05 - week five

[afflictionmods]

WEEK FIVE

Come Sunday morning, the portals around Estelline fade away, but not all of the oddities hanging around disappear so quickly. The recreations of your dreams and memories are still around, ever changing and shifting. Whatever it is that brought these things here hasn’t ended, not yet.

You don’t have time to worry about all of that, though, even if you know you should exercise caution once two of you found yourselves on the bad end of a monster’s claws. The course still isn’t over, though, even if the portals changed lesson plans. Everything continues on, with new places to explore as the fog pushes back once again. This week still feels a little more like what you’re familiar with, though, after Saturday’s lack of lessons.

...For now.


SETTING TRACKER

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SAGE / FLORENCE / LORELEI

CYOA SIGNUPS
Due Saturday at 8pm EST

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[partymagician]

[ He laughs softly. ]

Hien and I have been practically swimming in them. If I didn't organize our room, it would be a complete disaster.

[vivens]

I would surprise me if Hien got heavily involved with organization; he doesn't look like the type.

[ sorry hien and with a chuckle. ]

Ace isn't either. He'll just leave whatever wherever.

[ spoken as if ace isn't right there. who is ace? don't know him. ]

[partymagician]

Hien is more of a shove it in a corner kind of guy. He's not messy, but... I do clean up.

[ The malewife life... ]

[vivens]

I told Ace to pick up after himself once and his solution for it was to put it all into a single drawer. All of it!

[ the malewife life......

also what compiles "all of it"? all of it. just. all of it. ]

[partymagician]

[ He laughs. ]

Wow, that's so impressive~ My Hien isn't quite as bad as that. He leaves things neatly stacked in boxes, at least.

[vivens]

[ "my"?? sabo doesn't miss that slip(?) but he doesn't comment on it as he just casually adjusts ace's legs on his lap with a sigh. ]

If only Ace had the sense to do something like that. At least if things were like that then it wouldn't be so bad.

I'm definitely not his mother.

[partymagician]

[ Was if a slip? Was it not? Who knows! ]

Nope, you aren’t! You’re his…sworn brother? Best friend?

[ Something like that, he figures. Although by this point, Fai is convinced it’s much more than that.

But there are only so many little comments he can make. ]

[vivens]

[ hms softly, but the flip side here is that sabo has no problem answering fai's question. there's nothing about it that he should be concerned with or anything like that.

and looks into the camera as some of those little comments go over sabo's head and others are deliberately ignored by him. ]

Both.

[partymagician]

[ Aww that’s actually pretty cute. ]

I thought so.

[ He smiles. ]

You know, I like seeing friendships like yours. It warms my heart.

[ He’s being truthful too. This isn’t one of his little comments!! ]

[vivens]

[ oh. ]

I see.

[ ah... well there's no reason for him to be embarrassed about it but for some reason he does feel a bit self-conscious about having it pointed out. it's only for a moment, though, as sabo quickly smooths it over. ]

Are you saying that you don't have that kind of relationship with anyone, Fai?

[partymagician]

Not really, no. I do have friends, of course, but no one that's so close I would consider them a brother.

[ And Hien is, well, a special case. ]

I suppose I view a couple of my traveling companions as my kids, but I don't know if that counts.

[vivens]

[ looks at hien... but also sabo smiles softly at fai's answer. ]

If you consider them your kids then I think your answer is right there. They're family to you. It may not be a brother, sister, or everything else in-between but I don't think the labels matter too much.

[ because, you know, sabo's all about deciding on who your family is instead of acknowledging the one that he was born to. but that's neither here or there. ]

[partymagician]

No, they don't. I care for them, and I think that's all that matters in the end.

[ It's a little strange having family after all of the grief and betrayal he's suffered. But he likes it. ]

[vivens]

I'd agree.

[ fai deserves a wholesome family after his everything, and because he doesn't believe in making assumptions: ]

Do you think you'll return them once this is all over.

[partymagician]

[ He shakes his head, looking towards the floor for a moment before finally making eye contact with Sabo again. ]

I'll most likely die when I return to my world, so unfortunately... I don't know that it's an option to go back to them.

[vivens]

[ ah. and here is why he doesn't make assumptions. ]

My apologies.

[ also sabo is not going to acknowledge that ace is right next to him as this conversation is happening or the way his grip slightly changes on ace's ankles. ]

If that isn't a possibility, what do you think you'll do?

[partymagician]

[ He's honestly thankful that Sabo doesn't make assumptions, because it makes it easier to admit what might happen to him. While it might not be a certainty either, he knows that he can't fight someone he views as a son, even in self defense. So, as he sees it, his death is inevitable. ]

I'll see if Hien will have me, I suppose.

[ He's sure that Hien will, since Fai isn't the type to make assumptions on that level. ]

[vivens]

[ even if that's valid of fai, it's still sad. but, it's not as though he doesn't know what that kind of situation is like. memshare nonsense aside but hearing fai's alternative is nice. ]

I'm sure he'd love that. [ with a soft chuckle. ] You two became rather close since we first arrived here; I'm happy for the two of you.

[ do they need congratulations? who knows. ]

[partymagician]

[ He smiles a little, briefly wondering if Sabo knows, although they haven't told anyone. (At least as far as Fai's aware.) ]

Thanks. I like to think we match each other quite well... whoever put us together did a good job.

[vivens]

[ sometimes you just see things and get an idea? funny how he can see it for other people and yet himself? closes my eyes. ]

I wouldn't have thought so in the beginning but things are always different in the beginning.

[partymagician]

[ sabo pls............. ]

Oh, really? Did you think we were mismatched?

[ Fai wouldn't blame him, since their personalities are almost polar opposites. ]

[vivens]

[ do not perceive him. ]

Looking back on it, maybe not so much, but at the time a little bit. He seemed a bit on the prickly side.

[ he says with a laugh and sounding fond. ]

But I could probably say the same about me and Ace. Except he's so much cuter now than when we were younger.

[ i repeat: do not perceive him. ]

[partymagician]

[ oh he's perceiving ]

So you're saying... we remind you of you and Ace?

[ Fai can see the similarities, honestly. ]

[vivens]

[ do not look too closely fai... but hmm. sabo hadn't meant it like that exactly but he's going to consider it now. ]

Maybe—just a bit. At least when we were younger.

[partymagician]

Really? I feel like we're similar now. We sat on the couch like that last week.

[ And now they're together. Really says something, huh! ]