dawnsprincess | cerealia inbox

[She can be alone here; she was never scared for herself. She was always scared for him, worried that he was hurt or worse.

She wipes the tears from her cheeks, even though he can't see.]

I'm at the archery range. Where are you?

[ She says the archery range and he's already running there, moving past anyone even if they're staring because he'd be damned if he left her alone again for a second time. She can't be alone here, not in this hell that she has yet to face.

He's there sooner than she'd expect, hardly breaking a sweat; but he stands still before her for a moment before moving in and pulling her in to an embrace. It's not as desperate as the one when she'd arrived, but it's still tight. He can tell she'd been crying. ]

I'm sorry, Princess.

[When he pulls her in, she's already meeting him halfway, her arms wrapped tightly around him, her fingers digging into his sides like she's going to hook herself on him and never let go.]

Hak you idiot ... [He always had to do his own thing, could never just answer a simple question ... had to promise her he'd never leave her alone and then disappear for days. She whacks him lightly with one tiny fist.] Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear? I won't allow it.

[ He can't remember the last time she'd hung onto him like this. Not since the King died.

It only reaffirms the fact that he can't leave again. He'll find a way to fight them, to make sure that they can't take him away again like they did. Hak didn't see it coming, and if he'd had the time, he would have fought back--but he couldn't. He hates that. He holds her tighter. ]

I won't. I promise.

[He promises, and she knows that he means it with all of his heart, but it doesn't comfort her. So much of their lives are completely out of their control. He hadn't chosen for his code to be corrupted (whatever that meant), just as her father hadn't chosen to be murdered ... terrible things just happen. And she tries to be strong about it, tries to focus on the things she can do but sometimes she's just crushed by the futility of it all.

But sooner or later, she does always get it back under control. After a few moments of shaking in his arms, Yona pulls herself back together.]

You're not hurt, are you? Because of what happened? Is anything damaged?

[ Of course it doesn't. It shouldn't. He's always known that the bullshit that happens here was and still is out of his control; and boy he's gone through hell to try and get a grip on it all, but even so... CERES is smart. In a world that both of them are still trying to understand, they are at a disadvantage. A huge one.

It helps that she stops shaking. Puts his mind at ease, just a little more. He's never going to rest until they're safe, but he pulls himself together in the same instant. ]

Doesn't feel like it. I woke up, and I went through that dumb presentation all over again. It felt like my first time here all over again.

Good. I'm glad. [She takes a deep breath, and then puts her hands on her hips.] I was just about ready to throw out everything in your room! It's a mess in there!

[Truth be told, her own room is far messier than Hak's could ever be — now that she has the means to buy pretty clothes again, and a place to put them, and no real reason not to buy pretty clothes ... well, she's been collecting quite a wardrobe. And while she's gotten used to a life without servants tending to her every need, that hasn't exactly translated into her being tidy with her things.]

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