[closed]

[catpiper]

Who: Ren, Kravitz, Taako, Lup
What: Confessions & stuff
When: Early January
Where: Camp BASE
Warnings: Talk of sickness & death, will add more if needed

Whatever relief she experienced talking to Kravitz vanishes once the elves come home for the night. The hypothetical confession becoming too real the second they appear. It's hard to look at them, but she tries to memorize the way their hair moves, how long their ears actually are, look at the outfits they're wearing and hold onto this moment where they still want her around. Kravitz's presence is the only reason she's still in the camp, every movement and sound making her jump like it's first day she started living here, and bolsters the smallest shred of confidence she has. It's probably clear she would prefer to be there right now. Even though she's able to force a hesitant smile over the tense expression she's had all evening.

Occasionally she tries to say Hey, but that doesn't work. Even though it's her own voice, she gets jumpy and runs back to Kravitz to squeeze his hand before trying to talk to the other elf. A little ping pong of hey and hey, all unfinished, until she gives up because maybe it's not the day for this after all.

There's too much at stake-the potential loss crippling any words she might be able to force out. The only comfort is how close she's able to get to Kravitz, sitting up against him when dinner's divvied out that night, picking little pieces of food out of her plate. She's not even trying to shove it her pockets-just mindless tearing and ripping and occasionally plopping pieces into her mouth.

Until-

"Do you," And she stops, again. It's easier to keep her eyes on the cats chasing each other off to the side, to the comfortable tent filled with stolen blankets, to the hammock she likes to sneak into, to the weird fridge holding more food than she could ever imagine and-

A chance where it could last. But Kravitz promised, above all, that he wouldn't leave her alone and she's holding onto his words like a lifeline. He's there. He'll find her. He's here. He'll stay with her. Even if the elves rightfully get mad, she'll have someone.

"What kind of things make you very mad?"

Because she's never seen it directed her way and feeling them out seems like the wisest option before she even tries to bring up the issue.

Comments

[ohshitsweetflips]

While Taako hadn't expected exactly that question, since expectations are kind of a non-starter where Ren is involved, he'd certainly known to expect something after all that flighty lead-up and shifty gremlin behavior. That Kravitz is a colluder in this is just as obvious and just as puzzling. Taako would be proud if he weren't so busy being stealthily concerned. Not prying is, as always, a conscious decision made in keeping with the spirit of camp, though not an especially easy one, here.

So as questions go it clarifies just about nothing, and leaves him staring at Ren with wide fire-lit eyes, that quickly narrow from surprise to suspicion, what some might even call worry. Would Ren even feel bad if she broke something? Well, Kravitz would. A quick look at Kravitz doesn't offer any hints, though he gets the feeling the stakes are higher than broken jars nonetheless. Would anyone be dumb enough to bully Ren? Is Ren about to miraculously produce a bad report card? Did she find a better family in a landfill somewhere? That one's actually, sadly, kind of probable, not that that's what they are and not that his feelings would be hurt.

Probably he shouldn't even answer this when he has the option of making Lup do it instead, but nerves and his own dumbshit nature get the better of him, in a way that almost mimics responsibility. "Oh, you know. Fake pockets, copyright infringement, underdone bacon, humidity," he answers with military grade casualness and zero eye contact. "Think that's probably it, just those things. Why?"