catphishing | IC Contact [ryslig]

[It's a response Jade was expecting, but not one she's willing to accept. She's undaunted by Oliver's words, finishing packing up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She turns on him, looking equal parts unimpressed and determined, crossing her arms over her chest.]

You be the one that waits here. I'm looking for him.

[Oliver straightens up, shaking his head. He can't stay here while Soeki's missing. He can't even consider it.]

I can track him. If anything's happened, I'm strong. I can bring him back.

[Jade just keeps glaring at him, the tendrils on her back growing like stoked flames. It's easy to forget how intimidating shades can look when Jade tries her best to present the most harmless looking form as she can the majority of the time. She's not trying right now, and the aura around her darkens, shadows taking up the space between her and Oliver.]

I'm strong too. You can't stop me, Oliver. Just let me do this.

[Oliver was a shade long enough he knows exactly how scary they can be, but he's not used to Jade looking quite so intimidating. It's enough to give him pause, even if it would take much more than that for him to be scared of her.]

I know that. But I can't stay here. I need to be out there looking.

[Jade deflates a little at his words, tendrils settling, the aura around her thinning. She understands what Oliver's feeling too well. It's why she can't stay in their apartment either.]

... O-okay, but I can't stay here either. I'll go crazy. I need to look for him.

[She looks both smaller and younger than before, more like a scared teenaged girl and less like a monster. She prays that Oliver will understand why she has to look for Soeki too.]

[He gets that. He really does. He still doesn't want Jade out there, putting herself at risk when one person he loves is already missing. His shoulders slump, and the full extent of his tiredness becomes immediately apparent.]

I just don't want for him to come back here and there's nobody.

[Oliver has a point, Jade doesn't want Soeki to come home to an empty apartment either. When she'd died, she'd woken up scared and alone in the middle of the forest and had to find her own way back home. She doesn't wish that on anyone else. She pats the messenger bag she has slung over one shoulder.]

... I'm gonna have my laptop with me. Soeki will message us when he can. He won't have to be alone.

[He doesn't want her to go, but Oliver knows Jade. She'll do what she thinks she needs to regardless of what he tells her. He looks her over tiredly.]

Did you eat breakfast?

I... [Jade was gearing up for another argument, she had her retort ready, the simple questions throws her off. It throws her so much that she doesn't think to lie.] Uh, no, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday.

[He's too tired for an argument he knows he'll lose. If he weren't so exhausted he might at least put in some effort to trying to talk her down, but for now he just can't bring himself to. He has to put what little energy he has left to the important things at hand, like finding Soeki, and making sure that Jade doesn't completely neglect herself.

He sighs, opening up the cupboards to start fetching out the things they'll need for breakfast. He hadn't been planning on more than a quick stop back at the apartment, but now he's here it's a reminder that Soeki isn't the only person he needs to take care of.]

You need to take care of yourself. Help me get breakfast ready. And lose the gun, you aren't going anywhere with that thing.

Shades don't even need to eat... [But the retort is half-hearted and she even starts pulling ingredients out of the fridge, juice and vegetables and eggs. It's weird doing something so normal when Soeki isn't there, when Soeki should be there cooking with them, but she doesn't want to push her luck with Oliver. Not when she's hoping he'll just forget about his issue with her gun. Besides, he needs to eat and Jade's worried that he won't without taking care of her as a reason to take a break.]

Shades need to be careful not to lose themselves.

[It had been a big problem for him when he'd been a shade, and looking back he wonders how much of that had been a lack of normalcy. He'd stopped eating. He'd barely had physical contact. He'd got so caught up in the things that made him angry.

Jade does a lot better at managing herself than he did, but he feels like he needs to make sure she can still do that when something's upsetting her. He puts on water for coffee, knowing he's going to need that to stay awake, and fetches out the utensils they're going to need to start cooking before starting to exit the kitchen again.]

Do you mind starting? I'm just going to put on something that fits real quick, then I can help you finish off.

