(no subject)

[reallyaduck]

Fakir has made a very grand exit!

LET'S ALL STARE.

Comments

[3nanashi]

Trowa's glance at him, from under the bangs covering half his face, is both mild and bland; it's the kind of look Trowa uses to say I will humor you by not pointing out that you've said something ridiculous.

(All amiable and between friends.

Of course.)

"I'm sure."

[reallyaduck]

"When Mytho caught me when I was tripping he twisted his ankle!" Duck says, looking from Duo to Trowa rather anxiously.

She has a slight feeling that something may be going over her head, but . . . then again, that's a pretty common feeling, for Duck.

"That's one of the reasons I was worried about you, Trowa-senpai!"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Just joking, kid. Trowa's good at what he does." It might not usually be 'catching people who fall from churches', but he's a useful guy to have around, all the same.

[3nanashi]

Trowa shrugs slightly.

Just a regular, decent guy. (In a town full of ostriches and drugged plummeting kids and armadillos.) That's all.

[reallyaduck]

"Oh, yeah! But . . . you can be really good and still mess up sometimes . . ."

Even Rue sometimes makes a misstep and falls over, and Rue, Duck thinks, is practically perfect.

"Or get hurt by accident!"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Yeah," Duo says. "That's for sure." He doesn't seem to realize that was a big fat downer in the middle of trying to cheer Duck up until they're halfway across the bridge.

He shrugs it off.

[3nanashi]

Trowa doesn't seem to notice either.

Or maybe it's just that he's not drawing attention to it. As a friend.

Instead, after a short silence, he says to Duck amiably, "Not this time, though."

[reallyaduck]

"Right!"

Trowa is better at cheering up Duck than Duo, apparently, because she brightens up immediately.

"You know, you guys were really cool back there!"

[maxwellsdemon02]

He pauses and raises an eyebrow at Duck. "What, seriously? You've got low standards, Duck."

Duo tries a smile.

[reallyaduck]

"No, you really were!" Duck insists, looking from one to the other.

"You guys saved Mytho and then you totally weren't scared of Fakir at all and - I'm really glad you were both there!"

[3nanashi]

Trowa shrugs a little.

"It wasn't much."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Wasn't anything." Duo's slowed his pace a little. He is not glancing back at the church, but it's an effort. What's wrong with him?

[reallyaduck]

"I think it is . . . but maybe if you save people's lives all the time . . ."

But Duck's already saved Mytho like three times and she STILL thinks it's a big deal!

[3nanashi]

Trowa glances down at Duck.

Mildly, "Not so often."

That it doesn't still matter, that is.

[maxwellsdemon02]

The glance he shoots at Trowa is telling, if you know Duo and his mental state well.

He closes his eyes, and his shoulders hunch a little.

[3nanashi]

Trowa's still looking at Duck, and misses the glance entirely.

Probably.

The hair half-obscuring his face makes it hard to be sure.

[reallyaduck]

"Well, then it's a big deal!" Duck says, knowledgeably.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Listen," Duo says, voice suddenly rough. "Can we quit talking about saving lives? Just tell the kid to stay off high places."

[3nanashi]

Trowa's glance at Duo is quick and unreadable. But that's nothing new.

"Sure."

For a moment, it seems as if he's going to leave it at that. Then, to Duck: "What are your classes like here?"

[reallyaduck]

Duck glances at Duo, startled. "But - he's gotta live on the second floor!" she says, biting her lip, before answering Trowa's question.

"Uh, well, there's a lotta dancing, and we gotta write essays sometimes, and we study all the ballet stories and we get to watch the advanced class dancing 'cause they're a lot better than us. . . I dunno if that's like how it was where you guys went to school . . ."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Didn't go to school."

Well, okay. He did for a year when he was at the church. But that's the last thing he wants to talk about, now.

[reallyaduck]

"Oh, well, that's okay!" Duck says brightly. "You know so much stuff and you can do so much, I bet you didn't need it!"

[maxwellsdemon02]

-or, maybe he does want to talk about it?

"The only times I was ever at school, I didn't learn the important things there. And during the war it was only a disguise. Never was a normal kid."

[3nanashi]

That makes two of them.

Trowa, however, feels no need to share.

[reallyaduck]

Duck is so not qualified to talk about normal kids.

She flails a little, wobbling back and forth on her feet as she looks uncertainly at Duo.

"Um . . . I don't know what's important to learn at school, but - if you can help people isn't that what's import-"

Wait, Duo said that she wasn't supposed to talk about saving people's lives! She cuts off, looking guilty.