sheepinwolfclothing

...hi.

[Good job, Masaomi. You managed a whole syllable.]

...Kida? [Ho boy, he doesn't sound too good. Her tone instantly softens.] Hey, are you--Please tell me you're at least somewhere safe because I can tell you're not doing okay.

I'm safe.

[He's outside, but not far from where he's been staying.

His curt answers are far from the norm, however, and seem to lack any semblance of his former energetic self. Despite that he's the one who called her, he seems to be doing everything in his minimal power not to engage. Frankly, he just needs to know someone is on the other end of the line. He's in no mood to chat, and his flat tone makes this clear. Above all, he sounds ungodly tired.]

[There's a soft sigh on the other end of the line. Whether it's relief or exasperation is hard to tell. She is glad though you're in one piece at least, Kida.]

Where are you? Do you need someone to come out there?

[Because she will. All he has to do is ask...]

[He doesn’t answer at first, and even when he answers, it isn’t a real answer.]

...Got any decent snacks on you?

There's a few things here at the house. Some dried meat. You want some?

[Well, not the answer she's expecting, but there's no point in bringing that up.]

[A few quiet seconds later, Masaomi sends her his coordinates.]

[She keeps the line open as she gathers several pieces of dried meat (rabbit, mostly likely with how small the strips are), as well as her cloak. It's at least a small comfort to her, making sure she didn't change out of no where thanks to the TWO moons in this place...

It takes her a while before she manages to find Masaomi sitting down on the ground. A small sigh passes her lips as she tucks away her PCD and settles down next to him. From a bag, she pulls about three pieces of the dried meat and holds them out for him to take.]

It's not quite like the beef jerky you can buy in the stores, but it's the next best thing in a place like this.

[Masaomi listens to the muffled noises on the other end, but he doesn't say anything more. He doesn't even follow her approach, only looking up when she offers the dry strips of meat. He accepts one. He doesn't eat it.]

If it doesn't taste like puke, it's perfect.

I don't think it does, but then again, I think I'm a little biased.

[A small joke at her expense before she bites down on one of the pieces in her hand. She remains silent after that, planning on letting Masaomi break it on his own time. She'll just reach up to push the hook of her cloak back, and shake her head to let her hair free itself of the material holding it back.]

[He eyes the jerky accusingly. Everything he's eaten since the last event has tasted like vomit. It's not like it's the jerky's fault, but it's not Ruby's fault either. He sighs and takes a bite, choosing to focus on his companion freeing her hair rather than the taste that he knows is all in his head. He stretches out over the dirt and gravel.]

With this company, there's no way it could taste anything less than amazing.

[A quick glance up at the sky reassures Ruby, at least for now, that it's safe to remove the cloak. Putting a piece of the jerky in her mouth, she reaches up to undo the clasp of her cloak so she can fold it and set it in her lap. She's still wearing the t-shirt with the cut off sleeves, but her shorts are replaced by a pair of tattered jeans.

It's Masaomi's comment that gets her to smile. Ah, you're cute, but not that cute. Removing the jerky in her mouth, she responds.]

Buttering me up, huh? You're a pretty smooth talker for a kid.

I try. [Oh, does he ever try.] You've gotta be used to that though.

[He's just as bad as Dr. Whale during the curse, but she's definitely not going into that...]

You could say that, though none of them panned out.

[Yeah, that's one way to describe it.]

That's okay. For every one hundred rejections, you get one acceptance, so make sure to be rejected as much as possible.

[And with that lovely tidbit of advice, Masaomi slumps backward onto the pavement.]

My rejections usually come with torches and pitchforks. I'd like to avoid that, thank you very much.

[Still, she's smiling. At least...she is until Masaomi just lies back.]

You're not...hurt, are you? You might be a bit lanky, but I'm sure I can get you back to where you're staying if needed.

[A few seconds later:] No.

[He doesn't move, staring blankly up at the sky, and after another moment, he finally gives voice to the morbid thoughts that brought him here.]

Have you ever wanted to kill someone?

[That...actually manages to get Ruby to fall silent for a long moment. She had killed before, in the Enchanted Forest. Before the Curse. Before Storybrooke. There was war, and...Peter. Peter who had just been a victim of a freak accident.

Finally, Ruby sighs and decides to lie back on the pavement as well. A few truths would be satisfactory, right?]

Only those who tried to hurt my family. But it was different, then. I was afraid that I'd end up hurting someone I cared about instead of the people who deserved the pain, all because I didn't know the kind of person I was.

[She glances at Masaomi before looking back up at the sky.]

I'm assuming you did? Or...still do? What's stopping you?

[It's a legitimate question, one not tainted by sarcasm. She's curious to hear the kid's answer...]

[He doesn't stop to think. He just smiles. It's not happy.]

I'm not strong enough to. That's the only thing.

Strength isn't just a physical attribute, you know.

[And either because she thinks it'll make him feel better, or because she's just trying to lighten the mood a little, she's going to drape her cloak over the poor boy.]

And not all battles are won by spilled blood.

[Surprised, he lifts his head just enough to eye the cloak as it settles over him. Slowly, his gaze slides over to Ruby, his expression still sharp and almost suspicious.]

It's harder to do that in a place like this.

I did say battles. I never said anything about wars.

[She's resisting the urge to treat Masaomi like Henry and brush his hair out of his face. She sits up, and choosing instead to ruffle the blonde strands, smirking as she does so.]

And not all battles or wars are fought with other people. Sometimes...they're with yourself.

Ha. [He rolls his head, ruffled hair and all, to the side.] That sounds like something right off of a fortune cookie. How lame.

[But he won’t meet her eyes anymore, and his rebukes are soft, feeble. Those are the wars he always seems to lose.]

Inner demons are a thing, you know. Everyone has them, whether they want to admit it or not. You just have to learn how to control them or they'll control you.

[She slowly pulls her hand back, though she doesn't look away from Masaomi.]

Even if it does come off as being cliche, just...trust me on that one. It's not a pretty picture when something besides your own strength takes hold and won't let go...

[He remembers standing frozen on a dark city street, willing his legs to move. They never did. They only shook.

He remembers apologizing to Anri because he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone why she was afraid to be alone with him.

He remembers Jinx pinning him to the floor of his own room, Crowley stealing the crowbar out of his hands, Jinx's house burning to the ground, Ryoji's face when he saw Duo's dead body, his legs giving out beneath him not half an hour ago.

Not a pretty picture? It's life altering.

He doesn't know why he's having this conversation with someone he barely knows, but maybe that's why he felt safe calling her in the first place. If she thinks he's pathetic, it's not the end of the world. It's just like any other rejection from any other girl.

Or so he tells himself.

He peeks at her through the edge of his peripheral vision, skeptical frown easing with regret.]

So how do you control them?

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