itscurtains | week 4

Entry tags:

act 2,
week 4

week 4

[Another week, and two more dead. King Richard and Red are both gone, and once again, it was through nothing more than an accident in the heat of the moment. Maybe if you all stay calm and collected, nothing bad will happen again?

Well, maybe not.

When you wake on Sunday, you'll find that you've recovered another one of those memories - or had another dream, if you still wanna be in denial about it. The grounds remain as they are, but this time, the door blocking the stairwell has been unsealed. You can now venture up to the second floor! This is the second time that's happened; it's almost as if you get more space every time someone dies. Or maybe the whole place just seems quieter.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Welcome to Week 4! Please remember to submit your AC and your memory regains, as well as your coins! You can also still contact the Phantom. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Mephisto first thinks to check on Riley around mid-morning, when she hasn't emerged. Considering the night they'd already had, though, he decides not to disturb her just yet. He does knock once, though, before leaving a bowl of pasta at her door and heading to do his business.

He's pleased, of course, to see her out and about later in the day, though. He doesn't disturb her workout routine right away. Instead he sidles up the nearest piece of equipment to the treadmill and... examines it silently. He even tries to use it for a moment -- the wrong way, maybe, but he's still trying!]

If I had to guess, this all must be very familiar to you.

[ One knock surely isn't getting her out of her room. But, the pasta is...well, it's eaten and appreciated. She'll take care of the bowl later, just kind of leaving it in her room.

In the fitness room! Riley's been working for awhile by now. She's got the treadmill set on an even run, and she's working up a good sweat! Her eyes are down when he enters, focused on the readouts instead of anything around her, so she doesn't quite realize she has company until he speaks. ]

What? [ A tired, huffing smile finds its way onto her face. ] Oh. Yeah. It's like... the gym, back at school.

[ She's used to talking while exercising, but even she sounds a bit out of breath. ]

[It doesn't take long for Mephisto to give up the act of pretending to be interested in something else. He doesn't think he could fool Riley if he tried, and at this point he hardly sees a need to, either.

At least she looks a little better, if only because she's in her element. It's better than how he'd last seen her, at least.]

So this is what you do on a regular basis. This is... fun?

It keeps me focused. [ Eyes straight ahead. Doesn't exactly answer his question, but. ] I haven't been able to do...a proper workout in weeks. Studio doesn't have the right...equipment.

[Mephisto considers, briefly, their conversations about Riley being unable to simply slow down. Between what she says and doesn't say, it's enough of an answer for him.]

And what is your proper workout?

Typically I go through...five different exercises per main circuit: One for stability, one for cardio, one for general strength, one for flexibility, and one for ab development. Then, after a break, I...shake it up. Training weights. Planking, box exercises. [ There are, for the record, like a bunch of training weights off to the side. ] Today, I'm...supplementing that with continual cardio, since...I've been slacking...lately.

And you do that every day? [Mephisto looks somewhere between concerned and disgusted. Certainly he can appreciate the drive, in some respects, but it still sounds like a herculean effort.

Never mind his ever present concern for Riley's well-being.]

[ ...She finds herself glancing away. ]

I...break on weekends. Sometimes. Or...when Cai's got...some new place to drag me.

[ Maybe it's because she's out of breath, but her voice catches a little, when she mentions Cairo. ]

[Mephisto has his reservations about the way Riley works herself. But he hasn't figured out how to voice them in a way that he hasn't already. Thus far, she's already shot down most of his suggestions.

He has something more important to focus on, though.]

Did you... have a dream about her, by chance?

[ Still not looking at him. ]

A dream. Yeah. She...was in it.

[He inches closer, but fights the urge to outright reach out.]

Was she safe?

[ A moment. ]

Yeah, we just- there were things going on. We had a...disagreement. [ Breathing a bit harder. ] It's...silly, we wouldn't- we wouldn't fight for so long, so it...has to just be a dream.

[ Riley sounds less sure than she did last week. ]

[Mephisto hesitates. He's the last person to advise on friendship, seeing as how most of his "friends" had been made in the last week, and those friends were generally teenagers themselves.]

A dream. [He repeats it, as if he might somehow will it to be true.] Of course. It's clear how much you care for Cairo, and just how stubborn you are. You would not let a fight go on for so long.

[He's mostly just repeating what she said but. Maybe it will help.]

