towerofanimus | ❝It's a brand new day❞

Entry tags:

❝It's a brand new day❞

Characters: Willow (

guiltapalooza), jade Eridan (

littlemissnobody). CLOSED.
Setting: Starts on the dorm floors.
Format: Action tags yes?
Summary: She's going to cheer her gloomy friends up and no buts about it. Oh and P.S., backdated to before Buffy gets here.
Warnings: Nada! Maybe mention of past violence, I guess.

[Willow is determined. She is dauntless. She is going to do this.

She's going to make sure Eridan-- the other one-- knows that she doesn't blame him for anything that'd happened on the stairwell the other day, and check in on him, all while not making him talk about it. She well knows the value of not making someone talk about something. Post-crisis friendship bonding was an important Scooby tradition, meant to stabilize the relationship again and return things to normal after trauma.

Eridan doesn't know to expect it from her, she's sure, but he's going to find out. And she has the perfect pretense for it: Dawn would probably feel better if she had some friends here, and Eridan was close to her age. Willow also knows that Dawn has a hard time making friends herself, as much as she denies it, so it'll really kill two birds with one stone by cheering up both the people in her life that need cheering up.

All of this is why she's standing in front of Eridan's room and knocking on his door. Her cheerfulness is maybe a little aggressive, but really, just a little.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The process goes as follows: Eridan looks up from a book he might or might not have sneaked out from one of the libraries. Eridan realizes no one else is around to open the door. Eridan opens said door.

Eridan takes one look at Willow, meeps, and slams the door shut, moaning miserably.]

I'm sorry!

[Please don't kill me. Can she kill him through the door? Probably, but it's best to pretend she can't. Oh god, he's such a dick. He said so many dickish things. Oh god, she's probably gonna wriggle his neck for good measure.]

[Willow rolls her eyes. She's starting to get the idea that he's this nervous about everyone, and it isn't just her. If it isn't personal, she can deal with it a lot better.]

Eridan Ampora, you open this door this minute, [she scolds, doing a pretty good mom voice.] I can't hug you through the door, and I think you really need a hug right now.

... Unless you don't want one, in which case I could be persuaded to restrain myself after a deeply convincing speech or also the word no, but I really do think you could use a hug.

[There's a long moment of silence, but the door remains steadily closed.]

...I don't deservve a hug.

That seems strange, [she says loftily,] because I really can't think of anything you could've done lately to make you not deserve one. Any words that may or may not have temporarily upset me have been stricken from my memory completely.

I mean, I remember, but... [Her voice softens.] As far as I'm concerned, it's all over with. So no worrying, okay?

[There's a long, long moment of silence. And then the door opens very slowly, and just enough for half his face to peek through the opening.]

I really don't deservve a hug.

[But he sounds miserable enough he probably wouldn't fight it too hard.]

[bluntly,] If I got what I deserved, I'd be dead. So I'm not so hot on the deserving thing.

And besides... [She doesn't push the door open or anything, just stands there and finds a gentle smile.] Maybe I need to hug you.

[Eridan swallows hard.]

I'm sorry.

[He slides the door open after another moment of hesitation.]

Holy shit, Wwilloww, I'm so sorry.

I know.

[She knows bone deep what it feels like to think that apologies will never be enough, what you'd done could never be made up for.

But while she appreciates the apology, she doesn't really need it. She's reaching in to give him that hug now if he'll let her.]

[He lets her. He doesn't hug back, though, because he has a feeling that if he does he's gonna start clinging to her like weed and quite possibly might not let go. He just. Awkwardly pats her back, that's as much concession as he'll give himself her.]

I really am. I'm sorry.

[Willow wouldn't mind being clung to, but she doesn't want to push. She draws back and gives him a smile, a sincere one.]

I do know. And I told you I'd forgive you, and I do, and it's already forgotten. You're fine the way you are, you goof.

[Just gonna... reach up with a hand and ruffle his hair now. She's spent enough time getting in her Eridan's personal space that she's deft about avoiding the horns.]

[Eridan ducks his head, embarrassed at the ruffle and blushing just the faintest shade green. This kid embarrasses easily, okay.]

You're too good to me, Wwilloww.

[Oh gosh, that's cute. He's so bitty and blushing. Willow forcibly restrains herself from calling him cute out loud.]

Nuh-uh, my decision on the goodness, and I say it's just right. [Sometimes she wants to pass along the forgiveness her friends had shown her, alright.]

--But that's not what I'm here about! I have a mission that I need your help on, should you choose to accept.

[Eridan sobers and perks up at the mention of a mission, seemingly eager to repay her for being such a good friend.]

Anythin, Wwilloww.

[And he means it, too, he feels downright fucking miserable for what he said to her, any chance to make up for it is a welcome one.]

Just say the wword.

The word right now is Dawn. ... The person, not the event. I know her from home, and she showed up recently and is pretty bummed about everything.

So what do you say, cheer up mission? I'm a little like her aunt-- uhhhh, a replacement lusus, you could say-- so she just gets all grumbly at me. I have to be sneaky.

[Eridan tilted his head to the side, giving Willow a skeptical look.]

...you want me to cheer your friend up?

Maaaybe I'm hoping it'll teach you new habits in the process, [she drawls, undaunted. That is actually her plan, and she's unashamed to admit it.]

Besides, you'll like Dawn. She's about your age and everything.

[Eridan looks thoroughly unconvinced.]

Wwilloww...

[But he owes her. He just snorts.]

I like pretty much evveryone. It's the opposite that's rarely true, though.

Have some more faith in yourself, [she says cheerfully.]

I like you, don't I? Maybe you haven't been hanging out with the right people. Maybe you need... I don't know, wackier people.

...is that supposed to be comforting?

[But he's smiling wryly, clearly not offended.]

It's not comforting? [She acts mock-shocked.] This tower is full of wacky people. It brings the wacky.

So... yes? Are you sufficiently convinced to undertake this expedition with me?

...maybe.

[Eridan smiled lopsidedly.]

If you think it'll be okay... we can try.

I can work with maybe, [she says triumphantly.] It'll be just fine. More than okay.

Come on, she's just down the hall.

Alright.

[Eridan shrugs in agreement, and nods for her to lead the way. Well, it can't be that bad, can it?]

[She gamely leads him down the hall, her expression set in determination once again.

It really is just a few doors down, and soon enough she's knocking on the door.] Dawnie, are you there? [Actually, Willow already knows that she's there, because that's what locator spells are for, right? But she'll keep up the pretense so she doesn't look stalkery.]

[Dawn is indeed in her room, reading through one of the books that showed up in her trunk. Not exactly light reading but it gave her a good distraction.

When she hears the knock and Willow's voice, she starts slightly]

Just a minute.

[After putting the book back in her trunk, she makes her way to the door and opens it]

Hey Willow, what's...up?

[Her distraction comes as she notices Eridan. Good news, she's rooming with a troll so their existence is already a known thing]

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