, eyes bright for a change. A tail lazily swings back and forth while ears seem to be perking up. Awake and alert, if not weak, yes. Hair a bit longer than it should be and nails needing clipped. But all in all he is there and alive. Not asleep. Not encased in crystal.
Here.
And there's even more surprise when marcel pulls him into a hug. Ears once more jerk high upon his head. That tail lashes back and forth, betraying surprise and delight. There's even a shocked chirp that he's sure that he'll be embarrassed about later. Both share in these feelings. Both are embarrassed that they are happy about it too. It's probably the first time since waking that both souls are in complete agreement.
Neither one can discern which G'raha Tia that Marcel means. They decide that it's probably both. ]
If this is how you are when you are cross, it's a surprise that you have enemies at all.
[ Now that comment is more in line with how the Exarch would say it... But it's definitely not in the same tone. That one would be all G'raha Tia. ]
[ When the Exarch speaks - when G'raha speaks, his hold tightens. Not painfully, but distinctly. As if he thinks he can safely combine the two souls by squeezing them together with enough force. ]
It is. Not difficult. To prevent people from doing strange things when they wish to be enemies with you. [ A prideful little correction there. He does not have enemies, he has people who want to be enemies with him, who he does not feel like acknowledging. ] There is no need to be cross with them.
[ Just a moment longer. Just a moment longer, and he'll let go and continue. Probably. ]
It is very difficult to prevent people from doing very strange things. When they are so dear to me. And so I must be cross.
[ Very carefully, slowly. Tentatively... Does an arm raise. A hand find itself upon Marcel's elbow in something like a return embrace. He - they - are both still careful. And it's probably in these moments, where the lines that define them start to well and truly blur. For neither G'raha nor the Exarch want to cause the Viera any upset. Both treasure this person that seems to hold onto them fast.
And it's crushing him. Making his heart ache because when had been the last time - for either soul - that they had been actually embraced like this? By someone that means something to them? Eyes sting and a face scrunches up as Raha tries to keep it together. It's okay if Marcel is cross at him because he is alive. They are all alive.
Plus... They are dear to each other. ]
I wish I could say that I have been properly reprimanded. Yet at the moment I can feel naught but elation.
[ He stills for a moment, when G'raha's hand - and they are G'raha's hands, even if he cannot quite place who it is that moves them - raises to touch him. Gives it a few quiet seconds, a little uncertain whether to trust this, this time. And then he relaxes. He doesn't let go, but the tension leaves his hold. There's a soft, quiet almost-sound. Something like clicking.
He is tired and still a little afraid, and unwilling to let anyone forget that he is cross. But this is good. This feels safe. ]
Do you still want. To walk.
[ Unfortunately, his fear of chocobos leaves few other options, not when he has no idea if it is safe for G'raha to teleport in his current state. ]
It is not difficult to carry you. You are very small.
[ Those feline ears perk at the sound. Twitch a little. There's a sound that's never been heard before. It's... It's curious. And there should be more of that sound. How do they get that sound to come out more often alongside such gentle touches from the Viera.
G'raha is transfixed for a moment, eyes dilating a bit more in response to that sound. It's like he has found something of interest. Though given the fact that this is Marcel? What is there that isn't of interest?
Ah wait. Marcel is speaking... ]
Right. Walking.
[ It would be better for him to. For them to. However, there's still concern in Marcel's voice, quiet as it has become. ]
[ The good news is that G'raha will be hearing that sound a lot more in the near future. It isn't particularly uncommon to hear it in the Rising Stones these days. ]
What. Is your compromise?
[ He holds on to G'raha for just a little too long after asking that, as if he doesn't quite trust him to stay there if he lets go. When he does let go it's little by little. He places his hands on his upper arms - softly, this time - instead of wrapping his arms around him. ]
I do not object. To your walking. If you are able. It is only- [ His face scrunches up as he tries to find the correct words. ] -important. That you know that I can carry you. I do not wish for you to walk if it is because you think that I am too weak.
[ The bad news is that now G'raha has to deal with a good half of Marcel's only braincell being dedicated to informing everyone at all times that he is very strong. ]
[ There is only a little disappointment when Marcel starts to gradually release him. Both parties struggle with wanting that sort of attention - to be touched and held in a manner that is welcome. It has been some time since either one has been able to embraced at all. There's almost a longing that goes with it.
