not_meatbuns | Rebel 38 [Action // Written]

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Rebel 38 [Action // Written]

[Now that she's recovered from the Mu incident, Litchi is trying to straighten up loose ends. There's been a lot on her mind ever since it all happened, and there are definitely some things that need addressing. After a walk around the village, and a trip to the item shop to find some new glasses -- the left lens on hers was badly cracked in the attack -- she'll get down to addressing some notes over the journals. On the way to and from the item shop, though, she's pretty much blind as a bat and may be walking into people. Sorry, Luceti!

Both messages are written in tiny but very neat handwriting. ~~One of the few doctors with legible handwriting.~~]

[Filtered to Luceti's Healers/Doctors/Volunteers - Open to all, though]

Thank you all for all the work you've done in the past weeks. There are times when this village needs all the help it can get for medical emergencies, and you've all done a fantastic job.

However, I think we may need a solid plan in case of emergencies like this occurring in the future. Everyone did wonderfully, of course, but I think it may help to have a comprehensive list of everyone who volunteers at either clinic (plaza or Battle Dome), as well as those willing to jump in to help during emergencies. The better prepared we are, the better we can respond to emergency situations.

I'd be willing to put together a list of our medics on hand at both clinics, as well as a list for an emergency response team, if everyone is willing to provide the information. Hopefully it will help, at least a little bit.

Thank you all again so much for what you do. I'm honored to work alongside all of you.

- Litchi Faye-Ling

[/Filter]

[Filtered to Catherine - 100% Unhackable]

Dear Catherine,

I hope this isn't too much to ask, but my glasses were broken recently and the only pair I could find in the right prescription are... frankly not terribly flattering. Would I possibly be able to ask for a pair similar to my old glasses? I certainly hope it isn't any trouble.

Thank you for your time.

Litchi Faye-Ling

[/Filter]

[[ooc: And if anyone wants to run into Litchi while she's glasses-searching, the temporary pair and only one she could find in the right prescription looks like this. She'll only be wearing them in the store while she looks, though, because she is too vain to wear them in public. :D;;

Edit: For better reference! Thank you to

dreamfandom for this XD]]

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[Not a medical doctor, but a doctor - and a professor - here, also with extremely clear, legible - albeit nearly mechanical - writing.]

I have yet to have much in the way formal medical training, Doctor Faye-Ling, but I would be most willing to be trained if you and Doctor Mizuno - or any others - would be able to assist me. I would also be glad to volunteer the next time - I meant to, before, but things were [- ... this is going to be an understatement ... -] very difficult during the last emergency.

Thank you very much, Professor Hastings. I'd be more than happy to lend a hand and teach you what I know, and I'm sure the others would be glad to help as well. You're more than welcome to come by the clinic any time.

[Oh, Robert. She's sure the Mu incident hit him hard. She's heard plenty about the casualties.]

And I certainly can't blame you for this last emergency. I wasn't able to provide much help either.

Certainly - might there be any specific times at which you would prefer me to arrive by? [Scheduling everything...

... And, Litchi? It hit him harder than would be easy to tell. Considering Giles died right in front of him to protect him...]

I was [...] incapable of assisting, for the most part. [... Mostly due to the fact he was mentally incapacitated.]

Mornings are typically rather quiet, if you'd like to come by around then.

And honestly, I wasn't in the best shape either. I can hardly blame you for anything, it [...] really was terrible.

[To say the least.]

I would be glad to.

[There's a noticeable pause before Robert writes anything else.]

Were you attacked, Doctor Faye-Ling?

[He hopes the answer is no, but...]

Yes. David and I both were. [And she's still far more shaken up about it than she'd care to say. The flat-out terror over his injuries isn't ebbing half as well as she'd hoped.] We're alright now, though. We were lucky, really.

Were you hurt, Professor Hastings?

[Robert can't help but cringe at that. Oh no. Obviously Litchi must be okay enough to write, but... so many things could have happened, and he'd been so lost...

... At her question, though, he just... pauses. And filters the message, because he's ashamed... so very profoundly ashamed.]

Yes. I was attacked, but [...] a close friend of mine intercepted the attack, and was killed.

[There is a very long pause here, before Robert writes, in a tiny script:] I had meant to take the attack in his stead.

[It takes her a moment to answer. It's bad enough that people were killed, but to have known that the threat was there ahead of time... and to have been so sure it wouldn't ever manifest...]

Professor Hastings, I'm so sorry. [...] It never gets any easier, but if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. Having a friend to talk to can help, at least.

[At least, it helped her a bit when Goroh was killed some time ago.]

He has returned at this point, which is the one consolation.

[The image of his death is still fresh - still sharp - in Robert's mind. He still remembers how Giles crumpled forward as those three blades stabbed a trifecta of bloodied holes in his body. It is an image that will never leave him.

... His writing is noticeably shakier now.]

