deernet | voice; un: lowell

[anna has not brought her weapon with her today, but she's still standing outside the door of the mansion, leaning on the side of the building expectantly with her arms cross. as she sees yuri approaching, she pushes off and walks up to meet him and his dog. usually she'd be all about letting that pupper get a sniff, but she's got more important things to worry about. there's... not exactly a scowl on her face, but she doesn't sound as easygoing as she normally does by a long shot.]

So you're just gonna be like this until he comes back?

[ Normally, he would smile at that. It's kind of funny. It's funny when people are pissed at him. But he doesn't think he has the energy to smile right now, so he just raises an eyebrow at her ]

Oh, yeah, give me a save the date, I'll put on my best clothes and be there with bells on when he rises from the dead.

You think that's gonna be it for Flynn? He shows up on a mystery beach as a squid, then some shithead cuts him down and he's gone forever?

[a realization comes to mind, and she catches herself. she's gonna try to remain civil while she explains, even though she knows it's gonna sound like bullshit garbage from her mouth.]

Right. You're new to this. Something about places like this... they don't like us dying. We always came back in Recolle. Should be the same here. [her tone shifts back towards how it started once she's done explaining.] But even if it's not, you think he'd want you acting like this?

Man, people really just come back from the dead for you guys? That would be pretty damn nice.

[ Niren dying, Estelle almost dying-- it would have been a lot easier to deal with if they just... came back. ]

Yeah, I got the spiel. It's hard to believe. But that's the reason his body is still rotting in my living room instead of burned by now. So I just live with his corpse for, what? A week, a month, until he deigns to come back to life?

[ His voice has a hard edge to it, something like sarcasm, but he really means it, too ]

Maybe! I don't fuckin' know, dude. I don't know how it works here.

[despite her word choice, she's not... well. she's not as angry as she probably could be, given the circumstances. he's clearly suffering, and she can't imagine what it would be like to be living with the corpse of someone who matters to him this much. but that means she has to kick his ass into gear about it.]

But if you don't want to live with his body in your living room, maybe you find a place to put him that actually matters. Make a goddamn shrine or dig a grave or something. You can't do nothing and expect it to get better.

Yeah. No one does.

[ Because damn Flynn had to be the first one to snuff it. ]

Yeah, so if he does come back, he dies from being buried alive. Great.

[ He's thought about this. More than he wants to. His mind if going over the possibilities, how to solve this problem, and all roads lead him to: leave him there. ]

Pretty sure nothing is exactly what I do right now. I do nothing and he comes back, or he doesn't, and I'll deal with that then.

So you stand there with your boyfriend's corpse in your living room just trying to pretend it's not there? Just trying to live your life like that?

[that's a hell of an assumption for her to be making, but, like. whatever, she's getting a little more pissed now and not watching her words as carefully.]

You have to find a place for him to be. One that isn't right there in the middle of your life. Somewhere where people can treat him with respect, instead of like furniture.

[ Well at least the word doesn't really hit Yuri. He's too distracted by everything else she's saying. He doesn't care what people refer to Flynn as, at least if it's not an insult. Boyfriend, sure. Why not. ]

I thought we were here to beat something up, not talk about Flynn.

[ Because he really just needs to not. Think about him right now. Or about his body in the living room because dammit, she's right. She's right and he can't just have Flynn rotting there, but letting Flynn's body be somewhere that he can't keep an eye on it also isn't an option. ]

Think I'm doing an okay job beating you up.

[there's no humor in that, for once. her voice gets firm, and she levels her eye at him.]

I told you to meet me here because I've been where you are. I know what it looks like when it starts getting real like this. And unless you wanna sink into that place for a damn long time, you're gonna snap the fuck out of it, you're gonna listen to me, and you're gonna find a place to put Flynn.

[ All Yuri wants to do right now is sulk and grieve and hit things, but she has a point. She has a point and he pushes a hand back through his hair with a groan. ]

Fine. Fine! So where do we put him?

