halloflamer | POKEGEAR (MoM IC Contact)

[ Doesn't need to be, but it helps. She doesn't even have to look at him to feel the anxiousness rolling off him. Something happened, and nobody bothered to tell her...so much for being in control. ]

Death and mayhem. Another day in the life of an imPort, apparently. He told me he's been killed countless times like it was nothing.

[ Sabrina's fingernails (manicured, fall colors in ombre) drum against the kitchen counter, other hand raising the bottle to her lips again while she watches Blue work. ]

I want to do what I can to make sure you and Red are alright. I've been keeping my eye on you guys for years, I'm not about to stop now.

[Blue goes quiet, for once, grabbing the veggie patties he's been defrosting and oiling the pan, turning on the burner, etc. His brain is a churning mess of trying very hard not to think about any of the things they could have talked about, and starting to roll into the old bad habits, the bitterness, the resentment of months ago.]

[He starts chewing his lips with his back turned, and forces his eyes onto his handiwork as Sabrina bluntly details their conversation. Unfortunately, her protection is met with more silence, and then the deflection comes.]

Red's been... better lately, I guess... It's hard without Pokémon, you know? Communicating with people without battles to bridge the gap.

That's good. I'm glad he's had you here with him.

[ She is, even if it's an obvious deflection. A new world different from their own is lonely and upsetting enough as it is, she's not sure where she'd be without Archie and the boys. Probably doing a much worse job putting on her face, acting like everything is in control and she's the one making it so. ]

And what about you?

[Blue nods minutely, and he certainly shares the sentiment. If Red hadn't showed up, Blue is sure he would be so much worse off than he is. Red... he got along with people so much better. He had lots of friends here. Even if it was lonely, and he had trouble communicating...]

[Well, that was an entirely different anxiety. Like he needs more of that right now.]

[He flips the burgers, pokes at them with the spatula, and half-glances back as he continues to hide his face. Like that helped, with a Psychic.]

'm fine. Don't worry about me. [He blusters, voice raised a little more than it needs to be as he forces out the haughtiness.] You know I'm always peachy!

Do I?

[ Sabrina steps closer, into the kitchen beside him. Her footsteps aren't as light as they could be, she isn't trying to sneak up on him, just get him to talk, preferably of his own volition. She's never had any difficulty just reading what she wants, but it's better if he tells her, makes it easy for her to help. She can't do anything else that she used to do, but she can at least do that. ]

I'm worrying about you either way. If you don't want to talk, just say so, but don't lie to me.

[Blue clams up again immediately, brow furrowing in an almost betrayed way at how thoroughly called out he is.]

[But obviously, you can't lie to a Psychic.]

[His shoulders sink a little as he gives in to inevitability, and his face screws up a little, mouth pressed tight. It's almost like he wants to cry right then and there.]

[So instead, in typical Blue fashion, he gets snippy instead.] What do you wanna know, anyway!? If you know what happened already then it doesn't matter what I say.

[The way he huffs out happened, he already assumes she knows at least one thing.]

I know that something happened. Not what.

[ Don't get snippy with her, Blue. She knows he's just being defensive, so Sabrina doesn't take it personally, but still. It's not like it's helping anyone. Softly, she puts her hand on his upper back, between his shoulders. He's short. Is he sure he's not still a kid? ]

Archie requested that I stay out of his head, so I have.

[ Except when she was getting the D!!!! eyyyyy ]

[Blue jumps at the touch, just briefly, then looks guilty about it. He's already thinking about it again, just by the vague facts she's mentioned, he can't not. His mind goes to it unbidden with regularity, so it's hardly as if she had to do much more than mention past events with Archie, but...]

[His eyes squeeze briefly, then fix upon the counter again as he shuts down further. His knuckles are tight.] So you want me to tell you.... Is that what you're saying?

I want you...to feel like you can tell me.

[ She can feel a lot of things swirling around in Blue's head, so she chooses her words carefully. Still, Sabrina can't help but turn her lips into a frown, knowing that he's hurting over it. That gentle touch, while still soft, turns more firm, more solid. ]

All we have here is each other. But I can't help you if I don't know what's going on, and I'd rather you told me on purpose than otherwise.

It's not that. [Blue breathes out, tired, when he finally lets her words settle in a little. He fidgets and flips the patties again so they don't burn.] It's not... It's not you that I can't say it, it's just...

[He bites his lips and tries to squeeze his eyes so that the welling emotion stays stuffed back.]

I don't wanna think about it right now... I'm gonna burn dinner.

[When all else fails, make a dumb excuse. He stares at the burner as steam rises from the pan.]

What things do you know already?

[ It's a pretty dumb excuse, Blue... ]

I know what happened in the house, I know Archie destroyed Maurtia Falls, I know Red got arrested...what am I missing?

[Let him have it he's traumatized!!!]

[Blue flinches at ...most of these things, but 'Maurtia Falls' especially. He lets out a slow, shaky breath, and squares his shoulders over the stove.] It was...

It was... [He falls silent again, mind numbing as he tries to figure out a way to talk about it that doesn't send him balling up on the kitchen floor (and ruining dinner)]

[Unfortunately, all this gets Sabrina is a red alarm of brain on fire] ...We tried to stop him... [He shudders out, knuckles clenched on the granite.] We tried to stop him, but...

[ She feels it, so strongly that it makes her tense up, if only for a second. If she had known this was going to prompt anything like a panic attack, she would have been more subtle about it. Sabrina frowns, it's too late for that, but she'll do what she can. Blue's pan gently rises from the burner and floats on to an unused one, and Sabrina puts her arms around him. Come to mom. ]

I know. I know you did. [ She'd know if he was lying, at least. ]

Edited 2018-10-20 22:53 (UTC)

[He'd been denying it so strongly for a reason, but once she's tugged loose enough at the threads, it all begins to unravel. His shoulders haunch up, but he doesn't reject her embrace, his head still tucked to his chest against an invisible pain.]

....At least it... it didn't hurt anymore, you know? Once everything stopped. I didn't feel anything...

POKEGEAR (MoM IC Contact)

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