darkinferno | [ic inbox]

[All he can do is nod, taking a moment and forcing himself to breathe in and out in a shuddering gasp. He wasn't expecting this, he wasn't expecting her to come over and greet him like this, and it feels overwhelmingly like something he should recognize that's yet entirely unfamiliar. The last time somebody held him like this...

Fuck. Dante doesn't fight it as his eyes start to burn. He'd never admit it aloud, but it feels like a touch he'd been missing for nearly his entire life, a touch he can't even remember because it's been so long. His body shakes, little trembles that sometimes strengthen enough to wrack his entire frame, but finally after a couple minutes, he'll shake his head and draw back a bit. There are no tears, not really, but they were close enough that he still wipes beneath one eye as casually as possible. Definitely not tearing up, not him. He would never.]

...sorry. I didn't mean to... unload on you like that.

[for his sake, she won't comment on it. she knows how to preserve pride and hide behind pretending something didn't happen.]

No apology necessary. Sometimes you need to let it out, before it rots inside you.

[she manages a small smile, pushing up her glasses with one hand.]

When's the last time you ate something solid?

[don't think she hasn't noticed the alcohol and the cups, but her lecture on underage drinking is firmly shelved in the wake of everything they've been through in the last few months.]

[Food? Food's honestly been the last thing on his mind today. Dante blinks, a little bit taken aback, but frowns as he casts his mind back. The last time he ate...]

Last night, after all the fighting was done. I got something to eat before trying to sleep.

[He should... probably do something about that, honestly.]

[she nods, and then steps fully inside.]

If you're alright with letting me poke around in your fridge, I can probably make you something.

[she offers as casually as someone else might hand over a lighter or suggest that they could give someone a ride. no pressure, no obligation. not bringing up anything he said over text.

[Still feeling somewhat off-balance, Dante will go ahead and close the door first before nodding.]

All... all right. Sure.

You don't have to, you know. I can do it.

[But... Grell probably knows that already, doesn't she? Dante won't protest any more than that, instead leading toward the kitchen. It's cleaner than the living room is, a single plate and utensils in the sink the only indication that he's been in there in the past month.

Look, he doesn't do much cooking, okay. He can do some stuff, he just would rather be out and about instead of in the kitchen cooking.]

Sure, you can, but I want to. Tell me what sort of things you like and I'll come up with something.

[this, she can work with. sure, she doesn't know where anything is, or if there's even something resembling a vegetable, but she'll discover. it was an impulsive suggestion that she's going to see through.]

I'm not really picky. Anything's fine by me.

[Not that that's helpful at all.]

I like spicy things--anything with flavor. Not really big on bland food.

[There's not much fresh in the refrigerator right now; after three weeks, most of the stuff he'd had in there had gone bad and been pitched. Still, the basics are there: milk, eggs, cheese and the like, and in the freezer there are frozen vegetables and basically do whatever you want with what's there and what's not, it's all good, it's about as well stocked as you'd expect for a kid that's been living on his own for a few years. Dante at least tries to avoid the "dude living on his own eating fast food for every meal" stereotype, even if he's not always successful.]

Hey, Grell...? What sort of things were you doing while we were gone? Were you okay?

[there's enough for her to come up with a plan, and she busies herself with getting a pan and a bowl, taking out ingredients that she knows will make something filling and good.

Dante asks, and she decides to be honest.]

I was exploring the subway with some others - Prompto among them, so I can confidently tell you that he didn't get too banged up. We explored, but mainly, we had to fight against all sorts of monsters that showed up. Including one that we had to blow up a little. Still, we found some curious things, and got to talk to a few people from Retrospec, actually. Once we established communications with them, we could work to undo everything falling apart around us.

[she talks and breaks eggs into a bowl, mixing them with milk and some other things until it's fully blended.]

Of course, in the process, we didn't all get out just fine, but I offered myself as medic for my team. And got supplies for other teams - I'm glad I was with mine, though, we seemed to just get into trouble.

[Dante's just going to kind of... loiter around his own kitchen, he guesses? He'll hop up and sit on one of the counters, watching Grell as she works, sliding off to grab something for her if need be but otherwise watching and listening to what she's saying.]

