post-snek recoveries

[neonleon]

[You know?

That weird temple wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst. Not by far now that he's back in this dimension. He floats a bit aimlessly, body broken, shell cracked and falling apart, some bones and insides shattered. His head aches in a way that he can't think.

All he can really do is hope Prime doesn't find him immediately right now. The light off his ring catches his eye and he looks at it, not fully registering that it's lit up.

A promise.]

Comments

[pyrighteous]

He - he is.

[ Hunter stays pink, gesturing in Leo's direction. ]

One of the first things Leo did was save me from Belos. A fragment of him came with me to the snake temple, and - and he used me to try to kill everyone I loved. Leo stopped him.

[neonleon]

[Leo kinda watches Hunter, a smile creeping on his face thinking back to that. Even before Belos took him, Leo would've done it.]

I'd do it again if I had to.

[pyrighteous]

Exactly.

[ He beams back at Leo. ]

You've saved my life in so many other ways since then.

[neonleon]

And you've saved mine a lot too, so don't go selling yourself short.

[Darius is still watching him, seeing the bandages and injuries, the way Leo is holding himself. So sure and confident.

He loudly clears his throat before they go too far down the back and forth.]

"I'll definitely be speaking with you once you... feel ready." [And there is so much derision in the way he says that.] "Don't forget to eat yourself, Hunter."

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh right, Darius IS still there. He can't just look at his fiancé all lovesick can he. He turns back to Darius.]

I - I will! I'll go get something now.

[neonleon]

"Oh good, I was just going to go find an early breakfast."

[Since. It is still pre-dawn here. But he waits patiently for Hunter just outside the door. Go on, say your goodbyes, lovebirds.

Leo kinda smiles at the door, then at Hunter.]

Go on, I'm not going anywhere.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter hovers for a moment? Doesn't even dare touch Leo, really, given his injuries...

Instead he signs I love you with his fingers pressed together, turtle-style. ]

I'll be back soon. Promise.

[ And then he goes to join Darius. ]

[neonleon]

[Leo looks almost stricken by the sign, in a good way. He gives a quiet little chirp back. Love. Then waves him off while Hunter goes to join Darius, who starts leading him down the hall.]

"I see he's at least capable of resting. From how you talked about him, I wasn't sure he'd know how."

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter jogs to catch up and walk beside Darius, still beaming. ]

He - uh - usually doesn't. Which means he's either trying really hard, or really badly hurt.

[neonleon]

"Or both."

[Darius considers while they walk. It doesn't take much to take a turn down a different hallway to take them outside. If he can get Hunter to leave the university for a few hours and get some fresh air, it'll be for the best. It isn't good for him to stay cooped up in there for days.]

"I'm sure he'll be back up in no time."

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter follows diligently, instinctively. He could probably be convinced, especially if an errand for Leo is involved. ]

I ... I really hope so. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't recover.

[neonleon]

"Hm. Well. Luckily, you have the best healers on the Boiling Isles looking after him, so I'm certain he will."

[Though Darius does bookmark a bit of mental space on the off chance the turtle doesn't. That slim decimal of a percentage chance. While he's protective of his protégé from someone he doesn't know well, he also knows Hunter would be best to avoid the heartache.

Things to deal with in the coming days.]

"So, tell me again, I may have missed it. How exactly did you propose?"

[pyrighteous]

[ All of Hunter's mental faculties come to a screeching halt. DID he tell Darius?? He honestly can't remember - it was such a panicked whirlwind at first, and - well if Darius knows then it doesn't matter whether Hunter said anything at all - ]

I - um - it was a little weird? There was a conflict that involved aging up and down. Leo aged up and ... well, his future was pretty bleak. The monster he was fighting somehow got out and invaded his world.

[neonleon]

[Hm. So something possibly predetermined? Hard to say with how fantastical it sounds. Not that the Boiling Isles isn't fantastical in and of itself, but some things Hunter describes from that place sound out of their own realm of possibility.

he does open the door for Hunter going outside the front of the university, back into the city.]

