rosettareflected | IC Contact: Recollé

[Tagging this log here with Prompt C, but the event has almost hit captcha!]

Mrrrr...

[As Alicia wakes and is talking into her computer, it takes a while for Maya to stir. Wait, what is she doing there?

The room is quite large to their current stature, still. Easy for someone to not notice her if she's busy slumbering on a cushion off to the side.

After bringing Alicia to her home, there had been some insistence in someone keeping an eye over her. Maya instantly volunteered, but mental and physical fatigue caught up to her, and she went out like a light.

She suddenly rises with a start, looking around rapidly.]

Huh, wha...

[Blink.]

Alicia! Oh thank goodness...!

[The very large hole in Alicia's memory this time means she has no idea Maya's there until she hears the soft sound, and even then she doesn't really process it until she hears a second sound as Maya actually wakes up. The sound that leaves her mouth is a mildly un-Alicia-like shriek as she realizes she's not alone, but it trails off quickly when she registers who the intruder actually is.]

Maya!? Wait, why are you here? I-

[A pause; she recalls she doesn't actually know how she got back home, or indeed where she was in the first place.]

You might have heard that just now, but I don't actually know how I got back home... The last thing I really remember is leaving school, and bits and pieces of being in the forest. What-

[Her mouth is suddenly dry. Maya probably knows this answer, but... does Alicia want to know? No, that's not right - she needs to know. But how much will she like the answer?]

-what happened to me?

[Maya recoils momentarily from the shriek, but then wastes no time scrambling over towards Alicia. Something of an adventure, in their current states. She refrains from leaping at and hugging the life out of the other girl, barely composing herself once she catches sight of Alicia's confusion.]

You... don't remember?

[She furrows her brow.]

You... were in that forest! You texted me and Rachel and we found you face down in the dirt...

[She frowns.] We were really scared, and we brought you back here...

Ah. That explains a lot.

[The response is automatic, completely absent while she takes internal stock. She likely feels weak because she's sick, which the wet towel on her forehead backs up; suddenly collapsing in the forest would likely be a result of being sick combined with whatever is happening within. Being passed out in the rain and the mud and the wilderness would explain her phone, and being rescued would explain how she got back here. Some combination of her parents and James - likely her father, but hard to say - would have kept someone here to keep an eye on her.

And as all the dots connect, Alicia's blood runs cold. She tries to joke, complete with a terribly hollow laugh, but her heart just isn't in it.]

It sounds like you saved my life again, Maya.

[Maya watches, still kind of locked in place as Alicia processes everything and gets from Points A to Z. She watches, but she finds her eyes watering a bit as it goes.]

Mm, I-- I guess so. I couldn't have done it without Rachel, but...

[She lets out an uneven breath.] I was scared... I was- I was worried we might not get back in time...

[Alicia takes a moment to watch Maya, rather than let herself fall into despair again - to an extent, she'd had enough of that after her fall. And what she sees scares her. She'd... worried her friend again. Friends, plural; the only reason Rachel hadn't worried last time was that she hadn't known. That isn't the case here, and she shakes her head, taking a deep breath. Given she's somewhat rested and was somewhat prepared for the shock, she's got better control of her heart this time, at least.]

I owe both of you quite a lot, then. I... I don't really want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come. I don't think you do either, so... I won't speculate.

[With some effort, she shifts on her bed, moving close enough to wrap her arms around Maya. Her grip is weak, but there's warmth in it all the same, and she does her best to smile convincingly.]

I'm sorry I scared you again. I don't mean to do it, it just keeps happening. But it's okay. I'll be fine, once I get some rest. And I have you to thank for that.

[Maya doesn't say anything at first, she just sort of... waits for Alicia to react. React she does, and her eyes widen as she suddenly finds the other girl hugging her. The watering of her eyes spills over a bit, and she sniffs.]

Don't-- don't apologize, this all... a lot of it's just kind of outside our control, isn't it?

[Her hands tighten, and she hugs Alicia back. Gingerly, but all the same.] That's the thing that scares me more than anything else, if something happened to any of you because of all this stupid stuff...!

Some of it is out of my control. But to an extent...

[She trails off; Maya's concern is written strongly into her response, and Alicia can feel, to an extent, their shared discomfort. This was another close call, and arguably an even worse one than last time, given she'd been functionally alone when she'd collapsed. Ever since Retrospec happened and the memories started to come in, she feels like she's put herself in more and more danger. Or, at least, like she's become progressively less safe in her hometown. Either way, that has to change.

She hadn't even noticed herself tense up, but Maya's proximity convinces her to relax a little, sighing softly.]

I probably should be a little more scared on my own behalf. I depended on the fact that... someone would be there to catch me if I fell, literally or otherwise. But that's not fair to you, Maya. You deserve better than that. I deserve better than that, but... I might have to use you as an excuse to make myself believe it. That, I'll apologize for.

[A faint blush comes to her cheeks; there aren't a whole lot of other ways to phrase that, and while it sounds cheesy, she understands herself well enough to know it'll probably work.]

[Alicia really isn't the only one blushing, but Maya doesn't shift herself or pull back at all at hearing that. It certainly has a decided effect on her, but where before she would be confused or not know how to place it, now she just... goes with it.

She shakes her head a little.]

I don't mind being there to catch you. But... maybe being a little scared isn't so bad, so long as we have others to hold us up? [Her grip tightens a bit, but only slightly.] After all, I wouldn't be standing if you guys didn't do the same.

Mm, that's what I was thinking. I should be able to understand my own limitations a little more. But I won't object to us helping each other along. That's what friends are for, right? To ask each other tough questions... to help each other through hard times.

[She can feel Maya's nervousness; she's not certain why it's there, beyond the obvious, but it's reassuring somehow. She tilts her head forward, closer to Maya, and closes her eyes, speaking softly.]

I'm not always good at restraint. I might be depending on you a little more, if that's all right.

[There's a decided reaction from Maya that she can't really mask as Alicia tilts closer, and says that. She can feel the heat in her face but tries not to draw attention to it. She's probably not very successful.]

Mm, that's-- right. That's fine, Alicia. I'm still... learning how to depend on others myself, but... I won't let you down there. If you need to depend on me, then... I'll make sure I'm dependable! I promise.

[Alicia is a trained actress. Even when she's not entirely herself, she can't help but notice things like that, and her own cheeks heat a bit more, as her smile turns softer and a little warmer.]

I'll hold you to that, Maya. I know we haven't been friends terribly long, but... you're important to me. That's why- I don't want anything else to happen. Twice is enough, isn't it? So I'll try harder not to get myself in trouble. And I'm going to be counting on you to watch me, so I don't-

[She's quiet for a moment, considering her words. Her tone drops a bit further, almost too quiet to hear if not for the closeness; it's a little self-deprecating, but at the same time, there's something very raw in it.]

-so I don't leave and not come back.

IC Contact: Recollé

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