[PRP] Sorry I'm Late (Masoal & Emiola)

[saedusk]

Masoal looked back behind him at the door where he knew Maccue still lingered. His eyes were sharp and accusatory. Sure, he hadn't left hive much either unless he was hunting or searching for herbs he thought might speed his healing, but Emiola was much more outgoing than he was. If anything, she needed to get out and experience things that weren't staring at her drum set and wishing she could play.

"I know I didn't come for a long time," he agreed, turning back to her as her hand fell from his shoulder, "I had to heal too, but I was," a moment of hesitation, rare for Masoal, "I was afraid. I thought you might die and I wanted to come, but I was afraid of going so far and I was afraid your lusus wouldn't let me see you if you were still really hurt."

Clearing his throat, Masoal looked a touch awkward for once. "I said those things to you and I called you not ready and you weren't, but I wasn't either. I wasn't either. Not for that. I was dumb."

He lifted his leg just so and the bell bracelet she'd brought him, repurposed as an anklet, shifted slightly. Most of the bells were cracked and dented and the sound it made was a clink instead of a jingle, but he wore it all the same. He'd found it on the way home after Maccue had taken her and he'd been forced to take the walk of shame all alone.

"s**t sucks," he mimicked, "I'm lonely. I had to see you. I'm sorry. I don't want you to be sad."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Maccue, by this point, was not making a sound. He was on the verge of it, as his beak was near vibrating with tiny, minuscule motions, his one eye trained on Masoal was nearly shaking. Birds couldn't go rabid, but Maccue looked damn close to it regardless.

But Emi was looking at the bracelet-turned-anklet around Masoal's leg. For her early outburst, she was quiet now, her fingers tapping absentmindedly against her side. "I... I mean..." She huffed, her voice indescribable with a number of different, complex emotions, "It'll... get better, I guess. Has to." Had to, because she was driving herself ******** nuts.

She walked by Masoal then, somewhat disheartened, somewhat not. Maccue backed up a little too quickly, his body moving around his charge as if she had some sort of force-field repellent.

"It isn't like they don't make replacement limbs and stuff, so." Honestly, the concept of a robotic arm sounded baller on paper, but not so much in execution. Wouldn't it hurt? How long would it take to get used to? And... it wasn't like she'd ever get the feeling back, that was lost forever, and she really didn't like the ghostly sensations that made her arm feel intact-but-not. Eventually she made it back to her would-be living room, her body falling onto her couch with an oompfh like she'd meant to do earlier. "It'll get worked out. Whenever I get on that." The reluctance was real. She gave the spot next to her a pat.

"Why'd your ma attack you like that, anyway?" It still didn't make much sense to her and she sort of wanted to take the attention off of her, even if only for a moment.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

As soon as Masoal realized Emiola was ditching the music room, he kept quick on her heels, not feeling up to dealing with Maccue solo. It was weird and unsettling how he slinkied out of the way to avoid her, but he put more effort into ignoring it than caring.

"I'll help you with the arm. I'll train with you." Realistically, Masoal knew nothing of robotic limbs aside from the fact they existed. Had he gone through what she had, unless it completely destroyed his way of living, he'd probably avoid them the same way he'd avoided trollkind as long and as hard as he had. Still, if she decided to go that route, he planned on supporting her and making sure she could survive with it. That's what truly mattered to him.

Playing instruments, though, re-learning that would likely all be on her. Masoal could probably help with the basic motor function alone.

Settling himself on her couch with more grace than she had, he breathed heavy through his nose, sounding just as reluctant. Refusing to answer wouldn't do him any good, though, especially after he'd lectured her about the same thing. "She was teaching me a lesson. I guess she was always gonna leave. I didn't know it, she never told me before it happened, but she wanted to train me and then leave to go live her own life. She thought I was old enough and could survive. I can, I think, but I didn't want her to go. I got really mad. I attacked her first." Masoal was looking straight forward.

"She's gone," he said sullenly, "and she hasn't come back. I don't think she will."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Emi was also trying to ignore her lusus, for once. Maccue was still in the same hallway, his body awkwardly contorted and muscles ridged. Eventually he started to relax, but his movements were slow and too-languid as he tried to creep closer towards the two tealbloods.

"Forever's a long time." Emi said, surprisingly insightful. "No wonder you felt lonely." She had her lusus here, but Maccue was getting on her nerves more than keeping her company. Masoal though, she knew he didn't have anyone other than his lusus, and now he didn't even have that. Now all he had was Emi. She hummed.

"I think you could handle yourself though, she wasn't wrong about that. You're like, the most capable guy I know, y'know?" She looked over at him. "But I don't want you to be sad 'n lonely either..." Her hand tapped at his arm, "At least... you don't gotta be lonely, y'know?" But she admittedly couldn't help his sadness much, not when she was sad too. "We can be sad together! Sad party..." That did make her laugh, though.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"Mmm..." was Masoal's response to Emiola's insight. The tone of it said he'd come to terms with the whole thing, but not that he'd gotten over it. Loneliness was never something he experienced before this incident. Over the past weeks, he'd experienced that and a myriad of other emotions he wasn't used to. For someone like Masoal, it was exhausting.

"Can I stay with you for a while?" he asked. It wouldn't be forever, he was still relatively independent and he had every intention of returning to his own hive eventually, but right now he didn't want to be alone. Right now the loneliness was an ache that ate away at him and left a hole he couldn't figure out how to fill on his own. It was still so ******** frustrating.