But he should have never died at all. And he never would have died if I had not approached Ms. Vermillion. But I thought she would listen to reason. I thought she would talk to me.

[The last period trails off a little, disjointedly, and Robert catches a small sob. Even after almost two weeks, this still aches tremendously.]

I don't know if it's much consolation, but I thought the same thing. I tried to talk to her as well. I [...] honestly should have known better, but I tried it too.

[After all, she knew full well that Noel was a Murakumo. She had just anticipated that she might listen like Nu or Lambda.

Litchi pauses for a moment before continuing, her handwriting slow and almost uncertain. She feels a little silly opening up with something so simple that means so much to her, but here goes.]

I'm not sure if this may help, but -- someone told me once not to try to fight the past. You should fight for the future instead. Dwelling on it won't change anything; all we can do is work to learn from the past to better our futures.

It is hard not to feel as though I am responsible for this, though, and to ignore my responsibility would be unethical.

[Robert doesn't want Giles to die again. He doesn't want anybody to die... especially not because of something that was his own fault.]

And I was supposed to repay my friend, for all he has done for me - and then he did this. How can I ever be a proper friend to him if I am always relying on him? And this is true for others, too - I have never been able to repay you for what you have done for me, either.

[He's always so helpless - too helpless to do anything.]

I can't speak for your other friend, but I don't expect any repayment for anything I've done for you. I do these things because I'm your friend; because I care about you. All I ask in return is your well-being.

I'm sure your friend was thinking along those same lines.

[There's another long pause before she continues. Given all that's been going on lately, it's getting harder to keep clammed up so tightly on all her own secrets. Even so, it's still hard to find the words for, and her writing is even slower, pausing uncertainly throughout the paragraph.]

Professor Hastings, I know how hard it is when you feel as if any harm done to a friend is your fault. I lost a loved one to a fate worse than death because of an idea I came up with. But please, don't let it eat you up entirely. I'd hate to see you make any similar mistakes to what I've done.

[... Robert is almost overwhelmed by this. For someone who had such difficulties making friendships - who sees them in such rigid, structured ways, and who is still influenced by the idea that he needs to earn friendships and is judged by value against other friends... this is something that seems almost impossible.]

You deserve them too, though. And yet I am too weak to give anything back. This is why I want to find some way to help somehow.

[That next part? That... that makes Robert very sad. He knows that Litchi would have never done something like that on purpose... so surely it would hurt her even more.]

I lost a loved one too. I [... can he really write this? He pauses too, before admitting this much, haltingly:] drove him away because of my mistakes.

Perhaps I cannot say I understand entirely, but there may be a commonality.

It's enough of a gift to me just to see that you're well. I mean that.

[As much as all of this hurts to talk about, she knows that he can't keep it bottled up forever. She won't push it all because she knows how it is to try to keep it clammed up -- after all, she's still trying to hide a lot about her own past -- but she does want to try to help as much as she can.

She only hopes her words can come to mean as much to him as they did to her when Thirteen first said them so long ago.]

It's hard, I know. But if you aim to improve the future rather than stay intimidated by past shortcomings, you can at least prevent any of the same from happening again.

[Robert hides things about himself due to shame. Does Litchi remember those scars on his arms? The fact he sought to hide them even then is a metaphor for how he seeks to hide things about himself that tarnish that flawless, cold picture he presents to most of the world.

... This is especially true with his friends, who he is desperately afraid of losing.]

I do not think I would ever make these mistakes again, given any sort of choice at all. They were profound ones, and they did more than just destroy my relationships.

[His hand is so very shaky when he writes. But Litchi's words already mean quite a lot.]

You've already learned from them, then.

[Big Sister Mode is in full swing. She's worried about him, of course, but she's bent on making sure that he doesn't end up obsessing the same way she did. Or at least dragging it out as long. ~~She knows how scientist types can be.~~]

If you need any help at all - with anything - please let me know. It's hard enough to go through these things, but you don't have to do it alone.

[Is five years long enough? ~~She's definitely right about the scientist types, in his case at least.~~]

Thank you very much, Doctor Faye-Ling.

Or should I call you Litchi? [He's nervous asking, but... they've known each other almost six months. Is... is that enough time to get past the formality?]

At any rate, I offer the same. If I can ever be of assistance for anything, please feel free to ask.

[~~Five years is nowhere near enough.~~ I mean, uh...]

It's up to you, whichever you would prefer. I certainly don't mind going by "Litchi," though. [She really isn't one to ask about formality, because she can happily tote honorary titles for years upon years. But hey, she doesn't mind informality around her.]

I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind just in case. Thank you very much.

[He personally likes the formality, but at the same time, the idea of being... closer to Litchi is one that Robert likes. Albeit he's a little fearful of it.]

I just wish to properly address you as [...] the important friend that you are.

And you are always welcome.

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