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wrfmlogsarchive2011-02-20 12:08 am
ryu-saria.livejournal.com) wrote in wrfmlogsarchive2011-02-20 12:08 am
do you still walk the streets at night
Who: Song and...
What: The first thing she does after being rescued is, of course, find more trouble
Where: Radiant Garden
When: Saturday night
with that wanderlust you fight...
There was nothing quite like coming back to Rainbow's End after an enforced absense. This was becoming more noticeable as such absenses continued to arise. Home Sweet Home was as well and good as ever, but that didn't quell a certain would-be scientist's wanderlust.
And just to make it fun, she'd climbed out her window rather than alert her Noble Sisterly Protectors of her escape. Just a little stroll around Radiant Garden wouldn't hurt. Perhaps she'd just happen to pass by the hangar. Maybe Cid would have a new ship which she could compose a request for later. Zero was going to be so disappointed when he found out how she'd wrecked hers....
The grounds around Rainbow's End were quiet as usual and still chilly, but that didn't stop the activity just beyond the great house's walls. Despite the near silence though, it soon became clear that Song wasn't the only one in the area - heavy and quickly approaching footsteps from just around the corner marked someone else's presence.
Song had a habit (possibly a bad one) of ignoring other folk on the street unless someone came too close, so she kept on her way without sparing a glance up even as she reached the corner. People could step around her.
Her head was in a happy sort of fuzzy state, as a matter of fact, so it was very easy not to notice trivial details like, say, any familiarity in the sound.
It was probably inevitable that the newcomer ran right into Song.
Stumbling back from the collision, the man simultaneously reached out to steady her, already beginning to apologize when the words caught in his throat. He blinked in shock down at Song, apparently both confused and startled to see her walking about Rainbow's End like any other day. And then...
"...you cut your hair."
Alright so not taking caution around corners was a bad thing, she decided as she attempted not to fall on her ass. Helped, of course, by her accidetal assailant who was-- Oh... Well... weren't those a pair of familiar blue eyes?
She blinked in equal bewilderment, needing to jump start her brain a few times before she could make sense of his comment.
"I... it was kind of an accident."
He took a step away from her, with his hands still on her shoulders, and looked down at her, confusion still in his eyes. Maybe it was the sheer fact of finding her there instead of missing, as he had assumed. Or maybe it was the abrupt collusion after a year apart.
But after a few more moments of stunned silence past, his familiar grin appeared and Josiah laughed, running a hand through his own hair.
"It looks good on you."
Naturally she couldn't help but grin too.
"Glad you think so. I admit I did mourn my long hair for a while."
She assumed a characteristic tilt of her head and looked him over for a moment, probably checking to make sure he was all in one piece.
"You have an astounding sense of timing, by the way."
"I'm not surprised."
He hesitated at her comment about his timing and then admitted, "Well, I was coming to rescue you, but it looks like I'm a little late..."
She made a small noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh. "Oh, I see. Sorry if I worried you... Did you get any of the dreams I tried to send?"
"You didn't get enough of your daily dose of trouble when I was gone?" he asked, a tease in his voice. He shook his head at her question, frustration quickly passing over his face. "No, I haven't had any dreams since I left here. You weren't here the entire time, were you?"
A grin was the only reply to his first question. As he finished speaking, though, her eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Oh. Oh oh... You left too soon. You don't even know, do you? This place..." she spread her arms wide, "was gone for most of the year."
His smile faded. "This place has never disappeared...how?"
"I said the same thing." She shrugged and glanced to the side. "It was nothing special, though. Nice big swarm of Heartless. Doesn't matter now, since Ren and the others fixed it. My hair got torn up in that battle too, actually." She flicked a hand under the edge of her hair, just a touch desperate to dispell the dark mood.
He frowned, obviously troubled. It was a good thing Radiant Garden had come back, of course, but the fact that it had disappeared in the first place was unsettling. It was also upsetting that he hadn't been there for his friends when they needed it...
Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he chuckled at Song's comment. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for the universe. But I'm glad it was your hair rather than your neck."
There were two facts about Josiah which Song had learned before any others. First, it was impossible not to smile when he did. Second, bringing back his smile when it faded was always a top priority.
"Yes, well, I'm rather glad of that too. I must wonder, though, if you've had as exciting a time while you've been away. I have a theory, you see..." She tapped her fingers together in a plotting sort of way. "And I've waited all year to interrogate you for evidence..."
