for every sin and god fall

SUNJATA

look who's digging their own grave
this is what they all say; you'll drink yourself to death

He wishes it could continue too, given the fact that the subject that comes after is far more serious, uncomfortable, but he’s grown enough to be able to watch her and let her know that he’s not trying to hide away from this – as much as his stomach really, really wants him to. He watches her, tells her the truth, and waits for the reaction just like previous conversations he’s had – where bars had been destroyed, boxing rings burned down, stabbed in the leg.

So there is some relief when she tells him that she’s happy for them, and the space her hand had been suddenly feels quite cold when he slides it back to his side of the table, grabbing the fork to take a bite even if his stomach is still uncertain. It flip flops back and forth and he tilts his attention back down toward the plate, deciding that it was for the best realistically, but still worried about the official answer. “I had promised her that I would separate my office from my bedroom. I was thinking I could make it so our rooms were separated by the office.” Because they still were business partners on this, right? “I can make yours however you’d like.” An offering to do it for her, as if he didn’t want to leave her high and dry.

look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it
and what will you have left?

Isla

Nodding softly and dropping her eyes to her glass of wine, Isla suddenly isn't all that hungry any more, and she's not sure what to make of his offer. On the one hand, the status quo is so comfortable after the turbulence of all that has come before it, that it's difficult to want to say no. On the other hand, though...

"I meant somewhere else in general," she admits quietly, as if saying it out loud makes it too real to take back. (Because what if she does want to take it back?) Raking her fingers back through her fair hair, Isla finds a smile for him. "I don't know how good it would be for me to stay here, Jata," she admits. "Especially if you're trying to move forward." With Hotaru goes unsaid.

"This was always your quest. I just came along for the ride for a bit."

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

SUNJATA

look who's digging their own grave
this is what they all say; you'll drink yourself to death

“Oh.” Sunjata says stupidly, pausing for a second to glance up at her as the fork lands on the plate again with a surprisingly loud clink that causes the Flood to wince a fraction. He’s silent, however, as she continues – nodding his head before abandoning his lunch to take a sip from the glass. “No, I understand.” He offers her, managing to give her a small smile too.

If she wants to give him what’s best for him, he can certainly do the same for her. It’s just so strangely feeling like a break-up when his intentions had been clear from the beginning that he doesn’t know how to navigate it, adrift for the moment as he searches for something else to say. “You have always been so helpful with everything here and to me especially. I want you to know that.” He starts, sitting back in the chair, hands resting in his lap. “Where will you go?” Were they still friends enough that he could visit her?

look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it
and what will you have left?

Isla

Hissing out a laugh that almost wants to scold him, Isla shakes her head and forces herself to take a long sip of wine so her throat doesn't close up. "Can you not say it like it's an exit interview for a job?" she says with a smile that's trying desperately to hang on. "You're still my closest friend. I just... I think it's time for me to figure out my quest, you know?"

He won't lose sleep if she goes. Not like he'd lose it if it were Nate, or Hotaru. And it's not as though catching feelings is ever planned, but staying opens the door for resentment and hurt, for not feeling good enough, and Isla has had enough of that for a lifetime already. "I don't know," she admits. "I think maybe I will travel for a while. I'll send letters here, if that's okay?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

SUNJATA

look who's digging their own grave
this is what they all say; you'll drink yourself to death

She chastises him and it does spark a little small smile on his face, Sunjata huffing out a soft sigh as he shakes his head and nods. “Sorry.” He apologizes quickly before the wince crosses his face once more. “Typically these conversations were more… Explosive, for me in the past.” Because it did feel more like a break-up, given the drunken conversation – even if it wasn’t the fact that he had feelings. Isla had caught them, he’d known before the admission in the streets of Torchline. He’d known the second he kept introducing her as his business partner and she seemed to deflate.

“You’re mine too, you know.” He tacks on, still sitting back and keeping his gaze between his plate that he now doesn’t have an appetite for and her face and the awkwardness of this conversation. He understands the need to figure out ones’ quest. It’s why he’d focused on building this place to begin with. And when she continues, his brows pinch together at her question, head tilting as his avian shift takes over for the moment. “Of course that’s okay. You can send a letter any time and if you need anything, I’m only a letter away.” That’s what friends did, they were there for one another.

look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it
and what will you have left?

Isla

"I'm not sure whether I should be offended that you thought it would be explosive, or whether I ought to at least throw something at you so you're not disappointed," Isla admits with a half smile. She doesn't expect to feel worse as he reciprocates her sentiments, but the Remedy is left somewhat adrift by the abrupt change her life has taken in the past few minutes.

Nodding to him and finishing her wine, Isla takes a deep breath as if to steel herself, before rising to her feet. "It might not be as easy to find me until I figure out where to settle," she says. "But once that happens, if you ever need a doctor..." Well, he knows the rest. "You'll forgive me for not sticking around for long goodbyes? I've got some Ancient... stuff I need to do, but then I'll probably head out."

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

SUNJATA

look who's digging their own grave
this is what they all say; you'll drink yourself to death

The half smile does bolster him a bit, even if the subject matter is sad, and he’s taken slightly aback by the realization that it’s half a tease and half true. And he winces slightly as he rolls a shoulder, trying to be casual, thinking on those that had been explosive and deciding against commenting that perhaps she had better sense than them in that moment. It feels… Too close to a wound for her, and he huffs out a quiet sigh, still keeping that slight smile on his face even if it doesn’t fully reflect. “I’m okay with nothing getting thrown.” He admits.

She finishes her wine, though, and he finds his glass still mostly full – staying still from picking at his plate with no hunger found within him anymore, and not wishing to drown the glass of wine the second that she stands. “No, I understand.” He says softly, before allowing his gaze to slip up toward her face, seeing the sun glint off of her horns and her crown of golden hair. “I’m sorry, Isla.” Once again, the Flood finds himself apologetic for being unable to be what the people around him wanted him to be.

look who makes their own bed, lies right down within it
and what will you have left?

Isla

"You can always throw things after I'm gone, if you like," Isla says with a gentle shrug, as if to give him permission to be the one who's explosive for once. Who knows, maybe it will make him feel better? And it's as an expert at making others feel better that Isla smooths out her dress and steps out from behind the table, tucking her chair in and leaving her food completely untouched.

"You don't need to apologise to me," she says, her smile sweet even if it feels like there are thorns trying to sprout in her chest. "You didn't do anything wrong." Stepping past the Flood, she reaches out to give his shoulder a warm squeeze. "Look after yourself, Sunjata. I'll keep in touch."

Not knowing whether or not it's a lie, nonetheless Isla heads back inside from the Longheat sun. She doesn't darken the doorway of the House of Midnight again after that.

~FIN

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything