by which i mean it's sunday now!! yay. strohl's been relatively absent even among their new spaces today, though he can eventually be found looking out at the void darkness from the windows of the gates, with his sword over his lap, absently running one hand down the scabbard, phone open on his lap.
his expression is best described as stormy - even stormier than you'd really expect for the situation at hand, but not necessarily attempting to scare off company, either. just lost in thought. ]
[ damn, imagine having facial expressions that people can read. i don't know if kate still has the helmet today so i guess she's out here without it now. she's also changed into some sweatpants and an ASS t-shirt.
with her "face" bare, she hesitates to approach... but after a few moments, she musters up the nerve to say something. ]
[ this sentence gave me psychic damage repeatedly thank you
it's actually the sight of the sooting that gets him to startle - by the time kate makes her way over, he's looking at her with an expression that's briefly just - stunned, like he's seen a ghost.
-- and then he stops. shakes his head. ]
... Sorry. [ voice a little rough. ] Sorry, you... my apologies. [ ough. ] Are... you alright, miss?
[ his eyes follow the soot upwards, briefly, but they come back down - another little shake of his head follows, and this time, he smiles a little, half apologetic, a little rueful. ]
Just...reminiscing, that's all. [ ... ] The date turned out to be different than I thought it might've been.
Since a human - a monster [ the benefit of having already been in a murdergame is understanding now that humans are not usually monsters ] - attacked my home, a place called Halia.
[ he glances over at kate again, at the soot rising from her head. she's... a bit strange looking, but she's young, and it tugs his heartstrings, enough that he huffs quietly and offers a small, rueful smile. ]
A bit of a strange topic for first meetings and first days, in the midst of a strange situation, I'm sure - I didn't mean to frighten or worry you.
[ he huffs - the noise soft, a wry almost laugh. ]
I've a feeling that's going to be the norm. [ a lack of processing time, if his prior experience was any indicator. ] As it sounds like it has been, really.
...you had to go through a situation like this before, as well, right?
Down to its core, yeah. Some're longer, some shorter, some more than once, but it sounds as if they've all been nightmares.
[ which makes the whole "audit" thing feel even worse. he frowns, deep. ]
To go through all of that, only for some outside force to tell you they think they're not sure you deserve whatever you achieved from it - it's wrong beyond measure.
[ there's something low and seething on his end as he says it, a ferocity of protectiveness, a rankled sensation at the injustice of it all. in the context of the burning of halia, seven years to the day, it feels even more stark. ]
If we're forced to play along, I've no intention of playing along quietly - we all get out of this, and break it down in our wake on the way out.
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weekend 0....sunday!!
by which i mean it's sunday now!! yay. strohl's been relatively absent even among their new spaces today, though he can eventually be found looking out at the void darkness from the windows of the gates, with his sword over his lap, absently running one hand down the scabbard, phone open on his lap.
his expression is best described as stormy - even stormier than you'd really expect for the situation at hand, but not necessarily attempting to scare off company, either. just lost in thought. ]
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with her "face" bare, she hesitates to approach... but after a few moments, she musters up the nerve to say something. ]
... What's wrong?
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it's actually the sight of the sooting that gets him to startle - by the time kate makes her way over, he's looking at her with an expression that's briefly just - stunned, like he's seen a ghost.
-- and then he stops. shakes his head. ]
... Sorry. [ voice a little rough. ] Sorry, you... my apologies. [ ough. ] Are... you alright, miss?
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... I'm fine. You're the one who was making an intense face just now...
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Just...reminiscing, that's all. [ ... ] The date turned out to be different than I thought it might've been.
...Thanks. For asking.
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[ she takes out her phone to look at it, too. she taps at the touchscreen very delicately, like she has no idea what she's doing. ]
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...yeah. When I left, it was October. And today's... [ he glances down at the screen again, and after a moment of quiet: ] ...an anniversary.
Suppose now it would be eight years, to the day.
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[ asking softly. she can tell it's something painful. ]
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[ he glances over at kate again, at the soot rising from her head. she's... a bit strange looking, but she's young, and it tugs his heartstrings, enough that he huffs quietly and offers a small, rueful smile. ]
A bit of a strange topic for first meetings and first days, in the midst of a strange situation, I'm sure - I didn't mean to frighten or worry you.
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... It's all right. That sort of experience leaves scars that don't heal easily.
It's a bit unfair that we don't get much time to process such things, at times like this.
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I've a feeling that's going to be the norm. [ a lack of processing time, if his prior experience was any indicator. ] As it sounds like it has been, really.
...you had to go through a situation like this before, as well, right?
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Yes.
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...'m sorry to hear it. [ she's so young, he thinks. ] Worse still, that you got dragged into it again.
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... It's awful. But it's the same for everyone here, isn't it?
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[ which makes the whole "audit" thing feel even worse. he frowns, deep. ]
To go through all of that, only for some outside force to tell you they think they're not sure you deserve whatever you achieved from it - it's wrong beyond measure.
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[ the smoke thickens. ]
I saw how hard everyone was working... -- no, that's not even the point. No one should have to earn the right to live. The very idea is absurd.
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[ there's something low and seething on his end as he says it, a ferocity of protectiveness, a rankled sensation at the injustice of it all. in the context of the burning of halia, seven years to the day, it feels even more stark. ]
If we're forced to play along, I've no intention of playing along quietly - we all get out of this, and break it down in our wake on the way out.
no subject