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Who: Robin!
Broadcast: Video!
Action: Not unless it gets weird!
When: About a day after his supposed murder.

[the feed crackles on to show Robin, looking very much alive and in a shirt that doesn't have a big hole in it, thank you. he's crouched somewhere on one of those Floot Loop stations, probably. he's got his back to one of those big LED displays, which means... unless you want to check every single bright, animated ad in every station within range, he's going to be kind of tricky to find.

he... waves, though he doesn't look like he's very happy to see you either, to be honest.]

Hello. I'm not dead, since I assume that rumor has spread far and wide by now.

And I would love to have a calm, rational conversation about all of this before someone tries to kill me again. What have I missed? Catch me up.

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[ He does, of course, and Cecil is waiting for him already just outside the docking bay. She looks upset, but whether it's anger or concern is hard to say. ]

[he is not in his best shape when he walks out onto the docking floor, either. his face never looks less than flawless and his clothes are perfect as usual, but he's already running his fingers anxiously through the back of his hair. he's already slumpy and worn-down.

he doesn't greet her with a smile so much as a half-hearted apology.]

Hi, Cecil.

[ Just the way he looks so defeated makes her want to rethink why she called him over, but on second thought, she realizes that Robin is ancient and thus, he is much too old to continue behaving like a reckless teenager.

So first thing's first-- she pulls back a fist and slams it into his jaw hard. ]

[he could have stopped it. he had a feeling. he watched it happen.

he leans into it, actually, so that his center of gravity is much lower. when her fist slams into his face he only slides back on his heels and stops, standing stiffly, a couple feet further back from where he started. his fingers flew most of the way to his face on impulse and are frozen in the air, fingers tense, while his skin turns red and his lip splits and his frown hardens to stone.

he glares up at her from behind his bangs. hi, cecil. how can he help you.]

[ Well, now that that's over with, she's going to just do the total opposite of punching someone and throw herself on him in a tight hug. He's probably going to have to hurt her if he wants to pry her off of him because, gosh, she's really clingy for someone who just tried to break his jaw.

Spoiler: Cecil is still queen of mixed signals. ]

[god... damn... cecil, he still doesn't know what to do with you.

he doesn't hug her back, but he drops his arms. maybe leans a little, goes back to slumping. the fight in him is defeated, if nothing else. he says, completely mirthless:]

Did you call me here just to kick the shit out of me, or...?

You know I didn't.

[ She says it rather softly, with more hope than someone should ever utter a statement that's worded so confidently. She doesn't let go, even after acknowledgement of her strange behavior, and she starts places a hand over his face where she hit him, healing him with her magic. ]

What did he do to you?

[his blood was already starting to work backwards. she can see it if she looks close enough--tiny little strands of blood, like thread, stitching his lip back up. but the healing is not rejected, and it speeds up the process significantly.

it also makes Robin feel a little better, though he looks a little surprised at her sudden use of magic so near his face.]

Oh, he just... Ripped my heart out, through my ribs. It was very surprising, actually.

[THAT he says with a weary deadpan.]

[ That sight lets her know that his state of being is still the same and it at least sets her fears about him being in danger of actual, permanent death at ease. The relief disappears though when Robin tells her what happened and she pulls back a little to look into his face. ]

He...

[ She is utterly floored. It reminds her of Tyki, only Tyki never hurt anyone with his ability. They sometimes played with it in other ways for objectives, since even if they weren't master and servant, they both still received their bonuses and they trusted each other. He was much too disappointed in the transient death situation of Court to care for hurting anybody though, really, so he didn't cause trouble.

A tattooed elf though... Obviously it isn't Tyki. Still, thinking about it sends a shiver down her spine and makes her head hurt. It unnerves her, like there's something else she should be thinking of, but can't quite figure out what. ]

H-How? He can phase through solid matter? Did your blood...? Did you actually...?

[...her reaction is troubling. she always had a tendency to overreact to things, he thinks, but something about this makes him pause and look at her.]

I'm fine. Are you all right?

[ The easy answer is, yes. Yes, she's perfectly fine. She is definitely not grappling with another of those weird memory glitch things. The truthful answer is no, not really, she's definitely grappling with another weird memory glitch thing. She goes with the easy answer though and waves a hand dismissively at his question, shaking her head. She does her best to shrug off the uneasy feeling. ]

I'm fine. It's nothing. You're the one who was just nearly killed. That's not even counting all the other reactions and Nel.

"Nearly killed" is giving that guy too much credit.

[that gets him focused back on himself, though. he doesn't want to talk about Nel. he doesn't even want to think about Nel, what he'll have to do in a few hours. but... maybe Cecil isn't angry at him about it, like everyone else is, and that's something.]

He removed a vital internal organ.

