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forward-dated (!) to the end of september

[elanprime]

[ Well, folks, September must be "Elan Ceres (plural) suffers from no good very bad cravings" month, because the original can't fucking take it anymore. He is this 🤏 close to shoving his phone in an industrial blender and turning it into a protein shake. Something's gotta give, and it's not going to be his own Syntrofos.

-- So, totally ignorant of the fact his clones have cannibalized each other, Elan texts Four. ]

Come to my room.
I need to see you.

[ And, like, it's not even a lie; Elan hasn't spent any time with Four since their little heart-to-heart at Patho-Gen headquarters when they imprinted. Turns out that yearning for someone's company is a new -- and distinctly uncomfortable! -- sensation for him. ]

[sicklit]

[Unfortunately, Four can't come to the phone right now as he's currently deceased. The messages will go conspicuously unread for at least several days.]

backdated to the end of october/beginning of november

[elanprime]

[ Upon returning to his room at the Valentia and discovering this unexpected windfall, Elan surmises a few things.

First, and most stupidly, is that witches are real; magic exists. He's not sure what he means by this when it occurs to him, but he sees no other explanation -- rather, non-explanation -- for the fact that his room is the mirror image of how he remembers it. It's a thought that takes the place of the shock this would've given him before his full corruption, and is there and gone -- an observation filed away in his consciousness for later.

Second, and arguably just as stupid, is that Four must have had precious little to do with his room after his hospitalization. Four's mattress is gone; the coins mark the outline of where Elan's bed used to be, unbroken and uniform; ergo, the room was rearranged after Four left -- and Four never came back. Four might not have taken any of the money, but Elan can't see why Five wouldn't have helped himself to some for a replacement Syntrofos if he'd been told of its existence (plus a little extra, as interest). Hell, Five probably would have made off with it all if he'd had the chance -- and now he won't, because Elan is moving out and on with his life.

Despite the fact his face betrays him as a golem, he is polite enough -- well-dressed enough, pleasant enough, just quick enough; obsequious in the ways and at the moments a prospective landlord would expect, because he knows the type -- to secure a row house with two bedrooms on the border of Belle Ville and Basileios. On the day he packs up the little he'd kept in his room at the Valentia to his new lodgings, he passes by Four's room -- still occupied by "Elan Ceres," it seems -- and slips a key under his door. A text with his address shortly follows.

What he doesn't give Four is any explanation; any justification. Elan does this -- as he does most things -- on a whim driven by his wants, his sense of what's best, and his disinclination to feel (be) indebted. It would help to have Four around while he recovers; that's what Four demanded from him, after all. It acknowledges how Four used him -- and did him good -- while he was dormant at the clinic. And if Elan has come to associate Four with anything, it's -- inexplicably; unsettlingly -- with calm. He's can't figure why, can't dismiss or get rid of it either -- and why would he? It's useful, to have someone who makes him feel this way. It's nice. The reasons hardly matter. ]

[sicklit]

[Four doesn't respond to the text or acknowledge that he received the key in any other way, but he does show up at the new address shortly after delivery. Whether Elan is there at the time or not, Four simply proceeds as if he's always been there--he doesn't say a word to Elan unless spoken to first, gravitating toward the furthest unclaimed room and beginning to occupy it without a conversation. He doesn't have much to move in, so it's basically like he just appears out of nowhere. Surprise!

This is, apparently, how they communicate now.]

Backdated to Mid-October

[el5n]

[Before Five is even out of the apartment building, he's already got his Syntrofos out to tap a quick message to Four:]

Hey

Where are you right now

I can't be in my apartment right now and I'm so not in the mood for wandering around aimlessly

_(:з)∠)_

[sicklit]

[What the fuck is that emoji. Four is filled with a split-second irrational rage that he doesn't understand and examines with some detachment.]

In my room.

[Wanna come sit around blankly in the dark with him? Say no.]

[el5n]

[Sorry Four, he's lonely and he LITERALLY has nothing better to do right now.]

Great, gimme the number and don't go anywhere, because I'm on my way right now.

I'd apologize for the lack of heads up, but I have a sneaking suspicion you're probably not doing much of anything at the moment, so.

[The question is, is it LITERALLY Four's room that he's in right now, or is it Elan's room that Four is just squatting in in his absence?]

