devoutish | IC contact for wethelost

[Alfie's there to open the door for him when he arrives, ushering him in and nodding him towards the living room.]

Tea?

[He asks, running a quick, distracted hand down his face.]

[ K shakes his head at the offer as he goes to take a seat, perching on the edge of the couch with his hands clasped between his knees. ] No, thank you.

[ Mainly so Alfie doesn't have to worry about playing host right now. ]

[Alfie had been halfway to the kitchen already, but he turns, going to sit across from K in the living room. He's quiet for a few moments, a pregnant pause.]

I wasn't sure if you had more to say, but it wasn't a conversation for paper.

I understand. Had Royce not mentioned that part to you?

[ Hopefully he isn't going to be upset about K sharing those particular details. They seemed important, and something that Alfie should be aware of, considering. ]

No. We didn't discuss the details, much.

[And he feels a sudden pang of guilt at that. He'd been so focused on the fact that he'd almost died that he hadn't asked. Maybe he should have.]

[ Then Royce may have left out other things. May as well start at the beginning. ]

We'd been exploring together and the corridor we were in collapsed. He must've heard it coming before I could, he pushed me out of the way. Almost got clear himself, but... [ Shaking his head as his expression becomes grim. ] His lower body was pinned. One of his legs was obviously broken in several places, and there was rebar—

[ But he catches himself here. Maybe such specific details are unnecessary. For some people it's comforting to know exactly what happened, because their imaginations paint a picture that's far worse than reality, though he isn't sure if that's true for Alfie. ] It was bad.

Yeah.

[Alfie nods, sighing. Even though he's expecting it, he closes his eyes just for a moment at the description of the injuries.]

Yeah, he told me that bit. When Royce cares for someone, he'll move heaven and earth for them; you've made it into the inner circle, mate.

[ That statement catches K completely by surprise and it shows. It's even more surprising than the fact Royce acted so selflessly toward him in the first place, though maybe it shouldn't be. But being told Royce cares about him by the person closest to Royce who knows him best is — something he needs a moment to process.

Then he continues the story. ]

I had to pull him off of it. [ The least ideal situation when it comes to impalement wounds, but there wasn't any other option with the rebar still being attached to the wall. ] I couldn't slow the bleeding and carry him at the same time, and he was too weak to keep pressure on it himself. Tried to keep him talking to me, but by the time I got him to the med bay, I thought... [ There's an echo of the horror he'd felt in his expression even now; he'd thought Royce had bled to death in his arms. And he quite nearly had. ]

The MODs helped operate the machine that stabilised and healed him. When he first woke up he seemed okay, and then he — wasn't. Just like that. He asked what his price is. He said he could balance, he could lie, but he wasn't sure if he could remember everything.

I told him he didn't die. He came close... but he didn't die. That got through to him, but he didn't really seem like himself for a while after that. [ A notion only reinforced by the fact Royce had sort of been flirting with him at one point. Should he... mention that? He isn't sure. ] Understandably.

[Alfie's quiet and still during K's recounting of the incident. His face muscles twitch at some parts (the pulling, the bleeding, the weakness), and his fingers curl and uncurl themselves into a loose fist at others (the talk of death prices). When K finishes the story, Alfie sits in silence for a few long moments, processing.]

He wouldn't've liked that.

[He says, finally.]

Being fixed by the MODs. It's too much like Norfinbury.

[His eyes flick back up to K's, and he exhales, spreading his palms flat on the arms of his chair.]

Thank you.

[He's repeating himself, but it's something that bears repeating.]

I'll bet that's what caused it, then. I'd told him the MODs helped heal him. [ K glances down with a look of guilt, despite having had no way of knowing of the similarities to Norfinbury. ] I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks trying to operate their technology myself. [ Not with Royce's life literally hanging in the balance, and regardless of the fact Zephyr could resurrect him. The whole ordeal was horrific.

He nods in response to the thanks. ] He would've done the same for me. [ A thoughtful pause. ] He did. [ But they're not even, at least not in K's opinion. He owes Royce. And now that he's given Alfie all the details, maybe he should investigate that comment about Royce... caring. About him. ]

Did he say anything else to you about what happened?

