ic contact;

[psycholawgy]

You've reached Athena Cykes. I'm currently unavailable, but leave a message and I'll get back to you pronto. Danke! (voice/call → text → video → action)

Comments

7/18, text;

[covenantal]

[ He reaches out to her only after a few hours, waiting. He knows exactly where Merlin went after his friend left the apartment. Their physical contact - Merlin curled up against his side, cheek to his chest - had been almost absurdly comforting after what they'd just been through together. But it had to end, and Yu knew why. Of course he was alright with it - how could he not be? There was someone Merlin needed to be with.

(He told himself his chest didn't ache for someone who had left, and the lie almost worked.)

But Athena is ...

She's Athena.

He has no doubts at all Merlin will have told her everything, and that's fine. But it also means there's no real reason to hold back. ]

I'm here. I'm sorry.

You alright?

[psycholawgy]

[ she was expecting yu to contact her at some point, especially after talking to rei. especially after talking to merlin. the boy is probably resting now, and athena's just fiddling with things on both widget and her cerevice while she watches over him.

she's upset about what happened. of course, she is. but she told rei she's force her biggest smiles when they do end up talking. she has to. people rely on her to be the one who cheers them up, after all. ]

Hi. :) I missed you.

I'm better now. I heard about what happened.

[ so of course she's not asking if he's alright. ]

[covenantal]

I'll do my best not to keep you waiting like that again.

I'm sure he told you about what we found. And I've heard we weren't the only group to get pulled away like that, either. Rise told me.

... I'm sorry I couldn't protect him.

[psycholawgy]

I was one of those people. But we came back safely.

And please don't apologise. You've gone through so much already.

[ it was her job to protect him to begin with. ]

[covenantal]

[ Something constricts in his chest - images in his mind, Yuri and Rei collapsing like dolls, Hyoubu screaming at him, Merlin just screaming, the half-a-heartbeat shock of an explosion - and he breathes past it, only a little shaky. ]

That's great! Who else was with you?

I'm alright, Athena. I'm more worried about Merlin and Hyoubu-san. Yuri-san, too.

[psycholawgy]

Miss Maya, Mr Han and Illidan. We found ourselves in a library after falling a great height.

You're all strong people. I don't know who Hyoubu and Yuri are, though. But I hope they'll recover.

[covenantal]

Maya Fey? I've spoken to her a few times. I'm not familiar with the other two, though. A library...

Yuri-san... I think she'll need time, and her friends. We'll all do the best we can for her. I'm worried about Hyoubu-san for different reasons. He was very concerned about us, and incredibly upset when Mars-san and Yuri-san died. But I think he might do something reckless. I hope I'm wrong.

[psycholawgy]

It was under the CERES tower. The library had so many books about the Flamines, though. I can lend you one, if you'd like.

I hope you are, too. For all our sakes.

[covenantal]

An entire library on the Flamines under the CERES tower this entire time... somehow, I can't find that surprising. Sure, I'd like to see it.

Let me know when you're free. I'd like to see you.

[psycholawgy]

Are you well enough to go outside? Or I can come visit you, if you'd like.