I ALWAYS THOUGHT I MIGHT BE BAD, NOW I'M SURE THAT IT'S TRUE

[webdesigned]

CHARACTERS: peter & sonia & maya & then sonia again AND MAYBE MORE??? we will see...
DATE: post cure and until the end of their time in woodhurst
WARNINGS: manpain about eating people probably
SUMMARY: getting S L A P P E D, ramen, & science museums


SONIA.

( it's about three days after his cure, maybe closer to four, when he finds himself back at Sonia's door. he's armed with the heartbreak of last night and the messages left on his magitek, of a newfound friend and confidant desperately trying to reach him.

Sonia already knows he's back to himself again, she'd been there when it happened, yet she hasn't seen hide nor hair of him since then. it's much harder, to face people in person, when Peter would very much like to crawl in a hole and never come out, or at least crawl into the sewer and distract himself curing literally every infected there, like maybe it'll relieve even an ounce of the guilt blooming in his lungs.

it won't, and neither will making another apology, yet that didn't invalidate that Sonia deserved to hear one.

he hasn't announced himself, he's just here; he hasn't stopped to consider that his presence might not be very welcome when he knocks on the door. at least Sonia won't have to be surprised as to who is behind it, when he hears her moving toward the door (yeah, he even knows its her by the sound of her footfalls), he calls, ) It's me.

MAYA.

( it's been a bit more than a week, and Woodhurst is already starting to show signs of improvement. the overwhelming numbers of infected are starting to even out, the people of the city are starting to find their path toward recovery and it's slowly and surely hinting back towards something like a normal city in the 90s.

Peter has not been spending a lot of time doing much beyond madly trying to cure whatever infected he could find, not since his uncomfortable apology tour to half the team is over. and trying (and mostly failing) to sleep sometimes. don't say he never learns anything, y'all!

he'd be happy to keep himself to mindlessly working — no time to think when you're mindlessly working — but Maya is pretty persuasive, he's noticed. she isn't wrong that he owes her something like a hundred dinners, and they'd better even some of the score while they were still in a place he could buy her food. it's just a matter of getting there... you know, if they survive the moped ride. )

Have you driven this thing yet? ( he asks, not realizing the doom he is definitely walking right into by trusting Maya to do the driving. there's only one helmet, who gets it? Maya, apparently, he'll survive better if it comes to that. he plunks it on her head without asking, and it doesn't fit great over the topknot but whatever. her head is still vaguely safer for it. )

SONIA. (AGAIN. I KNOW.)

( his last meeting with Sonia hadn't gone the best, but they'd found a decent conclusion in the end. it'd certainly been something Peter had wanted to improve on, though; he's pretty new to making and maintaining friends, and Sonia is one that is important to him. he realizes from experience how hard making the cure had been on both of them, and he knows how difficult it'd been to deal with being infected, too.

now that their time in Woodhurst is drawing to a close, they've only got so much time left for potentially distracting themselves from the weight of the mission. they need a break, and Maya has been good at reminding him that people still need those. Sonia definitely does, and he hopes that a trip to the Science Exploration Museum will be a good one. she's dealt with enough of the dark side of science... why not have a little fun with it, for once?

the place is locked up; a lot of Woodhurst is still in recovery after Bristol. still, Peter is not going to be deterred. they're getting in there and Sonia is going to have Fun and that's the long and short of it. ) I know a way in, but you're going to have to trust me. ( a more difficult feat than it used to be, isn't it? )

WILDCARD.

want a thing? throw me a prompt, and I will throw you a spider! you can always catch me via pm or at ~meowed if you wanna plot something!

Comments

it's been 84 years aka hello sorry for the delay /)n(\

[assent]

[ She's kept herself busy by ensuring the population has been receiving the cure or vaccine as well, taking Arima's training and using it to try and avoid casualties. Her katana is still on the coffee table in front of the equipment Peter lent to her, but she hasn't had time to pack anything up yet. Not between that and just preparing to go back to Oska, anyway.

