shockingblue | IC Inbox: Daybreak

[On an ordinary day, hearing Desidera swear like that, would've probably been enough to get Gunvolt to laugh aloud. He's pretty sure he's never heard her use such coarse language before. Which frankly said a lot about how she was feeling about things.

Of course, it's not like he hadn't been using an inordinate amount of foul language himself today... not bothering to even use the slang terms he used in QUILL.

Still, he nodded, taking a look over to Monarch's covered charging station.]

Yeah.

[He let out a sigh, and rubbed his eyes. This was just. A lot. And even if he's been planning on how to deal with Asimov and get Monarch back, he's still not had the time to deal with it.

There's a lot of anger and rage swirling in his heart, enough to make him wonder if he was any better than Viper. He wanted to make Asimov pay. For everything. In spades. Though he didn't let it show openly. But mixed with that was a sense of wondering where everything could possibly go from here. It was all.... so distracting. And overwhelming. He wondered if he'd even be able to sleep tonight.

...Maybe it was best not to think too much on that right now, and focus on the moment. One foot in front of the other, until they could be ready to get Monarch back.]

...It's strange. She's only been with us for a month, and the room feels empty without her. [He pauses, his eyes turning back over to look at his roommate. He almost immediately realized something upon saying it, though. If it felt this empty without one of them... how much worse was it without two?] Desi...? How long were you in there waiting for me...?

At the infirmary? When I didn't need to be doing something else? [Like going to classes? Or eating? Or sleeping?] I was, ah— I was in there as much as they would allow. For the whole week.

I couldn't... I couldn't not be there.

[Her answer had been given, but she kept going.]

Just— Just like I can't not be here now.

[He's quiet when she says all of that, but his eyes do widen a little. Something in that slammed into him like running face first into a brick wall.

"...Beware those who demand your loyalty..."

...Those words echoed into his mind again. But... this time, they meant something entirely different. Not a stern warning about those in power, but the lines between it. But those who didn't demand one's loyalty, and... even freely gave theirs in understanding of one another? They were the people you could really trust, weren't they? And he already knew he trusted her immensely. ...And that if the reverse had happened, he wouldn't have left her side either... Or after.

... ... ...]

[Gunvolt said nothing at that point, and looked up at the ceiling again, lost in thought; though he wasn't like that for very long. It may have felt like it to him, though.

If Desidera was sharp-eyed, she could catch that the whites of his eyes had started to redden. Though she probably couldn't see the painful lump that was forming in GV's throat.

...

Without saying another word, Gunvolt walked over to Desidera's bed, and pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her close. She could probably hear a soft sniffle come from him.]

...Grazie, Desidera. Grazie.

[...It's all he has before he finally breaks down. Overwhelmed from literally everything, but in the safest place he could possibly be. ...But that was okay, wasn't it?]

[Her own arms wrapped around him, but she didn't hold too tightly—knowing that she could hurt him if she did—as she gave him the time he needed to just let everything out.

Once things began to quiet down, she admitted:] I was scared. When we found you like that, I-I thought I was losing you, a-and then you weren't waking up, and I didn't know what I would do with myself if I actually did lose you. I...

[She trailed off, but what she managed to say was probably more than clear enough.]

[Gunvolt just held her tightly while he cried, and just let all of it go. The anger and frustration in his heart toward his former mentor didn't drain away with it, but... much of the rest of it he managed to let flow. The sense of betrayal, the loneliness, and the fear of what the future what may come, and more. He pressed his face into her shoulder, showing a level of vulnerability he wasn't sure if he'd ever let anyone see before.

...He'd always had to be tough. Strong. Had been alone for most of his childhood; not in isolation, like Desidera, but in a void of real friends; always an outsider. In Japan, it was because he looked strange, and even when he got to Germany, it's because he came from another country and took quite awhile to even start fitting in. ...Even when he finally was picked up by Asimov, he had to go hard into everything to not let him down. Disappointing him was like a dagger through the heart, and the only one he could ever really open up to was Moniqa. ...Even then, he never went too far, afraid, somewhere, that she might think less of him for it too.

