Izumo Catch-All;

[misstrust]

Comments

[sacredchants]

[ prone to crying... ]

I've only seen him cry once.

[misstrust]

Well. We won't talk about it in great detail... but I do feel better knowing he's in your hands.

[sacredchants]

I...

[ what does she even say to that? ]

I took your advice and opened up to him. Rather, I...tried to be more honest. I hope that will be enough.

[misstrust]

I think it will be. But I'll look forward to hearing all about it at a later date.

[sacredchants]

[ ...

SIGHS. fine. ]

Right, the real work starts now for all of us. There's no way that we're going to waste what you gave us. Well, not me anyway.

[misstrust]

I'm sure Rufus and Ange will be the same way. And Alphinaud of course, and the rest of our Faction.

[ Because Dorothy will be extremely disappointed if they don't. ]

[sacredchants]

Rufus is and has been hard at work for all of this from the start. ...or at least that is what seems like whenever I talk to him.

[ the others do go unspoken for because she also expects them to. ]

[misstrust]

Oh, he has. I'm not surprised by that at all.

[ Rufus is doing his best. ]

[sacredchants]

I'm more surprised about what he said to you before he fed you the cookie.

[ he really is at any given time...? ]

[misstrust]

... Yes, I also can't say I expected that.

[sacredchants]

You don't have to tell me the particulars, but...was there something between the two of you?

[misstrust]

... [ Dorothy just bursts out laughing. ]

A mutually respectful working relationship, I suppose?

[sacredchants]

[ ...laughing is good, she guesses??? but. ]

It sounded a like it was a little more than that.

[misstrust]

It isn't romantic, if that's what you're implying.

[ She's pretty sure of that. ]

We just have an understanding on what we need to do, regardless of what that entails. For example, remember when Rufus checked on you that time when we were all poisoned?

[ Dorothy, still unaware that Rufus did not check on everyone. ]

[sacredchants]

I'm not.

[ not necessarily? a man and a woman can be close friends without there needing to be any kind of romantic feelings between them. that said— ]

...checked on me? [ slow blinks??? ] No, I never saw Rufus after we were poisoned. It was just myself and Alphinaud. Sora also dropped by once for a short period of time.

[misstrust]

[ Listen, Rufus doesn't believe in close friends. ]

Neither one of you saw him?

[ ... Oh. Huh. ]

[sacredchants]

[ rufus needs to get parts of his life re-examined. ]

I can't speak for certain about Alphinaud, but I definitely didn't see him.

[misstrust]

... Hm. Well, I suppose I can't make that point then.

My actual point is I would like to consider us friends, at least, though I doubt he would admit it without compulsion.

[sacredchants]

You don't have to admit to being friends to be friends, do you?

[ hmm. not thinking of how things are for herself here. not at all. ]

...sometimes you can just be that without saying it. You couldn't expect someone like Rufus to say anything like that but his actions speak for themselves, I think.

[misstrust]

Oh, I think so too.

[ And she says this softly. ]

That's why I would call us friends.

[sacredchants]

[ .....hm. ]

I can't say that I'm nearly as close to Rufus as you are, but I'll hit him with my crutch him if would deny you that right.

[misstrust]

Thank you, but I wouldn't bother. I don't need to hear it from him and he denies quite a bit as it is.

[ Which is just funny to her at this point. ]