"And that was the thing that tried to kill him in that dimension?"

[Oh he hopes that bleak place wasn't where the turtle called home.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter ... pauses a moment at the threshold, looking back at the university. It'll only be for a little bit, right? He'll be back right away.

He steps into the light, trailing behind Darius again. ]

That's right. He's one of - of a lot. In that future, they took over, and ... well, I guess I joined him at some point. We were - um - married. In that future.

[ His face is BRIGHT RED again. ]

Anyway um - aged up me made both of the rings? They're how I tracked him down. That's their primary purpose. I ... uh ... saw them and the plan from older us, and I proposed after that.

[neonleon]

[So a proposal out of... what? Convenience? That doesn't feel quite right. But Darius isn't sure what to think of that, not immediately. He rests a hand on Hunter's shoulder to walk with him. Just a short one, away from the University a bit.]

"Is that what you truly want though?"

[He hopes Hunter didn't feel obligated knowing about some other future.]

[pyrighteous]

[ The sheer puzzlement on Hunter's face is answer enough, probably. ]

Why would I propose if I didn't want to marry him??

[neonleon]

[JUST. Pinching the bridge of his nose here. Deep breath, buddy. He needs to be nice, Raine keeps telling him he needs to be nice.]

"There have been many times you did something you realized later you didn't want to do."

[He isn't like. He's not gonna SAY "hey remember all that stuff you did for your uncle" but he is thinking it very hard.]

"I just don't want you to have any regrets."

[pyrighteous]

[ the bewilderment continues a moment before -

Oh. Yeah. Okay. He gets it now. Hunter winces a little. ]

This - this is different. I'm sure.

[ Hunter takes a deep breath. ]

He makes me happy, Darius. He - makes me feel normal. Like I can have a life that's mine, and not in anyone else's shadow. He's something new and wonderful and I love him so much my heart hurts.

[neonleon]

[Darius listens to that, hears it in Hunter's voice.

This turtle demon really is special to him. Hunter could've felt that way about anyone here in the Isles, or that temple place. So who's to say this isn't real?

Who is Darius to judge that. He should be encouraging this sort of independent thinking and feeling. He nods at that, bringing Hunter to some small stands - trinkets, flowers, that sort of thing. Open air market.]

"I know I never taught you, but did anyone else teach you the proper Boiling Isles proposal methods? Different ones optional, of course."

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter brightens by increments, relief showing in his face. He hadn't known how desperate he was for Darius's approval until just now. ]

N - no. Belos, well. He said it was wrong for the Guard to be interested in anyone. That I had a higher purpose. And that anyone being interested in me would be committing a crime too, so he'd unfortunately have to throw them in the Conformatorium if they tried anything...

[neonleon]

"Right."

[Of course Belos said things like that. He only started getting bits and pieces of the full story about Philip and Caleb, and what little he does know? That makes sense. He pats Hunter's shoulder and starts walking him through the market.]

"We'll get you educated about some of the traditional customs before he showed up then."

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter turns his head this way and that, taking in all the Boiling Isles styled trinkets. Already thinking of which ones Leo might like, proposal or not. ]

R-really? You don't mind teaching me?

[neonleon]

"What kind of mentor would I be if I didn't teach my protégé traditions?"

[And look. He will. He'll show Hunter everything, explain some of the old ways. The meanings of different color dried leaves for the bouquets, and the traditional gift of a scorpion-snake. There's a lot but he knows Hunter is eager and great at absorbing information.

The food is where he slows down because... well. He doesn't know what kind of food the turtle demon is used to.]

[pyrighteous]

[ He SURE IS. Asking questions, getting into details, already thinking of what to start with. Flowers are a good double purpose present - he can start with those as a get well gift AND a start to proposing. Scorpion-snake, maybe after he's less wrecked... ]

Oh - uh - Leo can eat anything a human can, but he also likes a lot of Boiling Isle style stuff, I think. They have a creepy supreme pizza in his world and it's AMAZING. Especially when the tentacles are still wriggling.