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diademlogs2025-06-13 09:19 am
stonethrow) wrote in diademlogs2025-06-13 09:19 am
Entry tags:
CLOSED Λ
Who: gustave et al
Where: panorama for the most part
When: arrival & month of june
What: tdm continuations & catch-all
Warnings: spoilers for clair obscur noted on subject lines
Where: panorama for the most part
When: arrival & month of june
What: tdm continuations & catch-all
Warnings: spoilers for clair obscur noted on subject lines
sciel β΄οΈ spoilers in this thread!
( while sciel seems to ponder and consider things, makes no comment whatsoever about his state of living (he's hardly been here a day), gustave tries to find comfort in what he considers his own; he sits on the edge of the best, for just enough of the light of the candle to cast over himβdramatic shadows against the topography of his face and brightness on the planes of his features.
his brow cinches for a touch at her words, hardly a change in his features caught by the little light they're in. inside, in his mind, gears turn, thoughts bounce back and forth, echoes of a night that ended in a strike of thunder and heavy rain for him.
in the end, he blows out a breath before he speaks again, )
That 'we' doesn't include me, does it?
( his voice is surprisingly calm, almost a touch indifferentβas if this is a conclusion he had drawn up for some time, prior to this conversation. there's no tightening of his expression, no trace of anger, no swathes of distress, just an odd calmness. )
maelle β΄οΈ spoilers in this thread!
( it wouldn't be maelle if she didn't feel compelled to say something to rebuke his words; for all that she is and ever was, maelle's streak of rebellion never pushed too much past indifferent behavior and words that became sharper with every passing day. this is maelle being soft, being agreeable, and it hurts him to think the reasons why she is.
gustave squeezes her hand before letting it go, putting his hand to her back as he guides the way; he knows that she really never was someone who wanted her hand to be held.
he guides her to the room he's rented out, still pointing things out to her, as ways of her to 'recognize' the motel, to be careful about crossing the road, explanations and observations he would always offer her, though a lot more taciturn this time around. once they arrive at the room, gustave offers a clumsy, )
I'm going to ask for a second key, for you. I should have thought about it before, sorry.
( and in they are.
the light of the moon beams down through the window, and gustave helps guide maelle so that she doesn't bump into any of the sparse furniture. )
It's just the one bed. I don't mind sharing if you don't, but it's yours if you want it.
( he'll figure something else out. )
y e a h spoils all the way down
How often had she hoped to see Pierre again, only to shy away from such a thought, knowing she'd have to explain...everything to him?
Sciel comes to join him, kneeling down in front of him so she can reach out and touch his hands. Hers are roughened from so many years in the fields; his one the cool touch of metal. She looks up into his face with what could pass for a smile on anyone else, small at the edges. For her, it's just reflex. ]
No, it doesn't.
[ The words are damning, tight, painful. For all of her hope and elation now that he's here, breathing-- This is the truth. Gustave is lost to them, lost to her. One more she's had to let go of. ]
I'm sorry, Gustave. [ Her eyes are on his face. ] We were going to climb back up. That creature came back to fight us again and kept us from helping you.
[ They wouldn't have succeeded anyway, not with that man there. Not then. But the helplessness is what stings the most, even now. ]
no subject
gustave is much of a coward in the way that he refused to see death in the eye, but... things have changed for him. strength in places he used to abscond from. it scares him still, of course, not knowing what skipping the inevitable here means, but these are answers he doesn't yet have.
he takes sciel's hands as she offers them, turning them over in his own, holding firmly onto them. he offers her a soft smile, mirroring her own. death is a friend, sciel would always say, because she knows what it's like, coming close to it herself, by choice.
a light shake of his head follows. )
It wouldn't have made a difference. That manβ ( at this, he draws away his human hand from hers, presses it towards where his heart is, on his chest. ) he made it clear what his goal was.
( to not give him a fighting chance. it aches, somewhat, the wound on his chest. he tries not to think too hard about it. he lets his hand drop, and moves, now, so that he can sit down on the floor with sciel. this way, the shadows hide the emotions on his face more. )
I just need to know that Maelle is safe.
no subject
[ As safe as any of them can be, but that goes without saying. Maelle hasn't come out of this unscathed, not in body or in heart, but that...also would go without saying. She's lost Gustave, lost the person she loved most dearly in the world. There is no other heartache like losing your person, no other pain that can ever come close to touching such a deep wound.
Sciel reaches out, placing her hand on his again, over his heart. ]
Lune and I won't allow anything to happen to her. We've been in lockstep at her side.
