That was a sharp pivot. [DON'T EXPECT HIM NOT TO COME FOR YOUR JUICY SECRETS LATER, WAVE. The sharp drop of her smile has him concerned... but her question distracts him, makes him itch with frustration instead.] Fai, was it? Nothing at all. Why do you ask?
My pivot was about as good as your deflection. [The difference is that he let her get away with hers...] Normally I'd say that if nothing's going on, there's no reason for me to share, but my curiosity's been piqued.
During the King's Game earlier he did what he said was an impression of you in the haunted house--just the first floor, I'm guessing, but...
[But it left a bad taste in her mouth. It wasn't quite on the level of friends teasing friends, especially when Kaeya wasn't there himself.]
[Kaeya's just going to... get a firm tap to the head with a finger. Not hard, just enough to get his attention back on her. You shut that petty bitch mode off right now, sir. You can pick it back up when she's done with you.]
I'll tell you what he did once you tell me why he did it. What the hell happened?
[Ugh, he's being scolded. Fine, fine— this is Wave, so he'll fess up without much fuss... and he'll be honest to boot. A genuine rarity, but she's earned this privilege.]
I rejected him. Simple as that.
[And as Wave might imagine, Fai didn't take it well.]
[Yeahhhhhh give her a moment, because this? This is a lot. This is a fucking lot. She tips her head back against the headboard, looking at the ceiling and sighing.]
So he came to you with declarations of love, you told him no, and now he's throwing a fit about it?
Not quite. As much as I'd love to overdramatize things, he told me he liked me and was merely disappointed that I hadn't chosen him because he was certain I felt the same way. [Fighting to swallow his embarrassment and cowardice—] And... I do, but my role simply would not allow for me to pick him again. That's all.
[That is not the full truth and also not all. Kaeya is, above all else, a lieya.]
[Well. On the one hand, it's good that it isn't the worst-case scenario as she'd thrown it out there, but on the other? LORDS HELP HER, WHY ARE MEN. She's just going to... lift her hands to her face for a moment, sighing again.
Okay.
This is stupid, but fuck it. Why the hell not. She takes a breath, then looks back down to him, fixing Kaeya with a look that he probably hasn't seen so far. It's a sharp look, eyes narrowed just slightly, carefully almost suspicious and fucking perceiving. It's a "you're going to answer me, and you're going to answer me honestly" look.]
If that's the case, then tell me--why didn't you tell him that? Before he found out the hard way?
[It's not that hard--it is, after all, what she did.]
[Oh, he hasn't begun to see "if looks could kill" and hopefully he never will. That look was "first warning" :')
But he's admitted to it, and that makes her relent, dropping her hands back to his hair and beginning to smooth out the braid she'd been idly doing earlier.]
...yeah. I do.
It's easier when you don't have to worry about catching anyone else in the crossfire. The rest of the world can go to hell and it doesn't matter if you burn with it, as long as it burns. Right?
[Good. She reaches down to cup his face between both hands, leaning down so that she can be sure he's seeing her.]
The worlds don't care who gets hurt in the crossfire. It doesn't matter if you're afraid of dragging him down with you--the world can and will do exactly the same thing, and all you'll have managed is to make the both of you miserable in the meantime.
So don't you dare think you'd rather die alone. If you want something, grab it and don't fucking let go.
I think that just means I've made more mistakes. [She tries to meet it with a smile, but it's about as successful as before, and after a moment she lets her eyes drift closed, taking some small solace from the feeling of his hand touching her face.
There's a part of her that quails at the thought of sharing this, to be honest, because if she shares this, it might be the thread that unravels everything she hasn't said, all the truths she's been unwilling to face so far. But she also knows that fear he spoke about, the worry about dragging people down with him, and if there's any chance that she can impress upon him how much he shouldn't let that stop him... Wave takes a breath, then opens her eyes to look back down to him, nodding.]
There was a guy I traveled with after our worlds were destroyed. We didn't get along at first--actually, I'm pretty sure he threatened to slit my throat the first time we met. [It's said with a little bit of a laugh; guess where that tendency of hers comes from...] But we wound up working together to try and find his brothers, and somewhere along the way... It just became normal, you know? We didn't really have to talk about it; we just knew that wherever we were going next, we'd do it together.
I think... maybe if I'd known what was going to happen, I would've said something. I'm pretty sure he felt the same way as I did, but we were both too scared to talk about it. And neither of us were working with the people that eventually figured out how to restore the worlds, so we didn't even know it was coming...
[Which might be the worst part of it, really; she'd never gotten a chance to say goodbye.]
So it took me by surprise. One night we went to bed like normal, in the middle of this world made up of pieces of other ones, and the next morning I woke up under one of the Veloi trees back in Coriolis, by myself. There were only a couple of people that even knew anything had happened; everybody else just thought I'd gone missing for a couple weeks.
