[ it's nice. it's warm, is what it is, this dream of a memory. it's feixiao chattering about some game the three of them have been playing. beat your high score, didn't i, jiaoqiu? and he huffs, glancing at moze. from here, it looks like he can actually see.
haven't you beaten her high score a thousand times over, moze? jiaoqiu asks, impishly, and she nearly drops her phone to check. a beat, and then, pouting: moze! as said man neatly slides behind jiaoqiu to put him between the two of them.
she's waving her hands around, feixiao, not paying attention to where she's going. jiaoqiu scolds her, but it's gentle, with an affection he doesn't often show.
but whatever happens - should feixiao run into tokoha or shion, or they all just pass each other, chrono will see a chain around jiaoqiu's ankle. ]
[ the warmth of friendship, the easy banter. it's a beautifully familiar thing. it brings a smile to chrono's face, at first - conversations like this are truly universal.
the two women do almost collide - tokoha with her eyes closed and hands smugly on her hips, unaware of the errant hands coming her way. there's a flurry of apologies from her, though a slight annoyance creases her brow, too - unwilling to admit defeat as always, somehow. a laugh, and chrono's eyes-- catch. familiar? jiaoqiu, and...
the chrono of dream and the chrono of reality notice the chain at the same time, and the awareness blends together. hey, hold on a sec, he motions to tokoha, taps shion on the shoulder, and turns to follow jiaoqiu's party. his best friends watch him go, amused, and tokoha calls after him with a wave - we'll be at the restaurant! hurry over when you're done!
he waits until they're out of mental sight before reaching out, gently, to pat his back, mindful not to get tangled in the chain. ]
[ it's similar, with feixiao - she's a general, and she's polite, but the bow she gives in apology is a little bit of a swagger, of her teasing more than actually apologizing. her grin is huge and fierce and bold, and there's almost an emotion of something bright and warm and blinding from jiaoqiu, from the dream itself. there's a love there that he isn't saying, whether it's platonic or romantic or a mix of the two.
the hand on his back gets him to startle - he glances at chrono, or rather, glances as much as he's able.
and as he does, the chain gets a little tighter, as feixiao and moze start to leave. they keep moving, like he was never here at all, and jiaoqiu tries to take a step forward, but can't. he's stuck. he's left behind, watching their backs to him.
he looks at chrono again, expression devastated in a way it usually isn't.
[ love, love. it's so similar - chrono's emotion doesn't bleed through anywhere near as strongly, likely due to his state of consciousness, but it flows there like an undercurrent. pure love for these two people, to the point where defining what kind seems pointless.
and-- shit. the last thing he wanted was to hold jiaoqiu back from that. the chain tightens, and chrono stills. jiaoqiu's expression is arresting, the accompanying thought even more so. ]
[ he can probably get the impression that the chains would have been there whether chrono was here or not. this is a reoccurring nightmare.
he looks over at feixiao and moze retreating, and that same refrain, don't leave me behind, I'm still useful to you curls up suffocating in the dream - before it breaks, and the jiaoqiu that was dozing not too far away wakes up with a start.
[ chrono snaps to attention, his own thoughtscape being swept away with jiaoqiu's awakening. he's not seated far, but he still gets to his feet to walk over and crouch down beside him, concern and apologies written in his expression. ]
[ as someone with a complicated relationship with the term, it disquiets him a little, no matter how jiaoqiu makes it sound. he blinks that away, though, and settles next to him, if he's allowed. ]
[ he is allowed! jiaoqiu makes room, shifting his tail to settle around chrono. it's fluffy and full, now. ]
General Feixiao is a headstrong, bold woman. She's never been afraid of anything in her life. Our people love her. Trust her. [ fondly. ] Moze is a stubborn and silent man that thinks of himself as a weapon first, no matter how much I try to change his mind.
[ god, he's also glad it's back. his fur fluffs up a bit to meet the hand in his tail. ]
Feixiao definitely is a public figure. Moze likes his shadows.
[ he seems to agree with that though, also, with a little huff. it makes him sad to think about moze forgetting to be human. ]
Feixiao I met during the war. She was a stray my previous General picked up - and she took over when my previous General passed. I saved Feixiao from an explosion, and she appointed me as her personal healer from then on.
