(FIRST OF, does the planetarium smell like fish? Wow.
But yeah, Claude is here and everything seems fine! But the closer she gets, the heavier the air feels with grief. Of course, as soon as he realizes he isn't alone, he's redirecting his thoughts and emotions and trying to push back that feeling. He's fine. Look, he's alerady redirecting his feelings towards finding out who did this!!! So he's determined again!!
[ WHY DOES IT SMELL LIKE FISH.... god this is terrible.
either way she's going to put up with that in favor of focusing what's in front of her which is claude in a situation that she was just in. admittedly his comes with a promise of redemption where her's simply ended with nothing else to do. the heaviness that's being pushed back is too familiar and it makes her just approach him more carefully. ]
Claude?
[ she'll try again to get his attention. he should speak to her, that'd be pretty swell. ]
(Sometimes you spend curfew in places and come out suffering for it okay.
And the voice actually hits him, realizing exactly who it is and,
well,
It makes him feel a little better, to be honest. It's always good to see a friend, especially after a difficult day. So there's an improvement to the atmosphere around him all thanks to Izumo just being here.)
Hm? (He turns quickly to face her, one of his usual, practiced smiles on his face,) Izumo! Sorry, I didn't hear you.
[ the atmosphere around them changes for the better and izumo keeps her's as a steady concern for him. she just lost someone not even a full week ago and when she seems claude put on a smile for her she frowns harder. ]
You don't have to pretend around me.
[ she'd reach out to him but then realizes that any kind of touching would result in a shock so she just gets a little closer, despite of the smell. ]
[ when he corrects himself, she pushes the boundary of how close they can be without getting shocked. this is the only kind of comfort she can offer him which seems like a poor comparison to what he did for her. ]
It's a cruel joke if it were one. [ ...she really isn't too sure what to say but her voice is soft nevertheless. how does on claude von riegan mourn? does he even allow himself to mourn? she never knew if she mourned or just allowed the pain to be pushed away along with the rage for another day. ] Will you be alright for tomorrow?
[ ... ]
I can keep you company as long as you want—if you'd like it.
(And who can blame him (or anyone!) for needing time after Friday. Ah, but there's just... the way Izumo speaks and tries to stay close by, he smiles lightly,)
He...lives in how we remember him, doesn't he? [ isn't that the point of remembering someone even after they've died? to remember the good and celebrate it? maybe. she can understand the sentiment. ] You'd rather celebrate someone's life instead of mourn it, right?
[ given their talk of the difference of cultures. kind of. ]
I don't know if that's something he would have enjoyed himself but maybe it can be excused this once.
[ she cannot tell if the laughter is a good thing. or, well, more like the laughter triggers her to be embarrassed since it...seems to be the mostly right thing to say? given how happy he's coming off. she doesn't expect it to be all real or all cheer, but it's a better start. ]
I'm not that familiar with how you handle things from where you're from with all of the finer details. [ she'll mutter this because she still is doing her best. ] But you've said it's better that way, right?
Some fire, a feast, plenty of stories, a few loud songs... it's more fun than the Church's traditions but it's not all fun and games.
(The lyrics are sad. The dead are offered the best foods. They say good bye at the flames.)
The important thing is honoring their memory. Remembering who they were and carrying on their hopes and dreams since the dead can't do it for themselves.
(... Did Raven or Schwann have dreams? They'd given up on themselves so much.
Ah.)
... I never figured out all of his secrets.
(How does one honor someone they don't really know?)
[ she patiently listens to the way he describes how the death are treated and...is not bad. some of those things are things she's familiar with—to honor someone's memory. to remember who they were...
then again, aren't all people like that? they don't want to forget the ones that were important to them. though... ]
Isn't that a good thing? I mean, it's bad when they die but if you knew everything about a person, wouldn't that make it knowing them a little dull?
(He's quiet for a moment, letting her answer sit with him. Yes, she's right. It was never dull. He enjoyed talking to Raven and playing that game they played where they dropped hints and poked at each other to learn more about one another. )
You have a point. (He'll concede that much and if he thinks about it this way, it certainly does make some of the grief lessen. He might not know as much as he would have liked but doesn't that make his memory all the more intriguing?) Imagine... being remembered as mysterious after you're gone. Letting people assume what they want about you, filling in the blanks, and all of the stories growing until they're legends...
(Ah, there's a feeling start to bubble in the air. A sense of peace that comes from having one's anxieties put to rest. It looks like Izumo's said the right thing! Or at least, something that has certainly helped. There's still a heavy element of sadness all around, that's something that only time will really be able to heal.)
[ honestly, she had no idea that this would work but she's glad that claude is less anxious and less upset about what happened to rave/shwann. admittedly, she had her own grief to (not) deal with, but she's used to the pain. ]
At least it'll give people a lot to talk about. [ casually. ] Sometimes it's the mysteries of a person that keeps them alive in others' memories more than anything else.
[ hmmm... ]
Why they did something. Who they were doing it for... [ there's something a bit distant in her voice when she says this, but it isn't particularly sad in any way, but just distant. like she's imagining something herself. ] I bet you could have an entire conversation about him months later.