In fact, she had planned to do it today when she hears the knock. Her feet start padding in that direction instead, quickening when she hears Peter's voice as well.

She's too used to bad news following when someone shows at the door now, which is why she pulls it open much more quickly than necessary. ]

Peter...?

and numero dos

[assent]

[ Her eyes sweep over the building, curious to see what is actually inside. Her own level of science actually isn't as high as her favoured subjects, it's only with the medicinal aspect. It means that she's all the more eager to learn, even having picked up a book or two from a used book store in the subhurbs to read up on it whenever she has a break.

Right now though, there are other issues to contend with. She knows from experience what it means to push yourself too hard to make up for past mistakes, and rather today be just about that, she wants them both to have a little fun rather than him worrying about her. ]

Of course. What do you need me to do?

[ Though it's a shame he doesn't realise he would have had to have done a lot worse for her to hold it against him. If people don't do that with her after the damage she's done, why should she? (She's trying to keep her anger for how she's handle other things on the lowdown for now, you sadly cannot get someone to open up if you're yelling at them, okok) ]

slams in here even later than liah

[feytality]

[It's good that Peter's throwing his efforts into helping the people remaining and distracting himself, but too much work and no fun makes Peter desperately in need of a Mayatervention, and she's not about to let him work himself to death with no breaks, ever, in his life.]

[She can understand the guilt -- if she'd been in his position, she'd be doing the same thing (except with less nerdery), but he's her friend. She refused to lose him to the infection, and she refuses to lose him to guilt.]

Nope!

[The moped situation is really all his fault.. he's the one who gave it to her. She's only ever driven an electric bicycle -- this thing's got to work the same, right?] It's my first time trying this baby out! Are you excited? I'll get us to the noodle place in no time!

[In other words, they're going to die and go to the Big Noodle Place in the Sky. She allows the helmet plunking (stopping to adjust it), but hops on the moped and starts it up. Any last words, Peter Parker?] Are you ready? Let's get this show on the road!

liah oh my god it was literally one day... so now i feel bad (3 days later)

[webdesigned]

( Peter. yup. that would be the one. he looks sheepish and almost a little lost when the door swings open. and maybe a little uncertain. should he be here? does he even know what he wants to say? not necessarily, on both counts. he's seen Sonia fairly recently, yet none of it had been with the perspective the messages she left had brought.

still, even though his intentions of apologizing and maybe explaining had been very good, when he sees her face all he seems to manage is looking at the floor, though it does nothing to really hide the shame he's wearing on his face. ) Yeah. Hi. Sorry, it's — it's not a big deal. I didn't mean to scare you.

( he almost winces at his own words. yeah, because making her rush to open the door was even remotely comparable to the way he's already scared her. )

[webdesigned]

( what does he need her to do? well, it's actually not that hard, as long as she's willing to trust. he looks up, to the distant curve of an architecturally interesting roof, before glancing back at Sonia. having people particularly close to him has taken on a new level of unnerving, but, if they want to break in and be some kind of incognito about it, he can't just break down the door. some sacrifices must be made.

how else does a spider sneak in somewhere he doesn't belong? lots of ways, actually, but in this instance, it's the skylight. and they're going to have to get closer to the sky to use it.

he opens his arms, looking very much like he's inviting her to an impromptu hug, in front of a building they're trying to break into. you know what, maybe he is. ) You're going to have to hold on. ( don't worry, it'll be fine. he can handle webslinging for two. )

slams in latest of all if you think about it

[webdesigned]

( desperately in need of a Mayatervention, indeed. it's not as if he hasn't drowned himself in plenty of guilt and then some. oh, no, he sure has. still, he's determined to learn something from Woodhurst, and that? is to not forget that he has some sort of responsibility to himself, as well. he needs to sleep, he needs to eat, and while the friendly company is the hardest to justify, maybe he needs that too.

and Maya has proven distinctly hard to shake, not that he's ever actually tried to.

he shakes his head at the sight of her in the helmet — he can't manage a laugh, but she does look cute in it — yet she bounces onward and allows no time for him to be distracted. never driven it once? well, if this was when he should be getting nervous, he doesn't. how hard can it be, to drive a moped? they only go like twenty miles an hour, he goes faster than that as he whips through the sky with only a bit of webbing to protect him. suffice to say, he ain't scared.

