fandomhigh | Library [12-8]

Rinoa hadn't slept much. In the middle of the night, it had occurred to her that there was a very real chance that the captives were being tortured, or even killed, while she was lying there coming up with reasons not to use her powers. Ones that might save their lives, except that she was too scared of the consequences to herself.

It wasn't so simple as that, and some rational, sane part of herself knew that, but what you can believe at 3 am isn't always what's sane.

Rinoa was here. Rinoa was hitting the caffeine pretty hard. Rinoa was trying to research, and not throw books around the room in a childish sort of tantrum.

Christian hovered near her, making occasional trips back tot he stacks to get more books of folklore. He wasn't making much headway, but it made him feel useful.

Besides, he didn't want to leave Rinoa alone unless he had to. He tried to be quietly reassuring, if he could.

On one of his returns, Rinoa reached over to twine her fingers through his.

His presence was soothing. She hoped he understood how much.

"Anything?" she asked, not sounding as though she expected a 'yes.' She hadn't found much of anything, yet, either.

He hesitated as he squeezed that warm hand, but shook his head. "I could probably write my own legend about the goblins -- but beyond that, no. Did you...?"

"Not yet," she said, shaking her head as well. "I feel like I'm reading the same page over and over and not seeing any of it. I'm scared I'll read something important and not even know."

(*headdesk* WTF LJ stop eating my notifs please?)

"It would help if I knew what we were looking for," Christian said, with rare impatience.

He leaned back in his chair, trying to calm himself. "I'm sorry. Nothing has prepared me for -- walls popping up out of nowhere and goblins stealing people. I'll be your knight, but ... there's a price."

Rinoa nodded, squeezing his hand before letting it go again.

"Is it too much?" she asked. "You can ... take breaks. You don't need to bear the weight of this yourself."

"Squall does," Christian said quietly. "I can't replace him. I know that. But let me try for a while. If I went away and things got bad for you..."

He trailed off. He wouldn't forgive himself, was the implication.

"I'm not asking you to," she said carefully. "This isn't ... yours to carry any more than it's his. It's mine. I need help, but ... if it falls apart ..."

Then that was her responsibility. Not his.

"Then I'll be here until your wings come out and you tell me to go," Christian answered. "Don't protect me."

Fair enough.

"All right," she said, leaning over for a tentative kiss. "I won't shield you. But you don't burn yourself out, either. Is that a deal?"

He returned the kiss, lightly. "If I absolutely need a break, I'll take it," he promised. "You've my word."

"All right," she said. "In the meantime, we have some exciting research ahead of us."

Jonothon had heard about Squall from Raven, and had kept a sharp eye open for Rinoa. When she didn't look too busy, he quietly picked his way over to visit her.

//How're you holding up, Sunshine?//

Rinoa couldn't help reaching out to pull Jono into a hug. Tentatively. She could at least remember that he wasn't the huggy type.

"I've ... had better weeks," she admitted. "How are you?"

//Could be worse,// Jono offered, letting her pull him into the hug, but easing into it a little sideways. He put his arm around her shoulder, at least, and gave her a small pat on the back.

Awkwardly.

//We'll get him back, luv.//

"I know," she said. She didn't. She didn't believe it. Except Squall wouldn't let himself get taken out this easily. Would he? Everything was so surreal. "I'm ... I'm sure he will. It'll be okay."

She just had to keep it together until then.

Good luck with that one.

//Luv, the island has put us through plenty worse than this,// Jono noted. He'd had small children with ashes for hands leave blistering marks over his body. A few bumbling goblins hardly seemed to compare. //Th'question is, will you be okay?//

Squall was a big boy. He could hold his own. Rinoa... seemed a little more fragile today than Jonothon was used to.

"I ... will," Rinoa said, answering with a sharper honesty than she had expected. "I'll be fine. I can handle myself. But I don't know ... what or who I'll be, by then."

She frowned, pulling away from the hug. "I'm not even sure what I'm talking about," she said.

//Aren't you?// Jono's eyebrows furrowed a little. Today really seemed to be an excellent day for people acting strangely at him. //... Still afraid of yerself?//

Rinoa nodded quickly. "He's ... supposed to help, with that," she said. "But he's there and he's in danger. I could let them out a little. Just ... enough to make whatever did this, sorry."

Jono furrowed his brow slightly. Oh. My.

//Luv, I might not have half the attachment to this situation as you do right now, but I can tell you here and now, if you've managed to narrow down th'guilty parties to 'whoever did this,' letting yerself go in order to get back at them is probably not th'greatest of ideas.//

Rinoa was nodding, again, but with her arms folded over herself.

"And what if he dies?" she asked quietly. "What if any of them do?"

She'd have to live with knowing she could have stopped it, and didn't.

Jono considered that one for a moment, as well. And then he shrugged his shoulders, a little bit lacking in the enthusiasm department, now.

//If they wanted any of us dead, they wouldn't be bothering to kidnap us,// he reasoned. //There's been no random demands, and nobody has really sustained any major injuries. I don't believe his life is in immediate danger.//

Ask him again if the sirens start.

Rinoa gave Jono a wry smile. "It's Squall," she said. "You don't think he could have thoroughly pissed them off by now?"

Maybe by trying to escape, maybe by ... well. Being Squall. Probably both.

Library [12-8]

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