TRP: Goro and Amari (Packing)

## Setting

After Mishka and Ripley were possessed.

Goro has been avoiding Amari. The scene is set at Amari's house-- a quiet sandstone building. The interior was sweetly decorated before with small potted plants and gauzed golden curtains. It has been several days since Amari was here, and the garden out back needs to be watered. The plants are drooping. Amari resists the urge to go water them. It would be so nice to walk through the garden again, soft dirt beneath her bare feet. Instead, she slips inside through the back. Joan's clothes are still laid out on the bed, where Amari left them days ago, before Joan was arrested. Joan had slept in her office that night, never home, not when Amari wanted her. Amari shut her stinging eyes. She grabs a bag from the closet and begins packing things into it quickly and quietly. Things they will need. Healing salves. Herbs. Clothing for herself. She backs a bigger bag for Goro as well, things he won't think about, some of his favorite candy she'd bought from the market and never given to him.... sets of clothes....

Lina
In the hallway outside the bedroom, a floorboard creaks.

Coyote
Amari jumps a little. Takes a shaky breath. Remembers what Joan instructed her to do if there was an intruder in the house: cast a paralytic spell, then go find Joan. The second part isn't really applicable anymore, but she can still paralyze them and then slip away, without hurting them. She whips open the door.

Lina
A scruffy-looking, middle-aged thief is crouched just outside, dagger in hand, poised to stab something. His eyes widen and he drops the dagger.

Coyote
She whispers a prayer under his breath and touches his arm, visualizing him stiffening and falling over. Then she can slip away.

Lina
Goro can feel the spell taking hold, his muscles going rigid, jaw clenching. He's fought this one off before, but surprises himself with just how violently he throws it off this time. Heart racing, panic setting in as he remembers exactly what happened the last time he lost control over his own body, and how hard he fought that, kicking and screaming inside his own mind, with no effect. This time, there's an effect. The spell breaks and he stumbles backward. Fear flashes over Amari's face, and his very first thought is That's fair, before he remembers he's disguised himself. He passes a hand over his face so it's his own again, other hand against the wall for stability. He's still shaking from the adrenaline. He looks at Amari long enough to let her see who he is. Then he swipes his dagger off the floor and turns to leave.

Coyote
She flings herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. He's needed a hug for days, no doubt, and she knows she's the only person who's ever hugged him. She might still be the only friend he has. He's been spending more time out, and he seems close to some of the other Runners, but-- god, he won't even talk to her anymore, won't tell her about his day. Maybe he doesn't need her anymore. But maybe he does. "What are you doing here?" she whispers. "Are you okay? Do you need help with something, Goro?"

Lina
Goro cringes when she hugs him, endures it for a few seconds, then--gently--pulls himself free, holding her at arm's length, trying to step away from her and hold her back at the same time. He won't look her in the eye. "I'm... I'm fine, I'm not... I don't need help. You shouldn't be here. You need something? Go, I'll take it back to the ship for you."(bearbeitet)

Coyote
The crew will need food and clothing. And things to distract themselves. Money to keep themselves afloat. She nods jerkily. "I need all the things from Joan's closet. I can't carry them on my own." She was a healer, once, even before she had magic. It reminds her of doing triage, numbing yourself to all the pain suffering around you, turning it into a mechanical job. Ordering nurses around, stitching wounds, packing bandages, making sure everyone is looked after. It's exhausting. Her entire body aches from being awake. From comforting the crew. From feeding them and keeping herself busy. She turns to lead him to Joan's closet, then stumbles on nothing and catches herself on the door. She almost collapses. God, she hadn't realized how tired she was.

Lina
Seeing her stumble like that makes his heart skip a beat. The possibilities fly through his mind--she's sick, she's hurt, he did a shoddy job healing her the other day and now it's catching up to her, she... Without even realizing it he's gone to her, taken her in his arms so she doesn't fall. And when she leans against him he realizes: Oh. She's tired. She does that. Everyone else before herself, until she's almost falling apart. It was the one reason he was glad to see her kicked out of the church. She would have some time to take care of herself, for once. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" he asks, his voice coming out sharper than he wanted. He walks her to the bed and eases her onto it. "Sit down. Sit. I'll pack for you. God. Take a nap, or something. I'll stand guard." He still can't bring himself to look at her. He walks to the closet and starts yanking things out of it at random, tossing them on the floor beside him. "Everything? Everything?"

Coyote
She curls up on the bed for a second, holding her knees. Bone-achingly tired. Then she straightens up. No. If she goes to sleep now, she won't wake up for a million years. She gets up again and goes to the closet and starts grabbing things. Joan was weirdly prepared for stuff like this. There was a purse hidden under the floorboard (Go to the Sanctuary of Eldath and make yourself useful there, Joan had said. This will pay for an armed escort.) Joan had enough dried rations for three weeks, weapons, maps with future graverunning sites marked. Amari is so angry she wants to cry. She told them. Over and over. Not to do this. Not to be violent. To just stay with her in the garden, and not fight against these horrible things.

Lina
Goro grabs her by both arms and walks her back to the bed. "Sit. Down," he says through gritted teeth. He wrestles the box of healing supplies she's holding out of her hands and tosses it aside, a little too roughly, and it makes a worrying crack when it hits the floor. He puts his hands on her shoulders and, finally, looks her in the eye. "Stop. Stop. You're going to make yourself sick. I did this, and I will fix it, alright? You need to rest."

