not_meatbuns | Rebel 21 [Action

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Rebel 21 [Action | Accidental Voice]

[After a couple days of absence, Litchi is back from her short trip home. And, as always with her, it's a bath tub that she's landed in. One Yellow Thirteen's bath tub, to be precise. And she's not in the best shape.

Resounding not only through the apartment, but over the journals, is the sound of the tub cracking as if under a tremendous amount of pressure. Litchi lets out a pained whimper, curling into a ball as best she can despite one arm being tangled in the shower curtain.

The Boundary has cut loose. And Litchi is absolutely terrified.

The journal picks up another quiet groan before she falls silent.]

[[ooc: Backdated to a couple hours before the earthquake! ~~Also, sorry for unannounced disappearance for the update ;;~~]]

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[He gently puts his arms around her to hold her gently.]

I know. It's all right, Litchi. ...It's what we're here for. We all need help at times.

[He's silent for a long moment or two, just holding her close, letting her just... cry as she needs it.]

...You're strong, Litchi. You will get through all of this. But you won't have to go it alone.

[She feels terrible for unloading all of this on him, but it admittedly is a massive relief knowing that somebody understands. Not a word about "give up, Litchi" or "he left you, Litchi"... it's the first time she's spoken to anyone about this and actually felt a little better about it. Not that she's spoken to anyone except Tager or Kokonoe about it.

Despite the fact that she's still hurting in several senses, she wraps an arm around him in a weak hug.]

Th-thank you, David. I... don't think I can ever thank you enough for listening like this.

You'll never have to.

Still, this... really means a lot to me. The only other people I ever told about it weren't terribly understanding.

[Probably because they had the absolute truth behind it, but that's beyond the point. It's still a welcome change.]

I'm sorry this has been bothering you for so long. If this, or anything else, is on your mind in the future... you can always come talk to me.

[She hugs a little tighter for that.] Thank you. The same goes for you as well.

I'll remember that. I promise.

[...The offer might come into play sooner than either of them expect. But for now, everything's still quiet.]

[After a few more minutes and calming down quite a bit, she finally lets go and takes off her glasses to wipe at her eyes. Her smile is watery, but it isn't forced, either.]

I'm really sorry for causing such a ruckus. [Brief glance around. The light coming in through the windows is making it rather clear it's early morning.]

...I didn't wake you up, did I?

[He'll crack a light smile in return.]

No, you didn't. I'm a military man. If there's one habit they drilled into me, it was getting up early.

...You hungry, Litchi?

[She can't help a small laugh.] That's certainly a relief.

[Hungry? Come to think of it... she hasn't eaten in quite some time. Not since the snack Linhua brought her from the New Years Festival, at least. Her stomach is still in knots, but she knows she should eat something.]

Some food would be wonderful. I can help, if you'd like.

Don't worry. You just take it easy for now. Leave breakfast to me.

[He'll rise from his chair and begin gathering the food he has on hand to take to the floor's shared kitchen.]

...Hope you don't mind coffee. ...I usually don't keep tea on hand.

[Thirteen, you really are the best kind of friend.] Coffee is just fine. Thank you.

You're welcome. I'll be back in a bit. Make yourself at home in the meantime, if you'd like.

[And he'll be heading off to make breakfast, and he'll be back soon.]

[And she'll just wait patiently, trying to soothe the frazzled Lao Jiu while she waits. The poor little thing has worked really hard today.]

[It'll be a bit, but when he finally returns, he'll come in bringing two plates with pancakes and scrambled eggs. By this point, the coffee maker in his apartment should've finished brewing, so he'll pour two cups of that for them too.

He'll set down a plate in front of Litchi and at his spot as well, and take his seat.]

Nothing fancy, but hopefully it should be okay.

[Well, color her impressed. How Thirteen isn't tripping over women with his guitar playing and cooking and being an excellent listener, Litchi will never know.]

No, no, it looks wonderful. You're a man of many talents, David~

[Something of a small, amused smile follows that.]

