[ the word sounds frantic, strained, and rough - and the following few seconds are accompanied by hacking. she hadn't realized acclimation back would be as painful as it is, and while riza had started the message, her lungs have different plans. ]
I- [ this is harder than she thought it would be, and the low rise of panic threatens just under the surface. ] Arena- where-
[ and then another span of coughing, worse this time, before the message cuts. ]
[ indeed, breathing air again was difficult at best and painful at worst. he's in the midst of coughing and attempting to catch his breath when he gets the message on his own watch -- riza, who sounds as if she's having an equally difficult time.
it'll pass. their bodies are just getting used to the air again. but then the message cuts, and roy is seized with an irrational jolt of panic as he attempts to call her back: ]
Riza?
[ focus on breathing. and roy manages to do that, for half a moment, before coughing up what he hopes is the last of the water in his lungs, forcing himself up to his feet. ]
Stay where you are. [ arena, she had said. he can go to her, rather than the other way around. ] Can you hear me?
[ the inability to communicate is making the panic rise. she's fine, really - breathing is hard. breathing is very hard. but roy answered, roy is okay, and she reminds herself to breathe. ]
Yes. [ she can hear him, she is okay, she will stay there. there is still a bit clinging to her lungs, still a bit she's trying to breathe through. her stomach is already starting to hurt, painfully and violently. ]
Outside. [ another fit, another period of hacking coughs. ] Outside of the Arena- I'm fi-fine.
[ she's just struggling with breathing because of the water. that's the only reason, and he repeats it to himself as he forces himself to make his way toward the arena. he has to stop a few times to cough up more water, empty out his stomach and catch his breath, sucking in oxygen quickly before continuing to keep moving. finding her is the priority, and finding her is the issue, because roy is quickly figuring out that walking, too, feels strange after months of being underwater.
useless useless useless -- ]
It will pass.
[ quietly, more meant to reassure her, after a good five or so minutes of silence. he doesn't want her to hear his own difficulties, so he takes the time to cough up whatever he needs to do so offline, rather than have her listen to it. ]
[ it's hard to think through it, too much of it similar to before. the feeling of liquid in her throat, her lungs, the blinding pain as she struggled to breathe. it's half the reason the panic swells as much as it does, when she knows - because she knows, objectively that she is going to be fine. that it's just water.
focus on breathing.
and riza does, taking one breath in and the letting it out. the coughing gets softer, easier to handle, even if she isn't really paying attention to the fact she may or may not have the messages sending. ]
'm h...here. [ another breath, another pause. breathing, a bit of coughing, then breathing again. the message will end there until roy shows up, as riza's attention is on what he'd instructed. easy and simple to hold onto. stay put and focus on breathing ]
[ he makes it there as quickly as he can, pausing only the minimum amount necessary to cough, and then keep going. but eventually, he makes it to the arena, and it only takes a quick cursory look around to find riza, doing exactly what he asked of her -- staying put, and breathing.
roy takes a moment to breathe, to put himself together as much as possible (because it wouldn't do to look panicked, in attempting to assuage her own fears) before he moves to riza's side, kneeling down in front of her (quietly relieved for the respite). ]
Hey --
[ quietly, reaching out with a hand to squeeze her shoulder. ]
You're alright.
[ it's said as much to reassure him as it is to reassure her, and while roy doesn't know what's going through her head, he does know that fighting to breathe is not the most fun in the world, and so he continues: ]
It'll be over soon. It took me a few minutes to get readjusted, you'll be fine. You always are.
[ it takes a lot of effort, to keep herself breathing. to keep herself calm. she reminds herself to take it slow, that she's fine, but every few moments something would catch and the panic would spike again. it takes all of her focus to keep going (even if it is calming down), so much that she doesn't notice roy's approach until his hand is on her shoulder.
her hand is immediately moving, grabbing his wrist and prepared to do much more, when she recognizes the voice. all of the tension fades out of her then as she looks up to see him. he's fine, safe. together. whole. and while she can objectively understand these things, the panic and the memories had been too much. too much to handle.
she sees his face and lets out a long breath, tears collected at the corners of her eyes from either the effort or something more, before (without really thinking about it) she finds herself leaning forward, tucking her forehead into his shoulder, and simply breathing. in a few moments she'll most likely realize what she's done, but for now she finds herself simply seeking the comfort, with the after-effects of everything finally coming to settle. ]
[ when riza grabs his wrist, roy realizes he has made a pretty egregious mistake, in touching riza without having her full attention . . . but before he can say anything, she seems to realize that it is him. and he's about to make some offhanded comment when he sees the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, and any witticism he might have come up with abruptly dies in his throat as she leans forward to bury her face into his shoulder.
