[Week 2, Friday: Undine]

[purrtagonist]

Undine.

[hey sup Undine, it's Akira, leaning his shoulder against the side of a buliding. it's late, the sun having set for the day, and the streets are empty]

. . . how are you feeling?

Comments

[alchemicalwater]

[Well, she is sitting on the ground with her knees drawn up against her chest and sobbing quietly.

That's a pretty good indication of how she feels.]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . yeah. pretty good indicator of how he feels, too]

[quietly, he approaches, crouching down until he's at her level, hand extended until his fingers brush against her arm]

Hey.

[alchemicalwater]

[She will be grabbing onto that hand, actually.]

He didn't deserve it.

[purrtagonist]

Ranpo?

[first name now. especially after that. also, he twines his fingers with hers, squeezing gently]

None of them did. Eleanor, Clarke, Madara. . . none of them, Undine.

[alchemicalwater]

[He's right. Undine was focusing on Ranpo since she actually knows him, but. He's right.]

I hate this.

[purrtagonist]

[it's easier to focus on the people they know. the people they care about]

Me too.

[his tone is even, but only for her. inside, he feels fucking exhausted]

[alchemicalwater]

[She's quiet for a long time before she speaks again.]

We're going to die, aren't we?

[She just sounds so...defeated. Like it's an inevitable truth for them.]

[purrtagonist]

We're not going to die.

[he says with every ounce of conviction and belief he has. he has to, in order to convince himself]

[they're not going to die. they can't die. not before they figure out how to break this game]

[alchemicalwater]

[Yeah, they're so going to die.

Undine doesn't say that, but it's pretty easy to see exactly what she's thinking right now.]

I didn't even get to make it up to them yet.

[purrtagonist]

[yeah, he sees it. and he can't say anything else other than what he already said. so he focuses on calming her down first, helping her talk through what is tormenting her heart]

Your team, right? The ones you've been looking for.

[alchemicalwater]

[She nods to confirm it.]

I...thought I could help them. If I was a reaper, maybe I could be around when they went through the games, and help them to survive it and get back to life. Just seeing them one last time, it would be worth it.

I guess that plan is ruined now though.

[purrtagonist]

Don't say that.

[more encouragement. he doesn't like useless platitudes, but he doesn't want her to give up, either]

We're still here, Undine. As long as we're still here, we can keep fighting.

[alchemicalwater]

[She knows she should keep her chin up. She knows she should keep trying. But it's just so hard to do.]

I...I know. It just feels like we're trapped.

[purrtagonist]

Yeah.

[boy, does he feel that very same sentiment. he's felt it since the very first day he woke up in this place. bound and chained by the rules of a Game created by an unfamiliar Composer]

We might be, just a little bit. But we can break free, Undine. I believe in us.

[alchemicalwater]

I...I can't really believe in myself right now.

[Self-esteem issues being magnified by the stress and all.]

But I'll believe in you.

[purrtagonist]

[that. . . well. that's enough. and he grasps her hand tightly with both of his, his smile widening]

And I'll believe in you in return, okay?

We're partners. Have been since the beginning, and will be from this point going forward.

[alchemicalwater]

[Partners...something about that word worries her.]

You know, the last two times I tried to group up with people, it didn't go so well.

[One group died horribly from fall damage, the other got eaten alive.]

But maybe the third time's the charm, right?

[purrtagonist]

[this group isn't going so well either, is it. . .? with four out of six of them dead already. . .]

We'll make it work. [he says firmly, with confidence] You, and I. We'll unravel the secrets of this Game, if it's the last thing we do.

[alchemicalwater]

Yeah. We can at least help the players with that.

Just...don't die before me.

[She's not even asking him to not die at all, because that's asking a lot here. But she won't make it through watching someone she genuinely cares about dying again. She knows she won't.]

[purrtagonist]

[she might not be asking it, but. . .]

I won't die at all.

[. . . he's promising it. it's. . . an empty promise, because there isn't any way he can make sure that he doesn't die. and despite his ferocity? he's aware of that. but still]

[he doesn't intend to die. he doesn't plan on trying to die. he will fight to survive, for all the reasons he came around to back when he was still struggling with his role]

[alchemicalwater]

[She doesn't have it in her to even argue that point, so she just nods.

This sucks, reaperbuddy.]

[purrtagonist]

[yeah. this super sucks]

We should get some rest before tomorrow.

[. . .]

It's going to be a long day.

[alchemicalwater]

...Yeah.

[HERE'S YOUR COFFEE BTW She had that with her.]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . BLESS. he'll take that gratefully, with a smile]

[. . .]

You know, I'm hiding a coffee maker in the McDonald's bathroom now?

[alchemicalwater]

That sounds unsanitary. Are you sure you want bathroom-coffee?

[purrtagonist]

Nope. I'd rather have quaint cafe coffee.

[a soft snort and a shrug]

. . . but I make due.