For some reason, whenever Song declared she had a theory she wanted to test, a crawling sense of suspicion knotted in the back of his mind. He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering whether he should start backing away. "I'm not sure if I want to know..."
Her Sappy List of Smiley Facts gained an addition - when Josiah became nervous of his friends, it was impossible to resist unnerving him further.
She grinned a little too broadly to look innocent and preemtively moved a half-step closer. "Juuust answer the question. Have you been staying out of trouble? Don't lie, either."
That suspicious feeling wasn't fading at all. He shrugged slightly. "Nothing like getting possessed by a pirate or getting body swapped with a succubus, if that's what you mean."
"And nothing, I presume, which compares to losing another home world, being ambushed by random Disney villains, trapped in the Realm of Darkness for a week, stalked by an incubus who is not one of your favorite people, and finally marooned in a desert?" She leaned closer as she spoke, achieving a pretty good imitation of an enthusuastic and possibly mad scientist examining a test subject.
"No, I can't say that I have..." He was trying to figure out what exactly Song was trying to do, and getting the feeling that he might as well have been under a microscope. "You crashed your ship in a desert?"
"I was lured to a desert and my ship destroyed, but close enough," she brushed the rather concerning details away like unimportant trivia. "Anyway, this is interesting. I do believe that you left your bad luck behind with us when you left. I shall have to make further observations, of course. Luck as a measurable force of nature is an fascinating concept."
"Right..." He didn't trust that smile, not one bit. "I'm sure. Once a scientist and all that."
That was about as long as she could keep the act up, so after one more creepy leer she dissolved into quiet giggles. "Yes, yes, that's right, but mostly it's that you're rather fun to frighten. I did miss you."
He sighed, leaning with one shoulder against the wall. "Your new hobby is to make me incredibly paranoid, isn't it?" Still, his smile returned. "I missed you too, but try not to get into so much trouble while I'm gone."
She rubbed a hand over her face, smiling into it. "I can promise that I'll try not to be stranded on outskirt worlds, but you know I can't say anything about avoiding trouble. Hey, speaking of trouble, where's yours? Did she not care enough to help rescue me?" A wicked grin made it apparent that she wasn't actually worried about that possibility.
"I guess that's the closest thing to a promise I'm getting out of you," he said, amused. He shook his head at the mention of Lilith. "She's probably somewhere around here - we just actually got back to Radiant Garden about half an hour ago."
That tilt of her head again. "So how long do you plan to stay, now that I'm rescued and stuff?"
He looked a bit reluctant now. "I shouldn't stay for long. Maybe a few days but then..." He trailed off, offering her a small smile. "I guess I couldn't convince you to come with me?"
There was obvious hesiation. The whole Persia fiasco had happened on her way to catch up with him, after all, so it only seemed logical to say yes now, but something quite unnamable was nagging at her to remain. "I want to, Josi, but I've got some things to tie up here." It was close enough to the truth, anyway. "Would you die of worry if I try to track you down again once I get a new ship?"
He had to admit that he was disappointed, but he hid it well, nodding at her explanation. "Fair enough. But you keep that up and I'll have to call you a stalker."
"Yes, well, what am I supposed to do when my boys keep running away?" she asked lightly, making it very clear that she was teasing. "Honestly, you'd think I was cursed. Is it my approach? I'm too forward, aren't I. Or too clingy. Or am I scary? I never thought of myself as scary..."
songbyrd3 (10:13:29 PM): ((just so you know, she would have said yes. You forced Tinuviel's hand in manipulating her to make her hesitate))
epauranonavere85 (10:13:59 PM): (oops)
songbyrd3 (10:15:06 PM): ((yep. "unnamable nagging" is really just Maleficent's minion going 'no, no, you must stay...'))
"Well..." Josiah said, ticking off points on his fingers, "You're already pretty damn awesome. You know how to do dream magic. You have a really big heart. You're stubborn as all hell." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Maybe you're just too short."
"Oh, well, in that case I suppose I'll just have to start dating women. Mabry always said I'd be better off that way. I know this wonderful girl on Earth, reminds me a bit of Ryuu..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Yes, that could probably work."
He pretended to look hurt. "Am I that replaceable? I guess I'll have to go sulk in a corner now."
She snickered, shaking her head, and caught hold of his sleeve firmly to prevent an escape.