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But yeah, Claude is here and everything seems fine! But the closer she gets, the heavier the air feels with grief. Of course, as soon as he realizes he isn't alone, he's redirecting his thoughts and emotions and trying to push back that feeling. He's fine. Look, he's alerady redirecting his feelings towards finding out who did this!!! So he's determined again!!
Even if it's a little muted.)
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either way she's going to put up with that in favor of focusing what's in front of her which is claude in a situation that she was just in. admittedly his comes with a promise of redemption where her's simply ended with nothing else to do. the heaviness that's being pushed back is too familiar and it makes her just approach him more carefully. ]
Claude?
[ she'll try again to get his attention. he should speak to her, that'd be pretty swell. ]
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And the voice actually hits him, realizing exactly who it is and,
well,
It makes him feel a little better, to be honest. It's always good to see a friend, especially after a difficult day. So there's an improvement to the atmosphere around him all thanks to Izumo just being here.)
Hm? (He turns quickly to face her, one of his usual, practiced smiles on his face,) Izumo! Sorry, I didn't hear you.
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You don't have to pretend around me.
[ she'd reach out to him but then realizes that any kind of touching would result in a shock so she just gets a little closer, despite of the smell. ]
Remember? We're trying—one step at a time.
[ unless he was lying to her then? ]
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... I'm not.
(Not completely. It's one of those half real, half pretending things. Maybe he's sad but he truly wants to put on a brave face, as well.)
Right, right... one step at a time.
(He remembers.)
It's funny, isn't it? We were talking about him this week and now...
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It's a cruel joke if it were one. [ ...she really isn't too sure what to say but her voice is soft nevertheless. how does on claude von riegan mourn? does he even allow himself to mourn? she never knew if she mourned or just allowed the pain to be pushed away along with the rage for another day. ] Will you be alright for tomorrow?
[ ... ]
I can keep you company as long as you want—if you'd like it.
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(And who can blame him (or anyone!) for needing time after Friday. Ah, but there's just... the way Izumo speaks and tries to stay close by, he smiles lightly,)
I'd like that, thank you.
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It's the least I can do after everything.
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You don't have to feel like you owe me anything.
(He was just doing... what he wished others had done for him when he was lost. He's just doing what that person would have done for him.)
... I told him to live. (Raven.) It was the last thing I told him.
I was counting on him. So he better live.
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He...lives in how we remember him, doesn't he? [ isn't that the point of remembering someone even after they've died? to remember the good and celebrate it? maybe. she can understand the sentiment. ] You'd rather celebrate someone's life instead of mourn it, right?
[ given their talk of the difference of cultures. kind of. ]
I don't know if that's something he would have enjoyed himself but maybe it can be excused this once.
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(The detail that makes this difficult,)
He changed this week. It feels like losing three people at once.
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[ izumo kamiki has no idea how to navigate this. ]
Do everything three times as much; remember them three times as much; talk about them and celebrate them until you're sick of them.
[ Raven, Schwann, and Laine.... ]
1/2
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Haha! Is that what you really think?
(He can tell she's fumbling. Trying to guide her way through this,)
I don't think anyone would want to hear me talk that much!
(Because he could.)
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I'm not that familiar with how you handle things from where you're from with all of the finer details. [ she'll mutter this because she still is doing her best. ] But you've said it's better that way, right?
To be celebrated instead of mourned?
[ kind of? ]
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(The lyrics are sad. The dead are offered the best foods. They say good bye at the flames.)
The important thing is honoring their memory. Remembering who they were and carrying on their hopes and dreams since the dead can't do it for themselves.
(... Did Raven or Schwann have dreams? They'd given up on themselves so much.
Ah.)
... I never figured out all of his secrets.
(How does one honor someone they don't really know?)
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then again, aren't all people like that? they don't want to forget the ones that were important to them. though... ]
Isn't that a good thing? I mean, it's bad when they die but if you knew everything about a person, wouldn't that make it knowing them a little dull?
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You have a point. (He'll concede that much and if he thinks about it this way, it certainly does make some of the grief lessen. He might not know as much as he would have liked but doesn't that make his memory all the more intriguing?) Imagine... being remembered as mysterious after you're gone. Letting people assume what they want about you, filling in the blanks, and all of the stories growing until they're legends...
(Ah, there's a feeling start to bubble in the air. A sense of peace that comes from having one's anxieties put to rest. It looks like Izumo's said the right thing! Or at least, something that has certainly helped. There's still a heavy element of sadness all around, that's something that only time will really be able to heal.)
Unknown from beginning to end.
(He wonders
Will the same thing happen to him?)
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At least it'll give people a lot to talk about. [ casually. ] Sometimes it's the mysteries of a person that keeps them alive in others' memories more than anything else.
[ hmmm... ]
Why they did something. Who they were doing it for... [ there's something a bit distant in her voice when she says this, but it isn't particularly sad in any way, but just distant. like she's imagining something herself. ] I bet you could have an entire conversation about him months later.
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(Anyway, moving on! Because he's Claude and never stays down for too long,)
... Sorry. You came here to talk about something, didn't you?
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.... ]
I just came to check up on you.
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That's all? (...) Ah... thank you.
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and this is where she'd say something about how he's surprised except she won't. ]
You're welcome.