Chasma: Alisaie

[aono]

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Week 1, Friday

[aono]

[He's going to wait until Alphinaud is taken care of and not at risk of dying before he approaches Alisaie. She seemed worried about him, so he gives her space to be worried first.

Much later though, he will go looking for her.]

Hey, how's he doing?

[veraltwin]

[We're gonna say this is while Alisaie is running to or from somewhere else in the castle, because she's going to be keeping him company most of the evening! But when she sees Rin, she'll recognize him as the one that suggested using their newfound elemental powers to warm him.]

He'll be all right, thank the Twelve. I daresay all four of them will be recovering from shock for several days, however.

They appear to have experienced the final days of Krankaz.

[aono]

[Well that doesn't sound good at all.]

What's Krankaz? Is it a city or something?

[veraltwin]

Krankaz is this city.

[aono]

What? I thought this was Atlanta.

[veraltwin]

Atlanta? [what the fuck is an atlanta] Where did you hear a name like that?

[aono]

It's a legend! The lost city of Atlanta!

[veraltwin]

[.........what]

I'm afraid I've never heard of such a place. This city, however, is named Krankaz.

Week 2, post-trial

[aono]

[WELL. Time to go looking for Alisaie. She better be resting after that punishment wow.

He's bringing her soup too. Soup for the injured people!]

[veraltwin]

[Well, given that she's rooming with his brother, Rin can probably find her at some point! Who knows exactly when though but it's fine, time is w/e.

But whenever he finds her, she doesn't seem to notice him right away.]

[aono]

[He'll knock on the door to catch her attention, then. Noooo startling her!]

[veraltwin]

[It'll startle her a little bit anyways! But that's fine, she's fine, it's no big deal.]

Yes?

[aono]

I was just checking up on you. How're things?

[veraltwin]

As well as might be expected. [Brother fussing, amirite...] I'll be fine in the morning, I'm sure.

But I wouldn't recommend anybody else following my example in the future.

[aono]

[Brothers fussing...]

Yeah, definitely not. I'm glad you didn't get hurt worse for it though.

Why DID you vote for yourself anyway?

[veraltwin]

[Ain't that the million-dollar question.]

There was nobody else I could vote for. I couldn't be certain of anybody else.

Week 3, post-trial

[veraltwin]

[It may not be right away, but Alisaie will be showing up at the jail to visit before the night is through, coming directly up to the bars and sitting down next to them.]

Rin, forgive me. I should never have left you to fight the serpent on your own.

[aono]

It's not your fault. I thought I could handle it on my own, but I didn't use enough of my fire. And I struck too hard with my sword. Amateur moves.

[He mostly doesn't want her to feel bad for it.]

when the notif gets EATEN DW WHY

[veraltwin]

[Yeah, that's not gonna happen. But the attempt is sweet nonetheless!]

Nonsense. Any amateur would not have walked out of the Garden as we did. You did more than we ought to have asked, and you protected us all.

[Gods, what does one even say... Alisaie hesitates a moment, then holds her hand out to him through the bars for if he wants it. She hasn't forgotten how he was slow to let go of their hands when they were gone from Ahnkeen.]

If there is anything you would have us do...

Week 5, post-trial

[aono]

[Time to go track down the mad elf twin. He's got two cups of hot cocoa with him, so his hands are full while he's searching. Rinkou sounds angy at having to actually waddle her way through the snow too.]

Hey, take a break yeah? It's snacktime.

[Take a break from being angry lol]

[veraltwin]

[He'll find her a little bit away from the hotel, a half-empty ice bucket at her feet. Taf is prowling in the snow, but when he sees Rinkou he darts back to her, taking a large leap from the ground to her shoulder. (Or, well, it would have been her shoulder if not for the snow. He winds up latching on just above her shoulder blades and scrabbling the rest of the way up.)

So she turns to see him just before he speaks. For a moment it looks like she might tell him no, but... she sighs.]

Fine. My hands were beginning to freeze, anyway.

[She'll take a moment to pull her gloves back on before she comes to meet him.]

What are you doing out here, Rin?

[aono]

Feeding everyone.

[Once Alisaie takes a mug of cocoa, Rin will use that hand to reach into his pocket. Look! Sugar cookies!]

It's what I usually do when bad shit happens.