he can't remember the last time he saw riza cry. the fight against lust, she had done so. had she cried when the fuhrer nearly killed her? he couldn't remember, because he was so focused on getting her to keep breathing. her voice had sounded . . . thick when she discovered he could not see, but roy didn't know whether or not that was because she wanted to cry.
riza hawkeye was the single bravest person he never knew. if she needed someone to comfort her, then she must truly need it. which was why it takes him half a second before he wraps his arms around her easily, burying his face into her hair with half a laugh. ]
[ the feeling of relief is sudden, and part of riza almost pulls away from it. roy wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her in and it feels...better. good. safe. she lets her eyes close again and breathes; once, twice, easier now than before.
a small voice in the back of her mind asks what are you doing but she ignores it for now, her weight leaning into him for those few moments.
his half-laugh makes her smile, almost subconsciously. it's his comment, though, that has her laughing herself - a sudden sound, that almost immediately ends up becoming a cough, her whole body shaking with it as she pulls back away to keep herself from coughing on him. ]
You don't- [ another cough, but she doesn't seem as panicked about it. to put it more simply, she actually looks to still be laughing through the last of her coughs. ] Have a monopoly on- [ another cough, as she keeps one hand on his upper arm to steady herself, coughing into her other shoulder. ] -hating water.
[ he lets her move away, stabilizing herself as she coughs, but laughing is preferable to tears, and a sudden relief washes over him that she seems to be on the better side of whatever was weighing on her mind. and roy greets her laughing with a roll of his eyes, keeping her steady while she catches her breath. ]
I don't hate water; I hate being wet. [ it's an important distinction!! but once riza's coughing subsides, his expression shifts from a self-deprecating humor to a subtle concerned expression, and he squeezes her shoulder gently. ] You're alright?
[ making sure of that is his first priority, before anything else. ]
[ it takes her another couple of moments trying to breathe through the laughter and coughing before she settles again, looking up at him still with that smile. ]
You kind of hate water, too. [ said with the air of someone who knows the other person too well to accept any kind of argument. but she notices the way roy's expression shifts, and her own clams a bit, allowing her to nod once. ]
I am. It was- [ she pauses, trying to figure out the best way to word it, as her free hand idly moves to settle across her scar. ] A little too reminiscent. But I'm alright. [ a little embarrassed, if that creeping feeling at the center of her gut is anything to go by, but she can work with that. ] Really.
[ his eyes flicker to the fingers moving across her neck, and there's a sudden look of recognition in his eyes, as the pieces begin to fit together. and, subsequently, a sudden feeling of guilt washes over him, that he didn't think of that immediately . . . of course she would panic, not being able to breathe, given what --
it's pointless to dwell on that now, and she insists that she's fine. worrying unnecessarily will just aggravate her, and roy seems to take her explanation in stride without asking for anything more than what she's already said. ]
If you insist.
[ he'll trust her. she knows herself far better than he knows her, or so he likes to think. and he shifts to get up, moving to help her up too, if she needs it. and, in an off-handed comment: ]
One of these days, we'll have one normal night off instead of dealing with the end of the world.
[ it's a morbid joke, considering what they just witnessed, and what they still need to digest, but roy is nothing but pragmatic, and forcing through the bad to get to the good is how they've both survived hell and back. may as well add the destruction of an entire universe to the plate of awful garbage they've had to struggle with.
and, once riza is on her feet, he easily loops an arm around her waist to keep her steady (and, really, to keep himself steady too, given they've both just arrived, but the contact is obviously 100% for her own benefit, clearly): ]
[ she lets the moment pass, the last bit of her panic subsiding, though her throat still burns. as her breathing calms as well, she lets herself not quite bark out a laugh at his comment but it is something close, reaching out and letting him help her up as well. ]
Well, we have a few days at the Temple before our next trip. [ because the morbidity of it she can understand. the low-lying sense that this will happen again, no matter how horrid or unfair or unbelievable it may be.
she doesn't think about it when he loops his arm around her waist. rather, her arm settles on his shoulder without much thought, moving in tandem with him as they find their footing. it's...easy. close, perhaps, but they've always allowed themselves the close proximity if the moment called for it.
