alttitude | [ kyouka & jae-ha, monday ]

[ Kyouka is hesitant because the tapestries that got put up tell everyone she's a killer, as if her trying to knife Zendragon didn't showcase that already. ]

... What are you borrowing me for?

You said you wanted to find the place you belong, didn't you?

Do you have a place in mind for that already?

[ - if jae-ha saw the tapestries or the assassination attempt, he doesn't seem to say anything about it at all.]

Yes. I know it.

[ She's a little more curious now than wary.

Her gaze is questioning, beckoning him to go on. ]

Can you describe it to me? Besides a place full of light -

[for the sake of avoiding captcha we can say that they exchanged names in their intro thread

but he'll take a few steps, looking back at her and encouraging her to follow him]

[ It takes a beat, but she decides to follow him. ]

It's full of laughter and food. It's loud but welcoming. There are many strong personalities, but most of all, they're good people. They help people. They save people.

[ They helped her. They saved her. ]

I want to be a part of them.

It sounds like a wonderful place - I'm sure they're waiting for you to come home too.

Can you tell me what the people look like? I'm something of an artist - I've been told I have a good eye for beauty.

[has he been told that or did he imagine it]

Maybe I can find something to sketch with in the tailor's room.

[ - just to explain where he's leading her to]

[ She went purposefully missing, so she doesn't know if they're waiting her. She'd like it if that were the case.

She's business-like in her description, as if she's listing a wanted criminal's profile. ]

Uneven hair, like it was cut like a knife. [ Kyouka makes a hand motion in the angle that Atsushi's bangs make. ] He wears suspenders, a tie, and fingerless gloves.

[ ... ]

Are you going to draw them?

Something like that... What color are his eyes? His hair?

[he'll open the door to the tailor's room for her, quietly poking even as he continues to pursue some answers]

[ She enters obediently enough, only watching him do... whatever he means do. ]

His hair is grey. His eyes are purple and yellow.

[and for that....]

A funny thing happened today - when I opened the scrolls left in our rooms, I was given a pinch of magic.

[and as such, he makes a gesture with his hand and conjures an illusion. a young man just as kyouka described - obviously not a picture perfect imitation of atsushi, but jae-ha is certainly trying]

So.. something like this?

[ Kyouka hasn't gone to her room yet, so she files away that information. What good would the scroll do for her?

She gets really close to the illusion, examining it with a little wonder and a somewhat critical eye. ]

It's close. I didn't think I'd get to see him again so soon.

[ Her voice gets soft, and she looks like a lonely 14 year old girl for a brief moment. ]

Can you only make an image of people? Can you I ask to see someone else?

I've tried a few things....

[And he lets the image of Atsushi fade, though he waves goodbye to Kyouka before he does, his mouth saying 'see you later' as if it'll soften the blow. Then Jae-ha will gesture to the space above them, where he's created the image of a beautiful, blue, open sky.]

I can expand it a little bit... but it's not often very big.

If you tell me what you want to see, I can try to bring it to you.

[ Almost unconsciously, her hand reaches for the space where Atsushi disappears, and her hand forms a fist that she places over her chest. ]

It doesn't have to be a life size image. If it's small but whole, it's okay. I'll...

[ Honestly, she doesn't know how she'll feel. It's something she keeps hidden in her heart.

She closes her eyes. Her small fist trembles ever so slightly. ]

A man with a long bowl cut. He's calm and smiling, sitting at a dining table. He's wearing a sweater over a button up shirt and happy to be home from work. A woman with long silky dark hair down to her waist, her bangs parted in the middle. Some of her hair is pulled back in a small but neat bun. She's wearing a kimono with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, and she's beautiful and stands strong.

[ It's the last time her family was whole. ]

[ . . . with that much detail, Jae-ha can't make it very large. But he listens to her request, dreams it up in her mind, and then moves to stand next to her. His steps are audible, heavy so that she knows exactly where he is so that she won't be startled.

With a wave of his hand, he tries to build the image in front of Kyouka. It takes up the space in front of them. The two sit at the dining table and - a little touch of Jae-ha's own intuition - he places Kyouka in the image too. She sits between them, happy.

Carefully and slowly, he places his hand to hold over her fist, warm and certain.]

... you can open your eyes.

[ Her eyes open, and the image instantly brings tears to her eyes. She chokes on her own memories, and Jae-ha's addition makes her instinctively grasp his hand tightly with both of hers. She's trying so hard not to break down; her shoulders quake with the effort.

It's not long until she brings her hands to her face to cover it. It's an illusion too beautiful to bear, and finally, she sobs, sounding the most like a little lost girl than she has in ages. ]

[ - ah.

Jae-ha's expression melts into one of fondness coupled with sadness. Children really deserve beauty like this. It's her family, isn't it? But it hurts, because she probably doesn't have it anymore. He remembers reading her tapestry - assassination - and thinking that it's most effective when you pull them away from their families when they're younger.

He doesn't want to scare her, so he warns - ]

I'm going to give you a hug, dear miss Kyouka.

[and he'll bend at the waist to make good on his promise, slowly wrapping his arms around her and encouraging her to come into his chest.]

My goal wasn't your tears... but you've been holding this in, haven't you?

[ Even with the warning, the hug startles her a little, makes her stiffen for a second, but she accepts it.

She gives the tiniest nod against his chest. ]

... It's been years. I'm so sorry.

[ Is she apologizing to him? Is she apologizing to her parents? It's still her fault they're gone, she thinks. Does she deserve to see them like this? Does she deserve to see herself happy with them?

She misses it. She misses them. She misses not being a murderer.

She lets her tears come to a stop before she speaks again. ]

I asked you to show me them, and you did what I asked. My tears aren't your fault. [ ... ] Thank you. For this.

[Jae-ha will wait out her tears for as long as they take, holding her carefully in his arms for as long as she needs. His fingers run through her hair in soft, soothing motions as he lets her cry against him. His heart aches for her, for innocence disappearing so young, and he just softly reminds her - ]

There's nothing to be sorry about.

[He's not mad. And he's here for her.]

... I wanted to show you a little bit of beauty, of what you might miss. Even if it happened a long time ago, some wounds don't get to heal if you don't let them sting. It's okay to feel that pain.

It's alright if you still need to cry.

[ She shakes her head. Crying has never brought them back. Crying has never stopped any other atrocities from happening. Crying has never stopped the orders coming from her phone. ]

I'll miss them for as long as I live.

[ She'll miss what she had, the time when she was happy and knew she belonged. ]

[ . . . Jae-ha just sighs, softly, and like he wishes that he could stop anything bad from ever happening to her.]

... ah.

It means that their memory will get to live on in you. So make sure you have a very long, long life so you can tell their stories to everyone.

[ ...

Her prolonged silence is telling. She hasn't thought about living a long, long life in a long, long time.

But she doesn't want her parents to be forgotten. ]

... I'll try.

[ That's the best she can do without blatantly lying. ]

[For Jae-ha, that can stand to be enough.

He hugs her close and makes a soft, affirmative noise.]

I'm sure that choice would make them happy.

[ kyouka & jae-ha, monday ]

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