We Go Forward.

" Aren't you going to say something?"

" And I thought I loved you."

" And I thought you loved me."

" Angry. I'm.. I'm angry."

" Aren't you even going to cry?"

" Are you going to cry?"

" Are you crying?"

" Are you okay?"

" Ask if I'm okay. Just ask."

" And this is why I don't want to stay anymore."

" Addiction isn't the way to go, ___ "

" Are you angry with me?"

" Are you afraid?"

" And now is the part where we say goodbye."

" And now you're going to leave me!"

" Are you just going to leave me?"

" Be friends with someone else."

" Boy/Girlfriend? Is that what you thought I meant?"

" Because you're such an ass and I- I just hate you!"

" But I've changed."

" But you've changed."

" Buy yourself something nice. Because I don't want this ring."

" But.. you're still alive?"

" Can't you just let me be happy for one?!"

" Can't you be happy for once?

" Can't you just be happy for me?"

" Come on, leave already!"

" Coward. That's all you are. A coward."

" Do you even know what you've done to me?"

" Do you have any remorse? "

" Don't you dare close your eyes on me!"

" Don't you dare die."

" Don't you care about me/her/him/them anymore?"

" Don't give me that look"

" Don't you want me to be happy?"

" Dammit! Everything was just starting to get better and then you do this!"

" Damn you."

" Don't lie to me."

" Don't like to him/her/them."

" Dammit.. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! You fucking ass!"

" Everything is fucked up now- everything is fucked because of you!"

" Everything's gone to hell."

" Everyone hates me."

" Everyone hates you."

" Everything hurts."

" Everything's going to be okay."

" Everyone loves you, not me."

" Everything is falling apart."

" Everything fell apart and I can't pick up the pieces anymore."

" For someone whose dying, you seem kind of happy."

" Friends forever, right? Isn't that what you said?"

" Fuck off!"

" Fuck you!"

" Find a new place to live."

" Find a new girlfriend/boyfriend."

" Find a new best-friend."

" Fine. I'll leave."

" Forever and ever. That's how long I said I loved you. But you never said it back."

" Fucking hell, I hate you!"

" Get lost!"

" Get a job, you ass!"

" Get out of here!"

" Go get a life."

" Go. Just go."

" How are you still alive?"

" How long are you going to keep this up?"

" How long until you finally get lost?"

" How about I just leave."

" Hold up. You're breaking up with me?"

" Heaven doesn't exist."

" Hell is the only place we're going to be going."

" How about you leave now?"

" Is this how you're going to treat me?"

" I can't believe you."

" I'm a monster."

" I killed someone."

" I want to kill myself."

" I want to kill something."

" I'm running away."

" I'm leaving you."

" I can't look at you right now."

" I hope you die!"

" I don't understand."

" I'm so angry/sad. But you don't care."

" I can't hear anything."

" I'm dying."

" I have cancer."

" I can feel the darkness coming."

" I can't breathe."

" Just joking, I don't love you."

" Just go."

" Just leave me alone!"

" Just fuck off."

" Kill yourself. "

" Kindly get the hell away from me."

" Kids? I don't want kids."

" Kind. That's the one thing you can never manage to be."

" Lie. Just lie."

" Lie to me."

" Life is not worth living."

" Living isn't possible."

" Like I give a shit about you."

" Lies are all you're capable of."

" Lay down. It'll all be over soon."

" My heart is broken. "

" My.. everything hurts."

" My girlfriend/boyfriend left."

" My ____ is dead."

" Man, you're an asshole."

" My lies aren't working anymore."

" Mutt."

" Many times I lay awake and wonder why I'm alive anymore."

" Never again."

" Never speak to me again."

" No. I won't do it."

" No, I don't like you like that."

" No way in hell!"

" Now, now, is there really any reason to cry?"

" Now and again I really start to hate you."

" No. Stop crying, just stop it."

" Not how I wanted to spend my life."

" Never look at me again."

" People hate me."

" People hate you."

" Person? No, no. You're not a person. You're a robot."

" People like you sicken me."

" People like you deserve to die."

" Perhaps you should just leave, then."

" Piss off."

" Question: why are you still here?"

" Quiet. I'm getting sick of hearing your voice."

" Run away. That's what I'm doing."

" See? I hate you."

" See? You hate me."

" Sometimes I wonder why you stay with me."

" So.. you hate me, then?"

" So this is how it ends."

" Shoot me."

" Shit..."

" So why are you still here?"

" Sometimes people lie to me."

" Stories are just that. Stories."

" Took off with everything I had!"

" Time to go."

" This is the end. It's done."

" The story is ending now."

" This is the end."

" This is why I hate you."

" Then why do you say you love me?!"

" Unlike you I have friends."

" Unlike me, you have friends"

" Under the bed is were I have to hide from you."

" Underwater is where i want me coffin to be."

" Utter it again and I swear I'll kill you!"

" Very mature. Cunt."

" Why can't you row up?"

" Why cant you care about me?"

" Why do you hate me?"

" Why do I hate you?"

" What do you mean?"

" What?You're dying?"

" Why can't you just be you."

" When am I supposed to get my time to be happy?'

" Well. This isn't how it was supposed to end between us."

" Whatever, you asshole."

" Whenever you decide you can stand to talk to me ago, please do."

" Well. I hate you now."

