post-dungeon regroup

[discutio]

[Obviously, they had to pull back and recover; Phoenix thought it would be best to head to the pseudo-headquarters in Invidia and settle back into the mansion to recover as well as consolidate what they all knew. There was a lot to get through, and a lot of recovery to be done by some of them. He'd need to talk to Etoile, thank Ariel, thank Medic again--]

[...But for now, he just about immediately collapsed on a couch and decided he would exist there for a while. You're on your own for food this time, kids.]

Comments

[discutio]

I think it possible, at the very least. Why--are you concerned it isn't?

[twibeast]

Of course I am. Wolfsbane seems certain of her butterfly theory but… many of her ideas have turned out to be completely wrong in the past. We have even less of an idea of what’s going on than we usually do, and I’m truly worried this may be irreversible given what we’ve seen happen to some of the specters here…

And… also…

[ ……… ]

Phoenix… about a thing you said earlier…

May I… could I share with you a concerning thought I’ve been having lately?

[discutio]

You can tell me anything you feel you need to, Achilles. I'm listening.

[twibeast]

[ He does a quick look around, makes sure no one else can hear this, especially the person in question, before: ]

Are we truly recovering Rei’s memories?

[discutio]

...If not hers, then whose do you believe they are?

[twibeast]

I don’t know.

But… ever we started experiencing the loops in that school layer and considering the possibility of them not all being hers I have been… finding myself in a spiral of doubt. Especially because…

[ He furrows his eyebrows for a moment, thinking carefully about this before swallowing what felt like a heavy lump growing in his throat. ]

Back in Avaritia… I was the one who later caught the butterfly that had been in the casino. I didn’t share what I saw with everyone else at the time because… well what I had seen was especially terrible and I felt it was something that, if it truly was Rei’s, was a private thing that she should be the one to tell others about.

But her reaction to me telling her what I had seen… when I think about it now, it’s a little strange that I had to tell her at all. Either the memories don’t actually return to their original owner, which wouldn’t help us much with Chiron, or we’ve been wrong this whole time about what they even are.

[discutio]

[Phoenix was silent at first, to the point where one might be forgiven for thinking he'd outright fallen asleep. But he was just thinking the idea over, trying to find sense in something that made very little.]

Given those two options, I might lean towards the latter. All of us well know by now that memory is a somewhat...shifting and uncertain thing in this place. Perhaps it is highly likely we misunderstood something to do with the butterflies and their overall relevance to Rei specifically, but that does not necessarily mean that either Rei's or Chiron's memories are fully lost to them.

[twibeast]

[ It’s Achilles’ turn now to go quiet again. ]

…I truly hope that’s the case. I want… Rei to not be so turmoiled by mysteries left behind by the gaps she still has, and I want Chiron…

[ … ]

Whatever my feelings may be, more than anything I just want my friend.

[ He’s still his friend now, to him anyway, but will the other even think the same without those memories of all this time together? ]

It’s… always been the three of us. The eldest and the closest thing to guardians this group has… trying to take care of the others and working together, even with the bumps along the way.

[ If they had actually died in there today…

He can’t help hunching over a little, his voice getting softer. Shakier. ]

I… I would fall apart without the both of you here with me.

[discutio]

...We were enemies, once. When both of us were vastly different people. He was the one I was fighting when I lost my sight. Even knowing that now and understanding how much I don't know of who I was and what I was fighting for, I...don't care. I'm not that person, and I don't believe he is either.

[Phoenix reached up to brush a hand against Achilles' face, voice quiet and likely more openly honest than he had been in a while.]

I need both of you more than you know. Looking after the others and keeping everything in relative working order...I can't do any of it on my own. So we're going to fix this, one way or another.

[twibeast]

[ Achilles is quiet but does not shy away from Phoenix's hand. On the contrary, he finds his own hand going to Phoenix's, pressing it closer as he leans his cheek against it in a sort of gentle desperation.

...There's a wetness on said cheek that betrays the silent crying that had started during all this.

He doesn't say anything else though. He just shakily nods, knowing that at least like this Phoenix will know that's what he's doing. ]

[discutio]

...It's going to be alright, Achilles. We're not alone in this. We'll get his memory back even if I have to smack him in the head with my cane until he remembers.

[twibeast]

[ That gets a breathless laugh out of him. ]

I would almost like to see that.

…Thank you, Phoenix.

I… must apologize. For becoming so sentimental.

[discutio]

We don't have much left to us but sentiment, my friend. There's nothing to apologize for.

[twibeast]

I suppose that much is true... still, you're the one that was hurt and yet I'm the one here getting misty eyed-- it's a little silly of me.

[ Despite saying that he is finally starting to feel a little bit better. Like he might be able to start believing that things will be okay after all, even if it may take some time to do so.

...

...you know what. Fuck it.

He leans over and despite the slightly awkward position, manages to leave a soft, short kiss on Phoenix's burns. You know, just normal friend stuff. ]

...Does it still hurt anywhere?

[discutio]

[Phoenix smiled, with a short and embarrassed laugh.]

I'll be alright, thanks to Medic. It's nothing a bit of rest won't cure--I imagine it looks far worse than it is.

[twibeast]

[ He straightens himself back up. ]

Worse for wear is somewhat of an understatement, my friend. If you may pardon my language, I believe the correct term might be "you look like shit."

[discutio]

Well, I can't always be so well put together, I suppose. At least I didn't come out of it missing a hand for very long, else we might all end up starving to death.

[twibeast]

[ ............................... ]

Goddess, I had completely forgotten Medic had to re-attach your hand.

[ what the actual godsdamn fuck ]

[discutio]

It's fine, Achilles. That was the only real time she managed to hit me, and it barely even hurts anymore.

[twibeast]

[ He might now be giving a wary glance at the hand that had previously been brushing against his face. Does he remember which hand was cut off? Of course not. Is he now wondering if he just held a hand that was severed on the floor just an hour or so ago? Yes.

Not that that's a problem but he's still thinking about it.

He sighs. ]

I suppose we should just count our blessings that such an injury somehow hadn't happened to any of us before. And that it was fixable.

[discutio]

[for god's sake achilles do you want to smooch or don't you]

We were lucky on several fronts. I don't expect such fortune to hold out, so we'll need to be exceptionally careful from here on out.

[twibeast]

[ HE DOES BUT STILL!! ]

Mmm...

At least now we know what we're really up against. And who to look out for.

[ And also who to Fuck Up ]

[discutio]

We'll find some way to manage. Right now all that matters is putting ourselves back together and preparing ourselves to keep going.

[twibeast]

Indeed.

[ He finds himself now brushing his fingers against Phoenix's bangs ]

Speaking of... I fear I have kept you up a bit too long. You should sleep, dear.

[discutio]

Hm...perhaps. You don't mind staying here for a bit longer, do you?