moonstrualcycle | no running in the halls!

[ Whoa. Well, okay. Lea's kind of jumps too, but for a completely different reason and not at all easy to figure out by the way her ears wiggle. Her skin feels warm and almost feverish, but the fire doesn't burn at all, and feels like a warm breeze at best. But she moves back and out of the way, reclining slightly mid-air and reaching back to rub the back of her neck. ]

Up to you. I'll be right here.

[dirtbag, where else would you be? B( Isa swallows hard, barely breathing at all, and takes a cautious step over the threshold of the room. she almost lets out a sigh of relief when nothing happens at first, but then something does happen.

an ashen blackness appears on her shoulders, and spreads itself down her arms and torso until it's covered her entire jacket, and then keeps going almost to the ground before solidifying into the familiar Organization coat. in the meantime, her face has done what always does when she goes berserk; her scar has spread out, and her eyes are glowing, wide and panicked. but there's no supernatural glow around her, no fangs, no bristling hair, and no weapon in sight. it's just her, and what becoming a Nobody did to her. she seems to be frozen in terror.]

[ Nope, nope, the last time she saw Saïx she got a claymore to the gut- wait. This isn't Saïx though. This is Isa. Lea resists the instinct to escape, freezing where she is — the fire turns into a darker red, but otherwise she looks calm, just on guard. She waits a beat, then hovers closer. ]

Isa? Let's go back.

[Isa doesn't want to move, or breathe, or even shift her eyes, in case this is what's actually happening and the prior couple of weeks and also the last few hours have been an extremely detailed and elaborate dream or something. when she does move, it's to raise one arm and press her visibly trembling hand to her chest. at least her heart is still there, though it's beating so fast it's almost humming.

she heard Lea speak, but as a safe person, not Xemnas or Xigbar or any of the slew of very bad people she's been around in her life, it didn't really register in her brain. some part of Isa is distantly pissed that she got this instead of something cool like Lea's "costume".]

[ This is what you're gonna do, dressing room? You're gonna be a dick right off the bat? She will fight you. Don't think she won't set this shithole on fire right now. ]

Isa. You're all there. Just take a couple steps back. Just trust me.

[ She's moving forward, because right now the risk of pain and injury is less important than making sure her newly returned best friend is okay. She will take a claymore to the face if she has to, because leaving friends in a state like this is not her m.o. ]

[i guess the lesson here is that if you go in expecting the absolute worst, you'll get the absolute worst. that or i'm an rp sadist, which is true.

she finally blinks and comes back to herself, eyes shifting just slightly over to stare at Lea. Isa doesn't even know if she can still summon her weapon, not that she's wanted to, so that's not going to be an issue. it takes her another few moments to process what Lea said, and then she does just back up, stumbling over her own feet to get back out to the hallway. the Organization coat turns back into her jacket immediately, but the glow in her eyes is slower to fade, not that she can see that. she's just gonna. sit down, right here on the floor.]

[ Lea says fuck you, dressing room. She's immediately out the door and stepping partly over Isa, slamming the door shut behind them. She's her normal size, and completely back to her normal human self, all traces of the costume gone as she plops on her ass next to Isa.

She is sure as fuck not going to mention the eyes. ]

It's gone. See? Both of us, back to normal.

[Isa's shaking all over now, hand still pressed to her heartbeat. her ears are ringing and there's a hot flush on her face, and she sat down because the only other option was to fall down, but she's also smiling crookedly. maybe the dressing room broke her, who knows.]

[ Ugh no we don't need trauma on every end. Lea looks very much like she's in distress, because when she's not being a heartless menacing fuckhead it's impossible for her to mask her emotions like that. Even if she could, Isa would see right through it. She can't think of anything else to do, and her words aren't making it through, so she huffs and wraps her arms around the other woman. This is not a hug she's getting out of easily. ]

[after just a few moments she moves her hand away from her chest to rest it on Lea's arm, not to push away or anything, just to acknowledge her. the shaking is already stopping, or at least lessening, and she's making a clear effort to steady her breathing. it's another couple of minutes before she can speak, though, and when she does it's quietly:]

Do you remember the first time we made it into the castle without anyone finding us?

[ Lea huffs again, a sigh of relief this time. She was starting to get scared. She doesn't know how to handle this Isa anymore. Or yet? Not really. She doesn't know how to bring her out of a panic attack, aside from raw determination. ]

Yeah. Thanks to you.

