towerofanimus | wake up, show appreciation [Closed]

Characters: Asch and Sheba
Setting: Sheba's dorm, backdate to the morning of the 20th
Format: why is this even here CLOSED
Summary: Sheba takes a while to get back to the party. Asch is a worrywart.
Warnings: Typical Animus warnings for talk of death and dead people. Possible Asch zappings.

[The day after she died, people started coming back. At first he was relieved, until he realized that she wasn't among them.

And the next day, too - he ducks into her room in the morning, but there's nothing, only her name on the door as the promise that she would return, someday.

The third day she's there. It's impossible to tell if she's awake or not, so he stands there for a long moment, just watching, feeling like something inside him got wrung out and drained. His shoulders are slumped, and he drops to his knees next to her bed.]

Took you long enough.

[And he leans forward and, briefly, squeezes his arms around her shoulders. And even knowing that she can probably read his mind - it's saying things that make them true, and he did promise, in an unspoken way, to always give her truth.]

I don't know what I would have done, if you hadn't come back.

[And with that whisper, he lets go, turning around and sinking down, until he's sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. He'll wait there - he can wait for a long, long time.]

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[She should probably apologize for going for his injured shoulder. She will, later, when she's less miserable and can actually realize what she's done. But for now she simply doesn't resist as he adjusts so that her face is buried in his neck rather than his shoulder, and she loosens her hold on his arm so that she can put an arm around his back as well.

She laughs - but it's sort of a dull laugh, a mirthless chuckle - and doesn't raise her head.]

You keep calling me that lately...

[Provided he doesn't end up shifting again or asking her to back off because of his injury, she'll stay that way for a long while. Mostly, she's quiet, save for the occasional sob or sniffle. But as time passes her trembling lessens and then stops entirely, her breathing evens, and she's finally able to raise her head and look up at him. While there are tears in the corners of her eyes, she mostly seems to have it under control.]

Thank you for being here. I'm... not sure what I would have done if I'd woken up alone.

[Hidden under the covers and not come out for three more days, probably. But a potent reminder that she isn't alone - the fact that someone was willing to be here and let her get it all out - while it doesn't wash away the memories and doesn't wash away the fact that she knows her friends are out there, somewhere, in need of her help, it does keep her from focusing solely on things that are, for the moment, out of her reach. They've said it's not too late, and that she'll be able to help them, so she can work towards that. But if she were alone... she would likely be dwelling on how close to impossible such an undertaking would be.

She takes another breath, and it's then that she realizes which shoulder she'd initially gone to. Her eyes go wide and she looks to Asch apologetically.]

I'm sorry. I should have been more careful...

You keep deserving it.

[The quip is half-hearted, really; he's sure she already knows that she was being stupid without him having to tell her. He gently rubs her shaking shoulders with his good arm, smiling faintly when she apologizes.]

It's fine. In the long run, I'm probably better at dealing with this kind of handicap than most people.

[He chuckles faintly - it's an attempt at shifting the subject away from the horribly depressing things, at least.]

I was originally left-handed, so it won't be as hard to learn to use that again as it would be for someone who was born right handed. It'll be a few months until the muscle heals, so I'll just have to switch back.

[He doesn't mention the chance that he'll die before it becomes a problem. It's always a possibility, but he's been fairly good at not dying so far. Hopefully his luck won't run out quite yet.]

[She can't help but chuckle, and this time the sound is less hollow. If he thinks she's an idiot now, it's probably a good thing he never met her while she was traveling. The Tower has taught her to be a little more cautious than she ever had been on Weyard, which now that she thinks about it - it's a little strange. On Weyard she could have died permanently, had thought she would more than once, and yet in so many ways she'd been much more reckless.]

That's a useful skill. [Her voice is quiet, but she's latching onto the change of subject and running with it.] Does it take much effort to learn to use both hands?

[There's a small part of her that is endlessly frustrated at her own lack of skill - there were enough people in the Tower who couldn't heal that she wasn't quite as self-conscious about it now, but with Asch in need of healing and her being completely unable to do anything about it, she feels that small, familiar sting of resentment that none of her Psynergy is useful for healing.]

...I can probably talk Jenna into healing your shoulder, if you want. She should apologize for injuring you.

[Volunteering her friends' skills is the next best thing.]

I didn't really master it until I got a similar injury to my left shoulder.

[It's said with a bit of a chuckle, in spite of what he's actually saying. You kind of learn to laugh at horrible injuries in the Tower.]

That's really when I switched - most people will still instinctively use their dominant hand, which is the hardest part to break from.

[He scoots across her bed until he can lean back against the wall, his feet dangling over the edge. His good humour goes a bit sour.]

I don't particularly want healing from the person who injured me in the first place.

[She can understand where he's coming from. She's not sure she would want healing from someone who had hurt her, either. But she'd like to see his injury taken care of, and as she can't get it done herself...

Well, she could always ask Alex. But she's not sure she wants to open up that particular can of worms. Asking Alex for a favor was a surefire way to get a headache, and then the both of them would be in his debt, and that's not something she wants to subject Asch too, either.]

Of course, sorry. I just thought... [Her voice trails off and she sighs before continuing.] Without Felix here, she's one of the few people I can trust that knows how to heal. I wouldn't want someone I know to be a traitorous snake to be doing that... [She thinks about it for a few moments.] Maybe you could ask Xion or Yu?

Natalia and Tear can both heal, you know.

[Well, she already knew about Tear, from the Tear before. He shrugs the shoulder that isn't damaged.]

It's fine. Either it'll heal, or I'll die before it matters.

[Morbid but true. A new body wouldn't have any trace of the injury.]

Go to one of them, then.

[Her voice is firm and her eyes are narrowed - not in a glare, just enough to show that she's serious.]

As soon as you can.

[She's not going to dignify the "I'll die before it matters" with a response. Just because death wasn't permanent didn't mean it wasn't traumatic, and given that she knows the time spent unable to move gets longer and longer with each death - and she knows what that sort of thing does to Asch - she won't just let him die.]

It's fine.

[He's godawful stubborn, though. At least the scars will be matching.]

If I was the one who was injured would you let me get away with just saying "it's fine"?

[Honestly. Sheba just doesn't understand why he's content to leave the wound as it is, when it's possible to get it fixed up.]

You came here because you were worried about me, didn't you? ...I worry about you too. So, please... have someone fix it.

wake up, show appreciation [Closed]

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