Teenagers Scare the Living Shit Out Of Me etc. etc.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Characters passing by the bulletin board may notice a new message tacked to it!]

Drinking party at the bar at 8pm. Under 21 only. Adults will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Fun and games included, party hats optional. Don’t be late!

[Sure enough, there’s a gathering of teens (and maybe some not-so-teens?) to be found in the bar! While the posting mentions this is a teen only event, adults are in fact allowed as long as they are cool. OOCLY please be aware there are going to be teens drinking alcohol and possibly smoking! Also additionally, please let the teens/players have fun; again, adults are allowed but only if they’re cool enough to play along without snitching them out!

All party game top levels are going to be made under Ahito’s account but please assume ICly that Akira instigated/explained them! Once the game toplevels are up you can also post your own toplevels to mingle freely if you like IDK IT’S A PARTY HAVE FUN]

Comments

[shortleash]

Do you think I just—

( Does he have the words for this? He isn't sure. But he sure is upset. And Ahito went and lost the bracelet, allegedly, so maybe he just... cares way more about Ahito than Ahito even thinks of him.

Which is both embarrassing, and sad. )

... Forget it. If you don't give a fuck about your safety, why should anyone else, right.

( )

[dyingtohealyou]

This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything.

If I didn't care about my own safety, do you really think I'd be alive right now? That's two separate times I could have died - but I didn't. And I can tell you now no one else there had time to help me, either.

[shortleash]

Do you think I'd be angry at you for getting targeted or something?

( Obviously, he would simply blame the rest of North for not helping Ahito anyway. "They were busy—" skill issue. die. )

That doesn't explain why you refused to say anything.

[dyingtohealyou]

...

[He hates this truth spell, actually. It feels like the very words are being dragged out of him.]

Because you already worry enough, and I don't want to be added to all your other reasons for feeling guilty when there's no way it would've been your fault.

[shortleash]

( That's... not an answer he expected, and he pauses.

(but it is definitely his fault somehow,) )

... You were thinking about me? Why?

[dyingtohealyou]

Because I know you're always being eaten up by guilt over others and I don't want that for you.

Are you sure you want to keep talking about this right now?

[shortleash]

( ........... )

... I don't know. ( He definitely knows this is not the time or place for it. But. ) I was really angry. I still am.

( The nature of it has just changed in this brief span of time. He does want to talk more about the Almost Dying Twice alone in the snow thing. He knows he should set this all aside to approach later, but he's bad at letting go of what things he does feel. )

... Either cut me off, or don't cut me out. How am I supposed to trust someone who hides things from me?

( He doesn't mean it exactly the way it comes off, but the question is rhetorical, anyway.

But he sounds like he's willing to drop it, at least, while here. )

[dyingtohealyou]

...I'll only agree to that if you don't blame yourself even if something ends up happening to me.

[An agreement. Not a promise.]

[shortleash]

What, are you telling me to not care?

( Apparently, taking personal responsibility and caring are the same things to him! )

[dyingtohealyou]

You can care about people without taking the blame every time something bad happens to them.

[...]

Wait. You did know that, right?

[shortleash]

I—...

( Whatever he wanted to say, it's clearly not coming out. ugh. )

I— Maybe— other people get to live that way, but I... don't know if I deserve to. Ever since I was little, there's always been someone saying stuff's my fault.

( He needs to hold himself to this higher standard, lest everyone he knows suffers and dies for reasons that can be surely attributed to him... or something. )

[dyingtohealyou]

You deserve to, and whoever said that was wrong.

[Blunt and honest.]

Anyway, I said my terms already.

[shortleash]

( :pien:

There's a lot going on in him right now because he's never had like, an actual decent friend before, so hearing all this is... new. It's different than the way Ginger talks to him about things, and it feels different, too.

It's not like Mika sets out to feel guilty - but he can't deny that's where things end up, because death and injury are inevitable, and so are his failures, as a result. It's hard to detangle all of these things. )

... I can't promise anything.

( Literally and metaphorically. )

... But I can try.

( And that better count for something, because it's not like he can change his nature on a dime. )

[dyingtohealyou]

[...Yeah. Ahito knows it's unfair to ask that much, but-

There just isn't enough time. And he absolutely does not want to end up a name on the long list of people Mika feels he's failed, just because of conditions or circumstances set in stone long before they ever even met.]

...As long as you try, I'll tell you. But if I notice you blaming yourself, I'm stopping again until you stop.

[shortleash]

( ... rrrrrghhhhhh......... )

... Fine. Okay.

( This is really difficult for Mika, but he doesn't want to be cut out, so... )

But try really hard, okay. Or I'll—

( tch his threats don't work here... he doesn't mean them.......... )

... Just try. Okay. And I will, too.

[dyingtohealyou]

Then it's a deal.

Do you want all the gorey details, or can we leave it at that for now?

[shortleash]

( :T )

I do want to hear it. But you don't have to say it here.

( But don't think he'll let it go ok. )

... Maybe this game doesn't suck that much.

[dyingtohealyou]

Later, then.

[Man this game is a downer...]

Truth or dare?

[shortleash]

( ... Well, after he ratshook Ahito... fine... )

... Truth.

[dyingtohealyou]

Tell me all the people you care about most here.

[shortleash]

What the hell!

( He was going to ease off!!!!!!!!

Thankfully, the most stipulation shaves down this list a little. In no particular order because I scrolled up and down the taken list for this: )

Ginger. You. Everyone in East. Maya. Malice. Jing Yuan. Leo. Bruno.

—Seriously, what the hell!

[dadsandals]

[ haha ]

[foresightis2020]

[ 🥺 ]

[dyingtohealyou]

[hehe]

What's wrong with saying you care about people?

[impacter]

[...]