Peter does look a little awkward behind the tiny girl on the tiny moped, but he's not even as frightened for his dignity as he should be. he does not really know where to hold on, so... he will put his hands behind him, for now. who knows if that will work. ) Never readier. ( that's not a saying. or, it wasn't, until just now and he made it one. ) Ramen isn't burgers, but we can work up to it.

( unsurprisingly... he's been avoiding meat since coming to his senses. )

dkjgsdg shhh.... shhhhh....!!!

[assent]

[ Her head tilts, unsure of whether something is wrong (that tends to be the common census when people turn up at her door these days.) She's quickly placated by what he says--it isn't a big deal--and steps aside to let him in. ]

You did not scare me, I was just concerned something may have happened. I suppose at this point I am getting used to hearing bad news. Please, come on in.

[assent]

[ She blinks once, then up towards where he had looked before. Her arm moves to cover where the sun is shining, but honestly she just looks confused for a moment. ]

Up?

[ She doesn't really know all the details, if only because Haise never brought up what happened, and Stiles has been... a little touchy about the whole subject. It's literally only what Peter has told her.

Still, it isn't the first time she's put her trust in someone like this. Granted, Haise and Peter are very different and she knows a lot more about one than the other, but she still steps closer to Peter when he holds his arms out and tells her to hold on. ]

Of course. I am not worried, Peter. Just tell me what you need me to do without hesitation, all right?

[ It almost is like a hug though when her arms curl around his neck, cheek resting against her own arm as she looks at him. ]

[webdesigned]

( up is a very gentle way of putting it, really. still, even if his heartbeat is running a gambit faster, he has to ignore the voice that tells him he can't do this, that he can't be trusted so close to people far less fragile than he is. he's seen the consequences of forgetting what he can do. it makes him nervous, despite the fact he'd swung people around easily and thoughtlessly before the virus got the better of him... but he needs to relearn how to help and not hurt. he won't be any good to anyone if he never trusts himself to websling anyone out of danger. he's got to figure out how to trust himself again.

she steps nearer and he stifles the momentary panic, pitting an arm around her in return. it looks absolutely bizarre, if anyone catches sight of them, two teenagers absurdly close on the steps of the Science museum... it's not quite what it looks like, though. )

Just don't choke me on accident and we should be okay, ( he mutters with a hint of a smile. good to know he's still capable of those.

even if Haise had warned her about what he could do, Peter doesn't exactly intend to crawl them up the wall. he hadn't had his webshooters on him when he'd been lost to Bristol, so Haise couldn't have mentioned them. which all things considered, makes her trust all the more astonishing. he doesn't intend to let her down, though.

at least he gives her a slight warning. ) Ready? ( when she offers a hint of a nod, he nods in return, and then his attention returns upwards to the point of the roof he was eyeing earlier. this time, though, he lifts an arm and throws a quick thwip of webbing — and suddenly they're not on the ground anymore, swinging up and away fast enough that it'll no doubt be a bit of a start and a rush all at once, wind whistling in their ears and —

then it's over, about as soon as it started. he's not showing off, as he did pretty early with someone else during the first few weeks of Woodhurst. he just wants to get them to where they need to go. once he's sure he's steady, he lets her go. ) Still with me, Sonia? ( that had to be a little bit startling, especially considering she probably had no real clue as to what was coming. )

[webdesigned]

( considering how woodhurst has been for just about all of them, he probably should have prefaced that. no, there's no horrible news to recount, in fact that might have been easier for him to admit to. no, all he has to talk about are his own mistakes and the ways he'd let her down.

he lingers on the doorway, uncertain only for a moment until he follows at her leading. ) I got your messages. From... before. ( he seems a great deal shorter when his shoulders sag so low, and his face is facing the floor. ) I'm sorry, Sonia. I should have said something. I just... after it happened, I...

