alone I could barely light a match

[soulbonder]

WHO: Astral, Yuma
WHERE: MAC
WHEN: August 2nd
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY: They talk about stuff.
FORMAT: Prose
Astral waits while sitting on roof of the MAC, legs dangling over the ledge. He's not looking anywhere particular. What is there to look at? Everything in this world is so boring and gray.

It shouldn't take Yuma long to meet him here, a few moments at most.

Then they'll talk about... something. The Network? About Feferi's departure, about Klarion... Their most recent argument? Perhaps. Or they won't talk at all.

Comments

[soulbondee]

Yuma is reminded then of Shark, that upperclassman at his school. Because of Yuma's actions, Shark was driven to such a low point that he allowed himself to be used for the sake of a place to belong. He nearly committed an act that went against his duelist's heart, for the sake of belonging.

Is Klarion betraying himself by making this attempt? Is it only for the sake of fitting into some stranger's expectations? Yuma doesn't know. But he does know that Klarion is Astral's friend.

But...

"Are you frightened?"

[soulbonder]

Astral shifts from his position on the ledge, reaching out to take Yuma's hand. Physical contact isn't necessary to speak with Yuma through his heart, but it's easier. And... comforting? He recalls him holding his hand when he was upset as a human and that it made him feel better, anyway.

"Yes, only it's different." While his voice doesn't sound hollow, there is an undercurrent of sounds that aren't human in origin. "I feel more than fear, and I'm certain it is not hope."

[soulbondee]

It takes Yuma by surprise to feel Astral's hand -- Astral doesn't feel like a human, or quite like anything else in the human world, and even casual touch isn't something they practice with any regularity. Probably because they're fighting all the time. Yuma turns his hand in Astral's so he can give it a bit of a comforting squeeze, like he would a human hand.

"Does it hurt?"

[soulbonder]

"Yes."

It did hurt, it made his chest ache terribly.

[soulbondee]

He watched Astral's face, for any further clue as to what he was feeling, but... whatever it was, it was bad, wasn't it? He didn't really need to know the technicalities. Klarion wanted to do something, and it was something that frightened and hurt Astral. So the only real answer was to stop Klarion from doing it, or stop him from wanting to.

See through your opponent's motive, and stop it.

When he spoke, his voice was steady, in the way he got when things were serious and he had a path before him; he didn't look directly at Astral, even as he spoke.

"I want to go there and talk to him."