forum “How Could You?” “No. How Could 𝘠𝘰𝘶.” | REBOOT, CLOSED.

Started Aug 22 by @Satoris

tune

A myriad of memories swirled through Franklyn's mind as Mingzhi smiled at him. He reflexively held out a hand for a handshake, but his older friend went for the hug.
Franklyn froze, completely unsure how to handle the sudden affection. It was… unfamiliar.
He wound up awkwardly patting Mingzhi's back, wondering if he should return the hug, when Mingzhi let go and stepped back.
"I'm… I'm glad you're glad…" he said quietly, awkwardly, his trained confidence in business situations leaving him. Mingzhi seemed genuinely happy to see him, which was unexpected to Franklyn, for some reason.
He looked over as his taller friend moved to greet someone else, and recognized Mavis coming up the path towards them both. Again, he felt the trepidation as he gave her a small wave, and this time the feeling made itself clear.

Guilt.

He'd left them. He hadn't meant to; it had been his parents' doing; but still… he'd left this group. They'd been through something so huge together and he'd just… disappeared. Hadn't kept track of them, hadn't been there to help as they'd all grown up, hadn't even checked in once he'd been given a little freedom…
This was gonna be rough.

(Quick question, are we taking turns or is it a free-for-all?)

(Let's go with free-for-all within reason. If we notice someone hasn't had a chance to reply in a minute, or if it makes most sense narratively for someone in particular to respond first, we'll pause until needed! And ofc someone can always request time to respond before the story/conversation moves forward. Otherwise go for it! Also, given the size of the group, it's totally cool if some of the characters branch off at different points for various conversations/events.)

Justin saw three people from a distance, and recognized them once he got closer, Mingzhi, Franklyn, and Mavis. He shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly, he had never been much of a social person, at least, not unless it was around his closest friends. He had been open, social with the group when they saved the world, but over a decade had passed, who knew how much they might have changed, he had seen some of them at the fire, but they didn't really talk then, to busy saving lives and whatnot.

He approached the three quietly, his anxiety and awkwardness causing the air around him to drop several degrees, signaling his presence in a way. He tried to tell himself that these were his friends, the people who helped him when he was young and alone, but that didn't seem to quiet the racing worries in his mind. Not that anyone could see the internal panic, he had always been known for keeping a placid expression, his power however, acted out when he was anxious, so if someone knew him, they would recognize the sudden temperature drop around him. He opted not to say anything, but stood a few feet away from the three.

Having the weight of his hand on her shoulder brought a stinging sensation in her eyes and Mavis blinked rapidly and looked away. Clenching her hand into a fist in her coat pocket, she nodded at Mingzhi's words and wrapped an arm around him in an almost side-hug before dropping it. A strong sense of déjà vu hit her as she recalled a similar scenario occurring 13 or so years ago. With that memory, the stinging in her eyes turned to wetness and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It-ah…it's nice to see you again, both of you." She said thickly, raising her eyes to look at Franklyn. "I hope you both are as well as you look."

Taking a deep breath, she felt some of her nerves melting away and relaxed the fist in her pocket. Mavis bit her lip then gestured to a bag she was now holding. "I brought dessert?" she asked rather than stated and mentally groaned at the tone of voice. She was really glad when she felt the temperature drop a few degrees all of a sudden and turned around, seeing exactly who she expected.

Mavis took a step back, standing parallel to Franklyn and Mingzhi, then set the bag on the ground. "Hey." She said softly, waving at the male joining them.

Dinner at my place? Ella found it difficult to hold back a smile, especially when she first left her apartment and when she pulled up to the house in her small, old lady of a truck. She hadn’t realized how much she truly missed her old friend, how they watched over the others and kept them together. It was hard not to reminisce, sentimental as she was. Before she set off she had found old photos she’d managed to keep all this time, a bit dark and grainy but still perfectly capturing how she remembered those years in her mind. At least, before things went wrong.
She focused her gaze ahead, and almost wondered if she was at the right place. Really? Here? It was nice to see that he was doing well. It seemed like she could expect a delicious meal waiting. She parked the little truck off to the side, took her purse, and got out. She was pretty focused on getting to the house until she spotted the group that had congregated a few yards away.
She stopped. It had been so long. Ella tried to connect the people she was seeing ahead of her with the kids she remembered from a lifetime ago. Of course, it wasn’t so hard with Jess, she had seen him rather recently. She took a breath and headed over, hesitating slightly when she felt tears fill her eyes.

Justin waved back, his anxiety causing any words to get caught in his throat. He missed his friends, he missed being able to be himself around them. But as years had passed, he felt like he had been sent back to the start. The air around him was always cold, but with his rising internal panic, the temperature kept dropping. 'What if they are different, what if they dont like me anymore, what if they are mad at me for knowing and not telling them'. He shoved his hands into his pockets as his mind continued to race. His face stayed stoic, not showing any signs of his panic, aside from him staring straight into a void.