Lata suddenly had a feeling she was being watched again, only now it seemed to feel familiar. Turning, she noticed a rustle in the tree tops and decided to look into it. Something told her it was likely Sam. She swiftly set out underneath the heavy shadowing of the trees, only barely able to see. Hearing more movement from above, she moved her gaze upwards.
"Sam, come on man. I know it's you. That poor tree can barely support your weight in that form," she called up.
~~
Noticing the woman's sadness, Malachi moved quickly to hug her. "You just seemed sad, Miss Lucy…" he said softly. Hugs were something special. They meant someone cared. That someone was willing to hold you up even if you were breaking down.
(half of the original characters are sad and me like: OK EMERGENCY HUGS TIME)
(EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT COMMON FOR LATA BUT IDC. tbh she'd probably love hugs but doesn't give them often from not having reason to in the past.)
Sam glared down at Lata from the trees, his twin tails flicking absently. He shifted so he was holding onto the branch a little tighter, his four eyes fixed on Lata's form. "They don't want me down there," he eventually rumbled, only transmitting to Lata. He had always had a bit of a weak spot for the young, especially Lata
(Lucy is very responsible now, but she used to do stuff like allll the time ;))
Lucy was a tad startled when the boy, Malachi, wrapped his arms around her. She gave a small smile as she looked down at him. "I'm just going through a few things right now, and an old.. friend visited me recently, so that was a bit emotional. But I'm okay, and you shouldn't be concerned," she said in a gentle tone.
(I am intrigued lmao. The only question is whether or not you’ll hint to that in Lucy’s story >;)
(I definitely will, that time period is when she is back and forth with being responsible and being kind of a mess lmao)
(Honestly I will take all Yeon content u have lmao)
Kaz gave Lucy a small smile. “Hey, it’s okay. Life sucks ass, but it sucks…less ass after a while,” he said, trying to say something that might help her feel a little better
(Lmao yeah there's quite a bit of that in that story just because he causes a lot of conflict)
A soft bit of laughter escaped Lucy's lips, and it felt good to do so, as she hadn't done so in a while. "Hopefully you're right. I'd like to be so optimistic to think that things could be just perfect for a moment," she hummed, absentmindedly taking off her glasses to clean the lenses on her blouse.
(Gotta love Yeon lmao)
Kaz gave her a small smile. “Hey, optimism is good. I’m about as pessimistic as you can get, so it’s good to have someone happy around,” he said, Michael nodding in agreement as he sat on the ground again
Lucy hummed in agreement, a warm smile on her lips now. She glanced around, looking for where Lata went when she noticed her speaking up to someone. After squinting for a moment, she saw hints of a familiar aura, and noticed that it was Sam up in the tree. Her brows raised a tad in surprise, and she wondered what all he had heard.
Sam, noticing Lucy’s gaze, shrank back further into the trees. He knew his aura gave off hints of sadness, so he purposely stamped his aura down as much as he could
"Give me a minute," Lucy said, standing as she excused herself. She stepped over towards the trees, not being exactly sure where Sam was. "Sam?" she asked softly, being wary of the woods, feeling uneasy by the feeling of them.
“Goodbye, Lucy,” Sam grumbled, sinking further into the trees. He was only visible by his flaming mane, illuminating the area around him faintly
"Sam, come on," Lucy said, still keeping her voice low. "I'm sorry about what you could have heard, I'm sorry that we said those things." Was she really sorry? And now she was apologizing for the others who may still clearly mean all those things. She ran a hand over her face, letting out a sharp and shuddering breath.
“Oh, don’t give me your pity,” Sam rumbled, stretching out lazily across the branches. “I’m just some angry old god, after all,” he added, a hint of bitterness working its way into his tone
Lucy chewed on her lower lip, arms folding slightly with her hands resting on her stomach. She could feel the old surgery scar there through her blouse, and she grimaced. "I didn't say that exactly. You just don't seem to be able to express your feelings in a healthy way," she said slowly. "God, that didn't sound any better."
“No, it didn’t,” Sam replied sarcastically. “Why are you even here? Don’t you have better things to do, like spilling my life story to that demon prince and his family?” he said, rolling so that his back was facing Lucy
"I didn't tell them anything personal about you, Sam. I'm not that terrible. Your story isn't mine to tell," Lucy sighed. Why was she even trying? Sam was stubborn as hell, and he wasn't going to listen to her.
Sam squinted faintly as he watched Lucy’s aura, showing she was getting upset with him again. He felt a pang of something…sad go through his chest. That was what he wanted, right? For Lucy to get upset and leave? He resolved to stay silent, curling up just a little tighter in the trees
"You seem to want to be left alone, I guess, so I'll just go," Lucy said, running a hand through her hair before returning it to rest on her stomach. She would have to accept the fact that she couldn't help everyone. "I'm sorry," she added in, feeling genuinely guilty for talking about him in such a way. She turned on her heel, stepping away quickly as she rubbed at her stomach, something she tended to do when anxious or upset.
“Wait,” Sam called, something gentle in his voice as he leapt from the trees. He landed gracefully on the ground, his form glowing and shifting until he appeared human again. “I…I apologize. I have been acting rather horribly lately, and none of you should have had to put up with that.”
Lucy stopped, listening for a moment until she turned to face him. "It's fine, things have been stressful lately for all of us. I understand that you didn't mean to act rude," she answered, biting her lower lip once again in thought,
Sam nodded. “Getting my soul back has been…disorienting, to say the least. 200 years missing a soul does nothing good, to say the least,” he said, his gaze trailing to the ground
"That's understandable," Lucy agreed, one hand leaving her stomach to now rub at the nape of her neck. "Again I am really sorry that we were all talking about you, I should have done more to defend you.."
