Dragon - Sayori

[21:39] Yuriko Ikezawa leaves a dehumidifier, tissues, soup, and ginger ale within easy reach
[21:43] Sayori the Bubbly tried to bring her usual peppy voice to the table, but her cold was making it very, very hard. "Thank you a lot! You didn't have to, but.. thank you." she responded with a soft chuckle, starting to tend to the soup. ..Yum! She gave a tender hug to the girl with one hand, the other cradling the spoon.
[21:54] Yuriko Ikezawa sits down with Sayori, her usual headscarf replaced with a more festive one--red with Santa heads, wreathes, and bells patterned over it. She rubs her eye tiredly, making sure her friend's well taken-care of. "I'm just glad the student housing is so close to where you and your friend live."
[22:01] Sayori the Bubbly was wearing an ugly sweater- ...and since it was Sayori, she wouldn't stop at normal-ugly. She had to get ADVANCED ugly, and chock full of Christmas cheer. A mishmash of brown deer, Christmas trees, candy canes, it was a hodgepodge of festiveness. "Oh, yeah! Uh-huh, it's mega convenient. I don't know what I'd do if it took like, an hour to get to school. I'd probably go crazy! ...And end up getting there a lot later, too!"
[22:03] Yuriko Ikezawa nods, "Same. I barely make it on time as is, between how long it takes to get ready and.... um. Other things." She doesn't seem to mind the sheer audacity that sweater has, existing as it does. She's dressed all in black and white with a bright red scarf, after all. Yuriko just holds the older girl gently, offering the crook of her neck as a pillow and taking over feeding her ill clubmate.
[22:13] Sayori the Bubbly wouldn't exactly say why it took so long to get to school in the morning. Not yet. "Yeah, same!" she trills with glee, still wearing that normal smile of hers- which, in part, was fueled by the sweater she wore. The sight of it was an abomination in the sight of gods and men alike if they disliked ugly sweaters- but she adored it much in the way someone would look at a puppy on the side of the road. Although she still had that pink bow in her hair, too! She rested her cheek on her shoulder as she was urged to, opening her mouth idly to receive each spoon full. Mmmm.
[22:15] Yuriko Ikezawa , of course, remains oblivious to the truth behind Sayori's chronic tardiness, no matter how similar it is to her own reason. Well, between that, the insomnia, and the limp. But somewhere deep down in her always-tired mind, she knows a kindred spirit when she sees one, even if they couldn't be more different on the outside save perhaps for gender. Yuriko keeps going until the bowl's empty, then helps Sayori drink the ginger ale she'd brought with her. With their male clubmate busy... doing something (she never did ask about his hobbies outside school), Yuriko felt compelled to make sure her friend was taken care of. It's going to be a hard habit to shake once she's feeling better.
[22:26] Sayori the Bubbly sipped down the gingerale, finding it to be exactly what she needed- both with the fizzyness and the flavor, it was absolutely perfect! "Again, thank you. You didn't really need to, but I appreciate it, I really do. I don't wanna dissuade you or anything, cause that'd be silly! So.. thanks." she intoned with that happy-go-lucky grin on her rosy cheeks, rubbing her cheek every so often on the girl's shoulder as a tender display of affection. If she could hug people forever, she definitely would. Her words were accentuated by the occasional sniffle, but she largely kept these quiet until she needed to. She had plateau'd in how she was feeling since yesterday, the girl feeling pretty abysmal- but like other things, she was pretty good at hiding it.
[22:34] Yuriko Ikezawa looks down at Sayori, and lightly noses the top of her head, "You don't need to thank me, goober. You're my friend. Also, it gets me out of the house for a while. Mom keeps calling me and reminding me not to spend every Sunday playing Realms of Battlecraft or Last Fable 14." Even in her current state, so exhausted that her world had faded to indistinct shades of greys, Sayori--indeed, all her friends in the literature club--remain splashes of color. The world just makes more sense with her friends nearby. So she holds the upperclassman closer. Her voice suddenly picks up a note of concern--enough of one to override the exhaustion that usually dulls her inflections, "Sayori, if anything were wrong, you'd tell someone in the club about it, right? You'd trust us to help?"