[ She's giving him that highly skeptical look, but at least she doesn't verbally scold him -- yet. She takes his hand and starts to walk him through the ship to the bunks. ]

Eh. [he manages a... somewhat sardonic grin.] How vital is it if I'm still walking and talking?

[though... he starts resisting when he realizes she is trying to take him to the bunks. he pulls for his hand back.]

Robin, don't—

[ But she's quickly cut off from scolding him when he pulls back. She stops abruptly and lets him take his hand back, surprised and a little confused. She kind of just stares back at him in bewilderment for a moment. ]

[his smile fades, quickly, as he lowers his hand.]

...I'm sorry. I don't want to do this right now.

Do what?

[ She crosses her arms over her chest, physically growing defensive. What did she do wrong now? ]

Sit in that room while you pet my hair and I tell you about my feelings.

[he glances elsewhere. he's not... annoyed. he doesn't have enough energy in him to be annoyed. "melancholic" would be a better word, but even that seems a little too animated. all he knows is that he doesn't want to be touched right now. he doesn't want to be held, he doesn't want to be comforted, he doesn't want to talk about it.]

I'd like to go back to my ship.

[ She flinches; regardless of his tone, she's obviously hurt. Hearing that from him hurts a lot more than she thinks it should and this time she knows for certain that it has to do with her fractured memories. She says nothing for a while, rubbing her arms as if she were cold and blinking more than needed as though trying to clear her vision. She looks restless, grappling with the intense feeling that she's been rebuked before like this by someone she cared for a lot, at a time when they shouldn't have been apart from each other, only she can't remember who or when or why.

She doesn't want to send him off alone. She doesn't want them to part ways like this. She wants to fix things, wants to help. Maybe there isn't a way to help Robin though and the thought leaves her heart feeling raw and exposed. After a while more, she turns away, leaving Robin where he is. There is nothing else she can do. ]

Then go.

[which, in turn, is confusing to Robin. he knows he's not any good to be around right now (he feels poisonous, at the very least), but he didn't think what he said was that surprising. he reaches out towards her back... runs his fingers through the invisible strings between them, little strands of pain that only he can sense, before dropping his arm entirely.]

...Cecil, why are you surprised? You ordered me onto this ship to begin with. I'm tired.

[ She hesitates, contemplating telling him about her broken memory, but she pushes the thought away almost as soon as it crosses her mind, unaware of how he feels. It'd be easy enough to suspect what his feelings towards himself are right now after such a vicious attack on his person and the reasoning for it, but she's not thinking calmly.

Why did she want him to come, again? She seems to have forgotten and it takes her a while to think of anything else to say but a repeat of her dismissal.

She shrugs her shoulders and stays with her back to him, but at least she doesn't leave. ]

You're right-- I shouldn't be.

I wasn't going to ask you how you feel though; I already know how you must feel about yourself. What you've done is stupid and it's typical of you to evade problems rather than deal with them head-on. You're not a child and you don't deserve to be coddled.

Still... I wanted to say that I don't hate you. I understand why you did what you did with Nel. They don't understand what Court was like and they don't know Nel.

I did it too, with Barakiel, Court. I was tempted to do it again when he came here, because he still saw me that way-- he still saw me as his master. I thought it'd be better that he felt he was mine because I wouldn't take advantage of him and I already knew where his limits were, in that he barely had any.

What you did was wrong and selfish, but I think your heart was in the right place. How can I condemn you for doing what I might have done?

[so, it's just... bits and pieces, he supposes. he's quiet for a little bit, mulling all of that over, with Cecil standing with her back to her. after a moment, though, he... steps forward, sliding his arms over her shoulders, pressing his face against her hair. it turns into a very light hug, since that's all he feels able to give right now... but it's something.]

You've done enough, Cecil.

[he doesn't stay there long. he stings. he pulls away and starts to leave, since it seems like that's better for everyone. he is very grateful, but he's tired. he has a long day ahead of him.]

[ Before he pulls away completely, she tries to catch one of his hands, turning towards him now to look him in the face again. ]

Don't push me away— please.

Trust me.

[ Trust that she cares about him, she means. Her voice has a raw edge of desperation to it, almost as though she's pleading, but she only says it once and if she managed to catch his hand in hers, she lets go of it here, as if communicating without words that she doesn't mean he has to stay now. She wishes he would, but if it's space he wants, then she doesn't have any other choice but to give him that as far as she sees it. ]

[to be fair, that is a very real fear. this is the part where Robin usually leaves everyone. this is the part where he disappears, makes himself a ghost, moves half a continent away and forgets all the things that ever made him upset.

but things are going to be different, this time. he's got nowhere to run. he's got to face the facts when it's over. so her hand gets a gentle squeeze and when she lets go, he doesn't disappear. he stays just long enough to let her know.]

I'll be back for you. I promise.

[he manages a weak smile... before finally turning to go.]

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