geophile | cerealia

[ she nods at that again, as a promise. while steven can't hear what they're saying (nor does he want to eavesdrop), he does speak up from the other side of the door. ]

Make sure you fully consider the decision you're making, Frisk. Those masks no doubt come from CERES, which means that they're unpredictable. If you destroy it, you may be tempting a repercussion that we won't be able to help you with.

[ he doesn't mean to scare them, but he wants them to understand the risks that could come with doing something like this. he can't stop them, but he can at least inform them. ]

[That's a fair warning. A very, very fair warning. They haven't been here for very long, but they've heard a number of things about CERES. Bad things. Scary things. Things they can and will do to people. If there's going to be some punishment for this, it's guaranteed to be awful. But—

But...

There are things that are scarier than what could happen to them, so. They put the mask on the ground. Try to pretend it isn't there. Look at Aron.]

... Break it. Please?

[#badchoices2016]

[ well, he tried. there isn't much else that he can do without pushing boundaries, and frisk has made their choice. from here on out, he can only support them and do his best to protect them, should anything go wrong.

aron looks down at the mask, then up at frisk before nodding in understanding. she approaches it, focusing power into her front legs. they begin to glow with energy, and once she's focused all of her power, she hops up and slams her stubby feet onto the mask, shattering it with ease. that's quite a bit of power packed into such a tiny body. ]

[Admittedly, they've been very curious about how she could help them break their mask. They had never seen her use any magic before, despite being a monster, and so... It really comes as a surprise when her front legs start glowing. Make that a double surprise, once she effortlessly smashes the mask into itty bitty pieces.

Quite a bit of power, indeed. Frisk blinks, stunned for all of two seconds, before—]

... That was so cool! You're so cool.

[Well. Steven is probably going to hear that from the hallway. At least cool monster powers are a foolproof way to cheer them up.]

[ aron seems very satisfied with her performance, looking quite proud at frisk's praise. she is cool!

meanwhile, while steven isn't quite happy when he hears the sound of the mask shattering, but he can't help the smile that plays on his lips when he hears frisk's reaction. he's proud of all of his pokemon, even the small ones. ]

Can I come in now?

Edited 2016-02-22 03:16 (UTC)

[ guess who saw quatre's post and whose immediate response after feeling terrible that another person died is the implications of Things Happening after death could very much apply to steven instead? and that's worrying, especially when steven reassured him that he was fine.

though adrien's not exactly surprised to at the thought that steven could've been lying to him to... make things seem less dire. not a comforting thought, but an understandable one.

still, he's not going to simply let that go, so. ]

You said you were okay.

[ that is not the usual polite adrien agreste opening greeting but he is mildly (very) concerned about this, okay. ]

[ of course, he saw that post too (and replied to it privately, which i will do when i'm not a lazy shit). at the very least, it gave him reassurance that he wasn't the only one experiencing some anomalies after coming back... but it also concerns him as to why they're happening in the first place. if they're not the norm, then what's triggering them? or who?

regardless, it's unexpected when adrien texts him. if he's leading up to what he thinks he is, this could be... problematic. ]

I am.

[ it's a half truth. he's "fine" in the sense that he's alive and functioning, but could you really call glitching out and seeing faces "fine"? ]

[ things he has a hard time believing now: steven stone's insistence of "i am fine!!", considering the circumstances. adrien doesn't want to be kept in the dark things like this, and that steven might be suffering side-effects of dying that he just wouldn't tell him about is...

... upsetting. adrien is a little upset about being lied to, too, but the main thing isn't about that at the moment. ]

Can you promise that?
That you're fine, and nothing's happening?

[ please just tell him the truth. ]

[ ...damn it, adrien. he doesn't like lying in the first place, so it's especially difficult to convince himself to do so when he's being confronted outright like this. he doesn't want to lie to him, and with the tone that he can practically feel through the text, doing so any longer will probably make things worse. ]

It's nothing dramatic.

[ he can't make that promise, but he won't say more than he has to, either. ]

[ so, that was it.

"it's nothing dramatic" isn't a statement he really believes either. quatre himself looked exhausted, and there was also the fact steven felt he had to take the actions that led them to have this conversation in the first place.

there's a little delay as adrien thinks about what to say. the "..." indicating he's typing persists for a bit, before he finally settles on: ]

But you had to lie about it.

[ lie about it even after adrien told him to be honest, and that he could handle it, and— ]

[ it's been difficult for him to get a good night's rest since reviving, that much he can resonate with. he doesn't regret his decision to lie, and he's ready to face the consequences... but that doesn't mean he has to like it. ]

I said that it was fair for you to worry. That doesn't mean that I wanted to give you more to worry about.

I know. I get it, it's just

[ frustrating? it isn't like he could do anything about the side-effects steven's experiencing from dying, either, just like he couldn't do anything about him dying which just adds to the frustration. and then he's the one getting protected in the end, too.

