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[kaboop]

messenger bird | telepathy | mail | action

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5/31 ( voice )

[geophile]

[ the afternoon had been planned as a simple one of lunch and catching up before steven headed out to elios' domain the next day. while nora's company was pleasant as usual, steven couldn't help but notice that her energy seemed particularly subdued today. it's made her easier to keep up with, but it's abnormal from someone like her. that much has him concerned.

he doesn't say anything while they're together, but closer to nightfall when they're both back at their respective homes, steven reaches out to her. ]

Forgive me if I'm imposing, but you seemed somewhat off while we were out today. Is everything all right?

[kaboop]

[Nora isn't the type who actively represses her emotions or puts on a front, but at the same time, she doesn't really like talking about sad things unless she's asked directly. She didn't want to be a letdown, especially over lunch with a good friend. But it's hard for her to remain cheerful and energetic when she misses Ren so much.

Sure, she got to see him for a while when she was sent home, but that suddenly seems like ages ago.

So no, Steven isn't imposing. Nora had hoped to take her mind off Ren's absence by hanging out with him, focusing on her chores and her new job, and just being with her friends at home, but today, none of her usual distractions were working.

Her voice over the telepathic connection remains subdued, but Nora makes an attempt to...not sound so down.]

Hi, Steven. I guess...I was just thinking of Ren. My partner. We've known each other since...forever.

pats ur head

[geophile]

[ it isn't being a letdown in the slightest to steven. if being in empatheias has taught him anything, it's that letting yourself feel emotions without repression is the healthiest thing to do for both yourself and for the environment. he's still working on doing that himself, but he wants to at least try to encourage others and help them through the negative sides of things. ]

I assume he isn't here. [ a beat. ] What in particular were you thinking about?

[ he doesn't pry further into asking what "partner" means, because he doesn't have to. metagross is his partner, and that kind of bond is long-lasting and near unbreakable. ]

Imagine Steven doing that to her often

[kaboop]

[A lot, to be honest. And Steven's idea of a partner isn't far off at all to Nora's.]

Oh...well, like how he's been by my side ever since we were kids, and when we enrolled in Beacon together and got accepted, and then we were still together while traveling to Mistral.

I've never been away from him until I came here.

it's happening eventually

[geophile]

[ he knows a bit about beacon from what nora and weiss have told him in interactions that i am choosing to handwave. to be by someone's side both on and off the battlefield is definitely something he understands; just the thought of being away from metagross for any extended period of time makes him anxious. he can understand how nora might be feeling right now. ]

A bond like that comes only once in a lifetime. I'm glad that someone like that is in your life.

[ but that in itself isn't much help, so he continues. ]

You have a handful of friends here from Beacon, correct? Have you spoken to them about how you're feeling?

PERFECT

[kaboop]

[Once in a lifetime...that sounded very accurate. Nora had Jaune and Pyrrha, and Team RWBY, even Sun and Neptune, but none of them were like Lie Ren. Calm, collected, who knew her inside and out like nobody else. They were partners at school - heck, partners for life.]

Not...really. Only when they ask or talk about him.

[geophile]

Is there any particular reason for that? I'd assume they would understand better than anyone.

[ weiss had mentioned something about a partner in the past... but he knows better than most that assumptions are a dangerous thing to make. there might be a little more to this story, and nora doesn't deserve to be written off so simply. ]

Or is that not the case?

[kaboop]

Uhhhhh...it's not that they wouldn't understand.

[There is a note of hesitation not often seen from someone like her. Nora has never really puzzled out the reason why she'd rather keep her thoughts about Ren to herself unless questioned. She just...lets her friends ask about it and then she'll open up instead of suddenly forcing her drama on them.]

I guess I don't really want to...suddenly drop all of this on any of them?

Now that I think about it, I'm the only one with a partner like Ren. Jaune and Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby, Yang and Blake...they only met each other when they applied for Beacon and got initiated. Well, obviously Yang and Ruby already know each other because they're sisters, but they only met their partners then. When we were gonna be initiated.

[geophile]

And because you've known him for much longer, the partner dynamic is different.

[ it's a statement that's open for nora to correct, but it seems only natural in the context of what she's said. ]

I understand your apprehension, but it may be worth your while to open up to them about how you feel. [ but wait. ] Is there any reason why you think you'd be troubling them?

[kaboop]

Well...my teammates are already going through a rough patch already. They've got it worse. One of them came back to life and the other...let's just say her death changed something in him.

[It's less rough than before, but still. She makes no move to correct him; in the eyes of some, they were a very unlikely duo, and yet they worked like a well-oiled machine.]

[geophile]

[ he really has to think before he speaks in response to that, because his kneejerk reaction to it is to question just how someone could come back to life. but just as quickly, he remembers the world that they're in - with people taken from infinite timelines and universes, cheating death upon arrival should be easily accepted as a possibility. ]

I can only imagine.

[ but that still leaves nora without anyone close to her to talk to, and it's a problem. ]

Even so, I'm sure they wouldn't want you to keep your burden to yourself. When the dust settles, it may be worth speaking to them about.

[kaboop]

[Heh. Dust. If this weren't such a serious conversation Nora would make a joke about Dust. But as it is, she wasn't feeling up to it. Maybe later.]

No...no, they wouldn't.

[It was true. Jaune and Pyrrha and the others would never begrudge her for talking about her feelings, even though she didn't want to unload any emotional baggage she had. Perhaps, she also preferred to keep these things to herself because the one person she trusted with everything about herself, the one who would had been there for her since the very beginning, was not here.]

I'll just...wait for the right time. I don't think all of them know about how Ren and I met, either.

