This confusing labyrinth that swallowed you whole; and I'm lost in there too

[keepsthefire]

Who: Rin + Villa residents
Where: Villa
When: The 26th, some time in the evening
Status: open to Villa residents
Style: action

[Rin waking up after Maka wasn't unusual, nor was it unusual to find the bed empty when he did so, and as such her absence that morning didn't bother him in the least. He got dressed and went about his morning as usual, making breakfast before heading off to work. But the day was strangely devoid of messages from her, even though he sent her several, and by the time he got off from his shift he was feeling a strange worry in the pit of his stomach.

He wanted to ignore it. To pretend like it wasn't what he thought it was. But going home had dashed any of those hopes. The library, living room, kitchen and any other area she might have been in normally were devoid of the miester's presence, and as if to painfully add confirmation to his fears he realized that her hair ties were in the place she had left them the night before.

It was going to happen some day. That was something he knew but had tried for so long to put as far back in his mind as he could. It still felt like a knife in his heart, though, and after already having Yukio leave again and the stupid scuffle with Vanitas on top of the curse that week, he felt something inside him just... shatter.

The kitchen would be devoid of his presence that night. Instead the half demon could be found curled up on the couch, back facing the wall, eyes staring blankly and those two hair ties he had found clutched in his hand as if doing so would bring her back.

If only...]

Comments

[paladaddy]

[Shiro notices something is wrong when there is no dinner being cooked. Between Rin and Marie, someone was always there to cook the meals, so Shiro hadn't had to worry about it for a while. So when there are no good smells coming from the kitchen, he knows something is up.

Rin is the first one he comes across, though he almost misses him because of how quiet he's being. Standing behind the edge of the couch, Shiro peers down at Rin, wondering just what has happened to make his son so depressed.]

What happened to you?

[keepsthefire]

[There was no verbal response from Rin, which in and of itself was very off from how he normally was. Even irritated he would at least muster the energy for a grunt or a snarl or some noise. But this time there was just silence, silence and stillness. His tail wasn't even moving, laying utterly unmoving on the floor next to the couch.

Slowly, though, his hand opened just enough to show the two seemingly insignificant hair ties in his palm.]

[paladaddy]

[Shiro looks down at the hair ties in Rin's hand, then back up at Rin.

It takes a moment, but he makes the connection, and he frowns.]

Did something happen to Maka?

[keepsthefire]

[This time it was a nod, but with it came a surprisingly quiet response.]

Yeah.

[paladaddy]

[Oh dear.

Shiro will move to sit down on the other couch. He has a feeling this will take a while.]

What happened to her?

[keepsthefire]

[Rin moved his legs so Shiro could sit, practically curled in to a ball where he lay.]

She's gone...

[spiria]

[ She had come over to visit earlier, and while she hadn't been over for a while, it was pretty obvious even to her that there was something very different about the Villa. She didn't know Maka as well as she wanted to, but she was at least usually around when she came to visit; not seeing her around made the entire feel of the area a little weird.

What had happened to her didn't quite click for her until she found Rin on the couch, though. She had come over primarily to see him and all, so of course she got worried when she didn't see him either. It only took one look at the hair ties clutched in his hand and she understood what must have happened.

... and she knew she needed to be here for him. He was with her when Shing took off, and though this wasn't quite the same as that, it was bound to be more heart-wrenching for him; before, she knew Shing was at least here, in Vatheon. In this case, Maka was probably no longer here, and there was no saying whether or not she would be back.

She knelt before the couch, brushing some of his hair from his eyes. ]

This place sucks really bad sometimes, little brother.

[keepsthefire]

... why now?

[The question came out in a tiny voice, cracking with emotion and so very unlike himself. His week had been shit. Hell the past month had been shit, and now he just felt like he was getting kicked in the nuts on top of all of that by the coral and it's temperamental, fickle whims.]

[spiria]

Will we ever really know why Vatheon does these things when it does?

[ She stays where she is, looking at him sadly. ]

It sucks that we make our home in this place, only to have parts of our new life ripped away without any notice whatsoever.

[ She's not even going to try to be encouraging or tell him that Maka wouldn't want for him to stay like this. He knows that, and she knows it, and she knows that he knows it. He just needs to feel things out for a while, like she had. And she needs to be there for him. ]

[keepsthefire]

No...

[She's right on all accounts, and deep down he knows he'll pick himself up and keep going until it's his turn to go home. He still has Kid, his father, and many friends that are willing to help him stand up along the way.

