[9:05 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga was standing at the back of the boat, leaning on the railing and staring into the water. His tail was low, partially lying on the deck. He was quiet, and no tears ran down his face anymore, but something about the way he was looking at the waves was mildly worrying...

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[9:13 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

The same hooves that helped her be subtle in the forest were very much doing the opposite here, it was very easy to tell that she was approaching, and she knew that, which is why she didn't immediately speak when she joined Yuga in leaning on the railing.

Maybe it was the paranoia from the scene she'd uncovered before finding Yuga, but she really didn't like how he was looking at the water.

"It might be pretty if it wasn't scary" she mumbled, kind of to Yuga though she wasn't expecting a response. She very much did not like being so close to the edge.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[9:24 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga's ear flicked lazily towards the sound of Isi's hoofsteps, and he sighed. Once the faun came next to him, he glanced up at them, before looking back at the sea. He only grunted in reply. His eyes were barely glowing.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[1:25 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi's ears lowered. She knew she wanted to help somehow but she felt so inexperienced with emotions, she could never find the right thing to say.

She traced the glass of the jar with the worm inside that she held as an excuse to look down while she spoke, even if it was a small question.

"How are you doing?"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[4:02 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

CW: suicidal implications

Yuga didn't look away from the sea. He watched the dark waves with glazed over eyes, and was quiet for a long while.

"...I don't know if... I can keep going..." he finally said in a quiet, husky voice.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[5:37 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi tensed, fingers tightening around the jar. That sentence scared her, made her scared for Yuga specifically.

"Why do you think that?" She asked quietly.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[6:40 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

CW same as above

Yuga sighed, and closed his eyes.

"...I'm tired. I know now that there's no hope for me. It's so dark... I was never meant to... survive, I think."

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[6:58 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

cw as above

"Why not? You made it this far, you- Yuga, it's not over for you."

There was something Isi really wanted to ask him but it seemed a bit silly now with what he was going through. She stared hard at the waves, as if they'd help her respond.

"Why is it dark? What do you mean by that?" She sounded so worried.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[7:05 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Continuation

"I can't see anything in front of me. There is nothing for me. Just death, everywhere I look. I... I'm scared, but I don't know how long I have strength to keep going. It would be easier to just..."

He fell silent.

[7:06 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[7:48 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi inhaled shakily.

"I know I can't ...make you less scared, or less tired, but- I care about you, a lot, and I don't want to leave you- I don't want you to leave, or die"

It all just kinda spilled out, like she was terrified if she didn't say it in time she'd never be able to.

"And I was going to ask earlier if you'd let me stay with you, because there sure as hell isn't anywhere I'm going either, but I realized I'd be okay with that if you were with me"

She was speaking kinda fast and her voice was shaky, she was clearly trying pretty hard to strengthen it anyway but the fear still showed.

"You don't have to say anything if it's hard. I just wanted you to know that, that even if I can't give you strength, you give me some. And I want to help you"

She stayed tense.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[9:47 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga turned to look at Isi with wider eyes. He listened to all she had to say with lowered ears, quietly, and new tears started forming in his eyes again. He blinked, opened his mouth to say something, but had to try a couple of times before he got his voice heard.

"...I... Isi, I... ...I'm cursed, if you stay with me, I would probably bring bad luck to you."

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[11:16 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"I dunno, I think you've been pretty good luck for me. Besides, I'd rather have bad luck with you than the best luck without you" she sounded relieved to finally say this.

She finally turned to look at him a little.

She meant everything she said, but right now she was especially glad it seemed to distract him from the water below.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[12:01 PM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

A whine escaped Yuga's throat, and he turned his head away, drying off his eyes on his sleeves again.

"I... but..." he stuttered, starting to shake and sniffle.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[12:56 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi scooched a little closer on the railing to him, she was concerned about the shaking.

"You don't have to say yes, or no- not yet- theres still time, I didn't mean to overwhelm you or anything"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[6:44 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga shook his head, took a couple of hasty breaths, and started talking in a teary, raised voice, babbling in a rush like he couldn't stop the torrent of words.

"I, I, I... the cold, hungry, I don't want to.. go back to that, always hungry, cold, dirty and afraid.. It's going to kill me, or, or someone will take me. I'm so afraid someone will cage me and use me, it almost happened again! He said, he said, he prr-prromised I could live therre, he promised me a home, that I was safe and, and that I wasn't a monster, but it was a lie, it was all a lie!" Yuga cried out, and put his paws over his face.

"He lied! He lied! They wanted to cage me and use me, just like the others, just like everyone else, how can I... I can't.. trust anyone anymore! Not humans, or anyone else, I'm not safe, anywhere. I would rather die than be someone else's prisoner."

He didn't mean to say he didn't trust Isi. No, he let all of this spill out because he trusted Isi. She was the last person Yuga trusted anymore.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[8:27 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi's face changed as Yuga spoke, growing angrier. Not at Yuga. But she steadied her voice a bit when she responded to him, looking at him determinedly.

"Well I'm not going to lie and say that I can stop you from being cold, or hungry" Isi frequently had been herself before the tournament. And, well, during the tournament too.

"But as long as I'm around, I'll fight like hell before letting anyone cage you like that."

She didn't say it, but Isi took this stuff very literally - she would fight like hell, they'd have to kill her before she stopped kicking, biting, screaming.

"That's what you did for me. I'm sorry they lied to you, Yuga. I'm sorry for all of this. You didn't deserve it."

They couldn't match his anger or his pain, but they could match his trust.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[10:59 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"If, if you stay with me, you'll die too, or worrse..." Yuga whined, but he listened. He stayed put for a moment, shaking and gasping, sobbing. He removed his hands from his face, instead hugging himself and shifting his weght from one leg to the other, swaying and rocking himself as Isi talked. He didn't look at them, but he listened. Then, he moved slightly closer to Isi, and shakily extended his hand towards her, lightly touching her hand, still shivering and tears running down from his eyes that barely bore any light anymore.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[6:05 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"I'll risk it. It's worth it" Isi told him. She didn't hesitate.

It really felt like she'd known him for longer than she had, even though she truly knew so little about him, she couldn't help how she felt. It felt as if they were the only two with nowhere else to go, and if nothing else, she wanted to protect him, however she could. She cared about him, and even if she hadn't gone through what she had with him, it would've just been wrong to leave him to fend for himself.

Her eyes crinkled a bit when she watched him cry, like she was trying her best not to.

Isi moved her hand when she touched it, putting an arm around him instead and touching his paw with her other hand.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[4:52 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga bumped himself against Isi immediately, when she wrapped one arm around him, and he hugged her tightly, still shaking and sobbing, but grateful that he had someone, at least one person he could be close to and find a little comfort in. Someone who still didn't think of him as a monster, or as something to profit from. She wanted to stay with him... even when it would probably bring nothing but hardship to her as well.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[5:22 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi rested their head lightly on top of his, wrapping the other arm around to hug him. In truth, Isi needed Yuga, right now and when they're done with this. She was so tired of running around on her own, of not having any sort of direction. Maybe Yuga didn't have direction either, but helping him was enough for them, caring about him was enough.

They murmured little reassurances as he cried, and maneuvered them both a bit away from the railing since it still made her uneasy. She'd slipped the jar into her pants pocket.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[8:26 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Yuga didn't speak anymore. He started wailing again. He never got to send the letter to his mother. He would never be home again. He had yet again been deceived, after he had been given hope. He felt so broken, so hopeless...

But at least he wasn't alone anymore.

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