pullsneedles | (no subject)

(no subject)

Somehow Lucas manages to get a room for himself. It's not too elaborate, very much like the home he doesn't remember he had. He's curled up on the simple bed, hugging a blue pillow.

If he's going to feel alone, he might as well be alone.

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"I don't know her as well as you do, but I don't think so."

Nothing will change the fact that Miss Dinah loves you, the Dragon says with confidence. Miss Sunshine still loves you, too, even though she has to adjust to seeing me.

"She did say that," Lucas agrees.

"It's just a big thing to get used to for everyone. Autor and I had time to get used to it before you woke up, plus we were taking care of you and I guess you freak out less about stuff when you have something like that to focus on. And the Dragon helped us with that, so. We've got an advantage there, is my point. Everyone else just needs to catch up to us."

"It ain't fair that all of that should have t'be on you," Lucas says.

And once he's said that, he curls up on himself again.

"Oh no... Boney's gone, too. An' Duster. An' Kumatora."

He sniffs and puts his head on his knees.

"More water?"

Lucas nods against his knees.

Enzo fetches it and puts it next to Lucas' foot.

"Look, fair's got nothing to do with it. We're your friends. And I'm a Guardian, and you're supposed to reboot your world, so that means if I'm taking care of you, I'm protecting a world, which is my job. To mend and defend. So no more 'not fair', okay? You don't need an extra thing to feel bad about."

Lucas looks up from his knees.

"Thank you fer bein' my friend, Enzo," he says. "You're... You're right. I'd say th' same things t'you or Autor or anyone else."

Perhaps not in the same words, but the important thing is he gets the meaning.

"You're welcome. And you gotta take care of yourself too, okay? I'm not telling you not to grieve, but you've got a world to restore. You won't be able to do that if you're a wreck, I bet. It sounds like a big job."

"I know, but then I think about somebody an' I just know I can't see'em anymore... Even if I didn't know'em that well, knowin' they're gone now....."

He makes himself pick up the glass of water and drink some.

"I know. I didn't even expect to see them anymore, and... But you're what's left of them now, and letting it destroy you won't do them any favours."

He nods. Enzo is right.

It hurts, but Enzo is right.

"I dunno what to do," he says. "But- but I guess that isn't so important if I can take care a'myself."

"You'll figure it out. For now, let's start by getting some food into you, huh? I did bring all this."

The brownies might be too sweet an option for that. But there's also the school of some food being better than no food. Lucas picks a brownie up and takes a nibble.

"Not sure brownies actually count as taking care of yourself," Enzo admits, taking a bite of one of his own. "But I was going for comfort food that'd keep. Nutrients can come later."

"It's real sweet, but the chocolate feels good," Lucas says.

He eats about half the brownie in his hand before he has to stop.

"Will the milkshake be okay, or do you want something else?" It's sweet too, but should be less aggressively so.

"Somethin' else might be better."

In the meantime, he does have water. It may not taste the best after a brownie, but it is good at cleansing.

"Anything particular?"

The shake will not go to waste; he may simply digitize it for himself, since he is, after all, the bottomless void commonly known as a teenager.

Lucas thinks, trying to remember what he's had before that's soothing.

It's hard to connect soothing and memory right now.

"What do people drink when they're too old for warm milk?"

"Tea?" Enzo suggests.

"Tea? Yeah. Tea sounds good."

"You want to come down, or should I bring it?"

"I think I'll stay here," he says. "Just for now."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

He gathers up the shakes, but leaves both plates of brownies for now.