militia | twenty-nineth • audio

twenty-nineth • audio

[ action for 07-ghost house ]
[ Shuri had started doing laundry. Not started, attempted. But after the machine had begun to bubble over and it began making angry, congested sounds, the young noble decided it might be better to get someone more suited for the job. ]

Mikage! Come over here, I need some help with the laundry. [ no reply. ] ... Mikage? [ ... ] Mikage, don't you ignore me! This is your job, be grateful that I'm doing it for you! [ Huffing, he stomps on into the living room.

There's no cheeky grin waiting for him. No put upon sigh. ] ... Mikage?

[ ... The rest of the house is thoroughly searched. Nothing. No sign, no trace. The magazines that once sat on the table are gone. ] Mikage, this isn't funny! Come out here and help me!

[ Nothing. Gone, gone, gone.

He's half frantic. By the time he gets to the other teen's room, he already knows what's happened. ]

[ voice ]

... Uh.

[ Shuri clears his throat. The snapshot shows bright blue, bloodshot eyes. He sniffles hard, presses the heels of his hands into his eyes, and tries to compose himself. ]

[ His lower lip trembles. ] Mikage, he... He promised. This isn't fair. This isn't fair at all... I...

[ He flings the journal shut with one hand, taking deep, shuddering breaths to compose himself. It's not right, it's not fair, he already had to deal with this once why does it have to happen again? After they made everything better, and...

Eventually, after much stifled tears and muffled sobbing, Shuri brings the book back to him. He doesn't look at it, instead his gaze is set to a fixed location just under the book. ]

Mikage Celestine has gone home.

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[... Mikage. Gone. Wow. It's. Kind of hard to believe.]

You're sure? Maybe it's just some kind of prank, yeah?

[ He's thought about that, but... ] He wouldn't do pull a prank like this.

[Sighing.]

Yeah. I know.

[ Shuri sniffles. ]

Stupid, stupid Mikage!

[... Shuri really does like Mikage. More than Kurt figured.]

It's going to be okay, man. You'll get to see him when you go home too, yeah?

[ His entire body goes rigid. ]

I have absolutely no interest in trying to talk to that thing.

[... what the hell, Shuri. He knows you can be a stuck up jackass sometimes, but there's a line. And that's crossing it. (Or so Kurt thinks.)]

I don't care what you think, Shuri. He's your friend. Not a thing.

Mikage was my friend. Mikage. Not whatever it is he becomes after he di... [ his breath hitches. ] Whenever he goes home! I don't have to care.

[... he doesn't like this. It sounds like more than Shuri and Mikage having a falling out. It sounds like-]

Shuri. What happens to Mikage?

He- [ oh.

... oh. ] He never told you. [ Of course he wouldn't. ] Nothing! He just-!

[... not good. Not good.]

I know where you live, Shuri. If I have to come find you to make you tell me... [Then. He will do it. In a flash.]

I'm not telling you anything.

[Indignant:] He was- is my friend too, Shuri!

[ DON'T YOU THROW THE F WORD AROUND. ]

Then come over here.

[/SETS OFF THE F-BOMB]

Fine. I will.

[Not even ten seconds later, there's an impatient knock at the door.]

[ He really doesn't want to do this today.

Really.

He really, really doesn't want to. He's having a hard enough time processing it and he doesn't want to talk about it or think about it. But he does. He opens the door, he doesn't look at Kurt. ] Get in.

[Once inside, he lets his tail close the door behind him. He keeps his eyes fixed on Shuri though. The way he's acting... talking. Kurt doesn't need to ask. He knows what the answer will be. But he's here on the hope that maybe, maybe he's wrong. But it's sinking in that he isn't.]

... he never said anything to me. I don't know why.

[ he knows. he lets out a shaky breath. ]

... That's just how he's always been.

[He wants to be upset with Mikage. He should have said something. Kurt feels like he deserves to know.

But.

Kurt has his own secrets. Stuff he never told Mikage. Things he hasn't told anyone, not even Rogue. How can he blame Mikage for not sharing something that is worse.]

... I know. I mean. I'm the same the way.

Huh.

[ Shuri gives an indignant sniff. it's a pretty good disguise for the fact that his tears are starting to form in the corners of his eyes again. ] Keeping things from people. Especially in a place like this... That's a stupid thing to do.

We have our reasons. [Kurt bows his head and finds himself leaning against the door. It's all sinking in now.]

... I can't believe this is it. It doesn't feel real.

They're stupid reasons. You make everyone worry and worry for nothing and you just end up suffering. [ It's not fair. Mikage shouldn't have kept all of this from the people he trusted. They would have found out in some way or another. He probably shouldn't have said anything at all, then no one else would have to think about it.

He's more or less composed himself now. ] He didn't even know I knew.

[Kurt remains quiet on the first issue. He knows Shuri's upset. And also... they are just things he can't bring himself to share. Not now.]

... so it's already happened for you, then.

It happened months ago. [ He doesn't want to stand in the hallway. He makes a vague gesture for Kurt to follow him and starts off. ] They said it was a Hawkzile accident, but...

[Kurt follows, not paying much attention to their direction.]

Hakwzile?

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