[god. is this what freya felt like dealing with her all the time, she idly wonders, but right now she's taking it as a victory. everything about her gets less harsh as soon as he gives up.]

You know him better than me. You guys have any kind of place back home that was important to you two? Or maybe just to him?

[ Ah, Anna, you're dealing with a petulant 22 year old who's refused responsibility his whole life. Unfortunately, this is to be expected. ]

A place... we grew up in the capital. The Comet was pretty important, but mostly because that's where we slept. And we liked hanging out on roofs, but I'm not putting him on the roof.

[ He sighs, a hand on his hip as he looks away from her. Repede is sitting at his side patiently. He's put up with Yuri's shit for years now ]

He, he lived in the castle? But he didn't like it much. I dunno. Places aren't that important.

I've been meaning to build his omen a stable. I could... do that?

[ It would be something to do. And would solve this problem. ]

[she gives repede a look that could probably be sympathetic; dog person or not, she thinks she can tell that this is kind of a normal thing with yuri. and hell, she used to be a dramatic fucker herself. she gets it. (might still have a streak of that inside her, but she'll unpack that later.)]

Sounds like a good idea. It's a project that can take your mind off things, and it gives his omen a place to rest. They're supposed to be some kind of soul manifestation or something, right? [she's not about to summon vier right now, but there's gotta be a reason her cat is missing the same eye that she is.] So it can also be like giving his soul a resting place. I can help out, if you want.

Yeah. Except Daisy's gone too. Disappeared. Poof.

[ He sighs, hanging his head. But-- if Flynn does come back, Daisy will too.

And if they don't, well. He can always use a storage room or something. Or, well, he gave Blue his room. He could sleep in the stable. He's done that before. It'll be homey. ]

Okay, fine. So I build a stable, and put his body in there while he rots.

[ It's not a nice thing to say, but Yuri can't believe that he is definitely coming back if it's not a sure thing. If he's gone forever, having hope is the worst thing. And, well. ]

He's not my boyfriend.

[hm. that does introduce some complications. but it looks like he's working past it all the same. they've got a solution, and all it took was a little verbal ass kicking. and hell, that last sentence actually gets a sharp laugh from her, like she's surprised he's going back to it.]

My bad. Whatever you two are. [maybe... she doesn't know. maybe talking more about the dead isn't a good idea, but maybe it is. she's taking a guess, and he'll shut her up if she goes too far, she's sure.] You know I went on a little river trip with him too? He seemed pretty torn up about someone named Estelle. Someone else from back home?

[ A laugh is nice. Talking about other things is nice. He saw Estelle, too. Neither of them really did right by her, not as well as they could have.

He doesn't know why he had to clarify it, except that he doesn't want people to remember Flynn wrong. He should be remembered for who he is: strong and loyal and brave, a person in his own right, someone who was working tirelessly to make the world a better place at the detriment of himself. He isn't just Yuri's friend, boyfriend, whatever. He's Flynn. ]

Yeah. Friend of ours. She's okay, now. Or she was, last I saw her, but there... well. I can guess why he'd be mad about how he treated her.

Though she might be. He said something about her getting sick, but... hey, she's better now, right? That's the point. [she can piece together enough of the rest of it from context. it explains why he thought of it as a regret, and a regret big enough to end up on the same river she'd been to twice.]

I got some really good vibes from him, honestly. Different than the ones I get from you, but... still good, you know? [she takes a couple steps closer to the exit of the mansion yard, more towards the rest of the neighborhood. the idea of telling people's stories is fresh on her mind, for some reason.] C'mon. Let's start looking for some stuff to build that stable. Maybe you can tell me more about Flynn while we're working.

Sick, huh? She was used, by the guy he worked for, to try and take over the world. You know the type. I let her get caught by him. [ And that was his regret. Trusting Raven, letting Estelle get conned into being Alexei's pawn. ]

Yeah, he has good vibes. Stiff and annoying, but good. [ He falls into step at her side, glad to be doing something. Repede walks with them, his eyes intent and focused, watching out for Yuri because Yuri isn't doing it for himself ]

Uh, sure. Yeah. I can do that.

