vatheon | Lights are on but nobody's home

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Lights are on but nobody's home

Who: The resident dumbass newbie couple (Maka Albarn and Rin Okumura)
Where: Starts off in the Plaza, ends up at the classic ~~and abandoned~~ Albarn-Eater-Lalonde-Harley-Egbert-Strider Residence
When: Some time after Rin's post about his fuckin' knives
Style: There are styles besides action?
Status: Closed

[It had been a long time since Maka felt the need to withdraw from people she knew until she could get her wits back, but either way her therapy for having her emotions continually tested was still reading by herself.

It was dumb, of course, blowing up at Rin over his cursing. He always cursed, and she was used to cursing as a whole...although Mrs. Brisby did have a good point, that was not what she was upset about. She wasn't even really angry with him, just unsettled by what she had felt back on the island when that odd darkness attacked. A perfectly nice date ruined by an abrupt ascension to godhood...sure, Rin was confused as hell about it, but to Maka it set off a reaction that she hadn't felt since a certain friend of hers was around.

Submit. Obey. Hope he doesn't go crazy. Remember you are mortal.

Mortal. Inferior.

Well, this inferior mortal didn't wish to welcome fears and feelings like that, nor did she want to burden loved ones with those reactions. So she would stay away until she could get a hold of herself again. Rin was busy anyway, it's not like they'd be seeing each other any time before she recovered.]

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[Except that Rin still had walk to and from Kohaku's and work during the time he was trying to take care of her. Which was a trial in and of itself. Temporary godhood wasn't exactly helpful when one's friends were utterly falling to pieces, and Kohaku had done just that with Shing's sudden and upsetting vanishing act.

An act too many people seemed to be doing in his life lately.

But back to the point at hand, it wasn't as if he was trying to search her out. He wanted to give her time because he knew he was still in his own state of irritation that would only make the situation worse if he tried.

And yet all those thoughts went out the window when he saw her reading in the plaza alone. It wasn't like there was anything special about it - he saw her like that almost every day, but nearly two days apart made him stupidly miss having her on the couch, reading a book quietly with her legs across his while he lazily flipped through TV channels.

Damn, it actually hurt to realize they'd gone that long without talking. More so than it hurt to see Kohaku's blank expression every night. Or maybe that was why it hurt so much - two things that he was partially the cause for, and two things he wasn't entirely sure he could fix.

And he really did want to fix them. Badly.

He didn't mean to say her name out loud, but it just happened.]

Maka...

[...Nope, she stubbornly tucks into herself and obscures her face with the book. Whether or not she heard him, his soul pings at her senses and she does not want to deal with him at the moment. It's too soon.]

[Damnit. He knew that reaction. She was trying to ignore him. Way to make it hurt worse, Maka.]

... Maka, please... I just wanna talk...

There's nothing to talk about.

[Eyes still on the pages, not really taking in the words but trying their damnedest to.]

Yes there is! God, at least let me apologize, okay?!

[He moves closer, but not by much, still keeping distance between them. He drags a hand through his hair roughly, not really thinking about what he's saying, just sort of rambling emotionally.]

Fuck, if you're gonna leave me then just let me make somethin' right! I don't even know why you're really mad at me but obviously I did somethin' to piss you off and I can try to apologize for that! O... or I'unno, if you really wanna yell at me or hit me again, fine! If it'll make you feel better! Just...

[He trails off quietly, shoulders slumping as he looks for all the world like a kicked puppy, staring pleadingly at Maka. He would rather take all the blame for the situation than leave her still mad at him.

Even if it means leaving him for good.]

... just... don't... let it end like this, okay? Please...

Edited 2012-08-16 06:40 (UTC)

[He really thought she wanted to end things? That hurt, but it gave her more fuel to distance herself. Still, making a scene in public was about the last thing she wanted to do, this wasn't a situation with her father where it was advantageous to make the other guy look bad.

She shuts her book and stands, glaring daggers.]

Just--stop it! You don't get it, okay? Leave me alone, I don't want to talk to you right now!

