namestrees | IC Inbox

[Noishe had been happily sunning, and gives a soft tail swisher, ear waggle and grumblewhining noise in greeting to Yuri. At least for all the shenanigans recently, the dog(?) Is still happy to see people he knows! Especially the people his boy had been worried about.

It doesn't take long after the knock that the door edges open-- and yes, It's Lloyd, rather than any of the other denizens of the house. Still a little off around the edges, but infinitely better than Yuri would have last seen him. No extra limbs, no crazy unblinking eyes.

And for a half-second after answerig the door, he's quiet, like his brain is catching up. Yuri is here? After everything he'd put the guy through? Exhaustion (both physical and emotional) made it hard to restrain the massive relief, showing clearly on his face, and he just-- divebombs hugging Yuri. Sorry for your personal space, dude. At least he isn't crying, but like it's a close thing.]

-Sorry. [It's a muffled apology into Yuri's shirt and/or pec cleavage as he clings.]

I keep making things hard for you and Flynn.

[That's the last thing Yuri was expecting, and a rare situation he has no immediate response to. He always tells himself that he's just not big on physical contact. Even with Estelle, he rarely knows how to handle it. Maybe that's true, or maybe it has something to do with the dangerous ache that blooms in his chest, a feeling he tries to tamp down around other people as much as possible. Whatever the case, he freezes up, and Lloyd doesn't get a hug back. He gets the Karol special, a little pat on the head.]

You aren't making anything hard on us. We're the ones that screwed up. I'm sorry.

[Sorry, Yuri. All these non-emotionally repressed teenagers in your life. He doesn't hold the grip, at least, sighing out an exhale and pulling back with a bit of a sheepish look. But look, he's relieved Yuri is okay and willing to even show up here.]

No, you guys were fine. Flynn was right-- I probably shouldn't keep thinking I can do everything.

[There's a pause for a moment, and Noishe rolls to his feet to croon at them, ready to go inside. And so Lloyd steps back, looking up to Yuri as the dogmonster strolls between them to back to his indoor lounging place. Aka the couch. Who is going to keep him off it? Certainly not Lloyd.]

So- uh. You want to come in? I might be able to convince Sophia to part with some of her coffee.

[Flynn is usually at least a little right, even if he likes to be obnoxious about it sometimes. Yuri steps inside, watching Noishe take the couch and wondering, not for the first time, how Repede would fair here.]

Maybe going into the incense wasn't a great idea, but we should have tabled our issues for later, not dragged them out in front of you.

[It's just that, for whatever reason, Flynn gets under Yuri's defenses the way no one else can. He's very, very bad at tabling things when it comes to him. Not that that's an excuse.]

[The home is... surprisingly decently furnished? Look Kratos has been working on living like an actual human ever since Sophia moved in and Lloyd took to dropping in. Not too much in the realm of decorations, except for a throw blanket on the couch that is suspiciously noishe-coloured. He'll gesture to the table and chairs, automatically moving to the small woodstove to start heating some water.]

You can't help that kind of thing, though. Especially when the incense starts playing with your emotions.

[Even as he speaks, he crouches down to light the stove-- by sticking his hand in. Look, it's good to practice as much as possible, and it doesn't cause an explosion, so whatever. Don't worry about it.]

...Kratos said that, too, though. That going out into the incense wasn't a good idea. It's just... really frustrating when you can't do anything.

[Something he's sure Yuri is feeling especially hard right now, given he'd had to watch Flynn turn and try and mediate a goddamned dragon fight.]

Is Flynn doing okay?

[Lloyd seems to be bouncing back just fine, but Yuri can't help but wonder if that's partially some sort of front. His lips quirk up at Lloyd's... innovative way of lighting the stove, but then he's sidetracked again, and the smile is gone.]

Flynn's bouncing back. You know Kratos?

[He's resilient-- but also probably, yeah. More focused on others than himself. He'll work through it. AT the question, he lifts his head.]

Oh, uhh... [Man. It's always a little complicated.] We're from the same world. And he's my father.

[weird order to say those things in but ok.]

[Okay, okay, there was that whole dragon showdown, sure, and he'll get back to that, but—]

Seriously?

