week 6, sunday

[vigilantics]

[ well, at least she doesn't have to find him considering she dragged him away with her. she's not entirely sure where she's going here since she mostly just wanted to get out of there as fast as she can. ]

Sorry. There were probably people there you wanted to talk to.

[ it's said after several minutes of silence. ]

Comments

[axilium]

Fine.

[was she really expecting a different answer?]

You don't have to worry about me, Steph.

[worry more about yourself.]

[vigilantics]

I always worry about you.

[ she's not sure what he expected either. ]

[axilium]

Yeah, and it's a waste of energy.

[vigilantics]

No it's not.

Just like how you're not fine.

[axilium]

I mean, all things considered, I'm probably doing better than most right now.

[vigilantics]

[ she opens her mouth

and then closes it. her eyes are welling up with tears. ]

[axilium]

[...

his grip on her tightens, just a tad.]

[vigilantics]

[ it's... fine? it's not fine. all of the deaths had been pretty bad but she was expecting something less cannibalistic for varian.

she rubs at her eyes. ]

Um.

[axilium]

... You can cry if you want to.

[vigilantics]

You don't think I've been dramatic enough this weekend?

[axilium]

For that kind of thing? I don't think there's really a limit.

[vigilantics]

[ she shakes her head. ]

I-- let's get to the woods first.

[axilium]

... Sure.

[if that's what she needs.]

[vigilantics]

[ she's going to be quiet for the rest of the walk there. ]

[axilium]

[he isn't quite sure of why she wants to go to the woods, so once they reach the outskirts, he stops and waits.

... honestly, this place makes him uncomfortable—he doesn't exactly have good memories of forests, when they've generally been where his life fell apart—but he assumes steph has her reasons.]

[vigilantics]

[ once there, she lets go of him and just walks forward. she still doesn't say anything, and just stares ahead.



before punching a tree as hard as she can. and again. and again. ]

[axilium]

[...

he really should stop her, but he feels like she needs this, and—well, he's in no place to criticize unhealthy coping methods. so, as long as it doesn't seem like she's seriously injuring her hand, he just watches instead.]

[vigilantics]

[ he will

probably have to step in at some point. ]

[axilium]

[PLEASE...

but fine, at some point, he'll reach out to grab her.]

Steph, that's enough.

[vigilantics]

Hm?

[ she just looks at him. ]

[axilium]

That's enough.

[he repeats.]

[vigilantics]

[ and, unsurprisingly, that's what does it. she wails, dropping down to her knees before curling into a ball. ]

[axilium]

[he's not the right person for this. he doesn't know how to comfort others—he's never had to do it in his life. even after irina died, he and elcia kept up their barriers.

... it ruined their relationship. looking at steph, it feels as though this is just as fragile; that he'll destroy this with a single touch.

...

but this time, he won't run away. gently, he lowers himself onto his knees as well and places a hand on steph's shoulder.]

[vigilantics]

[ stephanie doesn't react at first to the touch. she just cries, her body shaking, as she lets out seven weeks of frustration that culminated in the worst possible way.

she does eventually shift. it's slowly at first, but steph is then moving until she's pressing her face against his chest. ]

[axilium]

[... looking at her, he gets a sense of why she keeps telling him that it's okay to be upset—because that's what he'd think to her, if she tried to hold it in even now.

he stays where he is, and lets her cry.]