[PRP] Losers Weepers (Gabriel/Shine)

[Nothing Yet]

Three carnival games and two lollipops down, and Shine was still not any calmer. As the festivities began to change pace, she slipped past the last row of booths and stepped out of the carnival, stumbling through her shuddering sobs and blurred vision until she found a little nice in a short dividing wall to duck into. It didn't offer her much room to move, so eating the third lollipop was out of the question - and she didn't really want to eat it anyway, when she thought about it.

She hugged her knees against her chest and buried her face in them, claws tangling into her hair, which now looked like a sticky mess of straw, ribbon, and tattered candy wrappers. Each agonizing regret arrived in time with her rocking motions: back and forth, worse and worse. How could she have been so stupid, how could she really have assumed...

The mournful wail coming from the hole in the wall got a little louder.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

Gabby had run over, pushed past, and generally pissed off so many carnival goers in his attempt to catch up with what ended up being a very slippery little undead, that he was sure he'd just left a trail of hate behind him. This was nothing new to the boil, at least - he wasn't trying to win any popularity contests.

He never managed to catch her, and only caught up with her when she had stopped to hide inside of a wall, and exposed her presence via wailing loudly. He slowed down and eventually found the hole, bending down to stare into it.

"Shine." Gabby scolded. "You made me run all this way. I told you not to run away from me, and I don't appreciate when people don't listen to me." He was trying to be forceful, but his voice was soft with pity and remorse. He reached in, and tried to wrench her out of the hole into his arms. "Stop this now. I order you."

By the sound of it, it wasn't an order; it was a desperate request.

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

On the positive side of things, Gabby had actually followed her. He had come to find her, despite how many times she'd tried to separate herself from everyone, present company heavily included.

The negatives provided a more overwhelming case, however, as they generally tended to. He found her before she had any time to begin to attempt to solve this problem. And didn't like how she hadn't listened. And didn't like running. And didn't like that she was crying. And wanted her to stop, but she couldn't, because disappointing him so much on top of failing him so terribly was something unforgivable.

Through the sobs eked a faint 'sorry', followed by nothing but a lot more crying.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

She didn't seem to fight him when he pulled her out of the hole, and flopped down on the ground so that he could pull the ball of ghoul into his lap. She was a wreck, which seemed so unnecessary considering the fact that he was the one who'd just been kissed without desiring it. His hand awkwardly petted her hair, as he held her and just let her cry.

"There, there." He was awful at comforting. "I don't know why you're so upset, but you have no reason to be. I was at fault. But if you need to cry, then get it all out now, I will wait."

Tears weren't so terrible. If his outfit wasn't in a constant state of being frosty, he might have minded her tears on it - but as it was, he really didn't care.

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

Each time his hand touched her, Shine reacted by jerking reflexively away, as if he were striking her instead of attempting to soothe her. The whimpering that accompanied these movements made a good case for the idea that she was hurt - and she was, though the problem wasn't quite so physical.

If all of the tears shed in her past were any indication, they could be sitting here for a period of time lasting anywhere from six to nineteen days. It was kind of him to offer, she thought, but no one ever stayed that long. No one was ever given the opportunity to, either, but she never seemed to remember that part.

She argued with a 'nuh-uh' and a 'my fault' shortly thereafter, then kept right on crying.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

She couldn't see him, but Gabby was rolling his eyes so hard.

"Fine. If it's your fault, then explain to me how it can be. Before you do, however, let me explain to you why it is my fault. You see, I am very beautiful, Shine. And I should have known better than to get anywhere near a young man like that. There's really no one to blame but nature for making me this way." He ducked his head in, genuine hope on his face. "Can't you see? It's really no one's fault, but if there is blame to be placed, it's on me."

He sighed sharply, and rocked her in his arms. "I suppose you think it's your fault because you are the one who told me he was your special friend, but that simply isn't true. You see, Nahm was already getting his hands all over you, and I probably would have reacted the same no matter what. After all, I am more special." He pursed his lips brattily. "I am."

nothing yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

These were all things that Shine was well aware of. The only thing he seemed to have missed was that he was a dragon, and she tried to add this exceptionally important key detail to the list of impressive facts, but only managed a blubbering hiccup.

"I know," she sobbed, chest rising and falling with frantic breaths as he began to rock her. "I...I know...you are. I know."

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

It made Gabby smile, even in this terrible moment, to hear that she agreed with him. It wasn't surprise - just appreciation. Shine understood the weight he bore on his shoulders, and she was clever enough to ease his burden with her unceasing friendship. He squished her against him in a tight hug, and gave her a sage nod.

