November+December Catch-All

[loopsiedaisy]

Who: Siffrin (Shinx) + Shoka, Laios, Cedric, Chara, Anasui, Parvati
What: The fallout of the Network Incident, and also quests. Sometimes both at once!
Where: Spire, Canopy, wherever various search quests take them
When: One thread backdated to October, otherwise throughout November (including during the snowstorm) and December
Warnings: Potentially Siffrin's warnings (definitely spoilers & alluded-to suicidal ideation in Shoka's thread), the usual quest peril

Comments

[loopsiedaisy]

[Despite everything, despite telling themself they've been expecting her to be angry this whole time, they flinch anyway.]

[Before they can help it their gaze drops, and then they're pulling together their Loop persona again, a process that paradoxically involves their shoulders relaxing rather than tensing. But they slow down as she continues, tip of their tail twitching nervously. So their voice is somwhere halfway between soft and sharply cheerful when they respond.] I was trying hard to make people want to be a jerk!

[It's a bit more complicated than that, but it's not exactly not true... and anyway. Things have really sucked for Shoka lately.]

[A bit more hesitantly - very reminiscent of many months ago in the rain, actually - they shift closer, enough so that their fur is just brushing against her side. So she can lean on them, if she wants. They're stiff and awkward all over again, like they were back then, all their progress reset. But also like back then... they're trying.]

[...]

[Haltingly and even more softly (in the quiet sense too, this time):] ...you're important to me too, kittycat. I'd... I'd like to still be friends.

[Hmmghrghgh and this is even harder to admit to, but:] ...I'm still figuring it out.

[That's also complicated. They don't get into it. In their gut, they know talking about actors and roles would weird anyone out, even or maybe especially if they say they were doing it as Siffrin too, because they don't have the history to be a who otherwise.]

[Instead, sparkling again:] So if you've ever wanted to shape someone's split-life crisis, now's the time!

[Stars. It feels so so so weird to joke about it like this, actually. They're not completely sure if they'd be able to make the same joke to stardust, even, when almost anything else is fair game. But... it's not terrible. Also there is some weird parallel here about how they once made a budding fashion designer laugh with a pun and then decided to make that their entire personality, and now here they are again, friends with a budding fashion designer -]

And in the meantime, [their mouth almost shapes 'How can I help you on this wonderful new loop?' out of habit, and they swallow it down and don't think about it,] sounds like we need to find someone to beat up for making everything suck at the same time! Only some things are allowed to suck!

[telewarped]

[Trying hard to make people want to be a jerk. She knows what that's like, doesn't she?

Once they've moved closer, she doesn't hesitate; a few tendrils of shadow unfurl from under her disguise rag, creeping along the cavern floor toward Siffrin's paws by way of a warning before she leans all her weight (which isn't much, when she only weighs as much as the fabric of her disguise does) against them, turning to hide her face in their fur. Very much like that day they were caught in the rain together.

There, she shudders and sniffs, saying nothing until they make that joke about a split-life crisis. It earns a sharp exhale—almost a laugh, almost a sound of anguish.]

Shut up...

[Her muffled voice wavers, utterly devoid of any bite.]

It's never too late. [There's a pause before she manages to clarify,] To figure it out, I mean... Or to shut up, I guess.

[She won't (seriously) ask them to do either right now. Their last suggestion makes her laugh in earnest this time—a soft, clipped titter.]

At least one thing sucks a little less now... [Siffrin's talking to her again, saying they want to still be friends and letting her lean on them, even if it's obviously difficult for them. Speaking of which—reluctantly, she starts to draw away.] Got someone you wanna volunteer?

[loopsiedaisy]

[The warning doesn't hurt, but they were already braced for it. And the relief they feel that Shoka does still want to lean on them makes it so much easier. They'll get used to it again.]

[Maybe things really are going to be okay. One thing, at least!]

[When Shoka hides her face, their paws fidget, like they're trying to get themself to wrap one around her - after a moment they compromise by looping (heh heh) their tail around her instead.]

[Hmm... someone they want to volunteer...]

[They do still want to chew on stardust's ear a lot, and sometimes shake him by the scruff, but that's different! Not the same! Flowey? ...no, they don't actually want to beat him up, even if they have no clue if the tentative truce they were starting on will mean anything anymore. And besides, Shoka's friends with Flowey.]

[...nobody's really coming to mind. There's a lot of things they're angry with, but you can't exactly fight the Universe!]

If this were a story, we'd be going after one of those folktale Pokemon that Ingo and Emmet like talking about.

[telewarped]

[She snorts.] I'll ask for names next time I see 'em...

[But she couldn't be too hard on those Pokémon, even if they did exist and she and Siffrin could track them down. If they really have the kind of power they're said to, then they could be the only reason she's still around at all.

A part of her wonders if that should give her more reason to tear them apart—but she tries not to dwell on that thought too much. After all, that would mean they were the only reason she met Siffrin, too. It was only a joke anyway.]

... Thanks. For catching me up and—trying to help before. With Noelle. [Her eyes, downcast, land on the still untouched bag that Siffrin brought with them.] And for the food...