                                    ғαмe  ｏｒ  яεcσɢпıтıσп

                Ｉ   ｗａｎｔ   ｔｈｅｉｒ   ѕαғeтy 

   “… Deuce, things like this are important. I could ask Trey to come over and discuss emotions and morale with you, but aptly put, your happiness is very important to me.” Finger rose sternly, sitting lightly above his chest rather than risk it being hit in a flustered movement later on; he sighed for a brief moment, aware that it all seemed ludicrous (Leaving for several hours just to procure flowers seemed a fool’s errand at the time), but clearly not seeing any issue with seeing it through. Why can’t she just let me give her something to smile about? I’m not Jack or Nine, so I can’t just rely on wit and dumb luck…

   “And my other priorities can wait. Flowers wilt, so the faster I get them, the faster I’ll be back, and the sooner you’ll have a bit of spring in your hands.”

   Though features remained perplexed in their display, she gave listen to the dealer’s rebuttal. Throughout the duration of his response, the flutist was just barely aware of her expression softening; emerald hues conveying flickers of comprehension rather than those of preemptive defiance. Her arm, which was once a subconscious defense, was drawn inward as tensed posture gradually became less so. Yes, she was beginning to understand, now. A detour to Corgi was still dubbed in her mind as completely unnecessary, but... If it was this important to Ace, it was important to her. After all, his happiness was just as valuable, no? So she offered one of her brightest smiles to indicate her compliance, as well as her appreciation. But, as for going alone...

   “Mmh... I don’t think asking Trey won’t be necessary. But, if you really are sure---we’d better hurry, if we want to make it back before sundown. And before the flowers have a chance to wilt, of course!” 

        “Hm? Well, maybe where you’re from…”

The girl left her commentary at this; it wasn’t really necessary for her to say anything on the matter. Nobody had asked Nina for her opinion, and besides, who was she to ruin someone else’s night? She, too, should probably enjoy the evening lull instead of dwelling on negative matters.

   “A-Ah, forgive me! I didn’t even see you there, miss...” The cadet all but squeaked out her apology, more so from surprise as opposed to any guilt she might be feeling. The other’s features invoked no spark of recognition within the brunette, but the same could not be said for her newly inspired curiosity. 

      “For only a short time but I do not mind,” he replied earnestly, taking this moment to take a seat next to her while paying enough attention to keep some distance. Best to go ahead, Ace thinks, rather than stand around for the duration of his stay in the garden.

      “You’re welcome, Deuce. It’s fine, I did not want to interrupt you. If you had noticed me, the way you expressed yourself would have changed,” Ace explained, relaxed. “If you were to change your mind, I would listen to you and leave. You only need to tell me. However it’s not everyday that I manage to catch you playing, absorbed in it specifically, and if I may ask, what is the occasion?”

   A nod, a smile, a pause--or rather, an interval of silence of which allowed the brunette to transition from melody to conversation. The dealer’s explanation was comprised of good points, as most of his counters usually were. It was Ace, after all. In addition, the other’s casual dismissal had elicited an evident wave a relief to cross the brunette’s features, having initially feared that her naivety would be misconstrued as behavior that was intentionally rude. It was only at her classmate’s query that the flutist allowed a weary sigh to pass her lips.

   “Oh... W-Well, I...” An averted gaze shifted her focus downward, to slender digits despondently fidgeting with her weapon of choice. I... Suppose there's no use in lying. Besides, she was confident that every single one of her classmates could see through any conjured up fabrications of her's while paying minimal attention. “Playing my flute like this... It lifts my spirits, you see. And I was feeling a little down today, so I came here. I just--hope we’re not here for similar reasons, is all.” 

    It was true that she did disturb her in her sleep, however, now that she had the young woman’s attention, Shion might as well question her for the moment.

         ”It’s fine, you could say that I’m use to it—” Being a Priestess, she was woken up by her visions every now and then, so she wasn’t so upset anymore. “But, when you say you got separated from your team—how many of you are there exactly?”

   “A-Ah, even so...” A hybrid of both lingering guilt and wayward thoughts had instigated an aversion of the youth’s gaze, with Deuce attempting to configure the most ideal plan of action she could possibly muster at this point. Who was this enigmatic woman? And more importantly, could she even be trusted...? 

               “Are you our new big sister?”

It would be a lie to say that he was not the slightest bit shocked from her reaction. Smoothly, he tried to ease her concerns with a smile, striding over to clap her lightly on the shoulder.

“You were worried about me?” he started, quirking a brow. “Just got whisked away by responsibilities, is all. If anything, it should be me that’s worried aboutyou. The war’s getting out of hand, isn’t it?”

   “Of course I was worried! There was no contact, not even a letter... I had no way of knowing you were okay.” 

      The sound of spring is the only way he could describe it, as Deuce’s playing moved along with the natural sounds surrounding them, as slight as they were, and her so engrossed in her music she may not have even been aware of Ace’s presence. Rather than interrupt her, the blond chose to stay silent until she stopped. “Deuce,” he uttered with a nod, “You play well, I almost wanted to simply stand around and listen to you for longer.”

   “A-Ace! How long were you...?” 

   I... Didn’t even hear him approach.

   She then proceed to lower her piece as to assume a more casual posture, also as a joint attempt to respectfully convey to her classmate that he now held her full attention. It was then that the other’s compliment registered upon flattered ears--and the recipient felt her chest swell with gratitude in return.