[ he remembers she had mentioned someone from her world off-handedly, but given the way she'd talked about them, he thought it was just casual... now he's thinking maybe not. ]
Kind of? You could think of him like a "witch's familiar". We had a contract, and we were connected. Not here, but back home. We had the same goal, and he gave his 'life' to make sure I could see it through. I guess I let him be too independent here and that led to his petrification.
Whenever you like is fine. If you're busy you shouldn't let this bother you.
["To leave me behind". At least with her father, her mother, her sister... The deaths of her parents were out of their control. The adoption of her sister wasn't something Sakura chose. This...]
It's a little weird having to collect people from home like crane game prizes, but at least I know someone weird isn't going to touch them if I keep them.
Even if it's not them, those statues hold their image. I will not let others defile what's mine.
[A part of her regrets that the moment she sends it, but she decides in the end it's not worth fussing over. Tohsaka did not shy away from admitting that if someone were to hurt Sakura she would have committed more than a few dark deeds. Archer may not have been "technically" hers during his time at the Golden Peacock, but with no one else claiming him she does not hesitate to "take him back".]
[He'll be a comfort, in his own way. Tomura may be shorter than Archer was, but his build is similar. Maybe she can indulge, just a little bit. Be weak, silently and to herself, for just a little bit.]
[ There's something he wanted to give her anyway, so he goes and grabs that—a pillowcase heavy with stolen jewelry from the blackout a few months prior—before heading up to Tohsaka's room. Unless she comments on it immediately, he won't mention it right off the bat, figuring he'll see where she wants to go with this first; he doesn't think he's all that much good at providing comfort, but the least he can do is let her set the pace. ]
So? What kinda distraction you looking for?
[ At the same time as he's looking around her room, assuming she'd already stowed her buddy away somewhere. ]
[He won't immediately see Archer. While she has plans to get him moved, those are still in the works. From there, she'd have him set aside. Tucked away in her magecraft room with her sister. That way both the statues need not be bothered by anything raunchy at all.
Tomura doesn't get a verbal answer to his question. At least not right away. Instead he'll see her in just a comfortable set of lounge clothes making her way toward him, and without a word Rin embraces her guest. Her face buries in his chest, her arms slipping around his waist and curling upward to hold him close. For a few brief (and possibly awkward, for him) moments she only holds him. Tight enough to be a squeeze.
After that she relents. Her hold on him eases, and she pulls away enough to speak, but not really peeling herself off him either.]
Did you bring your game? We can just hang out on the couch.
[ Being greeted off the bat with a hug is unexpected, and it's an evident measure to him of how upset Tohsaka is. Whoever her "familiar" was, he must have meant a lot to her, for her to take his loss hard enough to break her usual composure. Maybe he can understand a little—though the man who, for him, had vanished from the hotel had been a dead man to begin with, his appearance so abrupt and fleeting that Tomura still has difficulty believing he hadn't been an illusion conjured by this wretched place. If all she wants for enduring this is a hug, he won't begrudge her that.
This much he can manage, having by now been primed for it by the amount of physical contact facilitated here, so despite the initial surprise, he relaxes into it. He curls his free arm around her back, holding her firm without replicating her squeeze, wordlessly letting her work out her distress against his body. What's the right thing to say or do for her? He only ever knows how to try and fix the issue—not talk someone past what maybe can't be fixed. Unbidden, the memory of his sister flashes through his mind; maybe Hana would've grown into the kind of person who always had the right words, who would know what to say in this situation. He'd always leaned on her for that. But here, all he has is himself and his presence. ]
Yeah.
[ Not knowing how long he'd be staying or what she'd want to do, he'd grabbed his Sw!tch as basic entertainment, just in case. Rather than hanging out in his hoodie pocket like usual though, he's wearing a T-shirt, and so the console had been tucked into the large pockets of his sweatpants. ]
Gonna let me go first?