( he falls back into silence. yeah, so this talking thing? not as easy as it looks. )

i'm sorry

[assent]

[ Her own heartbeat is strangely tame given the situation. There's suspense as she waits for him to be ready, having a vague idea of what might happen, but not exactly sure of the how. Honestly, not much surprises her. Even at home Akane could crawl up walls and parkour to an extent no normal human could. Nidai could shock people with electricity from his eyebrows. Nothing really surprises her anymore.

Nor does she really fear all too much either.

Instead, she gives him a tiny squeeze, trying to be reassuring. ] I promise I will not choke you.

[ After she nods in return, her head tilts back slightly to see what his arm is doing then thwip indeed. She squeaks slightly, because the movements are a lot quicker than what she had been through when Haise took her around the city; yet, she doesn't shut her eyes. In fact, it's probably embarrassing in that she switches from looking up to looking at him in awe.

Good luck, Peter, you are going to need it. ]

H- [ She's too busy trying to push past her excitement though, breathing heavily so even when he lets her go, she doesn't completely step back. Instead, she reaches for his arm, both hands locking onto it gently. ]

How amazing!!! [ She gasps it out, looking at his face with what can only be described as sparkles in her eyes. ] How do you do it? Can I see properly?!

[assent]

[ She pauses midway to closing the door, her head tilting before she leans back against it. She pauses for a moment, taking in his stature, the way he seems to sink into himself.

Quietly, she lets her feet bring her closer to him. Gently, her hand moves to curl around his wrist, a gentle tug following. ]

Sit down with me. We can talk on the couch, yes?

[ Because she's only heard one side of the story to begin with, but this is also something she's familiar with. She's woken up knowing that she's hurt many, after all, so she can understand where he's coming from -- it just doesn't mean either one of them is right in all this. It's a complicated matter. ]

Take a seat.

[ She doesn't give him room to argue either, waiting until she's managed to coax him towards the couch before she lets him continue. ]

Now. Go ahead.

not really

[feytality]

[Even if he tried, he couldn't do it. So it's fortunate he hasn't wasted his time yet]

[He should be scared, but he's a fool who has no idea what he's up against. Maya starts up the moped and settles her hands on the bars, glancing back at him to make sure he's properly positioned]

....To be honest, I'm okay sticking with ramen. Almost being a Maya burger to half the city kinda kills my burger stomach's appetite.

[Just sayin. He's obviously in a similar position] Alright! Hang on!

[With only that as a warning, she's revving it up taking off with a very jarring start. Might want to grab onto her now, Pete.... or risk falling off]

DON'T BE

[webdesigned]

( if it's awkward, he doesn't notice. Sonia isn't actually the first person he's carried along, after all. he's probably nabbed and airlifted more civilians than he can actually count anymore. he's not focused on Sonia so much as he is focused on making sure they both get to the roof in one piece. not something Peter had worried overly much about a few weeks ago.

now he's a lot more uncertain about a lot of things.

he's a little surprised when she reaches for his arm, though he doesn't argue when she pulls it closer. there's nothing actually too remarkable about his arm — unless you count the fact he's wearing about five layers of shirt, for some reason, Peter why — it's the "watch" at his wrist that she's really bound to be interested in.

being Spider-Man hadn't always been a heartbreaking endeavor. the awe, the wonder, of the people of New York — the open gratitude for what he did, the wide-eyed delight in having someone unbelievable to believe in. it's been a long time since he's experienced that sort of reaction, though — yes, mostly because he hides it, and his time as a masked crime-fighting vigilante is so very limited now. still, considering the hole he's trapped himself in, the wonder in her expression is a nice change.

doesn't exactly change the fact he doesn't feel like a hero, or that he's more of a threat than a potential protector... but it's quietly heart-warming in a way he sort of needs. )

