04 { mar 2: early morning } { video }

[comradery]

[Hughes' expression is fairly unreadable.]

Hey, is anyone else able to contact Roy Mustang? I can't seem to get a hold of him. I can't contact Hawkeye either.

Comments

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

...you gonna' be okay, Sheena? [He is concerned by her tone, of course.]

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

[Years of experience of hiding her real feelings are about to pay off.]

Yeah...I'll be okay...

[Why shouldn't she be? She's always okay, right? She's tired of being left behind...but she's always okay. Of course, she can't let Hughes know that.]

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

[Hughes can tell there is something up since no one is ever really okay about losing people they trust, but he does not really know what to say. He has rarely been in a situation when he has actually had to say something before.

After a slight pause, he settles with being forthright about what he thinks.]

...you know, it's not good to shove aside your emotions all the time for the sake of others. You shouldn't have to pretend like everything is all right if it doesn't feel like it is.

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

I'm not pretending. [Yes, she is.]

It's happened before, and I was okay then. I'll be okay now.

[Sheena is never pragmatic.]

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

[Because being okay is perfectly normal after stuff like this happens...

Hughes sighs faintly.]

...now you're starting to sound like Roy. Look, people are pretty much never okay when someone they care about goes away. So they fact that you're insisting you are sounds pretty fishy. I can get if you don't want to make other people have to worry about you or something, but don't lie to yourself, too. It's not good for you.

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

[It is, really. Especially when you're a seven-year-old ostracized by your own village. You get used to being alone and left behind. Didn't he know that?]

I'm not lying, Hughes. Just speaking from experience.

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

[Hughes snorts softly.]

And I am, too. [If she does not want to listen, it is not his call though.] ...believe what you want, but I still think you're lying to yourself if you really believe you're okay with things like that.

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

[But she is listening. She's just having trouble telling him what she means.]

I'm not okay with people leaving; I just know I'll be okay after a while. After all, life goes on, right?

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

[But memories do not fade. Ah, well. He is not going to fight her on it.]

Right... If you say so.

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

You...don't believe me, do you?

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

Not particularly, no.

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

I... I just have a lot of experience.

[Something someone her age shouldn't have.]

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

Okay.

[Hughes is, again, not going to fight her on it.]

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

[She's hoping that he's finally understood what she's been trying to say, but a voice inside her keeps telling her she's wrong.]

Okay. Guess I'll get off here, then...

{ audio: private }

[comradery]

All right. I'll see you around.

[There is not much else he can say in this situation, so he just leaves it at that.]

[voice] * [private]

[ninjainviolet]

Okay. See you.

*END TRANSMISSION*