[ It's strange for her to open up to someone like this, but then again her friendship with Sigma has always been an odd mix of comedic timing and dire circumstance. But after being carried out of the ashes of Nalawi, how could she not trust him? She may not know everything about him, but she can say with certainty that she understands him—or at least she understands full well that he is genuine, and caring, and loyal.
(...He's a true friend, and that does make a world of difference here.)
A moment passes, before she tips her head to rest against his shoulder. Just for a moment... ]
Thank you, Sigma. I don't know what to say, really...
[ ...But she tries, straightening her posture again to bear her own weight. ]
...Someone I care about nearly died. [ (And someone else I care about nearly killed me.) ] ...It's not the first time.
[ With her current track record she's starting to doubt it'll be the last, hence the source of her current conundrum. ]
I just... I thought I'd be able to protect my friends better than this.
[ It's been a long year with ALASTAIR, and it's been a difficult one. She isn't one to buckle under adversity, always stubbornly clinging to hope, but she's become observant enough to know when to reevaluate her present reality. ]
[ Their relationship so far has been built on a lot of saving each other's asses, and from his experience, that forges a scaffold stronger than steel. He'd be lying if he said she isn't still a bit of a mystery to him, but she's kind and honest and endearingly straightforward, and that's about everything he could ask for in a truly great friend. ]
[ It makes it twinge even worse to see her so beaten up over the debacle of last mission. Everyone took a beating, but some took it hard. The loyal, caring ones come to mind... He gives her shoulder a squeeze when she rests her head, and lets out a commiserative almost-laugh. Been there... ]
[ She's undoubtedly not as used to the feeling of hopeless trudging onward in the face of impossible, nebulous threats as he might be, but the last thing that does devalue her suffering. Losing close friends is one of life's most terrifying prospects. And when you should be better equipped than most to save them, keyblade master or esper, it makes everything feel so much heavier. ]
Hey, sometimes... Sometimes shit just happens way out of your control, no matter how strong or smart you are. Sometimes the only thing you can do is roll with the hits til something breaks in your favor. And it sucks, but... That's all we could do.
[ He smiles a little down at her. Wearily. Knowingly. He'd done a lot of kicking himself, too. Maybe they both need it said. ]
Don't be too hard on yourself for not being able to punch a virus. If it was something we could've all punched, we'da been out of there in hours.
[ She laughs softly at that last statement, though the sound comes across... not hollow, exactly, but somewhat detached. (Because she agrees with his words, it's just that her heart hasn't fully caught up yet. Logic is a thin string that tries to pull it along, but it always feels like something's bound to snap from the weight of all that melancholy.)
...Pepper seems to notice, and Aqua suddenly feels something warm and rotund and fuzzy tickle against her neck, a small cat-tongue trying to groom her face. (She blinks, effectively startled out of her gloomy mood.) ]
Why, you're very sweet, too.
[ There's a much more light-hearted chuckle this time, one hand reaching over to stroke the feline's ears.
To Sigma, ] ...Where did you find her? —Or him?
[ They definitely haven't been introduced before!! ]
[ Easier said than done, but at least it's out there. The distraction is a welcome one, honestly, it leaves all that to... digest in the background. When Pepper shuffles on his shoulder to reach out to Aqua, he leans reflexively, almost instinctively to shift her a little closer for ear scritches. The gesture merits a small prrp from the cat: acknowledged and appreciated. ]
Oh yeah, this is Pepper...
[ At a break in the headpats, Sigma slides a hand under the tubby tabby and scoops her up, trading out his precarious shoulder for settling her in his arms like a baby. She squirms a little, settling into something that looks either comfortable or resigned, it's hard to tell. She definitely gets this treatment a lot. ]
Couple missions ago, I just found her on my bed in Oska and she never left. [ If she was anyone else's, well... She's not anymore. ] She's been clawstered away in a tiny bedroom for like a month, since things really started going downhill back there, so I'm trying to whisk'er everywhere.
[ WHAT AN ADORABLE FATTIE. Aqua is obliged to rub it's generously-sized tummy... (It's... good to be reminded that not everything has been bad and worse around here, and she can feel her woes gradually melt away with each cat sound she procures from her new acquaintance.) ]
It's nice to meet you, Pepper. ...You have a very caring father.
[ She grins a little up at Sigma. ]
...That's an interesting way of saying it. I didn't know you were a cat person?
[ (Here she would've put her money on dogs...)
And because one cat isn't nearly enough for this thread, she notices a few more curiously padding their way, all young kittens from the looks of it. ]
[ And what noises she procures. Pepper rumbles like a tiny motor, eyes blissfully wavering on the brink of closing. Disney princess animal hypnosis magic at work. ]
[ He grins back down. What's an interesting way of saying it?? ] I get that a lot... Purretty sure I've been a cat person since I could walk.
[ Dogs are great too! They're excitable and you can run around with them, but cats are The True Ideal. Speaking of, look! Here comes some more! When Sigma notices the kittens congregating nearby, his eyes undeniably widen with a touch of (slightly shameful) awe. How cute is this planet????? ]
Hey! [ He kneels down almost immediately. Hopefully these kittens aren't too stranger danger about pets. ] What's up?
[ It's hard not to reach out a hand and click his tongue for them, but he refrains; they're sentient beings! Anyway, without the magnetic pull of Aqua bellyrubs, Pepper loses interest in being scooped up, and she writhes gently out of his arms in favor of eyeing the approaching felines. ]
[ Is he doing that on purpose?? Well either way it gets a chuckle out of her. ]
Please, Sigma...