[And with that said, she takes off running. Surprisingly fast for all her appearance, but mostly fueled by the desire to just get away. Not that she necessarily knows where she's going, it seems like her feet are carrying her to some place instinctual.]

[He was just dumb enough to not understand that one fight between a couple isn't the end, and just insecure enough to think that she was looking for a reason to end it anyway.]

No! I don't get it! I'm tryin' to understand but you won't-- MAKA! Maka, come back!

[He's pretty fast, too, but her taking off like that does give him enough hesitation that she gets some distance on him. When he does finally follow, he chases after her quickly, but it's hard to actually catch up when there are other people he has to nearly plow through.

He doesn't care, just as long as he can keep her in sight.]

[Then she stops, skidding to a halt in front of a house that would look unfamiliar to Rin but seems to hold much significance for her judging by the pause she makes before hurrying inside.

It's been a long time since she's been to this place, it seems nobody even cleared out all the furniture in that time. But it's only a minor note in her mind as she goes upstairs and retreats into her old room, immediately burrowing under the covers.

Anybody would give up after someone just up and ran off, wouldn't they?]

[Anyone who wasn't Rin Okumura: resident stubborn ass. He keeps on her pretty damn well, all things considered, losing her only once long enough to just barely catch a pigtail rounding a corner.

He doesn't even think twice about following her in to the building, though that is where he does actually lose her for a few moments. He didn't give up, though, checking rooms until he sees the lump under the blankets.

Panting a bit, he stops at the doorway, leaning against it.]

Maka... please...

[There's a mumble of "go away" before the lump curls up tighter.]

It's not good for you...to talk to me right now. [She had intended to, she did, hiding things from loved ones proved to be harmful. But not while she was still remembering the feeling of nothingness that came with death, the raw betrayal she had yet to come to terms with.

He's gone, he's gone, it shouldn't hurt so much.

Though it did.]

Why?! Why isn't it?! I just wanna understand, Maka! Please help me understand!

[His voice cracked as his volume rose. He didn't move in to the room, though. It took everything he had, every ounce of strength to keep from throwing himself past the doorway and in to the bedroom so he could just wrap his arms around her and never let go.]

... just tell me... what I did wrong... just that and I promise I'll go away...

...I'm...

[This is entirely too much grief for either of them to be handling, how old are they supposed to be again? Sometimes she forgets with all the turmoil being thrown their way. She can handle anything that's thrown at her, so she says, but the limit might have been reached.]

Scared. That thing that happened on the island...when you changed like that. It scared me.

[Rin forgets weekly that he's supposed to be a high school student. Probably comes with the territory of being an exorcist.

Hearing that, his hand drops from the door frame.]

The thing-- ... what, the... power that Ammy gave me... ? Well, borrowed... Maka... that's...

[He sighs, and moves in to the room finally, crouching down next to the bed. He doesn't move the blanket away from her face, but he does tug on the edge enough to hopefully let her see him.]

Maka, look at me. Do I look any different? Is... is my tail any longer? Are my ears? Look, even my teeth. Seriously.

[To demonstrate, he even pulls up on his upper lip to show his fangs, and even waves his tail at her, showing it's the same as it was last week.]

I'm... the same Rin. I promise. I didn't mean to scare you... I don't wanna scare you. Ever. I know I've done some stupid, stupid shit but I swear I'd never do anything to you. New powers or not.

You... you believe me... don't you... ?

Of course I do...you're Rin.

[That about says it all, but she sits up and fixes an anxious gaze at him.]

It's dumb. But...gods are very important in my world. The ruler of the world runs my school, after all, and his son is a good friend of mine.

...Or he...was a good friend of mine. He...did that to me. [She can't say it, so instead she puts her hands to her throat to indicate what "that" was.]

Oh...

[Oh. Well. Suddenly the past few days made a lot more sense. No wonder she was acting so... off.

Frowning, Rin reached up and took one of her hands gently, pulling it back down and giving it a gentle squeeze.]

I get it. I do. But... I ain't a god. Not any more than I was last week. Yeah, I kept the power but everything is...

[He moves his other hand out, indicating that the godhood is more or less gone for good.]