[ Blue told him that talking about Flynn would be good for him. And, if he doesn't come back, it would be nice if other people knew something more about Flynn, too. ]

Maybe, maybe you can tell me more about your sister, too. If you want.

[ Maybe he can offer her something, too. ]

[mm. serious regrets about her, both of them coming from different directions. it's possible for so many separate failures to happen and for someone to still come out okay from it, in the end. that's encouraging, quietly. it might be something to consider when talking about—her sister. her sister, who yuri wants to talk about. and even if she'd talked about beth earlier, there's no threat of choking on a river of blood this time. even if she recognizes the door that's being opened...]

One eulogy at a time. [halfway words. schrödinger's joke. but it's not really much of one either way; his wound is still open and actively bleeding. hers are all hidden, internal. scarred over but still tender when she pokes at them.] I want to make sure you're good first.

[ She doesn't want to talk about it, that's fine. That's fine, Yuri can just talk about Flynn. He sighs, shaking his head. ]

Yeah. Sure. I got 15 years of stories about the guy.

...where are we gonna get wood at night?

[ Well, maybe the market is open. He doesn't know. This place is weird, maybe you can get lumber at any hour of the day. ]

[is it that obvious? at least he can tell. one day, maybe. but he's given her an opening for a joke that she's gonna try to take.]

Strip club?

[because really she has no idea, and maybe this wasn't planned out very well. but she's doing it anyway.]

Or we could try cutting down some trees and get our own wood. Depends what he'd want. He much of a nature boy?

[ Stop being funny, Anna. He doesn't laugh, but he does break a little, then, glancing at her with what's almost a smile ]

Nope. City boy, I don't think he knows an oak from a maple.

[ And neither does Yuri, but she doesn't have to know that. ]

Maybe... yeah. Could be fun.

[ "Fun" meaning he gets to hit something a lot, so he's in. ]

Yeah, then let's head out to the forest and chop some wood. See, told you you'd get to beat on stuff. [and she speaks clearly, turning her head over her shoulder.] Vier!

[in a familiar puff of smoke, a small cat appears on her shoulder, perched there carefully with its missing eye matching anna's own. once the cat appears, she speaks more quietly, in a way that's almost uncharacteristically gentle. even if it is very deliberately in another language.] Bitte kannst du mir meinen Schwert bringen? Vielen dank.

[and with that, the cat disappears in that same puff of smoke, off to get her sword and return with it once they get it. you know, omen stuff.]

Don't know if katanas are great at chopping down trees, but we'll figure it out.

Nice cat.

[ Yuri is only momentarily startled by the cat, but, well, he's used to Smokey and Daisy by now. What's a cat appearing out of nowhere? Normal, totally normal.

He really doesn't want to wreck his sword, though. If Flynn is dead, it's one of the memories he'll have of him. He grips the sheath tighter in his hand. He doesn't want to have memories of Flynn. He wants to have the real deal, the guy, back with him.

It's incredibly frustrating to not be able to do anything. ]

Yeah. I don't have an axe yet. Should probably look into getting one.

[ That's easier than thinking about Flynn ]

Lead on.

[vier can find them once they get there, she's sure, but right now she's gonna lead yuri to the lamp and take them both to the one that's closest to the forest. once they emerge, she leads him to the edge—not too deep at all, because who knows what lurks within, but there's some sturdy trees there, at least.]

This is gonna be a hell of an endeavor. You do much woodworking?

[as if on cue, vier pops into existence holding anna's katana in their mouth. she reaches down and takes it by the hilt, then pets their head and gives them another vielen dank before they disappear.]

'Cause this is definitely not a chopping weapon on its own. Wonder if it would be too dangerous to try to strike some of these off with lightning. [idly, she runs the flat of the blade over her palm.]

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