Skylark's Ideal World | Session 1

[idolpro]

Once, there was a maiden...
...who was driven from her land.
Great black stags chased her, and their eyes shone blue.
Monsters scrambled after her through the bush, though they found her not.
Stumbling on a log, she fell and thought to surrender, and end the torment of the hunt—

... ... ...

You're so, so tired.

Why carry on?

... Surely, it's okay to take a break—

Comments

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ Wincing, but he crosses his arms over his chest and looks at Kit. Your show, unless you need backup. ]

Re: COTTAGE

[ends]

Lark... [ slow breath in. ]

Sorry. There might be something to those "I bring inappropriate moods" to situations jabs we were making the other day.

[ had to. try to soften this somehow. ]

I know you're involved, but... Come sit for a second? Please?

Re: COTTAGE

[inspiteful]

There's this long pause of consideration before he sighs, and answers all grouchy. "Fine."

[ He'll take a seat at the dining table. ]

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ Shoulder-squeeze, Kit. ] [ Annnd taking another seat, because he meant it, he's not going anywhere. ]

He didn't steal it.

[ Just, putting that out there, gently. ]

Re: COTTAGE

[ends]

I didn't. I wouldn't just take something like this.

[ and he's confident everyone here knows it. ]

I'm sorry I entered so suddenly like that... I was worried about you. I'm still worried about you. [ (those graying skies didn't help with his sense of urgency either...) but this time, Kitsu keeps his tension to the hand under the table, neatly out of sight as sets the the box down gently in front of him. ]

Re: COTTAGE

[inspiteful]

Lark looks at that box for a long moment, still frowning. He reaches over to take the box, after a moment of hesitation, opens it.

He stares at the earrings inside for a long while, before he speaks again, tired.

"...Why did you have to go and break things?"

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ A wan smile for Kit. He absolutely knows you wouldn't, but he also knows the kind of world Lark comes from. ]

We're not breaking it, Lark. It was already broken before we got here. Your girl, your boy — they're not really here. Just... pale imitations.

[ Beat. ]

And some of the people you care about aren't here at all. [ He's still not really pretending to understand why you're as invested in Valor as you are, but. ] You don't even have any photos of Valor upstairs.

Re: COTTAGE

[ends]

[ the only indication that Lark's words had cut him at all is the moment he closes his eyes, blanking his own expression.

no more. he can allow no more than that again. ]

When we were in trapped in the hunger games' sewers, you demanded I heal Valor instead of you.

[ he adds onto Lupine's point before standing and stepping beside Lark, opening an arm for a side hug. he expects nothing just yet, but he's keeping himself available. ]

I know you might be mad. Go ahead, I'll take it. But you have to know why we couldn't leave you to sit and spiral with these images of people you love. With these— thoughts of yours, all by yourself. [ familiar. a story with a terrible end. ] I— We don't want that for you.

Re: COTTAGE

[inspiteful]

At first Lark opens his mouth, as if to argue, but then he goes quiet. Listens to the two of them talk. He doesn't move to take Okitsu's offer (yet? who knows).

"...I just want a break."

He sounds exhausted.

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ His gaze flicks to Kit and lingers on his face while he's talking. Makes note of the tidbit about Valor, and... and, yeah, Kit's definitely talking about himself as much as he's talking about Lark. Damn.

When he speaks next, his voice is a lot softer. ]

And you deserve a break. But do you really wanna take it here, alone?

[ Beat. ]

We could — get a hotel room somewhere out in the city. Make dinner together. Invite... whoever you wanna invite.

[ He started to say all your friends, but Lark has a ton of friends, and if he's this tired, maybe he'd prefer to keep it to a smaller gathering? Just a thought. One kinda-introvert to another. ]

Re: COTTAGE

[ends]

[ although the offer isn't taken, it remains. the smile that comes in response to Lupine's offer is just as soft, and terribly fragile. ... what a cruel, supposedly "ideal" world.

of course he would be the one to find her, but maybe it had to be that way. ]

... It's not fair, is it? Of all the people it could have been, it had to be her? It wasn't time for her to go. She didn't deserve it.

[ he closes his eyes, as if that will do anything to temper what he knows must be coming. ]

Mm, but you know... Everything she did to get you something special on a day that was important for both of you, all of her hope for you to live, to find love and serenity — it's right there, plain to see in that box. That's... that's the reality, and her last wish.

[ Kitsu positions himself in front anyway, all but pleading for Lark to look at him directly. ]

She loved you. She's sorry she can't be the one to be with you. You gave her life meaning... I know it.

[ the next breath he takes wavers a little, and the offer for contact still appears very much open. ]

And that her that gave me the box..? I promised her I wouldn't let you take on all this by yourself. For her sake, to honor everything she wanted for you... Can't we all get through this together?

Re: COTTAGE

[inspiteful]

At this point, Lark sort of...slumps forward on the table, hiding his face in his arms.

He gets it. He knows what they mean. He knows that his mom wouldn't want him to stay here. His name day wasn't all that important to him, but she always celebrated it, nonetheless.

"...Is it really okay when everyone else has shit on their plates?"

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ Brief pause. A glance at Kit. ]

—Everyone's always gonna have shit on their plates, Lark. Especially in a place like this.

[ Elbow on the table, propping up his chin. ]

That doesn't mean they won't make room for your shit, too. Or that they won't want to.

Re: COTTAGE

[ends]

Lark... it's okay. For those of us who care about you, why would we ever want you to suffer with this alone..? I can't think of anything worse.

[ he looks between Lark and the environment of the cottage itself, back to Lupine, back to Lark. "I know, I'm so sorry you have to feel this too," he wants to say, with "That's why I can't allow this to happen to you," and "I panicked, I didn't mean to lose my composure," hard on its heels. In the flood behind them are a million other things he considers and might say if only he could make time stop in this moment.

but none of them are granted that. ]

To think that maybe, maybe we could do something for you in a place that already takes so much away from us... it isn't a burden.

It's... a chance to do something meaningful, something that's worth doing.