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[batricide]

@hafid.alghul| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[batricide]

[ His optimism is catching, try as Damian might stay put out he can't. His expression softens a little, looking at the trees. ]

Nature is the most tenacious thing there is.

[ He's seen miracles of nature - killed them, too. But it's hard to kill a concept. If all of this crumbles to dust, then one day, one day, nature will just reclaim it all. ]

Humanity has stamped it down, but it gets back up. Maybe no in the same form, but... it survives.

[mercurio]

When I die, I hope my ashes are put into a nice, potted flower.

[big dreams... but as somber as the conversation may have turned, despite the lack of looking at their own situation, it's somewhat refreshing.]

[prompto starts walking alongside the bank, where the water streams by slowly, the bright pink reflecting brightly.]

Wish I could say I knew more about nature. Never really been a priority. [he picks up his camera again, taking some shots from people, the place--] Y'think we'll get new displaced tomorrow? The day after?

[batricide]

[ There's the barest flicker of discomfort as Damian starts to follow him. He's well accustomed to death, with funeral arrangements, with revivals.

But it never makes it easier to think about people he knows - people he likes - gone. ]

Soon. Within the week. I've been discussing with Manfred how we should handle it.

[mercurio]

[manfred-- oh, right, that's markus]

Man, I just wanna say, Markus is the best. [that out of the way] Do you mean by way of the, y'know, place to be?

[safehouse]

[batricide]

That. Some other things. The general disorganization of us as a group. What can be done to fix it.

[ He crosses his arms as they walk. ]

Manfred's a good man.

[mercurio]

Even with what he's going through...

[a thought left hanging, stopping to take another picture: of a boy with his robot dog, playing catch on the side.]

I'm no good at being organized, but. I'll help with what I can.

[more shots]

[batricide]

... What he's been going through?

[ Damian frowns. Well, frowns more. ]

[mercurio]

[and he looks up]

Connor left, y'know. They were pretty good friends.

[he's barely aware of whatever beef damian may have had with... connor, or otherwise.] Others he was familiar with, too.

[batricide]

[ He stops short.

The thing about Damian is he's nowhere near as good at hiding his emotions as he thinks he is. His expression flicks - sadness, concern, guilt - before he manages to reign it back in. ]

I didn't realize.

[mercurio]

[and prompto's awkwardly standing there, aware that he's kind of... made things awkward. he rubs at the back of his neck before turning off his camera so it saves up on battery.]

He doesn't want people to think he's not doing so hot.

[maybe he shouldn't have said...]

He'd rather care than be cared for, since he says that's what he was made for. [uhhh] It's sad, but we've both concluded it's best to just keep on.

[batricide]

[ He pushes that aside. Its War and this is just what happens, right? Whether it's blipping out of existence of being murdered.

But it's proof he has the emotional awareness of a baked potato. ]

We'll probably lose more people before we've managed to escape, so... that's wise.

[mercurio]

They're not dead.

They've gone back home.

[prompto needs to believe this much, otherwise he doesn't know what he'll do with himself.]

We just gotta catch up with them.

[batricide]

[ The longer he stays, the more he doesn't actually know if he wants to go home. The people he cares about here are dead, missing, or hopelessly brainwashed in his own world. ]

Right. That's what I meant.

[mercurio]

[he elbows damian]

I'm not usually so pathetic I need company when I get anxious, but the company does help.

[their lives here are so temporary, so tenuous, so unknown.]

Thanks.

[batricide]

[ He tolerates it, but it's pretty obvious he's not sure how to actually return the gesture in kind. Or do anything kind of light hearted in turn. ]

It's not pathetic. [ It probably sounds like a very un-Hafid like thing to say. It's more something Damian Wayne would say, without making eye contact and looking uncomfortable to admit it. ]

You reached out. That takes strength.

[mercurio]

[...now, he's embarrassed. he didn't expect such straight-forward praise thrown his way over how he's handling his weaknesses.]

--yeah, true. [an awkward rub at the back of his neck as he seems paused about what he wants to say next.] I'll keep working on that.

By the way, [in an attempt to throw the topic of conversation away from himself--] how old did you turn on your birthday?

[batricide]

[ Good. Here's where someone would normally clap him on the shoulder and encourage him, but Damian just nods.

And then pauses. ]

... Twenty.

[mercurio]

[prompto stops and stares at damian with wide eyes -- some sort of shock clear on his face.]

Wait, you're younger than me?

[excuse me since WHEN]

[batricide]

How old are you?

[ He folds his arms, frowning. The answer is obvious but he doesn't wanna say it. ]

[mercurio]

[prompto points at himself]

Twenty, crawling into twenty-one soon...

[he thought damian was like, five to seven years older, excuse him for having his mind blown]

[batricide]

[ It's the scowl. Scowl and nobody will figure out how old you are.

But his age is an uncomfortable thing. He never had a childhood, he just stormed onto the scene as a pint sized adult with heaps of emotional problems. ]

It's not that big of a gap.

[mercurio]

That is literally the problem, Hafid.

[but, despite the tone and his words, prompto's grinning wide]

[batricide]

[ Shaking his head. ]

A large gap in maturity then.

[mercurio]

I'm the adult here! You're gonna have to respect your elders, and all that.

[this is making prompto's anxiety leave him. thank you, damian]

[batricide]

Prompto, I guarantee that I've banked more 'adult' years than you have.

[ DON'T SASS ME ARGENTUM. ]