the dream i left behind was never real [ open ]

[lunardreaming]

where: all around magisteria
who: lucy + others
when: october
what: an ota post for october questboard starters
warnings: tba as necessary





[ ooc: all of the following are the tech quests from the october questboard, starters to be posted in the comments ]

Comments

[lunardreaming]

The kiss on the cheek comes as a surprise, and--

More than a little guilt, actually. Fuck, Musashi's being so nice to her. And Lucy was a shithead to Musashi back at that bath house.

"You're pretty nova yourself, samurai," she drawls with a small, satisfied smile. She never thought she'd actually be able to beat Musashi, but somehow she managed, through a combination of luck and stubbornness and chrome. But soon enough, it gives way to a sigh, and even as she straightens up to stand properly, Lucy ducks her head, fringe shading her eyes. "And..."

Just say it, Lucy. Be fucking brave. This has been lingering on her mind the entire race, a point of friction interrupting their usual dynamic.

"I'm sorry," she finally says. "For being an asshole in the baths. You didn't deserve that."

Fuck, she doesn't know how to even begin to explain why she acted like that, though. Musashi had smiled at her and asked Lucy to take her to the moon, and it was like something had shattered a little further inside of Lucy, leaving her unable to do anything other than leave. Those broken fragments have been grinding around inside her for nearly two years now, and the wounds just keep getting worse.

She wishes she knew how to get better.

"I can't... tell you why I acted like that," she admits. "But it was a dick move."

[floweroftheapex]

"Ahahahaha, I do have my moments every now and then." Musashi laughs with a cock flick of her side-bag. "But this moment is all yours."

She looks back in curiosity when Lucy hesitates, and when the apology comes, her eyes go a bit wider. It's not that Lucy apologizing is surprising, Musashi knows her not to be a callous person, but whatever it was that she'd inadvertently tapped into, whatever pain or trauma Lucy is carrying is clearly a deep one, and one Musashi would have left untouched if that was how the other woman wanted to play it. Maybe it wasn't the smart or healthy thing, but if the alternative was to push Lucy away, well.

So when it comes, an acknowledgement of what happened in the bath house, even if she can't bring herself to explain why, it's...a gesture Musashi knows Lucy wouldn't extend to a lot of people. Maybe she's the only person Lucy would allow herself to be even this small amount of vulnerable to.

She reaches down and takes Lucy's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "It's okay, Lucy-chan. I was...afraid I might have screwed things up that night. I'm a lot more at ease now, so thank you." She gives Lucy another cheeky wink.

"Hey. Chooms for life, you and me. That's a fact."

[lunardreaming]

"No. To sound like a fucking cliche, it wasn't you. It was me. It was..."

Lucy trails off. Her mind is a hectic jumble, thoughts crashing into each other as she struggles to come up with something to say. She knows she can't tell Musashi everything yet. But should she come up with something, at least a little bit, to give her? Should she keep it vague? If she hints at it, will that come off like she wants Musashi to try to pry?

She's not ready for that. She knows she's not. All those memories are a jagged bundle that keep digging deeper and causing even worse wounds, and if she tries to pry them loose now, she's not sure she'll be able to staunch the bleeding. She's made it this by desperately suppressing everything.

"Just dealing with my own shit," is what she settles on, apologetic. "Shouldn't have gotten any on you, though."

But Musashi's declaration wrestles a smile from her, and she gently squeezes Musashi's hand.

"Chooms for life." And then: "I think you should buy me a drink for winning that race. Maybe a few."