For once. It was okay to be "weak" and lean on someone else, even if only for a short time.

He slowly collected himself over a few minutes, eventually listening to her when she spoke. It took him several more moments to speak, his voice hoarse and tired, but... yet, firm.]

...You won't. [...He's really not the best at expressing himself. Especially right now, and he knew that. He made a noise, somewhat guttural, and shook his head.] I... won't leave you alone.

[...better? Maybe?]

[It should probably be known that Desidera Neroni was not particularly dense, nor was she stupid. As such, what Gunvolt was saying came across clearly, and once it really hit her, she tightened her hold just a bit—enough to be noticeable, but still not enough to cause any harm.

He'd already seen her crying, once, but soon enough, he was seeing it again. While the first time had been obvious relief, this time it was something else entirely.]

[Her squeeze was definitely noticeable. And for maybe the first time since he woke up today, GV could feel his lips relax, and form a small, subdued smile; genuine, and unforced. The turmoil he still felt clawing in his heart was silenced, if only for a short, brief moment.

Maybe long enough for her to see that smile through her tears, which he reached to softly wipe away, his own eyes still puffy and red.

In that moment, silently, he realized... things will probably be all right. There was much to do yet, but... they'd find a way. Both of them.]

How are you holding up? Is there anything you need?

[He texted him, mulling over the last few days]

...I'd be lying if I said I was okay, Professor. But I'm getting by.

I won't lie, I was pretty scared when I saw what happened and had feared the worse.

[Truth be told, Gunvolt wasn't sure what to say to that, and it took him a few moments to respond.]

I'm sorry I worried you. ...Looking back, I shouldn't have gone off on my own.

...Of course, who knew that would happen, of all things.

[It's during the late afternoon, at a time when all three of the room's occupants are there, when Desidera's phone rings. The caller ID shows the name of one of her contacts, and it's one that, at least half the time, she lets go to voicemail and calls back sometime later. This time, however, she answers it after only a few moments' thought.

The first few sentences that she says are in Italian, and as such, largely unknown to Gunvolt outside of the very first words being a greeting—to her mother. After those sentences, however, she pulls the phone away and sets it down on her desk, and presses one of the buttons on the screen, putting the phone on speaker.]

Okay.

Roommates as in more than one? From what I recall when I brought you here, the rooms were for two students each, not three or four.

[Desi moves her right arm a bit, the bandage around it feeling honestly pretty annoying under the shirt and blazer of her academy uniform. The wound that Asimov had inflicted was dealt with by now, and so the bandage was there for a different reason.]

They are just for two, mother. It's just...you'll understand in a few minutes. We have some things to talk about.

Do we, now? I suppose it must be important, if you're bringing it up willingly. [GV might recall that Desi doesn't particularly like answering when her mother calls; though she's largely accepted things at this point, the fact remained that the woman was more or less the cause of it, and so there's been a minor—but visible—rift all this time despite it being clear that they still actually cared about one another.] Go on, then, I'm listening.

Well, before I begin... Since they're part of all of this, I think my roommates should introduce themselves.

[If she were doing a video call, she'd do the introductions herself, but with it being audio-only, it's better for them to be heard rather than just named.]

[Gunvolt glanced over his shoulder when she actually answered that ring. He was a little surprised, as usually that one went to voice mail. He knew it well enough by now. Though this time, she picked it up; and spoke in Italian. Nah, none of it was anything he could really understand, but he sat back and waited.

Eventually though, when she asked him to introduce himself, he hesitated, albeit briefly. He uh... wasn't really sure how to handle this, so he figured he'd just wing it.]

Uh, hi. I'm Gustav, Desi's assigned roommate. Though I prefer most people just call me GV.

[For now, he'd just... uh. Leave out the "Gunvolt" part, because that might be a little weird, right? It wasn't to him, but... a parent might be another story.

Then Monarch piped up, her hologram waving to the phone happily, even though it obviously was just an audio call.]