I'm glad someone was with Prompto, at least. He's worse than I am about getting into trouble.

[Or rather, his trouble is usually with other people. Prompto's trouble usually seems to be himself versus the world trying to kill him.]

It sounds like you guys were pretty busy.

Busy solving weird puzzles that didn't really amount to anything. There was this man named Ronnie, though...and when I checked my phone, I saw something interesting. You know they all have employee numbers?

[she knows she should tell the whole story in detail from the start, but these are all important.]

Oh! And I got attacked by a monster made of ice - that hurt quite a bit. I'm lucky that it didn't rupture anything, though I did lose a lot of blood. That wasn't a fun day.

They all have employee numbers? I didn't know that.

[There's a sympathetic wince when she mentions getting attacked by an ice monster--she's lucky it didn't rupture anything though? His breath catches in his throat, and his reaction to that might be a bit more than she's expecting.]

Are you telling me it stabbed you?

[Dante forces himself to release the breath he's holding, a phantom pang in his side as his brain tries to check in on a wound that's no longer there. There had been a circle of stabbings in their group, and though none of them were done intentionally (...probably; he's not entirely certain about Malik), it's still one source of horror for him. He wants to ask, to make sure everything's okay, but it's obvious already just by the fact that Grell's here, standing upright and alive, that she'd either been healed or recovered naturally by this point.

Still. It's not something he'd wish anyone else to go through.]

More slashed, it got my chest...but I knew as long as I worked fast I'd be fine. Cover it, bind up the area tight, don't overexert myself. I'm pretty sure I could have healed from it on my own given the changes, but...

[but Ardyn had insisted, even as she had tried to protest, knowing the cost of his magic.]

I'm more glad it didn't incapacitate anyone else.

[But...] The prof insisted on healing it? [He gives her a knowing look.] He did the same thing to me, too.

[He... can't say anything to the second part. Sorry, Grell, he's avoiding that thought.]

He did. Told me I was being foolish for struggling through it and that I could have just asked him.

[she shakes her head a little as she works more on the food.]

I didn't want to drain him anymore if he was already exhausted from tending to his team.

[There's a wince from Dante as he realizes just how much healing Ardyn had probably been doing over the past few weeks.]

He's the foolish one. [There's no real venom in his voice as he says it; rather, he's a bit agitated trying to avoid thinking about how far the prof would push himself without someone to slow him down.] He probably didn't tell any of them how it worked and nearly killed himself healing all of them. He tries to pretend like it's not true, but the prof's got a bleeding heart.

I know he didn't tell any of them.

[she says it while not looking at Dante, but she means it - she'd gotten that much information out of Ardyn when she'd seen him back then.]

He cares so much, he doesn't want anyone to be hurt if he can do something to mend it, no matter what it costs to him, and god, I understand the idea but...

[but she'd rather bear pain and bruises and have to worry about reopening her wounds than have him feel that pain, like he needs to take on that burden.]

Does he realize that he needs to look to himself sometimes? That if he isn't first and foremost alright himself he won't be able to take care of other people? Because if he runs himself into the ground at the wrong time-

[no. she can't let herself think like that. she has to just be grateful she can convince him to sit down and let her look to his wounds.

by the look on her face, it's clear this has been sitting with her for all the weeks.]

I'm just glad it's over.

That's why the rest of us are here.

[It's a surprisingly simple answer, for all the emotions and worries attached to the topic. Dante looks at his hands in his lap, thumb rubbing the place on his hand where there ought to be scar tissue growing.]

Even in the memories he's told me about. It sounds like he was the same sort of guy then, willing to give up everything he had to help the people around him.

[And it had rotted him from the inside out, unless Dante's missing his guess. But what Ardyn's told him sounds too familiar, too alike to the corruption of the darkness... he doesn't think he's wrong. However, he won't mention this part; Grell already looks too worried about him in this life to add that worry on top of everything else.]

I told him a while ago that if I needed to, I'd knock him out to keep him from pushing himself too far. I know I'm not the only one that feels that way, too.

So if he won't look after himself, we'll just have to be there to do it for him.

[she takes a deep breath and nods, moving to tip the ingredients of the bowl she was mixing in into a pan, and turning it on.]

