bursts into tears

[oversea]

Comments

[transmit]

They might recognise me on the sole basis that I'm one of the few people who can do this… I wouldn't be surprised if they have a profile on me from my time at the station. But it's better than the alternatives.

[ he'll just have to lay low wherever they go, and he can just dye and style his hair differently, probably. can't believe the short, dark hair arc was only a precursor to this… but he doesn't sound nearly as beaten up about it as he used to, if at all. ]

I will.

[ clutches his emotional support flag for the nth time this psl. off they go, waoo. ]

[oversea]

[ that worries him. but despite how much they hated not being able to be around each other 24/7, thorns not working with him likely helped them in the long run; there was no real reason for them to watch him, since from their point of view he was just a regular townsperson.

he tries not to look in the direction of the town but he is kind of forced to just for security reasons. ]

... I think I saw a flare go up.

[transmit]

[ what difference can two people make? a lot, considering the person thorns is. a lot, considering their reliance on their communication channels. but elysium's doing his best not to actively think about it, quantifying it rather than qualifying. they're just two people. why can't they be?

and if they truly wanted to give the town the best chance they could give them, that ship sailed months ago, when they first arrived and when when elysium had first noticed irregularities. intervening now, at its most dangerous, is just foolish. ]

Let's hurry. If anything's going to distract them, it's that.

[oversea]

... Right.

[ they have done a lot of questionably moral things during their time together. but one constant they had was that they would always intervene to help others when the moment came. and yes, a lot of those times that decision had cost them, but it was always such an easy choice to make.

...

he keeps walking, only tearing his eyes away from what's ahead of them to make sure docybara is trucking along with them. ]

[transmit]

We'll make it out of here and be happy. I promise.

[ they can't save everyone. they can't even save themselves.

but his lips find thorns' temple—then his cheek. for a brief moment, he presses himself close before pulling away to step aside. docybara toddles along without much thought, content with one simple truth: he's with his two most favourite people in the world. elysium watches him and thinks it's been a long time coming for him to accept the same. ]

[oversea]

[ they can walk for some time without much interruption, except for distant noise that doesn't sound... great, considering what they know.

but after a certain point, there will be rustling near them that doesn't quite sound like an animal. ]

...

[transmit]

[ explosions, smoke, and fire. they travel further than feet could ever take them in a short amount of time. great.

but for this, elysium will follow thorns' cue. quietly: ]

Should I start jamming lines?

[oversea]

... I think so.

[ they probably should have done it earlier but that would increase the likelihood of people looking for them. for now, he will just continue walking, his own change that he puts docybara between them. ]

I think there's a group towards our left. We haven't run into them yet.

[transmit]

Will do. Starting.

[ there it goes… everyone's signal… ]

Are we ambushing them?

[oversea]

Mm. I want you to keep heading this way, and I'm going to try to circle around them.

[ a pause, and he leans in to kiss his cheek. ]

It'll be fine.

[transmit]

[ in all the instances thorns has died, he never would've said he was not fine. his anxiety spikes, but there's nothing to do but go with it, head nodding stiffly. ]

It will. Give me the cue when to go and I can debilitate them for you.

[oversea]

[ ...

he leans in to give him a kiss before stepping back. ]

Mm. Be right back.

[ and with a friendly pat to docybara, thorns will run off until he's no longer visible through the trees. ]

[transmit]

[ you would use a cute icon before he dies a horrible death

unlike other timelines, this one has proven that things can still go well. he holds his breath, but this isn't the time to get distracted. so he does what he can do while thorns is out there, which is providing backline support and being ready to move at any given notice.

sword in hand, flag in other, he unfortunately can't pet docybara the same way… ]

[oversea]

[ it's fine.....

elysium cutting off communication makes this easier, since it allows thorns to sneak up on a group and attack them. his main concern is that he isn't sure how many people are around here, but he can at least remove these from the picture before moving on.

there is smoke in the far distance... which is a concern, but it shouldn't be their concern. ]

[transmit]

[ it most definitely isn't their concern. once they're far away, they can stop thinking about how much time it'd take for them to rush back and how much they might be able to help.

anyway.

elysium has his own problems over on his end when someone tries to get a sneak attack on him. little do they know, he has invis reveal… goodbye. it doesn't make his job any easier though, and there's no telling how many people will come after him. why do their lives have to be so stressful for no reason? damn. ]

[oversea]

[ docybara is confused as to why a rando suddenly appeared but otherwise he's doing great!

after a little bit, one of thorns' constricts comes floating over to elysium... it nudges him gently before changing shape until it's a thumbs up. wow. I forgot it can do this. ]

[transmit]

[ did summer thorns turning them into birds remind you.

but that rando is now on the floor… okay… docybara just looks at it with disinterest as he waits for elysium to tell him to do something. ]

C'mon. We need to regroup with your dad.

[oversea]

[ yippee for docybara!!!!

thorns took out a small group of seven. they were... not as skilled as you would think they should be, so it makes thorns wonder if the people here are just counting on numbers to brute force their goal, or if their more skilled personnel is elsewhere.

it's not something he can find out without getting more involved though.

for now, whenever elysium arrvies, he can see thorns rudely poking through their belongings... ]

[transmit]

[ seven… thorns you are so cool and overpowered.

he eventually makes his way over with their oversized baby, who if he wasn't drugged out of his mind would immediately rush over to thorns. as is, he just animal crossing flowers… that's his dad… elysium gives him a pat before moving closer. ]

Anything of interest?

[ chemicals? weapons to steal? elysium will look over the bodies thorns has yet to touch… this is so romantic.

… he yoinks one of their communicators and turns it on. as expected, there are questions asking them for updates—but they do not seem to be too alarmed as of yet. ]

[oversea]

Weapons... My sword is better.

[ okay. no one asked, thorns. ]

This one has a map which locations marked off. You might have a better idea of figuring out where those are though. I don't think these guys are high enough up the ladder though to have anything too helpful for us.

[transmit]

That's what we were aiming for, right? Nothing too helpful. It means no one's going to be checking up on them for a while.

[ he glances at thorns. ]

Would you feel better if I gave Lungmen another update?

[ a one-sided transmission… ]

[oversea]

[ ...

he just nods, handing the map over. thorns will keep himself busy by stealing their rations because they need more food... ]

[transmit]

Let's gain a bit of distance first. There was someone who tried to ambush me earlier.

[ back to running interference… his debuffs… this is going too well for them to be randomly shanked again.

yoinks their water too this is fine ]

[oversea]

[ it

probably would be going less well if they were headed towards the town. but here they are instead. ]

We always seem to find trouble.

[transmit]

That's just Terra for you.

[ there is literally no place on terra that is perfect or completely idyllic. but if they had to separate out the distinction between what makes them different from others— ]

… We aren't the best at minding our own business.