September mini-event/catchall

[roombamastermind]

Who ⬤ Croix & You [+ one closed prompt with beariot]
What ⬤ September mini-event/catch-all
When ⬤ Sssseptember?
Where ⬤ Throughout the city
Content Warnings ⬤ Bombing-related stuff, injury, will update with anymore if needed

Prompts in comments

Comments

[beariot]

You say that like I did anything more than add hot water to a soup packet and stirred...

[ Still, she supposed she could take the compliment, for once. ]

More importantly, it should have a lot of nutrition in it.

[roombamastermind]

You put your feelings of friendship into it, didn't you? That's an important ingredient as well...is a thing I think you'd say.

[ Croix chuckled a little. ]

Of course. You probably relished the opportunity to get me to eat something besides ramen, eh?

[beariot]

It crossed my mind. [ Chariot chuckled, shrugging just slightly. ]

I've got medicine for you, too, if the pain gets to be a problem. Honestly, you're really lucky you didn't wind up worse...

[ And there was no disguising the relief in Chariot's voice there. She hadn't even realized Croix had been in such a precarious position, when Chariot had rushed off to help civilians clear the area in Shuten territory... She still feels some guilt, not being there in the moment... ]

[roombamastermind]

[ The relief in her voice isn't lost on Croix. It's enough for her to turn serious. ]

I'm sorry, Chariot. I...I told myself there was no time. I had to find and defuse that bomb as quickly as I could.

[ She sighs. ]

But it made me sloppy. I don't know how I missed that fail-safe...

[beariot]

Don't beat yourself up over it... [ She'd been physically beat up enough as it is. ]

I, also, ran out pretty recklessly and nearly had to be carried back from exhausting myself. But no sense in feeling foolish about it... if anything, I'm proud of you for doing what you could, even if it was reckless.

[roombamastermind]

...Heh.

[ She manages a small smile. ]

I guess it does feel pretty good to hear you say you're proud of me. And to actually do the right thing for a change.

[ She thought for a moment...and something came to mind. Chewing on it for a moment, she decided to ask: ]

Um, by the way, Chariot. The other day, I noticed that when you left the house, you were rather dressed up.

[beariot]

[ It was like a glass suddenly shattering, the way she felt her chest seize up. For what it was worth, physically she just seemed to pause, as if remembering... but in reality, things were far... far worse in her mind.

She wasn't ready for this. Croix wasn't ready for this. She couldn't. Croix had just gotten hurt. She'd have nowhere to go, if she needed to leave, to have distance to think or to feel. It would be criminally unfair to Croix to dump it on her there.

That's what she was telling herself. It was an ugly way to paint over the fact that she was the one who couldn't run away, if things went bad, so...

... she just had to, as always, find a different direction to run in. ]

Mr. Sakamoto said it might help my self-confidence if I let myself dress up from time to time.

[roombamastermind]

[ Croix stared at Chariot for a moment. Just for a moment. But in that moment, an eternity passed in her mind. Was that the truth? And what if it wasn't? And more importantly, why did Croix care so much?

She forced herself to smile. ]

I see. I'm happy you can be more confident, and that you can seek out what makes you happy.

[ A loaded comment. She prayed that Chariot didn't read too much into it.

But why did she feel so sad? ]

[beariot]

W-well I don't know about all of that...

[ She was still a work in progress, by any stretch. Levi was helping her start to heal, finally, but... in her own thoughts, alone, it was hard not to slip back into those deep black waters of her own heart, the ones that carried her guilt... they only seemed to grow darker and darker still as time went on, even. She'd just gotten better at finding buoys. ]

Do you... think I'm doing any better?

[roombamastermind]

[ That's all one could expect to find, in Croix's experience. Unfortunately or fortunately, Chariot and Levi were now both her buoys. ]

Hm. Normally I'd want to see more, but...yes. You accepted me back into your life, you have developed new friendships, you're leaving the house dressed more confidently...You're doing well, my friend.