it's hard to explain why he does, only that he is, and it's difficult to shake it off. he doesn't know how long it's been since he last experienced a heavy weight on his chest like this — a sensation that's almost akin to suffocating. some fresh air would do him some good, he thinks, and that's the reason why he stands next to fiore now. ]
I didn't think I'd see you out here either.
[ a soft sigh, one hand cradling the back of his neck. ]
[ Fiore glances at him, her gaze layered with a hint of concern. It doesn't take a magus' perception to see that he looks... strained. But she hasn't known him long enough to ask and he's old enough to handle himself, so she keeps that thought to herself. ]
Something like that. I thought that if I couldn't sleep, I could at least make myself useful and see if I can, at the very least, learn more about how the natives have been disappearing. And prevent any more harm from coming to them.
[ Also she's still adjusting. But again, she doesn't say that-- it sounds a little childish to say she isn't used to sleeping in areas that aren't her own home. ]
[ with every deep breath, the heavy feeling doesn't waver. gaku is beginning to think something else is afflicting him but he doesn't know what it could be or how to fix it. he tries to focus on fiore for now — maybe a distraction will help. anything at all will help at this point. ]
Ah, yeah... Heard about that.
[ distant, aimless. out of focus. ]
I've been feeling off ever since coming back tonight— I'm hoping it's just stress.
[ after all, he's just a normal person. even though high-stress situations are nothing new to him, situations, where whole families are disappearing, is still a lot to take in. ]
[ She peers a little more closely at Gaku, eyebrows delicately knitting together. It's probably rude to pry further than this with magecraft, to see if what's ailing him is something beyond the physical.
Then again, maybe it is just stress. The situation at hand isn't exactly conducive to peaceful slumber, save for those truly exhausted. ]
... Would you like to sit down? I wouldn't say you look unsteady, exactly, but...
[ when she asks him if he'd like to sit down, there's a split-second where he looks a little dumbfounded, but then the expression breaks and leaves him feeling sheepish. apologetic. ]
I look that bad, huh? [ like the good boy he is, he takes a seat close to her. ] ... Thanks. I didn't want to be rude and just sit down without saying anything.
[ little things he's worried about that he knows shouldn't really matter, but his mind is a mess right now.
the clock is ticking closer and closer to midnight. ]
[ Fiore's lips lift in a rather wry smile, even as she shakes her head. ]
I would be the last person to scold you for sitting.
[ Given her everything. She doesn't necessarily think it will solve his troubled thoughts, but if nothing else, it might be something like a momentary reprieve. ]
[ gaku can only laugh at her response. it's more wry and weary than anything else but at least he's finally relaxing. whatever exhaustion he'd been trying to hold back is a lot more evident now but he still does his best to keep it all together. ]
That's true. I...
[ the clock shaves off the last few seconds and now it's finally midnight. his voice trails off as the light in his eyes become daze, and he doesn't appear to be seeing fiore anymore. instead, his gaze is focused towards a new direction, quietly standing up as he starts to head over there.
[ He just kind of trailed off into nothingness, and as Fiore blinks up at him, it's with a start that she sees some kind of cloudy haze overtake his vision. It's not as though she hasn't seen suggestion magecraft act similarly, but...
With a frown, she grips the wheels of her chair and starts after him. ]
[ gaku says nothing as he continues to wander along the path he has now chosen. it's almost as though nothing else exists in the world at that very moment — just a singular thread that only he can see guiding him to where he wants to be.
it takes a while because they're a few ways away from the nearest lake, but soon enough it becomes clear that that's where he is headed. if he isn't stopped, he'll walk into the water until he's all but completely submerged under the surface.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the song is stuck in my head...
it's hard to explain why he does, only that he is, and it's difficult to shake it off. he doesn't know how long it's been since he last experienced a heavy weight on his chest like this — a sensation that's almost akin to suffocating. some fresh air would do him some good, he thinks, and that's the reason why he stands next to fiore now. ]
I didn't think I'd see you out here either.
[ a soft sigh, one hand cradling the back of his neck. ]
Couldn't sleep?
there are worse fates
Something like that. I thought that if I couldn't sleep, I could at least make myself useful and see if I can, at the very least, learn more about how the natives have been disappearing. And prevent any more harm from coming to them.
[ Also she's still adjusting. But again, she doesn't say that-- it sounds a little childish to say she isn't used to sleeping in areas that aren't her own home. ]
And you, Gaku?
no subject
Ah, yeah... Heard about that.
[ distant, aimless. out of focus. ]
I've been feeling off ever since coming back tonight— I'm hoping it's just stress.
[ after all, he's just a normal person. even though high-stress situations are nothing new to him, situations, where whole families are disappearing, is still a lot to take in. ]
You haven't seen anyone try to wander out yet?
no subject
[ She peers a little more closely at Gaku, eyebrows delicately knitting together. It's probably rude to pry further than this with magecraft, to see if what's ailing him is something beyond the physical.
Then again, maybe it is just stress. The situation at hand isn't exactly conducive to peaceful slumber, save for those truly exhausted. ]
... Would you like to sit down? I wouldn't say you look unsteady, exactly, but...
[ Maybe it wouldn't hurt. ]
no subject
I look that bad, huh? [ like the good boy he is, he takes a seat close to her. ] ... Thanks. I didn't want to be rude and just sit down without saying anything.
[ little things he's worried about that he knows shouldn't really matter, but his mind is a mess right now.
the clock is ticking closer and closer to midnight. ]
no subject
I would be the last person to scold you for sitting.
[ Given her everything. She doesn't necessarily think it will solve his troubled thoughts, but if nothing else, it might be something like a momentary reprieve. ]
no subject
That's true. I...
[ the clock shaves off the last few seconds and now it's finally midnight. his voice trails off as the light in his eyes become daze, and he doesn't appear to be seeing fiore anymore. instead, his gaze is focused towards a new direction, quietly standing up as he starts to head over there.
without so much as another word. ]
no subject
[ He just kind of trailed off into nothingness, and as Fiore blinks up at him, it's with a start that she sees some kind of cloudy haze overtake his vision. It's not as though she hasn't seen suggestion magecraft act similarly, but...
With a frown, she grips the wheels of her chair and starts after him. ]
no subject
it takes a while because they're a few ways away from the nearest lake, but soon enough it becomes clear that that's where he is headed. if he isn't stopped, he'll walk into the water until he's all but completely submerged under the surface.
at least he isn't in a hurry to do it. ]