we only lose a little. || OPEN.

[sunborne]

characters: Daylight and You!
location: The Church.
date/time: Backdated to August 24, late evening.
content: Daylight's back from the dead and there's a lot to unpack.
warnings: Discussions of death and self-esteem issues.

When Daylight comes back around, his first thoughts are nothing. Genuinely nothing. Blank and empty and nothing nothing nothing- It takes him a second to realise what's going on and he

feels fear feels anxiety feels worried feels horrible feels and feels and feels and that has to be better than nothing, right? better than feeling nothing like after he felt when he got pushed to the ground and felt claws digging into seams and into his protoform and realised a second too late there was a sickening crunch to next to his servo where his lantern should be and he tries to

immediately get up, frantic. It isn't long before he quickly regrets that decision. A wave of intense vertigo washes over him as he tries to get out, causing him to stumble and trip on his pedes as he tried to make a beeline for the exit. In the process of his frantic escape, Daylight causes a good and noisy ruckus when he bumps into one pew after the other. The scraping and screeching of the wood against the stone are deafening to his audials. He wants to say sorry but his processors are spinning and his servos are shaking and something must be wrong with his optics because why does he see so much gray on him...?

Daylight finally finally finally gets to the door and shoves it open, not bothering to keep it from slamming against the wall. He readies to leave, seeing outside at last, but- Something stops him. He isn't sure what it is but something stops him. Something icy grips his core, spinning faster than ever before, and Daylight realises it's because he's not sure what to do next if he leaves. What does one do when they've died (again?)... Especially in the aftermath of what happened at the party.

In the end, Daylight slides down to the ground, legs giving way, and he ends up sitting in the doorway. His back is pressed uncomfortably to the arch. If only to remind himself that this is real, that this isn't a dream.

Comments

[equinoctials]

There aren't many reasons for Riku to stop by the church. He's not religious; it reminds him of Gene, missing since the foghorn sent the spirits into a frenzy, it reminds him of Wanda and the warm smells of her cooking and how Sora and he had fought each other over who was going to give her the flowers Riku had picked for the occasion.

It reminds him of Kairi, who had so liked the way the candles burned in the vast space like little stars. Now she sleeps in a hole dug into the earth, where she'll never lack for starry nights.

He knows Coraline's been holding a kind of vigil here and thought it a shame she spent so much time alone. So he came with an excuse, a thermos full of just about the only thing he knows how to cook, a simple stew that isn't remarkable for its taste, it's just nutritious and filling. She might not want it, and if they were closer, Riku might have insisted more as a result, but they're not and so it remains a nice attempt.

These things take time.

Beacon feels quiet. He feels quiet. Like they're catching their breath, aware now of the empty spaces where there were people once. In some cases, for some people, the holes are too suddenly formed for the pain of missing them to make itself known. He feels the raw and bleeding wounds where the lost were everyday and the way he feels now, he doesn't know if they'll ever close. He moves because he has to, numb in the spaces between the hurt that smothers.

Riku doesn't really have a plan, or a goal, he just walks up from the dark shore and into Beacon, through its square and the bonfire lighting it, until he sees something filling up the arch of the church entryway.

His heart leaps into his throat, crowding out his breath. He stands there, thermos in one hand and his lantern in the other, the flame in it shivering against the dark, bright eyes wide beneath the silver veil of his fringe.

For a few awful moments Riku wonders if he's not just seeing things, hallucinating Daylight's corpse the way he'd woken up the other day (or night, he can't keep track anymore) from a dream the shore was clotted with the drowned, and each of them had Kairi's face.

But he blinks, he breathes, and Day is still there.

Riku starts forward again, one step and then another.

"Daylight?"

[sunborne]

Upon hearing Riku's voice, Daylight looks up form his servos that are cleaned (too) tight on his lantern. His optics are visibly cycling in shock as if he can't believe the sight of a friend before him. There's first a rush of relief to see that Riku is safe, is okay, is here but then he feels ashamed and embarrassed.

Daylight wants to say something - Are the others okay? Are you okay? I'm so sorry about Sora; I tried to look out for him while everything was going down but - he can't bring himself to say anything, period. Not after what happened at the party. Not after failing Caroline and Riku and everyone else and in such a disastrous painful terrifying way. It feels like the words are jammed up in his vocaliser, building up like static, clinging and cloy.

So for a few seconds, he's still as a statue and just... staring at Riku. When he realises what he's doing, whoever, and panics at how creepy it must look, Daylight quickly scrambles to stand up. He forgets that he has his back pressed to the archway and a loud, ungainly screech fills the way as his jetpack hub scraps (painfully) against it. He leaves streaks of grey paint in his wake and oh no oh man why can't he do anything right-

Daylight finally pushes out, "Sorry," and that's all he can say now, "Sorry- Sorry- I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry sorry sorry- I'm sorry, I-"

[equinoctials]

Daylight moves and the laugh that barks out of Riku doesn't even feel like it's coming from him, surprised out of his lungs, more shock than joy (but joy is present nevertheless). That horrible squeal of metal grinding has him starting forward again, his empty hand falling against his chassis.

He's real. He's real and he's here. He's scraped a tattered stripe of yellow paint against the church and Riku's spine feels like one big shudder at the sound it had made getting there, but honestly? He's too glad to see him back.

And Daylight is pushing out a litany of apologies and he has to interrupt, he has to cut in, because he knows what that cycle feels like. Sometimes you just need to get knocked out of the rut your pacing carves into the floor.

"You're okay! You're okay."

He's typically so reserved, shouting? Sustained contact, like the hand against his plating? They're rare on him, though he feels a lot more than he lets on, needs more than he says. Daylight's been a spark in this endless darkness, as selfish as it is, he didn't want to see it snuffed out.

Riku's shoulders sag in relief, his silver fringe dusting against the metal bulk as his head bows forward.

"You're okay," he repeats firmly, lifting his head to look up, "Daylight. I'm... glad you're back."

YEET

[primordialerebus]

Coraline had forced herself to step out for a quick walk, prompted by a voice in her head that sounded like a weird mix of Gene and Daylight. Which was… depressing and a possible sign she’s going crazy sitting in this weird empty place. That’s why part of her thought she was hallucinating at first when she walked in to the sight of Daylight (!!!!) and Riku just… standing there or something. But hey, what better way to see if something is real than launching yourself at the thing?

“Daylight!!!!” She yells as she rushes towards him and tries to give him a hug, though she slows down before it becomes a full on glomp. She still has some dignity left thank you very much.

“Are you okay? How are you feeling? Did anyone else show up with you!?” With each question, she unknowingly gets louder and louder until she’s just speaking in a constant shout. Her relief and excitement are evident in every fiber of her being, even in the shadows dancing around her. She’s just, so glad her friend’s back and there’s still hope that the others will come back. There’s a chance!