Urgent Matters (Tomomi/Cecil)

Cecil laughs awkwardly. "Maybe not that far. We don't need two addicts. One is more than enough. But...yeah. You don't need to tell me anything, but...it might be nice to know."

Cecil nods yes to more lemonade...and then looks guilty as he talks about the last time they talked. "No, Tomomi, you don't need to...it's...it's not your fault. At all." He looks away, running his fingers through his hair. "...I didn't want to worry you, but...I was barely awake then. When you texted me, I had...no idea what I'd been doing that day before then. I could barely remember what day it was to be able to guess." He almost seems to to shrink inward, feeling a pit in his chest. "It's my own fucking fault. You didn't do anything to make that happen."

As Cecil said yes, and then commented on what Tomomi had just said, Tomomi frowned lightly in thought, before standing up and taking Cecil's glass, returning to the fridge to refill it and get himself another can, before walking back over. Instead of handing Cecil the drink directly however, Tomomi set both of them down, and leaned down to give him a hug, arms loose and in such a way that if Cecil were to shrug him away, Tomomi would quickly let go and take his can back to his seat.

Hug done, Tomomi took his can and returned, offering Cecil a friendly smile, yet also one that showed his concern, almost motherly in a way. "Hey, it's okay to, um, you know, be tired. You really need to pace yourself though. Now that I know your other side... I mean, night activities, helping your friends be sociable human beings, studying, going to the gym, and over studying? It's no wonder you're run rugged... Rags? Rug rag? Um... However that expression goes. Regardless, you need to make time for yourself to rest friend. I mean, being so tired you couldn't even think straight... That's flat out dangerous for yourself. If need be, I can help lighten the load, okay? Even if it's just something as simple as carrying your books around for you to relieve strain on your back. Okay?"

"...ragged. Run ragged."
Cecil looks up and smiles weakly and wearily toward Tomomi. Little additional signs of Cecil's fatigue shine through as he does, small little indicators he'd subtly covered up before now. "I'm not sure I can. I mean sure, I can take more time than the little I coaxed myself into allowing...but..."
He removes his fingers from his hair, and taps the side of his head. "I take any more, and my rest doesn't tend to be too restful. I only get to give myself so much before there's...pressure. Just enough to be able to function most days, and that's it. I... can't afford any more. I don't deserve any more, like this. I know what I promised, Tomomi...but I'm nowhere near there yet."

Tomomi nodded solemnly, listening and trying his best to think of what Cecil said. The exhaustion was now being revealed... Was it always there, and Tomomi was just blind? Was Cecil hiding it, and just couldn't hold it up anymore now that his tiredness was the topic of conversation? The litter boy suspected he'd never get those answers.

Still, he tried his best to give a small, reassuring smile. "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay. I'm... I'm not expecting you to suddenly love yourself overnight, okay? You've got a lot on your mind, and I know you promised, but, well... We never happened to set a time on that, did we? So, if it takes years, it takes years. I said it when you promised it, and I'll say it again now... I want to be by your side, helping you and working alongside you as... As friends. I want you to be able to be comfortable enough and okay with yourself enough to take breaks and rest, and I don't care how patient I have to be, I will sit on your shoulder and wait for years, like a little imp... Eating cookies while I wait, and occasionally passing you lemonade." At the last bits, he offered a more genuine, silly grin, trying to lighten the mood with mild joking.

"Should we look around for like, massage people? I um... Don't know their job name, but, the people that give massages. I know that won't help in the long term, but, some short term destressing could be useful, and I hear that does wonders!... I wouldn't know, since I cannot really afford them, but, hey, if it helps you have even another second of rest, then I'll save up for it if I have to! Or I could train to become a massagey massager and give you one myself!... Or if you're not comfortable with that, we can ignore that suggestion altogether, and play video games or something else that you find enjoyable!"

Cecil laughs weakly, but can't quite meet his friend's eyes. "I don't have years, though..." He swallows, and shakes his head, starting on the lemonade again.
"I appreciate it, Tomomi. I just...know this isn't good enough. I don't want to put you through years of that...assuming I don't drive myself into the ground before then."