[ Verso is the anomaly she'll have to tell Gustave about. And that's coming, too, because of every implication his presence belies. But Gustave's heart is her focus for the moment. ]
You should know, mon ami, that Maelle keeps writing in your journal. She takes it to the cliffside every night. She's carrying on what you started.
no subject
I have no doubt about it.
( despite how things are, despite the grim reality of the world they have (momentarily?) left behind, there is certainty in the way gustave's expressions shifts and melds, until he's got nothing to offer sciel but one of his more sincere smiles.
he's always been the quiet one about his emotions and how he feels, preferring to churn over them than to have others worry about him.
sciel, however, cares for his wellbeing regardless of how well he guards himself from the rest. if he's being honest with himself, he wasn't as difficult to figure out as he had thought; catherine, lucien, they, too, were among those who could see through him. )
Legacy...
( a word that encapsulates all of him, from his successes to his discoveries, to the reason he fell out of step with sophie. )
Do you think Maelle will forgive me, if she is here? ( a rhetorical question, really. ) I'm alright, Sciel. We all knew the risks.
lottie β΄οΈ
still, this is a new world, and it requires pushing out of his comfort zone to learn the ropes and get to know others. there is strength in numbers, and value in community.
he is a little uncertain when he approaches the woman with the green hair, leaning against what he assumes is her car, seemingly having an awful time of the weather. he waves the paper he had taken from a bulletin, some hand-drawn, handwritten call for help with a measly reward, as a visual explanation for his approach as he speaks.
(what is 'exposure' supposed to be?) )
Excuse me, ( the lilt of his voice is french in nature, soft and gentle, a little hesitant, especially in not wanting to intrude in someone else's time and space. ) are you Lottie? You have a problem with your car?
( he is taking a gander here, but it seems right. )
Do you still need help, miss?
no subject
Doesn't even realize how deeply it's set into her face when she turns with a hand wiping at her sweaty forehead. Mumbling, ]
Do I have a problemβ? Seriously??
[ She has!! So many problems!! All of them stemming from how gross she feels, but also, you know, existentially. Then: emotionally, when she sees it's a man (huh?) talking to her. Calling her miss andβ her gaze ducks down to the paper in his hand (oh), her expression changing from haughty anger to something sheepish.
That's rightβ she put it up the other day when her AC only decided to sputter out hot air. Then, well, stop. Someone is actually going to help her? Wow, this is so weird. And cool? ]
I meanβ [ Small, rushed. Then bravely, ] Yes, hello, I am she! I am in dire need of help, actually.
You came at the perfect time. [ She says, fully meaning she is thankful somebody even showed up, much less read her directions well enough. ] Can you really fix whatever's going on with my car?
no subject
Gustave, is that really what you think?
[ That Maelle wouldn't forgive him for breaking his word to her, and for trying to fight for her safety? What a ridiculous notion. She's watched Maelle grieve and close up, open again; she's watched her steadfast and dogged determination in wanting that man to pay for what he's done. And while she knows Gustave wouldn't want Maelle to endanger herself for him, for his legacy, for some kind of revenge...
Well, they all want to see a form of justice. And Renoir has been an obstacle to them since the moment they stepped on the beach. There is no other path.
Sciel moves so she can sit beside Gustave, shoulders bumping. ]
Y'know when Pierre died... [ She trails off. It's heavy on her chest. ] ...when he died, I was angry for a time. At him.
[ For leaving her. For getting involved in such an accident. For not being more careful. For all of the little, inane, useless things that he couldn't control, because those things took him from her. ]
I can't speak for Maelle. But I wasn't ever really mad at him, you know? I was hurting that we ran out of time before we were ready. Before the inevitable. [ The time when he would have gommaged, which is what they had planned for. ] Even if she is angry, and I bet she's not, it's... It's just love, Gustave.
no subject
instead, he takes her turn to enthusiasm with a bit more kindness. this kind of heat β it can make anyone turn into their worst selves. )
Well, I don't want to say it'll be a perfect fix, but...
( he glances at her car. )
I'm an engineer back in my home. Cars are a bit new to me, but the concepts are similar to what I've done in the past.
( this will be a learning experience for him! so, before she can start questioning how helpful he may actually be, gustave moves over towards the front of the car, where he knows the engine is. )
Can you describe what the problem is?
no subject
The air conditioner isn't working..
[ She shimmies across the console to where she knows the manual is. Not that she knows all that's in it, but Cassian told her everything about the car is in there and that seems like it'd be useful to thisβ guy.