Even though I got us in, I was so terrified they'd find us and, I don't know, kill us or something.

[pause.]

That is what actually happened, I guess, eventually.

[she's already compartmentalizing and getting all the psychological shit securely locked down, as she does. now she's just kind of leaning against Lea; she'll never be able to properly express how grateful she is for how Lea deals with this kind of thing.]

[ What, bossing people into being better? Physical affection? Miss 'I Bring My Friends To Happy Endings By Force'? She does laugh a little this time, breathy and difficult to pin on one particular feeling. Relief, remembrance, irony... Is Isa going to be bothered if she pets her hair? She's doing it anyway. ]

Kinda. But not that time.

[it's the sort of physical affection Isa enjoys but would never ever ask for, so no, she won't be bothered.]

Yeah. And remember how afterwards we couldn't stop laughing, once we were back out and safe? It felt like we'd gotten away with something much bigger than just sneaking in somewhere.

[what she's working towards, in a frazzled, roundabout sort of way, is that 10+ years of being a Nobody has turned her into an adrenaline junkie and she kind of likes it.]

[ That's terrible. Let's find ways to get your adrenaline going that are less traumatic. Lea makes an 'ehhhh' kind of noise, like she's thinking about it more seriously than she actually is. ]

We did. We just didn't realize it. I don't know about you, but I definitely cracked under the pressure. I thought we were gonna get locked up for sure, or worse. Something closer to what you said, maybe.

[ Experimented on. ]

I think I did a good job of hiding how terrified I was that night.

[Isa snorts, and briefly tightens her grip on Lea's arm.]

Not any better than I did, I don't think. Anyway, I don't ever want what just happened in that room to happen to me again, but I did enjoy the adrenaline. It was nice.

[after so long of being numb to everything except rage, she'll take pretty much anything.]

[ Yeah well she tightens her grip on Isa's everything. Except her hair. That's not nice. But she is pulling her closer, and tightening the hug for real. ]

We'll talk about that can of worms later. I don't ever want to see you go through that again, are you kidding? Halloween Town is officially off limits. Fuck that place.

[well, now what do they do, since i brutally slaughtered that entire idea.]

So, Atlantica next, or should we just go home and you can show me around tomorrow during daylight hours?

[if she can joke she must be alright. there are certainly better places than the middle of a hall for them to cuddle, also, like back in Lea's bed.]

[ Bang, obviously ]

You think I've been to Atlantica since I got here?

[ The incredulous disgust in her voice makes her thoughts on that venture apparent. Maybe they should go to one of the newly opened up worlds, like Monstropolis— wait, home? She means Lea's home, right. Obviously. ]

Come on. Let's go back.

[who knows what she means, but it was probably just that she doesn't have a place of her own yet. it certainly wasn't that home is wherever Lea is, or anything really gay like that, don't be an idiot.]

You have to let go of me, then, unless you're going to try carrying me. I could use a good laugh, so you're welcome to try with your stick arms.

[ Just do what the islanders do and call it friendship. It's pretty obviously gay though. Lea stares at her, then her face lights up in a way that she's never been able to hide from Isa. Not with a Heart, at least. It's the 'I'm gonna do it' face. She lets go long enough to get up into a crouch, because she's totally going to do it. ]

Stand up at least.

[oh my god. well, at least getting dropped on her tailbone will get rid of the rest of the panic lingering in her system. Isa stands, slowly, compulsively running her hands down her jacket to make sure it's still jacket and not coat, and then she folds her arms and looks expectant.]

I can't wait to see how this works.

[ She hmm's and then lifts herself up, grabbing Isa's wrist so she can put her into a fireman's carry. ]

Just trust me. You can't be so heavy I can't do it, even with the muscle.

[ah, the way that's least dignified for the person being carried, and the coolest way the carrier can do it. she sighs and unfolds her arms, making a conscious effort to relax so it's easier for Lea. ( ;O )]

You'd be surprised. You don't even have the advantage of the intensive keyblade training yet.

[ Obviously. You think she's going to do this in a way that is at all difficult or undignified for her? No, we do this the best way, and everyone here knew Isa would humor her. ]

Hey, I've been working on it. Now up we go.

[ Hup. That's the sound she makes when she lifts Isa, and after that it's nothing because she's forgetting how to breath for a second. Oof. ]

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