[ Ah, right. The moment she turns her head and he spots a wildly-tangled and disheveled lock of hair past the shape of her hood is the moment he realizes what feels so off about her -- she's not put together at all in this moment. And Gray's never this disheveled unless something's happened. ]
... nothin'. Just came here 'cause I needed some fresh air.
[ He's always been a decent liar when it matters, and Gen doesn't bat an eye as he drones out that utter falsehood. It doesn't feel like it matters at the moment, anyway. Eustace is gone, and that probably won't change; what matters more right now is figuring out exactly what's happened to Gray.
Dirt grits underfoot as Gen quickly slinks closer, reflexively casting about nervously in case anyone else is around. For better or for worse, it seems to be just the two of them, and he exhales hoarsely as he finally steps right up to where Gray's sitting and crouches down next to her.
Though he says nothing at first, there's concern etched clear in the furrow of his brow when he cants his head to get a better look at her face; those pointy canine ears of his are gently tilted back. ]
What the hell did you see? [ And ... it was just visions, right? It's not she actually had to experience anything stressful, right? ]
[ He came here for a breath of fresh air? She's skeptical even in this state but used to him keeping things close to the vest, so she lets it go.
She watches as he comes closer, seeing that there must be something concerning about her appearance if he's this visibly ginger about his approach. Well, considering she just came out of the dirt, he's probably justified. When he looks at her face, he'll find that her hair is the only hard change in her; her features are the same as always, if worked into a vaguely depressed air. She doesn't have the presence of mind to shy away from his close scrutiny. ]
I saw London. It was like I'd never left. I was the same age as I was back then... and I didn't have this.
[ She touches the faint scar above her nose, feeling its edges as if to make sure it hasn't disappeared. ]
But it felt real. It was about a month, and I didn't remember anything about having a Shard...
[ So much happened, she can't treat it all like it was just a dream. She trails off, wondering about how to piece everything together. And then her eyes tick wider, and the finger at her scar moves suddenly to a point just above her left eye. ]
Even though he knows that their homeworlds are gone (the have to be gone), a part of him still can't help wondering sometimes, given all of the fantastical nonsense this place makes them endure. And even if it really was just a dream ... what must it feel like, for Gray to dream of her home for what felt like a month, only to end back up here? (Does she miss the people she left behind? Would she rather not have woken up?)
And it's mostly thanks to those thoughts that Gen's movements are surprisingly gentle when he reaches forth to snag his fingertips against the hem of Gray's hood, lifting it up just a fraction so he can get a better look at her face. At the spot she gestures at. ]
... just your hair.
[ That's not that big of a deal, right? At least, that's what he tries to convey through his quiet, deadpan tone of voice. Even if a part of him knows it can't be that simple, not with what he knows of Gray's worries about her face, and how rattled she seems.
Well. First things first. ]
C'mon. [ He sighs as he pulls his hand away from her hood. ] Let's get you out of here first. You can keep thinking this stuff over once you've had a shower or something. ... can you walk?
[ She doesn't move as he shifts her hood. By now he's more than earned enough of her trust and comfort that the usual alarm bells surrounding her hood are temporarily disabled.
"Just" her hair, he says. She can see why he'd think so, but it's all the difference to her. Her mind races, her gaze shifting. But she snaps back to the present when Gen asks a question he clearly expects an answer to. ]
Yes. I think so...
[ She pushes herself up to her feet, only a little unsteady before she finds her footing. She dusts the dirt off herself absently and tries to remember something she was supposed to talk to Gen about before her body decided to bury itself in the dirt.
It comes to her all at once. She turns to face Gen, worry and a little hope threading her brow. ]
Gen, have you heard from Mr. Eustace lately?
[ Maybe while she was indisposed, something might have changed. If he dissipated again, maybe his Shard was found — maybe he's even already reformed under the Tree of Life. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
... nothin'. Just came here 'cause I needed some fresh air.
[ He's always been a decent liar when it matters, and Gen doesn't bat an eye as he drones out that utter falsehood. It doesn't feel like it matters at the moment, anyway. Eustace is gone, and that probably won't change; what matters more right now is figuring out exactly what's happened to Gray.
Dirt grits underfoot as Gen quickly slinks closer, reflexively casting about nervously in case anyone else is around. For better or for worse, it seems to be just the two of them, and he exhales hoarsely as he finally steps right up to where Gray's sitting and crouches down next to her.
Though he says nothing at first, there's concern etched clear in the furrow of his brow when he cants his head to get a better look at her face; those pointy canine ears of his are gently tilted back. ]
What the hell did you see? [ And ... it was just visions, right? It's not she actually had to experience anything stressful, right? ]
no subject
She watches as he comes closer, seeing that there must be something concerning about her appearance if he's this visibly ginger about his approach. Well, considering she just came out of the dirt, he's probably justified. When he looks at her face, he'll find that her hair is the only hard change in her; her features are the same as always, if worked into a vaguely depressed air. She doesn't have the presence of mind to shy away from his close scrutiny. ]
I saw London. It was like I'd never left. I was the same age as I was back then... and I didn't have this.
[ She touches the faint scar above her nose, feeling its edges as if to make sure it hasn't disappeared. ]
But it felt real. It was about a month, and I didn't remember anything about having a Shard...
[ So much happened, she can't treat it all like it was just a dream. She trails off, wondering about how to piece everything together. And then her eyes tick wider, and the finger at her scar moves suddenly to a point just above her left eye. ]
Here! Is there anything different right here?
no subject
Even though he knows that their homeworlds are gone (the have to be gone), a part of him still can't help wondering sometimes, given all of the fantastical nonsense this place makes them endure. And even if it really was just a dream ... what must it feel like, for Gray to dream of her home for what felt like a month, only to end back up here? (Does she miss the people she left behind? Would she rather not have woken up?)
And it's mostly thanks to those thoughts that Gen's movements are surprisingly gentle when he reaches forth to snag his fingertips against the hem of Gray's hood, lifting it up just a fraction so he can get a better look at her face. At the spot she gestures at. ]
... just your hair.
[ That's not that big of a deal, right? At least, that's what he tries to convey through his quiet, deadpan tone of voice. Even if a part of him knows it can't be that simple, not with what he knows of Gray's worries about her face, and how rattled she seems.
Well. First things first. ]
C'mon. [ He sighs as he pulls his hand away from her hood. ] Let's get you out of here first. You can keep thinking this stuff over once you've had a shower or something. ... can you walk?
no subject
"Just" her hair, he says. She can see why he'd think so, but it's all the difference to her. Her mind races, her gaze shifting. But she snaps back to the present when Gen asks a question he clearly expects an answer to. ]
Yes. I think so...
[ She pushes herself up to her feet, only a little unsteady before she finds her footing. She dusts the dirt off herself absently and tries to remember something she was supposed to talk to Gen about before her body decided to bury itself in the dirt.
It comes to her all at once. She turns to face Gen, worry and a little hope threading her brow. ]
Gen, have you heard from Mr. Eustace lately?
[ Maybe while she was indisposed, something might have changed. If he dissipated again, maybe his Shard was found — maybe he's even already reformed under the Tree of Life. ]