"Okay, you win. No sulking corners for you. I will not permit it."
"And bossy too," he teased. "But I guess I have no say in the matter anymore."
She looked a bit sheepish. "Well, no. Clearly you have the say to not come home for a year and then only promise to stay for a few days." No, she hadn't let that go yet. "It's only matters of sulking, moping, brooding and other such unhappy behavior that I'm required to prevent~"
"Stop getting lost in space and maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation." He winked at her before pulling her into a half hug. "Well, you're pretty good at that. But you might end up in a bubble sooner than me at this rate."
Yay, a Josi-hug. She'd missed these, and made her appreciation known via snuggling.
"True, but no one could keep me in it. I'm too skilled at persuasion. On that note, how can I persuade you to come home with me? I'm rather eager to see the looks on Mab and Amy's faces, since they probably think I'm still in my room..."
"Yes, and they'll probably think that I kidnapped you," he replied. "And Mabry will probably kill me for keeping you out here in the cold for so long, however long you were in the desert notwithstanding."
"Oh, I'm sure Mab will reward you with chocolate - excuse me, coffee for bringing my back safely from my careless wandering. And Amy will attempt to smother you with Eli's cuteness. How can you possibly resist?"
"I guess I can't say no to that," he said, slightly pushing her against the cool wall of Rainbow's End and brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Most likely it will be Ray that kills me, but I think I can risk it for a few days. You're paying for the funeral though."
She answered the gesture with a half-lidded look he'd seen before.
"Sure, I'll just hire Rak to steal a coffin. I wonder if he'd still accept kisses as payment." She pursed her lips. "You know, you're right. Lilith is a terrible influence."
"Giving kisses to Rak - that's cheating." He tilted his head to the side, as if considering what to make of this. "My feelings are hurt."
She tilted her head to the other side like a child playing a mirroring game. "That's what you said before. I admit I am testing a different approach. Would you rather I gush over you until we're both drowning in sap? That does seem to be what I'm good at."
"Pffft," he replied, shaking his head. "We'll definitely be kicked out then." He leaned down slightly to briefly kiss her. "Guess I'll just have to get over it."
"At which point I'll have to find other teasing material. Ooh, hey, I have an idea for a fun game... I might have to refresh my memory on the specifics, though. It has been a year and a month since you left." She'd taken his hand again and was drawing him towards the door.
He allowed himself to be pulled towards the door, again giving Song a suspicious look. Games were nearly as bad as theories. "Should I even bother asking what this entails?"
"Nothing you need to worry about~ You'll like... part of it. And I'll like both parts, so we're all good. Come in quickly while we have the chance to surprise them." She all but dragged him up onto the porch, but then stopped, looking thoughtful once more.
Another look. "That doesn't really make me feel better..."
He stopped when she did, a bemused look in his eyes.
She pretended not to notice him for a moment, still deliberating.
"... There was something I remembered a while back, that I wanted to tell you. I should probably do it now before I forget the words."
He frowned. "If it has anything to do with bubbles or pirates..."
She shook her head. "Nope. Actually, it's something you said to me when we met. Do you remember? You were all traumatized and pathetic and I was freshly de-Nobodied and pretty much just looking for selfish attention... kind of embarrassing, actually."
"Traumatized and pathetic?" He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Are you sure that wasn't just last year?" Still, he thought about it for a moment, having to sort through both his and Calum's memories, hundreds of years worth of them, and came up blank. He shook his head, apologetic. "Enlighten me - looks like I forgot."
"The difference last year was that I was actually trying to help you for your sake, instead of my own," she corrected with a smirk.
"Anyway, I was talking about Xemnas, and you said something sort of like this..." She closed her eyes and recited carefully, altering the words just a touch to suit her. "People seldom say 'I love you', and then it's either too late or love goes. So when I tell you I love you, it doesn't mean I know you'll never go, or that I'll never stop, only that I wish we didn't have to."
"Details," he replied breezily.
He was surprised that she remembered that, as that conversation came flooding back to mind. It had been only a few days since Paris had gone up in flames and he had first met the Refugees - no wonder he didn't quite remember all the details off-hand. Those first few days after Paris had been a blur. But to hear Song say that...he closed his eyes, smiling faintly at those words.