[It's the first time Jade really looked at Oliver since he walked in on her packing up to search for Soeki, looked at him when the thing on her mind wasn't winning the argument. He looks exhausted. And just as scared as she is.

She nods once, expression softening. She digs the gun out of her bag and sets in on the counter before she turns back to the breakfast supplies.]

I don't mind. Take your time. No offense, but you look exhausted.

[He laughs hollowly, leaving to change. It really doesn't take him long. He just throws on the first thing he can find. If the shirt happens to be one of Soeki's... he can pretend that's a coincidence.

When he enters the kitchen to help out he probably doesn't look much better, but he's relieved about the gun still being out on the counter and not in Jade's bag. He really is too tired for that argument.]

What do you need me to do?

[She definitely notices that its Soeki's shirt, not his, but she'll pretend not to. If Oliver gets even a little comfort from wearing it, she won't bring attention to it in case he's embarrassed.]

Dude, just sit down. I've got this.

[And she really does. Vegetables and eggs are cooking in a fry pan, coffee is brewing, and bread is toasting. She's cutting up bananas and strawberries with her telekinetic ability as she scrambles the eggs.]

[Oliver watches, impressed she can do so much when he knows she must be just as stressed as he is. He is reluctant to sit down though. He's a little afraid he'll fall asleep if he does.]

Are you sure I can't do anything?

[The only thing keeping Jade solid and from spiraling out of control is focusing on the task. She's almost grateful to have something she knows she can do. Cooking breakfast is so much easier than the daunting mission of finding Soeki (safe and alive, she hopes) that lies before her.]

Uh, you could take over cutting the fruit if you want? You're probably faster than I am.

[The fruit is almost done, but Oliver is glad for something to keep him going. He takes over to finish cutting the remaining fruit, arranging it in bowls ready for them to eat.]

We'll find him. He'll be okay.

[Jade freezes, her whole form shifting to shadow and the spatula she was holding clattering to the ground.]

What if we can't? What if he isn't?

[They're the two questions she's been avoiding asking herself all morning and she can barely say them out loud.]

He will be.

[The bear stubbornness gives him a certainty that would be there otherwise. Soeki will be okay. Nothing else is a possibility worth considering.

He leaves the breakfast prep, stepping closer to Jade and putting a hand near her shadowy form. He might not be able to hold her like this, but he can still try and give her some comfort.]

He'll be okay. I promise.

[Jade is still far from certain, but Oliver's outstretched hand is enough to ground her, to give her something to focus on that isn't her own fear and worry. It takes a few seconds, but she settles into her solid form, the aura around her going from a dark black to a lighter grey. She hesitates for several more seconds before pulling Oliver into a hug, burying her head against his chest.]

I-I hope you're right. He can't be hurt again, it just can't happen.

[He hugs her tightly, subtly taking in the reassuring scent of her hair. Jade is safe. That's helpful. He doesn't know what he'd do if they both went missing again.]

It won't. If he is, they'll pay for it.

[No one messes with Soeki. Nobody.]

[Jade doesn't know what she'd do without Soeki and Oliver either. The idea horrifies her and she can't help thinking about it now that Soeki's disappeared. She's afraid that Oliver will be next.]

We have to find him. I can't lose him too. I can't lose either of you.

I'm not going anywhere. I promise.

[It might be a promise he can't keep, but he won't abandon Jade willingly. His grip on Jade tightens. He needs to leave soon to find Soeki, but he's just as worried about her disappearing as she is him.]

[Jade desperately wants to believe him. She doubts he'd be able to make that promise if he was a faerie right now, and she's almost grateful that he can lie. Jade will never be an optimist, but she needs the sliver of hope that Oliver's promise provides right now.]

... Okay. I'm not either. I-I promise.

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, OLIVER. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 142.58.303.67 * oliver has joined 142.58.303.67 <oliver> So this is my private channel. <oliver>** Talk to me?

IC Contact [ryslig]

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