Thankfully Marcel doesn't release G'raha Tia fully. Instead the worry and concern bleeds through. G'raha would think to reassure Marcel that they aren't going anywhere. The Exarch says nothing about it at all, resigned to the fact that this Viera is going to worry and fuss over him all the same. ]
I know that you are strong, my friend. This was never in question. Your aid wouldn't have been required otherwise.
[ He reaches up to give one of those hands a gentle pat. ]
The compromise is for dignity's sake. A long walk will exhaust the body to the point where it might be a very poor choice to continue. Thus carrying us would be preferable... Up to the entrance to the outpost proper.
[ It is a relief when people say things plainly. He understands 'for dignity's sake', worlds more clearly than he has ever understood vague sentiments about there being no need for him to trouble himself. Not wanting others to come to the mistaken conclusion that one is weak is one of very few things that he understands very well indeed. And so now he understands what is needed of him and why, and that he should probably steer clear of the find for the moment, and that whether they are visible from the toll is more important than actual proximity.
Wanting to understand why he is doing things is new, but he's finding he likes it. In the absence of always knowing what is needed of him, knowing why lets him start to fill in the empty spaces in his understanding for himself. ]
I am. Fond. Of this compromise.
[ He takes another moment to remain as they are, his fingers delicately touching the skin (skin, and not stone. Skin) of G'raha's arms. G'raha's own hand patting his reassuringly. He feels stronger now than he did even but a few minutes ago. Strong enough to - after only a moment's pause - bend to sweep G'raha up into his arms. Even as worn as he is, it's close to effortless. The Exarch's choices of words - the body, acknowledging that it is shared. 'Us'. - are more of a weight lifted from him than G'raha himself could ever be a burden. ]
[ It's almost palatable, actually, how much that explanation and the words chosen seem to relax Marcel. G'raha - the whole of him - is more at ease for it. Whatever compromise the two souls within this body come up with, that's between them. However, they can at least agree upon that Marcel is very dear and precious. That this Viera deserves peace and much, much more. ]
Full glad am I that you're agee-hee!?
[ That is definitely a Miqo'te yelping and half flailing at being scooped up. Marcel does it so effortlessly that it brings color to his face and there's a flush of heat that accompanies it.
[ His arms are full of wiggly miqo'te with too much heartbeat. It's so much better than still mystel without and heartbeat at all. It is good. ]
I will tell you. The next time I have decided to lift you.
[ He falls quiet during the journey. Even having slept as long as he has, he suspects G'raha needs rest. And talking comes easier these days, but he's enjoying the quietness right now. It lets him focus on the certainty that there is a loving body is his arms. A warm, living weight. The monsters don't bother them much, but he breaks the silence to snarl and bare his teeth at those that do, pulling G'raha to his chest more tightly. ]
We are growing close.
[ He says it softly as another hippocerf skitters away. The walls would be visible from here, were they not obscured by trees and a large section of what used to be a warship before it encountered the wyrmfather. He says it, but he doesn't actually put G'raha down. ]
[ The silence isn't a bad thing at all. It isn't awkward in the way that one might suspect. In that time, though, Marcel might notice those eyes go out of focus. An internalized conversation of sorts is transpiring instead. The older sitting down the younger and dissecting memories that this body now contains that it didn't before.
And with each one comes understanding. A little bit of blending and acceptance. Not completely, mind. There are still things that G'raha will need the full of it before he can truly come to terms with this older, far removed, version of himself. This isn't something that is going to be dealt with and managed in the span of walking from the Tower to the Toll proper.
But the thing is, as the Exarch states, is that they have time. Both of them. Neither one of them need miss out on the life that could be theirs. To fix the things that the Exarch regrets and to give G'raha the sort of future that he truly had wanted for himself. These goals are of different origin, but the path is the same. So why not do so together?
It is something to think on. To reflect upon in the upcoming months. ]
Hmm? [ Oh yes. Right. They had been so lost in themselves and feeling rather safe to do so that neither one had been paying mind to their surroundings. ] Oh. So we are. I suppose it is nearly time for me to hobble my way there.
[ He does not, cannot, know the slow understanding that the G'raha of the present and future are coming to. Even if he were inclined to use the echo to pry, it would tell him little. But there is an understanding. There must be.
This is - might be - more than he had dared to hope for. He does not want the Exarch to be gone. Of course he does not want that. But if he were willing to steal someone else's chance at life for himself, even if that someone was another him, he would be worse than gone. He would not be the man he thought that he was. It had never occurred to him that the young and old G'raha might be able to share their body. That for once, for once, the price of a world might not be a life.