[sicklit]

[The room number Four sends over is in fact his own room, because even he has enough dignity not to stay in Elan's while he's incapacitated like a pining boyfriend. unlike some people

He really isn't doing much, either--just looking through some ecological journal he found at the library, which he's quite happy to continue doing in peace. But he leaves the door unlocked before Five gets there.]

[el5n]

[Five knocks at least, but as soon as he pokes his head in the door and sees that he has the right place, he slips right inside without waiting.]

Wow, this sure brings back memories.

[He says cheerily, observing the tiny un-decorated room.]

I mean, I guess it hasn't been all that long since I moved out of here, but... It's weird how foreign it already feels.

[sicklit]

[Four doesn't even look up from where he's reading his journal, sat primly on the bed.]

So why are you here instead of at your apartment?

[If you're going to intrude, you might as well explain why.]

[el5n]

Hmm?

[Unfortunate crossover trait between Five and the OG Elan: entitled to invading Four's personal space, apparently! Without asking, Five walks over and just as primly takes a seat on the edge of the bed. He at least keeps a respectable distance between the two of them, but like... Not that respectable.]

Because I missed your bright smile and can-do attitude.

mid-december.

[reprisings]

[ Four will get a carefully wrapped gift for midwinter with a note from Dorothea wishing him well. In the package will be a scarf and glove pair made out of warm material in a deep green color, hopefully to help him keep warm during the season. ]

[sicklit]

[Shortly after receipt, Dorothea will receive a simple message on her Syntrofos:]

Thank you.
I hope you are also well.

[And he can certainly be spotted wearing them while he's out and about--not that he has much to choose from.]

Valentine's Day

[startraveler]

[There's a small box of chocolates and cookies right on Four's doorsteps. A small note is attached to it.]

I heard that today you're supposed to give chocolate and sweets to those you cherish, so I made some for you. I hope you'll enjoy!

Aether

[sicklit]

[Aether's Syntrofos receives a message shortly afterward:]

I'm sorry, I don't know how to make chocolate.

[Or, you know. He'd give Aether some.]

[startraveler]

You don't have to be sorry! Would you like to make some with me?

[sicklit]

[There's some delay with the response, as if Four is perhaps wrestling with it.]

All right. What should I do?

[startraveler]

[Oh. Is he pushing? He can't help but worry a little.]

There's a cafe I'm working at. It'll be open later today, but we can use the kitchen there now. I'll be preparing some food there anyway!

[It would be a neutral ground?]

[sicklit]

[Less that Aether is pushing... and more that Four continues to be conflicted on the best way to act on his feelings. Navigating life without others directing you is hard.]

I can be there soon.

Text; some time after The Meatening

[el5n]

[They haven't talked since the shadows took over the city, and caused a calamitous near-miss of an interaction between their Natural Souls. Five's been dying to reach back out again to try and clear the air, but of course, Kateria had other ideas... And now he has two reasons to contact his fellow duplicate.

He doesn't overthink it, just tosses a few text messages Four's way. There is perhaps some arrogance and overconfidence in the way he's handling this, subconsciously bolstered by the notion that he can't really fuck this up.]

Heyyyy, so.

Can we talk yet? About a few things?

[sicklit]

[This side of Celestial Shadows, Four has come to realize how much of his behavior was driven by sheer fear and anxiety, rather than any actual logical decision-making. With that clarity, he's also come to realize that Five probably wasn't attacking him that night in the alleyway, but he's spent so long convinced it was the case that it's been difficult to let go of his paranoia about it. And now it's simply been long enough that reaching out has felt awkward, and to do what? Apologize? Four didn't exactly do anything wrong, either. It was just... unfortunate.

There's an ominousness to Five breaking the silence first like this.]

Like what?

[el5n]

Well the elephant in the room, for one thing.

And after we've managed to deal with that, I may have something of a favor I need to ask.

[He's not one to beat around the bush.]

[sicklit]

[In a similar vein:]

I know you weren't attacking me last month. I wasn't in my right mind when I ran.

[el5n]

[Oh. Well... There may have been (aka there totally was) a part of that pursuit where Five was thinking of attacking him? But Four doesn't need to know that, actually.]

Yeah, I kinda figured as much. Listen, I'm happy to just forget about the whole incident if you are.

[sicklit]

That's fine.
Was there something else?

[He'd mentioned a favor.]