estoria | [OPEN] I'm in here

Who: Mary Kozakura (

immobileyes) and YOU
When: IC 2/27-3/01
Where: Residential District, right by the not-so-standing apartments
What: Mary tries to dig up things from her fallen apartment over the course of a few days, success is varied
Rating/Warning: None!

[ It was hard enough, waiting for the water level to go down enough so that Mary could return to where her apartment was (had been) without risk of drowning. Seto's hoodie, the jacket Hiro had given her... they were the only things she'd been able to find at the time, but now she can search for anything remaining from their apartment.

So feel free to come across a tiny teenager over the afore-mentioned days, getting drizzled on and trying to pry up pieces of the smaller rubble - and HNNNNNGHing at the bigger pieces of debris that she can't budge at all - as she hunts about. The stuffed animal she'd received from Lily is gone, the headband from Kaoru and Shiho has been twisted and bent beyond repair when she miraculously finds that... the dried flowers, from the bouquet Elza had given her... no sign of them. All of her tea...

Mary almost wants to cry, but not yet. She just keeps looking.

And don't be alarmed if she seems worn-out when you see her. It's not some weird elemental effect, she's just terrible at stamina. ]

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[ he'd be lying if he said he didn't expect this sort of reaction. Sighing gently and sympathetically, he reaches out, resting a hand on her head reassuringly. ]

I know. Everything else was filled with your precious memories... Right? [ Zara's tone is soft. ] That is a very sad thing. But those belongings you kept here aren't completely lost yet.

[ Her head lowers, as though Zara's hand is an additional weight, adding to the burden that seems to be weighing her shoulders down. This... really is a different thing from leaving home, so long ago. ]

I-I know... I shouldn't give up trying to find them.

No, that's not what I meant, [ he replies gently, shaking his head with a small smile. ] The reason you treasure that headband and the tea set isn't because of what they are - it's because of who they remind you of.

[ Zara strokes her hair once or twice in a comforting manner - one he's used many times on Fiona. ]

When I was a kit, I ended up losing my home quite a few times. You might need to replace a cup or two, but there's never any need to replace your memories. If they're important, they'll stay with you.

They're... [ Mary swallows, hard. No, he's right. Of course they're important. There were some things she'd kept close, like her mother's keys, safe around her neck. Seto's jacket. The things she'd lost had been reminders of her friends, those who were still here, and those who had... disappeared. She manages a nod, doing her best not to bite down on her lip as his palm passes over her hair. Her mother had used to do that... ]

... You lost your home more than once?

[ Yes, focus on that. ]

[ it's not like his words will instantly make her recover - he knows that. He just wants to offer her some peace of mind, if he can. And so, he doesn't mind the subject change, though it's not a subject he intends to speak on very much. ]

That's right. I had a fairly tumultuous childhood... although I can't say anything like this happened to me.

... I'm sorry. You went through a lot, and then it did happen to you.

[ And he's still taking this better than Mary is. Truly, Zara is the mature adult here. ]

[ he does his best to be the mature one. It's kind of his job. ]

There's no need to feel sorry for me. It's all in the past. Besides, it's equipped me well for dealing with things like this, hm?

Yeah... but I think if the next place fell down too, I'd still be sad.

[ HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T. ]

But of course. If you weren't sad, I think I'd be even more worried.

[ he removes his hand from her head, crossing his arms instead. ]

Still, if something like that happens, all we can do is move on. Such is life, as they say.

R-right... I can't fix things that are this broken, anyway.

[ Mend clothes, yes. Not buildings. ]

[ a small chuckle. ]

Of course not. Even that headband looks like it may be hard to mend. [ he certainly doesn't know how. ] But your memories aren't broken at all, nor is your spirit. That's what's most important.

My spirit...

[ There's a pause, and then Mary sighs, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes. ] I don't know why everyone keeps thinking that I'm that strong.

If what you've told me about yourself is true, you're much stronger than you realize, my dear.

[ Fiona is the same way, in some ways. ]

I've never lied to you, Zara!

[ WRONG POINT, MARY. ]

[ .......... she's awfully silly sometimes... good thing it's endearing. ]

... Now, who said that you were lying to me? Not me, certainly.

You said... if what I said was true...

[ SHE HEARD YOU. ]

I don't see how any of that is strong, though. [ And why do people keep saying it so confidently, it's weird-- ]

I meant it as a figure of speech, but if you're having such a strong reaction, perhaps there was some truth to it?

[ the teasing doesn't stop... mostly, he wants to cheer her up. ]

There's more to being strong than defeating your enemies or being a leader. Sometimes, just surviving takes strength.

... Oh. [ Softly, on a note of realization-- ] So that's why you're so strong, Zara.

[ He's been through things like this before. ]

You're too kind to me, Mary. [ he doesn't know if he's that strong at all... lucky, yes. If he hadn't been so lucky, he'd be dead. ]

... Well, have you had enough of searching?

I think... for today, yeah.

[ IT'S KIND OF EXHAUSTING FOR PANSIES. ]

[OPEN] I'm in here

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