[open & closed]

[inutilis]

WHO: Abel, sometimes Abel & Himeka, and maybe sometimes YOU!
WHAT: Post-rescue through Sekiseri catch-all! Some OPEN and CLOSED prompts will be included in the comments below.
WHERE: Greentruth, Godsblood
WHEN: Late August thru September
WARNINGS: Possible mentions to torture (past-tense, ty everyone 🥺)

Comments

[inutilis]

[ ...it's a little backwards, and he knows it - Abel is usually the verbose conversationalist in the room. he is usually the one who won't let others get a word in edgewise; he never knows when to shut his mouth, does he? it can be obnoxious and overbearing at times. (he's aware.)

but he doesn't quite manage to find the words, here. can't; there is nothing he can say that will bring Estinien back, nothing that will make the sacrifice made in their names easier to bear. it burns like an acidic pit in Abel's gut, and the pain of that loss gets no easier despite the passing of days. he can only imagine the grief Himeka feels, Estinien having been an ally for years before they'd found their way to Horos. it's... personal. ugly, as loss always is.

in the end, he is quiet; he will let them speak among themselves, listening to the soft exchange on this aching subject, leaving his hand at her back in soft solidarity and offering Syrlya a quiet apology and sorrow in blue eyes - a commiseration in grief, if nothing else. ]

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya's gaze flicks to the other bed (and the... bugs), then Abel and he purses his lips into a thin line. But there's no fault for his silence.

Instead he looks back at Himeka, a smile briefly twitching on his face when she asks for clarification on... that.]

You heard right, and not just one of our newest Aions, either. [Surprise, they have dragon Aions. He sobers up shortly after saying that.] They provided support and escape for all of us... I suppose we have Estinien to thank for that. It saved all our lives.

[He doesn't know the details but he remembers what Estinien told him about trying to communicate with them. If the dragons were willing to fly all the way to Achamoth just to get them out--it must have made an impact.]

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka bows her head quietly in acknowledgment. He had been very set on the idea of bridging the gap between man and dragon, one that he had unwittingly fulfilled back on their star. To know that the fruits of his labors may not have been for naught would have made him pleased.

If only they could pay thanks to their winged friends as well. ]

He would be glad to know that.

[ Trying to think on the positives is...difficult. To have to work through the weeks of trauma through daily torture topped by the guilt of being the catalyst to people dying? It's not easy, to think about it let alone to talk about it. It's the worst possible outcome.

But she's trying. They're trying. Because to give up would be letting other people down too, not just themselves. ]

So many new Aions were there too...what a situation for them to stumble into. How long ago did they arrive?

[inutilis]

[ ...this will do none of them any good, will it? if things stay as they are--

Abel's gaze slides sidelong to watch Himeka's expression from periphery; he knows she blames herself in part for how all of this unfolded just as he does. that Estinien suffered the fate he did... it only makes it all the harder for her, and he doesn't know how to help ease the burden of that loss.

so turning the subject away from that grief for now - now, while she's still raw, while she still has weeks of Achamoth's sufferings to contend with, when her body isn't fully recovered - seems the best course of action and the kindest path ahead. ]

There are more new faces than I expected among the lot...

[ and that they'd come to their rescue-- it furthers the reason he is here. the reason both of them are here, unshattered and still firmly in the grasp of the Pleroma's warmth. because they are among good people who have been and always will be worth fighting for. ]

[chronosynthesis]

Mm. [He offers Himeka a sympathetic look, but Abel seems to have any physical comfort in hand.

He clasps his hands together in his lap, pausing as he counts back the days.]

It was... three or four weeks ago? They were all actually very willing to help. [It's only going to get more like a war from here on out. Having people so willing to dedicate... that's the best they could ask for.] I'm sure you'll get to meet them as you recover.