pc ♠ chrono

[fried]

wahoo

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[fried]

[ weeeeeeh buddy!! jiaoqiu is on his way to the kitchen when he sees this - and then he keeps walking.

but he'll be back a few minutes later, holding two cups of tea. carefully, he sits down next to chrono, and holds out one to him. he's all bandaged, today, but most of it is under his clothes so it's hard to see. also half his left ear is missing. ]

It seems foolish to ask if you're alright.

[clockpunk]

[ he glances up at jiaoqiu and another wave of sadness overtakes him. the tears don't quite fall, this time, and he accepts the tea with two hands. ]

I know it's not a competition, before you say it-- [ tentative sip. ] --bit you're always comforting me when you've clearly been through way worse.

[fried]

[ a huff of a laugh. ]

I don't mind. [ his tail shifts, and curls around chrono carefully, trying not to startle him. ] It isn't a competition, you're right. But I have seen much worse than this, and you are young. You deserve the support.

Zhongli and Elysia both would want me to check on you, in any case.

[clockpunk]

Still. I'm worried about you, too.

[ ah my phone tag typo

the tail around him is a little surprising, but a welcome comfort. he breathes out a shaky exhale that gets cut short at the names. ]

...Zhongli and I were going to cook together.

[fried]

Thank you.

[ he does appreciate the worry. and after a moment, upon seeing that response, he sighs. slow, weary. ]

... I'm sorry. [ he rubs at his face briefly. ] He and I both shared much in common. I'm upset to see him lost to us.

[clockpunk]

[ he nods, and sips quietly at the tea for a long moment. it's difficult to find words to pass here, that aren't platitudes or condolences they've both heard many times. ]

I keep thinking each week it'll be different. Just a little bit of hope in the back of my head.

[fried]

I do too.

It's difficult to lose people over and over, especially in such a short amount of time. And it gets worse with every passing week, the longer we get to know each other.

[clockpunk]

[ took the thought right out of his head. ]

I used to push people away, when I was younger, because I thought they'd leave me too. Now, there's no way I want to do that, but... the thought came back.

[fried]

[ his tail curls a little closer. ]

I understand the feeling. [ maybe too well. ] It's tempting, isn't it. It hurts less. For a while, anyway.

[clockpunk]

For a while.

[ and then the rift grows.

better to know than have never tried. ]

...what happened to your ear?

[fried]

Ah, I ripped it off.

[ okay, ]

Unless there's something else strange about it. [ reaches to touch it... ]

[clockpunk]

--why?!

[fried]

I wasn't in control of myself. Something was whispering to me, and...

[ a pause. ]

I barely noticed at the time.

[clockpunk]

...what the hell?

[ people getting injured was one thing. people injuring themselves was another. ]

Something-- what kind of something?

[fried]

Whatever it was we were chasing. [ a sigh. ] A demon, I think.

... I don't hear it now, to be clear.

[clockpunk]

A demon... in heaven.

[ well they had one of those before too but she was different.

he sighs and leans into him a little, very gently. ]

Well, 'course. Your ear's half off.

[fried]

[ he snorts at that, and shifts to make room for chrono to lean. ]

That's true. It is. [ ... ] I do hope you never find yourself on one of these.

[clockpunk]

...can you tell me about it? It's okay if you don't want to, I just wanna understand a little better.

[fried]

I can.

Do you want the long or the short version?

[clockpunk]

[ gestures vaguely at his state of merging with the couch....... ]

I got time if you do.

[fried]

Mm.

We found ourselves with alternate memories. We were children who had a connection with a forest, in search of a tomb that could grant a wish. Upon finding that tomb, we discovered the one inside was in fact dead, and not sleeping, as we had hoped.

The forest was corrupted, at this point, and it took over my body. While we were driving to approach the forest, it had me attempt to kill the other three.

[clockpunk]

[ this is so specific?? good lord ]

So you fought each other? Like you were being used as actors in a play or something?

[fried]

That is an apt way to put it.

I had no control over my body in particular, but my mind was my own. The others were unaffected at that point.

[clockpunk]

Did you... tear your ear to try and regain control?

[fried]

[ a slow exhale. ]

Yes. I thought that the shock of it might... help. It didn't.