isawallflower | RYSLIG; ic inbox

[It's Mukuro's turn to freeze up a little, eyes wide as she realizes her mistake. For a moment she considers just denying it entirely. But... she knows Riley's secrets, now. It isn't fair. She doesn't want to lie to Riley.]

My - my sister. Me and my sister.

[She answers very quietly, keeping her eyes on the wound.]

[ A sister. Mukuro's never mentioned a sister.

Then again... Riley doesn't exactly broadcast the fact that she has a brother, either. Except...at least for Mukuro, this sounds... She doesn't know. She looks at Mukuro with a very curious expression. ]

Oh. I...didn't know, you... [ ... ] You...both of you, used to...?

Edited 2021-08-03 07:07 (UTC)

[She can tell her own attitude is making it weird, but she can't really - turn it off. She's at least gotten to the point that she can talk about it without going completely nonfunctional, and that's the best she can manage right now.]

Yeah.
I - I was - angry. A lot. At home. But I couldn't - I couldn't do anything, and I had to keep control. So...

[She shrugs, still unwilling to look up. Not exactly ashamed, obviously Riley would understand. But she knows 'home' is a delicate topic, too.]

Or when I get - stuck. Like - like on the beach. Sometimes it's just - I have to - make myself real.
... And my - m-my sister - she had - so many feelings. All the time. It was really hard for her. Like - sh-she couldn't - keep them all inside.

[ Home. ]

And you had...to, to do something to...

[ It makes sense. She hates that it makes sense.

Riley was rarely angry. Rarely let herself be angry. Maybe that's why it all pours out now, and she can't seem to stop it.

It's a good thing Mukuro isn't looking at her. Riley doesn't really know what kind of expression she's making. It feels too open. ]

I never... [ No, that's not...quite right— ] ...I couldn't... I had to be a- a good... a good kid, whatever they- whatever I was...feeling, and... All I cared about was...if they'd notice, but— even when I...worked myself ragged, they never...

[ She tries to make herself smaller, almost out of instinct, but immediately she winces instead, giving that up as blood runs down her arm to the floor. ]

Crap. S- sorry, um. I should...

[ They need to bandage that, huh? ]

[Be good. Had to be good, so they'd pay attention. Had to be good, so maybe they would forgive you for existing. Your feelings are inconvenient, so just shut up and smile.

There's a small, stiff nod. Yes, she understands.
Junko was like that, when she was very small.]

...Y-yeah. I - yeah.

[The way Riley shrinks down makes her want to curl around her again, an aimless and immediate protective instinct - but she's right, the injury needs to be treated. She'll be all right, the Fog heals, but even so. Mukuro nods again before pulling away to fetch first aid supplies - disinfectant, bandages - and returns to kneel back down in front of the harpy. She finally manages to glance up at her face for a moment before focusing back on the task at hand, mumbling:]

I - um. I know - what you mean. The - the being ignored.
That was - really hard for my s-sister, too.
Our parents n-never - they never - h-hurt her like me.

[ To try and make the process easier, Riley holds out her arm and tries to keep it from trembling. That's easier said than done, but she's making a valiant attempt.

That's a lot harder, at Mukuro's stilted confession. ]

They...shouldn't have hurt you at all.

[ She's horrified. At least they never did that, she thinks. At least they never hurt her. It's a painful bright side that makes her feel sick. ]

[Mukuro just nods again, tiredly. She knows. There's plenty of things people shouldn't do, and they've seen it all.]

I mean - they'd hit her, but it wasn't - as often. Or as bad.

[Her voice is just as exhausted, murmuring low and toneless as she disinfects Riley's injury. Her touch is gentle, despite her oversized paws and razor claws. Clearly, she has had plenty of practice. Years and years of it.]

...They still - h-hurt her. The things they'd say, or just - ignoring her.
It wasn't - easier f-for her. Or better. Just - different.

[She's still talking about Junko, but she's seen Riley downplay her own issues enough times to guess what's going on in her head. Mukuro almost thinks she had it easier, of the two of them. She never had any illusions about what their parents were like, she never had a chance to grow attached to them or mourn the loss of their affection. You can't lose something you never had.]

[ It's the perfect distraction from how the disinfectant stings. Nothing possibly could hurt more than listening to this. ]

What... What'd she... [ ... ] Did she keep...trying? To get their attention?

[ Maybe if she dedicated everything to being successful at a single thing, it'd work. Maybe if she made the team. Maybe if she became captain. Maybe if she got the girls to regionals. Maybe, maybe, maybe— maybe they'd stop writing her off as a failure. ]

Yeah. Til I left.

[Nearly a whisper, heavy with guilt.]

A-After - after that - she ran away, too. They w-were - worse to her. Without me there.

[And both of them learned how horrific the world is, and how cruel humans are, and how pointless all of this is. She takes a slow, shaky breath, then gently presses gauze to Riley's injury.]

I think - sh-she went through - w-worse than me after, too.
I didn't see her again until we were - um, around f-fifteen.

Edited 2021-08-04 01:29 (UTC)

[ The arm that isn't injured, the one where her own blood drips from her claws—it comes up to shakily touch Mukuro's arm. ]

I'm... I'm really sorry. You- neither...neither one of you...

[ What can you say to this? Anything? ]

...They didn't deserve you.

