isawallflower | RYSLIG; ic inbox

[ Eating. She hates thinking about it. Preparing a nice meal used to make her feel good. Now, it doesn't quash the urge inside her to hunt and kill, so it feels almost useless. ]

yes.
sort of.
i got a few things from the soup kitchen.

[ Riley came back to life just before midnight the day before. For the whole of that following day, she sat on her couch where she'd woken up and not moved once. She just stayed there, quietly trying to breathe. Quietly trying to go over every single thing in her life, just in case.

Just in case.

It doesn't matter if, when Steve knocks, it's thundering or a gentle tap. It's some of the first noise Riley's heard and acknowledged in that whole day. She jumps, knocking her knee against the table in front of the soft.

At first, she doesn't process what he's saying, just that it's Steve—or, it sounds like Steve. He sounds so desperate. That was her weakness, how the hydra almost got her before. Riley doesn't say anything at first, just lets him talk. She doesn't move, either. In fact, it's Maple who trots over to the door, trying and failing to stick his paw under the door to say hello. Her poor cat had been accidentally shut in the closet, only wriggling his way out after everything had...calmed down. Therefore, he's desperate to play.

Riley doesn't want to respond. She doesn't want to do anything. But she remembers the sight of Steve's crumpled body in the rear view window. She hasn't been able to get it out of her head, actually. Just that and the repeated fear that she killed him.

Before she realizes it, she's the one in front of the door, moving Maple away with her foot. Though it would be smart, she doesn't look through the peephole. She just pulls it open to see his beaten form, knowing instantly two things:

1) He looks like this because of her, because she drove into him
2) His injuries aren't healed, like hers were, so he didn't die

For a moment she just stares at him, eyes wide. Riley looks, more or less, fine. Her feathers are disheveled and puffy, and her face is pale. But she doesn't look injured. The only real notable difference is how a scar runs around her neck, the plumage around it undergrown. Something that wasn't there before.

And then she stumbles forward and throws her arms around him, with unfortunately little regard for his injuries. ]

You're okay— [ She cries into his shoulder. ] You're okay, I thought— oh m-my god, I thought—

[ The only light around them comes from the hallway. Her apartment, despite the late hour, is absolutely and completely dark. ]

Edited 2021-05-26 05:20 (UTC)

[ The sudden embrace very nearly knocks him over. His need to see her is the only thing that's been keeping him standing. Now, her grip is threatening to break even more of his ribs, but he's glad, so glad to be held, even so. He pets the back of her crying head, then goes on to wrap his one good arm around her, his eyes sealing shut to relieve the burning sensation in them as he rocks her by the shoulders. ]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to- It would have kept chasing you-

[ It turns out that monsters are incredibly sturdy. He hadn't been counting on being able to walk after the van struck, or even on surviving. He'd only prayed that whatever happened he wouldn't have to watch himself eviscerate her. That creature's thoughts were flashing red. Hellish shrilling, no words. Just visions of Riley in various states of dismemberment, which had told him all he needed to know about what it was going to do if it had caught her.

He's still trying to fight that imagery off, hugging her back with all of his sapped strength as he rambles on and on, despite his busted voice, how hoarse it is: ]

It was the only thing you could have done, Riley. That you're here now— that you're okay, that's all that matters to me.

[ He hasn't thought about what the rugged gap in her neck feathers might mean; that, and that she was alone in a darkened apartment are details that fell by the wayside the moment she appeared in front of him, seemingly in one piece. ]

[If Riley feels silly, it probably won’t last long. Giorno handles the book like it’s a precious thing even before he pulls it out of the bag; there’s a moment, hand in and eyes up, when his expression transforms from curiosity to wonder. Bag hooked over one wrist, he carefully lifts the book out and lets it fall open to any page. What’s revealed is a swimming bird that’s maybe excessively fancy. He smiles down at it, though, fingers coming to rest light on the page before he glances up at Riley again.]

