☽ ★ ☾ — gingham

[restitui]

the world
is better
with you

performance ⛥ instructions ⛥ turn-in

The lights flicker on and you find yourself standing inside a vintage-looking subway car.

It both feels and sounds like it's in motion, but the only thing that can be seen outside the windows is pitch black darkness.

It also feels like there's somebody else in the car with you. There are three small cases in the front, middle, and back of the car that hold a small vial.

Comments

[restitui]

[ First the question of what they'd do and now the screen... Frowning. ]


Well.

[ worry. ]

[heartlands]

[reaching for his hand immediately.]

So... This sucks.

[trying to break the tension just a little]

[restitui]

[ relaxes a little more as he entwined their fingers. ]

Under statement of the year.

[ glances over him to offer a small, reassuring smile. ]

Wanna sit and talk about it?

[heartlands]

Yeah.

[goes to sit down on one of the seats]

First off... What're you thinking?

[restitui]

[ joins him as he takes a breath. ]

Selfishly, I don't want either of us to consider the permanence option.

[heartlands]

Selfish or not... I wouldn't want you to, so I'm definitely not going to do that to you, either.

[restitui]

[ nods. ]

Yeah. There's a lots of reasons not to, but not hurting you is chief among them.

And that means I'd rather we not not choice something, too.

[heartlands]

Yeah. So I guess... What are we okay with giving up?

[restitui]

[ goes quiet a moment. ]



[ actually it's a very long moment, ]

- Do we think this Producer would allow for survival if the conditions are met or do we think they'd want more? It sounds like they want to know how strong our bonds are.

[heartlands]

...I don't think we can know for sure. I guess it's a matter of how safe we want to be.

[restitui]

How safe do you want to be?

[heartlands]

What matters most to me is that you're alright, so... Pretty safe? But I don't want you to have to give up something you really, really need, either.

[restitui]

Yeah. Obviously, same.

[ He hesitates.

Thinks about it and tries - ]

I can offer my magick?

[heartlands]

[gives his hand a squeeze.]

Are you sure you're really okay with that?

[restitui]

[ ... ]

[ shakes his head and offers a smile, ]



Yeah. I was already considering if there was a way to get rid of it, so maybe it's more like a test drive?

[heartlands]

All of it, or just the voices...?

[restitui]

[ shakes his head. ]

All of it, maybe? At least, that feels like the most sense. It'd be weird not to hear anything or not being able to help someone if needed.

Which is okay - [ Gingham probably gets the idea it's more complicated than okay from the mental noise but, ] It'll be nice not to hear anything after one of these so long as you don't think it's too much - ?

[heartlands]

If it's something you're comfortable with, I'm not going to say it's too much. I think we might need to do something pretty big if we want to be safe, anyways... But I really do want to make sure you're absolutely certain you're okay with it, first.

[restitui]

[ listens and nods, and then resolutely:]

I'm okay with it.

What I'm less okay with is the Producer's idea that there would be anything more valuable than your life or that, like, sacrificing something wouldn't hurt you anyway. I don't really have anything sentimental item wise to give up. And giving up memories, relationships, or other part of my identity are things I know you wouldn't want me to do.

So, magick stuff it is because it'll suck but if it somehow never came back, I would still be me and you'd still be safe so still a win.

[ the end is lightly said as he squeezes his hand. ] Not to be sappy.

[heartlands]

[carefully giving his hand a squeeze, fond]

You're allowed to be sappy, given the circumstances. If you're really okay with that and you think it'll be enough, I won't stop you.

As for mine...

[pausing to think]

[restitui]

There was never going to be enough,

[ He thinks, but does not say in case they're listening.... surely their minds are hidden from producer voyeurism. ]

[ Out loud, he's quiet as he waits to hear what he comes up with. ]

[heartlands]

...I don't have magic or anything. I guess - maybe a sense? Sight or speech or something. The only other option would be memories, and the people I'd be forgetting don't deserve that.

[restitui]

[ wincing automatically at the suggestions. ]

I like hearing your voice, so not hearing it all would super suck... being blind for a while isn't comfortable either, but it's not so bad. You'd have plenty of people to help you and I wouldn't leave you like you didn't leave me - if you wanted.

[ a beat ] I'm not advocating the blind option, either one is your decision. Or we can, like, try to workshop something?

[heartlands]

I don't mind figuring something else out together, if you have a different idea. We can keep those in our back pocket for now.

[restitui]

I don't exactly, but I don't like the idea of jumping to your senses either. We just have to get creative -

[ jokingly: ]

There's your ability to not be sappy and then we can become the terrors of the boat. Or your not being allergic to cats surely that's got to mean something when you live with, like, eighteen of them.