"Thank you," he murmured. He paused for scarcely a moment before looking up and meeting her eyes, a look that was equal parts gratitude and admiration reflecting in the demonic blue. "Tu sei sempre nel mio cuore."
What: The first thing she does after being rescued is, of course, find more trouble
Where: Radiant Garden
When: Saturday night
with that wanderlust you fight...
There was nothing quite like coming back to Rainbow's End after an enforced absense. This was becoming more noticeable as such absenses continued to arise. Home Sweet Home was as well and good as ever, but that didn't quell a certain would-be scientist's wanderlust.
And just to make it fun, she'd climbed out her window rather than alert her Noble Sisterly Protectors of her escape. Just a little stroll around Radiant Garden wouldn't hurt. Perhaps she'd just happen to pass by the hangar. Maybe Cid would have a new ship which she could compose a request for later. Zero was going to be so disappointed when he found out how she'd wrecked hers....
The grounds around Rainbow's End were quiet as usual and still chilly, but that didn't stop the activity just beyond the great house's walls. Despite the near silence though, it soon became clear that Song wasn't the only one in the area - heavy and quickly approaching footsteps from just around the corner marked someone else's presence.
Song had a habit (possibly a bad one) of ignoring other folk on the street unless someone came too close, so she kept on her way without sparing a glance up even as she reached the corner. People could step around her.
Her head was in a happy sort of fuzzy state, as a matter of fact, so it was very easy not to notice trivial details like, say, any familiarity in the sound.
It was probably inevitable that the newcomer ran right into Song.
Stumbling back from the collision, the man simultaneously reached out to steady her, already beginning to apologize when the words caught in his throat. He blinked in shock down at Song, apparently both confused and startled to see her walking about Rainbow's End like any other day. And then...
"...you cut your hair."
Alright so not taking caution around corners was a bad thing, she decided as she attempted not to fall on her ass. Helped, of course, by her accidetal assailant who was-- Oh... Well... weren't those a pair of familiar blue eyes?
She blinked in equal bewilderment, needing to jump start her brain a few times before she could make sense of his comment.
"I... it was kind of an accident."
He took a step away from her, with his hands still on her shoulders, and looked down at her, confusion still in his eyes. Maybe it was the sheer fact of finding her there instead of missing, as he had assumed. Or maybe it was the abrupt collusion after a year apart.
But after a few more moments of stunned silence past, his familiar grin appeared and Josiah laughed, running a hand through his own hair.
"It looks good on you."
Naturally she couldn't help but grin too.
"Glad you think so. I admit I did mourn my long hair for a while."
She assumed a characteristic tilt of her head and looked him over for a moment, probably checking to make sure he was all in one piece.
"You have an astounding sense of timing, by the way."
"I'm not surprised."
He hesitated at her comment about his timing and then admitted, "Well, I was coming to rescue you, but it looks like I'm a little late..."
She made a small noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh. "Oh, I see. Sorry if I worried you... Did you get any of the dreams I tried to send?"
"You didn't get enough of your daily dose of trouble when I was gone?" he asked, a tease in his voice. He shook his head at her question, frustration quickly passing over his face. "No, I haven't had any dreams since I left here. You weren't here the entire time, were you?"
A grin was the only reply to his first question. As he finished speaking, though, her eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Oh. Oh oh... You left too soon. You don't even know, do you? This place..." she spread her arms wide, "was gone for most of the year."
His smile faded. "This place has never disappeared...how?"
"I said the same thing." She shrugged and glanced to the side. "It was nothing special, though. Nice big swarm of Heartless. Doesn't matter now, since Ren and the others fixed it. My hair got torn up in that battle too, actually." She flicked a hand under the edge of her hair, just a touch desperate to dispell the dark mood.
He frowned, obviously troubled. It was a good thing Radiant Garden had come back, of course, but the fact that it had disappeared in the first place was unsettling. It was also upsetting that he hadn't been there for his friends when they needed it...
Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he chuckled at Song's comment. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for the universe. But I'm glad it was your hair rather than your neck."
There were two facts about Josiah which Song had learned before any others. First, it was impossible not to smile when he did. Second, bringing back his smile when it faded was always a top priority.
"Yes, well, I'm rather glad of that too. I must wonder, though, if you've had as exciting a time while you've been away. I have a theory, you see..." She tapped her fingers together in a plotting sort of way. "And I've waited all year to interrogate you for evidence..."