[geophile]

[ the pun isn't lost on him either, but now isn't the time or place. he's just glad to know that nora has friends that she can rely on; her not wanting to burden them just goes to show how much she cares for them as well. ]

Don't feel pressured to tell them everything at once. Find a pace that is most comfortable for you.

[ though he's definitely curious, he doesn't press her for more information on that last bit. whether she chooses to tell him or not is her decision alone. ]

Though in the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?

[kaboop]

[A moment of silence. Steven will be able to hear a faint chuckle. Nora does feel a little better.]

Thanks, Steven. Actually you just helped by telling me what to do. And listening. It's a really nice feeling.

[This is followed by the softest of sighs.]

Because I know what it's like to have no one listen. To have no one at all.

[geophile]

So do I.

[ even with the circle of friends he had back in hoenn, it wasn't until much later in life that he was able to make real, human friends. extreme affluence tends to put you in isolation during your formative years.

but this isn't about steven, so he leaves it at that. ]

In any case, I'm glad I could help. My ear is always open.

[kaboop]

You did?

[It may not be about Steven but Nora was so curious that she had to ask. Nora had always thought that Steven was always surrounded by people.

It turns out, he was more like Weiss, who had everything but did not have a lot of friends.]

Wait, you don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. I just got...surprised.

[geophile]

I did.

[ he was, in a way, always surrounded, but not with the kind of warmth that people should have. ]

It's all right. It isn't exactly a secret. [ at least, he trusts nora not to spread it around. ] In my home world, I am set to inherit a massive family conglomerate - not unlike Weiss', if you need a comparison. There was a long time in my life where I was confined to only that future and nothing else. Most, if not all people that surrounded me were untrustworthy at best, and detestable at worst.

It wasn't until I began to walk my own chosen path that I was able to find people that took interest in me for my character, and not my family name. They remain my closest confidants to this day.

[kaboop]

[Nora is surprisingly good at keeping secrets. She's only a blabbermouth when she has to be UH I MEAN -

She waits for Steven to finish.]

Ohhhh.

[Her tone is soft. He really was a lot like Weiss.]

Well, I'm glad you found real friends and trustworthy people. And found what you really wanted to do.

I found friends and what I wanted to do, too. 'Cause I used to have literally nothing. I had no family, no home, not even anything to eat.

[geophile]

[ achievement unlocked: tragic backstories. he does know that he and weiss have some similarities, but that thought takes a back seat for what nora tells him next. ]

No one should have to go through that, especially someone as young as you.

[ he obviously can't do anything retroactively, but arceus knows that he'd give her what she'd need and more if they existed in the same world. there aren't many that live in those kinds of conditions where he comes from. ]

I'm relieved that you found a way to move forward. You're incredibly strong for being able to do that.

[kaboop]

[No one should have to go through it, indeed. Nora would never wish her past on anyone else, even her worst enemies. It was a terrible life, living for the day, not knowing whether you had enough to survive and receiving only bullying and insults when you just wanted food and a safe home.

Honestly, she didn't blame Ren back then, for not doing anything when those bullies had ridiculed her clothes and how she had to steal stale bread for food. Perhaps he didn't want to get into trouble, or didn't know what to do.]

I was able to move forward with Ren. When his town was attacked and he lost his parents...we found each other. He...he saved me, with his Semblance.

Then, years later, we'd meet everyone else at Beacon.

[geophile]

I don't often chalk things up to fate, but I think the fact that you two remained partners even at Beacon after years of staying together speaks for itself.

[ he hopes that his words can bring some sort of hope for her. even if he's more of a firm believer in creating one's own destiny, the kind of close-knit relationship that nora is describing begs for something a little more special than just coincidence. ]

Keep that in mind. I have no doubt that you two will meet again, even if it may take a bit of waiting.

[kaboop]

[And they do. After all, their relationship had blossomed from found friends...to family...to partners and teammates...to something so much more. Nora could almost feel hope swell slowly in her chest. Was it fate? Maybe, but at this point, it didn't matter. She and Ren had found each other, and they were never leaving each other.

At least, not purposely.]

Yeah. I know he's just in Remnant, and when I come back, I'll see him again.

And where he is...he's safe.

[For now.]

[geophile]

That's right.

[ he reminds himself of that very same thing every once and a while. his family and loved ones are safer than they would be here, and that's fine. it's about time he started to bear a burden himself.

that thought process makes him feel a bit pensive; for a moment, he's quiet. ]

Thank you for telling me all of this, Nora. [ ... ] Though we'll have to resume at a later date. I need to do some last-minute preparations for the excursion to Elios' domain tomorrow.

[ it's not a lie, but... ]

[kaboop]

[Nora gets the need to prepare for excursions, though.]

You're going?

Ooh, I hope you find out more about Elios. And this place. It sounds pretty big, but then again, as Thras' representative, you must get a lot of work like this.

Just be careful, okay? We can have chocolate chip pancakes when you get back! Actually, I can pack you some pancakes before you go...

[At least it doesn't take long for Nora to return to her usual peppy self.]

-> action

[geophile]

I am. I've already gone to scout the area with a smaller group, and it's something that needs immediate attending to. While it isn't strictly a representative job, it's a duty of mine to do what I can.

[ still, he smiles. ]

I will. Pancakes will have to wait until I return, but that sounds very nice. [ he actually isn't just humouring her - that really does sound nice. ] Let's both get some rest for tonight.

[ and their link will go silent. the next morning, the elios group is preparing in front of the transporters, suiting up in their protective gear to head out. steven is slipping on a jacket, with metagross next to him on standby. ]