CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[dissimulative]

[ Oria also wants to stay and look after Sinclair. It would be nice if he could. However, he leaves once to get microwavable dinners from the cafeteria and puts it in Sinclair's mini fridge so that he doesn't have to strain himself too much when he feels hungry. After that, he tucks Sinclair in properly and makes sure that he's comfortable.

Oria leaves again, locking Sinclair's door behind him. He finally returns to his dorm room for good. It's messy. He calls his mother. She starts the conversation by asking him if he cleaned his room like a good kid.

It goes on for a while. The rooms aren't completely soundproof, in which people passing by share uneasy glances when they hear yelling and shouting from Oria's room.

The next day, he goes to Sinclair's room, unlocking the door himself. He wants to see how he's doing... he brought some things too. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair had slept deeply but fitfully. He had woken up and found the dinner Oria had left him, and eaten it. But after that, he had returned to sleep, tormented by dreams and lost memories.

There's screaming in his dreams. Emil, run! Quickly! The soldiers are--. An agonising scream. Pleas for mercy. Mocking laughter.

Thank you for showing us the way, Emil. For your loyalty, you alone will be spared. But, for the rest of this town...

No. No. That wasn't what he wanted. He never wanted this. Why?

Emil, quickly, get out of here--run and don't look back.

No. He doesn't want to. He's scared. He doesn't want to go. He...

Then there's Aria. Lovely Aria, who laughed and made him feel human, her eyes wide with terror as her shields fell and--

The door creaks open and Sinclair's eyes snap open. His cheeks are damp and his eyes are hot. He turns over, blinking through the blurry haze of tearss]

...Oria? Is that you...?

[dissimulative]

Yeah, I'm back.

[ He has a tissue and lightly dabs his face because of the tears. Let him gently wipe them for you, Sinclair... ]

Had a bad dream?

[insinning]

Yeah. [There's no hiding it. He leans a little into Oria's hand] Just a bad dream.

[dissimulative]

Good thing I'm here to chase the bad dreams away~

[ He tries his best to cheer up Sinclair a little. ]

How's the headache?

[insinning]

[Sinclair can't help but laugh, rubbing at his eyes. He appreciated the thought at least]

Better. It doesn't hurt anymore.

[dissimulative]

That's good to hear. I'm glad it worked out!

[ He ruffles Sinclair's hair for good measure. ]

But just in case, take it easy.

[insinning]

I'll go crazy if I have to stay in bed for too long. [aaaah his hair] But those painkillers of yours really did the trick.

[dissimulative]

Pretty good, huh? They're reliable when needed.

[ Oria and his strong painkillers that he just happens to have... Anyway. ]

Let's get you slowly sitting up first.

[insinning]

I'm not that weak...

[But it feels nice, so he plays along]

[dissimulative]

Of course you're not. You're the most sturdy guy I've ever met!

[ He helps Sinclair sit up anyway with his hand on the center of his back. ]

The strongest defense in all of AOU.

[insinning]

[Pffft.]

That definitely can't be true.

[Or, actually...]

[dissimulative]

I bet that you're at least up there in top 3 at the very least. Ask Coach some time.

[ Oria grabs Sinclair's legs to slide his position like turning a clock hand so that his legs are dangling off the bed. Now they can sit side by side. ]

[insinning]

Yet you still grab me so casually-

[Oria, please. You could have just nudged him.]

[dissimulative]

Yeah.

[ You wanna go?? ]

1/2

[insinning]

[...]

2/2

[insinning]

[Incoming pillow!]

You could have just asked.

[dissimulative]

Wah!

[ His face gets smacked with the pillow. His glasses? Don't worry about it. ]

What was that for?!

[ He feels wronged!! /s ]

[insinning]

Being rude. [Oh yeah, the glasses. Sinclair sheepishly reaches over to make sure he didn't accidentally break them. Funny how with all this technology and improvements with 8ms, no one was able to make it so people didn't need glasses anymore]

[dissimulative]

[ They allocated all their civilization tech points into 8MS. Probably.

His glasses are fine, but Sinclair is welcome to pluck them anyway. ]

If I see an opportunity, I'm gonna take it. There's nothing wrong with that!

[insinning]

[Sinclair will just straighten them. He does not want to steal Oria's glasses!]

But asking is better, don't you think?

1/2

[dissimulative]

[ Oria doubts that. This is the number one reason why he just Does Things. ]

Would you even say yes to what I ask—

[dissimulative]

[ Oh.

Sinclair straightens Oria's glasses and he shuts up immediately. ]

[insinning]

[Ehehe. Better]

Mmm. Well, if you asked to share my bed I wouldn't say no.

[He's always happy to share with Oria]

[dissimulative]

[ ........................

Oria has to calm himself down real fast because he knows Sinclair didn't mean it in any debauched definition. What to think, what to think—he imagines people being killed by [redacted]

.... ]

Your bed is too small for both of us.