For some reason, whenever Song declared she had a theory she wanted to test, a crawling sense of suspicion knotted in the back of his mind. He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering whether he should start backing away. "I'm not sure if I want to know..."
Her Sappy List of Smiley Facts gained an addition - when Josiah became nervous of his friends, it was impossible to resist unnerving him further.
She grinned a little too broadly to look innocent and preemtively moved a half-step closer. "Juuust answer the question. Have you been staying out of trouble? Don't lie, either."
That suspicious feeling wasn't fading at all. He shrugged slightly. "Nothing like getting possessed by a pirate or getting body swapped with a succubus, if that's what you mean."
"And nothing, I presume, which compares to losing another home world, being ambushed by random Disney villains, trapped in the Realm of Darkness for a week, stalked by an incubus who is not one of your favorite people, and finally marooned in a desert?" She leaned closer as she spoke, achieving a pretty good imitation of an enthusuastic and possibly mad scientist examining a test subject.
"No, I can't say that I have..." He was trying to figure out what exactly Song was trying to do, and getting the feeling that he might as well have been under a microscope. "You crashed your ship in a desert?"
"I was lured to a desert and my ship destroyed, but close enough," she brushed the rather concerning details away like unimportant trivia. "Anyway, this is interesting. I do believe that you left your bad luck behind with us when you left. I shall have to make further observations, of course. Luck as a measurable force of nature is an fascinating concept."
"Right..." He didn't trust that smile, not one bit. "I'm sure. Once a scientist and all that."
That was about as long as she could keep the act up, so after one more creepy leer she dissolved into quiet giggles. "Yes, yes, that's right, but mostly it's that you're rather fun to frighten. I did miss you."
He sighed, leaning with one shoulder against the wall. "Your new hobby is to make me incredibly paranoid, isn't it?" Still, his smile returned. "I missed you too, but try not to get into so much trouble while I'm gone."
She rubbed a hand over her face, smiling into it. "I can promise that I'll try not to be stranded on outskirt worlds, but you know I can't say anything about avoiding trouble. Hey, speaking of trouble, where's yours? Did she not care enough to help rescue me?" A wicked grin made it apparent that she wasn't actually worried about that possibility.
"I guess that's the closest thing to a promise I'm getting out of you," he said, amused. He shook his head at the mention of Lilith. "She's probably somewhere around here - we just actually got back to Radiant Garden about half an hour ago."
That tilt of her head again. "So how long do you plan to stay, now that I'm rescued and stuff?"
He looked a bit reluctant now. "I shouldn't stay for long. Maybe a few days but then..." He trailed off, offering her a small smile. "I guess I couldn't convince you to come with me?"
There was obvious hesiation. The whole Persia fiasco had happened on her way to catch up with him, after all, so it only seemed logical to say yes now, but something quite unnamable was nagging at her to remain. "I want to, Josi, but I've got some things to tie up here." It was close enough to the truth, anyway. "Would you die of worry if I try to track you down again once I get a new ship?"
He had to admit that he was disappointed, but he hid it well, nodding at her explanation. "Fair enough. But you keep that up and I'll have to call you a stalker."
"Yes, well, what am I supposed to do when my boys keep running away?" she asked lightly, making it very clear that she was teasing. "Honestly, you'd think I was cursed. Is it my approach? I'm too forward, aren't I. Or too clingy. Or am I scary? I never thought of myself as scary..."
songbyrd3 (10:13:29 PM): ((just so you know, she would have said yes. You forced Tinuviel's hand in manipulating her to make her hesitate))
epauranonavere85 (10:13:59 PM): (oops)
songbyrd3 (10:15:06 PM): ((yep. "unnamable nagging" is really just Maleficent's minion going 'no, no, you must stay...'))
"Well..." Josiah said, ticking off points on his fingers, "You're already pretty damn awesome. You know how to do dream magic. You have a really big heart. You're stubborn as all hell." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Maybe you're just too short."
"Oh, well, in that case I suppose I'll just have to start dating women. Mabry always said I'd be better off that way. I know this wonderful girl on Earth, reminds me a bit of Ryuu..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Yes, that could probably work."
He pretended to look hurt. "Am I that replaceable? I guess I'll have to go sulk in a corner now."
She snickered, shaking her head, and caught hold of his sleeve firmly to prevent an escape.
"Okay, you win. No sulking corners for you. I will not permit it."