It is good, perhaps, just this once, that G'raha is so ready to do foolish things. He would never have hoped recklessly enough to achieve this. Would just have carried a stone all across the world for fear of losing any more.
Even if he is still cross.
He bends to lower G'raha to the ground, taking care to support his weight until he can be certain that the mio'te can bear it for himself. ]
I do not think. That that it would harm your dignity. If you were to lean upon me.
[ That's the beauty of it. That reckless nature, regarding his own well being, is something that the Exarch and G'raha share. It's something that he never really grew out of. So of course they would both be so reckless as to attempt this. For the Exarch to rely on a younger version of himself for acceptance and for G'raha Tia to simply be prepared to sacrifice himself. Even the Exarch had hoped this would be the outcome.
It is the best possible scenario.
Though right now he should, perhaps, take a backseat to G'raha. However the younger one seems to be content to linger in the back of their shared soul for the time being. Just quiet observing. Thinking and reflecting. This will probably change, once they can see Krile. Once the Scions begin their questions - since they will have questions no doubt.
For now, he focuses on Marcel. His companion. Friend. Someone who is still upset, from the way his frame is still tense and how his one ear is being held. Upset, but willing to suspend it for the time being. ]
...Would it help you feel better, Marcel? Less tense?
[ Since he wonders if it is more for Marcel's benefit than his own? If that's the case, then both would readily agree. The younger with some reluctance and much blushing and flustered embarrassment of course. ]
[ There is no sense in lying, in trying to pretend he was offering solely for G'raha's sake. It would. It would help. It would probably help. If he knows where G'raha is. If he has proof-
He is tired. Relieved. Afraid. Overjoyed. Angry. Too many things to be, all in a way that he still does not know how to express properly, when he was only ever made to be one thing. He needs to be a warder. He needs a wood to protect. Just until they're back at the Rising Stones and he can go quiet and still and stop thinking.
-If he has proof that G'raha is walking next to him, if he knows exactly where he is and where he needs to be and the path between the two, he can perform the task. ]
[ So that is the way of it. Marcel is feeling uneasy and disoriented. G'raha doesn't blame him at all. The Warrior is taking it far better than he could have anticipated. Than they could have anticipated. He hasn't fallen silent. Rather, Marcel has expressed his upset feelings and made it plain that he doesn't really like this. Doesn't like what he had been a part of - almost tricked in some way.
While Marcel is very entitled to his hurt, neither soul can really fully understand it. It had been their decision, not Marcel's. This is on them, not the Viera. Neither one are particularly sorry for what has transpired here either. However, if this is what it will take to begin the process of soothing their friend... ]
Very well. I will trust you to continue to support me until we arrive at the Rising Stones.
[ He probably shouldn't, but it's too late now. Marcel reaches out cautiously at first, touching G'raha's shouldn't. When he doesn't immediately disappear he wraps his arm around it, bracing the miqo'te against his own body. As he does, the tension starts to fade from him. It's replaced with purpose rather than comfort, but it's probably better. ]
You are. Ready? For seeing everyone. I do not think that you will be able to stop seeing them for some time.
[ It's the human contact version of the 'several cutscenes will play in sequence' warning. Nobody is going to be alone for a while. ]
[ Oh! He is being pressed quite close to Marcel. The Viera is quite taller than him, yes. Still, he feels rather engulfed by the Warrior even now. It shouldn't make heat rise up on his cheeks. It really, really shouldn't. He has no right to react that way. And yet he's staring at the ground, reaching up to scratch a cheek.
Right. People. They will want to see him. Some will probably also want to quiz him to see what he knows and what he doesn't. How much Exarch is there in comparison to G'raha Tia and vice versa. ]
No, I don't believe that I am ready. Though I don't suppose that I have much say in the matter. [ A wry grin is followed by a chuckle. ] You might need to find me a comfortable chair to sit on and cotton to stuff in my ears.
[ He might be smiling, despite everything. A little. The change since he was here to clear threats from the tower is dramatic, but that might be the greatest one yet. He understands jokes! Somewhat. He understands at least 10% of jokes.
The Toll has grown a little since G'raha last saw it. In their time at the tower it expanded from a tiny outpost to a thriving community of people. The change isn't as massive as that they saw over the course of that investigation, but it is change nonetheless. New faces. New buildings. New stalls, filled with new wares. But the Seventh Heaven is where it always was, and he leads G'raha through to its back rooms. ]
What-? Oh! You're back. A moment, if you would-
[ It's an all-too-familiar voice. It calls out and then quiets into speaking to someone else. All seems normal. I don't expect you to suffer any ill effects, but- but I will be back! Don't even think of collapsing again while I am gone, you understand?
