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

[vivens]

[ yeah, well, that much is probably pretty obvious but it doesn't change the way that sabo views things. now as he has been completely distracted and derailed from where he had originally intended to go, he'll tilt his head to a side.

one(?) last time, he'll ask: ]

Anything else bothering you, Ace?

[ no secrets between them and everything. ]

[iubar]

[ he tries to think in response to that. to be honest, his head is still a little jumbled with those memories being brought back up and also changes in them. overlapping memories is still so strange. a couple days doesn't clear everything out. ]

No, not right now. But what about you?

[vivens]

[ it's a fair reaction and sabo will just nod his head. ace was the one who tracked him down for a talk and while there is probably a few more things that they could (eventually) address, none of it was pressing. so sabo will just let things be. ]

I'm fine as long as you are.

[iubar]

Yeah.

[ though, he will laugh a little. ]

You really took Luffy's glory away from him with what you did.

[ he doesn't sound upset about this at all, just kind of amused. ]

[vivens]

[ meanwhile sabo will sound a bit embarrassed when ace brings it up. yeah, he sure did just steal all of luffy's thunder, didn't he? he isn't self-centered enough to think that luffy didn't care as much as he did—ace was the only brother he thought he had left—but his guilt has been all-consuming.

so many times he has asked himself. so many nights lost. ]

Maybe I did, but would you really have listened to him over me?

[iubar]

I think you already know the answer to that.

[ the fact that he died in the normal timeline. he couldn't be pulled back once his rage was sparked. it cost him his life because he couldn't listen. sabo's words had barely registered, but the fact of the matter is that they did register to him.

but if he needs to spell it out, he will. but he's pretty sure sabo knows the answer to that. ]

[vivens]

[ local idiot watches a war break out and people risk their lives to save his ass only to walk right into danger and die anyway. but sadly, sabo doesn't need it spelled out for him even if he wouldn't be opposed to hearing it stated plainly for him.

nevertheless he'll smile to himself. if he was a cheekier and less observant person he would make a comment about how he always suspected that ace liked him better. ]

I'm sure Luffy would forgive me for doing so. He endured so much just to have me swoop in at the last minute.

[iubar]

[ yeah, it was pretty dumb as hell. but honor and insulting those people that are important to him are a quick point for temper flaring. winning or losing was no longer a point to care about. he just had to defend the name of his family.

and it's more like the words that sabo chose to pick and the fact that he was startled into the fact that sabo was still alive really helped things out. ]

He would. I think having both of us alive would be the thing he cared about the most.

[vivens]

[ sometimes you just need to unknowingly have gay thoughts and feelings towards someone you thought was dead arriving to save you at your lowest moment saying everything you want to hear. sometimes it can be that ""easy"". but either way, sabo does end up chuckling. ]

I'd agree. He'd never have to go through the pain of losing a brother.

[ you know, since sabo isn't dead even though they both thought he was dead for a very, very long time. ]

[iubar]

[ yeah, it's surprising, huh. (except probably not. it makes sense.) ]

Well, he would have. It just wasn't actually true.

[ it's true. but for a long time, both of them did think he was dead. so he's going to point out that it did feel like it, even if it was false. ]

It still hurt like we lost you.

[vivens]

[ SOMETIMES YOUR "SOULMATE" IS A KID YOU MEET WHEN YOU'RE 5 YEARS OLD... ]

It was the truth for you; we weren't able to find one another again before you died.

[ sabo corrects gently. ]

Even though I'm happy that you and Luffy both had one another, I wish that I could have had more time with both of you as well.

[ since sabo and ace had their five or so odd years together while luffy and ace had twice as much. sabo wouldn't call himself jealous by any means but he couldn't say that he'd hasn't wanted more time together. something that being here has made all the more clear to him. ]

[iubar]

[ GROSS CRYING. ]

I wish you could have been there, too.

[ hell, what he wouldn't give to have more time with both of them now. but sabo in particular after all is said in done. they missed out on so much. ]

It always felt like you'd be there when we turned our heads. I don't know how many times we called out your name and you weren't there beside us.

[ it was so, so painful. ]

[vivens]

[ well if the intent was to make sabo feel better, it doesn't. he doesn't feel worse for it either but he does smile a bit smaller after hearing ace's words. of course they would. it would only be natural for them for how long they've spent together. and he remembers how they've had a similar conversation like this when they first reunited not that he calls ace out for it and simply just nods his head. ]

I know.

[ sabo lets the silence fill the space between them as he looks at their joined hands. a thought to let them go crosses his mind but he feels no desire to do so. another thought crosses his mind to remove his gloves but he also doesn't do so. ]

[iubar]

[ no, not exactly. but he said it to be honest about the situation. sure, it's been mentioned before, but it's worth mentioning again here as a reminder. ]

Also, thanks. For doing all that. In the memory, I mean.

[ maybe it was also to satisfy sabo's own curiosity about things, but also. it still meant a lot to have sabo there. it's not his fault he wasn't able to actually be there before, but seeing what might happen if he was given the chance is really a lot. ]

[vivens]

[ ah. ]

You don't have to thank me for that.

[ words sabo speaks softly with a bit of a laugh but he understands why ace is thanking him. ]

Just don't forget anything that I've said. [ he'll let go of one of ace's hands and give his cheek a very light tug as he leans his head to one side. ] I'm thankful that you were born and to have met you. No matter what.

Never forget that or doubt that.

[iubar]

[ he pulls his head away, though that only makes the tugging worse, in the end. but he smiles before nodding. ]

There's no way I could forget about it. You and Luffy would make sure to give me so much hell if I even thought about it at this point.

But I'm not doing it just because of how you guys might react. I really understand it now.

[vivens]

Good.

[ sabo says with a laugh and relaxes his hand so he's no longer pulling at ace's face. though, he'll keep their one hand joined. ]

Then that can be one less thing for me to worry about.

[ and which gives him more comfort should sabo fully decide that it would be better for ace to return to the time he was originally from. if he could come back alive and with that same resolve—it would be for the best. ]