[A SHRUG anyway, water is heating, he'll return to the table.]

Yeah. It was a surprise to me, too.

Don't tell me you found out here.

[Alright, this is getting off track. Whoops.]

[It is absolutely getting off track. But hey who doesn't love family gossip? Lloyd does give a small attempt at a laugh at that, shaking his head.]

Oh, no. Back home. It's kinda complicated, but basically when my mom died, he thought I was dead, too. So we got separated.

[Which is.... really glossing over so many details.]

Anyway... you said Flynn's getting better. How about you?

[Glossing over so many, but Lloyd moves on, so Yuri follows his lead. This is usually where Lloyd would get a flippant "fine", but he's been scolded enough by Alphen and Flynn in the last few weeks that he actually hesitates, then sighs.]

I've been better.

[That's something.]

Don't worry about me. I got off easy.

[Look he's not gonna shittalk the angel WHO CAN PROBABLY HEAR ALL THIS. You're a pal, Yuri, but the finer details of family drama can come later.]

...Just because you didn't turn into something doesn't mean it was 'easy'. [It's more of a gentle scolding than Flynn would have given-- but really, Lloyd can't decide which is worse. Losing control of yourself? Or being fully aware and unable to help at all?

They both suck.]

But I'm glad we all made it out of that. And... I didn't hurt you guys too much.

It wouldn't have been your fault if you did.

[And they certainly wouldn't have blamed him for it.]

How are you feeling? Anything still... off?

Mm... I guess.

[He doesn't look convinced by that-- Because sure, it wouldn't have been something he'd tried to do, but it still would have stemmed from his recklessness in trying to assist. Just like in Kiichpan, when he'd been overtaken by the incense and lashed out. But that's hard to articulate, so instead he'll just roll a shoulder, accepting the current lack of blame.

They all screwed up, and they'd all do better. It's not like they can ask anything more from themselves. But stagnating on it and beating themselves up won't help anything either.

As for that question.... A sigh, and he nods.]

Oh, yeah. Mostly just little stuff, like still some scales and my teeth being weird. And- I don't even know how to describe it. [HEAT PITS.... He glances over towards the stove, which is a good example of LARGE HEAT OBJECT. Also to check on the water, though he doesn't leave the side of the table.]

Like- I can kinda feel temperatures? But not feel feel-- it's weird. I'm hoping that part goes away. How about Flynn?

[Feel temperatures, huh? He knows what Lloyd means though, that something is different.]

Yeah. Lingering effects, just like you. Whatever happened with his armor isn't going away. Let's hope you both just need time.

[Because... What's the other option? They're just stuck like this? What an awful thought.]

His armor... [A frown, as he thinks back. Right, it had sort of... melded with him? Turned into the scales? Or-- something. A soft sigh, and he shakes his head.]

...He can't catch a break, huh. [Yuri, too. Showing up, getting attacked by Lloyd. Flynn fighting Jinx and being verbally eviscerated on the journals and medallions. Now this. He stands again, going to where the water on the stove is starting it's soft, roiling noise. They could definitely use some kind of warm drink discussing this.]

At least he's got you to look out for him. And you have him here. It... would probably be a lot harder without someone you know. [A small attempt at a smile, and then he's looking away to busy making them coffee or tea or whatever it was we decided for them to drink.]

It's not painful for him, is it?

I'm not sure I'm doing a great job at that. [Looking out for Flynn, he means. First there was that mess with Jinx, and now this. And sure, Flynn can look out for himself, but still... Flynn's gotten the bulk of the crap they've dealt with here.]

I don't know how painful it is. He isn't talking about it much.

[Hmm. He considers that, returning with two steaming cups if whatever-the-fuck, and setting one down for Yuri.]

You're still there, though. Even if it doesn't work out every time.

[Alright, finally sitting down for good, and he's glancing down.]

He might be really embarrassed. Or worry that people are gonna think he's gross or broken or something. [A shake of the head.]

A friend of mine back home, Colette-- she had to deal with a lot of stuff like that. Losing parts of her humanity... and then later when she got sick, and her skin started crystalling over. She hid it for so long, and when we finally saw she panicked, taking about how gross it was, but...