A warm laugh, Y'shtola's, echoes out from the other room. Her own voice sounds exhausted, a little too much to hear the individual words, but her tone carries the message clearly enough. Go. Have your reunion. ]
Are there three of you? I was only expecting-
[ Krile's face hasn't changed much. She emerges from Dawn's Respite and falls quiet. Her lower lip trembles slightly as she takes a deep breath, immediately discarding the mystery of why she can feel three people when there are only two. ]
Aye, you've the right of it. 'Tis a joke, the part about the cotton in the ears.
[ It's fairly amusing, to see which parts Marcel understands as teasing and joking and which parts aren't. That isn't something that he could have done even a year ago, G'raha believes. The Exarch has seen some more personality appear from Marcel, of course. Yet it feels entirely comfortable for him all the same.
The rest of the trip is done without any further words. There's a wince, of course, from the noise of the Toll. The bustling about of people. Far louder than the Tower, ears no longer accustomed to hearing such things. At first it makes him wince, but then he grows used to it rather fast.
Fast enough that they perk at the sound of a familiar voice.
And seeing Krile - seeing her truly - brings about a whirlwind of emotions that both the Exarch and G'raha Tia feel simultaneously. The heart aches and the chest starts to constrict. It's a good thing that Marcel is there to hold him up because all of the sudden his legs feel weak. Like they'll give out at any moment. Because she is there. She is there - here - and alive. And the guilt that the both of them feel - at leaving her behind by locking themselves up in the Crystal Tower disperses. A burden lifted with the realization that this meeting couldn't have taken place otherwise.
He feels weak. So weak and there's something that burns at the corner of his eyes. When he speaks, it's full of emotion. Voice thick and raspy. Shaky, even. ]
'Tis funny... Not a day went by that I didn't think of a hundred things to say to you. Now that I'm here, I can't seem to find words at all...
None at all? Goodness, what have- what have you done with-
[ The who are you and what have you done with Raha joke dies on her lips, interrupted every time she tries to speak it by a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. She scrubs her eyes on her sleeve, collecting herself, then pulls a chair out from one of the tables. ]
Sit down, sit down. I shan't have anyone calling me a poor host.
[ It's as Marcel is carefully lowering G'raha into the chair that Krile tugs at his cloak. ]
Marcel? I think Tataru could use some help with the vegetables. I'm terribly sorry to impose, but we weren't expecting to be feeding so many mouths today. Would you?
[ It's fairly transparently a lie, but Marcel nods. He almost seems relieved by the prospect of dealing with vegetables instead of people. Krile smiles, patting his leg encouragingly. ]
[ Honestly, Raha is having a more difficult time keeping himself together the longer that he - they - hear her talk. The shakiness of her voice. Trying to give Marcel something to do as a means to distract him. Give him a graceful out.
And this is all happening as Marcel helps him into a chair. While he feels so weak and vulnerable. His eyes are watering and he's trying to be discrete about scrubbing at them.
But he has to wait for a moment. Raha doesn't think he can speak without his voice cracking. Maybe he can wait until Marcel has absconded. ]
[ Once the miqo'te is seated properly, Marcel bends to press his head against G'raha's. He holds it there for the length an an inhale and exhale, then moves on to Krile. To reach her and press his forehead into the cloth of her hood he has to kneel.
She laughs when he does, and it sounds as genuine as it does exhausted. When she clicks her tongue at him and pats his head, he clicks in response.
Already, he can feel it building in him, the sensation that he ought to be doing something. That something is needed of him. That something is wrong and ought to be made right. Krile cannot keep herself from wishing that he were happier, not any more than he can keep her from sensing his own emotions. ]
I will. Return. Once the vegetables have been made right. And I am better at thinking things.
I know. Now, off with you, Tataru will be happy for the extra hands.
[ As Marcel stands and leaves, Krile pulls herself up onto the chair opposite G'raha's, sighing. ]
Our echoes. They feed off each other, when he gets like this. Best for him to clear his head before one of us comes down with a headache. [ She tries to say it as casually as she can, as if she isn't speaking to a long-lost sibling. It almost works, save for how she bites her lip at the end of her sentence and swallows, fingers closing and opening around handfuls of the cloth of her skirt. ] Raha, I thought-
[ He, of course, returns the gesture. Unable to resist such an expression of affection. G'raha is a feline, after all. It only makes sense that he would do so.