[veraltwin]

[Why is he so pure... She'll take the mug, holding it in her hands and contemplating its contents.]

I'm not certain that sugar will make me feel better about aught that just happened.

[...but she'll also accept a cookie from him if he's willing to give it up. Gib.]

[aono]

Yeah, it won't. But if you don't eat, you'll get sick. And if you get sick, you won't be able to keep going.

As much as things suck, we can't stop. We have to keep going.

[veraltwin]

Weren't you the one who came down with a cold last week?

[But yeah, yeah, she'll take a break. They can find a nearby bench or something to sit on; she's sat in the snow enough this week.

The only problem is that once they've sat down, she really doesn't know what there is to say.]

[aono]

That's different!

[Not really. But he huffs in mild annoyance before sitting on the bench and drinking some cocoa.

Rin will let the silence fall between them for a bit as he contemplates his words. It takes him a bit to think of what to even say.]

It's always snowy when mine and Yukio's birthday rolls around.

[veraltwin]

[...is it tho, Rin.

But she'll accept the silence, sipping her own cocoa until he speaks.]

I don't recall when last I saw snow ere our journey here. Well beyond a year, at least.

...I'm sorry about what happened with him, Rin. I don't think I ever got the chance to say.

Have the two of you always been close? What you were saying that day seemed... [Terrible?] It seemed hard for the both of you.

[aono]

[That fight that day...well, it WAS pretty bad. Even if it got resolved (maybe) it was still bad.]

We've always been close, ever since we were born. Yukio was a real crybaby when he was little and got bullied a lot for it, and my temper back then was even worse than it is now so everyone was afraid to be around me. So we kinda just stuck together, I guess. He wasn't afraid of me, and I never bullied him. So even if all the other kids were shitty to us, we still had each other.

But then Dad died last year, and...I dunno, it's like something changed in both of us. Suddenly the world got a lot bigger than it was before and Yukio started keeping secrets about a bunch of stuff. I know he's hiding a lot, he always acts different when he's hiding things. But I don't know what it is and I can't get it out of him. And I know he has problems with me now, because of my powers, because of how dangerous I am now. Like, I know Dad didn't tell Yukio to stay around to "put me down" if I got too dangerous. But Yukio might think Dad told him that at some point and that might be why he's pulling away so much.

...he doesn't actually want to kill me, for the record. [JUST. SAYING THAT. BECAUSE THAT IS IMPORTANT.] But he's the kinda guy who would think he has to and just bury that deep down in his heart and never talk about it. He's a real smart guy, but he's really shitty at understanding what people tell him, you know?

Week 6, Monday morning

[aono]

[I have to do this. For Reasons.

But Rin is waking up Monday morning and sitting up. He yawns as he glances over at his new roommate, and-]

Oh hey. They didn't switch us around this week?

[Rin definitely roomed with Alphinaud last week, yep.]

[veraltwin]

[MAPLE i'm fucking crying unfortunately for Rin, Alisaie lost her roommate last week so as soon as she hears the voice, she knows they've switched... but what he's saying isn't making any sense.]

What?

[She's not sitting up yet. This week's going to be hectic enough as it is; she can take her time getting up for once.]

[veraltwin]

[It's interesting, the ways in which they are but aren't the same. Alisaie frowns, staring out into the night for a moment.]

I cannot claim to know your brother's mind. But I wonder if it is less to do with you and more to do with him.

When we came of age, Alphinaud and I left our home to journey to the land where our grandsire gave his life. My brother sought to continue the work he had begun and bring salvation to the realm. But I struggled. While I had hung onto his every word as a child, the land he'd died to save seemed lacking. It was full of petty disputes and despots claiming his memory for their own self-serving purposes. I distanced myself from Alphinaud and our grandfather's disciples in much the same way as Yukio.

Mayhap he needs time, as I did. Time to learn his own mind and find his own purpose, rather than the purpose he thought your father had given him.

[aono]

[The funny thing is that, while the elftwins look a lot alike, their voices are different enough that Rin can tell that this isn't Alphinaud. But when he scrambles to try and say something else, he finds himself stumbling over the words because this is truth-telling week and he can't make up a lie about being half-asleep or joking or anything like that.]

