Palace Game 6/3

[fujimaru]

The Dreamer In The Grand Temple
Humanity Foundation Value: ????

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Comments

[cultfavorite]

In just a little while. In the meantime, I've talked myself into spending a little more time with you here instead. Unless you protest? I don't want to go back just yet to that awful place. Though I wouldn't mind if we brought the canteen with us when we did go back to normal . . .

[A balanced diet includes both fresh homecooked healthy fish dinners and also Dorito and Oreo sandwiches.

BACK TO HER ROOM.]

[fujimaru]

[ She laughs aloud at that, which means she is distracted from noticing exactly where he's leading her just yet. ]

I wouldn't mind, either! It was kind of like the combini thing we were talking about, right? But I miss the diner...

[cultfavorite]

[Look he just knows this room is cute and harmless! He's not going to risk taking her to any of the paths he didn't go down!]

Exactly like that. Restocking automatically and everything. Now that she's proven she can do that, why wouldn't she let us bring it with us? Having both it and the diner would be ideal . . .

[fujimaru]

[ Her room is just like how he left it, nice and cozy, with the one little baby demon pillar watching them. ]

Maybe that's a thing to ask for? Like people did for the arcade. Though if you ask me, I think we deserve it as a freebie after everything that's happened.

[cultfavorite]

[It's a cute room! He leads her over to the bed, where he left the Cerberus objects, the Tarot card, and her reformed bingo card, and where he put the Tsuruno phoenix on the shelf over the bed. Once they get over there, he reaches out to scritch the demon pillar again with his finger. Reunited!]

That was my plan. I'll only need enough people to agree with it . . .

[fujimaru]

[ The tentacle baffs at him, but without much aggression to it. Ritsuka, on the other hand, is looking at the rearrangements he's made, her brows drawing together. It's dawning on her that they're in her room now, but she's surprised at what he's done. ]

I guess hold off for the moment, just in case we can make demands for compensation or anything... did you move stuff in here?

[cultfavorite]

Ah . . . a little bit. Yes. Um. I had no way of knowing at first what I needed to do, you see . . .

[Uh oh. Caught?! He didn't even really think about the fact that he would be showing her the room after his minor adjustments . . . ]

[fujimaru]

It's okay. I just wondered.

[ More to the point, she's looking around in some bemusement like, well. This sure is her room--a pretty close facsimile to the room that she has in Chaldea, not the one she has in Reverie. (Which, no one has been in it but herself, but it's pretty sad in comparison.) ]

...you really want everyone to sit together, huh?

[cultfavorite]

Well. I was only finding them all, because I wanted to see them. And then I liked the way they looked together. Though . . . I understand why there wouldn't be a "you" in your own room, when you're right here being you, but I did look all over for one. I didn't like having to leave you out. I wanted to put yours next to mine.

[A LITTLE SULKY . . . truly this was the hardest test of this Palace and not the months-long slog through the blood sea,]

[fujimaru]

That's...

[ Oh no. The sulking is kind of cute? What? She still doesn't know how to handle... any of what's happened since she woke up, really, but it's kind of a nice feeling, actually, that he's fussing like this.

She reaches for his hand again, tentatively, squeezing it. ]

...I'm here right now, right? And I'm right next to you.

[cultfavorite]

[She can be forgiven for this being a real fucking weird situation! Saturn squeezes her hand and finally moves to sit on the bed, tugging her along and moving things carefully out of the way.]

You are. That's better than any symbolism.

[fujimaru]

[ She follows to perch next to him, close enough that her arm brushes his as they sit. After a moment of consideration, she tilts her head just enough to rest her head lightly on his shoulder. ]

...did you really miss me?

[cultfavorite]

Of course I did. And before that—I've been so worried about you. Seeing you like this, I feel better than I have in a week. You aren't suffering so terribly anymore, watching your possession grow more unstable . . . I've been afraid. Ah . . .

[Before he goes on, he needs a hug, so he twists to pull her into his arms and hug her tightly.]

[fujimaru]

--?!

[ She squeaks, startled, jolting in his arms before she hesitantly puts her arms around him again, trying to pat his back, a little awkwardly. ]

I--I'm sorry. For scaring you.

[cultfavorite]

It's nothing you need to apologize for. It wasn't your fault. ...I was afraid we'd find you in Solitary one of these mornings. Since, supposedly, it exists to protect those who are losing control to their possessions. I'm relieved beyond words that all it took was this instead.

[He would trudge through so much blood if it meant her not ending up in there, okay.]

[fujimaru]

[ She's quiet for a moment, rubbing his back as best as she can, from the angle she's at. It's such a strange thing to hear, that anyone would be so worried about her, especially without her existence acting as an anchor. Huh. He does like her, ]

I'm here. You found me. I'm okay.

[cultfavorite]

[Ritsuka he is your boyfriend,

He indulges in the hug for another moment before pulling back with a tiny sigh and smiling down at her. It's all good! She's here!]

I didn't stay so you could comfort me...forgive me.

[fujimaru]

[ That doesn't mean he has to say all of that! Her experience with declarations like that is sparse, and it's easier to assume someone's general concern, rather than a personal one. When her pulls back, she's blinks at him, reaching to touch his face, her palm light on his cheek. ]

It's okay. I think it was harder for you than me... I was asleep all this time. But I promise I feel better.

[cultfavorite]

Rested?

[Gently teasing. He knows how bad she can be about that! He smiles, though, cheek warm under her hand, and squeezes his arm around her.]

You could rest with me until I wake up. I'm exhausted after all that. Those stairs . . . among other things. I wonder, when I fall asleep in a dream, does that wake me in real life? We'll find out.

[fujimaru]

...Yeah. We'll find out.

[ She kind of knows, now, how to lie down with someone, and arrange her limbs to deal with this other body without jabbing anything uncomfortable or even just unpleasant. She can do this.

After a beat, she says, also gently teasing, ]

I didn't realize you were so out of shape that just going up from the other room would wear you out.

[cultfavorite]

[He settles on the bed in a position where they aren't going to disturb anything he's left on it, because he does want to leave those things there. It's fine, there's room, even if they're ~forced~ to cuddle up some. Oh nooooo. He gets his arms around her and peeks an eye open at her:]

Well. Have you ever seen me at the gym? No? There's your answer.

[In a tone that means: maybe it's not all of the answer, but it's the one I'm giving right now, and that's fine.]

[fujimaru]

[ She's not entirely sure why he's so insistent on leaving the things on her bed (it's her bed?? even if it's just metaphorical??) but she's fine with the cuddling. But when he peeks at her, she grins back. It's fine if he doesn't want to elaborate. Ritsuka isn't worried.

And it's more fun to tease him a little. ]

Ehh, should I be worried about your stamina? Maybe I should make you do morning jogs with me.

[cultfavorite]

[He grins too, closing his eyes, though it's tempting to keep peeking back at her.]

I've never had a single complaint about my stamina, I'll have you know. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

[morning jogs noooooooooo]

[fujimaru]

[ Morning jogs YES, ]

I'm not knocking it, I'm asking a sincere question about how things are.

[ she says, chirpy, performatively obnoxiously bright. ]

[cultfavorite]

I'll just have to show you when we have some peace and quiet, won't I? To reassure you. If you're going to be worried about my physical health. Morning jogging . . .

[He rubs hard at her back, back and forth, roughing her up like she's an energetic puppy trying to rouse him to play with her while he's trying to relax.]