video - > text | un: stormflower [Backdate: June 30th]

[sleepinglotus]

[Sounds come first, scraping and rustling with a black screen until the viewfinder is finally shifted enough to catch a glimpse of the outside of the Moon Knight's HQ before turning fully and capturing a very haggard, exhausted, pale looking Lie Ren, one hand picking bits of crystal out of his long unkempt hair and the very red remnants of what killed him on his face and neck. Not scars exactly, and they'll fade with time, but for now it's a painful reminder on his skin of what happened to him.

He blinks in an almost startled manner after a moment, seemingly catching his own face in the video. He quickly tugged a hood over his head then shut the video off, opting instead for text.]

I'm back.

I know people were looking for me.

I'm sorry for being the cause of worry.

I'll be heading back home shortly.

[He doesn't offer an explanation for anyone who missed what happened. If asked he'll say, but he won't name the person responsible if it's not already known.

He could also be run into on his way back to Level 2, if anyone chances upon him that way.]

Comments

[schmisse]

[ Weiss doesn't respond to the text anymore, opting to prepare for her trip to Ren's place instead. She won't move too quickly, giving Ren some time for himself. Weiss doesn't want to hog up all his time either, so she doesn't intend to stay long. Just get Ren some ice cream and Tadashi some plain jerky! Maybe talk a little. Get that smoothie. Leave.

It's about an hour later that Weiss arrives, ringing the bell to Ren's apartment to let him know that she's there. She doesn't call out to him from the door, either. It's cool. ]

[sleepinglotus]

[That's fine. He's just going to lay in bed with his arm over his face and try to will the absolutely monster headache he's got away. It's not quite migraine levels yet but it wants to get there badly.

He does slowly sidle out of bed at the doorbell, though, figuring it to be Weiss. Answering has him almost as unkempt as he was on the video, though at least the hoodie he was wearing has been changed out for a clean one not covered in his own dried blood.]

Hey.

[schmisse]

[ How do you causally point out that your friend is a mess? Hm... ]

You look terrible.

[ And yup, she's walking inside after saying that, too. Sorry, Ren. You're stuck with Weiss now. ]

I brought ice cream. It's vanilla.

[sleepinglotus]

[Weiss Schnee everyone.]

Thanks.

[You try to look halfway normal after getting your through ripped out, princess.]

[schmisse]

Do you need Chroma?

[ Almost dying dries you of your Chroma. She can't imagine how it must be like to have died... ]

[sleepinglotus]

[Ren hesitates, realizing in that all his time here he and Weiss had exchanged little more than some brief hand holding, maybe a friendly hug. They were getting closer, but not that close.

Still-...]

Mn.

[He nods with a soft grunt of affirmation, going to sit on the couch with an exhausted slump.]

[schmisse]

[ And Weiss won't offer any more than handholding or a hug. Not at this time, when Ren probably doesn't want to deal with anything beyond that given his tired state. And if she were to be honest... she's not really sure she wants to moonlace with anyone intimately apart from her boyfriends.

Well... at least, that's what she wants, anyway. This world may think differently.

Weiss is bad at talking. Ren will become a firsthand witness to it. There's a reason why Weiss never talks about what happened at Haven. Even thinking of what to say now is very difficult, but she can at least hold his hand.

Once she's joined him on the couch, the bag of small ice cream cups on her lap, she offers her hand to him. ]

[sleepinglotus]

[Look, he normally wouldn't say no to making out with Weiss if she did offer it. He'd have to be blind to not see how attractive she is. But falling asleep during makeouts is decidedly very unsexy.

He gets not being very good at talking either, though, so he's fine with it like this.

He takes the cup from her and stares at it with an odd expression, and after a moment a soft, unexpected 'heh' bubbles out.]

[schmisse]

[ Do not, under any circumstances, fall asleep while kissing her. ]

... What's that look for?

[sleepinglotus]

[A good way to get frozen, he wagers.]

I think you were the first person to give me one of these, indirectly. Rather, you gave some to Pyrrha to give to the rest of us. Nora and I had never actually had one before.

[schmisse]

[ Don't try. ]

Seriously? Never?

[sleepinglotus]

[He shakes his head, expression distantly nostalgic.]

Even if we had extra Lien, we tended to focus more on things that could last longer. It wasn't like we had access to a freezer.

[He says that like she knows what he's been through, when really it's probably not much more than Nora's one-off comment about being orphans back during the festival.]

[schmisse]

[ Yup. She doesn't have a clue, but she won't force a story out of Ren, either. Not now, anyway. ]

You have two hands. Hold mine while you eat so you can get some Chroma and energy.

[ Tsundere... ]

[sleepinglotus]

[Of course not.

But hey, the memory got him to smile a bit. That's an improvement.

He's also a little amused at her reaction. It's okay, Weiss, Ren isn't about to tell anyone your terrible secret.]

Okay, okay...

[schmisse]

Don't make it sound like I'm forcing you! This is for your own good.

[ The Ice Queen truly does care!!! ]

[sleepinglotus]

[She does! He knows that!

Still, he's quirking an eyebrow a little.]

Ice cream is for my own good?

[schmisse]

No, I— I mean, yes...? [ Wait. ] Shut up!

[ Now she's pouting at him. ]

Just eat.

[sleepinglotus]

[Congrats, Weiss. You got him to smile properly. It's not a full on laugh, but he barely does that anyway. It's a good sign regardless.]

Thank you.

[He doesn't dig in right away, instead bumping against her shoulder lightly with his in an awkward but still caring show of affection.]

[schmisse]

[ Weiss doesn't really know what to say now... so she uses her free hand to open up her own ice cream cup. It's time to eat. ]

If there's anything else I can do, just tell me.

[ She's not very good at comforting... ]

[sleepinglotus]

Being here is plenty, Weiss. Really. I appreciate it a lot.

[He'll start eating his ice cream now, too, because what is actually dealing with your emotions.]

[schmisse]

Just tell me when you'd like to get some rest, then.

[ She'll leave. While she doesn't want to stay too long, if he needs company or Chroma, then she'll help in whatever way she can. ]

[sleepinglotus]

[He really needs both right now, but that means asking for something, and he's still not very good at that either.

Still, sleep will probably be necessary sooner rather than later, and even after he finishes the little cup he can feel fatigue starting to settle in once more.

Well, he can at least try to keep a little conversation going for now.]

I'm sorry if I worried you...

[schmisse]

... Maybe it's a messed up way of thinking, but I'm glad that people can come back here after something like that.

I didn't even know such a thing was possible.

[ Silver lining and all? ]

[sleepinglotus]

Neither did I.

[Not exactly something that the prismals tell you when you first arrive.]

I am glad I didn't just... leave you, or Jaune and Pyrrha.

[schmisse]

Wow, I finally feel like I'm part of team JNPR.

[ SHE'S KIDDING... ]