I thought he wanted to protect the Paintress. If it was revenge, he would have done something already. Tried, at least.
[Unless he's doing worse, out of sight. Maelle doesn't want to think about what he might say to Verso. They all just need to stay far, far away. She worries about Gustave just as much as she worries about Verso on his own, away from Expedition 33. But it feels impossible to be present for both.
Especially, if it came down to it, she'd choose Gustave. Every time. She can't lose Gustave again and especially not to Renoir.]
However he acts here, it doesn't undo what he did. At the... at the beach, and...
[The cliffs. Maelle looks to Gustave, knowing he'll fill in the gaps without her needing to say it.]
[ He nods, trying to recall how their conversation had gone in that hotel that very first night. Barely any of it has stuck in his head; he'd been in a frenzy of fear and pain and most of it had washed over him like he'd been in a dream. ]
No, it doesn't.
[ He doesn't forgive Renoir for his crimes, no matter how many strange and familiar things the man speaks of, no matter how those cold clear eyes had rested with possessive pride on the simulacrum of the dome.
He'd taken a chair that allowed him to sit perpendicular to Maelle, but now he gets up, comes to the other side of the bench she's perched on, so he can put an arm around her, coax her close to his side. He's warm, solid, breathing; alive, for all intents and purposes, and maybe this will be enough to help her unwind a little from her brittle tension. ]
Right. The smart thing to do is to stay away if we can.
There doesn't seem to be any getting rid of him, but we can still try to be cautious.
[Not much coaxing is needed these days to have Maelle sinking into Gustave's side, turning to slip her arms around him. She goes so far as to lean in to give him a proper hug, tucking herself under his chin. Every hug is a gift. Every moment with him is a wonder, something she thought lost forever. She hates Renoir all the more for making them waste their precious time together talking about him.
But she remembers the important thing: she has Gustave. No one will ever take him from her again.]
We'll be okay.
[She hopes. She has to say it so he doesn't worry too much about her. If he thinks she believes it, maybe some part of Gustave might, too.]
I'm sorry everything is so... messy. And difficult. I want to do what I can to make it easier for you.
[Maybe that means killing Renoir again, some day. But it can start with the journal. She lets out a shaky breath, relaxing. Somewhat.]
Just... don't let me hear you ever say anything like what you said before. That you won't be enough for me. Please.
[ He and Maelle have always been close, but that hasn't always meant physically so; often, they're content to just stand or sit near one another, Maelle always popping up at his side like the little shadow Emma always called her.
But here, with everything that's happened, everything that happened before, they've both regressed a little into the need for physical touch, like when she was small and needed her hand held or her hair stroked or to cry herself calm on his shoulder with his arms around her. Now, she scootches up close and slips her arms around him again, and he curves his around her in return, as if he could still keep her safe from anything that might try to harm her.
Ironically, it might have to go the other way, these days. Just like the others, Maelle is stronger than him now. ]
Hey, hey. Hey. It's okay. Yeah, things might be messy, and hard, but neither of those are so bad in the grand scheme of things, right? We still have each other back. We're together again.
[ And maybe Lune will arrive to level him with a judgmental look, and the team truly will be back together.
He makes a small, soft sound and curls over her, nodding. ]
I won't, I promise.
[ A small chuckle, even as he squeezes her a little tighter, trying to comfort. ]
The last thing I want is to annoy you now. You'd probably wipe the floor with me in a duel.
[Their time together was always going to be short. She'd lose him at sixteen or seventeen, either on an Expedition or from the Gommage. Still, it was always difficult to imagine, a world without Gustave. She's a teenager that went through her phases of rolling her eyes and merely enduring a hug or affectionate moment.
She hates that she didn't cherish each and every one. That she didn't linger in the embrace of someone that loved her fully, selflessly. That she didn't always tell him she loved him. That she didn't fully realize that one day she would miss the way her hair caught in his beard or the way he'd hunch over his work, bent like the tower. She feels like she's tryin to make up for it now, obedient and patient where she might balk or sigh otherwise, enjoying the mere fact that she has Gustave back.
Everything would be perfect if not for all the pain, but she wants to believe he believes what he says. Not so bad, in the grand scheme of things.]
We're together again.
[Maelle repeats, and while she laments that they ever were apart at all, she'll do all she can to protect this. Them. Him.]
Yeah, I would, but that's nothing new, no? [She says, only pulling back so that he can see the smile on her face.] The only times I let you beat me was because I knew that defeating a teenager would make you feel good about yourself.
[ He lets her pull back, sitting back himself to give her a skeptical glance. ]
Oh, is that what happened? You're saying I never beat you on my own merit? Not even once?
[ Gustave lifts his arm from around her, but doesn't make any move to get up from the seat on the bench next to her. As much as Maelle might want to keep him within arm's reach, he feels the same way. ]
Maybe I let you beat me. Did you ever consider that?
[ Gustave laughs at the face she makes and again at the question, his smile flashing white in the sun that filters down over the patio. ]
As long as we don't have to come back to wafer-thin bedrolls in a camp on a cliffside somewhere afterwards. These 'old' bones appreciate having a bed to lie in again.
Yeah. You make less noise when you get up in the morning, that's for sure.
[There have been some restless nights spent facing the direction of his bed, waiting for him to wake so their together cam begin. She pretends to conveniently stir when he does, but she's sure he suspects--or simply assumes--sleep is as difficult as it's ever been, for her.]
