[ oh... she sounds better - there's the immediate sense of relief, and rondo looks up, wide eyed, surprised, before his shoulders just kind of collapse. okay. she's fine. whether she knows who he is or not, who knows, but... at least she's fine. the springs do seem a lot better than the swamp. it's - it's something. it's... a cut throat, so much blood, it's once again what could you even do, it's the way she didn't even know who he was, it's -
-- it's fine. rondo shakes his head, quickly, puts on a smile, reassuring, especially with the request. ]
Oh... of course.
[ right. he stands, coming a little closer - though rondo's walking with his head up, making sure he doesn't look, holding his breath to keep everything under control, and he sets down the towel, and then... after a beat, undoes the clasp on his cloak and folds it to set gently on top of the towel, too.
rondo then turns around, facing the door, hands folding behind his back - anxiously knitting his fingers together, just for the sake of something to do. ]
I'd... be happy to escort you back to your room, if you'd like, too.
[ as she gets out of the water, she blinks a little, gives a slight shake of her head... it doesn't take her very long to get dressed. marina pauses and then reaches out carefully with a hand to pat his turned about shoulder, a relief kind of radiating off of her almost immediately when he turns around. she definitely looks less pale than when she arrived, though she'll probably still need a bit of rest.
there's a tone of recognition in her voice. ]
You could stay with me if you want.
[ not like she wants you to stay or anything (the feelings are actually saying that though, she maybe just feels a little too tired to dull them down. ]
... I'd like that, though. Walk with me.
[ she does have his cloak around her shoulders though, and she's holding onto it very tightly. ]
[ well, good, because truthfully, he does not want to go very far away. he turns immediately, and his gaze sweeps over marina again, head to toe - looking for injuries, checking to make sure that she'll be alright. the bloodied dress is at least covered by the cloak, but it makes his stomach flip just to look at it, and rondo swallows hard.
alive is another step forward. you just have to remember that. something in him eases a little when she seems to at least recognize him, and it's all over his face - forget emotionshare, he looks worried and upset, brows knit together, mouth pulled into a tiny frown. ]
...Of course. [ of course, of course. anything she wants, he's more than happy to give. he's resisting the urge to just carry her back to the apartments, honestly.
rondo eyes her hands for a second, biting his lip, and... after a moment, holds out one of his? if she wants to take it. ] If you need anything, you need only ask.
[ the emotionshare is so strong with these two, marina radiates a quiet anxiety, a longing that blips sadly in and out as she peans gently against him, taking his hand more than willingly as she turns to look at him. there's something that makes her brows furrow tightly as she then just rests her head a moment on his shoulder, kind of nuzzling into the perch of it. ]
My head feels kind of funny. People look familiar... and then they don't. Doesn't last long, but I'm sorry if it happens...
[ she squeezes his hand tightly. ]
Can we go to your room? I think that's where I'd like to be right now after... everything. Hard to believe we're even back from all of that...
[ her free hand rising to her throat, touching the scar there now with her fingertips. ]
[ deeply worrying, but it's really sweet of her to apologize for it, anyway - rondo's heart lurches, achy and soft, and he nods as she comes closer, something steady and strong to lean against. his worry echoes like low tide. ebbing, and flowing. ]
You don't have to apologize. [ everyone's come back from these things messed up in the head, one way or another. rondo's own had been a set of pretty debilitating chest pains, but at least he hadn't lost anything - not like that. the idea scares him a little.
he squeezes her hand back, though, following her hand - if he stares at that gash long enough, he can think to himself. it's closed. it's not a cold forest in the middle of the fog, her face bashed in, it's not the bleeding mannequin in the mall, it's marina. alive and whole and well, for as well as she can be. ]
And - of course we can. If you need to lean on me, please do, okay? [ fussy! very, very fussy. he gives her hand one last squeeze, and with that, will start to pull her along towards the apartments, walking slow and steady as he just keeps looking, just keeps reassuring himself, maybe her, that she's okay on the long walk back. ]
I'm not so sure. You are both made of such resilience, of course you've made it back - and thank the Flame for it. [ his thumb rubs the side of her hand as he talks, gentle. ] I... you don't have to talk of it, unless you want to.
Edited (not the icon repeat) 2024-07-22 01:48 (UTC)
[ and she will actually lean against him. she feels a hell of a lot better, but she will likely have to Replace That Blood slowly but surely. she squeezes a bit whenever he looks to her, a quiet call-and-response as she walks alongside him. ]
I... I think talking about it might at least help me put some more of it together. I...
[ gently: ]
I think I heard my mother's voice...
