VISIONS I HAD BURIED UNDERGROUND / RETURNING TO ABUSE US

[pecsonpecs]

open krieg rp post.

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[pecsonpecs]

Basically. I want to drop by the condo one last time, just to see if the lawyer left me with anything.

[He shrugs.]

You know all you need to about the schiz. [He holds out his arm and gestures to one of his bracelets, one with an engraved plate woven into it. There are certain parts of his look that remain consistent--like his rings, bracelets, necklaces, and the sleeves or bandages he keeps on his left arm to hide the track marks and bruising--and this is one of them. It's basically just ID, contact information, his medications, and medical issues.] This is what the experts need to know in the worst case scenario.

But what do you know about seizures?

[gunslingerqueen]

[So, basically in case of emergency make sure that bracelet is there so that EMT people can do their job. Yeah, that's simple enough that even Nariko can handle it. But the mention of seizures catches her off guard.]

They're scary. [And probably pretty damn terrifying for the individual experiencing them.] But it's, you have to turn people on their sides, because there's a big possibility of choking or biting your tongue or something.

[...] If E.R. lied to me that's not my fault.

[She binge watched it at thirteen, okay.]

[pecsonpecs]

[Thirteen-year-old Noriko has an interesting taste in television. He huffs a laugh.]

You've got the right idea, at least. Clear the area, don't try to hold me down, call the ambulance if it lasts longer than three minutes.

But honestly, the most important part is to stay calm. I know it's scary to witness, but the last thing I need to see when my head comes back to me is Noriko freaking out. For what it's worth, I usually know when they're coming on, so I can give you heads-up.

Hopefully they'll be less common now that we'll actually get to have control over our sleep schedules.

[gunslingerqueen]

[Knowledge is power here, because if she hadn't thought to ask or if he didn't go ahead and tell her and it happened? Yeah, she would have flipped her shit and been crying and sobbing the whole time, even when he came back to. It would have been horrible. Now? She might only cry a little bit, and will still be able to kind of smile when he's fine.]

It'll be alright. [Hopefully. The last time she had to deal with something incredibly traumatic she didn't talk for an entire year, so. They'll have to see how it goes.] I'm gonna say that I didn't know there could be an actual warning, though.

[But speaking of sleep schedules!] By the way, are you a heavy sleeper, or?

[pecsonpecs]

Sometimes there isn't. Most of the time I can feel it coming on by a few hours.

[He is genuinely worried about how she'll handle it, though. It can be pretty scary to the uninitiated.]

I sleep like a rock. Despite all the other shit wrong with me, at least I know how to get through the night like a champ. How about you?

[gunslingerqueen]

[They can only see what'll happen! It'll probably be fine.]

Mm, I'm sort of okay. [What does that even mean.]

If I do wake you up though and it's a nightmare or something, just shake my hip or whatever. It usually doesn't take much.

[pecsonpecs]

Mm. You have a hard time with nightmares?

[What is this, vulnerability volleyball? Maybe there's a greater reason why the two of them ended up meeting, even when working for opposing companies.]

[gunslingerqueen]

Not as much as I used to. [Bullshit, but she can only handle so much truth in one day.] I did the whole therapy thing but every once in a while it happens. Scared the shit out of my band mates the first time it happened.

[And if it could unnerve the most stalwart of her past band mates it was fair to warn him about.

And if they're playing vulnerability volleyball he still wins by miles.]

[pecsonpecs]

I could sleep through a nuclear blast if that's what it came to. Still...if I catch you, I'll wake you up.

[Winning or not, he's still a good sport about it. Here he is talking about all the stuff wrong with his head and still taking Noriko's own problems quite seriously.

Because nightmares can be terrible too. He's had enough bad trips and the fucked up dreams he had while cleaning up.]

You wanna come with me to pick up what's left at my condo?

[gunslingerqueen]

[He really is. It's one of the many, many reasons Krieg is so great. All the same she's happy to move onto something a little more positive and grounded in what they can control.]

Sure, if it's not weird having me there. After that, can we go grocery shopping?

[Because they're gonna need food, especially if his sister lives in a different state or something, and they might essentially be taking a little road trip.]

[pecsonpecs]

Yeah. You wanna start a list on the way?

[He stands up and starts to head out of the trailer, standing aside once he's back on the ground.]

...I imagine I'll be doing most of the cooking, but I'm open to requests.

[gunslingerqueen]

I don't want to set this place on fire, so I'm gonna say that's for the best.

[She is sorry to put the responsibility on him but if they eat out or something she'll pay!]

I'll eat anything as long as it's not blinking back at me! Bloody and a little raw not counting.

[With a little grin she follows and practically hops out of the trailer.] At least you can trust me to drive responsibly!

