oo1 ✦ let’s begin.

[richesse]

[ There’s a whisper through the murmur, more a breath of feeling than a fully formed thought. It’s sweet, and warm, and laughing—though it is not gentle, nor kind.

A voice follows the whisper, chased by darkness and shadows, the very suggestion of a nightmare. ]

Do you think we’re still dreaming? Or is this a living nightmare?

[ a hum, and another brush of teasing laughter, there and gone like a brief burst of memory, the last moment of summer that you can taste on your tongue before it’s irretrievably gone. ]

You’ve changed, haven’t you? We all have. What are you thinking, right now…? Who are you?

What are you?

Comments

[offseers]

It's not that strange.

I knew someone with long ears. Flaming hair. All kinds of differences.

And you don't seem like someone who would struggle with adapting.

1/2

[richesse]

[ IDON’TWANTTOBECHANGED ]

nm I lied 2/3

[richesse]

[ the murmur shrieks like a massacred violin, cacophonous. there’s static, LOUD, flooding the connection between them until there’s nothing left but— ]

[richesse]

Me, struggle to adapt? I’m Lortel Kehelland. I’ll always survive, regardless of the price.

[ what was that?

that explosion of shrieking, dissonant terror, of desperately sobbing rejection—

—well… it’s gone, now. like it had never been. ]

[offseers]

[ well. that was the first feeling noah got that feels . . . real. like a mote of light brushing against his cheek, long ago. like a woman's voice in the cell next to him. like the moon, hanging in the sky. ]

. . . You can be afraid and still survive.

I won't use it against you.

[richesse]

Don’t— don’t comfort me. I can’t afford the cost of fear. This—connection! [ she snaps, her intonation a scathing rebuke. she hates it. ]

You must know I cannot possibly trust you.

[ this might be the real Lortel starting to leak through, even just a little. ]

[offseers]

[ noah takes this all in his stride. after all, he's dealt with this before. she reminds him a little of alexandria. barriers upon barriers. a keen intellect that pierces through. but deep down, a singular unknowable pain. ]

All right. Would you prefer if I just trust you then?

[richesse]

[ her mouth hangs open in wordless shock. ]

I … why? I’ve given you no reason to.

[offseers]

Actually, you did.

You need someone. But you're not ready to trust people.

So. I'm here. I'll take that first step. I'll trust you.

[richesse]

[ she opens her mouth— ]

What’s in it for you?

[ brittle. untrusting. un…sure. ]

[offseers]

[ noah cocks his head, a small smile playing on his lips. ]

Hm, I guess . . . I hope someday you'll trust me too.

I think that's enough.

[richesse]

… trust has a price, and I try to avoid debts.

[ as hard as she tries to stonewall him—to keep him out—



there is the faintest, neediest tendril of soft, scared, hopeful feeling. ]

[offseers]

[ noah hums. ]

It's your choice. I'm not here to force it on you.

Just to offer it.

[richesse]

[ her racing thoughts get tangled in the murmur, flashes of what if and elris and ed

a sword to your throat from behind. it draws blood and you can’t afford to scream.

burning, bleeding, breaking betrayal.

Lortel breathes in, shaky. ]

… why? Why offer me this with only my trust in return as collateral? Why risk so much for a stranger? What if I simply took advantage of your foolish kindness?





[ please don’t leave me alone.

im scared. ]

[offseers]

[ betrayal. noah knows a touch of that, but not on her scale. he remains the way he is though. he has not budged. ]

Then that would be your choice.

Everything we do is always a risk. That does not mean it's not worth doing.

To me, this is worth it. You are worth it.

1/2

[richesse]

[ Lortel drops into a crouch, right where she is, both hands pressed to her face.

tears. tears like soft rain in the murmur.

you are worth it. ]

[richesse]

… I’m not used to owing favors.

[ yes. her answer is yes. yes, please, trust me.

take my side, just once. ]

I’d like to see you.

[offseers]

[ noah wouldn't call it a favor. even a risk. he means what he said. this is a choice he makes. he would always make this choice. ]

I'll come find you.

