[Another breath she doesn't realize she'd been holding in her lungs falls out of her in a single exhale, and Tifa's whole body relaxes against his. It isn't much, that, but it's something... Something that she can do, and wants to do. Just be right here with him, keep him warm, keep the nightmares at bay, and most importantly, keep him safe.]
... I can do that.
[Those starflowers that had struggled to bloom now quiver in some non-existent wind, their petals still struggling, but their glow is not so dim as Tifa brings her hands to press her palms to his chest.]
You're cold.
[But so is she. The whole room is cold.
Her eyes come up to meet his, a silent plea shining in them.]
[She tries not to hesitate, but there is some trepidation in the way her fingers press against his chest with an almost desperate hold, and even more so when the warmth starts to spread. There is no fire, only heat, and while it's dimmer than usual, it's there and spreading through her cold fingertips.
All the while, she watches him carefully for any signs of discomfort or pain as she presses her forehead to his, nudging it a little.]
It isn't much still... I don't know what happened.
[The warmth, no matter how feeble, is welcomed, and he hugs her tighter to him as if to encourage her while also trying to spread his own warmth to her.]
[She pauses, focuses on the dreamotion a little, her brow furrowing.]
When I touched those shards, it felt like more and more was being drained out of me. Like whatever was touching me back was burning it away. [She gives a little shake of her head and averts her eyes.] Or maybe it was just all in my head. Me, letting fear get the better of me again.
... I'm not as experienced as you are, so I didn't know what to do with it.
[She sighs quietly to herself, the warmth receding a bit... only so that she can look at him for a moment, the silence lingering heavy in the room as she searches his face...
...
...before she utters words she never thought she would, but she'd been thinking about it since he'd fallen asleep beside her.]
Wish I could be more like you instead. ... If you could teach me...
Given the circumstances... And how much more prevalent it seems to be lately... It may not be such a bad idea.
[He looks at her more concerned now.]
I just don't want you to have to deal with such a thing. After all... The only reason one would even have to control it is if they've accumulated enough to begin with...
[Tifa understands what he means... it had been a pretty crazy proposition to begin with, she knows... but just because she doesn't have any doesn't mean that there's a lack of it between them, and if he's the one teaching her...]
What about... yours?
[Is that even possible? She has no idea, but if they could share the starflowers, then surely that means that they could share everything else, too?]
Is that even possible? That would mean you'd have to take in my nightmare energy... I feel that would be more difficult than if you first used your own.
[She pulls her hand away, the warmth she offers him disappearing for a moment as she looks at it, and her fingertips, still slightly purple from what she had experienced.]
I'd trust yours more, to be honest... but how would I even know?
[Her arms squeeze around his shoulders, pulling him closer.]
That's all I need to know.
[She doesn't even want to think about trying to take on some from elsewhere, or from someone else. It's his that she trusts, his that even tried to save her life, even if things had gone incredibly south. And that's why she's sure—]
[She looks up at him, her eyes widening slightly in question.]
How?
[It's not that she doubts him or doesn't trust him, but she's never felt it before. Never had this terrifying feeling that something else was lingering within her. Not like some of the others who have experienced it.]
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flamekthunder) wrote2025-04-07 09:12 pm
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... I can do that.
[Those starflowers that had struggled to bloom now quiver in some non-existent wind, their petals still struggling, but their glow is not so dim as Tifa brings her hands to press her palms to his chest.]
You're cold.
[But so is she. The whole room is cold.
Her eyes come up to meet his, a silent plea shining in them.]
... Tell me if it's too much, okay?
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[A small shake of his head as he sighs and rests his forehead against hers.]
Not this time.
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[She tries not to hesitate, but there is some trepidation in the way her fingers press against his chest with an almost desperate hold, and even more so when the warmth starts to spread. There is no fire, only heat, and while it's dimmer than usual, it's there and spreading through her cold fingertips.
All the while, she watches him carefully for any signs of discomfort or pain as she presses her forehead to his, nudging it a little.]
It isn't much still... I don't know what happened.
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I know I scared you... I'm sorry.
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[For one, she doesn't want him to think that it was his fault that this happened at all. And second...]
I think it was the dreamscape, too. It's like... when I touched those mirrors, it shocked the dreamotion out of me?
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What do you mean?
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[She pauses, focuses on the dreamotion a little, her brow furrowing.]
When I touched those shards, it felt like more and more was being drained out of me. Like whatever was touching me back was burning it away. [She gives a little shake of her head and averts her eyes.] Or maybe it was just all in my head. Me, letting fear get the better of me again.
... I'm not as experienced as you are, so I didn't know what to do with it.
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I think I've heard something similar happening to others... And too much dreamotion used on the shards seemed to cause a negative reaction.
But your emotional state could also affect things.
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[She sighs quietly to herself, the warmth receding a bit... only so that she can look at him for a moment, the silence lingering heavy in the room as she searches his face...
...
...before she utters words she never thought she would, but she'd been thinking about it since he'd fallen asleep beside her.]
Wish I could be more like you instead. ... If you could teach me...
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More like me...
[.............
His eyes narrows slightly.]
You mean being able to use nightmare energy?
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Yeah. Maybe I could've been able to help more...
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...But.]
Given the circumstances... And how much more prevalent it seems to be lately... It may not be such a bad idea.
[He looks at her more concerned now.]
I just don't want you to have to deal with such a thing. After all... The only reason one would even have to control it is if they've accumulated enough to begin with...
[Which means... She'd need more nightmares.]
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What about... yours?
[Is that even possible? She has no idea, but if they could share the starflowers, then surely that means that they could share everything else, too?]
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... I mean what about your nightmares? Me using them, since I don't have any of my own.
[That she knows of, of course.]
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Is that even possible? That would mean you'd have to take in my nightmare energy... I feel that would be more difficult than if you first used your own.
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[She pulls her hand away, the warmth she offers him disappearing for a moment as she looks at it, and her fingertips, still slightly purple from what she had experienced.]
I'd trust yours more, to be honest... but how would I even know?
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But then that would mean infecting you with my own...
[His eyes narrow and he shakes his head.]
I can't. Not like that.
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You wouldn't be infecting me with anything.
[Her voice is soft, quiet, reassuring.]
It's part of you, Eustace. It should be part of me, too. And I'd rather that than... something different.
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[Another falter.]
Especially now... I don't know if it's the same.
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[Her arms squeeze around his shoulders, pulling him closer.]
That's all I need to know.
[She doesn't even want to think about trying to take on some from elsewhere, or from someone else. It's his that she trusts, his that even tried to save her life, even if things had gone incredibly south. And that's why she's sure—]
... I know you wouldn't hurt me.
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Even if you could, what will you do if I'm not around?
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At least then I'd know how to use it.
[Her fingers fidget behind his neck, the cold tips gently gliding over her ring.]
How do I know if I have any, then?
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[He looks at her carefully.]
But I could try to find out.
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How?
[It's not that she doubts him or doesn't trust him, but she's never felt it before. Never had this terrifying feeling that something else was lingering within her. Not like some of the others who have experienced it.]
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