The suggestion elicits honest surprise from Cecil, and he finds himself unsure of what to think. "Uhh...a...a masseuse? You - you don't need to do that, Tomomi. You really don't need to do that. I...I mean it might be nice, but I'm not making you pinch pennies and spend money you can't afford to do that for me." There's a plain sense of bewilderment in his expression that just doesn't go away. "It's not your job to look after me because I'm a bloody idiot with obsessive voices in my head. I appreciate that you're willing, but what kind of wretch would that make me if I made you look after me like that all the time? You don't have to. You shouldn't have to."

Cecil's suggestion that he doesn't have years to live caused Tomomi to frown deeply and look down uncomfortably. The idea of Cecil dying... He felt a pain in his chest at the mere concept, one he'd avoided as a thought like the plague.

At Cecil's reaction to his offer for the massage, Tomomi was surprised at Cecil's surprise. Was it not a normal thing to offer a friend? Or, was it because it was an expensive thing? Still, it seemed Cecil liked the idea, or at the very least, appreciated it. So, as Cecil finished, Tomomi tried his best to silently open his can... Unsuccessfully, leading to a loud hiss and Tomomi just sat there, blank faced awkwardly.

Then, as if correcting himself with a cough, he spoke up again. "I... I know I don't have to. But, I also want to be there for you, and... You don't need to go it alone at things. I'm here, Nadia's here, at least metaphorically, since, you know, not here physically. But, um... Yeah. You aren't a wretch for wanting a friend around, nor are you a wretch for having your friends care about you... So, I'll tell you what. I'm going to try my best to become a successful vet, and, if I make it, I'm taking you out on a day trip to a... Masseuse? That. And by goshness you will be so relaxed you will feel... Like... Um..." At this, Tomomi shrugged, clearly having confused himself. "Lemonade jelly? Uh... I don't know... B-b-but that aside! Seriously. I know I shouldn't have to, but, I also don't have to, like you said. So, please, know that I want to be here for you. I know, either you, or your corpsy voice, will probably think otherwise. So, I'm going to wait until it's so obnoxiously obvious that both voices know - Tomomi is sticking around for the long haul unless Cecil says no!"

At this, Tomomi set his drink down, standing up suddenly with a wide, friendly grin, and a big thumbs up.

Slowly, Cecil's lip started to tremble.
Then, he started to snicker.
Before long, Cecil had burst out in laughter, forced to put down his drink to avoid spilling it as he laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
"Oh, oh my god, Tomomi...l-lemonade jelly?" He started to snicker again before progressing back into laughter. "I get it, alright! I get it! I give!"

As the laughter dies down, he starts on the lemonade again, feeling nearly slip down the wrong way as one last laugh surfaces. He smiles up, looking...well, if not less tired, than at least in a better state of mind. "I'm not saying I'll do this all myself. God knows I've already shown that doesn't work. I know you do want to help. But I refuse to make everyone else have to deal with all my stuff for me. One way or another, I'm finding my own feet. Because if we're together for the long haul, I'm not letting it be because you had to drag me the whole time. You understand what I mean?"

He hadn't said it for the sake of it being funny, but, hearing Cecil laughing openly and happily again caused Tomomi to grin and laugh too. That his attempt at a metaphor was taken as a joke meant nothing to Tomomi outside of the truth that it brightened Cecil's mood.

At what Cecil said next, Tomomi gave an affirming nod while continuing to smile, shutting his eyes for a moment to take in the fact that Cecil was seeming much better. "Yeah. I know what you mean. And, I understand. So, if at any point I overstep my bounds, you tell me, okay? And then, when you find your own feet, I'll... Um... Find some comfy slippers for you? A-a-anyways, I believe you. And, I look forward to walking alongside you as you find your feet... Whatever finding your feet means."

Cecil shrugs. "Who knows? You're a vet, maybe Nadia ends up running that store she lives above...I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm going to have to find out, aren't I? Can't sit around waiting for more stuff to just fall in my lap. I have to run out of blessings from the heavens eventually."

Smiling, he takes another pull of his lemonade before a thought seems to strike him. No windows to worry about, there's that at least, but..."Tomomi, is the door locked?"

At the suggestion that he can't run out of blessings, and will have to find out, Tomomi gave a grin and a bit of a light hearted giggle. "Yeah. Although, you'll get there. I know you will. And um... Not a vet yet! Please don't jinx it aha!"