... mmph. ]

you can rely on me too|

[ ... nope. backspacebackspacebackspacebackspace. ]

If I find out this way, I end up worrying more.

[ call it a flawed sense of duty, but as ready and willing to be relied on as adrien is, steven doesn't want to have to. he felt the same way towards may back home, and as capable as she was in handling hoenn's crises, he doesn't want to have to trouble someone like that again because of his own inadequacies. ]

Then I apologize. It wasn't my intent to betray your trust.

[ considering adrien's exactly the same way he probably has no room to talk about that?! though in his case it's more like an equal trade-off here; he wants to be relied on as much as he relies on others. it's nice to have someone that he can depend on (and in this case that's steven) but if he can't help them in exchange...

also, it isn't like he's been completely honest with steven in all respects. he gets omitting things and lying if necessary, which is why he doesn't even want the apology, either. ]

You didn't. You don't need to say sorry, I understand.

[ .... ]

I'm not being fully honest with you either|

[ .... backspacebackspacebacks... ]

You did it for me, right?
But I don't want you to go through things by yourself.

Of course I did. I don't like to lie, Adrien.

[ a proper gentleman's code of behaviour is to be honest and virtuous. he might be breaking it a little, but it's all in the name of protecting people he cares for. there are times where the truth may not be the best thing to share. ]

I don't think there's anything you can do about this. However, I've learned that through experience that nothing in this place is permanent. I'm sure it will pass with time.

Edited 2016-02-24 21:12 (UTC)

... Thanks. For caring enough to do that, I mean.
Even if I'd rather you didn't have to do that at all.

[ adrien figures he doesn't, steven's not like that, and he can at least appreciate that steven tried to protect him. he doesn't want to be protected and while the thought of being lied to still isn't amazing, he can't deny the motivation behind it. ]

I'm really glad to hear that, though...
Any chance you'll tell me what "it" is?

[ he's still worried. he is a worrying kid who worries. ]

I assure you that I'll be keeping it to the barest of minimums.

[ there's a pause between his messages as he wonders how exactly to go about telling him what's been happening. does he mention the nexus code? or the thing that he feels like is watching him?

...maybe not that last one. ]

I suppose the best way to describe it is physically "glitching" - every so often, I'll find my hands phasing through objects. I'd call it more of an annoyance than anything else...

[ though the whole "feeling like his limbs are lifeless" sensation that comes with it is something he'd like to go without. ]

[ good guy steven, still looking out for adrien.

but... that thing actually does sound kind of familiar. where did he... ah, right. ]

It's... definitely not just you. I know that, at least.
I helped someone out of a tree. He was kind of half in it, half not?
So that's what it was...

[ ... which meant he died too, huh? that's. a pretty sad thought, actually. ]

[ he tries his best :( ]

Others have told me that this isn't the "normal" experience upon revival... Which leads me to believe that something is amiss.

[ it's a concerning thought, to say the least. ]

There was a lot about the place we were in that was... amiss. I don't know if we were ever supposed to be there.

[ especially considering what he learned about from alien-kun, which... he should probably tell steven about. along with A Lot of things. ]

Maybe because you...

[ ... no, he can't type died. ]

Because it happened there, things went wrong somehow?

[ he's tempted to tell adrien that he should acknowledge what happened properly, to say it out loud snd keep the fear from owning his emotions... but that seems cold. it might be because steven himself is repressing it (and he is - he's been trying to distract himself from being alone with his thoughts), but this seems to have taken more of a toll on adrien than himself. ]

It's a possibility. I have a feeling that this whole ordeal is also tied to our masks... But exactly how remains to be seen.

[ he had his own brief conversation with alien-kun, but it didn't yield much. if this mystery was going to be solved, everyone will have to work together. ]

[ he is fifteen and he had nightmares, okay.

anyway, if there's anyone he can absolutely dump the alien-kun deets on, it's steven. but, with the nature of the conversation and how he's unsure whether or not ceres would be privy to it (maybe they already knew he knew in the first place), he's not sure how much detail he should get into. even hiro and him had just... lightly brushed on the subject, and all he knew was that he had a plan of some sort. should he wait for that, or.... ]

I think I can... answer that, at least a bit.
But I don't know how much I should say.

[ not over text, too. ]

[ (cozy)????

that's an intriguing response, though. it surprises him to say the least, and while he's tempted to press for details, this might not be the time or place. ]

I understand.

[ no cozies its his fault???

adrien pauses over it some more, and then: ]

I figured you would.
In person... maybe, if you want, I can explain a little.

[ while definitely leaving out the blowing up home planets part since steven has enough crap to worry about right now (nice hypocrisy, yes). ]

[ SORRY???!?!?! ]

I'd appreciate that. We can talk over lunch?

[ bought, of course. his treat. ]

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