cancry | all tween heartthrobs are angsty as hell

all tween heartthrobs are angsty as hell

A-ah......AAUGH!

[ It happens because of sunlight.

The boy had been drifting through Limbo, as he does every day - reporting to a school without any sense of how he gets there or how he returns, or even where he returns - when the sight of sunlight shifting against a wall had caught his eye. He'd paused, for the first time, reflected upon this. Sunlight means it's gotten warmer, doesn't it? And warmer means....seasons....

....wait, do seasons exist here, so then how does he know what they are

where is he going

why is he going there

what is he doing here

he's

he's

It hits him like a slap to the face, and he's running through the streets now, pushing past people (sorry), trying to make sense, for the first time, of the roads and the paths and route he's been gliding down every day without thinking, but it doesn't, and the MORE he thinks about it the more lost he gets, this isn't normal, this isn't right, and the reason it's like this is because it's....because he's....

I'm dead, the boy realizes, and that knowledge comes coupled with another thought. He doesn't know where it's come from, but only that it opens a pit in his stomach that he feels himself falling into.

I've failed. ]

I-it can't be...It can't be!

[ Someone will be hurt, if he dies - it's burned into the core he's only just realized he has, an aversion to being dead, an aversion to doing harm. To whom? He doesn't remember. Who has meaning to him? What meaning does he have to himself....?!

Oh. This stops him. And he finally falls to his knees. ]

W-who am I....?

[ Weird that a kid this bland-looking could be so dramatic. But here he be. Good luck with that. ]

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[Today's just full of surprises!] Goodness, my dear, you needn't have overexerted yourself! You know I could always come to you instead.

[He rubs the back of his head, which honestly doesn't make his hair any messier than it normally is.] Well. Here is your gateway to the world of being what we call an Executor, if it's truly what you wish. Just, ah, give her a moment.

[ The boy stares at the newcomer, unsure what to make of this. She's...young, too. Is this "Rei"? And she...

Ran? Why?

He can't think of a single reason why anyone would do that. Why anyone would do that for him. ]

.....Ah.

[ Even as she's panting for breath, she shakes her head. ]

N–no, I had to hurry right over! It's important to get people caught up as soon as we find them. I wouldn't want anyone feeling lost any longer than they have to.

[ Okay, now she's a little more put together, they can actually proceed. ]

How much have you explained so far?

You always put me on the spot like this, don't you?

[He casually counts off on his fingers.] Dead, awoken, wrongness, Cogs broken, can be granted power to help fight our way to fixing it. Memories that can be regained, however slowly. [Which does seem to be some form of sticking point.]

[ What is this? Are they...bantering?

--No, he mustn't lose focus. The boy shakes his head. He doesn't want his mind to cloud again. This is another thing of which he's certain.

When he's sure he's on-track, he turns to Rei. ]

He said there's a way I can discover who I was. And to make my crimes right.

[ Whatever they are. ]

Please grant me that.

Crimes...?

[ He says it with such certainty that Rei is thrown off for a moment, but then she realizes – ah. He's talking about sin. The reason any of them are here at all.

She hesitates, but only for a moment, before beginning with her usual offer. ]

I... I can't promise you you'll be able to make anything right. And the things you'll remember... they might be painful. They could hurt you badly enough that you wish you'd never remembered them at all. Is this still what you want?

[ His expression, if not crumples, at least wrinkles when he hears making things right might not be possible. Yet there's also some part of him that feels....like this is expected? What's done can't be undone. This is another thing, like I have things I must do, that's not in question.

As for the things he may remember....

The boy swallows. But he replies anyway. ]

Yes.

It's a place to start, at any rate, and most of us seem to think it beats running about trying to talk to the rest of these people who don't even know they're dead.

[He gives a playful bow to Rei.] If you would do the honors, my lady.

[ As uncomfortable as she still might be making the offer, Rei's brisk and businesslike when it comes down to it. She lightly tugs at her sleeve to pull it back and uncover the Executor marking on her wrist. As soon as it's uncovered, it begins to glow with a pale golden light that blots out everyone's vision for a moment. There's a beat of quiet and still before the world jerks back into motion.

Contract established.

With that, you're free to claim both your freebie starter power and you also have a free Memoria Regain, and a free Idea to use as you'd like! ]

... It's done. Um... are you alright?

Uh.......yes.

[ From the way the boy is blinking and staring at nothing, though, he clearly is not. That had been - that had been so much. The fog had blown
away a little, and what had laid beneath it only dredged up more questions, more confusion. And he's not sure he can pick through it all, right now, so, then......

One thing to hang onto. One thing he knows. He has that. Maybe that's the start? ]

I'm....

[ Lost. Why lost? ]

...."Monarch."

[ a perfectly normal title for a grade-school child ]

Hello, Monarch. [sure!!!] I'm Chiron.

Well. I awoke as Your Majesty, and someone decided to find a more fitting name for me, so Chiron it is.