βLottie hops out of the car as she realizes she doesn't even know his name. Carboy will have to work, for now. ]
It went from cold [ A crisp 59 degrees, to be specific. ] to hot. And now it's only sputtering out air when it does decide to work.
[ And not that she's really in any place to question him, this is more to ease herself and determine how hopeful she should get (because, boy, she is sounding very much hopeful right now): ]
..The stuff you worked on had AC's, right?
no subject
once the hood is unlatched, he uses his mechanical left arm to pull it up, mostly to avoid getting burnt from the steel on his fingers. this car's engine seems all that much different from his own, but there are familiar aspects to it.
he feels confident about finding his way around.
pining the hood to stay open, he glances at the woman who comes around, holding the manual in hand. eyes look down at it, then up at her, and he offers her a smile. )
Not at all, butβ ( brace yourself ) this is a common aspect to most compressors. That I've worked with before, and it's been very helpful in changing the temperature in our aquafarms.
( gustave now points at a couple of things in the engine. )
These are your reciprocating compressors. I'll have to get my hands dirty, and this might take a while β if you're alright with it?
no subject
it really was a rhetorical question, and yet she gives him more than what he deserves to hear. )
Yeah. ( a smile, light, and then he's holding onto her hand. ) Yeah, you're right.
( it's just love.
how he felt when sophie was gommaged, empty and broken and angryβhis love for her, having nowhere to go.
his breath is a little shaky, his hand a touch tight around hers.
now, here's a selfish notion, )
I'm glad you're here.
no subject
..Things.
She blinks up at him, then back at the.. Gizmos and gadgets that all make her car run, stuff that kind of blurs together in her mind as TECHNOLOGY. Mhm, is the noise she makes, as if she is following along and knows what a reciprocating processor looks like. The only real sign of her checking back into the conversation is when he mentions hands and take a while and she perks up immediately. ]
Um, yes, yeah. Of course!
[ Take your time, goes unsaid. ]
You know, cool to see [ She successfully stops herself from saying compressors unironically. She still cringes at the thought. ] AC is a constant throughout the universe. [ A beat. ] Also, do you want like a rag or something?
no subject
That would be nice, yes. Maybe a water bottle, if you have one?
( for general use...
well, now that he has her okay, gustave takes off his backpack and puts it down on the ground, kneeling to look around for tools. )
My name's Gustave, by the way.
no subject
Her spine goes straight at his introduction, though, Lottie deciding she should stop snooping and be a good host. ]
So good to meet you, Gustave! Seriously.
[ Her car is ridiculously roomy, which means she's stored (read: hoarded) a lot of trinkets in the back. Rags from her job(s) are included. Lukewarm water bottles are also included, both of which she hands his way after she's finished making a trip to the back. ]
Okay, so. I'm just curiousβ where exactly did you see my flyer?
no subject
by the time she comes back around with the rags and water, he's already wrist-deep with a screwdriver or some other tool, tinkering away at the engine. he pulls out a cap, in time to receive what she's procured for himβsetting them aside for now. )
Oh, ehm... ( quietly, he thinks about this. ) The motel's lobby, I think. There was a bulletin board.
( and he had just happened to glance up to see it.
he returns to tinkering away. )
This might be a temporary solution, by the way. Depending on the state of the compressor, you might have to get a newer one. ( he glances up her way, sideways, with a bit of a grin. ) We'll see about that, though. Don't worry too much.
no subject
The pout she wears, in the end, is a perfect juxtaposition to the grin he sends her way. That isβ..
Her hands shift to the pockets of her jeans, something like vague recognition hitting her after he's done the thing. That cheeky little side smirk. She can't put her finger on it but she isn't too distracted by it (yet), because she still has to answer!! Be present and not stare at his face. ]
..I'm gonna hold you to that! Seriously. The last thing I need right now is to be stressed.. Or hot. Maybe both!
no subject
You're in an odd situation, you know, coming back. We don't get the pleasure of being able to see people again.
[ Sirène had shown Pierre to her again, so fleetingly, but even then...she'd known, when all was said and done, that it was just an illusion. It's something else entirely to be sitting with someone, speaking with them, feeling the warmth of their living, breathing body right next to yours. She'd said her goodbyes to Gustave, but to have him here is still a joy.
It may be fleeting, or maybe she's dead now too, but she'll take any final moments she can. ]
I'm glad you're here, too. Or, maybe not here, but I'm glad to be walking beside you again.
[ And there's emotion in her voice, just a whisper of thread, as she feels her eyes sting. ]
I missed you. We all missed you.