And then his eyes open as Marcel does the same to Krile in return. His smile is there. Pained, but it is there. He doesn't have the Echo like the both of them do, but he knows Krile well enough to see things for what it is. The two of them can't be together in a room while the both of them are emotional.
Thus does he keep his silence. He waits until Krile turns and speaks to him. His ed eyes move to her as she sets herself upon the chair and nods. Waits for the scolding. Be it scolding for locking himself up in the Tower or for putting two souls through this entire affair he doesn't know. Both would be reasons to tell him off.
And yet. And yet she doesn't. Instead she just says -
I have missed you.
It makes his eyes water and he's using the palm of his hand to press harder against that offending eye. His throat goes tight against his command and the breaths that he take are more hisses through clenched teeth. G'raha doesn't want to cry. Does he have even the right? ]
I... [ He ducks his head further, for all the food it will do. ] So terribly. I thought I was...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-12 11:22 pm (UTC)[ He is very helpfully pointing that out. Though isn't he simply doing as he has been told to do? To live and latch onto life itself? To not think of himself as expendable?
Which is... Actually quite opening for this younger version of himself. To think that there would be a time where such a thing is actually being considered. That there might actually be worth and that there are those who do desire his presence. G'raha is sitting there, reflecting in that corner he has temporarily tucked himself away in. The Exarch actually kindly reminds him that it is their greatest wish - to be allowed to fight alongside those that they care for.
This is an opportunity to do just that. ]
Perhaps I might find myself properly scolded when the elation wears off.
[ But then they are through the doors. Both of the souls see through red eyes at how they close. Marcel speaking to the mechanisms as if they are truly alive. There is something that settles within the chest of both G'raha and the Exarch upon the sight of it. Upon the knowledge that they are well and truly leaving the Tower behind. Moving onward. Forging ahead, so to speak. ]
None will enter unless you or I are present. Worry not.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-13 12:12 am (UTC)[ And he pats the door in approval. Good door, opening when he wants it to open and closing when he wants it to be closed. It's taken it a while, but this is ideal door behaviour.
He had not realised how much more alive G'raha would look, outside of the tower. In the sunlight, without the blue of everything draining the red from his face and hair. A little weak-looking, perhaps, from the long sleep. But alive. Alive and happpy, despite everything. He closes his eyes. His breath comes out stuttering. And that's the only warning he gives before he pulls the Exarch, pulls G'raha, in close to himself and wraps his arms around him tightly. ]
I am still. Very cross with you, Raha. You are not allowed to think that I am not cross. But I am glad that you are here. For me to be cross with.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-17 07:03 am (UTC)Here.
And there's even more surprise when marcel pulls him into a hug. Ears once more jerk high upon his head. That tail lashes back and forth, betraying surprise
and delight. There's even a shocked chirp that he's sure that he'll be embarrassed about later. Both share in these feelings. Both are embarrassed that they are happy about it too. It's probably the first time since waking that both souls are in complete agreement.Neither one can discern which G'raha Tia that Marcel means. They decide that it's probably both. ]
If this is how you are when you are cross, it's a surprise that you have enemies at all.
[ Now that comment is more in line with how the Exarch would say it... But it's definitely not in the same tone. That one would be all G'raha Tia. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-17 10:48 pm (UTC)It is. Not difficult. To prevent people from doing strange things when they wish to be enemies with you. [ A prideful little correction there. He does not have enemies, he has people who want to be enemies with him, who he does not feel like acknowledging. ] There is no need to be cross with them.
[ Just a moment longer. Just a moment longer, and he'll let go and continue. Probably. ]
It is very difficult to prevent people from doing very strange things. When they are so dear to me. And so I must be cross.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-18 10:54 pm (UTC)And it's crushing him. Making his heart ache because when had been the last time - for either soul - that they had been actually embraced like this? By someone that means something to them? Eyes sting and a face scrunches up as Raha tries to keep it together. It's okay if Marcel is cross at him because he is alive. They are all alive.
Plus... They are dear to each other. ]
I wish I could say that I have been properly reprimanded. Yet at the moment I can feel naught but elation.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-18 11:52 pm (UTC)He is tired and still a little afraid, and unwilling to let anyone forget that he is cross. But this is good. This feels safe. ]
Do you still want. To walk.