[ the connection threads itself through the eye of a needle. no matter how small, it seems to come through. it seems . . . despite it all, he hasn't lost himself so completely. the shadow of N seems far away. ]

[richesse]

[ rather than keep moving, Lortel finds refuge in a thoroughly destroyed little bodega. at least there’s nothing else in here with her. nothing but the wind and the endless, eerie quiet.

reaching for the murmur, she pulls aside its heavy curtains to show him what she sees—to give him a connection to where she is. ]

You’ll be alright? It’s dangerous out there.

[offseers]

I'll manage. I'm used to dodging all kinds of creatures.

[ it would be dangerous. noah knows how dangerous it can be. aionios was full of things that could kill you. but he was special forces for a reason. he knew which fights to pick and which ones to avoid. ]

Just hold on.

[richesse]

I’ll be fine. [ gently. not a boast; a reassurance. ] Stay safe.

[ it’s the nicest thing she’s said to him so far in their short acquaintance.

she keeps busy while she waits. most of the food that was in here is long gone, stolen or rotted, but she manages to find an intact can of … something or other that will hopefully prove edible. she digs behind the counter, in the storage areas, and eventually amasses a tiny but precious hoard: one can of (????), an empty bottle she’s filled with disgusting cooking grease (it may yet help start a fire), and a single package of plastic-wrapped crackers.

removing her hood, she turns it into a makeshift sling for her new-gotten gains.

then she sits, and she waits, curled up tightly into the long puffy winter coat she found. it’s a little warm, but the warmth is comforting. it feels … normal. ]

[offseers]

[ noah hasn't thought that far. he's a traveler by nature. whenever ouroboros made their way through aionios, they had bags of food. a few supplies. scattered rest stops along the way. but he'll have to think of something more permanent here. if they do truly stay here.

for now, he'll focus on lortel. this was more important. he arrives finally, pulling back the curtain carefully, not wanting to make sudden moves to startle her.

when noah finally spots her, he smiles, making his way towards her. and slowly, like the unfurling of a flower, noah simply extends his hand. outstretched. open. ready to be grasped. ]

[richesse]

[ Noah.

her breath catches when she sees him. when she sees the open, willing, too-trusting hand he extends to her. a visceral vivid memory floods her hard enough to crash into the murmur—of another boy, reaching for her hand, and making her feel…

…

on the verge of tears, Lortel carefully—painfully mindful of her claws—takes his hand, and lets him pull her to her feet.

she doesn’t let go. she holds onto his hand—for as long as he’ll let her. ]

… I have … a refuge. It isn’t much, but the place I woke up was … peaceful enough, and could probably be fortified a little if we tried. I could even get a fire going.

[ that she’s offering at all is remarkable.

and a quiet, undeniable sign of her burgeoning trust for him, in return. ]

[offseers]

[ noah's held hands with many people before. mwamba. eunie. lanz. and of course, the tremor in his heart, mio. I won't let you shoulder this alone, she said. he clasps her hand firmly, without any blanching of the claws or fear of being cut. and why would he? ]

I can help with that. I have experience with fortifications. And survival in the wild.

[ and once more, gently. ]

Do you want to talk about the changes or leave it there?

[richesse]

[ the look she gives him is soft, and sad, and oh so slightly adoring. grateful beyond words, she curls her fingers through his. her anchor. her lifeline. ]

I’ll lead you there. [ she glances askance at him and winks, pressing one finger to her lips. ] As long as you swear it will be our little secret.

[ his question produces a longer silence. long enough that they’ll be able to exit the store and get back out onto the street, where Lortel guides them where to go. if he cares to look, to notice—there is strain in her face. her jaw is clenched shut. ]

I don’t trust you yet, [ she whispers, smiling up at him with sweet sorrow. ] But soon, maybe. It’s …

[ …

his selflessness deserves a piece of her honesty, even the smallest she can afford. ]

In the life I’ve lead until now… vulnerability was—a weakness. One I couldn’t afford to ever be exploited.

[ the hand holding his trembles. ]

It’s … not natural for me, to ask for help.