[22:47] Sayori the Bubbly gave a soft chuckle once she explained her reasoning- she had a habit of thanking people too much, or apologizing too much- sometimes both. Most of the time both. "That sounds fun! But yeah, It's good to get some fresh air sometime, clear the head, that kinda thing. You gotta invite me over sometime though, those games sound fun!" she responded, definitely happy to spend some time on video games with her friends. ...But what she said next was the million dollar question. And so, having years of practice under her belt, she replied in a way that would ward off suspicion, but make her go further down the rabbit hole. She couldn't help it- it was a coping mechanism, even if it was unhealthy. And so with a practiced smile and energetic inflection, she soon spoke up. "Of course! That's what friends are for, right? They help each other out! It goes both ways, too. If you ever need help with anything, let me try to, okay?" she continued, giving a soft sigh of contentedness as she gently rested against the slightly younger girl. Cozy and warm.
[22:52] Yuriko Ikezawa doesn't seem to trust the answer. Sayori's... too hyper for someone so ill. But she's too tired to press the point, and her friend's too warm. Instead, she tries another tack, taking a slow breath, "Okay. Well... I don't sleep because I have nightmares. Bad nightmares. Shoot-awake-and-sit-up-screaming nightmares. I... last summer, my dad and I were driving around, looking at schools with student housing. A delivery driver suffered a heart attack on the road and plowed into our car. My dad took his seatbelt off to put mine on. He..." She falls quiet, tightening her embrace. "The firemen found me with his blood on my face. By the time they got the jaws of life and pulled me out, it was too late to save my leg completely. I was set to be a starter on this school's track team before that." It hurt to rip open a badly-healed wound, but Yuriko hoped that by doing so, her friend would open up in turn. They could support one another in fighting off their personal demons, whatever Sayori's might be.
[23:14] Sayori the Bubbly: (Wall incoming, do you want it in one solid chunk, or multiple paragraphs?)
[23:14] Yuriko Ikezawa: Your pick!]]
[23:15] Sayori the Bubbly was indeed trying to overcompensate- she had a habit of doing that. Instead of acting a bit more laid back, she had a habit of acting akin to a Stepford smiler. She gave a gulp as she heard the story, only able to imagine how much it hurt for the girl to confide in her with such information. "I.." she intoned, as if struggling to find her words. And after that, the veneer was lifted from the girl. Like a mask being pulled away, she began to show her true colors. Almost immediately she slouched, her face almost imperceptibly at first starting to shed the happy layers which frequently found its way to her cheeks, the girl looking.. tired. She looked exhausted. But whether it was due to her illness, or life simply proving to be rather tiring, only she knew. Perhaps both. Her eyes, once displaying seemingly endless pools of joviality and mirth, were replaced by empty orbs with none of the joy they once held. She looked a few years older, just by shedding the facade that she had put on for all of her friends. But.. instead of strong emotion pouring through, her expression was far from that- little glimpses of sadness, shame, emptiness, all yearning to break free. Like a hollow vessel, she felt nothing. Aside from sadness for her friend, of course. "I'm... so, so sorry. I can't ever imagine having to go through that- that's.." she quivered, cutting herself off to gather her thoughts once more.
"That's utterly torturous. My issues don't even hold a candle to yours." she responded, rubbing her eyes for a moment- the girl looking pained as she gritted her teeth. Talking about her problems was like pulling teeth. "I've.. had depression for as long as I can remember. It's not something that popped up one day, it's just been with me as a constant companion. People have suggested pills, but.. I don't really care. I don't care about myself enough to try it. People have suggested therapy- same thing. Why should I even try? That's just using other people's energy to try and make me feel better. I don't deserve it, so why should I have to put them through it?" she croaked, the former emptiness starting to crack as despair filled its place.
[23:15] Sayori the Bubbly: (Ack, meant to put a space there.)
