[ She's still concerned over how Zenitsu retreated even more into himself during the trial. She hasn't forgotten, but the results of the trial weren't kind to many.
She holds her hands out. ]
Can I help you?
[ With the bandages, she means foremost, but also in general. ]
[ He drops the old dressing, causing it to hang loosely from his head, and holds the new roll of bandages out to her with both hands and a small nod. If he dresses the wound alone, he'll just end up having to redo it. He's fortunate that Shinobu is here. ]
It's just for my eye.
[ His neck dressing is fine, and he refuses to even look at his torso.]
[ After so many weeks of luxurious physical contact with others, the store has been cold and impersonal all week. It's not anyone's fault, really. Yin Yu's hands were careful, but the pain of disinfectant made it hard to appreciate them. Consequently, the gentleness and precision with which Shinobu's hands reach out to him render Zenitsu quiet for a moment in that advantageous aftermath.
It's a rare moment where he doesn't feel like a ghost haunting an abandoned building. ]
I did my neck yesterday.
[ Answering sheepishly, that's all he offers. He's in for it now. ]
[ The last thing he wants is to upset her more after an upsetting trial. The rest of him can stand to be redressed, too. Maybe it'll be gentler this time.
As he opens his mouth to let her do just that, he stops mid inhalation and blinks. ]
Huh?
Is there an infection?
[ He starts to reach up for his newly bandaged eye. ]
[ Zenitsu, you have feelings for other people. One of them is sleeping somewhere?
She notices his cheeks reddening but says nothing. ]
That doesn't make any of the things occurring any less terrible, any less heavy. Our hearts can only take so much, no matter how strong or weak you think you are.
[ He can't help it. She's cute and her hand is on his.
Things did take a terrible turn, though. People wouldn't stop arguing with each other and hurling hurtful words until it was too late. He's always been passive during those moments, so he can't talk much, but that last hour of trial rankled. ]
I'm just a little angry. Lili gets carried away at times, but he shouldn't have said those things to her.
[ That moral debate did more harm than good. It split everyone and ended in a vote for someone who didn't even volunteer. ]
[ She's right, and he knows. Intellectually, he understands. Everyone's trying their best.
That doesn't mean they have to tear each other apart. They don't have to shut others down for trying. Nobody needs to get the last word in. There's no right nor wrong here.
But it's not about logic, is it?
It's no wonder they're all at their limit. Even at the mansion, it never reached this kind of boiling point. Is this not enough suffering? ]
[ They don't need to tear into each other. They don't need to say hurtful things, but it's hard to control. She doesn't approve, but she doesn't have much room to speak. She'd be throwing stones from glass houses. As practical and logical as Shinobu can be, as realistic as she can be, she's always been so emotional. Too emotional.
It's easier to be removed when you're dead, but it's also harder to watch everything going on from this side. Did she make the right decision? ]
I don't think anyone knows the answer to that, but it has to be soon. We won't be able to last, if it's not.
[ They have all suffered so much. ]
As strong as everyone can be, everyone has a breaking point.
[ They may rise again after they break, but people can still break. ]
[ The mansion was freed on the seventh week. Next week here will be the seventh. There's been more than enough violence. He hopes next week will be the end, or the despair just might be too much.
His brow knits as his expression takes a worried turn. He's angry, to be sure; however, more than anything, he's concerned and maybe even sad.
He reaches for the hem of his shirt with both hands. ]
We're redressing my torso, right? I don't think it's bleeding, though.
[ Yin Yu did a good job of patching him up, even if there's barely any skin left on him. ]
[ He didn't have anything worth contributing, so a subject change it was. And this gives him time to think.
With a nod, he shrugs the shirt off and holds it off to his side. The dressing looks fine, for the most part. He hasn't done anything strenuous to undo Yin Yu's hard work. The only offense lies in his flanks from the time Agni impaled the monster onto the ground; a scant amount of blood has managed to seeped through the bandages. ]
[ He swallows, but that's all the protest she gets as he steels himself. He doesn't bother to hide his discomfort with the process. ]
They don't hurt like they did.
[ It's more that he freaks out if he looks at himself for longer than is necessary. So he doesn't look while she works, turning his head to the side instead. ]
He wonders how much she might be hurting. It's hard to tell with her. He knows that her smiles aren't always forthright; unfortunately, he doesn't know her well enough to spot the differences. ]
[ Thoroughly lost in his thoughts, he startles before flashing her an apologetic smile. He reaches up to rub the back of his head. ]
It's nothing much, really. I was just daydreaming at the time.
[ No one needs to hear about the choice words and shifts in demeanor that reminded him of a different week. Everyone was probably fed up back then, so he won't dig up awkward memories for anybody—Shinobu, (almost) most of all. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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She holds her hands out. ]
Can I help you?
[ With the bandages, she means foremost, but also in general. ]
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It's just for my eye.
