[OPEN] I sing a bitter song

[bostova]

WHO: Yulia Bostova & You
WHAT: Catch-all for pre-campaign all the way up to June 14th (Yes, the first day of classes)
WHERE: Anywhere
WHEN: Anytime
SAFE FOR WORK? Y...for now.
OTHER NOTES: If your character has been in Falner for the past few days/months/years leading up to the first day of classes at Balamb, then feel free to to tag in :) Feel free to reply in prose or action, I don't really care which! Just indicate when the thread is happening :)

a. gisi
Zangyaku's base of operations in Falner; usually, you can find her at an izakaya at the Entertainment District. If she's not there, try the Hot Springs; she usually takes over operations there. If not there, check the Sky Steps, or Sabina's office, or with some of the other Whisperers. Good luck getting her to talk, though.

b. around falner
If she's in the Great Hall, it's usually because of a Hound or two. She doesn't stay too long there, though. She can also be found at the Shatterdome, terrorizing Netsach initiates. If she's at the lake, it's best to leave her alone.

c. shatterdome barracks
She lives on the fifth floor of Zangyaku's barracks. Or, she could be visiting the barracks for Aegis Kai Doru or the Thrones. Who for? Wouldn't you like to know.

d. choose your own adventure
There are a lot of places you can run into Yulia. Pick one and go for it!

Comments

[shuryoinai]

Thank you. Now I know you really DO see me as an almost-friend.

[ Such So Dry, that tone of his. He'd like to think that he knows your tendencies well enough, along with the levels of intimacy that you have when it comes to people. ]

[bostova]

[ That's weird; she doesn't know what you mean by that. She's always considered you a friend, although she still thinks you're still kind of a jerk. But a friend, regardless.

Whatever, it's not like she broadcasts these things anyway. So think what you want, Makoto. ]

You should feel special, you know. Since I came all the way up here after inviting me past midnight. [ When she could be moping in her room instead. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ And without a lick of hesitation: ]

I should be telling you that. I mean, look at all the effort I put into this.

[ Just because. ]

[bostova]

I don't have to feel special to be special.

[ You'd expect her to flounce at this point, but as soon as the words come out, she makes a face and chugs down whatever bottle she's holding right now.

She's not special, she's a fucking failure. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ ...Yeah, noticing that.

He's quiet for a bit. It certainly looks like he was planning on just focusing on his drink and his pipe at first. ]

There's always next year, you know.

[bostova]

[ She sets the empty bottle down and sniffs, disdainful. ]

Oh, yes. Of course. Another year to suffer yet another humiliating defeat.

No, [ a shake of her head as she's opening another bottle of whatever else is available. ] I give up. [ It's a half-sob, and the only reason she doesn't cry is because she's downing that fresh bottle.

Thanks for enabling alcoholism, by the way. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ Now there is something that he wasn't expecting to hear from you.

And you're welcome, by the way. Regarding the alcoholism. ]

Reaching the Wind has been your dream since the beginning, though.

[bostova]

[ She slams the bottle down, and it's a miracle it doesn't break. ]

I don't care anymore! [ Except it's obvious that she does, with the tears threatening to start falling. She still wants it so bad...

Goddamnit, she's not even drunk enough to cry over this. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ Quiet for a moment. Just watching. ]

Say that again calmly and quietly, and maybe I'll believe you.

[bostova]

I don't-- [ She tries, but her voice cracks almost immediately. She also tries to stop herself from actually crying, pressing the heel of her palm to her eyes, but it doesn't work. Not even both hands stop her from crying, or feeling so utterly defeated. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ Watching her for a moment again, and then he's simply setting the bottle he had been working through down and shifting over so that he's right beside her. Then he's putting an arm around her shoulders.

No words, no look in her direction. In fact, he's even taking another drag from his pipe, like she isn't crying at all. But if she tries to move away, he IS going to hold fast.

Yes, you're welcome to try. Or you could be smart and actually TAKE the comfort that he is attempting to offer to you. He might not be Joshua LaRue, but he has his own way of doing things. ]

[bostova]

[ She does try, albeit only with a half-hearted attempt at shrugging your hand off her. In the end, she just lets it happen; she's been delaying the inevitable anyway, even Anya had said so.

So she cries.

She doesn't wail-- no, Yulia cries softly, sobbing into her hands. She pulls her knees up, trying to make herself small, so she can hide her crying, pathetic face from you even more. She lets you keep your arm around, her though. She just doesn't want you to look her way, doesn't want you to see how weak and pathetic she is at the moment.

It just seems so impossible, now. That dream of becoming a Searing Wind. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ Don't worry about him looking, because he isn't. He gets not wanting to be seen when you're weak - at least not being seen any more than necessary.

Drinking more, then, and smoking. He'll wait. As things stand, he wouldn't budge from his spot short of the world ending or something close to that magnitude since this is kind of you, and he's kind of been waiting on you for a long time. ]

[bostova]

[ You might be waiting a while. For a lot of things. But right now, you will be waiting a while before Yulia's shoulders stop shaking from her sobs, and a little while longer after that before she does stop crying.

...And it's also another while before she talks again, rubbing at her eyes and pouting a little. ]

I think I liked you better when you were a jerk. [ Because that, at least, would be familiar, and familiar is something that she could work with. You being this confusing...comforting...thing...is throwing her off and she doesn't know how to handle you not being a jerk. And she's only leaning against you right now because she's tired, okay? ]

[shuryoinai]

I don't particularly care how you feel about me for as long as you end up better for it at the end of the day.

[ Topping that off with a small smile.

And no, he's not moving away. ]

[bostova]

[ Moving away would have been rude, Makoto. Rude.

Also, she has no idea what you mean by that so... She'll just look up at you all curious and confused, tear-stained cheeks and all.

Is she even drunk, this is what she wants to know now. ]

[shuryoinai]

[ Blinking down at, as if he's asking her What?, and then reaching into his suit for his handkerchief. Which he'll now hand over to you. ]

ARE you better? Because if you're still thinking that going for the Wind is hopeless, then my job here isn't done yet.

[bostova]

No. I don't know.

[ She takes the handkerchief so she can wipe whatever is left of her crying off her face. ]

You are being weird, so I can't tell.

[ She is just being rude now. She meant to say thanks. For the handkerchief. ]

[shuryoinai]

You're welcome.

[ A bit wry there. No big: you're rather predictable to him, in some ways.

Now he's going to withdraw. And yeah, it's almost like he didn't hear that comment you made about him being "weird". ]

It isn't futile. You've still got time to make it.

[ Speaking like her being on the Searing Wind is really going to happen. ]

[bostova]

Easy for you to say. You've got all the time in the world now.

[ She'll just reach over for another bottle, now. ]

[shuryoinai]

You're right: I do. But this was never about me and my time. This is about you and your time, and how you want to spend it.

[ Not even bothered by that statement. ]

[bostova]

[ Stop steering the conversation back to her, goddammit. ]

So let me do what I want.

[ And right now, what she wants is to get drunk enough to forget today's Measuring.

Yeah, she's back to that now. ]

[shuryoinai]

Which is... what, exactly? After getting drunk tonight.

[ #NotLettingItGo ]

[bostova]

[ Let it go, Makoto. Let it go. Like the song. You've heard the song, right? And seen the movie? Let it the fuck go. ]

Punch you in the face.

[shuryoinai]

[ Chuckling.

Yeah, you're on the road to recovery. ]

A standard Yulia Bostova Answer. Good.

[ Hum, hum, back to his own bottle now. ]