That was where Emiola came in, though, wasn't it? Her laugh already made him feel a little better.

"But you gotta tell me what you do at a sad party."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Emi looked over, her movements slow and languid, "I dunno, I guess I've never really had a sad party when I think about it..." Sitting next to Masoal, she allowed herself to slump against him. "Mope. Feel like s**t." She yawned, "Feel better after a while, I dunno..."

She was obviously thinking as she sat there, the sound of her mind palpable in the space between them. "I guess it might be more fun if we just made it like a week-long slumber party. I know what to do at those." She laughed, the sound regaining some semblance of her old, perky self. "We can do each others hair and nails and order food to-go and stuff. You don't even know the surface of the city life man. It's so damn convenient." She smiled at him, "You know you can stay as long as you need to, right?"

Maccue was staring.

"I dunno, I think maybe like... it'd be good if you did." That admission, though bright, was somewhat more sheepish.

Except, her lusus seemed to be reacting again with how he was lumbering towards the duo. He did not shriek, but his beak chattered together nervously. Emi seemed mostly oblivious to it--or she was ignoring it.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"I'm doing those things," he told her, "I guess I'm doing it right." It was easy enough to stop there, but Masoal had already opened up Emiola more than any other troll. He'd opened up to her now even with his reluctance. It didn't hurt that much to admit a little more. "I'm not used to feeling this kinda stuff. I don't like it."

Masoal breathed through his nose again, but sounded less bothered this time. He was relaxing thanks to her and actually let himself set his head atop hers as she leaned against him. "I'll braid your hair. I can do braids." Nails and food to-go, well, those would be her domain. Then again, he had a steady hand, and she could probably teach him to properly polish with a little persistence.

It was difficult to keep thinking about the good times they might have, unfortunately, Maccue slunk closer. Emiola might've been able to ignore him, but when he acted up, Masoal just couldn't.

"Why is he doing that?" There was an edge of frustration to his tone that had all but disappeared only moments before.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Despite Emi's best efforts to ignore Maccue, Masoal brought her attention around to him again. Her lips pursed and she stared at her lusus, and Maccue stopped in turn despite the anxious energy radiating off of him. As much as she wanted to sit there and relax, she supposed she just wasn't going to be allowed to have it tonight.

"He doesn't like you," She said flatly, "He doesn't want you here but uh, I don't really give a ********> The way she affirmed it out loud was meant to drill right into Maccue, right where he stood, no room for doubt.

At this, almost sullen, almost sulky, Maccue began to slink away to his section of the roost.

Emi sighed.

"He just cares about me I think, but like too much." It was a little ironic when she compared him to Fossamom. She seemed like she cared about her charge, but in the end her goal had been independence. Maccue meanwhile wanted to smother, smother, smother, like he'd always be there to make sure she never got into trouble. Well, the night with Fossamom already proved that wasn't possible. Her very real lack of an entire arm was proof. She shook her head like she was done with the subject.

"I'm glad you're here though. Try not to let him get to you, 'kay?" She tried her best to look over at her friend, but with his head on hers and her own vision obscured by messy unwashed hair, it was somewhat... difficult, to say the least.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"I don't like him either," Masoal assured. It was probably pretty obvious to all parties involved that he and Emiola's lusus didn't care for each other, though. "I'm not going anywhere."

Realistically, Masoal would never interfere with her relationship with her guardian on purpose—he couldn't imagine if someone had tried to push between himself and Fossamom before their separation—but he wasn't going to allow his own relationship with her to be severed. It seemed they had the same idea. For that, he was grateful.

For her sake and his own, he also let the matter of Maccue slide now that he'd left them alone.

"It's okay." He could feel her shifting beneath his head, but he didn't move to look back. "I'm glad I'm here, too. I'm glad you're here." The way he said it sounded tired but admittedly relieved. "I just want to rest for a bit."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Emi hummed quietly in agreement. "Yeah. Rest sounds good." There was a brief moment of silence and she laughed, the sound short and choppy, "I've been doin' nothin' but that. Sleeping, waking up to raid the fridge, napping. But it's funny 'cause I really don't feel like I've been resting at all." Things had been eating away at her internally, and when that wasn't happening, she just felt void entirely. It was a sickening sensation; a sensation she'd never felt before. Was this what growing up was like?

"Oh, I kinda forgot. We can order a pizza too, if you want. There ain't much left in the hive." She would've nodded if her head wasn't being occupied like a pillow, "That's like a staple too. At the slumber parties. I never did bring you pizzas, huh? They're good." She was rambling and answering herself, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"I dunno. Maybe that can wait." She knew her lusus would undoubtedly wake her up if she dozed off on the couch. In the moment though, it felt almost worth it.

saedusk

let the bbs sleep

 

[saedusk]

"We can eat later," he assured her, "I'll try the pizza." For now, though, it was obvious they both needed a break from the stress they'd been dealing with before their reunion. This was only the beginning, but there was already a weight lifting from Masoal's shoulders and he felt, for the first time in a long time, like he could rest unbothered. Sopor could wait until later. A small nap outside the recuperacoons wouldn't kill them.

"Sleep. You're tired." With a bit of effort, he readjusted the two of them just enough so things were more comfortable. Masoal hadn't even realized he was this exhausted, himself. It didn't take long before he dozed off for what would probably be a short—thanks to her lusus—but plenty restful catnap.

Melancholies