No, not really.

[His whole face furrows with concern.]

Was there something else?

No. It's just— what you said, about when he cares for someone. I thought maybe he'd said something more to you.

[ Though in hindsight, Royce's actions obviously do make his feelings clear. K's just not always quick to grasp things when it comes to emotions and all their nuances, and sometimes does need it to be explicitly spelled out for him. ]

But I am worried about the detrimental effect these memories are having. [ He adds, quieter, looking at Alfie. ] On both of you. [ And he still wishes he could help, outside of life threatening situations. ]

Oh, he's said that he likes you, sure. But I didn't need him to tell me that; it's obvious enough.

[The bit about the memories gets a more somber reaction, though, and he pauses.]

We'll get through it. Truthfully, I was worried we'd be worse off than we are.

I'm glad he was willing to accept my help, at least. [ He gives Alfie a look that practically says, unlike some people. ] Afterward, I mean. He was still unsteady and I helped him to his quarters. Told him to get cleaned up before you saw him. [ For obvious reasons. Seeing Royce completely covered in his own blood wouldn't have been pleasant for Alfie, he's sure. ]

[Alfie notices that look, but is completely unrepentant in the face of it; sorry, bro.]

Our quarters - we were sharing.

[Because of course they were.]

Ah, but we're used to seeing each other looking a mess, mate. I could have handled it.

[ K didn't honestly expect anything otherwise — from Alfie's unrepentant manner, to the fact they'd shared quarters. Still. He might just wear down Alfie's resolve one of these days and find an opportunity to help. Maybe. ]

I don't doubt you could've. [ Why does it often seem like he's inadvertently insulted Alfie? Whoops. He'd just been trying to be nice! ] He was covered head to toe in blood. Just seemed better not to have him wandering around the station or Meadous like that.

Yeah. And I'm sure he would have preferred not to, in that state.

[He means both his mental and his physical state, here.]

He's Royce Melborn; he's not used to anyone seeing him out of tip-top shape.

[ K can't help smiling at the latter remark. It rings true. ] You know I don't think I've ever seen him out of that cloak, yet. [ ~~Presumably he even wore it in the space suit.~~ He does seem to like hiding in it. And it's why K continues to tease him about seeming so shady. ]

[Alfie breaks into a fond smile of his own.]

It suits him, though, doesn't it.

It does. First time I met him properly — it was in the woods, I could see his eyes reflecting in the dark. He stayed up in the tree talking to me. [ Something most people might find incredibly rude, but K hadn't minded. He sounds amused by it now, knowing it's just how Royce is. ] Seems to prefer not being noticed.

[His smile widens even more at that.]

And he's good at it. Up in his fucking trees. Now, the first time I met him--

[He hesitates here, because that's more complicated to pinpoint than one might imagine. They'd met on the network first, and in a dream second, and then--]

Yeah, the first time I met him in person, it was inside a building. We ended up in the same spot for the night, and he wasn't very happy about it.

[ The hesitation is noted with a curious tilt of his head. Given the recent discussions about the Norfinbury memories and related confusion, he's sort of wondering about the integrity of Alfie's memory now. Hopefully needlessly. ]

Because he didn't want to be around other people? [ It's strange to think Royce might have ever not wanted to be near Alfie, considering how inseparable they are now. (Outside of space exploration, anyway.) ]

Exactly that. And on top of it, I'd learned a bit about him against his will, from a sort of--

[He waves a hand vaguely. There's no real technical term for this that he's aware of.]

You know, a dream-sharing thing; I dunno if you've had experience with those.

I haven't. [ And he'd missed the unveiling of the Remember Tree. The closest approximation he can think of is the ability of androids from his homeworld to interface and share information and memories that way. ] Like... lucid dreaming, or literally entering each other's dreams?

[ That certainly has the potential to be horrifying in any number of ways. ]

The second. What's lucid dreaming?

IC contact for wethelost

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cw: descriptions of severe injuries

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