[ (She thinks he's doing it on purpose, not that she particularly minds the puns.) ...And clearly she isn't the only one that's easily amused; she notices his eyes grow to the size of miniature dinner plates as their cat collective increases by a few furry bodies.
The kittens seem much more keen on being lavished in physical affection than their adult counterparts, one of them marching right up to Sigma to slyly demand pets with a soft headbutt right into his palm. Another youngling paws at Aqua's ankle, and she carefully kneels down to comply. (Soon, they've got both hands preoccupied dispensing ear scritches and neck ruffles...)
Somewhere in this most pleasant of burdens, she glances up at Sigma to give him a quiet smile. (She hadn't quite managed to voice it before, and so she does so, now...) ]
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no subject
(...He's a true friend, and that does make a world of difference here.)
A moment passes, before she tips her head to rest against his shoulder. Just for a moment... ]
Thank you, Sigma. I don't know what to say, really...
[ ...But she tries, straightening her posture again to bear her own weight. ]
...Someone I care about nearly died. [ (And someone else I care about nearly killed me.) ] ...It's not the first time.
[ With her current track record she's starting to doubt it'll be the last, hence the source of her current conundrum. ]
I just... I thought I'd be able to protect my friends better than this.
[ It's been a long year with ALASTAIR, and it's been a difficult one. She isn't one to buckle under adversity, always stubbornly clinging to hope, but she's become observant enough to know when to reevaluate her present reality. ]
no subject
[ Their relationship so far has been built on a lot of saving each other's asses, and from his experience, that forges a scaffold stronger than steel. He'd be lying if he said she isn't still a bit of a mystery to him, but she's kind and honest and endearingly straightforward, and that's about everything he could ask for in a truly great friend. ]
[ It makes it twinge even worse to see her so beaten up over the debacle of last mission. Everyone took a beating, but some took it hard. The loyal, caring ones come to mind... He gives her shoulder a squeeze when she rests her head, and lets out a commiserative almost-laugh. Been there... ]
[ She's undoubtedly not as used to the feeling of hopeless trudging onward in the face of impossible, nebulous threats as he might be, but the last thing that does devalue her suffering. Losing close friends is one of life's most terrifying prospects. And when you should be better equipped than most to save them, keyblade master or esper, it makes everything feel so much heavier. ]
Hey, sometimes... Sometimes shit just happens way out of your control, no matter how strong or smart you are. Sometimes the only thing you can do is roll with the hits til something breaks in your favor. And it sucks, but... That's all we could do.
[ He smiles a little down at her. Wearily. Knowingly. He'd done a lot of kicking himself, too. Maybe they both need it said. ]
Don't be too hard on yourself for not being able to punch a virus. If it was something we could've all punched, we'da been out of there in hours.
no subject
...Pepper seems to notice, and Aqua suddenly feels something warm and rotund and fuzzy tickle against her neck, a small cat-tongue trying to groom her face. (She blinks, effectively startled out of her gloomy mood.) ]
Why, you're very sweet, too.
[ There's a much more light-hearted chuckle this time, one hand reaching over to stroke the feline's ears.
To Sigma, ] ...Where did you find her? —Or him?
[ They definitely haven't been introduced before!! ]
no subject
Oh yeah, this is Pepper...
[ At a break in the headpats, Sigma slides a hand under the tubby tabby and scoops her up, trading out his precarious shoulder for settling her in his arms like a baby. She squirms a little, settling into something that looks either comfortable or resigned, it's hard to tell. She definitely gets this treatment a lot. ]
Couple missions ago, I just found her on my bed in Oska and she never left. [ If she was anyone else's, well... She's not anymore. ] She's been clawstered away in a tiny bedroom for like a month, since things really started going downhill back there, so I'm trying to whisk'er everywhere.
no subject
It's nice to meet you, Pepper. ...You have a very caring father.
[ She grins a little up at Sigma. ]
...That's an interesting way of saying it. I didn't know you were a cat person?
[ (Here she would've put her money on dogs...)
And because one cat isn't nearly enough for this thread, she notices a few more curiously padding their way, all young kittens from the looks of it. ]
no subject
[ He grins back down. What's an interesting way of saying it?? ] I get that a lot... Purretty sure I've been a cat person since I could walk.
[ Dogs are great too! They're excitable and you can run around with them, but cats are The True Ideal. Speaking of, look! Here comes some more! When Sigma notices the kittens congregating nearby, his eyes undeniably widen with a touch of (slightly shameful) awe. How cute is this planet????? ]
Hey! [ He kneels down almost immediately. Hopefully these kittens aren't too stranger danger about pets. ] What's up?
[ It's hard not to reach out a hand and click his tongue for them, but he refrains; they're sentient beings! Anyway, without the magnetic pull of Aqua bellyrubs, Pepper loses interest in being scooped up, and she writhes gently out of his arms in favor of eyeing the approaching felines. ]
no subject
Please, Sigma...
[ (She thinks he's doing it on purpose, not that she particularly minds the puns.) ...And clearly she isn't the only one that's easily amused; she notices his eyes grow to the size of miniature dinner plates as their cat collective increases by a few furry bodies.
The kittens seem much more keen on being lavished in physical affection than their adult counterparts, one of them marching right up to Sigma to slyly demand pets with a soft headbutt right into his palm. Another youngling paws at Aqua's ankle, and she carefully kneels down to comply. (Soon, they've got both hands preoccupied dispensing ear scritches and neck ruffles...)
Somewhere in this most pleasant of burdens, she glances up at Sigma to give him a quiet smile. (She hadn't quite managed to voice it before, and so she does so, now...) ]
...Thank you.