The Preserve, Friday Late Evening

[apocalipped]

Too good to be true.

Today had been too good to be true. Jonothon should have known it from the start, should have listened to his doubts and not put so much hope in the possibility that anything so good could last.

At first, he'd thought that maybe it was something that he'd eaten, twisting at his insides. But then it had started to burn. He'd slipped away from the campfire once it started to quiet down some, and he'd made his way into the preserve.

Away from people. Someplace quiet, where he could wrap his arms around himself, grit his teeth, and focus. Try to keep a grip on it.

He ought to have known, it was always too damn good to be true.

[For them wot know who they are! This is... not going to be pretty.]

Comments

[furnaceface]

She was right. They were right, and Jonothon knew it. It hurt. It burned at him in a way that the flames never had before, to be so close only to have it all slip through his fingers again. Mostly, he still wanted to concede defeat and lay back down.

But he'd kissed. Kissed and laughed and sang and lived, actually felt alive for an afternoon. He'd held Didi close to himself without fear. He couldn't now, but he had.

In the long run, he'd lost a few bandages, and a bit of hope. And to make up for it, he'd kissed his girlfriend.

//Maybe... we should get out of... th'forest.//

[trigons_child]

"Where do you wish to go?" Raven said, wiping a hand across her eyes. "I can teleport us back to your cabin...or the dorms...wherever you need to go." She wanted to somehow be of some small help, though she would understand if he and Didi wanted her away from them now.

[living_endless]

"Dorms," Didi said, since she didn't think Jono was going to make a decision. "My room. I think the cabins are ... a bit too much closeness, for tonight."

And she wanted to be able to give Jono a backrub, or wash the flesh he had, or something. Wanted to just be with him where it was quiet.

She managed a tired, weak attempt at a smile. "You don't mind?"

[furnaceface]

//Dorms,// Jono agreed tiredly, not daring to look up.

This place was... a mess. Not all of the mess was from the fire. The dorms weren't here, which meant that they were perfect by default. Raven could set him on the moon right now, and that would also be perfect by default.

//Please.//

[trigons_child]

Raven held out a hand to Didi. She'd teleported with Jono before, and she didn't think she needed to warn Didi what it would be like. Her Soul-Self manifested and gently wrapped around them all, and a heartbeat later, the preserve was empty again, the scorched earth the only indication they'd been there.