Cin/Athene Scene Pasted for Kaddy

[5:49] <Lena> -mine-
[5:50] <Lena> Well after Cin's meeting with Jon, she first person she ran to was Athene. She bolted up the stairs, clearly very upset, and knocked on Athene's door rapidly  and loudly. Looking around and making sure nobody could see her, trying her best to just keep her tears in for the moment.
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[5:56] <Antichthon> Okay, that was definitely a desperation knock. Could be any of several dozen people, though; Athene made it a point to let every student she met know that her door was always open to those who needed comfort. Athene was brushing her teeth at the time - a new behavior for her actually, one of the unfair advantages of Echidneans was high resistance against tooth decay - And didn't bother
[5:56] <Antichthon> to spit out the toothbrush before rushing to the door. She picked up Hope to keep the kitten from rushing out and opened it. A rather frazzled sight she was; loose PJs, toothbrush in mouth, kitten in hand. "Cin?" She said through clenched teeth. Her expression melted from surprise to compassion. She wrapped the girl in a big hug. "Cin, what's wrong?"
[5:58] <Lena> Cue a little panic attack. As soon as Athene opened the door, Cin didn't even really pay attention to the pj's or the toothbrush or the fact that she was sharing the hug with a kitten. She just burst into sobs, clearly so very upset she was shaking. Pair that with how tired she really was and that creates a very unstable jellygirl. She tried to tell Athene what happened between her sobs but all she managed to get out was "Jon"
[6:05] <Antichthon> Athene's enormous snake body, the weight of a small elephant yet surprisingly easy to ignore once you got to know Athene, was clad in a huge garment of its own, a forest-patterned "sock" as she called it. A gift from the last Akemi, the one now trapped in who knew what godforsaken dimension. It made slithering difficult. Fortunately at her size, she didn't need to; she already took up
[6:05] <Antichthon> the whole damn suite. "Oh, Cin." She pet the girl's hair, gave her one last squeeze, before gently picking her up and moving her to the couch. She doubled back on her massive coils, put away the toothbrush in the bathroom and returned to Cin. Hope was placed on her lap, and Athene, beside hre on the couch, pulled her into another hug. "It's okay," She cooed. "Shhh. It's okay."
[6:08] <Lena> Well that's a lot of moving around while Cin was stationary on Athene's coils. It was comforting though. Who'd have thought Athene's snakey body was so comforting? She sniffled and petted the cat gently, trying to calm down enough to be able to talk to Athene and tell her what happened. Hugs were so great...they were the best thing ever. Especially from peoplethat loved and cared about you without fail. After a bit, she calmed down enough to be able to tell Athene what happned "I saw Jon in the common room a while ago...and he's so sad. Ad he just kept on and on about how he's not over it and can't get over it. And it's like he was trying to make me feel bad and he did...he made me feel so terrible for working through it and moving on." she was crying all over again "I'm such a horrible person, Athene! I just moved on with my life so fast and easily that makes me terrible and heartless!" oh runny makeup is runny...nobody told her to wear waterproof mascara today....
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[6:12] <Antichthon> Athene listened, all the while maintaining the hug and rubbing the girl's back, adding in a few more motherly nothings whenever Cin devolved into sobbing. She listened, and did a very good job of keeping her anger at bay. Cin would likely only notice the shift in the beating of her enormous heart. "Cin, you aren't responsible for anyone else's happiness but your own. You know that."
[6:20] <Lena> Whether she noticed it or not, Cin wouldn't say anything about it right then. "I know....but doesn't that make me terrible? I mean...there was an engagement Athene. And I just got over that like it was nothing. At least it looks that way. He's so depressed over it and I told him he needed to try and work thorugh it and move on and I basically felt like crap for telling him in so many words to just get over it. Like...who does that....I'm the worst person ever."
