[Well, it seemed that was all the permission Riddle needed. Maybe it was because he wasn't quite expecting it from Cater, but the tears rush forth, and the body-wracked sobs follow soon after.
Trey, for his part, it the picture of calm steadiness and reassurance. Except something's a bit off in his gaze right now— like he isn't entirely here. Like his mind is playing out some scenario that never happened.
It doesn't stop him from being here, hands holding one of Riddle's and giving it a comforting squeeze. That hand that was holding onto him like a lifeline.]
[There's a mixture of emotions Cater feels watching the scene before him. A want to be comforting to Riddle, his friend, and Trey, his even greater friend, clearly having been rattled by everything that had happened. Even now, though, insidious thoughts coil forward, trying to take hold of his psyche. The way the two hold hands--the ferocity make him feel detached from the situation, far away.
Still, he wrestles to maintain control with logic, keeping a hand on Riddle's opposite shoulder as he cries.
There isn't much that can be or needs to be said right now: simply being there is the best they can do. So Cater doesn't say anything until Riddle's tears of stopped and he seems on the verge of falling asleep.]
We should let you rest--but if you need anything, we're just on the other side of that door, okay?
[At some point, Riddle's hand leaves his face to grip onto Cater's hand. Even though it makes him more exposed, the desire to clutch to his friend is greater.
Once the sobs stop, he looks absolutely exhausted. He squeezes both of their hands gently, giving a mute nod.
Slowly, he withdraws his hands, and Trey withdraws his as well. If one looks at his expression now, there's no hint of that distance, no indication that anything is wrong. There's concern and worry for his friend, of course, but he doesn't look haunted.]
I'll bring you some soup later.
[No doubt Riddle had burned through a lot of energy during all of that. He gets another nod in return before the Housewarden's eyes slide closed, and he turns his head.
As Cater comes over, Trey pats his back, slings an arm around his shoulder, and walks them out of the room. It isn't until they get back to their own room that he speaks.]
[It's a bit of a relief to escape the room--to know that Riddle's going to get rest and to be able to get their own rest. Aside from the emotional impact, they still did have to take on an Overblotted Riddle, which was no easy feat itself. Cater sighs, putting an arm around Trey's shoulder in return.]
Me? Come on. I barely did anything. You're the one who was the real MVP today.
[If it hadn't been for Trey, they were looking at some real possible casualties out there. And more than that...]
We all did it together. I couldn't have done it alone.
[The next question has his expression faltering for a second.
After a moment, he goes with:]
Heh... not as great as I'd like to be.
[He doesn't want to be false with Cater after everything, but there's also a strong desire to not let him see too much. He had enough weighing on his mind without having to worry about Trey.]
[But joking aside, he looks at Trey with an even, understanding expression. Being the master of pretending everything is fine, he knows how hard it is to open up--wouldn't judge Trey for not wanting to. But being where their relationship is now, he'd be remiss not to be there for his friend now that the shoe seems to be on the other foot.]
If you want to talk about it, I'm here--but only if you want. Just don't hold yourself back for my sake.
[Cater doesn't intend to waste a bunch of time regretting the years he kept Trey at arm's distance. Still, it's hard not to wish that he had more experience with this kind of thing. Bad enough to be comforted, but being the one to do the comforting? It's a whole different wheelhouse. He pulls Trey over so they're leaning together shoulder-to-shoulder.]
You'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that. You've known Riddle longer than any of us, so tell me: do you think he would have listened? He strikes me as the kind of person who really needed to hit his breaking point before he'd be able to face the facts no matter how many people had tried to get through to him sooner.
[For not having much experience, Cater does a good job. Trey leans into that tug, and then much heavier after Cater finishes speaking.]
... yeah, you're probably right.
[What if, what if, what if. Cater's right, it will drive him crazy. It still hurts him deep in his soul to see just how much hurt Riddle was in. And not that long after Cater showed his own pain.
It's a lot to take in... But... Cater has been improving by leaps and bounds. Maybe now Riddle could, too.
After a moment, a hand comes up to rest on the opposite shoulder, giving him a little side-hug.]
Thanks, Cater.
[He looks to him.]
Riddle's going to depend on us more than ever now to make sure he doesn't go too far. Think you're up to the task?
Hey, just call me second in command to the second in command.
[He squeezes Trey in that one-armed hug before his stance relaxes.]
What're friends for, right? If I can count on you, you can count on me.