Thank you. [A moment’s hesitation, and then he realizes he’s got nothing at all to be embarrassed about. She gets it already, obviously. So he just huffs out a quiet laugh.] I used to do that with my spare time, you know. Sit at the library and look through books like these so I could learn to identify animals.

[And create them, but that wasn’t the impetus for his curiosity. If anything, it was the other way around. The big glossy pictures of living things he might, if he’s very lucky, catch sight of one day were a much more comforting way to spend an afternoon than at home.]

. . . I’ll make good use of this. But it’ll come back to haunt you. Next time I see you, I’ll have a lot of facts you’ll have to listen to. [That’s friendship!]

[She’s worried about him. That’s . . . it’s not the first time someone’s said that to him, but before it was just Mista, and that’s different. Mista’s one of only two people in existence and the only one here who knows exactly what he went through, every good and bad and complicated thing he did. And Mista’s different anyway, some complex subspecies of normal that does hard things but stays soft anyway. Whereas Riley . . . Riley’s just—]

[It means a lot, that she’d worry. Despite everything. Despite calling him an idiot at the same time. His smile is soft, now, albeit a little fragile.]

Well, I succeeded, and I didn’t die. So you don’t have to worry about that much, at least.

[He didn’t die. Gained a lot, lost a lot, when before he really didn’t have a thing to lose but his life. Some days he’d give it to undo everything else. Most days he recognizes that even if he could, he’d probably elect not to. This whole thing was for a reason. That’s what he has to remember. Face forward and step into the future.]

[He only contains so much nobility, no matter what she thinks.]

. . . Some of the people we went up against, I couldn’t tell much about them for a while, if at all. But sometimes I could learn something right away just because of this power. Some are more telling than others. So even before I saw this man in person, I knew there was something wrong with him. As soon as we got close to him, people started dropping, covered in mold and being eaten — decomposed — in moments. I thought: what kind of person holds that much joy in destruction in their hearts?

that's good.
just hang in there, ok kiddo?

[ Maybe it should've kept chasing you— no, god, then Steve would've... Steve would've heard too. The very thought makes her breath catch and her grip tighten, despite the fact that he looks like one huge bruise.

And still, she shakes her head with a sob. ] N-n- no, I- it sti- still, it. I...!

[ She can't bring herself to say it. That still, after all that...it was for nothing. But she can't keep it from him. Just him being here's breaking down all her walls, when before she wanted nothing more than to stay still as a statue forever.

At that moment, something furry brushes against her leg and curls around Steve's. She twitches, jerking away for a moment— before seeing Maple, who is just so elated to see someone else. He doesn't even try to run, simply weaves about, trying to squeeze between them. Steve always smells like so many other animals— unacceptable, of course, so Maple must fix that. ]

[ Angel.

Oh, jeez.

Ohhh no.

It's been weeks since she's spoken to Angel. What does she do? What does she say? It's Riley's first and loudest instinct to say nothing. She told Angel to leave her alone, after all, she can't just go back on that. But...

...But... ]

i'm ok
i'm fine now.

[ She answers, for the record, a full three hours after she received the message. Most of that time she spent deliberating. ]

[ He can't stop himself from groaning when her grip tightens around him, but he quickly tries to smooth it over with more sweet murmurings. It's okay. It's okay. It's really okay. Whatever she wants to tell him, it can wait until she's calmed down. She might not even feel the need to say it at that point, honestly, because it's okay. It's okay. His mantra continues until the movement by his ankle snaps him out of it.

Steve flinches worse than Riley does, imagining the faint brush of tendrils from the morning all of this started. However, after a proper look downward, he smiles. ]

Hey, brat. Happy to see you, too.

[ There's no way he'll be able to bend over to give the cat a proper petting. Steve's solution to this conundrum is to lift his foot to try and rub Maple's side with it, but that turns out to be a mistake when he stumbles almost immediately. ]

I need to... sit down, I think.