At Cecil's somewhat serious question, Tomomi tilted his head, somewhat confused. "Huh? Yeah. The door's a fairly secure door that looks automatically when it's shut. It can be opened from within without a key, but in order to unlock it from outside you need the key - it's that kind of lock that's quick and convenient for leaving. But um... Why? Are you feeling a breeze or something, because, um, I have a heated blanket you can borrow."

"Relax. The worst that could happen is you go from astronomically successful to highly successful...and that sounds fine to me honestly - means you'll have more free time!" Cecil snickers. "I just saved you from being too successful for fun, Tomomi. Be sure to thank me later."

At the news the door locks itself, Cecil breathes a sigh of relief. He really should have checked earlier...but at least he had the confirmation now. "No, not that...I just needed to check something before I did something."
Holding out his hand, he brings to hand a familiar small sickle, and looks up to Tomomi. "This is yours, isn't it?"

At hearing that Cecil wasn't cold but wanted to do something, Tomomi tilted his head, blinking in surprise as Cecil summoned forth a kama that was very familiar. One of Tomomi's dual weapons that he could summon when he needed it. A spiritual weapon of some description that he knew little about. Still...

"... Does that mean this is yours?" He said, standing up and allowing a sword to form in his hands that looked really, really ridiculous on him, the sword itself being a good few inches larger than the boy, and it being no surprise he had to stand up, simply because the familiar weapon was so large in length.

Having made the point, he let the sword disappear once more, sitting back down with a shrug. "Apparently, our... Um... Situation has more things than just the personality based super powers? So, um... How did we do that? The whole, your weapon, my weapon thing... I mean, even more so... Um... How did we know how to do that?"

Cecil looks up at the large blade. "Yeah, that's definitely mine..." Tentatively, he dismisses the kama and reaches out to touch the side of the blade, flinching back at the electricity he feels in his soul. "Ok, ok...lesson learned. Can't touch it when you use it."

Taking a shallow breath in and out, Cecil shakes his head. "I...have no idea. It's - it's like I just felt it there one day, right there just like mine." He picks up his lemonade, taking a sip and feeling a little more energised for it. "It's all so strange...this is real, this is everywhere, but it all has to be kept secret so nobody knows anything about it. Imagine if we had ways to learn about it all without just trying and seeing what happens...I wonder if the Cadets have something like that."

At Cecil seeming to be in pain, Tomomi got up and lurched forwards, going to ask in worry if he was okay, before quickly calming himself down at the sight of Cecil being okay, and having supposedly learned a lesson that he can't use his weapon when Tomomi had it - did that mean the inverse was true? That was probably why Cecil tried to check and test it...

Still, at Cecil's reply to what Tomomi was confused about, Tomomi sighed, taking a sip from his can. Then, that done, Tomomi hummed in thought for a moment. "The cadets huh... Aren't there cadets based at the school as one of their main places of working? Because, um... Given how big the library there is, maybe the Cadets have a super police style book storage place? Nah... That'd be, well, way too convenient of an answer... Although, thinking about it... How do Cadets even get their powers? Because, if they had awakened in the streets like us, then... Surely they wouldn't be in the position they are right?"

At this, Tomomi sighed and scratched his head. There were too many unknowns about people that were simultaneously allies and enemies, leaning more towards enemies sadly. His hunters, while he was the prey. Another swig of his can and he shook his head. "Gosh dang it. Are we like... The only group with no knowledge on things? Isn't there any way we can get, well, more information?"

Cecil lets out a dry laugh. "I'd be seriously surprised if they had info like that anywhere we could get at it. I saw a few posters for some sort of program for people that want to be cadets, but...somehow I get the feeling they don't actually tell people everything before they sign up even there." He takes another drink of lemonade, deep in thought. "...there's a lot we don't know. I doubt any of the cadets will share..."

Cecil blinks.

"Come to think...I'm surprised you don't see more. They put out an open invite for everyone, so you'd think you'd at least see a couple people bragging and showing off or something. It's like there's barely any in the school."

The blond groans and starts to run his fingers through his hair again. "...trying to get any info the Cadets have would be crazy. We probably can't convince someone to give us it, and stealing it is suicidal even if there is anything to be found." He blinks a couple times more, and looks up. "That said...there's a whole bunch of people who've been at this longer than us, isn't there? You saw all those people arrive that one day...we might even be able to ask actual demons, from the looks of some of the people that showed up. There's at least one we can be sure we can talk to. Maybe we can get some info from some of them while we figure our own stuff out."