[ Her teasing helps them both, he thinks. It feels so normal, even under these bizarre circumstances. If Maelle stopped teasing him, he thinks he really might panic. ]
But how about before we dig into our list of things to do, we get some dinner, first? Shouldn't go adventuring on an empty stomach.
[They'll end up procrastinating, not wanting to sully their trip with the weight of the journal and all the emotions it will stir up, but it's okay if they're both in agreement. They have time.]
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[Unless he's doing worse, out of sight. Maelle doesn't want to think about what he might say to Verso. They all just need to stay far, far away. She worries about Gustave just as much as she worries about Verso on his own, away from Expedition 33. But it feels impossible to be present for both.
Especially, if it came down to it, she'd choose Gustave. Every time. She can't lose Gustave again and especially not to Renoir.]
However he acts here, it doesn't undo what he did. At the... at the beach, and...
[The cliffs. Maelle looks to Gustave, knowing he'll fill in the gaps without her needing to say it.]
But we still try to stay away. Right?
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No, it doesn't.
[ He doesn't forgive Renoir for his crimes, no matter how many strange and familiar things the man speaks of, no matter how those cold clear eyes had rested with possessive pride on the simulacrum of the dome.
He'd taken a chair that allowed him to sit perpendicular to Maelle, but now he gets up, comes to the other side of the bench she's perched on, so he can put an arm around her, coax her close to his side. He's warm, solid, breathing; alive, for all intents and purposes, and maybe this will be enough to help her unwind a little from her brittle tension. ]
Right. The smart thing to do is to stay away if we can.
There doesn't seem to be any getting rid of him, but we can still try to be cautious.
no subject
But she remembers the important thing: she has Gustave. No one will ever take him from her again.]
We'll be okay.
[She hopes. She has to say it so he doesn't worry too much about her. If he thinks she believes it, maybe some part of Gustave might, too.]
I'm sorry everything is so... messy. And difficult. I want to do what I can to make it easier for you.
[Maybe that means killing Renoir again, some day. But it can start with the journal. She lets out a shaky breath, relaxing. Somewhat.]
Just... don't let me hear you ever say anything like what you said before. That you won't be enough for me. Please.
no subject
But here, with everything that's happened, everything that happened before, they've both regressed a little into the need for physical touch, like when she was small and needed her hand held or her hair stroked or to cry herself calm on his shoulder with his arms around her. Now, she scootches up close and slips her arms around him again, and he curves his around her in return, as if he could still keep her safe from anything that might try to harm her.
Ironically, it might have to go the other way, these days. Just like the others, Maelle is stronger than him now. ]
Hey, hey. Hey. It's okay. Yeah, things might be messy, and hard, but neither of those are so bad in the grand scheme of things, right? We still have each other back. We're together again.
[ And maybe Lune will arrive to level him with a judgmental look, and the team truly will be back together.
He makes a small, soft sound and curls over her, nodding. ]
I won't, I promise.
[ A small chuckle, even as he squeezes her a little tighter, trying to comfort. ]
The last thing I want is to annoy you now. You'd probably wipe the floor with me in a duel.
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She hates that she didn't cherish each and every one. That she didn't linger in the embrace of someone that loved her fully, selflessly. That she didn't always tell him she loved him. That she didn't fully realize that one day she would miss the way her hair caught in his beard or the way he'd hunch over his work, bent like the tower. She feels like she's tryin to make up for it now, obedient and patient where she might balk or sigh otherwise, enjoying the mere fact that she has Gustave back.
Everything would be perfect if not for all the pain, but she wants to believe he believes what he says. Not so bad, in the grand scheme of things.]
We're together again.
[Maelle repeats, and while she laments that they ever were apart at all, she'll do all she can to protect this. Them. Him.]
Yeah, I would, but that's nothing new, no? [She says, only pulling back so that he can see the smile on her face.] The only times I let you beat me was because I knew that defeating a teenager would make you feel good about yourself.
no subject
Oh, is that what happened? You're saying I never beat you on my own merit? Not even once?
[ Gustave lifts his arm from around her, but doesn't make any move to get up from the seat on the bench next to her. As much as Maelle might want to keep him within arm's reach, he feels the same way. ]
Maybe I let you beat me. Did you ever consider that?
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Mmm... nah.
[In the next moment she laughs.]
So, looks like we'll be busy between reading, traveling, and dueling. Are you up for all that, old man?
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As long as we don't have to come back to wafer-thin bedrolls in a camp on a cliffside somewhere afterwards. These 'old' bones appreciate having a bed to lie in again.
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[There have been some restless nights spent facing the direction of his bed, waiting for him to wake so their together cam begin. She pretends to conveniently stir when he does, but she's sure he suspects--or simply assumes--sleep is as difficult as it's ever been, for her.]
Less pop-pop-pop.
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[ Her teasing helps them both, he thinks. It feels so normal, even under these bizarre circumstances. If Maelle stopped teasing him, he thinks he really might panic. ]
But how about before we dig into our list of things to do, we get some dinner, first? Shouldn't go adventuring on an empty stomach.
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[It's important, all of these things. Even if she would rather skip the journal part.]
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Dinner, treats, and a first round of the journal.
[ Which is going to be tough for both of them, but especially Maelle, so he adds: ]
... and maybe a couple more treats after that. And then we can get on our way first thing in the morning. Sound good?
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[They'll end up procrastinating, not wanting to sully their trip with the weight of the journal and all the emotions it will stir up, but it's okay if they're both in agreement. They have time.]