towerofanimus | Got a gift from a friend

Characters: Veronica and whoever
Setting: Room 1-17, anywhere else
Format: action brackets, will follow
Summary: Veronica discovers her first regain
Warnings: Usual tower warnings

Room 1-17

[The thing about being trapped in your room for five days was that you had to go back eventually. Veronica hadn't seen any odd things in the room since being freed, but still that was just another reason to stay away.

But here Veronica was, back in the dorms once again, sitting on her new bed. At the very least, the room had been fixed and all the debris had been cleared away. Having been struck with a thought, she hurried to her trunk to check if everything was still there.

She flipped the lid and peered inside. Everything seemed to be intact, the grenades were still there, the first aid pack was still full, and the necklace was....

Veronica froze. Reaching down with shaky hands, she lifted the necklace out of the trunk, handling it as delicately as humanly possible. It was a crystal fluorite necklace, simple in design but quite pretty. She just... sat there, holding it in her hands, staring down at it with a mixture of confusion and despair.

How could it be here? It had been destroyed.

Veronica shook violently, holding it close.]

Elsewhere

[Eventually, Veronica decided she needed air. So, with necklace in her pocket, Veronica wandered off into the tower. What the Frankenstein girl might be doing will vary from floor to floor, but in general she'll be acting very distracted and depressed. Every so often she'll stop and reach into her pocket, seemingly checking for something before continuing on.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

((Does this work?))

[She nodded, shivering slightly from emotions. His smile and comment were appreciated though.]

Y-yeah... It was... it was from a friend of mine in school back home.

S-she w-was my only friend there...

((yes it does very good))

[Rick blinks in surprise. Veronica had only ever told him about her sisters--he naturally assumed it would have been from one of them.]

...She...m-must've been v-very c-c-close, to g-give you s-s-something so nice.

...She was...

[Truthfully, she was the best friend Veronica always wanted...]

The day she gave it to me... she was murdered.

[Which made all this even worse. There was a reason she didn't talk about her.]

[Rick's response is almost immediate--a softening of the face with both concern and grief that isn't his own, and his hands tighten around hers, curling up the necklace between them.]

--I'm s-s-so s-sorry.

[He can't offer anything else. At least, not right now. It seems more appropriate to stay quiet and let Veronica speak, if she wants, rather than jump to conclusions and make things worse.]

[Her hands shake as Rick's tighten around them, the necklace in the palm of her hand glowing a little from the combined heat. She almost didn't want to say more, but it was too late now.]

She... Miyake, was the only one there that hung out with me. S-she said I was unique...

A-and then, I just came in one day... and she was dead. Everyone else just called it a suicide... b-but it wasn't and I knew.

...Gavril knew too...

[Rick quietly and patiently listens. For once, he manages to keep his eyes level and unwavering; this is too important to her for him to be embarrassed with himself.]

[Of course the familiar name catches him off-guard and, despite his better judgement, his eyebrows lift with surprise.]

...G-Gavril? Your s-sister?

[Veronica gave a small nod. It was almost painful, but she did. Her entire body was beginning to shake from the sadness she was feeling.]

She... s-she was there too. She w-wasn't the murderer though, b-but she knew... what happened.

Gavril d-did tell me though... all of the h-horrible details...

[Her head lowered down until she was looking at the floor, her hat hiding her face from Rick. A sob escaped her as the memories came back.]

But then... she forced me to not do anything about it... She threatened me and Fran....

Edited 2013-10-13 03:22 (UTC)

[Rick instinctively tries to gather Veronica into a hug--as if shielding her with his arms will make her stop hurting so much. He can hope, at least, that his actions will help in the absence of the proper words which, at present, escape him.]

...Did sh--she ever say w-why?

[Physical contact was not something Veronica was used to experiencing at all. But right now she was too upset to complain.

She gripped his shirt with one hand, unable to stop the tears streaming out of her eyes.]

Gavril... w-wouldn't tell me what happened to Miyake at first, m-made me beg and plead. She finally did tell m-me when I swore to do what she said.

...She d-did it just to spite me...

[Rick gives her a gentle squeeze and pulls her in closer. For the moment he doesn't know what to say, apart from sounding like a broken record--]

...I-I'm so s-s-sorry.

[--but after more quiet consolations to his grieving friend and some personal consideration, he decides to speak his mind.]

...I c-can't say...that I u-understand what you w-w-went through...or w-why G-Gavril would d-do that to y-you. I...well I...h-had...a baby s-s-sister...she d-died b-before I got to know her...so I g-guess I g-grew up an o-only ch--child. S-Sibling r-r-relationships a-aren't things I can r-really r-relate to.

...But I do know w-what it's l-like to l-lose s-s-someone you l-love. And...I th--think it h-helps to r-remember them for the t-times you sh--shared...n-not the g-grief their d-death c-c-caused you. I...I d-dunno if that's a-any c-c-consolation at all--y-you've p-p-probably had at l-least a d-dozen people t-tell you the same thing.

[Silence. Veronica listened to Rick's stuttering speech in complete quiet, managing to bring herself together somewhat. It was true, he wouldn't understand why Gavril did it unless she told him everything. But that would do no good at all, probably make things even worse.

But... He was right, and at the same time wrong. She hadn't had people tell her the same thing. There had been no one to tell her. Then again, he understood the pain she was feeling from experience, which she felt even worse about.
]

Y-you're right. I-I'm s-sorry too. You s-shouldn't h-have to listen to m-my problems.

--N-No, no, i-it's--

[He pauses to catch his breath--and his voice. That was a lot of talking he just did and he's already gone a little hoarse.]

...I-If it h-h-helps...I d-d-don't like s-seeing you in s-so much p-pain. I w-want to make you f-f-feel better. Why w-w-wouldn't I l-listen...?

[Why wouldn't he listen? Why did he listen to her. Was it because they were friends?

...They were friends, he cared about her.

Slowly, Veronica pulled away from Rick, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Staring down at the necklace she lifted it up, undid the string, and began to tie it around her neck, right below the collar.]

It... It does help. A-and Miyake did get justice eventually w-without me.

[She smiles at Rick.]

Thanks Rick. It helped to talk to someone.

[Rick lets her go with some reluctance, keeping a secure hand on her shoulder as she puts on the necklace. He's lost a lot, recently...Veronica will have to excuse him for being a little clingy.]

I'm...g-glad. [He smiles back.] ...A-And...I'm a-always around if you n-need me, a-alright?

[She sniffles a bit, putting on a small grin for Rick. The necklace was now secure around her neck.

She'd never had someone be clingy to her apart from Fran. It was sort of nice.]

Y-yeah, alright. Thanks.

Got a gift from a friend

Oh noooooo

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