[ a beat. ]
Moze, we rescued from being experimented on. He's been with us since.
[ ah. fire-forged friendships, the kind that go a little over his head as a normie (citation needed). but he can recognise the kind of feeling that bonds people that strongly. ]
Sounds like the three of you are lucky to have found each other. Or, it was meant to work out that way for you.
[ a long, contemplative pause. ]
When you go back, you'll be able to see them again?
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haven't you beaten her high score a thousand times over, moze? jiaoqiu asks, impishly, and she nearly drops her phone to check. a beat, and then, pouting: moze! as said man neatly slides behind jiaoqiu to put him between the two of them.
she's waving her hands around, feixiao, not paying attention to where she's going. jiaoqiu scolds her, but it's gentle, with an affection he doesn't often show.
but whatever happens - should feixiao run into tokoha or shion, or they all just pass each other, chrono will see a chain around jiaoqiu's ankle. ]
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the two women do almost collide - tokoha with her eyes closed and hands smugly on her hips, unaware of the errant hands coming her way. there's a flurry of apologies from her, though a slight annoyance creases her brow, too - unwilling to admit defeat as always, somehow. a laugh, and chrono's eyes-- catch. familiar? jiaoqiu, and...
the chrono of dream and the chrono of reality notice the chain at the same time, and the awareness blends together. hey, hold on a sec, he motions to tokoha, taps shion on the shoulder, and turns to follow jiaoqiu's party. his best friends watch him go, amused, and tokoha calls after him with a wave - we'll be at the restaurant! hurry over when you're done!
he waits until they're out of mental sight before reaching out, gently, to pat his back, mindful not to get tangled in the chain. ]
...Jiaoqiu.
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the hand on his back gets him to startle - he glances at chrono, or rather, glances as much as he's able.
and as he does, the chain gets a little tighter, as feixiao and moze start to leave. they keep moving, like he was never here at all, and jiaoqiu tries to take a step forward, but can't. he's stuck. he's left behind, watching their backs to him.
he looks at chrono again, expression devastated in a way it usually isn't.
don't leave me behind, I can still... ]
Chrono?
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and-- shit. the last thing he wanted was to hold jiaoqiu back from that. the chain tightens, and chrono stills. jiaoqiu's expression is arresting, the accompanying thought even more so. ]
I-I'm sorry, that's not-
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he looks over at feixiao and moze retreating, and that same refrain, don't leave me behind, I'm still useful to you curls up suffocating in the dream - before it breaks, and the jiaoqiu that was dozing not too far away wakes up with a start.
the dreamscape vanishes. ]
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H-hi. Sorry, didn't mean to intrude.
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[ a beat, and then: ]
No, don't apologize. Why would you apologize?
[ his thoughts shift here and there, little echoes of embarrassment. ]
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[ sat and watched. brought his own thoughts into it. y'know. ]
You really love them, huh?
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[ he doesn't really mind, even if it was a little embarrassing. he liked the little snippet he saw of a similar, loving life. ]
... They are my purpose, yes. [ which translates so fiercely to love for him. ]
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[ as someone with a complicated relationship with the term, it disquiets him a little, no matter how jiaoqiu makes it sound. he blinks that away, though, and settles next to him, if he's allowed. ]
...can tell me about them?
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General Feixiao is a headstrong, bold woman. She's never been afraid of anything in her life. Our people love her. Trust her. [ fondly. ] Moze is a stubborn and silent man that thinks of himself as a weapon first, no matter how much I try to change his mind.
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So... they're military, but public figures as well. [ a weapon? that's sad. ] How did you meet them?
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Feixiao definitely is a public figure. Moze likes his shadows.
[ he seems to agree with that though, also, with a little huff. it makes him sad to think about moze forgetting to be human. ]
Feixiao I met during the war. She was a stray my previous General picked up - and she took over when my previous General passed. I saved Feixiao from an explosion, and she appointed me as her personal healer from then on.
[ a beat. ]
Moze, we rescued from being experimented on. He's been with us since.
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Sounds like the three of you are lucky to have found each other. Or, it was meant to work out that way for you.
[ a long, contemplative pause. ]
When you go back, you'll be able to see them again?
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[ softly. ]
I miss them more than anything.