[6:25] <Antichthon> "You didn't get over it like it was nothing, you were depressed for the longest time, too." She pulled away to look Cin in the eyes. "But that doesn't matter. You don't have to earn the right to feel better. You don't need to feel guilty for not going through enough pain. No one //deserves// pain, Cin. You aren't terrible for moving on. He's terrible for trying to manipulate you like
[6:25] <Antichthon> this." And under that calm, soothing mask, Athene was furious with him for it.
[6:28] <Antichthon> Meanwhile, Hope was in a good mood and rubbing all over Cin.
[6:29] <Lena> Cin nodded a bit, sniffling and wiping her face with her back of her hand. Despite that, the tears were still falling, she wouldn't stop crying anytime soon but she wasn't sobbing anymore so there's that. "ARe you mad, Athene? I don't want you to be mad over this. I just...you always have this way of just making things feel good again. You're like...like the most amazing protector and comfort.  And you're one of my best friends. I'm sorry I came here so late and interrupted your bedtime stuff. I just...I needed you to make the world ok again."
[6:34] <Antichthon> The compliments made Athene noticably swell with pride. Just a little, this was about Cin, not her. "Yeah," she whispered truthfully, squeezing Cin's shoulder and glancing away. "I am mad. I'm boiling mad. You've finally begun to bloom again and now Jon selfishly tries to - " Her voice, still soft, cut out. That god-like Echidnean anger, still invisible but for her thumping pulse. Her
[6:34] <Antichthon> heart was audible, the floor shaking, the lamp rattling from its power. She looked back at Cin, all warm smile. "But you know me. I'm almost always angry. And that's my problem." A brief silence. "Can I tell you something, though?"
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[6:37] <Lena> Oh that rattling didn't go unnoticed. Thats kinda why Cin asked if she was mad. "I was doing really good...making new friends and spending so much time with E..." she pressed her lips togheter " And working again..." she nodded "You can tell me anything Athene." she wiped the smeared mascara out from under her eyes and then wiped her hands on her pants.  "I dont' think I realized you were always angry by the way. Everytime I see you, you're so happy and smiling." Cin really has never seen Athene angry before.
[6:42] <Antichthon> Athene gave a tiny, humorless laugh. more of a huff, really. a hiccup. "It's always a mask, Cin. But if I've learned anything from my time here, it's that I'm not alone in that. We all wear masks." Hope had since gotten bored and scampered off to go play with Lisa in Athene's bedroom. She patted Cin's knee. "What I want to say is...I was very happy when I learned you and Jon had broken
[6:42] <Antichthon> up. And now I wish I'd told you before, I never thought he was good for you."
[6:45] <Lena> Cin watched the cat go, a little disappointed at that...such fluffy pretty soft fur. And it's real not feux. "Defense mechanisms...the masks I mean" she looked back to Athene after Hope couldn't be seen anymore "Really? Why didn't you say something before? These thing are important. Like....wow...Athene..." she furrowed her brows "You're not the only one that felt that way by the way....Tessa felt the same way." two of the people she valued most had the same opinion. Imagine that.
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[6:49] <Antichthon> She could have said more on the topic of masks, but pressed her lips together and remained silent. No need to get off track. "I don't really like commenting on other people's romantic relationships," she said. Smiled. "You're not the only one I've held my tongue about." Not by a long shot. "But that's in the past. What you need to do now is not let him drag you down. If he's really your
[6:49] <Antichthon> friend he'll be happy that you're happy, not guilt you about it."
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[6:57] <Antichthon> From Athene's room came an υνκνοωαβλε sneeze, proving P equals NP. Athene apologetically excused herself for a moment to rescue poor allergic Lisa from the kitten, but was soon back.
[6:58] <Lena> Cindaria nodded a bit "I understand...but I want you to....if I ever get there again. In  relationship I mean. Your opinion means a lot to me." even if she couldn't say anything about the other people she held her tongue about. She waited while Athene went to retrieve the kitten "I know you're right. And I told him that I wanted to be friends but he didn't seem interested. I mean I told him that I was still his friend I mean. Maybe I should just avoid him all together."