[ Unfortunately, his fear of chocobos leaves few other options, not when he has no idea if it is safe for G'raha to teleport in his current state. ]
It is not difficult to carry you. You are very small.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-23 03:32 am (UTC)G'raha is transfixed for a moment, eyes dilating a bit more in response to that sound. It's like he has found something of interest. Though given the fact that this is Marcel? What is there that isn't of interest?
Ah wait. Marcel is speaking... ]
Right. Walking.
[ It would be better for him to. For them to. However, there's still concern in Marcel's voice, quiet as it has become. ]
How about a compromise?
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-24 11:14 pm (UTC)What. Is your compromise?
[ He holds on to G'raha for just a little too long after asking that, as if he doesn't quite trust him to stay there if he lets go. When he does let go it's little by little. He places his hands on his upper arms - softly, this time - instead of wrapping his arms around him. ]
I do not object. To your walking. If you are able. It is only- [ His face scrunches up as he tries to find the correct words. ] -important. That you know that I can carry you. I do not wish for you to walk if it is because you think that I am too weak.
[ The bad news is that now G'raha has to deal with a good half of Marcel's only braincell being dedicated to informing everyone at all times that he is very strong. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-25 01:01 am (UTC)Thankfully Marcel doesn't release G'raha Tia fully. Instead the worry and concern bleeds through. G'raha would think to reassure Marcel that they aren't going anywhere. The Exarch says nothing about it at all, resigned to the fact that this Viera is going to worry and fuss over him all the same. ]
I know that you are strong, my friend. This was never in question. Your aid wouldn't have been required otherwise.
[ He reaches up to give one of those hands a gentle pat. ]
The compromise is for dignity's sake. A long walk will exhaust the body to the point where it might be a very poor choice to continue. Thus carrying us would be preferable... Up to the entrance to the outpost proper.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-26 01:39 am (UTC)Wanting to understand why he is doing things is new, but he's finding he likes it. In the absence of always knowing what is needed of him, knowing why lets him start to fill in the empty spaces in his understanding for himself. ]
I am. Fond. Of this compromise.
[ He takes another moment to remain as they are, his fingers delicately touching the skin (skin, and not stone. Skin) of G'raha's arms. G'raha's own hand patting his reassuringly. He feels stronger now than he did even but a few minutes ago. Strong enough to - after only a moment's pause - bend to sweep G'raha up into his arms. Even as worn as he is, it's close to effortless. The Exarch's choices of words - the body, acknowledging that it is shared. 'Us'. - are more of a weight lifted from him than G'raha himself could ever be a burden. ]
You are not uncomfortable.
[ That's probably a question. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-03-04 01:30 am (UTC)Full glad am I that you're agee-hee!?
[ That is definitely a Miqo'te yelping and half flailing at being scooped up. Marcel does it so effortlessly that it brings color to his face and there's a flush of heat that accompanies it.
His heart is going malms a minute here! ]
A-a warning! Next t-time, perhaps?
(no subject)
Date: 2023-03-06 12:52 am (UTC)I will tell you. The next time I have decided to lift you.
[ He falls quiet during the journey. Even having slept as long as he has, he suspects G'raha needs rest. And talking comes easier these days, but he's enjoying the quietness right now. It lets him focus on the certainty that there is a loving body is his arms. A warm, living weight. The monsters don't bother them much, but he breaks the silence to snarl and bare his teeth at those that do, pulling G'raha to his chest more tightly. ]
We are growing close.
[ He says it softly as another hippocerf skitters away. The walls would be visible from here, were they not obscured by trees and a large section of what used to be a warship before it encountered the wyrmfather. He says it, but he doesn't actually put G'raha down. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-03-11 08:00 pm (UTC)And with each one comes understanding. A little bit of blending and acceptance. Not completely, mind. There are still things that G'raha will need the full of it before he can truly come to terms with this older, far removed, version of himself. This isn't something that is going to be dealt with and managed in the span of walking from the Tower to the Toll proper.
But the thing is, as the Exarch states, is that they have time. Both of them. Neither one of them need miss out on the life that could be theirs. To fix the things that the Exarch regrets and to give G'raha the sort of future that he truly had wanted for himself. These goals are of different origin, but the path is the same. So why not do so together?
