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[The house is quiet and still. No sign of Ingo.

At least, until Gliscor comes hop-flapping up the stairs from the basement. Emmet hasn't made much noise, but those big ears pick up near everything! Upon seeing Emmet, he lets out a happy screech and flies forward to greet him - possibly with a little too much speed and force, but you know how it is!]

[Emmet doesn't say anything, just makes a noise. Not an upset one, just, one of accepting the greeting as he wraps his arms around the Pokemon, nuzzling it.]

[He knows Ingo must be upset, he should go find him. But also, right now, he just wanted to hold something that loved him.]

[Gliscor cuddles up close, nuzzling Emmet fiercely enough to maybe knock him over! He's missed you!

But when Ingo hasn't followed him up the stairs after a few moments, he lets out a chirp and sits back up on his little hind legs. That's a little disappointing, but also not...all that surprising. He understands that Emmet died, and so of course Ingo hasn't been happy even after coming back home again. But Emmet is back now! Things can be better again!]

Sciiii.

[He flaps back over to head down the stairs again. He'll see if he can get him!]

[Emmet decides to follow. Maybe Ingo was asleep? Maybe he was mad at Emmet for dying like that?]

[Emmet padded down the stairs to look for his brother- he...he should face this head on and not be a coward!]

[What could he say? Words did not die in his throat, there were no words for Emmet to express how he felt right now.]

[His jaw clenched tight, his tongue touching the roof of his mouth, right behind his teeth. His mouth tangled up with itself.]

[Ingo had been alright when he first got home. He was up and talking, at least. But after confirming Emmet wasn't back yet, he hadn't known what to do with himself. Maybe that gargoyle said where his body was, but Ingo could hardly even remember that conversation clearly. So, with nowhere to go, he'd just lost momentum.

He's lying on the floor of his bedroom, curled up on his side and staring at nothing in particular. He doesn't much respond when Gliscor reappears and starts trying to drag him out of the room by the ankles! Just lets out a low, disgruntled groan.]

[Emmet rushed over to Gliscor and Ingo. The groan only proving to Emmet that Ingo was alive.]

[He batted Gliscor away gently, only so he could get on his knees, and lay down on the floor next to Ingo.]

[His mouth was still refusing to operate, so he simply reached out to touch his brother.]

[Nothing much has been reaching Ingo, wherever he is right now. He doesn't want it to. If he thinks about things, or talks too much to anyone, he's afraid he'll fall apart entirely. And he can't do that. He has to still be here when Emmet comes home.

More movement. His reaction is slow, sluggish in eventually glancing over - were it anyone else, he'd probably have just tuned right back out. But he's come home.]

Emmet -

[Ingo's voice comes out in a too-quiet gasp. It isn't easy to force himself out of that fuzzy, half-present state, but it's Emmet. Being here for Emmet now is the only thing that matters. He drags his heavy limbs into motion. One hand clutches at Emmet; the other is already closed in a tight fist, and just presses against him as well.

He is, at least, wearing a clean shirt. He had just enough presence of mind to change, and hide his own bloody clothes somewhere they won't be found until he can burn them.]

[Emmet made a noise. It was obvious from the tone of the noise that Emmet was trying to communicate 'Ingo'.]

[Emmet took Ingo clutching at him as a sign to move closer, bumping his head against Ingo's shoulder. Pressing it harder and harder as if he could press hard enough, he wouldn't feel that fear and loneliness that he felt in his last moments before waking up cold.]

Emmet, Emmet, Emmet.

[Ingo's babbling. His motions are entirely awkward and uncoordinated; he tosses one arm over Emmet to draw him closer and flops an entire wing over him as well, both probably too hard. There's more he ought to be asking, and certainly more he ought to be doing, but he does not have himself together half as well as he'd hoped to.]

[If it is too hard, Emmet doesn't notice or care. it is proof Ingo is there. Emmet slips a hand between them and presses a fist between their chests. He moves his fist in a clockwise motion. Then another. Then another.]

[Emmet was apologizing.]

[Emmet was shaking, trying to keep from crying.]

