[ after getting firefly set up in the health center, and helping to tend to her with the others working on the care of their returned companions... zhongli leaves, for a bit. because he has to go and get the sn**py bandaid from her room, lest she suffer for even longer with her injuries being what they are.
(but he knows that her past means her pain tolerance at least has her braced for a portion of it - she just shouldn't have to manage it with that alone.) ]
[ with a wan smile, small as it is, as he comes closer. he didn't bother changing his clothes - just taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves - so he's still a bit bloodstained, between her and hawke. ]
Once you're a little more settled, I'll start a pot of tea for your throat; for now, where would you like the bandage?
[ he will carefully apply it for her with a nod, smoothing it gently to adhere to her skin with his thumb. but her thought catches his attention, causing him to pause, drying blood and golden skin in contrast to her pale skin and greens.
and - he just gives her a stronger smile. ]
You are my dear friend. My old roommate. A cherished memory that I will hold onto for a long, long time.
[ Not a weapon, his thoughts echo, before bringing up mental snapshots of moments. decorating their room together, watching their chao play, lighting sparklers night after night after night, watching fireworks together.
no; not a weapon, but instead just a girl. even after knowing her history, her origins, what she went through... zhongli can't think of her like that. it would be a disservice to her and her journey. it would be an insult to xiao, who was treated the same by the god that held his leash. ]
For as long as my spirit still perseveres, Firefly.
[There's more to her than what she was made for. She's more than a weapon, even if that is how she's regularly deployed. But ... At the same time, the Penacony mission allowed her time to simply exist as a person.
Heaven allowed for the same, when she was under her own will. It's nice... to be a real person. To do those normal little things she never had to chance to in her normal life.]
I really am lucky to have met you.
...
You were there, for a little bit. We were colleagues.
[ hand still, remaining near her shoulder, he pauses, considers, before reaching up. as carefully as he can, he brushes some of her hair away from her face, tucking some of it behind an ear and getting a good look at her.
settled in a hospital bed like this, she really is just... a girl. a tired, battered, traumatized girl, and his protective instinct needs little else to rear its head. even if he knows she can handle herself in a fight - she just need not do it alone. ]
And I, you. [ ... ] Will you tell me what happened?
[She wonders, sometimes, if she should be allowed to just be a girl after all the things she's done.
Both Blade and Kafka do take good care of her, but this specific kind of parental touch is foreign. Not unwelcome, but unfamiliar. It would be nice, one day, if she wasn't SAM anymore and she could choose to be just Firefly instead. But... Aren't they both just her? Is there any difference between the girl and the weapon?]
I woke up.... I think it was somewhere like hell. We wandered for a while, before we started living a different life. I was a researcher, and you and Elysia were my colleagues. But... Then the world started feeling... Wrong. Like I didn't belong there. [It wasn't wrong, about that.]
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wk 6; thursday
(but he knows that her past means her pain tolerance at least has her braced for a portion of it - she just shouldn't have to manage it with that alone.) ]
I'm back, Firefly.
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Either way, he isn't gone for too long. ]
Wel- [ It hurts to speak, she quickly realizes. Welcome back. ]
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[ with a wan smile, small as it is, as he comes closer. he didn't bother changing his clothes - just taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves - so he's still a bit bloodstained, between her and hawke. ]
Once you're a little more settled, I'll start a pot of tea for your throat; for now, where would you like the bandage?
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Shoulder.
[ And her thoughts go dead for a moment, before she begins to wonder, Who am I to you?]
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and - he just gives her a stronger smile. ]
You are my dear friend. My old roommate. A cherished memory that I will hold onto for a long, long time.
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Not a weapon. It's... Not a surprise, if she really thinks about it. Zhongli has no reason to think of her the way she thinks of herself.
But it is strange, to hear it aloud. All these associations, and they're not as negative as the way she sees herself.]
Thank you. For remembering me.
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no; not a weapon, but instead just a girl. even after knowing her history, her origins, what she went through... zhongli can't think of her like that. it would be a disservice to her and her journey. it would be an insult to xiao, who was treated the same by the god that held his leash. ]
For as long as my spirit still perseveres, Firefly.
no subject
Heaven allowed for the same, when she was under her own will. It's nice... to be a real person. To do those normal little things she never had to chance to in her normal life.]
I really am lucky to have met you.
...
You were there, for a little bit. We were colleagues.
no subject
settled in a hospital bed like this, she really is just... a girl. a tired, battered, traumatized girl, and his protective instinct needs little else to rear its head. even if he knows she can handle herself in a fight - she just need not do it alone. ]
And I, you. [ ... ] Will you tell me what happened?
no subject
Both Blade and Kafka do take good care of her, but this specific kind of parental touch is foreign. Not unwelcome, but unfamiliar. It would be nice, one day, if she wasn't SAM anymore and she could choose to be just Firefly instead. But... Aren't they both just her? Is there any difference between the girl and the weapon?]
I woke up.... I think it was somewhere like hell. We wandered for a while, before we started living a different life. I was a researcher, and you and Elysia were my colleagues. But... Then the world started feeling... Wrong. Like I didn't belong there. [It wasn't wrong, about that.]