"And bossy too," he teased. "But I guess I have no say in the matter anymore."
She looked a bit sheepish. "Well, no. Clearly you have the say to not come home for a year and then only promise to stay for a few days." No, she hadn't let that go yet. "It's only matters of sulking, moping, brooding and other such unhappy behavior that I'm required to prevent~"
"Stop getting lost in space and maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation." He winked at her before pulling her into a half hug. "Well, you're pretty good at that. But you might end up in a bubble sooner than me at this rate."
Yay, a Josi-hug. She'd missed these, and made her appreciation known via snuggling.
"True, but no one could keep me in it. I'm too skilled at persuasion. On that note, how can I persuade you to come home with me? I'm rather eager to see the looks on Mab and Amy's faces, since they probably think I'm still in my room..."
"Yes, and they'll probably think that I kidnapped you," he replied. "And Mabry will probably kill me for keeping you out here in the cold for so long, however long you were in the desert notwithstanding."
"Oh, I'm sure Mab will reward you with chocolate - excuse me, coffee for bringing my back safely from my careless wandering. And Amy will attempt to smother you with Eli's cuteness. How can you possibly resist?"
"I guess I can't say no to that," he said, slightly pushing her against the cool wall of Rainbow's End and brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Most likely it will be Ray that kills me, but I think I can risk it for a few days. You're paying for the funeral though."
She answered the gesture with a half-lidded look he'd seen before.
"Sure, I'll just hire Rak to steal a coffin. I wonder if he'd still accept kisses as payment." She pursed her lips. "You know, you're right. Lilith is a terrible influence."
"Giving kisses to Rak - that's cheating." He tilted his head to the side, as if considering what to make of this. "My feelings are hurt."
She tilted her head to the other side like a child playing a mirroring game. "That's what you said before. I admit I am testing a different approach. Would you rather I gush over you until we're both drowning in sap? That does seem to be what I'm good at."
"Pffft," he replied, shaking his head. "We'll definitely be kicked out then." He leaned down slightly to briefly kiss her. "Guess I'll just have to get over it."
"At which point I'll have to find other teasing material. Ooh, hey, I have an idea for a fun game... I might have to refresh my memory on the specifics, though. It has been a year and a month since you left." She'd taken his hand again and was drawing him towards the door.
He allowed himself to be pulled towards the door, again giving Song a suspicious look. Games were nearly as bad as theories. "Should I even bother asking what this entails?"
"Nothing you need to worry about~ You'll like... part of it. And I'll like both parts, so we're all good. Come in quickly while we have the chance to surprise them." She all but dragged him up onto the porch, but then stopped, looking thoughtful once more.
Another look. "That doesn't really make me feel better..."
He stopped when she did, a bemused look in his eyes.
She pretended not to notice him for a moment, still deliberating.
"... There was something I remembered a while back, that I wanted to tell you. I should probably do it now before I forget the words."
He frowned. "If it has anything to do with bubbles or pirates..."
She shook her head. "Nope. Actually, it's something you said to me when we met. Do you remember? You were all traumatized and pathetic and I was freshly de-Nobodied and pretty much just looking for selfish attention... kind of embarrassing, actually."
"Traumatized and pathetic?" He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Are you sure that wasn't just last year?" Still, he thought about it for a moment, having to sort through both his and Calum's memories, hundreds of years worth of them, and came up blank. He shook his head, apologetic. "Enlighten me - looks like I forgot."
"The difference last year was that I was actually trying to help you for your sake, instead of my own," she corrected with a smirk.
"Anyway, I was talking about Xemnas, and you said something sort of like this..." She closed her eyes and recited carefully, altering the words just a touch to suit her. "People seldom say 'I love you', and then it's either too late or love goes. So when I tell you I love you, it doesn't mean I know you'll never go, or that I'll never stop, only that I wish we didn't have to."
"Details," he replied breezily.
He was surprised that she remembered that, as that conversation came flooding back to mind. It had been only a few days since Paris had gone up in flames and he had first met the Refugees - no wonder he didn't quite remember all the details off-hand. Those first few days after Paris had been a blur. But to hear Song say that...he closed his eyes, smiling faintly at those words.
"Thank you," he murmured. He paused for scarcely a moment before looking up and meeting her eyes, a look that was equal parts gratitude and admiration reflecting in the demonic blue. "Tu sei sempre nel mio cuore."