It is something to think on. To reflect upon in the upcoming months. ]
Hmm? [ Oh yes. Right. They had been so lost in themselves and feeling rather safe to do so that neither one had been paying mind to their surroundings. ] Oh. So we are. I suppose it is nearly time for me to hobble my way there.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-02 12:06 am (UTC)This is - might be - more than he had dared to hope for. He does not want the Exarch to be gone. Of course he does not want that. But if he were willing to steal someone else's chance at life for himself, even if that someone was another him, he would be worse than gone. He would not be the man he thought that he was. It had never occurred to him that the young and old G'raha might be able to share their body. That for once, for once, the price of a world might not be a life.
It is good, perhaps, just this once, that G'raha is so ready to do foolish things. He would never have hoped recklessly enough to achieve this. Would just have carried a stone all across the world for fear of losing any more.
Even if he is still cross.
He bends to lower G'raha to the ground, taking care to support his weight until he can be certain that the mio'te can bear it for himself. ]
I do not think. That that it would harm your dignity. If you were to lean upon me.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-02 04:43 am (UTC)It is the best possible scenario.
Though right now he should, perhaps, take a backseat to G'raha. However the younger one seems to be content to linger in the back of their shared soul for the time being. Just quiet observing. Thinking and reflecting. This will probably change, once they can see Krile. Once the Scions begin their questions - since they will have questions no doubt.
For now, he focuses on Marcel. His companion. Friend. Someone who is still upset, from the way his frame is still tense and how his one ear is being held. Upset, but willing to suspend it for the time being. ]
...Would it help you feel better, Marcel? Less tense?
[ Since he wonders if it is more for Marcel's benefit than his own? If that's the case, then both would readily agree. The younger with some reluctance and much blushing and flustered embarrassment of course. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-02 10:32 pm (UTC)[ There is no sense in lying, in trying to pretend he was offering solely for G'raha's sake. It would. It would help. It would probably help. If he knows where G'raha is. If he has proof-
He is tired. Relieved. Afraid. Overjoyed. Angry. Too many things to be, all in a way that he still does not know how to express properly, when he was only ever made to be one thing. He needs to be a warder. He needs a wood to protect. Just until they're back at the Rising Stones and he can go quiet and still and stop thinking.
-If he has proof that G'raha is walking next to him, if he knows exactly where he is and where he needs to be and the path between the two, he can perform the task. ]
Please. Let me help you. Thank you.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-03 12:49 am (UTC)While Marcel is very entitled to his hurt, neither soul can really fully understand it. It had been their decision, not Marcel's. This is on them, not the Viera. Neither one are particularly sorry for what has transpired here either. However, if this is what it will take to begin the process of soothing their friend... ]
Very well. I will trust you to continue to support me until we arrive at the Rising Stones.
[ Maybe he shouldn't give in so easily? ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-04 01:38 am (UTC)You are. Ready? For seeing everyone. I do not think that you will be able to stop seeing them for some time.
[ It's the human contact version of the 'several cutscenes will play in sequence' warning. Nobody is going to be alone for a while. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-04 01:47 am (UTC)Right. People. They will want to see him. Some will probably also want to quiz him to see what he knows and what he doesn't. How much Exarch is there in comparison to G'raha Tia and vice versa. ]
No, I don't believe that I am ready. Though I don't suppose that I have much say in the matter. [ A wry grin is followed by a chuckle. ] You might need to find me a comfortable chair to sit on and cotton to stuff in my ears.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-05 12:49 am (UTC)[ He might be smiling, despite everything. A little. The change since he was here to clear threats from the tower is dramatic, but that might be the greatest one yet. He understands jokes! Somewhat. He understands at least 10% of jokes.
The Toll has grown a little since G'raha last saw it. In their time at the tower it expanded from a tiny outpost to a thriving community of people. The change isn't as massive as that they saw over the course of that investigation, but it is change nonetheless. New faces. New buildings. New stalls, filled with new wares. But the Seventh Heaven is where it always was, and he leads G'raha through to its back rooms. ]
What-? Oh! You're back. A moment, if you would-
[ It's an all-too-familiar voice. It calls out and then quiets into speaking to someone else. All seems normal. I don't expect you to suffer any ill effects, but- but I will be back! Don't even think of collapsing again while I am gone, you understand?
A warm laugh, Y'shtola's, echoes out from the other room. Her own voice sounds exhausted, a little too much to hear the individual words, but her tone carries the message clearly enough. Go. Have your reunion. ]
Are there three of you? I was only expecting-
[ Krile's face hasn't changed much. She emerges from Dawn's Respite and falls quiet. Her lower lip trembles slightly as she takes a deep breath, immediately discarding the mystery of why she can feel three people when there are only two. ]
Oh, Raha...