Next time I'll just call you and tell you that your talents are needed.

[a weak joke, but joking all the same. it helps to hear that. even though she knows that other people would help in the situation, it still feels right to hear that.]

But...thank you. I'm glad there's more than just one set of eyes on him.

You're not the only one that worries about him, you know. You just might be the one that worries the most.

[He watches the pan for a moment, letting his words sit. But after a moment, he adds:]

A couple months ago his brother called me up and asked me to keep an eye out for him too.

[He'd made him a deal that he'd protect Ardyn as long as Fynn kept an eye out for Prompto in return.]

Between all of us, we'll keep him safe.

[she nods, letting the mixture cook and the subject rest for now. when it's time, she flips the now obvious omelette, asking Dante to get a plate and a fork, and eventually ending up with a dish for him that she's taken pains to make sure will be at least somewhat spicy, but also nutritious. if he's been drinking hard alcohol he needs something to make sure he remembers what it feels like to be hungry.]

I promise nothing other than it's edible. Baking's more my style.

[It's still more than he's expecting--Dante takes the plate with a bit of hesitation, as though he can't quite believe that it's actually for him. (It's stupid, and he chides himself for it, but hey, the last time somebody he wasn't actively seeing made him food was... how long ago?]

You already went through the trouble of making it. That's enough.

[And honestly, as much as he doesn't really want to eat at all, the smell of the eggs cooking have reminded his stomach that he hasn't eaten in nearly a full day, after how little he'd eaten with the rest of his team through the month. So he's digging in and even if it's simple, it's not apples or tinned vegetables or the other scraps of food they'd been able to scrounge up; it's fresh and it's hot and it's seasoned and it's the best thing he's had all month.]

It's... this is really good, Grell. Thank you.

[Please excuse his terrible manners; he's eating standing up and doesn't give a fuck. But after the first bite, he'll nod his head toward the living room.]

Do you want to sit down now?

[Let's not stand here in the kitchen watching him eat, please... Dante doesn't usually feel awkward that often, but this could do it.]

[it's something with at least one vegetable in it and it'll fill him up - that had been her thought process. even if his world was collapsing around him, it didn't do to neglect one's physical health in the process. that he's eating it is all she could ask.

though she does nod when he asks if she wants to sit and politely turns away - she'll insist on cleaning up later. going to the couch, she carefully pushes the blanket away so she has a place to sit, diffusing the awkwardness like that.]

If you paid enough attention, you can replicate it for yourself any time you like.

[He'll follow her into the living room, plate in hand, stepping up onto the other end of the couch before sitting down cross-legged.]

Yeah. It's just eggs and whatever else you want, right?

[His omelettes usually turn into scrambled eggs, but that's not the point here!]

Yes, but I found it works best if you mix in seasonings into the eggs before cooking them. Everything else, it's up to you in how you add it in. When I don't feel like getting too fancy with cooking and anything else sounds like a hassle, this is what I make.

[when you're an adult, half the time you're just pretending to be an adult. better Dante learn that now instead of later.]

I guess that makes sense.

[He's well on his way! He's been living on his own for nearly three years now; easy dishes are his saving grace. He's making note of the seasoning though; he's only ever really used salt and pepper with eggs and adding something else really brings it to a different level. Good thinking!

That all being said, he's just gonna. Sit and eat, because although he knows he shouldn't let the silence fall and stretch, he doesn't know what he should say either. So Dante keeps his attention on his plate for now. But there are a bunch of papers on the coffee table in addition to everything else, papers that look to be (should Grell choose to take a look!) a contract between a C. Vanderweele and an unreadable second party, outlining the terms and conditions for building the Retrospec headquarters on land in Recollé and issuing a building permit. Beneath them are a set of blueprints for the building, showing how it spreads outwards beneath the city before emerging above ground outside of the city limits again. Retrospec's roots spread wide!

But once he's finished, Dante's at a loss. Where does he go from there? What is Grell looking for from him? It's true that he feels a little bit less adrift than he did when she first showed up, but he still feels like he's missing something, like there's a question being asked that he doesn't have the answer for.]

So... is this the part where I'm supposed to talk about things?

[Is that what she's waiting for...?]

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