And honestly? I wouldn't wanna be. Especially if you're gonna be scared of me like that. Fuck, Maka, I don't even wanna be... whatever being related to Satan makes me!

[A few of the demons sent after him did call him 'young master' or 'prince', so he's pretty sure at least in Gehenna he'd be considered pretty high up the proverbial totem pole.

Not that he wants to be.]

I'm just... me. That's... that's okay, isn't it?

[He tilts his head a bit, looking up at her with a nearly pleading expression. He just wants things to be alright between them again, but he knows he can't undo what happened during the battle.]

Why...why wouldn't that be okay?

[Rin was safe, Rin was warm; everything Rin was just by being himself was much, much higher in Maka's mind than just "okay." He wasn't perfect, who was? But he was Rin.]

I screwed up, all right? I was completely out of line and I thought staying away from you would be better until I sorted myself out again. I'm sorry.

Hey, no... you didn't screw up...

[He let go of her hand, if only to sit up enough to wrap his arms around her tightly, pulling her in to a comforting embrace. He knew he wasn't really any different than he had been before the eclipse, and he hoped that she could feel it. Even if she already knew it, feeling it right then was probably something she needed.]

Just... talk to me next time... ? Even if it's only to tell me you need some space. If that's what you want, I'll give it to you, but let me know that's what you want. Okay?

[A quiet sniff before she returns the embrace.]

It...actually feels better talking to you. But I know you need space right now yourself, so you can take care of Kohaku.

[Right. Kohaku. She was probably still at her apartment, now empty with Beryl's absence as well, lying on her bed and staring blankly at the wall. Any efforts to get little more than a nod or a 'yes/no' answer from her had turned out to be useless. He could get her to eat, but only if he was there to watch her and made sure she actually took in more than a bite or two.

It was like living with a ghost, and Rin wasn't entirely sure how much more his heart could take of it.

He pulled away reluctantly and sat back, looking down at his hands.]

I... think I might... need some help with her.

Help?

[Right, people couldn't usually take care of a person on their own if it was something major like what happened. And he did mention that Kohaku's boyfriend had gone and done something "stupid" as well, so...]

Um...what can I do?

I don't... really know. But I don't think I can do this alone, either...

[He shook his head slowly, looking uncertain and even a little uncomfortable.]

She won't eat or sleep unless I make her. I have to be watching her constantly or else she just... sits there. Staring.

[A pause to swallow hard. Everything else aside, it was just painful to see some one who considered him a little brother going through such obvious pain and not even be able to express it because she was so broken by it.]

I can't... work like that, and take care of her, and spend time with you. Or do anything else I'd wanna do. I mean at least she's not goin' out and gettin' hurt or anything, but...

I guess this is almost worse... if I left her alone she'd just... waste away, waiting for Shing to come back...

...Hey, you don't have to spend time with me.

[That aside, Maka takes a moment to come up with any ideas that would be helpful.]

Does she have other friends here? You could coordinate a schedule with them to check up on her and make sure she's taken care of.

Tch. I wanna. Isn't that a good enough reason?

[He scowls a bit, but it leaves after a second along with a thoughtful sigh.]

I think I can, yeah. I know... a lot of them contacted me after they were killed.

Hmm~ make sure to remember to ask them nicely for help, okay?

[lolololol]

... oh ha ha. Funny. I'll be a goddamn gentleman, if it'll keep you from throwin' another book at my head.

[And for emphases, he prodded her forehead lightly with a finger. After, he looked around curiously at the room they were in.]

... hey so, what is this place anyway? Seemed like you knew it when you ran in here.

This place?

[Oh right, only friends that were here when she first arrived and were still here would know about the house.]

This was the house I lived in when I first came to Vatheon. [She gestures all around the room and shrugs.] This was my room. The room next door to me was Soul's and we used to have a lot of other people living with us. People from our world, friends we had made here, things like that...I haven't been back here in months.

[It's...dusty.]

After that whole thing with...[when is it going to stop wrenching at her heart to say his name?] my friend happened, I couldn't bring myself to come back here. I didn't want anyone to have to deal with me, least of all Soul--even if he was in a coma at the time. I guess I still had a thought that he'd wake up.

