[ AUDIENCE: LALLI HOTAKAINEN ]

[dormheads]

Comments

[darksubverted]

You'd think so, but it's just as tiring.

[STOP.

Once Lalli is up, he'll open the door for them. Since the last time Lalli has been in, there is now an additional photo on the board of himself, Viola, Sally, and Chad at Formal. He's sitting in Chad's lap while Sally and Viola box the guy in rudely from both sides. There's also an Anime Night poster, too. On the desk is a paper airplane with two dogs drawn on the wings.]

Have you had a shower yet since the day you all disappeared...?

[silentscout]

[Oh no new pictures, that's so soft. A smile tugs at the corner of Lalli's mouth when he sees all of those new things.

It's immediately replaced by a scowl at that question though.]

Yes, I did. I have to keep my wounds clean so they don't get infected.

[darksubverted]

[He doesn't seem to be bothered by the scowl. He puts his phone on the corner of the desk, and then drops onto the couch.]

Okay. That's what I was hoping.

[Now he needs to make sure the others did the same thing sometime.]

[silentscout]

[Instead of sitting on the couch like a normal person, he pulls his knees up to his chest.]

I saw what happened to Sigrun's arm when she let her stitches get infected, I'm not going to make that same mistake.

[darksubverted]

[Lalli.]

It can make you sick, too. So let's keep that from happening, okay? As long as you're washing and keeping it clean, it's fine.

[...

.....]

...What happened to her arm?

[silentscout]

She got bit by a troll. She's immune, so she didn't get the rash, but being immune to the rash doesn't protect you from other kinds of infections. So her arm got all green and sickly-looking and she had to get special treatment when we finished our mission.

But Sigrun was also stupid and wasn't cleaning her wounds properly and was acting like she was fine. So I'm not going to make that mistake.

[darksubverted]

Oh.

[The only reason he seems very faintly amused is because it sounds like she got better. Hopefully. He lowers the back of his head against the couch, peering tiredly up at the ceiling.]

Good. I'd hate... to lose someone else.

[silentscout]

[Since it's memshare week I'm going to torment you with a quick flash of another memory. Lalli barely reacts to it, because he's so used to sharing them at this point.]

...I'm not going anywhere.

[darksubverted]

[WOW. WHY THIS.

He doesn't raise his head, but his expression is mournfully shocked when it ends. And he stares straight up at the ceiling while his eyes sting and water. He doesn't know why?

Well, he knows why--the memory is so vivid, right to the core of him. But he has no context, so it's confusing.]

Losing people important to you is hard.

[silentscout]

[Time to feel the loss, Luke.]

It is.

[Lalli looks up now though, and he sees that Luke's face is starting to look a little watery. And that he's looking upwards.]

...Luke?

[darksubverted]

[He hates it, thanks.]

I'm fine.

[This is a small lie. He isn't fine because the emotions from the memory were like a sucker punch, but! At least he isn't full on sobbing. Who do you think he is, Yamato?

He reaches up to rub under his eye with the bottom of his wrist.]

[silentscout]

[Luke is solidly in friend territory by now, and being a friend means Lalli has no trouble invading his personal space. So when he sees Luke wiping at his face, Lalli pulls up the sleeve of his sweatshirt into his hand and reaches over to try and dry Luke's face too.]

[darksubverted]

[This surprises him, but not in a bad way! He blinks, pausing, as Lalli paps his face with the sleeve.]

I'm okay.

[...

But his expression says thanks.]

Who was that...?

[silentscout]

[When he's done, he pulls his hand back. His expression was already sad, but it seems to really resonate in his eyes just how difficult the memory is for him.]

Tuuri. My cousin.

[darksubverted]

[Hm. No wonder Lalli seemed the way he did when asked about the wish. Luke expression softens a bit in understanding.]

Sorry. Was it... the trolls? [A pause.] Nevermind. You don't have to talk about it.

[silentscout]

[Most people would just get a gruff noise and a refusal to answer, but Luke is different. Lalli is a bit hesitant with his words, but he does explain things.]

She wasn't immune, and she got sick.

[A general explanation, at least. He'll leave out the more gruesome details.]

The rash is a death sentence. Once you catch it, there's no cure.

[darksubverted]

[Even figuring this was the case, he dislikes hearing it's true.]

I'm sorry she got sick. [He's still not the greatest with the whole comfort thing. What do you even say to someone about something like that?] Do you ever think about going somewhere else?

Like... another place. And taking them with you. The people you have left.

[silentscout]

I can't do that. They all have families who would miss them. And I don't think any of them would go if I asked.

I'll find something else to use my wish on.

[He will actually have an idea in week 4, but that is for Later.]

[darksubverted]

I get it.

[He understands.]

Take your time. Well, the year is going by quick, but... you have time.

[silentscout]

...mmm.

[He goes quiet for a moment, as he usually does when he's thinking about something. But after a bit he speaks up again.]

What's your wish?

[darksubverted]

[He goes thoughtfully quiet for a long moment. Hm.]

I don't know. I guess I'll decide if it happens. If I graduate.

[silentscout]

"If" you graduate?

[darksubverted]

Well... I failed a class last year. Who knows what can happen this year.

[silentscout]

If you fail a class you don't graduate?

[darksubverted]

If I fail a bunch of them probably. Not that I plan on it... but things happen sometimes.