( she wasn't about to complain ) ]
You did make a good point, back in Akvos. [ there's a beat as she takes another slow breath. ] About how she might not have any idea what she's sending us into. Do you think she'd have any answers?
A compliment, this early in the day. That rarely happens.
[ since when does he make good points?
he moves with her easily, his tone absent as he speaks, focused on getting her back to their room and ensuring she's fine. and she is, and he knows that she is, but roy can't help but be hyperfocused on her safety after that nightmare of an event.
still, she did ask a question. he should probably answer it. ]
I've never had faith in her; I don't see why I should start now. But maybe she'll listen to me and my set of good points, and we'll get somewhere in our nonexistent series of negotiations.
[ she huffs, a little tired, as she shakes her head. ]
I wouldn't push it. [ she says, though there is still a small smile to her lips. she's paying attention to him too, as they walk. watching the way he tries to act like he's not bothered, but the clues in his body. in the lean to his frame. he's just as exhausted as she is, so she will keep herself together as they walk.
they will both get back to their room. then they will rest. they'll wake up tomorrow and face a new day, and in that understanding comes a kind of relief. ]
I will leave the discussions to you. Let me know if you need her shot. Or your powers made stronger. [ she sighs, shaking her head, tired. ]
[ for all its worth, she does give the question at least a moment's thought. wondering maybe, if maybe, before she lets out a breath. ]
No, I don't.
[ she's not sure why, really. ]
She might be. I just- [ riza looks around them, through the temple grounds as they walk. ] If she has this kind of power, I doubt she would be affected by something like a bullet. Also, why would she let us keep them if she thought we'd harm her? She takes everything else.
[ in mild agreement, thinking it over . . . but his step slows slightly, as he nears the entrance to their room. and, once roy nudges the door open with his free hand (and is greeted immediately by a barking black hayate), he sees that there is a stack of fresh towels in the corner, seemingly left by . . . no one.
he sighs. ]
Maybe there is a method to her madness . . . come on, we're both going to catch pneumonia, and that is the last thing we need.
[ her favorite one, that 9S had given her back in the coven. she's not still bitter about it. nope. but they make it to their room (their room, which is something she's thought about and should probably think more about, but later) and slows to a stop with him.
she notices the towels, the way the room seems cleaned, picked up. it's unsettling but just nearly familiar. just nearly.
there is a brief moment where they're both standing at the entrance to the door - her hand still on his shoulder, his arm around her waist. she recognizes that she doesn't necessarily want to, but she does step away. moves into the room and grabs a towel before turning to toss one towards him. ]
The last thing anyone needs is you getting sick, General. Believe me.
[ he lets her go, and once he does so, roy immediately feels a little off-balance, but he hides it well in the motion of catching the towel, accompanied by an almost affronted look. ]
What is that supposed to mean?
[ almost indignant, as he dries off his hands. ]
I never get sick.
[ which is true, but when he is, he's a literal infant. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice.
Date: 2019-01-23 07:09 pm (UTC)[ the word sounds frantic, strained, and rough - and the following few seconds are accompanied by hacking. she hadn't realized acclimation back would be as painful as it is, and while riza had started the message, her lungs have different plans. ]
I- [ this is harder than she thought it would be, and the low rise of panic threatens just under the surface. ] Arena- where-
[ and then another span of coughing, worse this time, before the message cuts. ]
voice.
Date: 2019-01-23 07:21 pm (UTC)it'll pass. their bodies are just getting used to the air again. but then the message cuts, and roy is seized with an irrational jolt of panic as he attempts to call her back: ]
Riza?
[ focus on breathing. and roy manages to do that, for half a moment, before coughing up what he hopes is the last of the water in his lungs, forcing himself up to his feet. ]
Stay where you are. [ arena, she had said. he can go to her, rather than the other way around. ] Can you hear me?
voice.
Date: 2019-01-23 08:50 pm (UTC)[ the inability to communicate is making the panic rise. she's fine, really - breathing is hard. breathing is very hard. but roy answered, roy is okay, and she reminds herself to breathe. ]
Yes. [ she can hear him, she is okay, she will stay there. there is still a bit clinging to her lungs, still a bit she's trying to breathe through. her stomach is already starting to hurt, painfully and violently. ]
Outside. [ another fit, another period of hacking coughs. ] Outside of the Arena- I'm fi-fine.
voice.
Date: 2019-01-23 09:07 pm (UTC)useless useless useless -- ]
It will pass.