Edited (ermahgerd heard) 2012-08-17 06:41 (UTC)

[Rin stood up and walked about the room a bit, peeking out the window at the what could be seen of the structure.]

Whoa... it's huge... it's almost as big as the dorm back at True Cross! How many people did you have livin' here?

[He didn't say anything about her leaving while her friend was in a coma, knowing it was a sore subject that she probably didn't want to elaborate on.]

[Brb, taking a mental tally.]

Me, Soul, John, Rose, Dave, Jade...Kid and Black*Star kind of popped in and out, then there was Liz and Patti, then Kim and Jackie, then Mr. Egbert. But most of the time it was just me in one room, Soul in the room next door, Kid, Liz and Patti in the other next door room, Kim and Jackie in a room on the ground floor, Rose and John on the third floor and Dave and Jade in separate rooms on the third floor.

[She's surprised she remembers all of that, frankly.]

So about 11 people in total to the ten rooms here. And since some people shared rooms instead of having their own we still could have taken more in. I think Mr. Egbert was the only adult we ever had in the house with us, and that's 'cause he was John's dad.

Wow...

[He stretches his arms over his head, putting his hands behind his back.]

... did'ya like it here? I mean... aside from the crap that happened with your friend...

[At this she smiles, actually smiles, and nods.]

Yeah. It was home. And all of us wanted to make this a place we'd never want to leave...everything I know is still here; my books in the library, my journal, the attic on the third floor. I miss it a lot sometimes...that's probably why I ran back here.

Makes sense...

[He let his arms fall and turned back to the bed, flopping down next to her. It kicks a bit a bit of dust, but it's not too bad since she's already knocked most of it off by being there.]

... what if we moved here?

Eh?

[Moving back? She could go back?]

You'd be okay with living here? Well--actually, what am I saying, you could have your own room again, of course you'd be okay with living here. But what about Masaru?

This place is huge! We could fit Masaru and anyone else who wanted to in here and probably still have room to spare! It's way better than that cramped apartment!

[He swings his legs up a bit, tilting his head back to stare at the wall. After a second though he straightens again and gives her and odd look, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck a little]

I don't mind us sharin' a room, though... but if you want your own room that's cool too.

...Well, if you don't mind, I don't mind. I guess that makes the move back to the villa official.

Haa. Sweet! This'll be awesome!

[Excitement from the idea of moving to to a bigger place fades pretty quickly, but in it's place there's a level of contentment that hadn't been there before. All his stupid worrying was for nothing in the end, and he feels a lot better now that they've finally talked.

Better... and tired. But he's trying his best to ignore that lately.

Instead he just... hugs Maka again.]

Sorry I'm such a dumbass...

What are you talking about?

[PFFT, hugs are nice, yes let's hug.]

It's my fault for being such a...well, such a bitch.

[Yes. Good. Hugging. Hugging and cuddling both.]

The tail thing was kinda... bitchy.

You'd better pray I don't do it again, Okumura.

... please don't. That really hurt. I had ice on my back for an hour after you left.

[He's pouting, even if she can't really see it.]

[Shoosh, shoosh, no more cry.]

Don't worry about it so much.

[She can't promise that it won't happen again since...circumstances, but she can avoid doing it on a daily basis. ~~Petting, however, will never be off-limits.~~]

[Okay okay. No more.]

... 'kay. ... think you're gonna be okay now?

Yeah...I think so.

[A pause as she looks around the room again.]

I need to get started on cleaning up this place, though. And don't you have somewhere to be right now?

... shit what time is it?!

[Rin jerks back in a flail, patting his pockets for his SFC frantically.]

[Just...watching him flail about, already taking down a mental tally of what cleaning supplies she'll need.]

Yeah, you might want to go.

[Yup. He's going. He actually jumps up and runs for the door, but not before turning around and giving Maka a kiss on the cheek. THEN he takes off, yelling something rather incoherent but sounds vaguely like "I'll call you later BYE!"]

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Lights are on but nobody's home

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