It's just a mechanism built into my watch. I'm not that much of a spider. ( he shows her the exact flick of the wrist that activates it, though, at her request. )

[webdesigned]

( he can sense what's happening before it happens. the same senses that had caused a broken arm and worse are still with him, they're a part of him now. he can't turn it off. so he can tell she's moving forward, reaching for him, before it even happens.

he can't help the wince as her fingers graze against his skin, almost like he's expecting something worse. nothing happens, because why would it? Peter isn't much reassured by the lack of reaction, though, stuck on the thought that he shouldn't have let her risk touching him in the first place. he'd seen it coming and lingered, because he wanted that touch... and look where that sort of selfishness had gotten him with Stiles.

she leads, and he follows, even if he looks like he'd much rather melt into the carpet or be anywhere but where he is right now. he seems nearly as awkward on her sofa, though he does force himself to look at her instead of anywhere else when he manages to speak up again. )

I'm sorry. That I wasn't there. That I didn't tell you where I was going. I wasn't thinking. ( he wasn't thinking about a lot, actually, and all the ways are only clear to him now after it's too late to take any of it back. ) I didn't mean to worry you.

think about it harder

[webdesigned]

Almost a Maya... when did that—

( oh, okay, nevermind, they're skipping the Q&A part of this talk. sure, cool, he'll totally forget the claim that she nearly ended up infected food in the wake of a horrifying moped ride. that's definitely going to be a thing that happens.

now, Koala-Man is pretty strong. he's also capable of sticking to whatever surface he wants to, so theoretically, he should be fine, he can hold on perfectly well to the handles behind him and not fall off of this adorably painted moped. only twenty miles an hour, right? totally harmless, right?

maybe not. and it's instinct and not necessity that has him hold onto Maya instead of the moped as they shoot off like a rocket. ) This thing can go faster than I thought. ( he doesn't sound angry, so much as delighted, bizarrely enough. he should be a little more cautious, but remember, this is definitely a guy that swings around city skylines by only a tiny strand of web. it's difficult to make mopeds seem scarier than that, and he likes the death-defying stunts, for some unknown reason.

if it was his job to suggest Maya slow down, well... RIP Papaya, how little we knew ye )

/)u(\

[assent]

[ Five layers of shirt...

That is weird, but whatever floats your boat homie. Still, it takes her flipping his arm over a few times that she realises she can't actually see anything visible.

Her eyes move back to his face as he explains it, head tilting to the side. ]

Your watch? [ She shuffles aside a little as he activates it, watching in curiosity that swiftly changes back to delight--awe. ] Truly remarkable! Did you create this?

[ Will they even make it into the science museum or will he just be the main exhibit... stay tuned. ]

[assent]

[ The irony is that compared to Peter, she's put herself in this position with people who could offer more harm that Peter could. Giovanni, for instance, only recently gained an inclination to actually help the team and had been more likely to raise a gun than offer friendship. Yet, she had been one of the few to turn that around.

Faith, it seems, can go a long way. Perhaps it is reckless of her too, but helping people was what she was raised to do, to a point of being stubborn to a fault. ]

Thank you for the apology, but once I knew... I think you should realise that I understood more than you might be aware of. [ She pauses. ] You were an idiot for not noticing the signs, of course, but blame will get us no where.

[ She takes another breath, and this time it might seem harsh compared to everything else--too blunt. ] Did you blame yourself for what happened to him?

[ Maybe she shouldn't be bringing up Stiles-- but... She knows a little of what happened. Stiles had come to her after Giorno had healed him and he'd seen Olivia after all. Yet, there's a purpose to this line of questioning as well.

After all, her own country is dead because of her, she can identify with that harsh, unforgiving weight of guilt upon your shoulders that you can't seem to shove away. ]

no bc you're just replying!!! you set up this log first

[feytality]

I told you I'm irresistibly delicious!