[ quietly, more meant to reassure her, after a good five or so minutes of silence. he doesn't want her to hear his own difficulties, so he takes the time to cough up whatever he needs to do so offline, rather than have her listen to it. ]
I'm on my way. Stay put and focus on breathing.
voice.
Date: 2019-01-24 03:45 pm (UTC)focus on breathing.
and riza does, taking one breath in and the letting it out. the coughing gets softer, easier to handle, even if she isn't really paying attention to the fact she may or may not have the messages sending. ]
'm h...here. [ another breath, another pause. breathing, a bit of coughing, then breathing again. the message will end there until roy shows up, as riza's attention is on what he'd instructed. easy and simple to hold onto. stay put and focus on breathing ]
action.
Date: 2019-01-24 04:33 pm (UTC)roy takes a moment to breathe, to put himself together as much as possible (because it wouldn't do to look panicked, in attempting to assuage her own fears) before he moves to riza's side, kneeling down in front of her (quietly relieved for the respite). ]
Hey --
[ quietly, reaching out with a hand to squeeze her shoulder. ]
You're alright.
[ it's said as much to reassure him as it is to reassure her, and while roy doesn't know what's going through her head, he does know that fighting to breathe is not the most fun in the world, and so he continues: ]
It'll be over soon. It took me a few minutes to get readjusted, you'll be fine. You always are.
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 12:13 am (UTC)her hand is immediately moving, grabbing his wrist and prepared to do much more, when she recognizes the voice. all of the tension fades out of her then as she looks up to see him. he's fine, safe. together. whole. and while she can objectively understand these things, the panic and the memories had been too much. too much to handle.
she sees his face and lets out a long breath, tears collected at the corners of her eyes from either the effort or something more, before (without really thinking about it) she finds herself leaning forward, tucking her forehead into his shoulder, and simply breathing. in a few moments she'll most likely realize what she's done, but for now she finds herself simply seeking the comfort, with the after-effects of everything finally coming to settle. ]
Done....swimming. For a while.
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 01:18 am (UTC)he can't remember the last time he saw riza cry. the fight against lust, she had done so. had she cried when the fuhrer nearly killed her? he couldn't remember, because he was so focused on getting her to keep breathing. her voice had sounded . . . thick when she discovered he could not see, but roy didn't know whether or not that was because she wanted to cry.
riza hawkeye was the single bravest person he never knew. if she needed someone to comfort her, then she must truly need it. which was why it takes him half a second before he wraps his arms around her easily, burying his face into her hair with half a laugh. ]
You're done with swimming?
[ it's muffled. ]
I think I have you beat, there.
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 03:25 am (UTC)a small voice in the back of her mind asks what are you doing but she ignores it for now, her weight leaning into him for those few moments.
his half-laugh makes her smile, almost subconsciously. it's his comment, though, that has her laughing herself - a sudden sound, that almost immediately ends up becoming a cough, her whole body shaking with it as she pulls back away to keep herself from coughing on him. ]
You don't- [ another cough, but she doesn't seem as panicked about it. to put it more simply, she actually looks to still be laughing through the last of her coughs. ] Have a monopoly on- [ another cough, as she keeps one hand on his upper arm to steady herself, coughing into her other shoulder. ] -hating water.
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 05:27 pm (UTC)I don't hate water; I hate being wet. [ it's an important distinction!! but once riza's coughing subsides, his expression shifts from a self-deprecating humor to a subtle concerned expression, and he squeezes her shoulder gently. ] You're alright?
[ making sure of that is his first priority, before anything else. ]
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 09:19 pm (UTC)You kind of hate water, too. [ said with the air of someone who knows the other person too well to accept any kind of argument. but she notices the way roy's expression shifts, and her own clams a bit, allowing her to nod once. ]
I am. It was- [ she pauses, trying to figure out the best way to word it, as her free hand idly moves to settle across her scar. ] A little too reminiscent. But I'm alright. [ a little embarrassed, if that creeping feeling at the center of her gut is anything to go by, but she can work with that. ] Really.
action.
Date: 2019-01-25 09:55 pm (UTC)it's pointless to dwell on that now, and she insists that she's fine. worrying unnecessarily will just aggravate her, and roy seems to take her explanation in stride without asking for anything more than what she's already said. ]
If you insist.
[ he'll trust her. she knows herself far better than he knows her, or so he likes to think. and he shifts to get up, moving to help her up too, if she needs it. and, in an off-handed comment: ]
One of these days, we'll have one normal night off instead of dealing with the end of the world.