It's been more than two years since the worlds were restored. I don't know what happened to him or his brothers or if they ever made it back home themselves, and I just had to go back to my normal life like nothing had ever happened. The only reason I know it's not some story I made up is because I still have this flower he made from a napkin one night.
[He'd made one on a whim to see if he could swindle one of the bar's patrons out of their money by claiming it was a charm, the dumbass, and when she'd been surprised by the hidden (useless) talent, he'd made one for her as well.]
Edited (i'm so sorry i reread it and hated it and rewrote it and then it was stupid long aaaaaaaaaAAAAA) 2022-11-10 01:58 (UTC)
[...She calls it a mistake, but Kaeya struggles to see Wave's fault in her story. It's a bittersweet one, at least as far as a man like Kaeya sees it, but... well, there's something she didn't quite touch on, and Kaeya aims for the heart of the matter.]
[It's something she admitted to herself a long time ago, but there's still something a little scary about saying it aloud. Even though she trusts Kaeya, she can feel the pounding of her heart in her chest, the prickling of fear at the back of her mind that comes with admitting something like this.]
And I would've rather been dragged down with him than gone through the past two years in my own world. I don't care how bad it would've been--it couldn't have been worse than what I went through.
[So maybe she's a worse person than the rest of them. Because she's willing to be selfish now, willing to let others burn in that crossfire if they've made the choice to stay. Because it's their choice, whether they're willing to burn. Not hers.]
[Being selfish is only human. He can't admonish her for that and wouldn't if he wanted to because he understands what it feels like to lose such a precious connection. There's no bringing that person back, no changing the past, and he considers what she says carefully while carding his fingers through her hair. He lets the silence drag on, if only to place himself in her shoes for a moment.]
So it goes. When you find that precious person, who cares what happens to the rest of the world? Or worlds, in your case.
[And that doesn't make Wave a bad person, or perhaps they're both bad for being of like mind on this. Regardless—]
Have you ever thought to look for another?
[Someone else to love, someone else precious. Kaeya asks, but he isn't expecting any particular answer. Hell knows he can't judge when he's reluctant to look for such things himself.]
[Now it's Wave's turn to let the silence drag, eyes wandering as she thinks about it. The answer's no, but not for the reason one would normally expect--and that's a can of worms she's not entirely sure she wants to open quite yet. But it's hard for her not to answer a question asked, and she does want to answer, just...
Wave sighs, closing her eyes against the truth for a moment before she speaks.]
It would've been impossible on my own world. There's nobody there who'd see me for who I really am. So I guess I'd given up on finding anyone else for a long time.
But coming here... I think I could. I'd like that.
[Stop being so painfully relatable, Wave. There are a number of reasons why Kaeya hadn't ever sought out love, some of that being an inability to see how he could ever be with anyone back home knowing what the weight of his secrets would do to their potential relationship... but coming here has leveled the playing field a bit. If he can see it that way, surely Wave can too.]
Then why not start looking in earnest? Don't tell me you're afraid.
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[It's obviously not nothing.]
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During the King's Game earlier he did what he said was an impression of you in the haunted house--just the first floor, I'm guessing, but...
[But it left a bad taste in her mouth. It wasn't quite on the level of friends teasing friends, especially when Kaeya wasn't there himself.]
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[Petty bitch mode: Engaged.]
Please, give me all the juicy details. I just love being talked about.
[Not. He doesn't derive any pleasure from being mocked by the likes of Fai either.]
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[Kaeya's just going to... get a firm tap to the head with a finger. Not hard, just enough to get his attention back on her. You shut that petty bitch mode off right now, sir. You can pick it back up when she's done with you.]
I'll tell you what he did once you tell me why he did it. What the hell happened?
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I rejected him. Simple as that.
[And as Wave might imagine, Fai didn't take it well.]
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[She wasn't expecting that.]
Do you mean in this week's Top 4 picks, or...?
[Fai can't have been that dumb, right?]
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So he came to you with declarations of love, you told him no, and now he's throwing a fit about it?
[Lords help her, why are men.]
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Not quite. As much as I'd love to overdramatize things, he told me he liked me and was merely disappointed that I hadn't chosen him because he was certain I felt the same way. [Fighting to swallow his embarrassment and cowardice—] And... I do, but my role simply would not allow for me to pick him again. That's all.
[That is not the full truth and also not all. Kaeya is, above all else, a lieya.]
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Okay.
This is stupid, but fuck it. Why the hell not. She takes a breath, then looks back down to him, fixing Kaeya with a look that he probably hasn't seen so far. It's a sharp look, eyes narrowed just slightly, carefully almost suspicious and fucking perceiving. It's a "you're going to answer me, and you're going to answer me honestly" look.]
If that's the case, then tell me--why didn't you tell him that? Before he found out the hard way?
