(Untitled)

[toplay_thefool]

Characters: Souji, and OPEN!
Location: The Infirmary
Time: Saturday (the 25th), evening
Brief Summary: Souji wakes up after all the shenanigans.
Rating: Uhhh. idk. Yosuke might swear. :D There might be mentions of violence and suchlike.

Comments

[heavyheels]

[chie's been in and out, in and out, a bundle of anxious energy since they brought souji to the infirmary. she'd taken the time to shed her makeshift armor and clean herself up a bit; under protest, she'd attempted to rest a little, but only succeeded in a short, restless nap full of unsettling dreams.

she heads back to the infirmary once again as the sun starts to set, to pace the floor beside his bed and fret about what to do next. she's pleasantly relieved to find her friend awake.]

Souji-kun!

[toplay_thefool]

[He smiles when she comes in. It's still a little wan, a little weak, but it's earnest, and he's happy to see her again.]

Hey. Are you alright?

[heavyheels]

Ha - of course I am.

[a few bruises are already starting to show on her face - she's sore and bruised everywhere else, too - but that doesn't stop chie from smiling widely. she collects a chair and pulls it over to the side of souji's bed to sit with him.]

What about you? When did you wake up?

[toplay_thefool]

[He watches her as she does so, as if to verify her words for himself. He's not certain it's entirely true, but, anyway - ]

Not that long ago. Have you rested?

[heavyheels]

[she half-shrugs with one shoulder in reply, and tugs the edge of her skirt down in an attempt to hide a darkening bruise on her thigh.]

Couldn't sleep. Too worked up about everything, I guess.

[in truth, chie was exhausted - but apparently not exhausted enough.]

How are you feeling?

[toplay_thefool]

I'm [exhausted. hollow. ashamed. guilty. stupid. angry. sore.] alright. A little stiff, that's all.

Have you been healed?

[heavyheels]

Healed? Oh.

[as if it's the first time this concept has occurred to her. in truth, she'd refused treatment. she deserved this pain. it's not like it was anything life-threatening, just ... painful.

but she deserved it. she'd failed.]

No, I guess I forgot about it.

[her gaze drops to her lap and she idly catches the fabric at the hem of her skirt between thumb and forefinger.]

B-but I'm OK! I'm not the one in the bed here, aha.

[both the smile and the laugh are a shade forced, this time.]

[toplay_thefool]

[He frowns, partially because he's concerned and partially because that quick laugh makes him think she might not be telling the truth.]

You need to speak to a medic, Chie-chan.

[heavyheels]

I will. Don't worry about it.

[she has no intention of doing so, but now's not really the time to argue about it. souji probably wouldn't understand, anyway. best to just tell him what he wants to hear, so he won't fret about it.

chie drops the hem of her skirt and smoothes the end down on her lap, once more returning her gaze to souji.]

I'm really glad you're OK. I thought ... I thought we were going to lose you. [there was so much blood ... ]

[toplay_thefool]

[Somehow, he’s not convinced. The suspicion makes him feel all the guiltier - he should trust them, he should be able to trust them completely, but he can’t shake the feeling that he’s being humoured. Why wouldn’t she tell me?

Making mental note to talk to Myhrta about it when he sees her, he sighs.]

I told him I was taking him back to the village. He was against… coming back.

[To say the least, and so he’d tried to beat Souji to death.

His voice softens.]

I told you, I wasn’t going anywhere.

[heavyheels]

[chie mutters darkly, frowning:] Figures.

[of course adachi wouldn't want to come back. chie didn't even know the full scope of the story with adachi here, or the full extent of the damage he'd caused to the other inhabitants, but she could tell just from talking to him that adachi was crazed enough to think he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. crazed and overpowered with ... what? he'd mentioned in his broadcast seeing the fae queen. judging by his strength, chie could guess he'd received some sort of power boost.

he was a monster.

but that didn't necessarily mean adachi deserved to die.

he deserved to pay for what he'd done - and perhaps death was a fitting punishment after all.

just not at souji's hands.

chie tries to quash this thought before it even starts - no, it was self-defense, he would've killed souji if he hadn't - but she remembers the blood, and the way adachi's body looked laid out on the ground, and the tiny nagging seed is already planted - there, in her mind

[toplay_thefool]

Chie.

[Suddenly it clicks into place, and he thinks he should have known this sooner - should have known this immediately. Good job, leader! The venom in that reminds him so much of Adachi that he begins to wonder that maybe he was right, maybe they are similar, and the shame, the uncertainty, and self-directed anger are enough to make him start to panic.

He moves quickly, too quickly. His hand reaches for Chie's as he moves onto his side - his body immediately regrets it, nerves rebelling and limbs screaming at him from the sudden movement. He winces, sucking in a sharp breath, but doesn't lie back down. The rush of it makes his head ache, gives him a sensation of vertigo as he lies there, safe in bed.

He looks up at her.]

This wasn't your fault. None of this was your fault and you have nothing to be sorry for, Chie.

[It was mine, he wants to say, but he doesn't. Because he's still their leader, and they need his support, they need him to hold it together.]

He was far more powerful than we knew him, and he took us by surprise.

[heavyheels]

[chie accepts souji's hand, but it's not the same as before, when he lay bloody on the ground in the forest in front of her. now, her grip is weak, merely tolerant of his affection, not exactly returning it. her voice sounds hollow:]

But I didn't save her.

[she looks away.]

He ... he hit me with a Fear spell, and all I could do was watch.

[all that blood, all the cold terror she felt - it all comes rushing back to her for a moment, then it's gone again.]

[toplay_thefool]

[And that worries him, even if he understand. he squeezes gently, looking up at her face even as she turns away. And I was asleep, he thinks, wondering if that's better or worse.]

He'd have killed you too. He'd have killed all of us. We - prevented that, Chie. And me - I needed you. If you hadn't found me...

[heavyheels]

[she exhales a mirthless half-laugh. it's not at all funny, but.]

Thought you said you weren't going anywhere.

[toplay_thefool]

[somehow, he manages a smile.]

Yeah. When you found me.