[And often, hopefully, one of the more boring parts of being a musician was being driven everywhere, never getting behind the wheel herself.]

[pecsonpecs]

Good, we're on the same page.

[It means he can maintain his ridiculous diet without any complaints from the rest of the party.]

In that case... [Krieg holds out his keys to Noriko.] You want to give her a spin?

[gunslingerqueen]

Yes!

[Those keys disappear so quickly that she might create mid-air sparks.]

Just tell me where to go! [While she unlocks the truck and gets herself up in the driver's seat. If there's a saying about short people and really big cars then it's incredibly fitting in that moment. Not that it'll get in her way, while Krieg joins her she adjusts the seat so she can see everything properly and they can go.

This is like mid-Christmas for her.]

[pecsonpecs]

[Given the huge difference in their sizes, she'll end up taking a lot more time adjusting the seat than it takes him to program the address of his former condo into the GPS on the dashboard.

A few minutes into the drive, he asks:]

So, what do you think? About the truck.

[It's a nice, but not brand-new, model. It's got a few miles on it but it's in great shape, and perhaps most importantly?

Climate control.

Still, it's the first time he's bought a vehicle on his own, so he has very little confidence in whether or not it was a wise choice or not. All he knows is that he's saved money by not buying a brand new one, but did he save enough?]

[gunslingerqueen]

Reliable brand, purrs beautifully, and there's no problem with the trailer.

[It's a good choice! She doesn't pick up on any lack of confidence, though, it's an honest opinion.]

She'll last for years, and might as well be part of the band.

[Duo. Group. Whatever, man. The car is nice.]

Can we name her Desdemona?!

[Don't let her name shit, Krieg, it's a horrible idea.]

[pecsonpecs]

Sure.

[Sorry, man. Krieg is big into Shakespeare and does not exactly have a history free from bad decisions.]

--Shit. What are we gonna call ourselves?

[gunslingerqueen]

[His favorite skillet will be named something like 'Pickle' and he will only have himself to blame.

But wow does he have a point.][So eloquent. Much grace.] Well. That's.

[...]

I have no idea.

[pecsonpecs]

We have time to think about it, I guess. Maybe we should find out what kind of music we make together before we decide on a name anyway.

[gunslingerqueen]

[She goes unnaturally quiet at that, there's something on her mind and she doesn't want it to come out negatively.]

We'll be able to, right?

[Musical chemistry was a thing, sometimes it was there, sometimes it wasn't. The idea that it might not exist between is weirdly terrifying. She'd considered the idea of playing manager, sure, but to not pitch in with anything, and to always push down that part of herself would be horrible.]

[pecsonpecs]

...won't know until we try.

[He gets what she's trying to get at, but to be fair:]

It can't be any worse than the nonsense I had to put up with in my old band. Gaige and I got along great, but some of the others...I still wonder how we managed to work things out.

[Probably because they had to under duress.]

[gunslingerqueen]

I'd have never guessed it was that bad.

[But then that's the magic of corporate hounds, AKA managers. It was their job to help make everything appear copasthetic even if they were all falling apart at the seams.] We do what we have to do in the moment, I guess.

[It's not as if she'd always been on the same wavelength as her ex-bandmates, but for the most part she had learned to become more ... Submissive about the whole thing. She hadn't been there to express any part of herself, that right belonged to everyone else - she was the eponymous little sister, a troublemaker with a gorgeous voice.]

If that's our basis for comparison then you're definitely right.

[pecsonpecs]

We never had arguments, per se, but everyone had a different idea what sounded best and we couldn't find a compromise. Usually I just stepped back because I don't like fighting with the team.

The fantasy theme was cool for a while, but eventually I wanted something else. A harder punch, more artistic lyric choices, more melody, less static rhythm...I wanted to deviate from the formula. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the band were fine people, but my tastes changed and it was getting frustrating to have to bite my tongue.

So I guess I'm back in an experimental phase.

[gunslingerqueen]

Bite it enough and it might just fall out.

[It really does seem that the more they delve into it, the more it seems as if there's a bigger reason for ending up together. It's a big, overwhelming feeling that she can barely wrap her head around, it remains somewhat out of reach, but it's also nice.]

I have to get used to being able to say anything at all, so if nothing else we're on the same general page.

[Somehow she doesn't doubt that if nothing else they can find some form of a middle ground. She'd hate it if he kept himself quiet just for the sake of agreeing, after all.]

[pecsonpecs]

[It's something like that, isn't it? Cosmic forces or something or other--or maybe just a case of 'you don't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need'.

He turns to watch her instead of the passing atmosphere.]

Why don't you try making something all on your own, from the ground up? Once you get stuck or need a fresh pair of eyes, we can look at it together.