text;

[discutio]

If anyone else felt that, don't be alarmed. We spoke to the student council president, and I believe Etoile and myself now possess this layer's Authority.

We were able to discern that the previous president was the Authority before we arrived, and presumably through this place's stagnation became...well. We'll likely meet her in the underside, let me leave it at that.

It was a complicated situation, but I believe both this layer and the rest of us will be able to move on very soon. Make sure you are all prepared.

Comments

[discutio]

Absolutely. It will no doubt be a relief to all involved that time moves normally again.



Do you have a moment?

[schardynfreude]

Ah, a phrase to stab fear into even the iciest of hearts. I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said no?

[discutio]

Probably not.

It's nothing to do with memories, at least none of ours. I just


would like to talk.

[schardynfreude]

Oh

Name a place

[discutio]

Perhaps there's time for a small chess club meeting before pressing onwards? I can be there momentarily.

[schardynfreude]

[He should probably reply with some kind of affirmative. He does not! He just. huffs at his phone for a long moment before he makes his way to chess club, a very very very familiar sight (ha) by now. Sat at a desk, as usual, with a board getting set up.]

[discutio]

[Phoenix arrived not terribly long afterwards; he had (un?)fortunately learned the layout of the school far too well in their time there.]

[...When he arrived, he closed the door behind him and simply leaned back against it as if utterly exhausted. Whether or not he knew Chiron was there--surely, he must have--he gave no sign of it.]

[schardynfreude]

...Being an Authority takes quite a bit out of you, does it?

[discutio]

...No. I feel fine, at least physically.

[Taking off his sunglasses, he pressed a hand to his eyes.]

I know what happened. Back in the gym--pieces of it, at least.

[schardynfreude]

Come sit. I'll even put the game away.

[discutio]

I will, just...

[. . .]

Come here for a second.

[schardynfreude]

[He freezes.]

...Do you need help?

[discutio]

Something like that. Just come over here, would you?

[schardynfreude]

[There's still hesitation, but eventually the mild scrape of the chair pushing back, the rustle of Chiron's layers of clothing, steady steps over to the door.]

What can I do?

[discutio]

[Apparently, stand there. Phoenix stepped forward and pressed his head against Chiron's shoulder, arms wrapping loosely around him.]

[...It had been a long day preceded by several long days. Over and over again.]

[schardynfreude]

[There's a small surprised sound, not quite an oh but very similar. And less hesitation than getting up was, before Chiron wraps his arms around Phoenix more firmly, pulling him in comfy and easy.]

[discutio]

[Very gradually, some deep-rooted tension carried in Phoenix's entire body began to unwind. Gods, he was exhausted. And Astrals forbid anyone else know it. He had to be better than this, because if he fell apart who would stop the rest of them from doing as much?]

[But Chiron already knew him--who he used to be--better than that. Flawed, impulsive, likely to throw away that perfect composure the instant it became necessary to do so. So then, this was fine. Trusting Chiron with this, regardless of what kind of enemies they had been, that was fine.]

[schardynfreude]

[Such a strange thing. He doesn't have any desire, currently, to do harm to Phoenix. That had been the point before, hadn't it? And yet, even through the hug, Chiron keeps thinking that it's going to happen. That he's going to hurt Phoenix. That he's going to use this in some way to do harm to this young man. And why should that happen? Why does that seem so certain to him? Because history suggests they were at odds? They aren't now.]

You should get some rest.

[discutio]

...When we finish what we came here to do, I will.

[The response felt automatic. When this is done, when this is over, when he could shift the goalposts just a little further, then he would theoretically rest. It felt like he'd brushed such concerns off a thousand times; not in this world, not with Chiron, but done it with someone.]

[And speaking of Chiron, he distantly noticed this should have felt unthinkably wrong. He remembered the fight at the altar over someone whose name and face Phoenix still failed to recognize, remembered whoever that person was had been so terrible an enemy that he had sought immeasurable power merely to drive him off.]

[(Knew, now, that there was a wider and darker history behind that person which he still could not bring himself to speak of here.)]

[But Chiron was Chiron, and he was Phoenix. Who those people were, why they had fought and what they had fought over--did it really matter? Did any of it matter when they were both dead?]

[He wasn't as sure as he wanted to be, but that was a problem for another day.]

[schardynfreude]

Ah ah ah. You can't use 'I'll sleep when I'm dead' here, you know. [Because that's the implication. He'll rest when the job is done? Really now, and how many more layers is that going to be?

Just because Chiron had come to a realization that sleep was not necessary didn't mean he didn't feel exhaustion from time to time, whether truly physical or simply emotional.]

[discutio]

[He should have known better--anyone else might have taken that to mean 'when we reach the next layer'. Chiron was smarter than that. Or just knew him too well.]

...not yet. We still have work to do in this layer.

[schardynfreude]

You can rest before we fight whatever we're going to face below, you know.

[discutio]

I was given to understand that was what I was doing now.

[It was about as close as he got to 'rest', at least.]

[schardynfreude]

...I quite think I'll never truly understand you. [Said with quite a bit of amusement in his voice.]

[discutio]

I fear the feeling is very mutual.