[It's not that hard--it is, after all, what she did.]
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...Because I'm afraid, Wave. Because I would rather die alone than drag someone else down with me. You understand that, don't you?
[For all you claim to be just as bad.]
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But he's admitted to it, and that makes her relent, dropping her hands back to his hair and beginning to smooth out the braid she'd been idly doing earlier.]
...yeah. I do.
It's easier when you don't have to worry about catching anyone else in the crossfire. The rest of the world can go to hell and it doesn't matter if you burn with it, as long as it burns. Right?
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Exactly. I regret hurting his feelings, but if the fault lies with anyone, it's me. Don't give him a hard time for my sake.
[He doesn't deserve it.]
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[AND HERE SHE IS, HELPING SWEEP UP THE PIECES.]
But I'll consider it, if you promise to actually listen to what I'm about to say.
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The worlds don't care who gets hurt in the crossfire. It doesn't matter if you're afraid of dragging him down with you--the world can and will do exactly the same thing, and all you'll have managed is to make the both of you miserable in the meantime.
So don't you dare think you'd rather die alone. If you want something, grab it and don't fucking let go.
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[I see you. How could I possibly look anywhere else?
But she's right, damningly so, and Kaeya's brow furrows. He's been a fool and he knows that, but he's extra aware of that now.]
...I'll talk to him. I'm just not ready to yet.
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[The hint of a smile tugs at the corner of her lips, but Kaeya's seen enough of hers by now, enough to recognize the sadness behind it.]
I've made that mistake before. Trust me--it's not worth it.
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[He jests, of course. Everyone makes mistakes, and reaching up, he brushes his fingers along Wave's cheek.]
Tell me about it.
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There's a part of her that quails at the thought of sharing this, to be honest, because if she shares this, it might be the thread that unravels everything she hasn't said, all the truths she's been unwilling to face so far. But she also knows that fear he spoke about, the worry about dragging people down with him, and if there's any chance that she can impress upon him how much he shouldn't let that stop him... Wave takes a breath, then opens her eyes to look back down to him, nodding.]
There was a guy I traveled with after our worlds were destroyed. We didn't get along at first--actually, I'm pretty sure he threatened to slit my throat the first time we met. [It's said with a little bit of a laugh; guess where that tendency of hers comes from...] But we wound up working together to try and find his brothers, and somewhere along the way... It just became normal, you know? We didn't really have to talk about it; we just knew that wherever we were going next, we'd do it together.
I think... maybe if I'd known what was going to happen, I would've said something. I'm pretty sure he felt the same way as I did, but we were both too scared to talk about it. And neither of us were working with the people that eventually figured out how to restore the worlds, so we didn't even know it was coming...
[Which might be the worst part of it, really; she'd never gotten a chance to say goodbye.]
So it took me by surprise. One night we went to bed like normal, in the middle of this world made up of pieces of other ones, and the next morning I woke up under one of the Veloi trees back in Coriolis, by myself. There were only a couple of people that even knew anything had happened; everybody else just thought I'd gone missing for a couple weeks.
It's been more than two years since the worlds were restored. I don't know what happened to him or his brothers or if they ever made it back home themselves, and I just had to go back to my normal life like nothing had ever happened. The only reason I know it's not some story I made up is because I still have this flower he made from a napkin one night.
[He'd made one on a whim to see if he could swindle one of the bar's patrons out of their money by claiming it was a charm, the dumbass, and when she'd been surprised by the hidden (useless) talent, he'd made one for her as well.]
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Did you love him?
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[It's something she admitted to herself a long time ago, but there's still something a little scary about saying it aloud. Even though she trusts Kaeya, she can feel the pounding of her heart in her chest, the prickling of fear at the back of her mind that comes with admitting something like this.]
And I would've rather been dragged down with him than gone through the past two years in my own world. I don't care how bad it would've been--it couldn't have been worse than what I went through.
[So maybe she's a worse person than the rest of them. Because she's willing to be selfish now, willing to let others burn in that crossfire if they've made the choice to stay. Because it's their choice, whether they're willing to burn. Not hers.]
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So it goes. When you find that precious person, who cares what happens to the rest of the world? Or worlds, in your case.
[And that doesn't make Wave a bad person, or perhaps they're both bad for being of like mind on this. Regardless—]
Have you ever thought to look for another?
[Someone else to love, someone else precious. Kaeya asks, but he isn't expecting any particular answer. Hell knows he can't judge when he's reluctant to look for such things himself.]
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Wave sighs, closing her eyes against the truth for a moment before she speaks.]
It would've been impossible on my own world. There's nobody there who'd see me for who I really am. So I guess I'd given up on finding anyone else for a long time.
But coming here... I think I could. I'd like that.
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Then why not start looking in earnest? Don't tell me you're afraid.
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