011

[contract_star]

[And here’s Hei. He looks strained and battered and tired, and the mask of apathy is clearly forced. He appears near Misaki’s batting cages and stares at them for awhile. Eventually, he steps inside wordlessly and grabs a bat off the shelf. Then he turns on the pitching machine; the machine fires and he swings and misses.]

[It becomes rhythmic. Fire. Swing. Miss. Fire. Swing. Miss. And so on. The mask of apathy slowly begins to waver.]

[Then, finally, there’s a loud crack as the bat connects with a ball. It’s a good hit. Hei stands back and watches as the ball arcs high into the star-filled sky, falling down somewhere out of sight. Hei stares after it for a long while, ignoring the pitching machine which is still lobbing balls at him.]

[It’s only when the machine has run out of balls that Hei seems to wake up. He looks at his feet; the apathy is gone now. Anger and loss flash across his face, almost seeming to compete with each other. Hei plants the bat against the floor and leans on it as if he can no longer hold his own weight.]

[The machine continues to whir.]

Comments

[lamb_of_gold]

[Hovering, not sure if he should approach]

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Big!Cy approaches timidly.] Bee-Kay?

[madamemoiselle]

{Just watching from a distance for a while, but once he leans against the bat, Diva starts to come closer}

[contract_star]

[Watching her out of the corner of his eye and not exactly happy to see her.]

Still insane, Diva?

[madamemoiselle]

{A little indignant} No, of course not.

[contract_star]

[Something about the Saint sparks anger in Hei. He pushes himself upright and goes to reload the pitching machine.]

I know. Shouldn't grieve, right? Grief is pointless.

[contract_star]

[Glances her way, then goes to reload the pitching machine.]

Cy.

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Tentative steps toward him.] I feel the big empty. What happened, Bee-Kay?

[contract_star]

[Shrugs a little. She can speak now, so evidently she's Diva again. Still, he's not in a good mood, so he's not exactly being generous.]

What happened to you, anyway?

[lamb_of_gold]

[Shakes his head] It changes nothing, but that does not make it pointless.

[contract_star]

[Goes back and starts swinging at balls again.]

Someone died.

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Her ears swing back.] No. No dying. I don't like it.

[madamemoiselle]

{Quietly, as she looks down with a frown}...It changed. I was back in that tower, Joel was alive, and he...injected me with something. It was like I lost everything but...killing. I didn't have control over what I was doing at all.

...

...And I'm sorry.

[contract_star]

[Is swinging at balls again.]

But death is inevitable. Shouldn't give a damn about things we can't change, right? [Absolutely mirthless smile.] Especially when she's just going to be back in a few days.

[contract_star]

[There's a crack as he hits one.]

Don't like it much myself.

[lamb_of_gold]

And that lessens the value of her life?

[contract_star]

[Doesn't answer for awhile.]

Wasn't your fault.

Do you remember anything? If you killed anyone?

[madamemoiselle]

{Mutters something}

[contract_star]

[Isn't even gonna dignify that with an answer.]

[lamb_of_gold]

[Watches him swing the bat for awhile] Were you with her?

[contract_star]

[Is trying very hard to look emotionless.] Yes. There was nothing else I could do.

[contract_star]

[Looks over at her with a pointed look.]

Sorry, didn't catch that.

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Little disconsolate noises.] Don't like the big empty. Even slipping, even fleeting, don't like the big empty at all. Ace! [She rubs a paw over her face.] Ace, no, no... Make the nightmares go away....

[lamb_of_gold]

Then why are you trying to look as though you do not care?

[madamemoiselle]

...a few.