wiedzminka | ❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

[ There is an awkward minute of silence until the boy brings the drink. Ciri chose this place so the silence wouldn't be complete when they inevitably stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to be in a situation that would feel too... intimate.

Now, the background noise is a distraction, and she wonders if she should have suggested somewhere else. Ciri fiddles with a chip in the table, picking at a bit of wood poking out. ]

I'm not ashamed of the time we spent together.

Though I am... of the way I treated you. Some things I remember, they weren't very good. But there were good parts too. Really good parts.

[ She sighs, reaching again for her own cup, eyes sliding away from Aloy's face. ]

It's all jumbled. So much, all together, too many things to hold onto. I think, with time, I could... forget it. Let it fade like a dream.

Do you think that would be better?

[ Or... not? ]

You didn't...don't apologize. What happened to us wasn't fair.

[In that sense, they shouldn't be blamed for the desperate actions they took under extraordinary circumstances. What they did to survive. Aloy isn't angry at Ciri--they were just playing the roles given to them by whatever entity was responsible for trapping them in that future.

Aloy rests her hands on the table. For a moment it seems like she might creep one closer, towards Ciri, but she restrains herself, curling her fingers into her palms instead.]

I don't...really want to forget all of it. Not the good parts.

[ Ciri sees her hand there, the subtle shift of her palm almost sliding forward along the tabletop, the twitch of her fingers. She catches a certain expression on Aloy's face, the same one Ciri thinks is probably on her own. The desire to say more. Not saying it.

She still remembers how well they knew each other. Even though it can't really be called remembering, can it? ]

...yeah?

[ There's a note of relief in her voice. It's Ciri who finally lets go of her cup and bridges the gap between them. Her hand inches forward across the table, fingertips brushing Aloy's knuckles. There's a tentative (hopeful?) smile building at the corners of her mouth. ]

Me neither.

And maybe we can even build more... real memories together. I'd like that, anyway. If you don't think it would be too... I dunno. Weird.

[ She falters at the end there. Not so smooth, after all, feeling like a dumb girl fumbling her way through a first date. Except she's already been on hundreds of dates, in their dreams. It really is awkward. She's way less confident when it comes to this side of things than she is with a blade in her hand; but she does know Aloy is the same, in that regard. ]

Yeah. I mean, they were the good parts for a reason.

[She's aware it isn't real, and that the things she's feeling right now might be more residual than anything--leftover from something that she believed to be true. Aloy, however, refuses to believe that she could be so confused. Ciri's always impressed her, and perhaps the imagined time together is how things might go if left to their own devices.

Without the missteps, of course. If anything, she should be looking at this like a second chance.]

I'd like to try. Now that we're back to our real selves.

[That's what's important to her. Doing this free of the Singularity, on their own terms.]

[ They are in agreement there: Ciri wants to do this on their own terms too, if they wish to try. A second chance -- she would like to agree with that, if Aloy had voiced it, though in her heart she might be feeling some inkling of the same thing. That same desire to take a chance, to try, without the influence of something else. It's not because she feels obligated, and she's not confused. She's wanted a deeper connection with Aloy, honestly, has felt a kinship with her in a way that she's never quite been able to explore due to the distance between them. The lack of time together.

Now, they've had a taste of what that time together could look like. She's happy to hear that Aloy doesn't want to dismiss it either.

Ciri takes her hand. She smiles, relieved. Perhaps hopeful. ]

This is a good start, then, isn't it? Spending time together.

Do you want to do something after this?

[ Drinks, a meal, the rest of the afternoon as they see fit. ]

We could go shopping, or to the baths. Or hunting, if you like. We've got all weekend.

We already spend time together.

[Aloy says that wryly, but it sort of comes out as a lame joke. The truth is that she's just as inexperienced, just as fumbling. But they can take it slow, at their own pace, and see where things goes. She does not at all resist Ciri taking her hand, and even smiles a little at the prospect of going somewhere else, after they finish their drinks.]

We can go hunting. Work up a sweat, and then head to the baths.

[Ciri's right--they have all weekend. No sense in limiting themselves.]

[ She gives Aloy's hand a little squeeze, and her smile grows. ]

Yes. That sounds perfect.

❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

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