thebastion | And I feel summertime passing in haste, like running out of patience... [OPEN]

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And I feel summertime passing in haste, like running out of patience... [OPEN]

Who: One very broken half-demon and whoever might actually go looking for her.
Open: Open
When: Day 80
Where: The Bastion, Rin's apartment
What: Rin hasn't been seen since she and Night returned from looking for their lost loved ones. Some one is bound to notice her absence sooner or later
Format: Action
Warnings: None

[Rin had been an almost constant presence in the distillery kitchen in the month and some odd days she had been in the Bastion. If she wasn't out on the Skyway or sleeping she was helping Mireille, and even on her worst days being able to cook was enough to put a small smile on her face.

But for the past two days - ever since leaving with Night to the Skyway and returning - she was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in the distillery or anywhere else.

Well that wasn't entirely true. She was in her apartment. But that was the only place she had been in nearly two days.

And she would wind up staying there, so long as no one came looking for her...]

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[Damn it...]

Geez alright...

[There's shuffling, and then the door opens, revealing one mess of a teenager on the other side of it.]

... I don't need to haul you to the bathrooms, do I?

[ Really. Being gross generally doesn't help moods.

On the other hand, if Rin isn't taking care of herself, its clearly because her mood is gone south. What had Rin been talking about last time, the twin sister? ]

I ain't that dirty yet.

[except that she had been kind of around a lot of ash and dirt before getting back with Night, and there had been a lot of crying alone for the past two days...]

I'm alive, okay?

[Can she be left alone now?]

... You keep shutting yourself away, and we might not be sure of that.

[ Duke doesn't actually step into the room, but there's an armored foot in the way of getting a door slammed shut. ]

.... You found more of those statues, didn't you.

[ that's the only thing the knight can think of. And maybe a specific one... ]

[Her face falls, and as much as she tries to hide it, it's impossible to completely cover that flash of intense pain in her eyes.]

... Night did. I-it... was just hard to see her like that... especially after we lost so many people earlier.

[Well, that's a truth, but it's still not a whole truth.]

Your twin.

[ That flash of pain really leaves few other options. ]

I can't tell if its worse, knowing that there's a remains out there, or not knowing if where or what they're doing. One on hand, knowing. On the other, hope, which damn well hurts more than it ought to.

[That shut her up. A little too well, because any retort she might have had utterly died in her throat, and she lacked any words to follow them up with.]

I don't wanna talk about it...

Completely understandable. I'll leave you alone - well, somewhat alone, because in return for not talking about it, I want you to keep up what you normally do. At least go outside for most of the ... ah, day. I know how tempting it is to go and leave the world to do its own business, but... You can look at it two ways.

[ Awkwardly scratching behind one ear. ]

You can either live your best for them, since they aren't around and you ought to live up to them, or you can live your best, because you know they wouldn't want you moping about and growing sick and lonely and bitter as hell.

Why shouldn't I be bitter?

[She already sounds pretty bitter about it, really. She has good reason to be. She'll never know why Father Fujimoto saved her, and now she's left wondering why she was spared from the Calamity at all. Why her, when Yuki was far more competent than she was?

It didn't feel right. None of it did, and she was hating it more and more.]

What's gonna happen when you're all gone and I'm left here? Say we manage to survive all of this shit anyway, and everyone dies naturally. I'm still gonna be left behind.

I think you should be bitter when it happens. Other than this whole Calamity mess, have you already outlived someone, with natural causes and whatnot? If it hasn't, worry about it when we're wrinkled and grey and you aren't.

[ Probably the most awkward thing to hear from someone with white hair. ]

Until then, you're still the same age - I'm assuming so - as a great deal of the people here. If you're going to worry about outliving us all, then maybe you ought to worry about the next time you want to go get a core. Maybe that snake thing will eat you in truth, and you don't really need to worry about outliving anyone.

[At least Duke looks physically young, in spite of that.]

I'm fifteen and I already know I'm gonna outlive most people I know. Nothin' has killed me yet and it's gonna have to try pretty damn hard to actually do it.

Look me in the eyes and tell me it isn't completely fucked up that I know this about myself.

[She's pretty convinced nothing is actually going to be able to kill her, regardless of how difficult the creatures on the Skyway are.]

It isn't "fucked up". It's terribly unfortunate, but you know. And you know that you don't have what a human considers a lifespan, and you get to decide - do you want to spend however long you end up living alone, without any friends because you're scared to get hurt when one eventually dies of old age, or is killed because we're stuck in this.. bastion thing. Or you can live, remembering all those fun times you have with your friends, protecting people and helping them and maybe you'll be able to be there for their grandkids, and it will hurt, but you'll have nice things to go with it.

[ And here is a thin, pained smile from Duke. ]

I'm pretty sure that the option to "avoid everything ever" involves eventual insanity. that seems to be what happened to my twin.

I don't want to loose anyone.

[As she spoke, those words forced out with pained emphasis, tears renewed in her eyes, not even bothering to hover there. They slipped down her cheeks faster than she could stop them, and trembling fists clenched at her sides.]

I was supposed to become stronger so no one else would have'ta die...

[She was a child, and even though she had done her best to keep herself outwardly strong and reliable at a level far beyond what some one her age should have capable of, inside she was still a child.]

It's not fair... none of it is fair... I just want my sister back...

I don't think anyone wants to lose anyone.

[ Duke stares at Rin for a moment, then... awkwardly catches the girl about the shoulders and tucks her against the knight's side. This is awkward and companion-y without being girl-y. ]

Life sucks when you have to be responsible and then mountains fall from the sky or whatever this calamity was.

I wasn't even that good at bein' responsible...

[She sniffles harshly, rubbing sleeves over her damp face.]

Yuki was the responsible one... the smart one... she was good at everythin'. Why me... ? Why not her? Why not someone that can do more than just cook? She was a doctor for fuck's sake!

Things woulda been so much easier for all of you if she had been here instead'a me...

[ You know the secret of holding onto someone like this, Rin? Its not terribly hard for Duke to decide that rapping the top of a moping half-demon's head is a good choice. Like right now. ]

You make it sound like there was a mind behind this calamity, that went and picked and chose who survived and who didn't, and decided for shits and giggles to pick you instead of your sister.

And lighting yourself on fire and being damn hard to kill is definitely "more than just cook".

[The thwap to her head gets a wince of pain and a grumbled 'ow...', though she was less irritated by it than the last time Duke bonked her for being unreasonable.]

Well maybe it shoulda had a mind! 'cause if you knew her you'd know why I was sayin' this.

Well I don't. I know you, and you're more of a help than any of this 'just a cook' nonsense.

[There was no response this time, save for another heavy sniffle as she tried to get her tears under control.]

Sorry...

... If you really want to cry on me, I know what its like to have a twin go run off for .. two decades, without so much as a word.

[ Not as bad as 'I found the statue that is all that remains of my twin', but somewhat close, right? ]

Yuki would never run off... she promised Dad she'd look after me... e-even though I'm the older one...

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And I feel summertime passing in haste, like running out of patience... [OPEN]

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