I'm glad to hear that...I'm so sorry for not checking in on you again sooner, I unfortunately lacked the means to do so until now.

[ She's relieved, but also... not so much. Both because of how Riley was certainly not ok last they spoke, and like with Steve, Angel takes this as a dismissive response. Riley is rightfully angry, Angel wasn't able to help her before and she wasn't around to help her this time. ]

My apologies for being somewhat out of the loop, I haven't been able to access anywhere outside the castle for over a week.

[Perhaps to Riley's relief, Clint has more or less spent the last few weeks in a stupor. Browsing the not-Internet was hardly a thought that came to mind--for God's sake, the man still used a pager to get notified of anything happening with the Avengers.

Clint lets out a small laugh, running a clawed hand through his soaked fur.]

No, no--seriously, it's fine! I can just shake it off--watch--

[He takes small step back and, as promised, just...shakes off the water droplets like a mangy, two-legged dog. Not that it accomplishes much, since it's still raining, and it really only serves to accidentally fling some water into Riley's nest. Clint gives her a lopsided grin.]

So...how long are you thinkin' about staying up here? An hour? A day? Forever? I gotta know if you're ditching your floor-mates and if I can start clearing out your apartment.

[He keeps his tone joking and light-hearted. It's the only thing he knows how to do.]

[ He likes it. Before he even says anything, she can tell he likes it. A rush of endorphins floods her, and her feathers puff out a little—how funny, that that can signal both discomfort and affection—because she did it, she's successfully gotten him something he'd like, twice, and this time she didn't dither for nearly as long, and she's only known him for about five months, not years and years and years.

This is, quite frankly, unprecedented. Yes, she remembers the other Riley from the other world getting Celeste or Haruno or Steffan or even her father birthday gifts, Nattenfest presents, various knickknacks of all sorts. But she doesn't remember the reasoning behind it. Even that Riley was unsure sometimes in if the recipient would appreciate her gifts. So this Riley? What hope did she have?

But Giorno likes it. She's almost giddy because she can tell without a doubt that Giorno likes it, no second-guessing required. The smile he looks up to is bright and shining, worthy of the nickname Eridanus adopted from their alternate selves. ] I kinda thought this'd be the sort of thing you'd appreciate.

[ Downplay it, something tells her, but she can't listen to it. Even as she tries to play it cool, it's written all over her face just how ecstatic she is, that he likes it. ]

Please tell me everything you want to. That's how I know you're getting good mileage out if it, after all~!

[ That is going to come back and haunt her. But oh well. ]

[ Riley tries her best to keep a relatively neutral expression. She's listening, and he's okay, so she's trying her best to respect his incredibly dangerous choices, particularly because she doesn't have a single leg to stand on in that regard and she's...trying, very hard, to acknowledge that more.

However, all that fails when Giorno starts explaining the specifics of this person, the one who brought on this impromptu conversation to begin with. She almost drops her petit four, mouth falling open. ]

He decomposed people? With- with— while they're still alive?!

[ It's not until now that Riley really starts to understand the danger Giorno went up against. ]

[ Kiddo?

...She doesn't dislike it. Not at all. ]

okay.
you too?
are you ok?

[ Riley jumping at something like that? Normal, completely understandable. But Steve? ...This whole thing really fucked him up, didn't it? She wishes she could've ripped that hydra out of him. She wishes she could've skewered it with her claws and made it scream.

That thought, though, it reminds her of her own hydra, screaming as Mukuro had—

Steve stumbles, and Riley, face pale, immediately goes to catch him. It's only now that she realizes her tight grip may not be helping. She mutters a quick apology; his weight's a bit much for her right now, because everything a bit much for her right now, but she already hurt him so much. ]

Yeah. Okay, of c- course, c'mon. [ Her voice still shakes with tears, and she can't get her words as smooth as she'd like them. But she can at least help him inside, into her dark apartment. Thankfully, Maple is hungry for affection, so he follows without much trouble. ] ...S- sorry, it's...a bit, um...messy.

