heaven / jiaoqiu

[midway]

Comments

[midway]

[ Comes to sit next to him. ]

Me too. It's just... so frustrating.

And there's so little we can do about it.

[fried]

[ he makes room, tail shifting to settle over claude's legs. ]

... We've lost so many already. [ ... ] There seems to be no solution other than waiting, week after week. Waking up to those dead is one thing, but sentencing still more to the metaphorical gallows is starting to wear all of us out.

Morale is starting to look like a cove washed out by the sea. Empty, hollow. Eroded by time. [ ... ] And it gets worse every week.

[midway]

[ Oh! A blanket... He'll put a hand over Jiaoqiu's. ]

I think if there's anything this group is good at, it's carrying grief and not losing determination.

[ Closing his eyes. ]

But I do wish there was less heartache.

[fried]

Heartache comes with loving people.

[ he says, softer. ]

It is part of feeling alive. But I agree with you. I'd hoped the afterlife might be free of it.

[ he doesn't seem to mind the hand on his. ]

I find myself at a loss for what to do next.

[midway]

[ ... ]

Continue chipping away at the puzzle. Decoding dreams.

Taking care of each other.

[fried]

[ a sigh. ]

... Have there been more dreams?

[midway]

Not that I'm aware of.

But keep a look out for a cryptic message tomorrow.

[fried]

[ this gets him to look slightly amused. ]

Oh? You're very informed.

[midway]

Well, that seems to be the trade off for coming back on Thursday bloody and bruised.

[ Alas!! ]

[fried]

[ he raises his eyebrows. ]

I see... that's the trend, then. [ a beat. ] Well. At least there's some sort of reason for all these broken bones.

[midway]

I wouldn't call it "worth it", but yeah. At least there's something.

It's hard, but I'm not losing hope that we can fix things.

[fried]

[ mmm. ]

I didn't expect that sort of optimism from you. [ but it's teasing, and he doesn't mean it. ]

[midway]

[ wow... he pretends to look beleaguered ]

You're not the first person to say that. Do I seem depressed?

[fried]

[ a little laugh. ]

No, not depressed. Perhaps unrelentingly realistic. [ ... ] I don't know that I've ever seen you laugh, come to think of it.

[midway]

[ help ]

Well, we keep meeting in such dour circumstances... I wouldn't laugh at someone just because half their ear is missing.

[fried]

[ snort. ]

You could. Anders has. [ be nice to anders ] ... Shall we try to find better circumstances? Maybe in the new week, we can focus on doing something a little less horrific than trading traumatic memories and watching people die.

[midway]

[ smiles ]

You want to go on a date?

[fried]

[ his tail flicks up enough to briefly bop claude in the nose. ]

In honor of Ellie... of course. I'll hold you to very high standards.

[midway]

[ Sneezes. ]

I don't want a pity date!

[fried]

[ HELP he laughs ]

Oh, was that a serious request? Surely you have better prospects than an old fox, Claude. You heartbreaker.

[midway]

Right, I'm sure you have plenty of love in your heart for me.

[ Eyeing him thoughtfully. ]

[fried]

[ eyebrow raise... ]

What a pointed statement. [ whacks him with his tail again. ] Say what you mean.

[midway]

[ Innocent. ]

I wouldn't want to gossip.

[fried]

You should tell me, or I'll announce to the Chipper network that you and Wis'adel slept together, her rating on your performance included.

[midway]

[ CHOKES ON AIR ]

What? She never told me I was being rated!