[Yikes. Is this how his brothers feel trying to handle Marco?!]
Hey.
[Scrunches fingers through Ikki's hair, holding him close.]
No. She's not abandoned. I promised too, she won't be alone in her forest with no one to find her ever again. If I have to take you there myself alone, even at the risk of losing Grell, I will. But give it more than two heartbeats and time. You don't even know this place yet. Secure things here, and then we'll expand outwards, I promise, brother.
You are always late, but that doesn't mean you fucked up. [Marco's own face echoes that pain momentarily. He was late for Grell, late for Pops, late for Ace, late for Thatch. Was that being a phoenix or--]
What matters is you are here! NOW! And I do need you. I took this place for granted. I took Grell for granted. It's been so many years, so many worlds, and she's immortal, so I never had to do anything before. I've been slipping. You're here, you can help me remember how to be a phoenix but still not give up on humanity. Hard as that is.
[Leanne though...]
[His heart aches. The promise. The memories that he'd walled off from the whole world just flood him. Promises, so many promises. His love for this pure heron girl, her good intentions, her accidental mind-reading, her songs, her protecting Roxas. He tears up without realizing it, and lets go of Ikki to wipe his face with a laugh, shaking his head.]
I still can't believe you're here!
I won't lower my guard. I won't.
[And offers Ikki a rough handshake.] Come on. Let's get... food. Drinks. I need a drink. We can compare realities then. First step I'll need to figuring out where I pulled wrong, eh?
[Switching back to phoenix:] We can discuss what vengeance to wreak on kidnappers later. Leanne was the one person I tried to protect from all that darkness that still fought her way through it nevertheless, and it conflicts in my brain. Desire to protect her vs. chaos and revenge, yoi.
action
Hey.
[Scrunches fingers through Ikki's hair, holding him close.]
No. She's not abandoned. I promised too, she won't be alone in her forest with no one to find her ever again. If I have to take you there myself alone, even at the risk of losing Grell, I will. But give it more than two heartbeats and time. You don't even know this place yet. Secure things here, and then we'll expand outwards, I promise, brother.
You are always late, but that doesn't mean you fucked up. [Marco's own face echoes that pain momentarily. He was late for Grell, late for Pops, late for Ace, late for Thatch. Was that being a phoenix or--]
What matters is you are here! NOW! And I do need you. I took this place for granted. I took Grell for granted. It's been so many years, so many worlds, and she's immortal, so I never had to do anything before. I've been slipping. You're here, you can help me remember how to be a phoenix but still not give up on humanity. Hard as that is.
[Leanne though...]
[His heart aches. The promise. The memories that he'd walled off from the whole world just flood him. Promises, so many promises. His love for this pure heron girl, her good intentions, her accidental mind-reading, her songs, her protecting Roxas. He tears up without realizing it, and lets go of Ikki to wipe his face with a laugh, shaking his head.]
I still can't believe you're here!
I won't lower my guard. I won't.
[And offers Ikki a rough handshake.] Come on. Let's get... food. Drinks. I need a drink. We can compare realities then. First step I'll need to figuring out where I pulled wrong, eh?
[Switching back to phoenix:] We can discuss what vengeance to wreak on kidnappers later. Leanne was the one person I tried to protect from all that darkness that still fought her way through it nevertheless, and it conflicts in my brain. Desire to protect her vs. chaos and revenge, yoi.