pc catch-all; susato

[veraltwin]

Comments

week 4; tuesday

[booksleeves]

[Sometime later that night, after running off like Cinderato, Alisaie (or her daemon) may spot Susato outside the castle, looking frantically for something that appears to be lost. She's moving very gingerly.]

[veraltwin]

[It's absolutely Taf who notices Susato; while her vision is beginning to return, it's mostly shadows. But Alisaie stops, watching her for a moment before approaching and calling out quietly, hesitantly.]

...Susato? Is there something wrong?

[booksleeves]

I can't find it.

[She glances up when she sees Alisaie with a frown. Taf may notice she's bleeding, just a little - a cut lip, another one near her eye.]

. . . My sword. The one Xie Lian gave me.

[veraltwin]

[SHOULD WE NOT BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FACE????? MA'AM??????

But in spite of that concern--]

I'll help you look. [Just striding on over.] What happened before you noticed it missing?

[booksleeves]

[Hmm.]

I think it may have been stolen by someone.

[Ryutaro is hopping around, scurrying off as far as the tether will let him and sniffing before running back.]

[veraltwin]

Stolen? But you'd been wearing it all night...!

[DISLIKE???]

Pray tell me all that happened. ...Or, as much of it as you'd prefer to share.

[booksleeves]

[She thinks for a long moment.]

Someone stole it from me. But I suspect they left it behind.

[veraltwin]

[...Susato :( ]

Right. Would they have had the time to hide it? Or do you think it more likely it was thrown somewhere at random? If you know whence they began, we might trace the route they took to find it.

[booksleeves]

I think they most likely had time to hide it.

[She nods, grateful that Alisaie accepted her complete lack of explanation.]

They would have stolen it from just outside the ballroom, and then probably made their way at some point out the gates.

[veraltwin]

That's quite a lot of ground to cover. [She lifts a hand to her chin in thought, then looks back at Susato.] Would you prefer to search together to be thorough or separately to find it faster? I can go back to the ballroom and start from there.

[She might ask a little more later. But were she in Susato's shoes, the last thing she'd want to do is stop for explanations, so she won't demand them now herself.]

[booksleeves]

[It's late, past midnight by now - she seems to glance around, and then nods her head.]

We can split up, if you wouldn't mind. Though I oughtn't keep you so late.

[veraltwin]

[As soon as Susato said they could split up, Alisaie turned to go. But at her second sentence, she half-turns back, the corner of her mouth turning up in the smallest wry smile.]

Please. I think I'd be more offended if you didn't.

I'll let you know if I find it.

[booksleeves]

Thank you.

[She'll give her a small smile. Anyway, timeskip. They can both look for a while, but the sword is actually somewhere near the gates, so either she or Alisaie will find it. Maybe around the same time.]

Oh, thank goodness.

[veraltwin]

[Timeskip! It's hard searching somewhere unfamiliar, but she and Taf give it her best shot. It's definitely a relief when she hears Susato's voice and Taf gives her a visual idea of the scene.]

You've found it? Good. [Coming on over to join her...!] I don't understand why someone would have stolen it from you in the first place.

[booksleeves]

A bit of mischief, no doubt. I have not much made friends with the locals this week.

[She will sheath the sword by her side.]

Xie Lian gave this to me - I did not wish to lose it.

[veraltwin]

[Dang girl what have you been doing...??]

That was kind of him. I would not want to lose such a gift either.

Has he been teaching you to wield it?

[booksleeves]

[She nods, a small smile.]

I had a wish to learn, so we have been practicing.

[. . .]

Alisaie, I am sorry for running off on you earlier. It was rather ungracious of me.

[veraltwin]

[...unexpected but OKAY?? Alisaie shakes her head.]

You needn't apologize. If anything, I should be apologizing to you--what I said was clearly too much for the moment. I ought to have realized that.

[booksleeves]

What you said was very kind. I simply . . .

[She hesitates, folding her hands together.]

It may seem foolish, but it is hard for me to listen to such things right now.

[veraltwin]

[She's not certain if it's welcome, but Alisaie reaches out to offer Susato a hand nevertheless. Given what Susato's saying, she's not going to make any assumptions and take it, but... it's there, if she's open to it.]

'Tis not foolish. I may not have the context necessary to fully understand, but that it affects you in such a way is enough.

I only pray that one day it will be easier for you.

[booksleeves]

[She will take it, yes.]

I already feel rather ridiculous for carrying on this way.

[veraltwin]

[Good. She'll twine their fingers together, giving Susato's hand a gentle squeeze.]

You say that as though the rest of us haven't behaved similarly at one time or another. Loathe as I am to admit it, I made quite a spectacle of myself when Alphinaud was missing and we were locked in the courtyard.

[booksleeves]

Of course you would be worried for him.

[She squeezes the hand back.]

I was glad that you asked me to come. I wouldn't want you to think otherwise.

[veraltwin]

[Alisaie shakes her head, a small smile coming to her face as she brings them a little closer together--holding hands across a gap is weird, you know!! It makes much more sense to be closer, where their joined hands can naturally fall between them.]

Believe me, I understand all too well. But... it does much to hear you say it.

I hope you'll allow me to ask again in future.

[booksleeves]

[Ah. She blushes slightly, but allows this, glancing away to avoid eye contact.]

. . . I would like it if you asked again.