[FIN] Ups and Downs

[Suudonym]

Being in Kodo continued to be strangely intimidating, and Luke found himself reluctant to leave his apartment on most days. With the advent of spring, though, came weather too nice to experience in full by simply opening his window, and after great deliberation the boy had decided to pick himself up and spend a little time outside to take in the breeze and sunshine. That decision found him now in the little park-like area near the apartments, a lawn of soft green stretching out for a short distance towards a small pond of water installed to collect rainwater that drained from nearby parking lots and walkways. The young noble placed himself beneath one of the handful of trees scattered across the area, watching the sun's reflection against the water in an idle silence, enjoying the ability to think of nothing.  

[Tori Honoo]

With the sun so high and the breeze so light, Dove couldn't have chosen a better day to explore the city a little more on her own. Being able to see her friends--though she was still hesitant to call them 'friends' specifically, as she had little idea if any of them actually considered her to be a friend to them-- when they had arrived and the warm rays from above had washed away a lot of the remaining uneasiness from the weeks recently past, though she definitely still had a list of loose ends that had yet to be tied.

The girl now wandered along a sidewalk, Lovey at her heels as always, enjoying the weather and stillness of the day, absently watching as people--families, couples, interesting individuals-- went about their lives, scurrying into stores, window shopping, or simply just enjoying the day as she was. However, when Lovey barked excitedly and trotted off, the girl turned, curious as to what had the pokemon so excited.

She watched as Lovey approached the boy on the ground, just as she had that first day in the park. With much less hesitation than she had imagined she would have when approaching him alone, she followed, stopping just short of the young man and shaking her head as Lovey playfully butted his hand with her head. At least now she would have the chance to actually see how he was doing. "Hey, Luke! Enjoying the day?"  

[Suudonym]

There was suddenly an Eevee before him, a familiar enough one that he could associate a name, but he didn't speak it. He watched Lovey's antics absently, as though witnessing them from outside himself, until the sound of his name reassociated himself with his surroundings. He looked up at Dove's approach, turned his eyes down in consideration of her question, and gave a short nod in affirmation.  

[Tori Honoo]

When Luke failed to respond to her affections, Lovey backed away, her head cocked to the side in concern as she looked him over, then took a seat beside him, firmly deciding to take a break from walking.

Dove's reaction, though a little less decisive than her companion, was the same, her brows furrowing a little as she knelt to his level, a bit worried she would find her presence intrusive. He hadn't looked well before, and surely he didn't need to be alone... though, she thought, maybe he wanted to be alone right now. Choosing to risk making yet another mistake in lieu of not even trying, she sat, curling her legs to the side as she looked him over. At least the bruising on his face had gotten a little better... "How are you doing? It's really good to see you again," she told him honestly, tucking her hair back.  

[Suudonym]

He could sense the concern in her words, but he couldn't find a response for it. Suggesting that he was okay or even simply that he was better invited the comparison to times of not being okay or of being worse, and so he voiced neither of those comments, opting instead for a noncommittal shrug.  

[Tori Honoo]

When he did little in response, she nearly withdrew, her suspicion of being a bother only strengthened. However, something kept her at his side, determined to help. He wasn't okay, and it was scaring her, even though she had only known him for so long. Instead of retreating, she nodded, then looked to her hands in her lap. "How was your trip?" Surely he would open up if he could only get him to talk. She didnt want to push him, but if there was any way she could help...  

[Suudonym]

The memory of being at home was one of those points of comparison for being not okay and for being worse, and it was only after great hesitation that he succeeded in conceiving his quiet response, "I've had better."  

[Tori Honoo]

She nodded, a look of apology on her face. "I'm sorry to hear that..." she said softly, a tinge if regret in her voice. "I-I mean... I'm sure it was hard, but--"

She stopped herself quickly, completely at a loss for what to say. She knew what she had to say, but to start there would just be a catastrophe for them both.

"But Yuri went with you?" The topic wasn't exactly ideal, but... "At least you had a friend with you, right?"  

[Suudonym]

Hard, that was a bit of an understatement, but he wasn't about to say as much nor qualify his reasoning. Instead he responded to the comment on Yuri's presence, nodding briefly as he drew up his knees and folded his arms atop them. The strange atmosphere at the dock days earlier returned to his thoughts, and he posed his curiosity in a predictably small voice, "Are… you and Yuri on bad terms?" He remembered a time long ago - or it felt longer than it actually had been, he supposed - when she had readily agreed with his evaluation of Yuri as a good person, so the swordsman's terse remark at the pier had been unexpected and confusing.  

[Tori Honoo]

Her shoulders drooped before she was able to stop herself. Instead of giving a straight answer, she shook her head, offering him an encouraging smile, willing to answer whatever he asked. "Don't worry about me and Yuri. He's a fantastic person and... you're lucky to have him as a friend. I just... messed up."  

[Suudonym]

Number one way to give someone a reason to worry: tell them not to worry. He wouldn't press into a subject that she clearly wanted to dismiss, though, so he rested his chin on his arms with a light sigh, staring with unfocused eyes ahead. You should apologize. A murmured voice echoed his thoughts easily before it even fully understood their meaning, "I should apologize." Why was he apologizing? Right, for the hospital, for the way he had behaved, for frightening her.  

[Tori Honoo]

"What?" She's hook her head, reaching out to him and laying a hand lightly on his arm. "No... You've nothing to apologize for," she told him, her face and tone gentle but serious. She tightened her fingers just a bit, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. Her voice dropped to a softer level. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

She looked away a minute. "I've wanted to apologize since that day, but by the time I finally had the courage to do it, you had gone back to Grande Ile..."  

[Suudonym]

He felt his transgression should have been clear enough, and so he was confused when the apology was refuted and returned. He turned his head slightly to regard her with an expression that expected some kind of elaboration.  

[Tori Honoo]

At his look, she drew a deep breath, then expounded on her apology. "I shouldn't have read Asch's letter to you... I-It wasn't my place, and I'm sorry I intruded and forced you to hear it from...me." she looked back to him again. "And then to top it all off, I panicked and left when you needed someone..."

Then continued to panic and took it out on Yuri and kept running away.
" I left then, but I won't again. I'll always be here if you need me, for anything."

After a long pause, she spoke again, finally able to offer her condolences, as well as her apology.

"I'm so sorry, Luke. ...for everything that's happened."  

[Suudonym]

Gradually he shifted to return his gaze forward. "It would have been the same," he said eventually, his tone barely above a whisper, "no matter who read it. It wouldn't be any different." There was no voice in the world that could have made that information acceptable. Nor did it seem there was any amount of time that would make the information acceptable, and he swallowed uncomfortably at the cold feeling taking root in his fingertips, in his stomach.

"Everything that's happened," he repeated, an empty despair beginning to override the blank features he wore, "is my fault. Don't apologize."