"Then you understand why it is not your fault. Don't you? And why it couldn't be helped."

She was still crying so very much, and Gabby was so very terrible with ghouls and crying. He had more experience with it ever since being friends with Sibyl, and he thanked her silently for that. Because it seemed like Shine needed more comforting than was typical in this situation, and he had already promised he wasn't leaving until she stopped.

"Did I ever tell you how much I liked your name?" This was a powerful strategy, he surmised. Distraction. "I feel like I have mentioned it, but I can't recall for sure."

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

Judging from his response, Shine still wasn't getting her point across properly, which was infuriating. She was so frustrated with herself that she shrieked through her clenched teeth, inhaling with a sharp hiss before she spoke.

"No," she wailed, shoulders tensing, her clawed fingers stiffening painfully. "It--it is--I know you're all...all of those--those things, but that...it doesn't...that doesn't mean...I can't...can't just...but you have--"

The crying seemed to stop abruptly, just the sound of it, as though she'd flipped a switch somewhere inside her.

"Really?" She unfolded herself just enough to allow one eye, glowing red, to focus on him. "It...it's, um...it's the first thing I...um, I remember, so...I picked it out. Myself."

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

Got her. "Yes, really. It's one of my favorite words. Shine. It's what gems do. And crystal, and ice of course. They shine. See? Very good word." He slowly grinned, very proud of himself for finding an effective way to stop her from crying, and even managing to capture her attention.

"Where do you remember it from? Did someone say it to you when you woke up, or is it from before that?" He had no memory of his life before he'd woken up; and suddenly wondered if that was normal for their kind, or if something of his past should have remained.

"Or was something shining at you? That could be it. These are brilliant ideas, you know. One of them must be true. Quick, tell me which one."

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

As she considered how to answer him, Shine lifted her head a bit more. Her expression was clearly indicative of the fact that she was hard at work digging through the deepest recesses of her mind, and the distraction was still proving to be effective - the glow grew more faint, and the pale blue of her irises began to show through again.

"Um..." She took a deep breath, and tried to remember any gems or crystals or ice in her past. "Umm...I think...think it was, um...when I woke up, it...it was in my, um, in my head, like...um...I dunno. Maybe someone...someone said it before I...woke up? Or...maybe not. Is...is that right? Is my...my head wrong?"

Her voice cracked with concern, and she turned to look up at him as she waited for his response.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

"Jack, Shine, relax." He chuckled out, bumping her head with his. "Your head is fine. So somebody said shine before you died, and that's the only thing you remember. Sounds legitimate to me - I don't even remember anything about how I died. I just remember waking up in that cave, alone, and leaving. That's my first memory."

His face screwed up with concentration. "Now that I think about it, I don't know exactly where my name came from. It was just there. Like a rock. Just there."

Shine had stopped crying, and her eyes had calmed down. Gabby was the most successful comforter in the world. "How about we go back to the carnival, and you help me close my booth? I've got a lot of things I need to carry back to my place from it. I could use a hand."

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

'Relax' was a lot easier said than done, but if Gabby wanted her to relax, then Shine was going to try very, very hard to. The reassurance that her head was fine did offer a substantial bit of encouragement, even if his lack of memories did make her feel a little sad again.

"What...if I...what if I mess it up?" She slumped, awkwardly toeing the ground in the only spot her foot could currently reach. "If I...um, ruin...ruin it?"

Then they'd be back to the original problem of her ruining everything, and she didn't want to make it worse.

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

Gabby let out a long, ridiculous groan.

"You're not going to ruin anything. We're closing, what does it even matter? Come on, you're going to help me now. No choice."

He carefully removed her from his lap, and then stood up, taking his time to straighten every edge of his sharp coat, flatten any wrinkles that had cropped up, and then brush his fingers through his hair. This took, like, at least 2 minutes.

Finally, he held his hands out, both of them, for her to take. "Get up." He commanded. "I need your help."

Nothing Yet

 

[Nothing Yet]

The groan, somehow, went completely over Shine's head. It did have the benefit of calling her full attention towards him, just in time to hear him tell her that she wouldn't ruin it. This was easy to believe, considering it was Gabby who was saying it, but there was still a nagging feeling that whispered about all of her failures. She sat and watched him with an owlish stare as he meticulously smoother over his entire appearance, and it seemed that she had no intention of getting up - until he made it very clear that he needed her help.

Specifically.

"Um." Her hands reached tentatively up towards his. Was this allowed? If he offered, it was allowed, right? Her nails barely brushed his palms, but she didn't quite take his hands. "Okay. I...um, okay. Okay. I will. For you."

Nio Love