And this, as you may have surmised, is Rei. You're one of us now.

Chiron-san. Rei-san.

[ He's Monarch and Chiron was "Your Majesty"...? Is there a connection, or significance? What causes these titles to arise in their minds?

He'll have to investigate. That's....that's another thing that's possible. He is an Executor. He's going to make things right. Together with these people?

...Possibly. So he bows. He's...pretty sure that's what's expected when people older than you do something for you, and he's also pretty sure both these people are older. Rei looks a little older, even if Monarch is taller. ]

I'm in your care.

[ The smile Rei gives in return is a little sheepish, like she's not quite sure how to handle being bowed to like that. For all the noise she makes about being the leader and being responsible, she really doesn't think she's quite the right fit to be leading these people.

But... who else could even fill in for her if she wouldn't? ]

It's good to have you with us. We all keep an eye on each other here, so there'll always be someone who has your back while you're working things out.

Thanks very much.

[ He...doesn't need to ask why? She gave it to him already. The Executors look out for each other. Just by being an Executor, he's....

No matter what he's done? Even if he doesn't know what he's done?

That's strange, and part of him hesitates to accept it, but there's another part of him that is encouraged. No one here fully knows what their sins are yet, do they? He's not alone.

He's not alone.

You could probably revitalize a droughted field with the pure, healing peace radiating from the smile that prompts. ]

Rei, I do believe you could part the clouds on a rainy day just by being yourself. [Look at that smile! Rei's good at this.]

We'll have to introduce you to the rest of us, and give you some space to test out your powers, whatever they may be. And give you a crash course on the, hm, unfortunate social politics going on here, but- well, it isn't as though we lack time. [Time is a fake concept but at least Invida has some kind of day/night cycle!]

[ Do I even need to say that she goes red? ]

Just– try not to pay attention to the things Chiron comes out with.

[ Of course, it's hard to take her too seriously when she looks so flustered. ]

[ Monarch wouldn't know, frankly. Monarch only knows that he does not know anything. That's....kind of the whole panic attack, etc. ]

.......Ah.

[ Take this moment, for instance! He has powers? And there's something occurring in Purgatory - something social, when so few of them are cognizant? - that is best described as "unfortunate"....Where should he even begin?

Blinking and looking completely disoriented seems like a good starting point, apparently. ]

[He waves a hand at her in a pish-posh sort of gesture.] There's a lot for the boy to catch up on! And you're busy with your dance routine.

Monarch, dear, I know this is a touch overwhelming. But I promise you're about to meet some people who would very much like to make you feel welcome, and to help you adjust.

[and then there's wolfsbane who will do that not at all but shh he said some]

[ Rei nods along earnestly! ]

Th–that's right! There's Beast and Lion and Ariel and– [ abruptly realizing that throwing a list of names at him is probably going to make him feel MORE overwhelmed and forcing herself to stop. ] – w–well, anyway...!

They're all so kind and ready to help. You don't have to worry about it.

[ He...doesn't have to worry? It's really okay? He's not - inconveniencing anyone, or interfering with a team, or any number of thoughts that crowd into his mind?

But all of those are a smokescreen, Monarch notices. They have invited him to be Part of something. And this makes him both thrilled and nervous.

He decides, after a moment, to be thrilled. ]

Mm. Thank you.

So....

[ he's considering the particulars and realizing he may not have examined all the fine print ]

....what should I do?

Get settled, first off, I think. There are an abundant number of places to stay, however...

[however you sir are a CHILD!!!]

There's a rather large house a number of us have commandeered into something of a home. You are more than welcome there, at least to start to get your bearings and to meet some of the rest.

And a park we use for training not too far from there.

There's a library, too, if you like books! And a convenience store where you can find things you might need.

[ she's helping!! ]

Limbo might be a little strange but you should be able to manage fine when you settle in.

I understand.

[ As much as he can under the circumstances, anyway. So they're even offering him a place to remain. It really is...somewhere to belong.

To belong.

Going back to the house he'd been commuting to and from every day before feels so wrong now, as does the fact he can barely remember the faces of the people who lived there with him. It was a lie, wasn't it? Or an act. They were only acting out a family. No one there actually cared, including him.

This fact makes Monarch, for some reason, sad. So although this alternative also makes him extremely nervous (what if he's in the way, he is new, and a child, and knows Absolutely Nothing): ]

If I'm not imposing, I'll house with everyone.

Not an imposition at all. I can try to warn everyone not to swarm you at once, to give you some breathing room and for you to approach on your own. I'm afraid some of them are a bit busy, but it's all going to be fine, one way or another. [Perhaps not as comforting as he might want it to sound!]

Rei, dear, I do apologize for dragging you from your practice. Did you want to go back?

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all tween heartthrobs are angsty as hell

I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE GIRL (HERE SHE COMES)

Re: I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE GIRL (HERE SHE COMES)

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