Hello! And I'm Monarch! ...I'm a magitech-enhanced artificial intelligence, and her other roommate!

[Desi glanced over to Gunvolt.] I think most people prefer calling you GV, either way. Except for some of the professors.

[Then Monarch spoke up and immediately outed herself.]

I see. [If there was any reaction beyond that, the woman on the phone kept it on her end of the line for now.] Well, it would be rude not to respond, so, you already know that I'm Desidera's mother, but my name is Marise. Have you shared that room the entire time? [Or in other words, were they there before Desi or after?] I do hope she hasn't been too much trouble for either of you.

It's nice to finally speak to you, ma'am.

[GV shot a look at Monarch for being so blunt, but she just playfully stuck out her tongue at him.]

Well, I've been here since about January. Monarch's... a much more recent addition.

And no, there's been no trouble at all. Desi's been a great roommate since day one. Better than I could've ever hoped for.

[Sort of a double meaning on that. Both that he never could've imagined meeting someone like her... and then, well. It was infinitely better than the rather stressful arrangement he had with Maple. They'd made it work, and he might've been the first person to withstand Maple for more than a semester... but it was still an ordeal.]

Oh, good. Good. I was more than a little concerned that there would have been some difficulties due to her, ah, circumstances.

You mean what you did. [Desidera's tone is almost completely normal here, like the thought no longer really bothers her the way it had before.]

Yes, what I— [And then Marise paused, realizing what Desi steering things that way meant.] Ah. Well, color me surprised, you actually told them. You were so worried about it all yourself when you first came here.

Things changed. [And boy, have they.] Anyway, the things that we need to talk about.

Mhm?

Let's start with some of the more-important ones. First, ah, I've had my tattoo removed. It was ruined last weekend when I was helping GV and some others take care of something— [She didn't go until the details there, not knowing how much either of the others would be willing to say about it yet.] —and I'd been thinking of having it removed, anyway.

You have? [Marise...doesn't sound surprised, not really.] I'll be honest, that much I was expecting eventually.

Yeah, she already told us about... all of that.

[So she had been thinking about it already. He wondered if that was possibly the case since... well. Since all that happened in the mists. He still hadn't really talked about that with her... and really, there was getting to be less and less reason to. ...She was already getting there on her own. And that was definitely for the best.

He paused, debating whether or not he should talk about the uh. Circumstances, of things, just yet. He probably will eventually, but... that's probably a bit much for now.]

You were? And here I was worried it might cause problems...

[Monarch hadn't seen what GV had, of course, and was more operating under the thought that it had at least some greater significance to her family to keep it.]

The others all went out of their way to avoid the both of us for quite some time before she came to the academy, and they still largely avoid me even now. They're concerned—no, bothered by the mistakes I made and what she appears to be, and they won't care if she distances herself even more, nor do I think they would if I did so myself.

As far as I'm concerned, she's made the right choice.

[Desidera had initially looked mildly surprised at how easily Marise had accepted that news, but that awkwardness shifted into something else—a bit of discomfort at the thought that most of her family wanted nothing to do with her—before showing a bit of obvious relief when she heard it said that her decision was the correct one.]

A-ah. ... Grazie.

You don't need to say much more about that now, so why don't you go on? You did say you had multiple things to talk about.

Well, another of the more-important things is... [Desi hadn't figured out how exactly to start this off, so she just went for it. Awkwardly.] Ah, we're not just roommates?

[Marise was silent for a moment. She already understood from what Gunvolt said that they were friends, so hearing her daughter say that (and furthermore: indicate that it was important) clearly meant something else.]

Oh, well, isn't this a surprise! [Judging by the tone, it's a good surprise.]

[....Well, that wasn't uh. Remotely subtle. Not that he really knew how to be subtle with that sort of thing either. ...And frankly, he'd have no idea how to bring that up, so he was glad she did.

Though he was still a little... not quite embarrassed or unsure, but... perhaps, very green to the whole thing still. He laughed, a little awkwardly.]

