![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
19th roar [ video + action for Olivine ]
[ The feed opens on Olivine beach. Judging from the bobbing, it's being held by a pokémon, one that doesn't have arms to stabilize it. A metal grating sound—Skarmory, then.
The camera flicks up suddenly, sliding across a long stretch of sand to...Leon. Leon surrounded on all sides by his team. Lucky behind him, her head in his back. Strike and Scizor in front, pulling him by the arms. In the water, Flood waits, making soft mournful noises, tentacles reaching for his trainer. Leon, for his part, has both feet planted firmly in the sand and is not moving.
Not.
Moving.
An inch.
They push, they pull, he doesn't budge. His expression is one of rock-solid concentration. He tries to shake them off, but they're stronger than he is, and he goes back to putting his energy into doing his statue imitation.
It looks for all the world like they're trying to feed him to his own Tentacruel.
Skarmory chirrs in amusement, then quickly drops the 'gear to go join the fun. ]
The camera flicks up suddenly, sliding across a long stretch of sand to...Leon. Leon surrounded on all sides by his team. Lucky behind him, her head in his back. Strike and Scizor in front, pulling him by the arms. In the water, Flood waits, making soft mournful noises, tentacles reaching for his trainer. Leon, for his part, has both feet planted firmly in the sand and is not moving.
Not.
Moving.
An inch.
They push, they pull, he doesn't budge. His expression is one of rock-solid concentration. He tries to shake them off, but they're stronger than he is, and he goes back to putting his energy into doing his statue imitation.
It looks for all the world like they're trying to feed him to his own Tentacruel.
Skarmory chirrs in amusement, then quickly drops the 'gear to go join the fun. ]
[action]
[She knows why it hurts, though. That much she does know and she puts the heels of her palms to her eyes for a moment, forcing back the burning before she looks back at him, determined.]
Maybe you're right. Maybe we'd have been better off if I'd never found out and neither of us had said anything. But I found out and we can't go back to how it used to be. There's a reason for that, and I swear, if you tell me it's because we'll both vanish at some point, Etro help me, you're going to regret it.
[Or she will. It's hard to say, since she has to force herself to take a breath and calm down a little. Just enough to not break his jaw automatically.]
What are you trying to do? Who are you actually trying to keep from getting hurt? Me or you? Just tell me that.
[action]
[ He turns on her, using his few inches of height to his advantage. He stares her down openly. ]
What do you think I have to offer, Light? I have nothing to give you but pain. I don't know what you're imagining, but I'm not--you're making the wrong choice, here. You want to know who I'm protecting, well, here's your answer: you. It's always been about you, Light.
[ He doesn't care if she hits him--okay, he minds a little--he just wants her to be clear for five minutes. He's tired of having to explain himself. Last month she told him she understood his motivation, that she agreed with him. Now she's changed her mind and wants him to reconsider? What does she wants from him? ]
[action]
[Looking for answers and forcing herself to not step back or look away. The few inches he has on her are making quite the difference now, with him looking down like this. It's...rather intimidating, but she's faced down worse and she moves forward, nearly stepping on his toes by accident before she meet him face to face.]
And you think this doing this is protecting me from getting hurt? You think this hurts any less than waking up one morning to find you gone? I've got news for you, Leon. It doesn't. Do you honestly think I wouldn't be hurt if you went home even if this had never happened?
[The answer to that, as far as she's concerned, is in her tone. It's softer than even she's expecting, part of that giant ball of hurt making its way to the surface without her wanting it to, and she has to swallow it back down before she can speak.]
If it's always been about me, then you know I don't need protecting. Not from this, and not from you. Not from a person who's one of the few reasons I'm okay with not being able to go home.
[There. She's admitted it. She's finally said aloud and it's probably going to drive an even bigger wedge between them, but...at least it's out now. ...Fal'cie this is a disaster.]
[action]
[ He breathes out, gently, turning his face away; from this distance, he can practically count her eyelashes. ]
Lightning, I...I'm always worried about consequences. It's just what I do. It's my job, back home. It's how I was trained and how I've made it, how I've survived this long. I second guess myself a lot; I'm always worried about making the right decision. And I'm not good with...feelings.
[ He ducks his head, nose pink. ]
I don't know if that's--if this is a risk I'm willing to take. I'm sorry I can't...be what you want me to be.
[action]
Really, this is all she wanted. Just some way to make sense of this mess and maybe find a way to move forward. Maybe. But for now, she'll sigh and shake her head.]
It's okay. I never expected you to change for my sake. I wouldn't have wanted you to in the first place.
[Because she fell for him the way he is, protective side and all. Changing him was never something she wanted to do.]
It's like I told you. I just wanted answers.
[action]
Maybe I should've been more superstitious. Shouldn't have given you that knife.
[ It's a muttered sigh, but it's audible enough. It's almost a painful memory, now: holding her in his arm, the scent of her hair. How soft and warm she felt in the evening air in March. He turns away. ]
You got your answers, Lightning. I have to go put some ice on this.
[ Meaning the rapidly swollen eye he's nursing. ]
[action]
But before she can say anything, she hears him speak, watches him turn, remembers that night, and sighs herself. Not so long ago, but it feels like a world away now. Knowing he's going to walk away, she calls Sen back to her side, watching as the Lucario hesitates, throwing one more worried look towards Strike before he pads to his trainer, standing by her as Leon speaks.]
Yeah. I'll...see you around, Leon.
[Sooner or later, they'll cross paths again. And when that happens...Fal'Cie only know what could happen. Still, to her, it seems that the tension has eased a little. Maybe the others were right. Maybe there's still hope after all.]