[Eyes dip down at that for a moment-- but then, nope, he's looking back up, intent as ever.]

No matter what happens to him, it's the same as Colette. She's still herself. She never asked for those things to happen to her, and they never changed who she was. Flynn's still Flynn. He just might need you to remind him of it. That you don't think he's weird or anything.

I know that.

[It comes out a little sharper than he intends, not necessarily out of any real irritation at Lloyd, but because he's still sort of raw about the whole thing. But part of it, too, is that the story about Colette reminds him of Estelle. She's never far from his thoughts, even here.

He sighs, rubs a hand over his face, and reels that back. They're going to have a talk now, so he follows Lloyd's lead and sits. He's been having a lot of talks the last week, huh?]

I know he's still Flynn. Even if those changes are permanent, it doesn't matter. He's still my best friend.

[And maybe at this point he should admit to himself that the term best friend is doing a lot of work in terms of what Flynn means to him, and it has been for a while. Everyone else they're befriending here has certainly seemed to pick up on it.]

I'll make sure he knows, no matter how much I need to remind him.

[It just didn't seem fair to push that conversation when they'd already talked about so many other things they'd been avoiding, and when Flynn had been so exhausted. But he gets the point—don't let it slip.]

[Yuri snaps, and just for a moment there's a shadow over Lloyd's expression- a lip twitching up, a fang half-flexing down. But it fades just as quickly as Yuri's irritation had, and he busies himself with looking down at his drink for an embarrassed moment as Yuri sighs.]

...Sorry. I guess it feels a bit personal to me. More because of Colette than... this stuff. [A gesture with a scaly hand. Whatever bro.]

I guess I just don't want him feeling like she did. Especially when it's kind of my fault. [Would it have happened anyway if they weren't trying to corral Lloyd? He's not sure.]

And I don't really know him well enough to try. So... thanks.

[Not... that this is easy for any of them. And it's only after he says this that he thinks he might be putting too much on Yuri. It's such a hard balancing act.]

But if you need help, too, let us know? Flynn or me or-- anyone else. Keeping everything together for everyone can't be easy.

It's not your fault.

[The masks might have failed anyway, it's true. Or it might have happened another time, on another trip. The whys don't really matter, do they?]

We have a friend back home like that, too. Her powers are unique, and they can be dangerous. Someone ancient called her an "insipid poison", and it got into her head. Whenever she slipped up after that, she thought it was just proof, like she was a curse, but she was wrong. Everything that happens to us outside of our control, it doesn't have any bearing on who we are. The choices we make do. You went into the incense because you wanted to help. Maybe in a perfect world you would have known it was a bad call with your curse, but you're doing the best you can like the rest of us. None of us are going to hold an honest mistake against you, Lloyd.

[Yeah, okay, maybe he's skating past Lloyd's "keeping things together for everyone can't be easy" comment, but he genuinely thinks Lloyd needs to hear this, too.]

[He glances up as Yuri recounts Estelle and her difficulties. And while different, they do sound similar, don't they? Insipid Poison, Forsaken Chosen. Both cruel titles thrown to people who didn't deserve it, to do nothing but shake their faith. As different as their worlds all are, people really are similar throughout them all, huh? Everyone just wants to do what they think is their best.

His hand clamp down tighter on his own cup, and he just--nods. Not gonna get stupid emotional, he had enough of that this morning. But there's probably still some misty eyes happening, anyway.]

--Yeah. You're right.

[It doesn't feel like anything is okay, but that does help feel like maybe he could be. If it's a mistake that can be corrected, then correct it. Just be careful of the ones that can't be. That's what Kratos had sort of said, right? Right before betraying them, sure, but-- maybe that means it was the most honest.]

Yeah, okay. Just like Colette and Estelle. I guess that means we gotta really believe it for us, too.

[Because otherwise they would have lied to their friends, right? You believe something or you don't. And if he said all those things to Colette, it means he has to believe it for himself, too.]

Yeah, we do.

[And maybe Yuri is a bit more willing to say things to other people he doesn't believe for himself, but that's neither here nor there.]

Tell us if you need anything. Be honest. We want to help.

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