faithfulflame | Ninth Prayer: A Flame Snuffed Out. [Action/Written]

First he'd missed two days worth of meetings, and now he wasn't answering calls? That gave Rei pause, an odd tightness in the pit of her stomach. He'd always answered calls before, and he was usually quite prompt about getting back to her if he missed a call. Putting all that aside, she gave it another day before going to check on him. Just in case he was brooding. And even then, the miko was dragging her feet in dread.

The door was unlocked, the room bare save for a few things, clearly marked. Letters, magical tools, and a bottle of some dark brown liquid labelled as "Soul Sauce." But no Harry. Rei's eyes sank, her entire body wilting in the doorway.

Harry was gone. Just...gone.

The first man she'd willingly spent time with. The only man who'd really been there for her when she'd needed it. Rei wrapped her arms tightly around herself, feeling the fabric he'd enchanted for her, clutching it like it was the man himself. He was gone. He'd promised to look out for her, been there for her, and now he was just gone. After all they'd been through, just gone. After Apep, and the battle with Sabriel. After losing Usagi and dealing with those awful refugees. He'd been there then. He'd coached her through her argument with Ami, and helped her protect the shrine. It just wasn't right, for him to be...gone?

She allowed herself a wan smile as she thought back to the smilodon barreling after them last November, their hide cloaks flapping in the Ice Age breeze as they ran. That Shift had been a weird one

But that smile faded quickly as she thought back to...Christmas Eve.

Her face tightened, eyes going flat. She'd kissed him. And just like Kaidou, he'd...gone. Gone like everyone else. She scrubbed at her lips in a sudden flash of anger that quickly faded. It wasn't rational, she knew that, but it didn't help. She'd felt like he was a decent man. Someone worth even considering trustworthy. The only good man she'd known outside of Grandpa. And he was just gone. As she thought about him, though, memories flooded back. Memories that came back, clear as day.

The Soulgaze. The memory of a man standing against all the dark, horrible things in his world, and still laughing. A good man. A kind man. Despite the pits and cracks that all the supernatural horrors of the world threw at him. A ridiculous, childish, and wonderful man. A man who was there for his friends. A man she'd been lucky to know.

"I guess I'll never get rid of that, will I Harry?" she said with a bitter little laugh. It was a small comfort, having that. At least that way she knew that her feelings hadn't been wrong. He had been worth liking. A man worth trusting. Maybe even kissing.

Because even gone? He was still a good man.

Written:

[A while after the discovery, Rei sends out a written note to hide the cracks in her demeanor. ]

Hello everyone,

This is Rei Hino and I regret to inform you that Harry Dresden has returned home. He left letters and things for his friends in his apartment.

If you would like to say a prayer for him, I will be at the Tsukino Shrine all night tonight, and much of tomorrow. Please consider it.

[Rei can be found at the shrine for the next 3 days, meditating and offering prayers for Harry. She'll welcome people for prayer, as well.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yeah, that really is pretty bad.]

I see how that could become very awkward very quickly.

It's...wrong.

Yeah. Really wrong.

[He can think of about a million ways that could go badly off the top of his head.]

[Sabriel hadn't been back to herself to receive Rei's message when she had initially broadcast it, but she had found it earlier that morning when she had been returned to her natural state. As was her usual habit when visiting the Shrine, Sabriel packed a thermos of tea and some fruit in her bag before she headed out. As she walked through the snow, a chill unrelated to the weather went down her spine. Harry had been there when she had been Shifted and now...just gone. Returned home without any warning, or a chance to say goodbye. It was so easy to take people for granted here, the friendships and bonds, the assumption that in all of the time they've spent wishing they could be home and yet unable to actually get there on their own and then...the choice is made for them.

Resting a hand on the familiar wood of one of the Shrine's pillars Sabriel breaths a soft sigh as the familiar warmth and subtle hum of the building's power gathers at her fingertips. Call it a collection of faith or spiritual power, but its presence was soothing. Stooping to remove her shoes, Sabriel quietly enters the building, calling out to her friend.]

Rei?

[Rei, ensconced as she had been in meditation for the last two days, was not in the best state. She'd cleaned herself during her breaks, but there were lines on her face, tired ones. Worried ones. The exterior of the shrine was a mess by that point, without a doubt, in bad need of shoveling.

When Sabriel stepped inside and Rei heard her name, she turned, dipping her head low in greeting. It was good to see the other girl back to normal, at least. Small mercy.]

Sabriel.

[Ducking her head in a small return bow Sabriel quietly takes a seat beside her friend, setting her bag down beside her before looping her arm lightly around Rei's shoulders. The poor girl looked terribly tired. Sabriel knew the pain of losing a friend, and although she had tried to help as much as she could when Usagi had left, this weariness seems different. Well, she'd let Rei speak of it if she felt ready, sometimes simple comfort can be given through silence.

Giving Rei a gentle squeeze she offers her a small, gentle smile.]

I brought you some tea.

[Rei doesn't react much to the contact, visibly. She's bone-weary, depressed, and her mind was still somewhat numb. Talking to Max, and Helios, and the others had helped ease the pain. But there was still that sense, deep down, of loss. And of losing something more. She'd refused to cry. She wouldn't let that happen. Not for a man. Even Harry. Especially Harry. Letting him in. Letting stupid ideas carry her away. Maybe it's the two days she's spent here, but her thoughts are so torn.

It took her a long while. But she nodded.]

Thank you. For the tea. And for coming.

I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier.

[Giving Rei a gentle squeeze she quietly pulls her arm back to retrieve her thermos and two cups from her bag to pour them each a cup of tea. Handing Rei her cup Sabriel sits back, shoulder to shoulder with her friend.]

...How are you doing?

You were not yourself. It's fine.

[Rei leaned into her shoulder a little bit, as much as she dared. The cup, warm in her hand, felt nice. A reminder of the chill in the air, kept back only by the fire. She'd barely noticed, with as frazzled as she'd been.]

I...have been better.

[What else could she say to that?]

I know the feeling.

[She may not know just how similar a feeling it is but she does. When Viral had gone...it wasn't just a friend that had disappeared. It's hard to put an actual name to what they were but there was something deeper there, which made it just that much harder to talk about to anyone...except Rei.]

You don't have to say anything you don't want to Rei, but I'll listen if you need me to.

Sabriel.

[Rei wasn't sure how much she could say without feeling guilty. Or stupid. But. She should say something. It was...rude not to. And that was the last thing she wanted to be.]

He was the first man I ever had any faith in.

Page 7 of 7

Ninth Prayer: A Flame Snuffed Out. [Action/Written]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]

[Action - Day 3]