[23:22] Yuriko Ikezawa listens to Sayori's story in return, respectfully silent. When she finishes, Yuriko takes time to choose her words carefully, the hints of self-hate in her voice vanishing behind her omnipresent exhaustion. "I don't think pain is like the Olympics. You... don't get a gold medal for having the saddest story, the 'best' reason for hurting. Too many people want to treat it like that but. Yours is just as valid, just as raw, as mine." She puts Sayori's legs over her lap, cradling her friend closer, and laces fingers with her. All the warmth the tired young goth has, she readily shares with her hurting, ill friend. "Do you know what I hear from your story? There's a tower. A tower that's a thousand, thousand miles away from anything and anyone. There's a princess in the tower. She gets letters flown in by pidgeon every day. They tell her to smile, to fight harder, to get help. See, there's a dragon in the tower, and that dragon's trying to kill her. When it isn't raking her with its claws, it's telling her she's worthless, that she isn't loved, that she doesn't deserve to be happy. The letters do their best... but they're just letters. They don't understand. The princess is there, fighting back the dragon with whatever she can find to protect herself. Most days she just hits it with her fists until they're raw and bleeding. She doesn't want letters. She wants a weapon--something. Anything. Even just a stick."
[23:40] Sayori the Bubbly was a volatile ball of emotions at the moment- the emptiness that constantly plagued her was soon chipped away, sadness and hurt taking its place. She didn't agree with her friend at all- she lost someone that was impossibly close to her in a traumatic way, she just had some problem that was practically silly in comparison, at least in her mind. But.. if it was silly, then why did it cause her so much distress? She debated bottling it up even further, not wanting to tell her friend her mind- but then it'd make her feel worse. Her friend put her trust in her to spill her secrets- and so she'd do so. "I.. deserve this, though. You don't deserve what happened to you, nobody d..." she stated in a shuddering fashion, the girl eventually giving a quivery inhale as the warm, salty tears started to streak down her cheeks. "Deserves that." she continued, before giving a cough into the crook of her elbow, one that arched her back as discomfort etched its way onto her face. She didn't want her friends to worry about her when it came to her illness either, but now she didn't care. Her crippling sense of self-worth made it really easy for her to say such things- after all, she truly believed it. She listened to her analogy though, the girl giving a few shaky breaths as she finally released what she'd been bottling up for so long. "T... That would make for a pretty nice poem, y'know." she eventually stated with a bit of a teary chuckle, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve- unable to help but try and interject a tiny bit of humor into it. "But.. I'm surprised you get it. You.. put it perfectly. When people tell me they care, and to stay strong- it's only that. Words. Letters. I know I'm supposed to feel grateful, supposed to feel happy that they want me to confide in them, but.. I still don't deserve it. The love that everyone has." she replied, giving another snuffle as her chest rose and fell with sputtering breaths, the girl feeling utterly broken. Like her soul was smashed into a million pieces.
[23:41] Sayori the Bubbly: (Oops, gonna put a little bit more.)
[23:43] Sayori the Bubbly "And.. I'm sorry. Sorry for not speaking up sooner. It's an insult to our friendship. I almost didn't say anything, even after you wore your heart on your sleeve- I, I-I just.." she lamented, the girl now breaking into full blown sobs as her despair wracked the girl, fully giving into what had been trying to break free the entire time. Why couldn't she just... be normal?
[23:48] Yuriko Ikezawa nods softly, letting Sayori cry as much as she needs. Yuriko rocks her friend gently, continuing with the analogy, "See, that? That's the dragon talking. That's a princess who's spent so long fighting a ravenous beast that hates her that she can't remember what it's like not to fight. Sayori, think of the doctors as blacksmiths. They make swords, axes, armor to send up to those towers. There's only so many towers but there's so many swords and shields. You don't want the blacksmiths' hard work to go to waste, right?" A wry smile pulls at her lips, "Besides, I already wrote that poem. My doctor suggested poetry as a way to channel my grief. I'm in a tower, too, and I'm fighting that same dragon every day. Mine's just a little bigger, and a little meaner. But a dragon is a dragon--if you don't fight it off, it's going to kill you whether it's big or little. All you have to do is answer the blacksmith's letter, Sayori, and he'll send you a sword. A spear. A bow and arrow. You and he will try out weapons until he finds one that works, and you'll use it every day to fight off that dragon because I know you want to. You've fought it every day so far, right?"
[23:58] Sayori the Bubbly: (This RP is actually getting me choked up, give me a second, hahahah.)