[7:03] <Antichthon> "If he doesn't want to be friends, wash your hands of him entirely. IF he wants to be friends, he better start acting like one." Even to Athene her words felt a bit cold, but, especially as someone who was once very prone to such things, Athene had zero tolerance for manipulation. "You don't need him. You have friends. Me. Tessa. Erkan." She nudged Cin, giving her a knowing smile.
[7:04] <Lena> Cin blinked "I'm sorry what'd you say?" she hadn't mentioned Erkan at all to Athene "I never said anything about Erkan" she gave Athene a suspicious look.
[7:12] <Antichthon`> Athene panned her gaze innocently upwards. "Noooothing."
[7:13] <Lena> Cin reached over and poked Athene in the arm "Athene!" she huffed lightly
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[7:20] <Antichthon`> "Whaaat?" Athene exclaimed, faux taken aback that Cin would accuse her of not saying everything. "I've seen you with him. Did he tell you we were pen pals?"
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[7:21] <Lena> "Uh no? You've seen me with him? When? And where? Cause...." they don't spend much time out and about. More like they do a lot of designing and sewing.
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[7:29] <Antichthon`> Athene pulled down her lower eyelids. "These eyes see aaaall." Beat. "...Okay, you've got me, it's more that this tongue smells all." She stuck out the three foot forked thing, indicating it with both hands. "But you two aren't as secretive as you think you are."
[7:31] <Lena> "What exactly do yu think we have to be secretive about?" she sticks her tongue out at Athene when she sticks her forked tongue out. Cin's tongue is nowhere near as long as Athene's but the action is there! "Stop tasting me!" she laughs. "That's creepy and weird." but she was laughing so it's not the bad kind of creepy and weird.
[7:34] <Antichthon`> It wasn't something Athene could help, but it also wasn't something Athene would admit to anyone but her closest friends because yes, it did seem creepy and weird. Athene laughed along, happy to see Cin go from sobbing to giggling. Only time could truly heal her pain, but hey, it felt good to help. "I think you like him~," Athene said, sing-song.
[7:37] <Lena> Cin wrinkled her nose in the middle of her giggling "He's really nice and a really awesome friend thus far. That's kinda all it is really. We're just friends." she looked at her hands when she said that "Besides, I'm not looking for anything anyways."
[7:42] <Antichthon`> Athene also stopped laughing, but kept her smile. "Yeah. I know. But I'm your friend." She tickled Cin. "And friends are supposed to give each other a hard time, right?"
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[7:44] <Lena> Relief came over Cin's features and then she was laughing when she was tickled. She wriggled and tried to push Athene's hand away from her to cease the tickles "I can't argue with that"
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[7:54] <Lena> Relief came over Cin's features and then she was laughing when she was tickled. She wriggled and tried to push Athene's hand away from her to cease the tickles "I can't argue with that"(repost)
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[8:01] <Antichthon> She let Cin push her hands away, but not before pulling Cin in to kiss her on the forehead and rejoining the laughter. She rocked back and forth with her arms around the girl until both their gigglings died down. "...You're worth it Cin," she said at last. "And you deserve to be happy."
[8:03] <Lena> See there Athene goes just making the world totally safe and ok again. It's like nothing could hurt her or get to her as long as Athene was wrapped around around her all friendly like. She curled into Athene and smiled "I'm glad you think so, Athene. Because I really wanna be happy and I was so super happy until tonight."
[8:09] <Antichthon> "And you'll be super happy tomorrow. I super promise." Another kiss. "...Would you feel better sleeping here tonight, or are you okay?"
[8:10] <Lena> She shook her head a bit "No I have a lot of work to finish before Friday...." she sighed a little, more relaxed and calm now.  But it was still on her mind and it still bugged her and she'd probably cry again later cause Cin is just emotional like that.
[8:12] <Antichthon> In that case, Athene just continued to hold her, gently, silently. Rocking back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Cin was right; everything could be okay. Because what could ever reach her, through a guardian like Athene?
[8:13] <Lena> --scene comforted--