[ it's the same reassurance. but the pieces are almost in play, and they're about to strike. but roy can't stand allowing them to think they're just sitting there with no way out, and so he says it, every single time. ]
What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute?
[ he catches her at a bad time. that's probably the most reasonable answer to why it takes her so long to response. usually, she'll at least send a noise of confirmation, that she's here, that she's okay. now, it's delayed - ten, maybe fifteen minutes - before the connection is made. ]
Air.
[ soft, exhausted, but there. a voice in the back of his head, the same he's heard for the last few days, though weaker. quieter.
it's another few minutes before there's a second connection, the tone the same as before. ]
Roy- [ a pause, just a moment or two of silence. ] Hurry.
[ it's not the answer that he wants, and roy can hear it, exhaustion. pain. an uncomfortable feeling curls into his chest, and it takes him a moment to figure out what it is, before roy pins down the right word for the feeling.
helplessness.
roy had nearly lost her once, and he had vowed never to let it happen again. but here he is, with another broken promise, and another failed attempt to keep her safe. how many years ago was it, that he swore to keep her safe, in ishval? and here he is, still trying to live up to the promise of an idiotic twenty-year-old roy in the middle of the desert. ]
I'm on my way. Stay awake, and stay with me. Talk to me, Riza.
[ and he is, truly, on his way. the plan is being set into motion. he's coming. ]
[ she realizes, somewhere in those following seconds, she had let herself slip. a brief moment where her walls had faltered, and that her strength in holding herself together was slowly unraveling at the seams. she could tug it tight again, if she needed to. she knows she has the ability.
but in that brief moment - just to roy, just in the privacy of their own minds - it comes loose. hurry, please, roy. but then she hears his response - the panic, the worry, the fear.
into hell, remember? ]
I remember. [ and the feelings riza has in her chest is fond. solid. something to keep her here. ] We'll be okay until you get here. I promise. Just- hurry.
[ he wants to say that she's going to be fine, that he's going to kill whoever did this to her, and all the rest of the thoughts rushing through his head. but all of it is pointless reassurance, at this point. he needs to get her out of there; that is the top priority. to hell with everything else.
there's only half a heartbeat of pause before he responds. ]
I'm always late.
[ but it's said with a frustrating hiss of a thought, angry, pissed at himself for not stopping her from going freely, angry with himself for not going with her, furious that he didn't get put there in her place. all of those feelings are pointless, now. he has a mission, and all of a sudden, there's a clarity to his tone. ]
We're going to get out of there, together. You and me. Be ready. Understood?
[ he'll carry her if he has to, but she won't be spending another moment there. ]
[ better than anyone, if she's being honest. his daily schedule, his inability to keep to the time. their life back in central seems lifetimes ago, too far to even reach. she can hear the anger in his voice, which almost makes it worse. ]
But you always make it in time.
[ and that, in the end, is what matters. what saves them, every time. she closes her eyes and listens to the pained noises from jade and ruby, the low creaking of a building existing, and laments in how close they might be to finally leaving.
the clarity in his voice jerks her out of it, pushing her back into a moment of knowing. of being aware. who she is, what she's doing. there is purpose in his voice, and in that purpose is riza. ]
Understood. [ purpose, motivation, energy. she feels it, right on the edges. closer than it's felt in days. ] We'll be ready.
[ he nearly says no, I don't -- because he doesn't always make it in time. sometimes, he is too late. for hughes, roy was too late. but saying that to riza will hardly make her feel better, and while the lecture would almost be welcome at this point, roy doesn't want her to waste her energy. ]
I have your gun.
[ so: ]
I need you to watch my back. You only need to make it through the next hour. Start counting, Colonel.
[ ordinarily, he would tell her to listen for explosions. but, now, roy has to stealth with likely disadvantage. ]
[ she could argue, if he wanted to argue, because she has opinions and thoughts and could stand her own against him. but he doesn't bring it up, and it's probably for the best. ]
Don't break it.
[ a moment of light banter between all of this. just a bit of proof to him that she is still here, despite the quiet tone to her words. the weakness to it. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( hourly check-in number eighty-seven ) okay i'm done
[ it's the same reassurance. but the pieces are almost in play, and they're about to strike. but roy can't stand allowing them to think they're just sitting there with no way out, and so he says it, every single time. ]
What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute?
no subject
Air.
[ soft, exhausted, but there. a voice in the back of his head, the same he's heard for the last few days, though weaker. quieter.
it's another few minutes before there's a second connection, the tone the same as before. ]
Roy- [ a pause, just a moment or two of silence. ] Hurry.
no subject
helplessness.
roy had nearly lost her once, and he had vowed never to let it happen again. but here he is, with another broken promise, and another failed attempt to keep her safe. how many years ago was it, that he swore to keep her safe, in ishval? and here he is, still trying to live up to the promise of an idiotic twenty-year-old roy in the middle of the desert. ]
I'm on my way. Stay awake, and stay with me. Talk to me, Riza.
[ and he is, truly, on his way. the plan is being set into motion. he's coming. ]
Into hell, remember?
no subject
but in that brief moment - just to roy, just in the privacy of their own minds - it comes loose. hurry, please, roy. but then she hears his response - the panic, the worry, the fear.
into hell, remember? ]
I remember. [ and the feelings riza has in her chest is fond. solid. something to keep her here. ] We'll be okay until you get here. I promise. Just- hurry.
no subject
there's only half a heartbeat of pause before he responds. ]
I'm always late.
[ but it's said with a frustrating hiss of a thought, angry, pissed at himself for not stopping her from going freely, angry with himself for not going with her, furious that he didn't get put there in her place. all of those feelings are pointless, now. he has a mission, and all of a sudden, there's a clarity to his tone. ]
We're going to get out of there, together. You and me. Be ready. Understood?
[ he'll carry her if he has to, but she won't be spending another moment there. ]
no subject
[ better than anyone, if she's being honest. his daily schedule, his inability to keep to the time. their life back in central seems lifetimes ago, too far to even reach. she can hear the anger in his voice, which almost makes it worse. ]
But you always make it in time.
[ and that, in the end, is what matters. what saves them, every time. she closes her eyes and listens to the pained noises from jade and ruby, the low creaking of a building existing, and laments in how close they might be to finally leaving.
the clarity in his voice jerks her out of it, pushing her back into a moment of knowing. of being aware. who she is, what she's doing. there is purpose in his voice, and in that purpose is riza. ]
Understood. [ purpose, motivation, energy. she feels it, right on the edges. closer than it's felt in days. ] We'll be ready.
no subject
I have your gun.
[ so: ]
I need you to watch my back. You only need to make it through the next hour. Start counting, Colonel.
[ ordinarily, he would tell her to listen for explosions. but, now, roy has to stealth
with likely disadvantage. ]no subject
Don't break it.
[ a moment of light banter between all of this. just a bit of proof to him that she is still here, despite the quiet tone to her words. the weakness to it. ]
One hour, then. See you soon, Brigadier General.