But the hurt was there right now and it was difficult to actually see past it. What else could he say, though? I knew the moment he started he was just going to sound like a broken record.]

[spiria]

[ She remained quiet for a few moments, then stood, taking his arm and trying to pull him to a sitting position. ]

Scoot over and let me sit here with you.

[circumsutus]

[Stein would be a poor Shibusen professor if he didn't run a daily check of the bubble for his students. Maka's gone, and if she's lucky, she won't come back.

Then Rin doesn't make dinner, and Stein goes looking for the half demon. A break from normal patterns indicates a problem, and Stein can feel it in Rin's soul.]

There you are, Rin.

[keepsthefire]

[Stein's voice doesn't even register a reaction. There's a barely noticeable twitch of the tip of his tail on the floor, but that's it. He remains uncharacteristically silent and unmoving.]

[circumsutus]

[Stein's not very good at giving comfort.]

She'll be fine. Maka's a strong girl.

[keepsthefire]

[No he's not.]

I know it's fuckin' selfish, but what about me?

[At least it got a response, though.]

[circumsutus]

You're just as strong as she is, Rin, and I don't say that lightly.

[goodlifechoices]

Is there room here on the couch for some company, Rin?

[ Yeah, she's already figured out what happened.

This isn't anything that can't be solved by a nice warm cup of chamomile tea, right? Well, no, probably not, but she'll give it a shot as a measure of comfort. She leans in to hand him a mug that he might as well take because she's not going anywhere. ]

[keepsthefire]

[The mug in front of him gets his attention enough that he forces himself to sit up and take it in his hands. He doesn't speak, but there is a thankful nod from him for it.]

[goodlifechoices]

[ She settles in next to him. He doesn't need to speak, she'll do enough of it for both of them if given the opportunity. It's a little awkward, though. For all that she feels bad for everyone involved, she's happy the kids got to go back to where they belonged. There would be strife there, but they'd overcome it. ]

I know it can't be easy. Being apart from people you care about never is.

[keepsthefire]

[They're lucky, in that they're not returning home to a death sentence over their heads. But that's something Rin has never said to Stein or Marie, and he's not about to bring it up now. A part of him knows they'll be better off at home, but he can't help how the ache of it is selfishly wanting them to come back with memories in tact like nothing ever happened.

To her comment, he just nods again.]

[howamanlives]

[It didn't take Masaru long to find out what had happened. He was thick headed, but not dense. And when he heard what had occurred, he knew he had to do something... Rin was one of his best friends, after all, and the had helped him when Agumon had left.

I mean, Agumon was his partner, not his girlfriend or his boyfriend, but there was still an intense bond there. So in a way, Masaru definitely knew something of what Rin must have been going through.

He had to do something.

And in this case, he'd elected to do what Rin had done for him that day on the island. Except Masaru's attempt at food was... well, it was a bit of a failure. All he knew how to make was eggs and rice, and in this case, the former was burnt and the latter was undercooked.

Nevertheless... he approached on the couch, holdng the plate and looking more than a little nervous]

... Hey Okumura, made you something.

[keepsthefire]

[Food what--

... wow Masaru, that is bad. Rin can tell just from the smell of it. But while he doesn't make a face at it, there's a glance at Masaru like he's not entirely sure this is safe to eat.

But he's survived Mephisto's cooking before and that looked like molten lava, so...]

... thanks.

[howamanlives]

... Ya don't have to eat it if ya don't want.

[he sat down and sighed]

... I'm not good at talking in ways that don't involve my fists, dude. But... I'm here for ya, alright? We don't have to say anything, but... I'm here. I'll stick with ya all day if I have to...

[keepsthefire]

... nah. It's cool. Thanks, man. Really.

[He sounds about as depressed as he looks, but he's at least attempting to be grateful somewhere in there. He genuinely is, it's just more difficult to show it when he's so horridly broken up over what happened.]

I just... need a little bit, y'know? I mean it was gonna happen eventually, for one of us. I just didn't expect--...

[Both Kid and Maka, and on the same day even. So close after Yukio, after the island...]

[howamanlives]

Rin. You're gonna need more than a bit...

[Masaru was frowning, and looking Rin directly in the eye.]

It's not somethin' that just goes away. I mean. I've lost people... not people I loved the way you loved those two, but... people that're important to ya...

... and you're afraid you'll never get them back... That never goes away at all...