thisavrou_log | [closed] how does friendship

Who: Frisk, Ginko, and Kaworu
When: Late May-ish
Where: The garden
What: Frisk attempts to put a traumatized child and a cosmic toddler back on speaking terms
Warnings: ????????? possible mention of attempted suicide, I guess?

Things had calmed down...somewhat, since the malfunction and collapse of the reverse-Ingress. The Moira sailed on, crew went about their lives...but a few souls are still marked by what transpired on the barren planet. Frisk themself has mostly recovered, their confidence in their abilities and relationships regained, but the relationships between their friends, on the other hand...

Kaworu might be okay with being isolated, but Frisk knows that it isn't a good thing for him to be like that on this ship. It might be his nature, but he's among Lilim and will be for some time to come--he needs to learn how to interact, and the only really practical way to achieve that is practice. And with Ginko avoiding him, Kaworu just lost a third of his practical access to that.

(Not that Frisk thinks of Ginko as a practice dummy for Kaworu's attempts at being social, of course. It's just...an unfortunate side effect of the two of them being friends.)

Frisk might in other situations simply contrive to put the two together in the same space, the same way they had with the sleepover party. But Ginko is already skittish to begin with, and Kaworu is...Kaworu. After the disaster of Ginko fleeing to his world to try and disappear, he'd been avoiding the older boy like the plague, and Frisk could hardly blame him.

But there was a convenient way around this. It might not happen quite as frequently anymore, but Kaworu is still apt to show up at random. It's just a matter of time before he shows up while they're with Ginko.

Which is where they are at the moment. Laid down in the grass beneath the large tree, Frisk laughs and looks over to Ginko with a little grin. "I mean it! Th' Temmies all talk like that, I'm not lyin'!"

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Ginko, of course, is totally unaware of Frisk's plan - and, of course, if he knew about it, he would think it was a bad idea. His avoidance of Kaworu was largely because he kind of suspected that Kaworu didn't want to interact with him; it seemed to him that continually calling him stupid and selfish for most of that walk should be taken as a pretty clear indicator that Kaworu wanted nothing to do with him.

"...Wow. Wasn't that hard to understand?" He stares up at the roof of the garden, kicking his feet slightly.

"Only a little, at first. You kinda get used to it." Frisk hums and rocks their head from side to side. "I can't visit 'em too much 'cuz I'm 'lergic, but they're really funny! An' they make real good armor, too! It's super magic, an' it's all outta cardboard!"

Normally, Ginko would probably have been right. After all, normal people don't say those kinds of things without some kind of personal invective.

Kaworu Nagisa, however, is not 'normal people.' Not only is he literally incapable of being 'normal,' but the 'people' part of it trips even Frisk up.

So... his comments were nothing personal, really.

What had kept Kaworu away from Ginko was less an awareness of what effect his words had on the other boy and more the deepening gulf between himself and those around him. The same reason Frisk had been seeing less of him.

...so naturally, when he does show up, it's at possibly the most awkward point in the conversation for his arrival.

"...what's magic?"

His frown may be mild, but the furrow in his brow is unmistakeable.

Before Ginko can respond, a very familiar voice speaks up from nearby. Ginko freezes up, then sort of. Scoots backward against the tree, as if intending to camouflage himself against it. Nope, he's totally not here.

Frisk, meanwhile, pops right up to wave at Kaworu with all their usual cheer.

"Th' Temmie's armor! It's all cardboard an' tape an' stuff, but it's super strong an' heals me an' ev'rything! It's even better'n wearing th' locket!" Frisk looks down at the jewelry in question, putting one hand over it. "I like th' locket better, though."

Hashtag RPG character lyfe...?

...it heals them?

Temmie armour and cardboard are subjects Kaworu doesn't actually care about, though, even if the specific statements don't make sense. Which is good, because it means he's not inclined to argue about it. Ever.

Instead, he smiles back at Frisk in greeting... then turns his red eyes to Ginko. After a second, he smiles at him too.

Ginko just stares warily at Kaworu while trying very hard to look like he isn't staring. Even after Kaworu smiles at him, he just sort of... looks away after a moment, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Frisk glances to Ginko, seeing that movement, and smiles kindly before gently patting his shoulder. "He didn't mean it the way you think," they say with a low voice, and then turns back to Kaowru.

"You wanna sit with us? We're just talkin' 'bout silly things."

Kaworu regards Ginko for another second.

It's a strange moment for him. Lacking true empathy on a human level, Kaworu's only real clues to the feelings of those around him are the things he is told, and the things he can see. Right now, though, Ginko reminds him of Shinji--turning away from him, refusing to make eye contact, shrinking from his presence...

"........."

It... doesn't feel good. It feels....

.... no, he doesn't like it.

His smile, leaving his face, becomes something sour instead. He doesn't look at Frisk at all, in fact--he just regards Ginko, then turns his back on them both, to leave.

He gives a very soft hum and a barely-perceptible shift against Frisk's hand in acknowledgement. He appreciates the sentiment, but... it's hard to imagine how else he could have meant it.

When he sees Kaworu moving away in his peripheral vision, he just shrinks in on himself a little further.

They give Ginko's shuolder a little rub before their hand drops away again, and they turn back to Kaworu...

And he starts walking away?

No, no, no, that's not right! Making a distressed sort of whine, Frisk jumps up and runs after Kaworu, reaching to hold onto his shirt--just enough for him to feel a tug, but not actually stop him.

"W-wait! What's wrong?"

Kaworu stops. But he looks back at Ginko first.

Then he looks down at Frisk.

Then he looks back at Ginko again.

What's wrong?

"...Ginko."

The simple way to do this is also the wrong way. He knows that. But he's going to do it anyway.

"You hate me, right?"

It's fine that he does. Ginko doesn't matter, in the scheme of things. He doesn't like it, no... but Ginko doesn't matter. So why doesn't he like it?

Why shouldn't he dislike it?

Ginko tenses at first when Kaworu says his name, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. The actual question, though, catches him off-guard, and he looks up for a moment, brow furrowed in confusion.

"--No, I don't."

Kaworu might as well have just assumed that he could move things around with his mind. Not only is it not true, he can't even imagine how it could possibly be true.

Frisk frowns, looking from Kaworu to Ginko and back again. This is...Frisk isn't really sure where Kaworu got the idea that Ginko hates him from; Frisk honestly can't see him hating anyone, much less someone he had considered to be...

Did Ginko think he and Kaworu were friends? It's hard to tell, especially with those two.

They don't say anything for now, watching Kaworu closely for his reaction.

"...." Kaworu is quiet for a moment, regarding Ginko measuringly.

"Then how do you feel about me?" He doesn't have the 'pushy' tone that might be expected right now--in fact, his tone is cool and calm, as though he doesn't care at all.

"Can you say that you like me? Are you afraid now? How did you feel when I walked in the room?"

"I..." Ginko hesitates at the question, then starts to shrink in on himself again when Kaworu starts asking more. Calm tone or not, this is a lot to think about at once and Ginko isn't really sure how to answer any of it.

"I-- I don't know," he manages. He's started twisting the fabric of his sleeve between two fingers, avoiding eye contact again. "But I-- after what you said I didn't-- didn't think you would..."

He swallows hard and then tries again, the words spilling out hurriedly, before he can change his mind. "I don't see why you would care-- it seemed like you wouldn't want anything to do with me after that."

[closed] how does friendship

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