[The hesitant touch isn't enough to startle - Riley's always been so kind to her - but it still makes her look up in soft surprise.]

... It's okay. I mean - it's n-not - it's not your fault.

[She wraps the bandage carefully around Riley's arm, securing the gauze. With that and the Fog, she should heal up just fine. She glances up again, soft and searching.]

...Yours didn't deserve you, either.

[ It's one thing, to say that to someone else. It's another to hear it in return. After a few shocked, silent seconds, Riley realizes that's...probably what Mukuro's experiencing, too. ]

Thank... Thank you.

[ When the moment lasts too long, her eyes jerk away, to focus instead on her carefully bandaged arm. She's had so few people there, to help her after...well, after anything like this, before Ryslig. Nights fighting away the guilt, alone, because her parents won't come home and she's too scared to reach out to anyone who actually cares.

...She wonders if it was like that for Mukuro and her sister, too. ]

Thank you.

[ Even though sharing that look is too much...she doesn't remove her hand from Mukuro's arm. ]

[She won't hold the stare, either. It's a lot for both of them. But she doesn't move away when Riley makes it clear she isn't either. Instead, she touches her snout to Riley's cheek again, a light brush of fur on feathers.]

...Mm. You're welcome.

[The words feel strange in her mouth; she's so much more used to giving reassurances and minimizing herself. But she doesn't want it to feel like she's just... brushing Riley off, or like she doesn't understand, or anything like that. This is important. As quiet and stilted as they are, as few words as they might use, this is important.]

And - th-thank you, too.
I - mm. I don't - I've never talked - about that.

[Her voice is smaller than it should be, the meek little girl hiding behind the big bad wolf.]

We never really told anyone.

[ At some point, Riley will realize how accustom she's growing to this close, intimate touch. That isn't something she feels with most people; she can count them on one hand, and most of them are here. In Ryslig.

It's with an incredible amount of care that she squeezes Mukuro's arm. ]

Me neither. [ ... ] It— ...you're not...supposed to.

[ Cairo knows. At least, Riley's pretty sure. Steve overheard some, back when that shambling façade of her family turned violent. She danced around it with Giorno, but he figured some out. But she's never volunteered it. Never.

It's...weird. Scary. But almost freeing. ]

I'll, um. If you need to, I'll...listen.

[ It feels a little stupid to offer, while she's bleeding on her apartment floor. But in Ryslig, there's never a good time for anything, so maybe...she should just start doing, more, instead of waiting. ]

[Mukuro nods a few times, almost childishly as she silently agrees - talking about this is hard, and scary, and something about it is making her feel small and weak and helpless all over again. Even though their entire family is dead, herself included. Even though she knows she's never been safer from them. She's a world away, and she's stronger than she's ever been, and there's still a tight coil of anxiety in her guts and her heart is speeding in her chest because you're not supposed to talk about this.

But. She's okay. And Riley is okay. And talking is - it's helped Riley, so it's okay. But - she opens her mouth, then closes it, and shakes her head. No, she can't talk about this anymore, not--]

Not - n-not - right now.
But - th-thank you.
And. Um. If you ever - want to. I'll always listen. Any - any time. You know I w-won't - I won't tell.

[Riley's secrets are safe. Riley is safe. Mukuro wants her to understand that more than anything right now, she thinks. It's more important than whatever pointless instinctual emotions she's having.]

You won't...

[ It brings her back to the moment. To this. To the moment, to...what got them here. Riley feels her throat close up again. She looks at the blood on her claws, her own blood, but it's so easy to imagine it's someone else's. So easy to see herself like that.

She shudders involuntarily. ]

...Will...Celeste? [ A question of their previous conversation. ] Will she- I don't- I'm not ready, I can't- let everyone know, I can't.

[Mukuro is quiet, for a moment, thinking about that. Eventually, she gives a little shake of her head.]

I don't... I don't think so.
Celeste isn't - like that. She came to you, instead of - telling us. Right...? She's not - it isn't something she's mad at you for doing.

[Now that there's less immediate panic, she can remember some of what Celeste had been yelling about. It seems a lot more like envy, rather than condemnation. Mukuro understands, as much as she can. She remembers Celeste's wry, bitter smile, when they'd talked in that park by the beach. About how Mukuro had an easier time getting along with people, despite her inadequacies.]

...Celeste is - uh, complicated. But if she was going to tell people... I think she would have.

Oh, I think she's mad about something.

[ ...Riley isn't above being bitter, either. She presses her jaw tight together, wills her talons not to dig into the hardwood in frustration. If she lets those feelings up, they'll consume her...right? It's easy to get lost in them, in the things she's feeling. Wasn't...didn't Dr. Danny say something like that...? It's so difficult for her to remember sometimes.

She lets out a slow breath and pushes the anger down. ]

...Okay. If...that's what you think, then- I'll trust you.

[Celeste is most definitely mad about something, but the murder itself isn't the issue. It's Riley's ability to put on that facade and make it work. To have friends, and a family, even if the stress makes her feel like she might break. Because Celeste's facade keeps her at a distance, rather than helping her integrate. It's safer that way, Mukuro knows, but it gets lonely.

'I'll trust you' makes her tail thump once against the floor, though; one tired pleased acknowledgement. It feels good to have Riley trust her again.]

...It'll be okay.

[She'll do whatever she can to make sure of it.]

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cw: therapy malpractice mention

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