[ she looks down where his hand holds hers, and squeezes it, her other just resting on his arm. she has to take her time to process it, and there's a moment where there's a brief scowl on her face that she almost tries to fight, like an internal debate with herself before she thunks her head gently on his shoulders. ] And I swear I heard yours, but I couldn't see you... and Laudna and Astarion... I think? I think I saw them too...
it brings back vin's panic the week before he died - she'd been miserably upset, blaming herself for his alternate self's death, and worry scatters across his emotions, a swoop of something deeply unhappy, too. it rankles him that this place continues to use him against the people he cares for something fierce.
his pace is slow and easy, steady. marina can lean on him as much as she wants. ]
... if it helps, I have been here the whole time. [ it's the same thing he told vin. nothing to be afraid of, in case some other version of himself showed up and died. he was right here. ] Miss Laudna and Mr. Astarion... they came back in a similar state as you did, so I imagine they were truly there.
[ he strokes the side of her hand with his thumb, gentle. ] But, it was just the four of you. So, anyone else you might have seen or heard was just an illusion.
[ including her mother, which just - breaks his heart into a thousand pieces. jeez. ]
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flameguard) wrote2024-06-10 03:29 pm
no subject
-- it's fine. rondo shakes his head, quickly, puts on a smile, reassuring, especially with the request. ]
Oh... of course.
[ right. he stands, coming a little closer - though rondo's walking with his head up, making sure he doesn't look, holding his breath to keep everything under control, and he sets down the towel, and then... after a beat, undoes the clasp on his cloak and folds it to set gently on top of the towel, too.
rondo then turns around, facing the door, hands folding behind his back - anxiously knitting his fingers together, just for the sake of something to do. ]
I'd... be happy to escort you back to your room, if you'd like, too.
no subject
there's a tone of recognition in her voice. ]
You could stay with me if you want.
[ not like she wants you to stay or anything (the feelings are actually saying that though, she maybe just feels a little too tired to dull them down. ]
... I'd like that, though. Walk with me.
[ she does have his cloak around her shoulders though, and she's holding onto it very tightly. ]
no subject
alive is another step forward. you just have to remember that. something in him eases a little when she seems to at least recognize him, and it's all over his face - forget emotionshare, he looks worried and upset, brows knit together, mouth pulled into a tiny frown. ]
...Of course. [ of course, of course. anything she wants, he's more than happy to give. he's resisting the urge to just carry her back to the apartments, honestly.
rondo eyes her hands for a second, biting his lip, and... after a moment, holds out one of his? if she wants to take it. ] If you need anything, you need only ask.
no subject
My head feels kind of funny. People look familiar... and then they don't. Doesn't last long, but I'm sorry if it happens...
[ she squeezes his hand tightly. ]
Can we go to your room? I think that's where I'd like to be right now after... everything. Hard to believe we're even back from all of that...
[ her free hand rising to her throat, touching the scar there now with her fingertips. ]
no subject
You don't have to apologize. [ everyone's come back from these things messed up in the head, one way or another. rondo's own had been a set of pretty debilitating chest pains, but at least he hadn't lost anything - not like that. the idea scares him a little.
he squeezes her hand back, though, following her hand - if he stares at that gash long enough, he can think to himself. it's closed. it's not a cold forest in the middle of the fog, her face bashed in, it's not the bleeding mannequin in the mall, it's marina. alive and whole and well, for as well as she can be. ]
And - of course we can. If you need to lean on me, please do, okay? [ fussy! very, very fussy. he gives her hand one last squeeze, and with that, will start to pull her along towards the apartments, walking slow and steady as he just keeps looking, just keeps reassuring himself, maybe her, that she's okay on the long walk back. ]
I'm not so sure. You are both made of such resilience, of course you've made it back - and thank the Flame for it. [ his thumb rubs the side of her hand as he talks, gentle. ] I... you don't have to talk of it, unless you want to.
no subject
I... I think talking about it might at least help me put some more of it together. I...
[ gently: ]
I think I heard my mother's voice...
[ she looks down where his hand holds hers, and squeezes it, her other just resting on his arm. she has to take her time to process it, and there's a moment where there's a brief scowl on her face that she almost tries to fight, like an internal debate with herself before she thunks her head gently on his shoulders. ] And I swear I heard yours, but I couldn't see you... and Laudna and Astarion... I think? I think I saw them too...
no subject
it brings back vin's panic the week before he died - she'd been miserably upset, blaming herself for his alternate self's death, and worry scatters across his emotions, a swoop of something deeply unhappy, too. it rankles him that this place continues to use him against the people he cares for something fierce.
his pace is slow and easy, steady. marina can lean on him as much as she wants. ]
... if it helps, I have been here the whole time. [ it's the same thing he told vin. nothing to be afraid of, in case some other version of himself showed up and died. he was right here. ] Miss Laudna and Mr. Astarion... they came back in a similar state as you did, so I imagine they were truly there.
[ he strokes the side of her hand with his thumb, gentle. ] But, it was just the four of you. So, anyone else you might have seen or heard was just an illusion.
[ including her mother, which just - breaks his heart into a thousand pieces. jeez. ]