Exactly! [ There's a chirp to her voice, but she starts running faster on the treadmill. ] We- we've been best friends since...fourth grade, and sure things have been...weird lately, but- f-four months, that's--

[ And just like that, she stumbles, just barely catching herself on the panel so she doesn't just eat shit. A forced laugh slips out, and- jeez, how long's she been at this? She's a little shaky. ]

O-oh, okay~! Iii think that...means that's enough of that...for now.

[This time, there's no hesitation as he rushes closer. One hand careens forward to catch her, stopping just short as she manages to do so on her own. The other comes to rest on her back, steadying her as she regains her balance. The concern is evident on Mephisto's face -- no time to hide it behind whatever mask he prefers to wear.]

I think you need a break, Riley. And perhaps some water.

Edited 2020-07-20 15:48 (UTC)

[ The treadmill keeps running, but Riley's moved her feet to its stable sides. She leans against it, and...it's unclear if she'd be on her feet right now, without that prop. ]

What? No, I... I can keep... [ There's a moment as she shifts, one leg going a little weak as the adrenaline drains out of her. ] Okay. Okay, maybe you're right.

Riley.

[There's a chiding note in his voice, one he can hardly believe himself. He distinctly recalls testing her limits at one point, to see what it would take to break her down. Now, he's the one dragging her back from that.]

Do I need to carry you again? I can't guarantee that will end well for either of us?

[ She turns her head to look at him, and her eyes focus for the first time in...maybe the whole conversation. ]

No? ...No, I...might just need a little help.

[ She turns off the treadmill and, if he'll let her, moves to lean her weight against him. Like jumping off the wall, it's good she's so small and lithe, because it means it's easy to dip towards him. ]

[Mephisto nods, body bending to accommodate for her weight. His hand snakes around her waist, securing him to her side as he moves to balance the two of them. Carefully, he eases her off of the treadmill, all while the fingers of his free hand try to figure out how to turn the damned thing off.

He gives up after a short moment and begins to guide her to a better place to sit.]

I'm starting to get too used to worrying about you.

[ Once she doesn't have to support her full weight, here head droops. ...She also isn't keen on looking in the mirrors here, so. He mentioned a bottle of water- she actually has one here, in the corner of the room. That's probably a good place to set down.

Riley gives a faint laugh and smile. ] Now...you sound like Cairo.

[He spots the bottle and crowds her toward it. Between his strength and her size, it's easy to get her settled on the floor and hand the bottle off. He remains crouched beside her, hand around her shoulders as he studies her face, her form for any signs of further weakness.]

From the way you speak of her, I must be taking after one of the best.

[ Riley leans against the wall and takes a long drink. The expression on her face when she looks up... It's almost giddy, for a moment. Riley, currently, is pale and...incredibly tired. She must not have had a good sleep, on top of all this.

But, for this little moment, there's this. ]

When we were kids... Everyone laughed at me. I was just...so shy. So afraid of everything. But Cairo... She took me under her wing. When the other kids made fun of me, she put a stop to it. Ever since, we've been...

[ She doesn't quite know how to describe Cairo. It's not inseparable, they've had...well. They wouldn't fight for this long, but Cai's always been abrasive. And Riley will never understand the other girl's love of partying. But.

The very specific Cairo Emotion wells up inside her. ]

It's easier to be me when I'm around her.

[Mephisto allows himself to entertain the thought of Riley being herself. He already knows that this place has brought out the worst in others, even as it seems to be dragging out the best of him. As much as he liked to think that he knew Riley, as long as the menace of this place was held over them, he doubts he'll be able to see anything.

All the more reason to get her out.]

I look forward to meeting her, then. To seeing you truly shine.

[That... brings a thought to his mind. Whatever smile he'd been working toward is quickly dashed away.]

If I may be so forward... It sounds like you have had very few people willing to take you under their wing. That seems... unfair.

[Tl;dr, your parents suck Riley and he'll die mad about it.]

[ She's got the water bottle to her lips when he says that. There's a something pulling at her insides. She pretends she hadn't, but she remembers a half-quip, half-question, Has anyone ever like... seen Riley's parents? and Riley herself all bubbly smiles. She truly thought little of it, in the moment.

But. Looking back on it, waking up.

Her hand lowers and the lovely little smile on her face dries up. ]

Um. I mean, it's just...like that sometimes, you know? Sometimes...you just have to pull yourself up.

It seems... wrong.

[Self-sufficiency, that was fine, he supposed. He saw no need to cling at a parent's skirts for a lifetime. But that was still a far cry from what felt like abandonment for Riley. And if he's honest with himself, the concept of being left with nothing rings just a little too true for Mephisto.]

Why create something if you do not intend to nurture it?

Fitness Room (mostly)

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