Coyote
She can't stop working. If she stops working, she'll start thinking. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. The bed still smells like Joan. "Fine," she says. "But... only if you tell me... how you're doing." He doesn't talk to her anymore. He used to be so-- charming, so sweet, so funny, when he wasn't being sharp or unkind. It was like getting a beaten puppy to trust you. She'd felt so special. How idiotic of her. He really was better, now. Making money. Fighting monsters. Helping Joan. He had friends. And now that he didn't need her, so of course he'd left her behind.

Lina
He stares at her, open-mouthed. Finally musters himself to say, "I--have ruined--" He starts counting off on his fingers-- "Five, six people's lives?" He keeps counting. "...eleven, twelve, thirteen, I don't know, how many fucking employees does the Guild have now, if we're counting everyone who won't be getting a paycheck--" He cuts himself off with a deranged laugh. "Oh, and let's consider every other citizen of Skyport, I guess they'll all become hosts to the hive mind eventually, thanks to me and my little experiment. How am I doing? Who gives a fuck, Amari? The only thing that matters is whether I can fucking fix this! There. Will you take a nap now?"(bearbeitet)

Coyote
"I want--" The words stick in her throat. If she is honest, it feels like giving Goro a knife to cut her with. "I want you to tell me you're okay," she says. "I miss you. I miss our conversations. I wish you needed me, Goro." And she hid her face in her hands.

Lina
He stands in shocked silence for a long time. I wish you needed me. What an odd thing for her to say. How could she not know? After everything she'd done for him? He sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. Alright, maybe he'd never said it. He wasn't sure how to say it. How to take everything Amari was to him and squeeze it into a few words. "You're all I have," is what he blurts out, and it's not even true anymore. Except, somehow, it is. "I mean, underneath everything else. Someone could scrape away every other part of my life and there'd still be you. Just like always. You mean everything to me." He pauses, and wonders if he's said enough. "And I took Joan away from you. I don't know why you even want me here."

Coyote
She clung to him, pressing her face into his shoulder. And she can't stop the smile that breaks out across her face, so hard it hurts. Goro has friends. He still needs her. He loves Joan, even if he pretend he doesn't. And he's going to fix this. And for the first time since Joan's disappearance, she feels like she can breathe easy for a second. There is a bright, warm feeling in her chest. She takes his face in her hands. "I know I've said this a million times, but I'll say it as many times as you need me to," she says. "You are a good person, Goro, and I will always be here. As long as you want me." And she pulled down his tall head and kissed the top of it. "Now tell me about the pink tiefling who keeps talking about you and bringing you food," Amari said.(bearbeitet)

Lina
Goro pulls back, and his face is pink. Like Sugar's. "She what? What did she say?"

Coyote
"She wanted to know your favorite foods so she could tempt you out of your room," Amari said. "And... something about you sleeping in her room?" Amari's eyebrows are raised, and she's smiling a little, against her will.

Lina
"I--she--she--" He's turning redder. "It helps her feel safe! It's a cot, alright? You can go look if you don't believe me."

Coyote
"Oh," Amari said. "You don't like her, then? I can help you let her down gently. I can tell her you have a girlfriend."

Lina
"No, I don't, I don't, I'm just... you can't lie to her. You wouldn't lie. You know, maybe the two of you should just not talk. You haven't said anything about me to her, have you?"

Coyote
"Oh," Amari said. "Well, yes. The poor girl... she's been helping me do everything. We've been talking constantly. What a sweet girl. I told her about that time with you and the noodle incident... you remember that? Gosh, that was so cute..."

Lina
Once again, Goro is rendered speechless. He stares, and stares. "You... you told her about that? That wasn't cute, Amari. That was not... oh my god." He puts a hand over his mouth and looks away. Starting to look more on the green side, now. After a few calming breaths, he glances at Amari out of the corner of his eye. "So... you... you like her?"

Coyote
"Goro," Amari says, taking his hand gently. "I will love any boy or girl you bring home."

Lina
He grunts and shakes his head. "Yeah right. Don't get your hopes up, anyway. I think she sees me as more of an older brother type."

Coyote
She isn't sure what to say about that. So instead, she stands up, dusts herself off, and starts to keep working. Then sees him scowl at her again, so she sits back down. "If you grab the bags... we can go," she says. Goro will meet a nice girl, or boy. Of course he will. And they'll love him just as much as she does. Or maybe it'll be a very shady boy or girl. That would be fine too.

Lina
He's relieved to see her looking more... at peace than she was a while ago, but he can tell she's still exhausted. There are dark circles under her eyes, and she seems almost gaunt. "I think I'll have to come back for the bags," he says. "You look like you need to be carried." He bends over her, puts one arm behind her knees and the other behind her shoulders, and hoists her off the bed. "Alright, settle in. We're going back to the ship." He only makes it halfway to the door before he staggers. "Ah fuck. I'm not actually strong enough to do this. Fuck." He manages to drop her in such a way that her feet hit the floor before anything else, then he reaches out for the wall to catch his breath.

Coyote
She puts her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she says. "I can stand on my own, Goro." And they walk back to the ship together, exhausted, but together. As a two-person family again.

[END]