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 12:11 am (UTC)[ It's fairly amusing, to see which parts Marcel understands as teasing and joking and which parts aren't. That isn't something that he could have done even a year ago, G'raha believes. The Exarch has seen some more personality appear from Marcel, of course. Yet it feels entirely comfortable for him all the same.
The rest of the trip is done without any further words. There's a wince, of course, from the noise of the Toll. The bustling about of people. Far louder than the Tower, ears no longer accustomed to hearing such things. At first it makes him wince, but then he grows used to it rather fast.
Fast enough that they perk at the sound of a familiar voice.
And seeing Krile - seeing her truly - brings about a whirlwind of emotions that both the Exarch and G'raha Tia feel simultaneously. The heart aches and the chest starts to constrict. It's a good thing that Marcel is there to hold him up because all of the sudden his legs feel weak. Like they'll give out at any moment. Because she is there. She is there - here - and alive. And the guilt that the both of them feel - at leaving her behind by locking themselves up in the Crystal Tower disperses. A burden lifted with the realization that this meeting couldn't have taken place otherwise.
He feels weak. So weak and there's something that burns at the corner of his eyes. When he speaks, it's full of emotion. Voice thick and raspy. Shaky, even. ]
'Tis funny... Not a day went by that I didn't think of a hundred things to say to you. Now that I'm here, I can't seem to find words at all...
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-08 12:39 am (UTC)[ The who are you and what have you done with Raha joke dies on her lips, interrupted every time she tries to speak it by a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. She scrubs her eyes on her sleeve, collecting herself, then pulls a chair out from one of the tables. ]
Sit down, sit down. I shan't have anyone calling me a poor host.
[ It's as Marcel is carefully lowering G'raha into the chair that Krile tugs at his cloak. ]
Marcel? I think Tataru could use some help with the vegetables. I'm terribly sorry to impose, but we weren't expecting to be feeding so many mouths today. Would you?
[ It's fairly transparently a lie, but Marcel nods. He almost seems relieved by the prospect of dealing with vegetables instead of people. Krile smiles, patting his leg encouragingly. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-09 03:25 am (UTC)And this is all happening as Marcel helps him into a chair. While he feels so weak and vulnerable. His eyes are watering and he's trying to be discrete about scrubbing at them.
But he has to wait for a moment. Raha doesn't think he can speak without his voice cracking. Maybe he can wait until Marcel has absconded. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-10 12:19 am (UTC)She laughs when he does, and it sounds as genuine as it does exhausted. When she clicks her tongue at him and pats his head, he clicks in response.
Already, he can feel it building in him, the sensation that he ought to be doing something. That something is needed of him. That something is wrong and ought to be made right. Krile cannot keep herself from wishing that he were happier, not any more than he can keep her from sensing his own emotions. ]
I will. Return. Once the vegetables have been made right. And I am better at thinking things.
I know. Now, off with you, Tataru will be happy for the extra hands.
[ As Marcel stands and leaves, Krile pulls herself up onto the chair opposite G'raha's, sighing. ]
Our echoes. They feed off each other, when he gets like this. Best for him to clear his head before one of us comes down with a headache. [ She tries to say it as casually as she can, as if she isn't speaking to a long-lost sibling. It almost works, save for how she bites her lip at the end of her sentence and swallows, fingers closing and opening around handfuls of the cloth of her skirt. ] Raha, I thought-
[ I thought I was alone. ]
-I have missed you..
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-17 10:58 pm (UTC)And then his eyes open as Marcel does the same to Krile in return. His smile is there. Pained, but it is there. He doesn't have the Echo like the both of them do, but he knows Krile well enough to see things for what it is. The two of them can't be together in a room while the both of them are emotional.
Thus does he keep his silence. He waits until Krile turns and speaks to him. His ed eyes move to her as she sets herself upon the chair and nods. Waits for the scolding. Be it scolding for locking himself up in the Tower or for putting two souls through this entire affair he doesn't know. Both would be reasons to tell him off.
And yet. And yet she doesn't. Instead she just says -
I have missed you.
It makes his eyes water and he's using the palm of his hand to press harder against that offending eye. His throat goes tight against his command and the breaths that he take are more hisses through clenched teeth. G'raha doesn't want to cry. Does he have even the right? ]
I... [ He ducks his head further, for all the food it will do. ] So terribly. I thought I was...
[ He thought he was alone. ]
(no subject)
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