That- it- I-

[And then he throws himself off the bed and lands on his back on the floor to escape the 'no lying' thing.]

[veraltwin]

[The sound of him landing on the floor is enough to jolt her fully into wakefulness--and then to place his words in their proper context.

...are you fucking kidding her

Alisaie sits up, looking at him.]

Rin.

Did you think I was Alphinaud?

[It doesn't matter what his answer is, honestly; she's rolling up onto her knees so that she can throw one of the pillows at his face :')

(It's at least not being hurled at him as hard as she can! It's not a gentle throw but it's not. Going to knock his head into the floor or anything probably...)]

[aono]

For like two seconds, okay?! I was sleepy, and he and I were roommates last week- I'm sorry, okay?!

[Please don't end him.]

[veraltwin]

[Rin's probably more than familiar with her glare at this point between their adventure through the Kiln/Garden and everything that's happened since. And she's glaring... buuuuut after a moment she'll relent, dropping back down to sit.]

You can get up off the floor, at least. I'm not going to yell at you.

[...she might be a little grumpy about it, though, even if it's not at Rin specifically.]

You at least realized your mistake with a single word, which is more than I can say about some people.

[aono]

[He eyes Alisaie carefully, but he does eventually move to stand up. No punching? No injuries today?]

How do they not realize it when they hear you? You two don't sound anything alike.

[veraltwin]

[THANK YOU????? No punching, no injuries! Taf, who had been curled up by her side, has migrated to the foot of the bed and has flopped back down amidst the blankets, kneading at them to make a cozier place to laze--that, more than anything else, might tell Rin that he's safe.

Which is good, because his question gets a very frustrated response.]

No, we don't! Nor do we dress anything alike! Yet in spite of that, we've been confused I know not how many times since Cittàgazze.

[The number of people who look at her and go "Ah, yes, Alphinaud's wearing a dress today!" is honestly astonishing.]

The only one I can understand is Power. And even that is because Alphinaud intentionally misled her into thinking he were me.

Week 7, Saturday

[aono]

[Well, it's over. They did it. And now they just have to wait.

Rin is standing around, not quite ready for bed, when he sees Alisaie. He'll give her a nod.]

Hey, former-roomie.

[He sounds like he's doing alright, definitely a lot better than yesterday at least. Tired, but alright.]

[veraltwin]

[I am laughing so hard because--]

Rin.

[--Alisaie's just fucking clapping her hands wildly in a random pattern as she says it, simultaneously looking some combination of embarrassed, frustrated, and so fucking tired. It continues as she does:]

It seems as though we managed to pull it off.

[aono]

[Oh my god]

Did you get cursed?

[He's laughing so hard now.]

[veraltwin]

[She looks. SO TIRED, RIN. And yes, the clapping is continuing every time she speaks in random patterns, because she does not know Morse code???? So mods ruled random wild clapping to approximate.]

Apparently I've not been forgiven for my sins yet.

[aono]

I guess not, no. Do you at least know who did it? I can get revenge for you, if you want.

[veraltwin]

[Is Rin expecting her to freeze, her expression breaking in disbelief? Because that's what happens. She won't answer for a moment, but Alisaie's never been able to hide her emotions that easily, so he'll be able to see the emotions that cross her face in quick succession: surprise, of course, but then grief and gratefulness and for a moment she looks as though she might actually cry before she's able to get a hold of herself, shaking her head.]

I don't. But thank you for offering.

I shall bear it.

[The same way she had to bear with her sight being messed up for a full month. This is annoying, but hopefully it shouldn't last as long as that did.]

[aono]

[It's certainly not what he's expecting, and it actually makes him worried. Have people been THIS unkind to her that she has to fight to not cry at a gesture of kindness?]

Woah, hey, it's okay. But talk to me, yeah? What's going on?

[veraltwin]

[IT..... HAS BEEN A WEEK OKAY....]

It's nothing.

[...which she already knows he's going to call out as a lie; she's seen him interacting with Yukio enough that she doesn't expect he'll let her get away with it. So she looks away, trying to figure out how she can explain without making a complete idiot of herself.

The fact that the clapping is continuing during all of this.........]

'Tis simply been a difficult week. I've been reminded that being open with one's thoughts is unseemly behavior, to say nothing of all that happened after Monday's meeting.