faithfulflame | Cerealia IC Inbox

[ He's spent the past few hours at Athena's at this point, not even heading to his apartment and instead just going straight there. Ideally he knows he should go and see Rei as soon as possible, just to make himself believe that she would have woken up on this side too. It's ridiculous, but it's the first time he's actually been witness to something like this here.

Besides that, he sends her a small text to at least let her know he's back, though he doesn't know how closely she's been watching her CereVice since she woke up. She probably had enough rounds to make on her own.

All she gets is one word though, oddly anticlimatic after everything: ] hi.

[By now Rei's said most of what she's needed to say to the people who were missing. With some exceptions. The most glaring being this one. For several reasons. Mostly out of respect for Athena, since she can sense where he is in relative proximity to where the lawyer is.

Now though?]

Hi. We should talk.

[ He had needed the space, as much as he needed for himself to see she was back. It's why the message he'd sent was so short, to say he was ready but ... he doesn't know how to approach this at all, honestly. ]

where?

[Ever the traditionalist from a culture where everything has a proper place, she has such a destination in mind. She tends to like having a 'spot' for people to meet her, that changes with each person.]

The rooftop as before? I'll have drinks ready.

[ He doesn't really question it anyway, he already has enough to think about right now. ]

give me 30 mins? i'll meet you there then.

[ He's still a minute or two late, but it's more so he could run and change. Shower. Anything to make him seem less affected than he is. When he makes it up there he makes a beeline for her, a lot less hesitant than last time but there's another reason for that.

Hopefully she's ready, because she's getting a hug right away once he's there. Ah. ]

[Rei doesn't bother with the text. She just heads up with two large Long Island Ice Teas and a bucket of ice cream. One of those huge, gallon buckets of the cheap stuff, but don't you dare judge her. Even if it is butter pecan.

Once he arrives, she stands up from her chair and squeaks, gathered up in his arms. That wasn't expected, but it's not unwelcome. She relaxes after a half second, hugging him back.]

[ He isn't paying attention to what she brought up there for them to share, he's too busy focusing on just holding on, on trying to feel that she's definitely there. That she was revived as well. It's kind of amazing that he's been there 3 months, and he's come to care for her so much -- then again, she has helped him perhaps more than most people here. ]

Sorry. [ It's quiet, but he elaborates a moment after. ] You probably didn't want... us to. Y'know.

[ In other words: She probably thought they'd handle it better than they did. ]

No. [Her answer is brief, but immediate. She knew, she wasn't stupid. If he had been alive, he'd have been waiting for her the instant she revived. It was a surprisingly pleasant feeling, having a male friend she could rely on like that. That's why it hurt like hell knowing he'd been hurt.]

I am sorry that it happened. I wish you could have gotten out. But you're here. Now. That counts.

[ After watching and feeling that? He definitely would have, alas, he was in pretty much the same state. He doesn't even let go yet, more so he can still speak quietly, not wanting to raise his voice. ]

Well the good news is that the building doesn't exist anymore?

[ He's trying to make it lighter for her, anyway. ] And that you and Yuri definitely succeeded. It just... made the jailer angry, I guess.

Good. Saves me the trouble of blowing it up.

[Rei has to smile then, patting him as she holds him, just kind of leaning against him. It's easy when you're twig.

The news isn't a surprise though, and Merlin gets a knowing, bemused look.]

And I know. The...ah...new friends we made stayed with us for a while.

Yeah.

[ At least they took the place down with them... the bright side. He just ends up resting his chin against her head though then. He goes quiet for a moment, then: ] I felt them leave. Just like I felt...

[ But he just trails off though, instead returning to the same as before. ]

I'm glad they stayed with you.

Just like me.

[Rei finishes his sentence for him, pulling away just enough to looki him square in the face. There's not an ounce of uncertainty in her eyes, only cool detachment and a kind of resignation. This was going to be hard for him, probably. Probably harder on him since he'd felt her pass.]

They kept us warm. It's funny, they were with us until we woke up. And I think they left us with something, but it's hard to say what.

Just like you.

[ It's soft, really, but as soon as Rei's pulling away his eyes are darting to the side, not looking her in the eye just yet. ]

Yu and Hyoubu didn't know what happened. I had to explain but I couldn't... get the words out. By the time I could Hyoubu was already trying to teleport us outside and... that's when it came.

[ Not warm and fluffy like Rei's own adventures, that's for sure. ]

[With him so obviously disquieted, she moves back into the hug, squeezing just a bit.]

The jailer that sucker punched me, right?

[That's what she believes.]

What was it, exactly?

Yeah. [ He lets out a breath when she moves back into the hug, an actual smile creeping up. It's helping, at least. ]

Robot. Something related to Raxxlt? Rsxxlt? It's really hard to say. We tried questioning it but it tried putting us back into the cells, so ...

A robot. Because why wouldn't it be a damn robot.

[She hates robots, okay? A lot. But since this is helping, she'll keep hugging.]

I don't know the name. But alright. So I take it you fought it and...what?

To be honest... I don't know why we didn't expect it. It seemed to have spiritual energy as well though. I don't know how much you felt before... you... But what it hit you with wasn't technological, or I wouldn't have felt it. It felt like a lightning bolt of spiritual energy, honestly. It's the closest I could compare it to.

Because it did that I think we over estimated it.

[ A cough, and really it's ironic now but-- ]

Do you know what happens to a robot when you pour over 1 billion volts into it?

Well, I felt a presence, and then something pushed passed my shield. It...probably wasn't spiritual though. My shield should have blocked that. Arcane power, maybe? I wasn't warding against that at all. [And it's about the only thing she can think of that would be able to manage that.]

And yes. Actually, one of my friends uses lightning the way I do fire. That much electrical energy would generate enough heat to melt metal. But that didn't happen, did it?

I don't know. It just felt dark. The complete opposite of how those ghosts felt. [ Still... it had hidden itself well, that's for sure. ]

Everything exploded.

It doesn't matter what it did or how. It's done, and next time I find one like it, it won't catch me off guard again.

[The resolve is there...and so is the conviction. And...now sympathy and realization.]

It was programmed to do that. Destroy itself, and presumably the prison, to prevent an escape. Is that what you think?

I don't know. It said the... the prisoners were there because they were something to do with profits falling. Not even for murder or anything.

[ He swallows. ] Its arm was missing, so we all tried to aim for that point.

...All three of us. [ THAT WAS PROBABLY THE PROBLEM. ]

Well as we've seen, CERES is more than willing to kill to keep profits high. And it wasn't allowing those ghosts to leave, either. Plus it's just a robot, it's expendable. So, why not make sure to punish anything that managed to hurt it?

[She heaves a sigh.]

That was how things worked when I broke into their headquarters.

Probably. [ Though they've been like this long enough, apparently, as he starts to feel a throbbing in the back of his head, creeping to the front. One arm keeps a hold of her, but the other moves to rub it. ]

Hopefully there aren't other prisons like it, but there probably are.

[Rei pulls out of the hug with a little frown, sensing his discomfort. Also it's getting to the more than friends level of hug.]

You want to sit? I have drinks, and if your head is hurting that might help.

[It's just a headache, man up.]

[ Eh... People died, who cares right now. They died, even. That makes it far more complicated. He does use both hands to rub at his head now though. ]

Maybe. I can give it a go, anyway. I've only had water since I got back.

[ Mostly because he's had a magnet attached to him for the most part. Ah. ]

text; late 07/18

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