woofus

[bisouled]

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[soulus]

[He drops his gaze back down to the PHS. Be his guest, Fiora.]

[bisouled]

[ she shakes her head a little, even as she walks over to sit down next to him, the bending of her mechanical joints audible. ]

You never change.

[ but that's okay. somehow, it's almost a comfort, at this point. ]

How's your hand today? Or... you know what I mean.

[soulus]

[He looks at the screen, but his eyes fail to capture the letters on it. His left hand grips the PHS lightly while his right wrist rests on his lap.]

Please pay it no heed. The chances of infection are lower than they were before.

[bisouled]

That's not what I meant. I hope it's not hurting you too much.

[ it's hard not to notice how stiff his demeanor is and how he's got the PHS in a death grip - especially when she rarely sees him using it much in the first place. ]

... Did you get a message? [ a delicate question. ]

[soulus]

[He looks at Fiora.]

It's the same message that everyone received earlier.

[bisouled]

The riddle, you mean.

[ a nod, and perhaps a bit of a relief in her expression. She thought he might have gotten a certain notification... ]

I couldn't figure that one out at all. [ ... ] I didn't think you'd still be at it.

[soulus]

There's nothing else to be done tonight.

[bisouled]

[ hmm. She pulls her knees in towards her chest, resting her chin on her arms as she looks at him. ]

Is it bothering you, too? The way things turned out.

[soulus]

It turned out as well as I expected it would.

[Answering flatly, he turns back to the PHS.]

[bisouled]

That's not what I asked.

[ so he still won't talk to her. she shouldn't really be disappointed, at this point, but she kind of is anyway. ]

[soulus]

[Her response gradually pulls his attention back to her. He'd have to be blind to miss her disappointment.

Fine.]

I am annoyed.

[bisouled]

[ victory!!

not really, this all still sucks, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her a little happy. A shallow nod. ]

We should have found the other one.

[soulus]

[He purses his lips.]

I desire no business with irresponsible people. That's all.

[bisouled]

Did someone break a contract with you?

[ Emet-Selch? Chiron? There are more than a few possibilities. ]

[soulus]

Not yet.

[bisouled]

... What is it, then?

[ the question is asked very gently, like she's afraid she might scare him off. ]

[soulus]

It's fine if you don't know.

In the end, it has nothing to do with me.

[bisouled]

[ damn it, she knew it. Fiora frowns. ]

I want to know, though. You never tell me how you feel about anything. [ a sigh. ] Don't know how you do it. I'm so full of all these emotions, I think I might scream.

[soulus]

Why don't you scream, then? No one else is here.

[bisouled]

I thought you were here enjoying the quiet?

[ a small, wry smile. ]

I'm not a kid anymore. Screaming won't actually help me, anyway.

[soulus]

. . . But you're still young.

[bisouled]

Come off it. Everyone's young next to you.

[ she doesn't feel young. she doesn't feel like anything - she feels less like anyone than she has in months. and she doesn't exactly feel like telling him that this is probably as old as she's going to get. Her demeanor remains muted. ]

Technically, I'm a Mechon, so I don't have any age at all.

[soulus]

[The dim light from the PHS casts a small glow around it. The waterfall is quiet, save for the sound of rushing water. Her words settle and Rufus speaks.]

I am young as well.

[bisouled]

[ that's news to her -- obviously, he looks young, but she knows better than to assume that means he is. A few sharp retorts come to mind - I can tell being one of them - but she doesn't feel much like teasing him. ]

... You must have a really long life ahead of you, then.

[soulus]

. . . I don't think about such things.

[But he does think about why Fiora said that. He has a feeling, and he chooses not to pursue it.]