[ His neck dressing is fine, and he refuses to even look at his torso.]
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When was the last time you redid your other bandages?
[ But she comes forward to take the bandages and expertly redresses his eye. Her hands, as usual, are gentle when treating someone. ]
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It's a rare moment where he doesn't feel like a ghost haunting an abandoned building. ]
I did my neck yesterday.
[ Answering sheepishly, that's all he offers. He's in for it now. ]
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Please let me address the rest.
[ ... ]
I'm worried about you, Zenitsu-kun.
[ It's best to be straightforward because she's sure he won't say anything otherwise. ]
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As he opens his mouth to let her do just that, he stops mid inhalation and blinks. ]
Huh?
Is there an infection?
[ He starts to reach up for his newly bandaged eye. ]
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[ She reaches over to stay his hand. ]
I meant here.
[ With her other hand, she taps over her chest where her heart is, over where Dimitri likely stabbed her. ]
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Her hands are so petite. They're gentle and warm, but also strong. His heart still manages to skip a beat when she rests her hand over his.
He's also a little red in the face. ]
But I'm fine. I didn't even have to vote this time.
[ That's one perk of being here. The burden of condemning somebody to death is gone. ]
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She notices his cheeks reddening but says nothing. ]
That doesn't make any of the things occurring any less terrible, any less heavy. Our hearts can only take so much, no matter how strong or weak you think you are.
[ No one is infallible. ]
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Things did take a terrible turn, though. People wouldn't stop arguing with each other and hurling hurtful words until it was too late. He's always been passive during those moments, so he can't talk much, but that last hour of trial rankled. ]
I'm just a little angry. Lili gets carried away at times, but he shouldn't have said those things to her.
[ That moral debate did more harm than good. It split everyone and ended in a vote for someone who didn't even volunteer. ]
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The person he cares for volunteered to be voted for, and she asked, but do you think it would be right?
[ She's not excusing either of them, but if he can excuse Lili for getting carried away, he should understand the other side, too.
Emotions ran high, and it became an incomprehensible mess. ]
None of it is right. Neither of them are more wrong than the other. They're both trying their best not to bend and break.
[ Neither of them have that much of a moral high ground to stand on. None of them do anymore. ]
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That doesn't mean they have to tear each other apart. They don't have to shut others down for trying. Nobody needs to get the last word in. There's no right nor wrong here.
But it's not about logic, is it?
It's no wonder they're all at their limit. Even at the mansion, it never reached this kind of boiling point. Is this not enough suffering? ]
Just how much more does it need?
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It's easier to be removed when you're dead, but it's also harder to watch everything going on from this side. Did she make the right decision? ]
I don't think anyone knows the answer to that, but it has to be soon. We won't be able to last, if it's not.
[ They have all suffered so much. ]
As strong as everyone can be, everyone has a breaking point.
[ They may rise again after they break, but people can still break. ]
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His brow knits as his expression takes a worried turn. He's angry, to be sure; however, more than anything, he's concerned and maybe even sad.
He reaches for the hem of his shirt with both hands. ]
We're redressing my torso, right? I don't think it's bleeding, though.
[ Yin Yu did a good job of patching him up, even if there's barely any skin left on him. ]
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Well, that's fine. ]
We'll see the state of it first, and if it doesn't need to be addressed, we can leave it. I would prefer to be sure.
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With a nod, he shrugs the shirt off and holds it off to his side. The dressing looks fine, for the most part. He hasn't done anything strenuous to undo Yin Yu's hard work. The only offense lies in his flanks from the time Agni impaled the monster onto the ground; a scant amount of blood has managed to seeped through the bandages. ]
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[ His one offense. She gestures before she gets to work. ]
You're doing well, holding up with all these injuries.
[ Even if all the pain is less. ]
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They don't hurt like they did.
[ It's more that he freaks out if he looks at himself for longer than is necessary. So he doesn't look while she works, turning his head to the side instead. ]
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That's one small mercy we have right now.
[ Perhaps the only one. ]
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He wonders how much she might be hurting. It's hard to tell with her. He knows that her smiles aren't always forthright; unfortunately, he doesn't know her well enough to spot the differences. ]
These should all disappear by next week, right?
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[ At least that's one thing that they can hopefully count on.
Still a small mercy. ]
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As soon as the dressing has been changed, he pulls the shirt back on. He's quiet for several more beats.
He can't talk about it, after all. ]
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[ That's what she's getting. ]
Or do you not want to talk about it at all?
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It's nothing much, really. I was just daydreaming at the time.
[ No one needs to hear about the choice words and shifts in demeanor that reminded him of a different week. Everyone was probably fed up back then, so he won't dig up awkward memories for anybody—Shinobu, (almost) most of all. ]
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[ Her tone is still light, but there's a thread of steel behind it. ]
Do not take me for a fool. If it is something you don't want me to know, say so.
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