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[bloodandblunder]

"H... hello? Um, this is me-- ah, Noire! I'm Noire, and I'm very sorry for missing you somehow... I promise I'm not avoiding you, unless you're scary or you're Mo-- trying to curse me. U-um, so when I can figure out how to-- ( beeps ensue, followed by a shriek of fright ) O-oh, no! What did I push, how do I-- make it-- oh gods, did I break it?! W-why can't we just talk in person?!"

[ BEEP. ]

voicemail; action ; video

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( 11/23 ) action;

[bloodandblunder]

[ Maybe Noire's just attuned to unexpected presences nearby. Maybe she suspected someone was out there. Most likely, the actual reason was that she'd wanted to see how she could do moving about after she'd spent the day feverish and resting. The fever is more or less gone when she peeks out, venturing down the hallway.

... And pauses. ]

Eugeo...?

[willbreak]

Hey.

[ He tilts his head, smiling faintly. It's almost like any other stair night! ]

[bloodandblunder]

H-hello. [ why she feels oddly shy, she doesn't know, but she moves closer. ] What are you doing out here?

[willbreak]

[ If he catches on, he says nothing about it. For now.

He shrugs. ]

Couldn't sleep.

[ Winning all the awards, Eugeo. ]

What about you?

[bloodandblunder]

I needed some air... a-and the fever broke, so I thought it might be a good time.

[ honesty!! ]

[willbreak]

[ The smile fades a little at that, and there's a flash of... something in his eyes, but it's dark and he hasn't generated any light, so it's not like that matters. His voice does sound more concerned now, however, though it's still soft. ]

How is it?

[ Silly question. ]

Do you want to sit down?

[ He nods at the space beside him. ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ she settles down beside him with a small nod, though she finds it hard to look at him, gaze instead resting guiltily on the stair below. ]

It's... fine now. I get a little dizzy if I stand up too fast, but nothing hurts.

... I'm really sorry if I worried you, Eugeo.

[willbreak]

[ Hey, he was supposed to apologize first! ]

You always worry me regardless—

[ Yeah okay, that definitely came out wrong, and he winces slightly because of it. ]

... I'm sorry, too. For not coming out earlier.

[ Not that he could have done anything. ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ he's not the only one; Noire's shoulders hunch a bit, like she's expecting a strike of some sort. ]

You might have been killed, too... so I'm glad you didn't.

[willbreak]

[ Nope, no hitting. But he does (tentatively) drape an arm around her shoulders. ]

It wasn't your fault.

[ It should be obvious what he's talking about... ]

[bloodandblunder]

I should have known it wouldn't be that easy... a-and I should have stayed in control of myself... [ she doesn't move, neither inching closer or shying away. ]

That sort of thing isn't easy to overlook.

[willbreak]

[ Well this is awkward. He doesn't move, either. ]

... It took me months to control fire. And even then, I only managed it after I was possessed.

[ And subsequently forgot how to angst because Hyobu. ]

[bloodandblunder]

But you never hurt-- [ she stops suddenly, coughing as her breath hitches. ] A-after everything, after being used to having to act fast in a situation, I panicked...

And you even tried to warn me, didn't you?

[willbreak]

[ He stiffens as she coughs, automatically moving closer before he can stop himself. If she coughs any louder he'll slap her back, but he's holding off on that unless it gets worse—

Anyway, he could say a lot to that. But this isn't about him. ]

Have you talked to March?

[bloodandblunder]

[ ... oh is that her name--

She'll feel guilty over that too, but her coughing is a faint thing, nothing all that alarming. ]

No... not yet. I haven't seen her... n-not that I've left the apartment all that much.

[willbreak]

She won't blame you.

[ There's conviction in that, actually; if there's anything he's learned in Haven, it's that the vast majority of people don't hold grudges. And March seems to fit into that majority from what he knows about her. ]

[bloodandblunder]

I hope she does.

[ it's hardly a whisper. ]

[willbreak]

Do you really?

[bloodandblunder]

I don't want to think she'll blame herself or anything like that... so if blaming me would help her at all, then that's fine.

[willbreak]

... Blame doesn't work that way. If it did, then... we might not have become friends.

[bloodandblunder]

... Ah--

[ things Noire didn't actually think about until Eugeo pointed it out. She's left looking a little blindsided, before she blinks and coughs again-- just to clear her throat, this time. ]

It's not like... e-either way, I don't know what to do, or say... it's like what they left on me, I really am defective--

[willbreak]

I burned it off.

[ He's still half-hugging her as gently as ever, but suddenly his voice isn't so soft anymore. He'll apologize for it later, maybe, but right now— ]

If you want, I'll do the same for you. It only hurts for a minute... and it won't leave a scar.

[ Just a patch of pink skin, but the pinkness will fade quickly enough. Healing powers, yadda yadda. ]

You're not defective, Noire.

[ Eugeo, you're lucky that mark isn't tattooed on her breast. ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ Noire stays quiet-- whether out of surprise that his voice suddenly changed, or because of his offer, the world may never know. But she's looking down at herself, bringing one gloved hand up to her chest to gently press her fist against the writing.

Morgan had been adamant about getting rid of it, too. She's not so sure she still doesn't feel like she's actually a failure, but... ]

... Please. I-if you could. If nothing else... there might be less questions.

H-hi...

[willbreak]

...

[ If it is surprise, Noire's not the only one. Eugeo blinks, clearly not expecting her to agree so quickly— not that she'll see it from this angle. But his voice does lose a little of the harsh tone. ]

Here, then?

Who is this

[bloodandblunder]

H-here's fine.

[ before she loses her nerve. ]