[That's about all he gets in response to that before she goes revving up at top speed in the worst, jerkiest fashion ever..... who gave her her license, who gave her this moped, who allowed this]

[oh wait it was Peter. He deserves everything he gets. She doesn't mind that he snags onto her like she's in a greaser gang and he's her new Sandy Olsen, but she's definitely not slowing down anytime soon.]

[In her defense, the closest thing she's ever ridden to a moped is an electric bicycle. At least she isn't driving a motorcycle]

It's pretty cool! I have to admit, you were smart to give it to me.

[Watch out Woodhurst, here comes Maya]

[webdesigned]

( he does deserve to die in a blaze of glory in mopedicular manslaughter. he should have thought this through. seriously though what was he supposed to do with a moped??? maya was literally the only person he could think of that was the right size to reach the pedals, who else would he have given it to...

maybe someone who knew how to drive one, but hindsight is 20/20. instead he's going to hold on for dear life. )

You're welcome, I th— Wait, Maya, you gotta slow down, that light is about— ( to turn red. yup. not even precognitive spider-senses can warn them fast enough, when Maya has the pedal to the medal. they careen past and a few horns blare behind them, but on the plus side they get through the intersection unscathed (somehow). wow, okay... at least they made it??? he finishes the sentence, even if it's too late. ) — to change.

[webdesigned]

( leave him and his eighteen shirts alone Sonia!!!! god only knows why but apparently he likes the layers...

he was not expecting the interest and curiosity, somehow. to be fair, he did spend a good bit of his time the other day explaining to half of Audentes what he could do. it seems Sonia missed out on a few of the finer details. )

Uh... yeah, I did. It's not a big deal. ( he's more than a little embarrassed now, though he tries to hide it by staring at his shoes. he'd mess with his hair if Sonia still didn't have a handle on his arm. ) We should get inside, before someone sees us up here. ( he carefully steps past her, to the entrance he'd scoped out before he invited Sonia to the museum in the first place. it lifts up easily, or, well... it's easy when you're strong enough to pick up school busses, anyway.

if Sonia still has interest in his webshooters, she'll get another look at them in action soon enough, to get them to the ground level. the way open, he turns back to look at her. ) Come on, the second time is easier than the first. ( he'll be gentle though, Sonia. promise. )

[webdesigned]

( an idiot is a really gentle word for it, actually. for him to create a test for the virus in the first place, the one that allowed so many to detect their symptoms and prepare for the worst, and utterly fail to consider himself susceptible? it was beyond idiotic, it had been dangerously neglectful, and countless people had suffered for it. he still can't help a slight wince of his features to be reminded, even though Peter has thought worse of himself many times already.

there's something in her words that his mind sticks to, a curiosity as to what she means. he doesn't get any time to ask, though, because the idea she might understand what he's going through is quickly and almost instantly trumped by the next thing she has to say.

him, not even a name, and yet he knows instantly who Sonia means. the name has been stuck in his heart and his head since he woke up, back to himself, and with all the memories of things he had to regret painted freshly in his mind. Peter wasn't prepared for this, he wasn't expecting the question. he doesn't have the three days of preparation that he'd had to face Stiles himself, and he needs far more than three days to face the true reality of what happened.

does he blame himself for what happened to Stiles? of course he does. when he replays that moment — and replay it he does, over and over, usually as he lays in the dark unable to sleep without a familiar heartbeat pattern at his side — it's not a moment of utter blindness to the virus, it wasn't as if he was completely beyond himself. it wasn't the virus to blame, it was him, the thing he'd turned into thanks to senses he could barely control and strength he often didn't think about.

