experiencepoints | (no subject)

[she's still trying to smile, but it's strained.]

Yeah?

... You don't need to force yourself.

[ opens her arms out, offering a hug? :( ]

...

[she hesitates, but then hugs her tight.]

If I wasn't forcing myself, I'd just be drunk alone in my room again right now. I kind of do need to.

I was referring to your smile.

[ yeah, this is a pretty damn tight hug ]

[leans into...]

So was I.

You can push yourself without forcing cheer.

[ YOUR HAIR. IT IS BEING STROKED. ]

Do you want to talk about it?

... Not really, honestly. But I need to. I came here to warn you, after all.

... Hm.

How long do you have with us?

... I don't know.

[i should be getting back soon but maybe i can stay here where i won't fuck up anything else.]

[ welp ]

[ SCOOPING YOU UP BRIDAL STYLE ]

[.... oh ./////. oh my. i'm okay with this.]

Well, you know that you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you'd like! It's never a bad thing to give yourself some time to decompress.

[ setting you down gently underneath a tree, and flopping to sit cross-legged against the stump. ]

...

[she shakes her head, tensing up again]

I'm sorry. I have... a lot to confess. And once that's done, I really... you probably won't want me to stay.

[ gently: ]

It's bad form to make assumptions.

...

[deep breath]

We're responsible for Nyssa torturing a team to death. And we played on Amalthea in a bad game.

The castle's gone, now. The realm belongs to Nyssa, somehow. The Queen's like her puppet now. It's bad.

So... Don't come back. Stay here. Please.

[ WELL THAT'S ]

[ THAT'S. ]

[ THAT'S SURE SOMETHING, ISN'T IT ]

Nyssa—what?

She took over. Everything is hers now. The castle's been replaced by her realm.

Then we have to fix it!

[ That's her response, immediate and firm, cutting through the horror bubbling in the pit of her stomach. ]

How?

[ with a bite of restrained sarcasm: ]

By sitting safely in Cecilia's realm, doing absolutely nothing. [ ROLLS HER EYES … and then takes a deep breath, visibly dialling herself back a few notches. ] I don't know how to fix it yet, but we can find out through research and experimentation.

Don't you remember last time we tried 'experimenting' with Nyssa?! Those clocks broke, and now Sparrow got killed again and now she's some kind of zombie!

[ NOW SHE'S SOME KIND OF FUCKING WHAT ]

[ no, nalea. slowly. focus. breathe. ]

Nightingale, making mistakes and being set back doesn't mean that you shouldn't continue to try. It means that you need to re-evaluate your position and change tactics. We can and will fix this; it's just a matter of finding the right path.

She has control of the Queen. If you fight her, what's stopping her from just unmaking your mirror? Ending things right there?

[ closes her eyes, counts down from three. ]

Stop.

[... stops...]