[ it's a morbid joke, considering what they just witnessed, and what they still need to digest, but roy is nothing but pragmatic, and forcing through the bad to get to the good is how they've both survived hell and back. may as well add the destruction of an entire universe to the plate of awful garbage they've had to struggle with.
and, once riza is on her feet, he easily loops an arm around her waist to keep her steady (and, really, to keep himself steady too, given they've both just arrived, but the contact is obviously 100% for her own benefit, clearly): ]
That witch has a lot of explaining to do.
action.
Date: 2019-01-31 10:48 pm (UTC)Well, we have a few days at the Temple before our next trip. [ because the morbidity of it she can understand. the low-lying sense that this will happen again, no matter how horrid or unfair or unbelievable it may be.
she doesn't think about it when he loops his arm around her waist. rather, her arm settles on his shoulder without much thought, moving in tandem with him as they find their footing. it's...easy. close, perhaps, but they've always allowed themselves the close proximity if the moment called for it.
( she wasn't about to complain ) ]
You did make a good point, back in Akvos. [ there's a beat as she takes another slow breath. ] About how she might not have any idea what she's sending us into. Do you think she'd have any answers?
action.
Date: 2019-02-01 02:55 am (UTC)[ since when does he make good points?
he moves with her easily, his tone absent as he speaks, focused on getting her back to their room and ensuring she's fine. and she is, and he knows that she is, but roy can't help but be hyperfocused on her safety after that nightmare of an event.
still, she did ask a question. he should probably answer it. ]
I've never had faith in her; I don't see why I should start now. But maybe she'll listen to me and my set of good points, and we'll get somewhere in our nonexistent series of negotiations.
action.
Date: 2019-02-04 02:57 am (UTC)I wouldn't push it. [ she says, though there is still a small smile to her lips. she's paying attention to him too, as they walk. watching the way he tries to act like he's not bothered, but the clues in his body. in the lean to his frame. he's just as exhausted as she is, so she will keep herself together as they walk.
they will both get back to their room. then they will rest. they'll wake up tomorrow and face a new day, and in that understanding comes a kind of relief. ]
I will leave the discussions to you. Let me know if you need her shot. Or your powers made stronger. [ she sighs, shaking her head, tired. ]
action.
Date: 2019-02-14 09:47 pm (UTC)Do you think it would work? Shooting her.
[ in a musing tone. ]
Or do you think she's like the Homunculi?
[ now he's Thinking About It ]
action.
Date: 2019-02-15 10:53 pm (UTC)No, I don't.
[ she's not sure why, really. ]
She might be. I just- [ riza looks around them, through the temple grounds as they walk. ] If she has this kind of power, I doubt she would be affected by something like a bullet. Also, why would she let us keep them if she thought we'd harm her? She takes everything else.
action.
Date: 2019-02-19 02:01 am (UTC)[ in mild agreement, thinking it over . . . but his step slows slightly, as he nears the entrance to their room. and, once roy nudges the door open with his free hand (and is greeted immediately by a barking black hayate), he sees that there is a stack of fresh towels in the corner, seemingly left by . . . no one.
he sighs. ]
Maybe there is a method to her madness . . . come on, we're both going to catch pneumonia, and that is the last thing we need.
action.
Date: 2019-02-25 12:06 am (UTC)[ her favorite one, that 9S had given her back in the coven. she's not still bitter about it. nope. but they make it to their room (their room, which is something she's thought about and should probably think more about, but later) and slows to a stop with him.
she notices the towels, the way the room seems cleaned, picked up. it's unsettling but just nearly familiar. just nearly.
there is a brief moment where they're both standing at the entrance to the door - her hand still on his shoulder, his arm around her waist. she recognizes that she doesn't necessarily want to, but she does step away. moves into the room and grabs a towel before turning to toss one towards him. ]
The last thing anyone needs is you getting sick, General. Believe me.
action.
Date: 2019-02-25 03:00 am (UTC)What is that supposed to mean?
[ almost indignant, as he dries off his hands. ]
I never get sick.
[ which is true, but when he is, he's a literal infant. ]
action.
Date: 2019-02-25 03:24 am (UTC)[ she gives him a smile, a knowing look, as she pushes the towel under the hair on the back of her neck, walking towards her bed on unsteady legs. ]
Just make sure you change before you sleep, sir. You know, pneumonia.