[ There's a tinge of amusement to his tone, but with a warmth that verges on fond. If she doesn't release him, he'll awkwardly lean over and set down his pillowcase of stolen goods before scooping her up, one arm secured around her waist and the other looped beneath her backside, keeping her mostly upright for the short walk to her couch, which they can both collapse into. ]
[Perhaps it's not what Archer meant to her personally, but what he symbolized. He alone was her manifestation of the decade of work she had put into so that she may win the Holy Grail War. He was the man who answered her call, stood by her side, and "died" a second time so that she may live. Their connection, and the bond they shared, was the one that was supposed to help her fulfill her promise to her father.
And when she met him again they were like strangers. No — perhaps that wasn't right. They were both simply too cowardly to address the link between them. To reach out to each other and re-establish that connection. And for that, he's gone. Her fear of abandonment leaving her to be just that: abandoned. At least in her eyes.
She had been ready to start letting him go, but doesn't fight it when he scoops her up. In fact the sudden lift is validating in its own way. Archer had always taken it upon himself to scoop and lift and prop her up whenever he felt like it. The feeling is familiar in its own way, and somewhat soothing. Once they both settle into the couch, she reaches up to cup his face in her palm.]
Hey, [she speaks softly] thanks.
[The warmth and solidity of his body makes everything feel real — helps her feel grounded.]
[ It's easiest to settle down in a normal seated position, with Tohsaka either straddling him or sitting sideways. Though it seems she'd planned for him to play his games, he thinks he might be getting clung to for awhile... Not something he objects to, but he was about to get settled in for that when she reaches out to cup his face. With widened, inquisitive eyes, he mirrors her gaze, blinking when she thanks him.
For a moment, he isn't sure what to say. It's one thing to get thanked for passing the hot sauce; it's another to receive it when Tohsaka seems to truly want it to mean something. He struggles to meet that level of sincerity—dredging up the emotions that make it feel real is an exercise not much different than digging into the earth in hopes of reviving a fossil.
In the end, he nods, cocking his head. ]
Mm. It's nothing.
[ That much feels sincere to him. It doesn't really feel like she's asking for much, nor is he doing much to fulfill her requests. If this is all it takes to help her feel a little better, he doesn't mind at all. ]
[It is nothing, isn't it? She isn't asking much for his time and presence. She's not placing any expectations on him or saddling him with some heavy responsibility.
Rin shifts her hold on him. Dropping her hands and simply resting her weight against him so he can move and shift her in whatever way would be most comfortable for him.]
It's just inconvenient to be asked out-of-the-blue, so a "thanks" is the least I could do. I don't care what you want to get up to as long as I can borrow you like this for a bit.
[Just to let her feel him — how solid he is. The proof that he's here, and he's real.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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what's up
[ his immediate thought isn't actually that something's wrong—he mostly assumes she has something to give him or show him. ]
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[ he remembers she had mentioned someone from her world off-handedly, but given the way she'd talked about them, he thought it was just casual... now he's thinking maybe not. ]
want me to come over right now?
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Whenever you like is fine. If you're busy you shouldn't let this bother you.
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then I can come find you
doesn't sound like your responsibility anyhow
you call him a familiar but I'm guessing he's not a literal pet
he can make his own calls
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["To leave me behind". At least with her father, her mother, her sister... The deaths of her parents were out of their control. The adoption of her sister wasn't something Sakura chose. This...]
It's a little weird having to collect people from home like crane game prizes, but at least I know someone weird isn't going to touch them if I keep them.
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we won't know what happened unless he says so
either way it's not like you let your dog run into traffic.
dunno if I'm convinced those things are really them body soul and all
but if it gives you some peace of mind.
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[A part of her regrets that the moment she sends it, but she decides in the end it's not worth fussing over. Tohsaka did not shy away from admitting that if someone were to hurt Sakura she would have committed more than a few dark deeds. Archer may not have been "technically" hers during his time at the Golden Peacock, but with no one else claiming him she does not hesitate to "take him back".]