I get by, I guess.

[She'll just take a piece of pancake here and try it. Wide smile.]

This really is fantas--

[And mid-sentence, the shaking starts. Litchi hasn't been in an earthquake ever since she was a child, but when the small rumble just continues to grow, she knows better than to stall. Thirteen lived on the fifth floor, didn't he? That's... that's way too high up. It'll take too long to get out...!

She's thinking as fast as she can, and she's reached a solution by the time the chairs are starting to rattle.]

I-I'm sorry for this, David! But please, just hold on tight!

[And without waiting for a response -- the ceiling is starting to crumble -- she puts a hand on his back and hauls him bodily underneath the table for cover. One arm across his shoulders for support and the other clamped firmly around a table leg, she just prays the floor won't drop out beneath them.]

[The sudden shaking comes as something of a shock for the fighter pilot. ...What was this, an earthquake? In Luceti?! He didn't get it... but then Litchi hauls him under the table, he doesn't give any resistance. But by now, his face hardens into a somewhat confused frown.

But he will hang onto Litchi and a different table leg as the rumbling grows steadily more intense. Right now they have to stay calm.]

This is one hell of a quake!

I... I never thought...!

[With the hot springs nearby, it's certainly possible there's always been a chance for this sort of thing, but for it to come out of absolutely nowhere?

Not that it's really important. What is is that it hasn't started to die down yet. And while this table is good enough cover from their own ceiling falling, she's really starting to worry that they'll be falling through the floor into the apartment below. Bracing herself for the worst, her hold on Thirteen tightens a bit.

Please, please let this stop...!]

[Thirteen grits his teeth as the shaking begins to produce loud groans in the building all around them. Adrenaline surges through his veins when the noises intensify. Fight or flight is beginning to take hold... and as chunks of plaster impact against the tabletop above them, that there's a very real chance they might not get out of this...

Of course, right about then, the floor beneath them shudders with a deafening roar. In a mere instant, the once solid ground beneath them crumbles and sends them tumbling down a floor.

Fortune smiled upon them, though; they managed to land on a couch in the apartment below rather than the floor which softened their impact considerably. Thirteen pushed himself up despite seeing stars and the tremors shaking the building to its very foundations.]

Litchi, are you alright? We have to get out of here, now!

[If Litchi had thought she was hurting before, it was nothing on the explosion of small popping spots that filled her vision after crashing down through the floor. Ignoring the spring that jabbed out of the couch and into her back, she staggered to her feet as well, Lao Jiu hurriedly clamoring up onto her head to hold her hair out of the way again.

Alright, pain was secondary. Getting out was priority. Getting David to safety... infinitely more important than anything else. She took just enough time to get a quick look around for a clear path and grabbed a hold of Thirteen's arm.]

This way! I think I see a way out!

[Well, if Litchi's leading the way, he'll move fast along with her as steadily as he can with all the shaking. Right now his brain is running solely on instinct and adrenaline and remains focused. Survival, for both of them, is the only thing that matters right now.]

[Litchi leads the way out of the apartment and out into the hall, where things are rapidly worsening. The entire building seems to be groaning as its foundations shift. A pile of debris has blocked off one end of the hallway, but the other is still a clear enough shot, so Litchi starts towards it--

...And the world is suddenly in black and white. They're reaching the end of the hall. The building creaks. There's a deafening crack, a panicked scream, a cry of pain...

-- And suddenly, the vision is gone, Litchi's head throbbing painfully. The building's groaning grows louder. The end of the hall is rapidly approaching. Litchi slides to a halt, making sure to keep her hold on Thirteen's arm so that he'll be pulled to a stop as well.]

Wait! The floor--!

[And just a few feet ahead, the floor bows and splits with a (very familiar) deafening crack. The echoes from the Boundary are going wild, and it's making it ridiculously hard to concentrate, but she can't help a small sigh of relief that it came in handy just this once.

Although now she's losing track of her train of thought from all the feedback.]

W-what now...?

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