[ A last burst of molted feathers litter the floor, but what she's probably talking about are the scratch marks of varying sizes on the floor. She hasn't even begun to think of how to get those taken care of. Thankfully any furniture that'd been knocked over in the fight's been set right, thankfully the sofa she leads him to didn't take much more wear and tear from that day, even if it's right next to the flurry of scratches her talons made when she tried to futilely free herself from the other Yugi's grasp. ]

yeah dude, i'm doing good
if you ever need to get out of the house, you could come over
meet my girlfriend
she's really cool you'd love her

[ What? Why's she... Riley takes a frustrated moment to breathe. ]

it's fine.
you don't need to
i don't expect anything. or need it.

You're upset. That's understandable.

I couldn't help you last time...is there truly nothing I can do for you now? You're a friend and I wish to help as best I can.

No need to apologize. I ought to apologize to you, if anything. I just complicated things more.

[He's hoping someone a little bit less prone to shoving their whole foot in their mouth got to her. He has to imagine Erin-- Eridanus-- was there at some point.]

Are you feeling any less out of sorts?

Hey, Riley? It's Cass.
I wanted to check in,. Maybe come by to see you.
It's been a few weeks, and those creatures attacked, so.
Let me know.

[She knows she gave Riley her space. She knows how important that is.

But you can't be alone forever. It doesn't end well.]

[ A rectangular swathe of light guides the way into the otherwise pitch black apartment.

She must've been resting before. That sounds so good right now, rest. His strength is giving out so fast now that he's where he wanted to be, with Riley. And from their slow, awkward trek inside, he can tell that her energy levels also aren't what they should be, when she's been able to carry him just fine before.

He keeps his eyes on the floor, trying to watch his feet so he doesn't trip over anything and wind up waylaid on the ground. He notices some of them as he does, the scratches. These are far enough apart that they could plausibly be accidents. Not fucking up everything you touch when knives grow out of your hands and feet is a whole learning curve.

At last, he settles onto the couch, sagging heavily into one corner of it. Steve's good arm pats the empty cushion next to him, beckoning for Riley or Maple or both of them to sit with him for a while. It's as he's trying to spy the cat that he catches sight of the largest cluster of scratches, the deep grooves shining bright white with captured light from the hallway. ]

Riley, what happened in here?

Edited 2021-06-01 21:03 (UTC)

[ It's goodnatured enough, but still Riley flushes and shifts a little, to try and brush some water off her feathers and blankets and logs. ]

Um— no, I can...actually clean all this up, if you'd prefer. I didn't even mean to, it just sort of...happened. Wouldn't want to...you know, make things weird at your next barbeque.

[ Particularly since she's pretty sure she will not be attending. ]

girlfriend?
you have a girlfriend?
oh.
um congratulations??

yeah, it's been really awesome
it's yasha, my friend from back home
we've apparently been in love with each other for forever but neither one was ready to make the first move
because we're fucking useless lesbians

[ Last time. She's still thinking about it. ]

i told you before, i don't want it.
just listen to what i'm telling you.

[ Stop asking questions. Asking questions is bad. ]

RYSLIG; ic inbox

<CheeryCherry>

cw: car accident descriptions

cw: car accidents, suicidal ideation

no subject

cw suicidal ideation, mold?? gore???

<pop.pop>

no subject

<CheeryCherry>

no subject

<4N631>

no subject

no subject

cw: mold gore?!

<CheeryCherry>

no subject

<pop.pop>

<CheeryCherry>

<4N631>

<teslacoils>

post- strain event <ranger>

no subject

no subject

<CheeryCherry>

<pop.pop>

<CheeryCherry>

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CHEERYCHERRY. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 019.46.820.17 * CHEERYCHERRY has joined 019.46.820.17 <CHEERYCHERRY> It's Riley! <CHEERYCHERRY> Please leave a message! <CHEERYCHERRY>** Please be someone with their priorities sorted out properly!