...Yeah. That was... recent. But it's true, ma'am.

[Monarch's eyes widened, and her head turned to look at the two of them, back and forth, like she was watching a tennis match. She then stopped, her hologram visibly pouting.]

Wait a minute! How am I just now finding out about this?! It's not fair that you kept it a secret from me too, you know!!

Ah, sorry, Monarch. ...There just... wasn't really a good time.

[It may sound like an excuse, but... at least everyone in the room there very much understood the actual gravity of things they'd all been dealing with.

Monarch did seem satisfied with that answer, though. She knew. But just because they kept it quiet, a mischievous grin took hold on her face as her hologram reclined back, like she was tilting backward in a chair.]

...Bout time, though. I swear, you two were looking doe-eyed at each other for awhile.

[Desi sputtered at that.] M-Monarch! [She would have reached over the desk and onto her bed for a pillow to throw, if there was anything for that pillow to actually hit; the core was resting on its own pillow, the lens angled toward Desi's side of the room, and she wasn't about to take a chance at knocking anything down and onto the floor.

..... Was she being obvious before now?

It probably didn't help that Marise laughed a bit at that, but only briefly before falling silent, thinking to herself before going ahead and voicing those thoughts.] Recent or not, it doesn't matter! I would have been happy enough knowing you found some friends while you were there, but this?

[There was a pause. What came next was in a calmer, more-subdued tone.]

It sounds to me like I've finally done something right, having you brought here.

[Desi's attention, which had been partially taken by Monarch in that moment just earlier, was very suddenly back on her phone again.]

Edited 2019-12-20 05:56 (UTC)

Oh come on, Monarch...

[Gunvolt himself was over in his chair, blushing somewhat brightly. And it wasn't helping that Marise seemed to find it so funny too. Ah... well. Could be worse. Honestly, he was happy to have his world back together, including Monarch and her teasing.

Of course... once Marise started talking again, he tried to turn his focus back to the call, so he didn't give Monarch the stink-eye. Not that she would've cared, anyway, what with that smug look she was carrying.

...At least, until Marise made that second statement. Even Monarch seemed to calm down and look on in awe. Gunvolt found himself struck dumb, at a loss for words; though fortunately, Monarch proved to be somewhat more eloquent.]

...We're very glad you did.

[There was a hum of acknowledgement before she spoke again. There was something she was curious about.] Speaking of here, Desi, how have things gone with the professor they had recommended for you?

Ah— Well, he's actually been rather hands-off.

Oh?

I've been going to him for advice or to let him know how I've been doing, but the matter of, ah, keeping my power under control has largely been left up to me; what I do, when I do it. He's only stepped in when he felt it necessary.

It's been going well.

Aah, well, if that is what works, then that is what works.

[Though the knowledge that Desi had actually been using that power would be relevant, she wasn't sure if she should bring up any of the incidents she had found herself involved in. Certainly not any of the more-recent ones, unless Gunvolt and Monarch indicated it was okay.]

Professor Valvatorez seems like he's pretty popular with the students because of that style. Based on what Desi's told me, he's the tough, but fair sort that really likes to let people try to grow as they will. Sounds like he's there whenever you need him too.

I think that's what makes him so well liked? ...And feared. ...He does sound a bit weird, though.

[Like anyone in this room had any room to talk about being weird. but that's not the spirit it was really meant in.]

Desi and I have trained together, too. I can back it up. She's been doing great at keeping control.

[Even that's an understatement. Hell, catching him in the shadow-net during the fight with Viper was tantamount to how much raw control she's picked up.]

[Desi's response was directed toward Monarch:] I think the feared part comes from being what he is? Maybe partially? I mean, I wouldn't be terribly surprised to hear anyone was afraid of me.

Liking fish is not weird, though.

[And then separately, Marise's response to Gunvolt:] Oh, she has? I suppose I've got nothing to worry about then.

IC Inbox: Daybreak

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After 12/15

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12/21, at the room again

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