text; un: patriarch

[burninglight]

[After the fight with his brother had settled down, Ardyn went back to his room and shut the door; after an hour or so of pacing restlessly and accomplishing nothing, he settled on taking out his phone and making an ill-advised decision.]

[...Just as soon as he changed his username.]

Since there is likely no end in sight to 'this station needs more therapy than the multiverse can provide':

I know one can be furious with someone they care about and yet not detest them. Difficult, but not unthinkable. But is it possible to ever learn to stop hating someone, when that anger is justified yet supposedly built on the foundation of a misunderstanding?

Comments

[burninglight]

It's

not alright, but it's an argument that was going to happen eventually

can you come to my room? i think i need to talk to someone.

[serrata]

I'll be right there.

Do you need anything?

[ apart from ONE LESS BROTHER!!! ]

[burninglight]

I'm okay. As much as I can be.

-> action

[serrata]

Okay. Just a few minutes.

[ And true to her word, ten minutes later, there's a knock on Ardyn's door. She would've just let herself in, but her hands are kind of full. Whoops. ]

[burninglight]

[Ardyn opened the door with a small, exhausted smile; he'd already taken care of any bruises from the fight, and thank Shiva for curatives. He just looked worn down, which was hardly different from any other day.]

[serrata]

[ And here is Yuuri with a big bag full of cupcakes (cookies seemed kind of tasteless, given the circumstances) and a mug of coffee that is probably halfway to being syrup for all the sugar she dumped in. ]

Here you go.

I know you said you didn't want us starting a fight with him, but he's making it very hard to resist.

[burninglight]

...thanks, princess.

[The smile brightened a little as he accepted both, setting them on a table that was no doubt from somewhere in the spaceport. Along with most of the other junk laid out in a neatly organized chaos in his room.]

It's...he's difficult. Everything about him is difficult, but I'm forced to acknowledge he's trying. Trying to do what is the harder thing to explain.

[serrata]

Trying everyone's patience, maybe.

[ But okay, sniping at Izunia nonstop is not going to make it any easier for Ardyn to tell her what happened. So she finds herself a seat... somewhere in all this mess and tries to look less Extremely Angry than she feels. ]

What happened?

[burninglight]

What else? We got into a fight. [He dropped into a chair himself, running a hand through his hair before pressing it to his head.]

I suppose it was inevitable, really.

[serrata]

... You're probably right. I'm surprised it took you this long.

[ She's quiet for a moment. She doesn't want to pry, but she feels like if she doesn't ask then she can't help. ]

What was it about?

[burninglight]

Everything, more or less. He was furious I never told him what my healing did, I was angry that he--you know, killed me, that sort of thing. We threw a few punches and yelled at each other, I cracked his ribs, fun sibling discussions.

[serrata]

Cracked his ribs. That's just awful.

[ She says, not sounding as if she thinks it's awful in the slightest. ]

I can understand him being a little angry that you kept it a secret but... angry enough to throw a punch at you? Really? After everything he did?

[burninglight]

He's my brother, of course he's going to have a temper on occasion.

[Ardyn sighed, looking off to the side and trying to put his thoughts together.]

I don't know. I think...ultimately, we both want the same thing.

[serrata]

And what's that?

[ Presumably it isn't more breaking of each other's ribs because they'd already be in a heap on the beach by now. ]

[burninglight]

...To be seen as more than what we were at our worst.

[serrata]

[ Yuuri's quiet for a moment and then finally, she nods. ]

That's fair, I think. [ not that Yuuri particularly feels like being fair to Izunia, but still. ] I think that's what everyone wants.

[burninglight]

[Ardyn answered with nothing more than a slight nod at first, leaning forward and resting his head on folded arms. One would think he'd be used to being so tired, but apparently not.]

I suppose even he deserves that much. Or at lest for both of us to make the attempt.

[serrata]

Was that all he wanted from you?

[ It sounds like a hell of a thing just to crack some ribs over. ]

[burninglight]

More or less. It was a lot of shouting over old and newer issues, though I can't say I know what brought it on so suddenly.

[serrata]

[ ... and at that, Yuuri looks a little puzzled. ]

Did... did he not tell you? He talked to Junpei, so I assumed he must've at least mentioned it to you, but...

[burninglight]

...

What did he do.

[serrata]

I can't believe this. I can't believe he dragged Junpei along and didn't tell you.

[ She huffs and rubs her face for a moment before she starts. ]

Last week, Junpei told me he'd been asked to go along with them on... Saturday, I think it was. I only heard about it secondhand, but Junpei called it, um... some sort of physical representation of Izunia's mind. So he could work some issues out and both of us figured it was about you.

1/3

[burninglight]

What does that even m-

[burninglight]

['-Someone who changes the world by going against the way the world is supposed to be. Like Coyote stealing fire. Stealing hearts is where we use our powers to...take the distorted and twisted desires out of someone's heart.']

[Ardyn went dead silent, lifting his head and staring at Yuuri like he wasn't quite seeing her for a moment.]

[burninglight]

...I'm going to fucking murder him.