Peter had managed to try and fade the reality of losing Gwen that it had been an accident. what happened to Stiles pulls back any room he had to doubt. it was not an accident, it was him. the real threat against anyone who risked getting close to him was no one other than Peter himself. )

I— I didn't want— ( his voice cracks on the words, and they splinter before he can even speak them, fading into a choked noise as he stares at his own hands, unable to shake the memories now that a simple question has dragged them all back from the safe place he's tried to stow them. not gone, but back and distant, just so he could exist without the sensation of his lungs collapsing in his chest.

the next breath is heavier than the last, the words crawling up his throat like poison, and yet he can't stop them. finally, for all his avoiding and evasion, they are determined to be heard. no more excuses. ) I hurt him. I... oh, god, I ... I can still hear it, the sound he made... ( more than that, he can still hear all the tiny splinters of shattered bone, the impact of a body against a wall, and please don't leave me... now that the words have started, they don't stop, rushing out like a burst pipe. ) I did more than hurt, I... of course it's my fault. ( the problem with letting the poison out, though, is that it doesn't disappear, the place in his heart corroded from the truth doesn't quiet. no, suddenly it's even worse, pressing in with unrelenting force. )

[assent]

[ It may have been wrong of her to not be more open about her own situation with him before. Honestly, Urahara had known for a while, but she had broken down to Sieglinde when the virus had started to weigh on her and her own fear of herself and her own capabilities started to emerge all the more. Things had changed with Woodhurst. The mission itself echoed the problems of Despair more than she wanted to reason with -- the only difference was that there had been no enjoyment to come with it with Bristol. Despair was all consuming, it made you lust for the pain of others to the point where just once or twice wasn't enough. Hunger didn't make it worse, people did.

She doesn't bring it up right away when she seems to hit it right on with her question anyway, instead she moves herself from the couch to rest her knees on the floor in front of him. It's hard to say what the memory that plays in his head must be like. Confusion, the panic and worry alongside the self loathing that must come with it. She knows they were close, but not really the extent of it as she'd actually never seen them together. All she can do is assume from the way he reacts to that one setence. A question, it seems, that asks for more than she may have realised. ]

Peter. [ Her voice is gentle, yet firm as she addresses him, tries to not let him sink too far into himself before she can really try and help. Her hands reach for his, gently resting atop of them both as she breathes out slowly. It is now or never, after all. ]

It may be that the memory of it will never leave you, but do not let it be twisted by what you think you deserve because of it. "Of couse it is my fault" is something I have said to myself many times before, yet learning to accept that not all of the pieces were in your favour is harder than I know I would have hoped for.

[ She hopes he's listening, either way. Five months of her trying to learn from her own past has been tough, and only three months of that was with another's aid. She still hasn't really completely accepted it either, but considering she's already trying... it makes sense to try and help him. She wants to help him through this. ]

The virus was something cruel, something created to make sport of people already in pain. If anything, Percy is the one at fault, not you. Though I am aware it is difficult to see it that way as well. After all, it is not the first time I have lived through something like this.

[assent]

[ It went up to eighteen now?!

Though it's true she only glanced over the post itself, given that she felt he hadn't really needed to apologise to begin with. All that had really mattered was getting people back on their feet again -- which is apparently what she's using today for as well.

She may be having some regrets about wearing a dress for this by this point though. ]

Of course it is. Do you not think this genuinely shows how amazing you are?

[ Um. Okay, Sonia...! Still, she knows Souda invents things all the time, but his are mostly robots tbh. ] But of course, it would ruin the trip if we were caught at this stage, no?

[ She steps to where he lifts up the entrance, though the irony is that there are plenty of others in her world who can do the same. It's partly why she hadn't really questioned Haise when he started lifting things for her when they met either.

She doesn't need telling twice though, this time choosing to practically hug onto him as she prepares to be taken down now. ]

Whenever you are ready, then.

[feytality]

[Sometimes you have to make important moped decisions based on things other than height, Peter. Or you'll live to regret it. Or... not live, the jury's out. The worst part of this little exercise is that Maya sees the light about to change and doesn't give a fuck. Good thing this isn't Graham, or her ass would be arrested]

[Maya whoops loudly as they shoot through the red light, just barely dodging incoming traffic (and those horns) -- and luckily for them, they make it through. She keeps going]

Yep! [She's not worried at all] We just made it! How cool was that?

[Definitely... cool...]