geophile | cerealia

[ 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. ]

[ UGHHHH go fade into a tree ]

Pick a spot and I'm there.

[ kya, lunch with steven that isn't a rich person disaster while talking about the weirdness that is cerealia.

... #thedream. ]

[ MAYBE HE WILL!!! FOREVER!!!!! ]

Meet me at the entrance to the Pleasure District. I know a nice place.

[ it's not overly-fancy, don't worry. they'll need something light-hearted to balance out the conversations they've been having lately. ]

[ FINE!!! GOOD RIDDANCE!!! ]

Okay.
I'll see you then!

[ when will their shojo senpai days return with less murder....... hopefully soon before adrien gets himself murdered too.

i mean what, let's go, adrien will be at the entrance to the pleasure district as directed. ]

[ DON'T???? GET MURDERED????? please adrien you can see him as a role model all you want but that is not a behaviour to follow

but okay. while adrien will indeed be at the gate "first", it's only a few moments after he arrives that steven will be swooping down from the air on skarmory's back. always one to make an entrance, he'll dismount off of the flying-type's back like a seasoned pro, without needing to land completely.

once he's adjusted his cuffs and lapels from being blown about by the wind, he'll raise a hand in greeting. skarmory keeps an eye on them from above, wanting to appear nonchalant (despite being glad to see adrien's looking better). ]

Sorry to keep you waiting.

[ what the hell steven you damn show-off. of course what's going through adrien's head is basically "oh good, steven looks okay, and skarmory looks okay, and ... that was so cool." there's a hint of relief in his expression before he settles into a friendly smile, offering a wave for steven...

and then, of course, one for skarmory. once that's done: ]

I just got here. Not as... awesomely, but I wasn't waiting long at all.

[ he is a pleb without a flying pokémon, you see. ]

[ he doesn't mean to be a show-off... okay, maybe he does. but it's almost routine for him at this point, and it shows off just how incredibly cool and strong his pokémon are! if he can do that, he'll gladly be a show-off. ]

Ah, good. Then if you're ready, let's head out.

[ follow along, young one! ]

[ what a nerd. but the nerd has a duckling now as adrien, with a nod, is moving to walk in step with steven as he looks around a little bit. don't mind him, he actually quite likes how the pleasure district looks. ]

Where are we going?

[ this is where steven reveals he's an axe murderer

isn't it ]

[ so both ic and ooc you think i'm going to murder you when i take you somewhere cool?? great. awesome. so glad we have this kind of relationship

but steven just smiles, continuing to lead. they'll be staying in the higher-end part of the district - this is his treat, after all. ]

A cafe that I managed to come across a little while ago. It's quite cozy.

[ it's only a short walk, and the interior is quite ambient - good for quiet conversation. once they're seated and comfortable, steven's attention will be focused on him. ]

[ no i love you i really do i swear YOU'RE THE BEST

ahah. adrien's response to steven's explanation had been a simple interested hum. when they do reach the cafe, his thoughts come out after a small little moment of observation. lightly: ]

I can definitely see the cozy.

[ but, time to get settled. when they sit down, adrien's taking out a notebook from his bag. he should certainly not have any reason to believe that steven could understand what he's got written down there, but he'd previously made some notes to try and remember things that seemed less Concerning, and if it was there anyway... might as well show them to steven. it's in french, of course—if he's going to write things down, he's going to write things down in something not everyone might understand, implants or not. even if it might not really make a difference.

or, er, what was it... kalosian? ]

I don't know what kind of conversations you had out there... But I met someone. [ "how the hell did you get to the terminal without dying adrien," some might ask. "i'm really good at running," he'd respond. ] Here... Can you understand this?

[ he knows u can u nerd

or at least somewhat. the notes themselves, written rather quickly and frazzled (yet still legible), just detail that the masks might be a important culture thing with meaning for someone vague. they symbolized their contracts, beliefs, histories, and a smile meant victory. emphasized is the fact that they should never, ever be broken. ]

[ he looks at the notebook carefully, a hand on his chin as he reads and processes the words. he nods at adrien's question - yes, he can definitely read it (though how he knew he'd be able to is a question that goes unasked).

a lot of specifics go unasked, actually, for the sake of keeping this conversation where it's supposed to be. when he's finished looking over the notes, he sets the book down on the table. ]

If we spoke with the same person, you certainly got more information from them than I did.

[ hm? a hint of surprise runs through adrien's expression at that. the flamine had been... incredibly cooperative, almost unsettlingly so. the only thing it wasn't responsive to seemed to be jokes, but it wasn't as if he really expected them to be the humorous type anyway...

( it's good that steven didn't ask some of the harder questions to answer, honestly, so at least there's that off the table. )

he tilts his head. steven would ask questions, adrien knows that, so he's aware it's at least not a case of "he didn't try to get information". ]

They answered pretty much everything I asked. [ ... ] Weren't they like that with you?

[ he shakes his head. once he had donned his mask, the flamine barely gave him the time of day. it was frustrating at the time, but at least it wasn't the same for everyone else. that way, everyone has a small piece of the puzzle. ]

Quite the opposite, actually. They were adamant about keeping things hidden from me.

[ he'll reach into his suit's inner jacket pocket to take out a pen, clicking it open and turning to a fresh page in adrien's notebook. in their same shared language, he'll write as well - bullet points that summarize his own experiences. the flamines saw those who hadn't killed as "children" and "unfledged", that taking lives constituted as a victory, and that "masks tell no lies".

there isn't much besides those, but it's something. ]

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meouch - 2016-03-10 00:39 (UTC) - Expand

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geophile - 2016-03-10 04:18 (UTC) - Expand

cerealia » ic inbox

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