[It takes Ingo a minute to process the sign, and then he bursts out:]

NO! No, no - I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

[He's not crying. He hasn't cried once. What does that even say about him? He just feels hollow, like there's nothing inside him at all, not even tears.]

[What did Ingo have to be sorry about? Emmet was the one who went out and up and got himself killed.]

[Emmet did not want to think, so instead, he just kept with the motion, kept on trying to press his head into Ingo.]

[Ingo clutches at Emmet, still muttering apologies into the top of his head.

At least until Gliscor flops down on top of both of them, knocking the air out of him!]

[Emmet lets out a sound at the sudden flop, then upon realizing it is Gliscor, Emmet tries to move so he could also add the Pokemon into the pile.]

[Ingo just sort of lies there, letting both brother and Pokemon shove him about as they see fit.

This whole resolution he had about holding it together for Emmet isn't working out particularly well, is it? He stops whatever his runaway tongue is saying - more apologies - and buries his face in Emmet's white fur to try and collect his thoughts. This is fine for right now. Emmet needs this, so it's allowed. But Ingo cannot get so caught up in what he wants that he loses track of what actually matters.]

You smell like blood.

[oh no that probably wasn't a helpful observation]

[Emmet nodded. Two signs against Ingo.

SHIRT. RUIN.]

[At least it wasn't a shirt Emmet was overly fond of. But still, it was ruined. Holes in the back from where he was shot. The blood on the front. There was no way of saving it!]

You should put on something clean. It will make you feel a little better.

[Not "better", because it won't. But the feeling of dried bloody fabric against his skin had bothered Ingo quite a bit.]

Perhaps wash, too. [That he has not done. His energy gave out after doing the bare minimum of hiding evidence.]

[Emmet knew he had to get cleaned up. He wanted to get cleaned up in fact, he even knew he would feel better if he did so! But right now the idea of just getting wet seems too much.]

[He wished he lived in some space-age hellscape instead at the moment because then they could just...teleport the filth off of him or zap it with some special laser.]

[Emmet did not make a move to change or go wash up though.]

[He instead petted Gliscor.]

Edited 2023-08-16 03:41 (UTC)

[Ingo’s not really making much of a move to let go of Emmet and get up, either.

Finally, he just hooks the claws of his left hand carefully into the fabric at Emmet’s back and tears. More than one way to take off a shirt! It's a little awkward with his non-dominant hand, but his right is still curled into a fist. He's sort of forgotten how to unclench it.]

[Okay, that works. He removes the rest of the shredded shirt and goes back to laying down.]

[MISS. YOU.]

[REGRET.]

[WANT. MORE. TIME. YOU.]

[Ingo flails behind him for a moment before giving up.]

The blanket, please?

[Gliscor drags the knit blanket - a birthday gift - off Ingo's bed and drops it on them. Ingo immediately sets about wrapping it around Emmet. It isn't terribly cold down here, but ever since his first winter as a manticore, he worries about these things! The remnants of the bloody shirt get tossed blindly into a corner.]

Thank you. It's alright, Emmet, I'm here now. [He presses his forehead against Emmet's again.]

[Emmet moves as close as he can to Ingo. It was scary, Ingo. And not the fun kind either.]

[But Emmet isn't signing anymore, his hands are too busy kneading the blanket now.]

[Ingo goes quiet as well, though on his end it's mostly because he's begun grooming Emmet's hair with his tongue again.]

[Emmet is not fighting this at all. He just lays quietly next to Ingo as Ingo grooms him, kneading at the material of the blanket and Ingo.]

[Emmet is keeping his eyes open, focused on seeing what he could of Ingo, trying to store up as many memories of he could of the Warden so when he dies again, he does not have that regret.]

[A low purr builds up in Ingo's chest as he grooms. It's satisfying - it makes him feel like he's doing something concrete to take care of Emmet, even if really he knows it's not helpful at all. Really, it's probably alarming that he's so easily fallen into such a monstrous behavior.

The purring helps that part of him that starts to itch if he's silent too long, but it's an unconscious action. It doesn't totally fill the need.]

Gladion will want to see you. When he gets back.

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