(no subject)

[boundbydevotion]

Who: Whoever
When: Day 14, morning
Where: Apt D
What: Slowpost

[So, his last encounter with Miss Lee was a little more chill than planned but it's been a while now and busibody workaholic fretting has won out over awkwardness and Link is coming to check on how the other exorcists are doing.

He also brought some fruit :|a]

Comments

[boundbydevotion]

[fluster] Whatever you wish to do with it, of course. It would just be to give you back some proper mobility until you find a reason to resynchronize with it.

--Or if you don't. You needn't use that weapon anymore if you don't want to.

[anklets]

[Resynchronize? Is that even possible— she's never heard of it happening before. But. Link's from a future where she recovered, where she...

Wavering on the spot, now.]

I don't know what I want to do. I've had this Innocence as long as I can remember, I can't just throw it away. But I'm not an Exorcist anymore, so I don't have to... I don't have to keep it... [And that scares her.]

[boundbydevotion]

[shakes his head slightly] There aren't any akuma here...

You may find a reason to take it up again, but while you're still divided on how you feel about it... there's no harm in keeping it in its dormant state rather than have it hindering you this way.

[anklets]

But... is it even possible to remove it without Hevlaska?

[Don't say the gods, don't say the gods...]

[boundbydevotion]

[GOOD JOB HOWARD LINK YOU ARE MAKING THE BEST IMPRESSION sort of... sinking into awkwardness, hands folded in front of him around the fruit he's still holding (rather than behind himself where she can't see)]

...I'm sorry, I imagine none of the options will sound very attractive...

[anklets]

[SHH, SHH, IT'LL BE OKAY Her eyes flick down to how he's holding his hands, briefly guilty; she doesn't know why.]

I don't know what I'm supposed to do without it. The War and the Innocence is all I've ever really known.

[boundbydevotion]

[nods...] It requires quite an adjustment to get used to... I don't mean to push. Take the time you need to think on things.

[anklets]

I just... want to know what the right choice to make is. But I can't tell yet.

[boundbydevotion]

. . . There isn't a right or wrong here. Only what you need...

[boundbydevotion]

Ah.. But that is a matter I'm not certain I can help with. It often requires a catalyst before one is able to put their own situation into perspective.

...In the mean time I can show you how to spin twine and rope? Coming from the sort of life one leads as part of the Order, I imagine not having much to do is difficult.

[anklets]

[The idea of spending her time spinning twine while everyone else is out getting grievously injured makes a pang go through her, but the longer she stands there, looking down at the rings on her legs... the less she wants to do nothing.]

That's very kind of you. Thank you.

I learn quickly, so you don't have to worry about taking too much time out of your day.

[boundbydevotion]

[offering the odd fruit to her]

I don't mind taking the time, Miss Lee. I'll let you take breakfast and return with the materials in a while.

[anklets]

[...Limping forward to take the fruit, with a murmured thanks.]

I'll be in the apartment, probably.

[Except for the part where she'll definitely be there, because where else does she have to go?]

[later]

[boundbydevotion]

[Nods to both her and Kanda before he goes.

And returns later as promised, after fussing whoever else needs fussing this morning. He holds a big bundle of fibery vines (purified of course) in both arms, which makes knocking on the door a bit difficult, but he manages to be polite anyway.]

[anklets]

[This is the part where she doesn't admit she's spent the entire day waiting on pins and needles for that knock to come. With how quickly she answers it, though, Link may be able to guess.

She offers him a faint smile, but her eyes keep going back to all those vines in his arms.]

...Link. Come in.

[boundbydevotion]

[Nods back in greeting and coming in]

Thank you. Why don't we work in the common room? It'll help avoid a mess in your sleeping area. [setting the pile down near a wall so there's something to sit against while working]

[anklets]

[Idly:] It wouldn't really matter, there's just the mattress...

I'm sorry we don't have any chairs or tables yet. Are you sure you don't mind sitting on the floor?

[Kanda's refurbishing efforts had been non-existent until she showed up, basicallyyyyy. And he's still slow-going. At some point, maybe she'll start taking over.]

[boundbydevotion]

It can still be rather untidy, as parts of these vines you'll break or discard in the process. And you needn't apologize, I don't mind. I'm accustomed to travel and there aren't always accommodations readily available where one stops to rest.

[Demonstrating his willingness by sitting, picking up one or two of the vines]

[anklets]

Ah, right... [All of that makes sense, of course. Lenalee doesn't know it yet, but Howard Link is usually very sensible. She comes over and slowly sinks down to the floor, too.]

[boundbydevotion]

[offering her a couple of vines to begin with once she's comfortable.]

We would do these with reeds or other tall fibrous grass before, as it was easier to separate out the fibers, but I believe these vines will suffice for what we need. [He takes up his own vines again snaps one end carefully, so that only the woody part under the bark breaks, peeling the bark back.]

We want this part here for the twine.

[anklets]

[Taking those vines and kind of turning them over in her hands while he talks. Making do with what is available is something that Lenalee's familiar enough with, so she nods and then tries to mimic what he's doing with the bark on the very end of a vine.]

We're separating the fibres inside?...

[boundbydevotion]

[nods]

Once you've broken off enough that you can take hold of the fibers easily, peel it back slowly to remove it from the more brittle stem. If the bark is in the way, take it and roll it against the ground, as one would a rolling pin, to crack the bark.

[Accompanies the explanation with a demonstration] We'll move on to the next step once we have enough fibers to work with.

[anklets]

Ah. [Again, trying to mimic, although she's definitely far slower and less adept at this than Link.] How many fibres are in each vine, usually?

[boundbydevotion]

[shakes his head] I'm not certain with these. We'll find out, I suppose. We may need to experiment a bit.

[Just keeps carefully working at the vine until he's able to separate the more stringy, flexible part of the bark from the rest of it, eventually refining it to some combination of this technique and this one. If she pauses to consider it, it might be odd that someone from Central bothered to learn this sort of skill when there are usually more important matters to tend to. (Then again, Rouvelier bakes...)]

[anklets]

Ah. [That's all she really has to say at the moment, and for a while they shall work in silence that's only broken by the occasional question of 'like this?' or a mild curse when she can't seem to do it right. Link's far, far better at this than her— and that does strike her as somewhat odd for someone that introduced themselves to her as an ex-member of the Vatican. With their expensive, pressed suits and positions of power... they just...

Why would they need to know how to do something like this?]

Where did you learn how to do this, Link?