IC INBOX | Deer Country

[fusrodaaaah]

TEXT | VOICEMAIL | LETTER

Comments

voice; backdated towards the beginning of the month

[retsuden]

[ Sasuke usually sends texts or just physically drops in, but he isn't sure if Melius would rather be alone, and text seems a little... casual for something like this.

He even lets the smallest hint of concern break through his usual cold, monotonous tone. This is how much he cares about you, buddy. ]

Melius. I heard about Varian.

Are you... alright?

oh buddy

[fusrodaaaah]

[The reply is a long time coming. Longer than it would usually be. Pings like that usually mean someone needs something. And he should be there to do it. But - ]

[He is buried in his room, in his nest of a bed. It's more of a mess in there than usual. Book piles, plant starters, all of it yanked closer to the bed for easy reach. The Omni isn't... really. It's on the windowsil.]

[But he eventually answers. Once his Omen drags it over.]

Yes.

[you scaly little liar.]

you... *lied* to me??? ur bff sasuke????? also action

[retsuden]

[ The lengthy pause was almost an answer in itself and Sasuke frowns at his own omni. He should've asked his omen, at least she tends to be honest with him.

So instead!! He decides to use a teleportation jutsu and literally shows up in a puff of smoke by Melius blanket nest. ]

... Mm. You look it.

he's SORRY

[fusrodaaaah]

[Yeah, you probably should have asked his omen, Sasuke. Said omen is perched on the blanket lump, and hissing. At least until she recognizes who the puff of smoke is. Then she snorts. Primly.]

[... and scurries down to burrow under the blankets, chattering away.]

S-sorry. Um. Sorry.

[What else can he say? What else are you supposed to say in these instances?]

melius is never sorry what

[retsuden]

[ Sometimes he wishes he'd gotten a prosthetic arm just so he could still cross his arms like a judgey asshole again, but alas.

Instead, he settles for going to sit at the edge of his lump. ]

Being alone after losing someone makes it feel worse. You shouldn't hide.

[fusrodaaaah]

I...

I will. Go out... when the shop opens.

[To, you know. Do his job. Make potions. And probably interact with people as little as possible. It's totally better this way.]

[retsuden]

[ ... This is literally karma for all the times he's been an emo asshole. ]

That doesn't count. You don't have to go out to not let yourself be alone.

[fusrodaaaah]

[Yes, yes it is. Congrats, Sasuke.]

Being in the shop isn't being alone.

[So there!!]

[retsuden]

Being around patrons who are only there because they can buy something from you isn't being with people.

[ He has probably used that excuse before himself and is parroting what he was told here. ]

[fusrodaaaah]

Th-they're... still people...

[So there. Maybe. He's not sure Sasuke will be convinced, but, then again, Melius isn't really either. He just knows he'd rather stay here.]

[retsuden]

They're not friends.

[ God, he sounded like Naruto. Sasuke's not made for shounen hero speeches, but he gets the importance of them sometimes. ]

If anything, being around people who don't care about you when you've lost someone important just makes you feel emptier inside. It's... worse than being alone.