video

[microbrobotics]

[ A rare video post for Hiro tonight - but then again, this is a rare occasion. He's already gotten past the initial crying phase, so he's just numb and a little blotchy more than anything else, but his voice still shakes a little when he talks. A plain bedroom backdrop, clearly from where he lives in Heropa.

He takes a deep breath. ]

Has anyone seen my brother Tadashi? He's - he looks like this - [ A picture of Tadashi flashes on the screen for a moment. ] - and I'm getting error messages from his comm. Nobody I've talked to has seen him and ...

[ His voice trails off to a whisper. He can't even get through a whole post without tears welling up in his eyes. ]

I just - I need to know, please. If anyone has any idea. I need to know he's still here. If he's not, then ... then he's ...

[ Ported out. And dead. ]

Comments

[resipiscent]

[Atoli shifts too, craning her neck back to look at Hiro.]

... Hey.

[microbrobotics]

[ He jolts a bit as he remembers why he's here. ]

-- Did you find anything?

[resipiscent]

[He opens his mouth to answer, then closes it again. Huffs quietly. He feels like he owes it to look him in the eye when he tells him this, though.]

No.

[microbrobotics]

[ His face just crumples in on itself. ]

Nothing? Nothing at all?

[resipiscent]

[This is when he has to look away, because he can't see him looking like that.]

I followed the strongest path. Just lead me back to your place, eventually. Wandered around, then back home.

[Riku sighs quietly, lacing his fingers together.] Can I... I know you probably won't care to hear anybody else's opinion on this, not when you've been listening to them all night.

[microbrobotics]

... No. Not really.

[ He doesn't cry, mostly because he's beyond tears at this point. Just numb. ]

[resipiscent]

Okay. In that case, I won't say anything.

[He looks over at him, unsure what he wants to say -- but then he realizes he can't say anything. Instead, he sighs gently, reaches over to curl his hand around Hiro's.]

[microbrobotics]

[ He allows the gesture but doesn't squeeze back. ]

What do I do now...

[resipiscent]

[He doesn't grip any harder, just sits there. He doesn't know what to tell him -- there's nothing he can say to make this better.]

You'll figure it out. You're tough.

[microbrobotics]

... I don't want to be tough.

[resipiscent]

You don't have to be right away.

[microbrobotics]

I don't want to be tough ever. I'm just - I'm done.

[resipiscent]

... Yeah, okay.

[He looks over at him -- it's not his place to insist that Hiro will be able to move past this, even though he knows he will. Instead, he doesn't fight. He just nods.]

... honestly, that's an acceptable answer, too. It's not up to me to tell you how to feel.

[microbrobotics]

[ The hardest part is that this is his second time doing this. He may know that he'll get over this, but it makes it all the harder in the moment. ]

I ... I don't ... I don't want to feel anything right now.

[resipiscent]

... No.

[It's not a "no, you should", it's a "no, you don't have to". Riku isn't the best with dealing with his own issues of this sort -- he doesn't feel qualified to give anyone else advice on it. But he can sit here and offer quiet support, anyway.]

I'm not the best person to talk about these sorts of things. But... that's okay. Whatever you do from here, it's all right, I think.