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[ he doesn't need that much convincing to determine that people are weirdoes here. ]
I'll head your way now
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[He'll be a comfort, in his own way. Tomura may be shorter than Archer was, but his build is similar. Maybe she can indulge, just a little bit. Be weak, silently and to herself, for just a little bit.]
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So? What kinda distraction you looking for?
[ At the same time as he's looking around her room, assuming she'd already stowed her buddy away somewhere. ]
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Tomura doesn't get a verbal answer to his question. At least not right away. Instead he'll see her in just a comfortable set of lounge clothes making her way toward him, and without a word Rin embraces her guest. Her face buries in his chest, her arms slipping around his waist and curling upward to hold him close. For a few brief (and possibly awkward, for him) moments she only holds him. Tight enough to be a squeeze.
After that she relents. Her hold on him eases, and she pulls away enough to speak, but not really peeling herself off him either.]
Did you bring your game? We can just hang out on the couch.
no subject
This much he can manage, having by now been primed for it by the amount of physical contact facilitated here, so despite the initial surprise, he relaxes into it. He curls his free arm around her back, holding her firm without replicating her squeeze, wordlessly letting her work out her distress against his body. What's the right thing to say or do for her? He only ever knows how to try and fix the issue—not talk someone past what maybe can't be fixed. Unbidden, the memory of his sister flashes through his mind; maybe Hana would've grown into the kind of person who always had the right words, who would know what to say in this situation. He'd always leaned on her for that. But here, all he has is himself and his presence. ]
Yeah.
[ Not knowing how long he'd be staying or what she'd want to do, he'd grabbed his Sw!tch as basic entertainment, just in case. Rather than hanging out in his hoodie pocket like usual though, he's wearing a T-shirt, and so the console had been tucked into the large pockets of his sweatpants. ]
Gonna let me go first?
[ There's a tinge of amusement to his tone, but with a warmth that verges on fond. If she doesn't release him, he'll awkwardly lean over and set down his pillowcase of stolen goods before scooping her up, one arm secured around her waist and the other looped beneath her backside, keeping her mostly upright for the short walk to her couch, which they can both collapse into. ]
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And when she met him again they were like strangers. No — perhaps that wasn't right. They were both simply too cowardly to address the link between them. To reach out to each other and re-establish that connection. And for that, he's gone. Her fear of abandonment leaving her to be just that: abandoned. At least in her eyes.
She had been ready to start letting him go, but doesn't fight it when he scoops her up. In fact the sudden lift is validating in its own way. Archer had always taken it upon himself to scoop and lift and prop her up whenever he felt like it. The feeling is familiar in its own way, and somewhat soothing. Once they both settle into the couch, she reaches up to cup his face in her palm.]
Hey, [she speaks softly] thanks.
[The warmth and solidity of his body makes everything feel real — helps her feel grounded.]
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For a moment, he isn't sure what to say. It's one thing to get thanked for passing the hot sauce; it's another to receive it when Tohsaka seems to truly want it to mean something. He struggles to meet that level of sincerity—dredging up the emotions that make it feel real is an exercise not much different than digging into the earth in hopes of reviving a fossil.
In the end, he nods, cocking his head. ]
Mm. It's nothing.
[ That much feels sincere to him. It doesn't really feel like she's asking for much, nor is he doing much to fulfill her requests. If this is all it takes to help her feel a little better, he doesn't mind at all. ]
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[It is nothing, isn't it? She isn't asking much for his time and presence. She's not placing any expectations on him or saddling him with some heavy responsibility.
Rin shifts her hold on him. Dropping her hands and simply resting her weight against him so he can move and shift her in whatever way would be most comfortable for him.]
It's just inconvenient to be asked out-of-the-blue, so a "thanks" is the least I could do. I don't care what you want to get up to as long as I can borrow you like this for a bit.
[Just to let her feel him — how solid he is. The proof that he's here, and he's real.]