𝚒𝚗𝚋𝚘𝚡 — 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚗𝚒𝚊.

[sacral]

EVEN WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS

Comments

[sacral]

[ You're telling him. And, picking up what she's putting down: ]

You gave him the right job. [ His consideration meanders through the Murmur, puzzling out how to go about this. ] It likely won't be as easy as leaving it on my kitchen table again. But I can get it back for you.

[merged]

That's how you got it? [ A short, disbelieving laugh. ] Listen, there's no rush, Subaru. I've got other knives. Truthfully, I'm... [ A huff. ] I'm just being petty.

[sacral]

But you favor that one. That's reason enough, even without it being the second time. Though I think he'll expect me, now.

[merged]

Don't think he'd give it to you if you asked? [ She's made some very wrong assumptions about their relationship. ]

[sacral]

I think he'll make me hunt him for it.

[ Deeply unserious man. ]

[merged]

—wait, what? What type of relationship do you two have?

[sacral]

Likely not the one he's made it sound like.

[merged]

So, not romantically entangled? I was assuming, and—shit, sorry. It's a bad habit of mine.

[sacral]

...are you tolerant of clichés, Sharon?

[merged]

When it's someone's life, yeah. [ In fiction, though? Eh. ]

[sacral]

Then you'll forgive me when I say — it's complicated.

[merged]

[ That earns a bark of laughter ] No shit, Subaru? [ Heavy on the sarcasm, but it's notably lighthearted. ]

I got a feeling most things involving that man are.

[sacral]

You likely get that feeling because he's fond of you, too.

[merged]

That sounds like a positive. I'd say I'm fond of him, too, but I'm not really sure I even know who he is. [ Seishirou is undeniably fascinating as much as he is confusing. ]

[sacral]

It can be. What do your instincts tell you?

[merged]

...to not expect that fondness to last forever. If push comes to shove, I've got a feeling he comes first. [ She likes him. Hell, she trusts him—but that trust has limits, and she's prepared for it to come apart. ]

[sacral]

[ Perceptive, but melancholy. ]

He's a dangerous, judgmental perfectionist. He's elitist about the professionalism of magic and paranoid of the living. But — you may find that "shove" is a harder limit to cross over than you might expect.

[merged]

[ Surprise flickers across the connection, and then, perhaps, satisfaction. ]

That's good to know. [ A relief, even. ]

[sacral]

[ Her relief harbors against his knowing, its gravity benign. ]

[ "Thankfully" goes unspoken — ] Sakurazuka Seishirou isn't an indiscriminate man.

[merged]

Mmm. When we first spoke, I wouldn't have guessed. He'd just seemed like... like a goof. [ A dumbass. Playful. A ruse. ]

[sacral]

He has a way with people and with words, doesn't he?

[merged]

Yeah—and with masks. Hard to get a good look at who he really is.

[sacral]

Despite it all, I'd wanted people to come to their own conclusions about him. But I think you knew.

[merged]

[ Hmm. ] Why do you think that?

[sacral]

You're wise to the shape of danger, even when it smiles.