week 5; bounty bonding

[everything is awful.

there's no doubt that everything is hitting critical point of the worst now that they've gotten a body count. it's not even each passing week that's awful, it's each passing day. but with how the day started and where it went so quickly? it's bad.

noct spent the morning helping shinnosuke out—in part because he knows they have to get along and work together... and in part because of that inherent need to do better looking out for someone who unfairly lost their vision. really, he knows that it isn't really something he should be doing—it's a bit of guilt projection that he can't really help; he did a bad job of looking out for ignis while mourning his own losses and left it to his other friends—now he needs to do better. for his sake, for shinnosuke's, and for everyone else's. but he'll keep it to himself, that part at least.

instead, what shinnosuke will get is something a little more reined in; he's got his hands full with his offering—a cup noodles in each hand, lid sealed with the water already inside to soften the noodles on his way upstairs. but with no hands free, noct taps at the door with his foot.]

Hey, Shinnosuke. Open up.

week 5; drowning our problems in liquor

[the walk is heavy, weighted with the morning's tragedies.

it's getting to all of them; he knows that. barnham looking two roommates in a row, and finding their bodies. noct trying to lay low and get through this alive while helping everyone else as much as possible. not that it's working, not when people he cares about keep getting hurt physically and emotionally.

he's felt all this pain before. he's felt it so much that his chest aches watching other people suffer through it. he wanted to prevent this. this is exactly what he's been trying so hard to find a way to stop this. to stop more deaths, to stop more people from suffering losses of their friends, their families, and whatever else may be in-between. it isn't fair.

life isn't fair, and he knows that but this is especially unfair in ways that he just can't comprehend.

but right now, for barnham's sake. he's trying to keep it together. he's trying to keep a hold on his emotions, but as it had once before in his life, it ends up being him holding those feelings in his chest. it's him trying to shove it down because he doesn't have a choice. he has to keep going, people need his help, even though he doesn't know if he can help them at all. he doesn't even feel like he can't help barnham, which is why the silence feels so heavy.]

So, um... [it's like before, and he knows that barnham doesn't want anything resembling his pity. even as they open the door to the saloon and head inside, all he can do is admit, weakly and with the most hollow undertone of a laugh.] Guess it's a little early for happy hour.