IC CONTACT

[showmeyourwreath]

[TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO | PRIVATE] "Hello, there! This is Flora. I'm not here right now, but if you would like to leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Until then, thanks for your call, and have a wonderful day!"

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[showmeyourwreath]

[Flora listens patiently, and with quiet but heartfelt concern. It's easy to do as Kido asks; she can't dislike or be angry at Kano, letting herself feel such things would just distract from giving her all of her attention.]

It's alright, sweetheart, you don't have anything to apologise for. It wasn't your fault at all. I don't know why he'd say those things to you--he really shouldn't have--but you're not a burden, to him or to anyone.

This? [She gestures to the hood of her hoodie.] This wouldn't mean what it does for me without you and what you've done for me, and do for other people. I wouldn't have a place here, if not for you. Kano, too. You try and work so hard, all the time, for the sake of others. The only burdensome thing about you is all the things you try to take on for the people you care about. But you're irreplaceable, Tsubomi.

And I believe he knows that, too.

[concealingeyes]

[Hearing that makes her crying quiet down somewhat. Flora is right; she knows she is. Kido has done her best and she's made a real difference in people's lives here. They're happier because she was able to help them. It isn't thinking too much of herself to believe that.

But... Kano asked what she had done for him. She knows she can't help everyone. But if her best friend, the person she fell in love with, thought she'd done nothing for him...]

...When I was little, I cried a lot. My 'eyes' never listened to me. I vanished all the time. And, uhm... I was scared. Seto couldn't find me because my thoughts were too overwhelming. No one else wanted to find me.

But Kano always did. One day... I was so scared, because it took him longer than normal to find me and my eyes had been bad lately. So it felt like I was disappearing for good. So... [Her face turns a deeper shade of red at the memory.] I asked him to save me. He promised me he would never let me disappear, because a world without me would be too sad. No matter what's happened, he always stuck by it.

So, that's why... he must be very angry with me if he's... if he's breaking that promise. I thought he never would. I thought... it was the one thing he couldn't do... He's a good person, Flora, so I don't-

[Kido stops and buries her face into her knees. Flora can't answer her. No one can except him. But he wouldn't answer her now.]

I HOPE THIS TAG IS OKAY WITH TEH LOOKING PART

[showmeyourwreath]

[Flora sets her cup down, so that she can wrap her arms around Kido's form and rest her head against on top hers.]

It's not your fault. [It bears repeating, and she'll tell her as often as she needs to hear it.] People have been acting really strangely, lately. They've been saying and doing things that they really wouldn't normally. I don't know why, and maybe Kano's been affected, too. It's worrying. But even if he wasn't, somehow...what makes any relationship hard sometimes is that we must take so much on faith. We never get to really see all of what's really inside someone. [She smiles sadly.] There's no magic spell to making it work.

But when we were on that last mission together, I needed help with the slides. I needed people to think of fun and happy times so I could draw on that energy. Kano helped me. I couldn't see the memories, but I knew they were about you and the other Dan, and they were so warm and precious and light.

Look at me. [She'll for her to, and then gently take her face in her hands.] Words can hurt a lot, and I know that he hurt you and that it hurt so much to hear. But I don't think anyone who could feel like that about people could mean what he said. One way or another, we'll get this fixed, okay? Maybe not just this moment, but this will get better.

IT'S PERFECTLY FINE AHHH FLORAAAAAAAA

[concealingeyes]

[Kido blinks rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears, but they keep falling anyway; now, though, from a mixture of hurt and something much warmer.]

I know... I know he'd never mean it. [Flora says it isn't her fault but this is the part that hurts the most. If something is affecting him, it isn't his fault. If she hurt him or pushed him into it, it isn't his fault either. This feeling that won't let go of those words is at fault.

And that feeling comes from her. She has to bury it or push it away or do anything she can to be ready to fix things when she sees him again.]

I just... I, uhm... [She glances down, fidgeting with her jeans.] ...I love him and I don't want him to hate me ever. So... we have to fix this. Whatever's wrong, we have to fix it.