[23:59] Yuriko Ikezawa: Oh dear, absolutely! Though, unfortunately, I'll need to get some rest in a half hour or so. Yuriko might not sleep, but I do ;w;))
[00:00] Sayori the Bubbly: (Oh, no worries! I can post and then we can call it a night.)
[00:01] Yuriko Ikezawa: Ok! I'll be working pretty much all day tomorrow, but Yuriko'll stop by in the afternoon to check up on Sayori between my shifts~]]
[00:01] Sayori the Bubbly: (YAAAAY! Also, good luck, work can definitely be a bother.)
[00:01] Yuriko Ikezawa: Just don't Act 1 poor Yuriko ;w;))
[00:10] Sayori the Bubbly gave quivery little breaths as her emotions ran rampant, listening to the girl- trying desperately not to cause her words to go in one ear and out the other. She didn't deserve that- she truly wanted to help- and she would try her damn hardest to be receptive. Though.. one thing that did make her turn her head to the side and listen more, was the fact that the analogy was working. Or at least, as much as it could work. Her depression wouldn't be helped overnight, far from it- but it helped take away a little bit of the hurt with something that she hadn't felt in a long, long time- hope. Hope that things would get better, that she wouldn't be stuck forever in the Abyss. "I.. I don't want to fight the dragon anymore. I don't want it to win. I don't. I don't." she repeated, the girl letting it bounce in her mind for a moment or two. Once she got her sobbing out of her system, she gave a few deep breaths- once more rubbing her puffy eyes with a sniffle. And what came next, was a smile that wasn't forced- one that wasn't rehearsed or practiced for a friend that asked how she was doing. "Thank you. That.. really helped a lot." she stated as she hugged the girl just a little bit tighter, a final sigh coming from her once it seemed that her display had petered out. She let herself slouch once more, an almost addictive note of clarity coming to the surface of her mind from the girl's analogy.
[00:14] Yuriko Ikezawa looks at the time and helps Sayori get ready for bed, "I'm going to leave the blacksmith's number on your nightstand, okay? Call him in the morning. Tell him you're in a tower and the dragon's winning." It's a code she'd established with him, a red-flag phrase meant to fast-track an appointment. Yuriko's voice is gentle, tired eyes caring, smile tender. "Promise?"
[00:19] Sayori the Bubbly soon felt the comforting kiss of cool sheets and blankets, the girl giving a content breath once she finally worked her way under the covers. She heard what she said next, the girl far from one to disregard the help that a friend provided- she'd rather die than do that. It would be a slap in the face, it'd be as if she were spat upon. No, she couldn't do that. And she wouldn't, either- the analogy, still fresh in her mind, kept her solace as she clung to that life raft in the sea of emptiness and despair that was a companion for many, many years. "..Mmhh. I promise- I swear on... everything, really. 'I'n in a tower, and the dragon's winning'. Got it. ..And again, thank you. You're a really great friend, do you know that?" she asked, that genuine smile of amiability still appearing on her cheeks. It was gentle and calm- a far cry from the girl's usual facade of overbearing cheeriness. It was refreshing to feel.
[00:22] Yuriko Ikezawa hugs Sayori through the covers, gets up, and limps her way to the light. When she clicks it off, she makes sure some of the light from the hallway filters into the dark room, "It's going to get better, Sayori. It's going to be a long, hard fight, but you've already taken care of the hardest part. We're both going to get through this. I refuse to consider the dragon winning, and neither should you. Goodnight." As she limps out of the house, she takes care to leave that hall light on. One night of a little extra power use won't be the end of the world, and that little glimmer of light should provide the perfect, symbolic period to the night's paragraph.
[00:23] Sayori the Bubbly: (WHEW. What a ride. I don't think I've been that invested in a RP in a long time, hahaha. That was a blast.)
[00:23] Yuriko Ikezawa: \o/ Yuriko: insomniac near-narcoleptic therapist.]]
[00:24] Yuriko Ikezawa: I had ideas for Yuriko I might run by you tomorrow, but for now, my own sheets beckon, along with an episode of Outlaw Star to get me off the feels train))
[00:25] Sayori the Bubbly: (Sure! And nightyo, and that sounds fun!)
[00:25] Yuriko Ikezawa: Have a good night! <3]]
[00:25] Sayori the Bubbly: (Yo utoo!)