[But he knows that these kind of doubts aren't so easy to shake. Cater isn't going to act like everything's cleaned up and tidy.]
He has a lot of learning to do, and he'll probably backslide...and when that happens, it's not on you. I'm right here with you to keep things moving forward.
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Trey, for his part, it the picture of calm steadiness and reassurance. Except something's a bit off in his gaze right now— like he isn't entirely here. Like his mind is playing out some scenario that never happened.
It doesn't stop him from being here, hands holding one of Riddle's and giving it a comforting squeeze. That hand that was holding onto him like a lifeline.]
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Still, he wrestles to maintain control with logic, keeping a hand on Riddle's opposite shoulder as he cries.
There isn't much that can be or needs to be said right now: simply being there is the best they can do. So Cater doesn't say anything until Riddle's tears of stopped and he seems on the verge of falling asleep.]
We should let you rest--but if you need anything, we're just on the other side of that door, okay?
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Once the sobs stop, he looks absolutely exhausted. He squeezes both of their hands gently, giving a mute nod.
Slowly, he withdraws his hands, and Trey withdraws his as well. If one looks at his expression now, there's no hint of that distance, no indication that anything is wrong. There's concern and worry for his friend, of course, but he doesn't look haunted.]
I'll bring you some soup later.
[No doubt Riddle had burned through a lot of energy during all of that. He gets another nod in return before the Housewarden's eyes slide closed, and he turns his head.
As Cater comes over, Trey pats his back, slings an arm around his shoulder, and walks them out of the room. It isn't until they get back to their own room that he speaks.]
You did great, Cater.
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Me? Come on. I barely did anything. You're the one who was the real MVP today.
[If it hadn't been for Trey, they were looking at some real possible casualties out there. And more than that...]
How are you holding up?
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[He claps Cater's shoulder.]
We all did it together. I couldn't have done it alone.
[The next question has his expression faltering for a second.
After a moment, he goes with:]
Heh... not as great as I'd like to be.
[He doesn't want to be false with Cater after everything, but there's also a strong desire to not let him see too much. He had enough weighing on his mind without having to worry about Trey.]
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[But joking aside, he looks at Trey with an even, understanding expression. Being the master of pretending everything is fine, he knows how hard it is to open up--wouldn't judge Trey for not wanting to. But being where their relationship is now, he'd be remiss not to be there for his friend now that the shoe seems to be on the other foot.]
If you want to talk about it, I'm here--but only if you want. Just don't hold yourself back for my sake.
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His arm slides off of Cater and he goes and sits rather heavily on the bed, slouching forward instead of sitting up as he normally does.]
... Ace was right about me.
[That pretty much says it all.]
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Ace barely knows you.
[Yeah, so, Ace might have not been totally wrong or off base in his assertion, but that also didn't mean he was totally right, either.]
He may have had a point, but this wasn't your fault.
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It may not have been my fault, but... what if I hadn't enabled him so much? What if I had stepped in instead of aside sooner?
Maybe I could've prevented this whole thing from happening. Maybe... he wouldn't have had to stew in all that pain for so long.
[His hand comes up to take his glasses off, and the other comes up to bridge his nose.]
Damnit...
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You'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that. You've known Riddle longer than any of us, so tell me: do you think he would have listened? He strikes me as the kind of person who really needed to hit his breaking point before he'd be able to face the facts no matter how many people had tried to get through to him sooner.
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... yeah, you're probably right.
[What if, what if, what if. Cater's right, it will drive him crazy. It still hurts him deep in his soul to see just how much hurt Riddle was in. And not that long after Cater showed his own pain.
It's a lot to take in... But... Cater has been improving by leaps and bounds. Maybe now Riddle could, too.
After a moment, a hand comes up to rest on the opposite shoulder, giving him a little side-hug.]
Thanks, Cater.
[He looks to him.]
Riddle's going to depend on us more than ever now to make sure he doesn't go too far. Think you're up to the task?
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[He squeezes Trey in that one-armed hug before his stance relaxes.]
What're friends for, right? If I can count on you, you can count on me.
[But he knows that these kind of doubts aren't so easy to shake. Cater isn't going to act like everything's cleaned up and tidy.]
He has a lot of learning to do, and he'll probably backslide...and when that happens, it's not on you. I'm right here with you to keep things moving forward.
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We're both counting on you.
[And he means that. Cater's help would truly be invaluable.]