CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[insinning]

...I'm scared, of who I might have been. [Emil Sinclair was a blank slate with only an AI and Demian to keep him company] But I think I want to know regardless.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria is a little scared too, but only because Sinclair wants to know and he's not sure how this would affect him in the long run. He feels nervous, but he's aware that Sinclair must be feeling ten times as that. ]

I just want you to know... who you were doesn't change the person before me today.

[insinning]

[Sinclair swallows and squeezes Oria's hand again. Gently. Carefully. It's hard not to hold Oria's words in wonder]

...thank you, Oria. I think...I think I can be braver now.

[dissimulative]

[ Sinclair... Oria gently squeezes his hand. ]

You were already brave. You're braver now.

[ And he's not just saying this to make him feel better. Oria truly believes it. ]

[insinning]

[ Having this kind of faith bolsters Sinclair's wavering confidence]

...if you believe in me, then I can definitely be.

[That's how much Oria's faith means to him]

I need to go now but... I'll see you when I get back?

[dissimulative]

Alright. Send me a message when you can.

[ Even if he's sleeping by the time or whatever. Oria would stay in this virtual room by his lonesome, but he has things to do that requires his full attention. ]

[insinning]

[...

He impulsively leans forward to hug Oria and then logs out.

He'll see Oria in two days.

And true to his word, he does send a message when he gets back. It's late in the evening, well after all the other knights have returned to their quarters to rest after dinner.]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria is not one of the GKs that returned to the quarters after dinner. In fact, he's not anywhere around the building. ]

did you wanna meet up

[insinning]

Yes. Where did you go?

[Sinclair had checked the dining hall even...]

[dissimulative]

secret agent mission

[ no ]

[insinning]

Oh. Was it fun?

[he'll play along]

[dissimulative]

im in the middle of it!!
i wouldnt say its fun tho
but real talk
did you just come back
where do you wanna meet

[insinning]

yes. maybe your room? or my room. rec room is kinda crowded...I don't feel like running into anyone else. it's awkward.

[and lol at Oria coming to the library]

[dissimulative]

ok gimme 30 min
lets meet in your room!

[insinning]

okay. I'll leave the door unlocked for you.

[His room isn't exactly messy, but he does want to make sure his clothes are put away. The round fluffy yellow bird plushie stays out though, even if it wasn't exactly a cool thing to have]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria knows Sinclair likes cute things, so it wouldn't be a crime to have them out, in his own room no less. He gets there in 30 minutes on the dot, knocking on the door as opposed to last time when he just used a spare key to get in.

Well, it doesn't matter since he just barges inside anyway, even though Sinclair hasn't responded yet. ]

The great Oria Severine has arrived!

[ Ta-da! ]

[insinning]

Gyaah-!

[Sinclair yelps in surprise as he tries not to drop the cups he had been trying to put away on a shelf]

Oria...you scared me.

[dissimulative]

I knocked this time!

[ He says that in a "you can't blame me" tone. ]

Whatcha doing?

[insinning]

[It doesn't count if Oria immediately shouts after???]

Ah. I was just putting away some stuff. Did you want something to drink?

[There's some soda in the mini fridge, water, tea...]

[dissimulative]

Water's fine.

[ He'd normally go for soda, but he doesn't feel like drinking soda right now. Oria seems fine though--no messy hair, no sign of rushing to get there... everything looks normal. ]

[insinning]

[Handing Oria a bottle of water from his mini fridge]

So, secret agent mission, huh?

[dissimulative]

[ He takes the bottled water with a small thanks. ]

Yup~ Just some fancy words for "slacking off while climbing Tetrio's leaderboard".

[ More freakin tetris. ]

Though there's this one guy named "Aster" that I can't beat. It's gotten so annoying...

[insinning]

Tetrio? [ Aster...hmmmm ] You're getting really into that, huh.

[dissimulative]

Yeah! It's sparking my competitive side and this guy keeps pulling the rug under my feet!

[ He shares a replay (Oria on the right, Aster on the left) with Sinclair. ]

0-7! I lost all of them!

[ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa ]

[insinning]

[Wow. Uh. They're both intense...puzzle games should be peaceful but ???]

...those are some really intense games.