[ Text/Action ]

[singularjustice]

For all of his friends: Red went home.

[ A few minutes later, there comes another text. ]

It seems that the man named Setsuna has as well, for those who knew him.

[ That is all that is said. For his own part, N forces himself up from Red's bed, where he had spent most of his morning in tears as he listened to the boy's voicemail message over and

Comments

[sweeperesque]

:(

are you doing okay?

[singularjustice]

I don't know.

[sweeperesque]

well that's no good!

do you want to talk about it?

I miss Red too. birds of a feather flock together or something, right?

[singularjustice]

You were a friend of his, weren't you? He mentioned your name. Said you were like a big sister.

I don't know what to talk about. I miss him. I'm sad. I don't understand the message he left me. It hurts when I breathe. My whole chest aches.

[Action]

[lunateclock]

[He knows.

He's known since he went to check up on Red at the Welcoming Committee and found that the boy was absent. He knows since he checked the contacts list and there was a gap where that name should have been.

He knows, and he was already on his way to see N when he received the text. He simply sighs quietly, setting his shoulders, and continues. There's a pirate parrot on his shoulder, quiet for now, for everyone, in a way, is affected by Red's disappearance. This is...the worst thing that could have happened, isn't it? And it simply...doesn't feel fair.

But he knows life to be unfair, and he's always expected, in a way, that everyone would eventually leave. Vatheon requires it--nobody stays forever. And in Minato's experience...even if they could, nobody would stay forever.

He doesn't knock. He walks in, hands in his pockets, and his voice is tone is barely raised when he calls out for N.]

...N? Are you here?

[singularjustice]

[ He has a few minutes to wait. N has not returned yet. Zoroark, however, greets him. She obviously knew something was up, stepping forward and nosing his cheek. After that show of affection is done, she licks his ear and then settles down on her haunches to watch the door.

Her ears swivel forward when she hears N approach. His eyes are still rimmed with red when he comes through the door, though they are now dry. The Haro in his arms gives a plantive, "Setsuna? Setsuna?" before seeming to remember the boy is gone. N strokes the robot's head, murmuring soft words of comfort to it.

Then Zoroak makes a soft noise that makes N lift his gaze. ]

...Minato-

[lunateclock]

[Minato's response is simple, stroking Zoroark behind the ears gratefully and sitting as well, looking up at N as he walks in.

Haro gives him pause.

...Mm.

Setsuna too...]

...Sit with me?

[singularjustice]

[ N releases Haro, letting him flap up, though he does not move far from the boy. He just nods, having no reason nor energy to argue.

He sits on the couch, scooping Nieal from his bag to set him on the floor. Zoroark promptly moves to mother her baby, and it is not long before N's own kit joins them. ]

text;

[heroistics]

[....

He may not have known Red very well, but...]

I know it might not mean much, but I'm really sorry to hear that.

[singularjustice]

Thank you.

Were you a friend of his, too?

[heroistics]

I hadn't known him for very long, but yeah, I'd say we were. He helped me out when I first arrived here.

[singularjustice]

He liked to do that. I am glad you got to meet him.

text;

[vimyridge]

Would you like to come over for a while?

[singularjustice]

Maybe later. I have to take care of some things first.

text;

[vimyridge]

Of course. I didn't mean to imply that you had nothing to do. Sorry.

Take care, okay? And...

I hope everything is okay.

[singularjustice]

You didn't. It's okay.

Thank you. Can we have dinner sometime?

I miss you.

[action]

[busagi]

[She may not be the first person you want to see upon arriving home, N, but there she is. Sitting on the front porch steps of the Pokéhouse, expression distant and blank. She can hear you approaching before you're even within sight, though she's a bit too lost in her own feelings and thoughts at the moment to realize those foot steps for what they are- someone drawing nearer.

It's not until he's standing opposite her that she notices. Quickly she brings a gloved fist to wipe at her face. Though she wasn't anymore, she had been crying, but there was no way she'd let someone like him see. So she had to get rid of all the evidence. Promptly she stood, giving the other a stern glance, halfheartedly. There's a bit of a long, awkward pause before she finally speaks up.]

So he's- [Her voice catches in her throat.]... Red. He's really gone?

[singularjustice]

[ She certainly was not. N tensed upon seeing her, letting Haro fly up and then adjusting the bag with the Zorua so that he hung being him, away from Alice.

Still, his tone is strangely genunine when he responds. ]

...yes.

I'm sorry.

[busagi]

I see...

[She bites her bottom lip, glancing away from him, towards nothing in particular. Alice had stumbled upon both the letter and key chain earlier, but hadn't understood quite what it meant at first. It wasn't until reading N's message and coming here to find no Red at home that it had really begun to sink in.]

You're sorry? Tch. Please. [She frowns, annoyed.] Don't talk like it's your job to go around apologizing for his absence.

[singularjustice]

I-- I guess it's not, but...

But. .....I don't know what else to say!