03-16-2020, 10:26 PM
[font=trebuchet ms]At Coop's sudden reaction- almost knocking her over, circling her, joyfully embracing her- it was all Rin could do not to collapse, both physically and mentally. Standing as firmly as she could against his weight, she let him press against her, her tail gently draping across his back. For just a moment, reuniting with a long-lost friend in the midst of the chaos, she could peer into the past without flinching back- think back on the fond memories of time spent together, watching clouds, tending to Margaery and Suite's children, and keeping each other from working themselves sick.
Then he asked where the others were, and reality washed over her.
You killed them, she heard the whisper, echoing through the space where the colorful memories had once been.
"No," she murmured, as though the whisper had come from outside, not from within. Only after the word escaped her mouth did she realize that Coop and Diya were still there, as physical and present as ever. Staggering back, she swallowed, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two Ascendants. Ex-Ascendants, thanks to you. Was she still crying? She could feel the moisture on her cheeks.
She could confess to her failures all she wanted. No amount of memorials would ever make up for what she'd allowed to happen.
"I'm sorry." Words, stated bluntly, some facade of calmness slipping onto her face- and melting away just as quickly, the tears flowing in full force. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head. Of course they wanted to see the others. Of course they'd come here just to be disappointed. Useless.
She didn't even have an excuse to pull herself back from the edge, now that Nemhain was gone.
"I'm sorry," she choked out, her claws digging into the dirt. "They're gone. It's just- just me and Play, now." Everything had been fine up until this point. Why did she have to fall apart now, when these two were the ones with an actual excuse to break down? One, two, three blades of grass. Her mind counted, counted in some desperate attempt to not lapse again. One, two, three, four Ascendants left.
Dozens more, gone.
Then he asked where the others were, and reality washed over her.
You killed them, she heard the whisper, echoing through the space where the colorful memories had once been.
"No," she murmured, as though the whisper had come from outside, not from within. Only after the word escaped her mouth did she realize that Coop and Diya were still there, as physical and present as ever. Staggering back, she swallowed, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two Ascendants. Ex-Ascendants, thanks to you. Was she still crying? She could feel the moisture on her cheeks.
She could confess to her failures all she wanted. No amount of memorials would ever make up for what she'd allowed to happen.
"I'm sorry." Words, stated bluntly, some facade of calmness slipping onto her face- and melting away just as quickly, the tears flowing in full force. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head. Of course they wanted to see the others. Of course they'd come here just to be disappointed. Useless.
She didn't even have an excuse to pull herself back from the edge, now that Nemhain was gone.
"I'm sorry," she choked out, her claws digging into the dirt. "They're gone. It's just- just me and Play, now." Everything had been fine up until this point. Why did she have to fall apart now, when these two were the ones with an actual excuse to break down? One, two, three blades of grass. Her mind counted, counted in some desperate attempt to not lapse again. One, two, three, four Ascendants left.
Dozens more, gone.
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