AP TOTAL:
Unconfirmed for Laine
With the rain comes a wave of emotions for Laine, whether she likes it or not.
Characters:Ā Laine, Chel
Warnings:Ā Explicit mentions of an implied suicide and grieving.
Wordcount: 954
Vibe:Ā š
thinly veiled vent oneshot that i don’t even remember writing because of how low i was feeling when it was written.. it’s been a while since there’s been one of these, huh? i’m feeling better now thankfully.
keep in mind that though the grief is very much real to chel and laine, this is at the point where wasundari faked her own death and she’s very much alive still
And so, it started to rain.
And for once, Laine found herself inside and staring out at it.
āOh! Laine! Youāre back early, didā¦ you find out anything notable?ā
Chel seemed to have snuck into the room without Laine noticing. Her voice expectant, as Chel was the type to know Laine didnāt usually cease her work early unless she had a good reason.
Butā¦
āIām giving up.ā
Laineās voice was apathetic.
āYouāreā¦ huh?ā Chel replied, her voice suddenly confused.
āWhat do you mean?ā
āThe weather is starting to turn. Thereās no point in searching now.ā
āI thought you loved the rain, thoughā¦ I wouldnāt think itād be a āturnā for you.ā
And then, silence between the two.
Itās been 48 hours since Chel had discovered the note.
72 hours since sheād last seen Wasundari alive.
And though Chel had initially been very reactive and thorough, the fact that Laine was throwing in the towel now, tooā¦
āIf nobody could pick up a scent before, thereās no way anybody is going to find anything after this storm comes in and washes it all away.ā Laine sighed.
āItās no use. Sheās gone, Chel.ā
Laine slumped over at her seat on the sofa. Even without it being completely overcast, the staff room at Borderbeachās city relations center seemed to be dimmer in general since the discovery.
Quietly, Chel padded over to take the seat next to Laine.
āI should have said something.ā she sighed.
āI had a feeling she was acting off a few days prior, but I didnāt think too much of it. Butā¦ but nowā¦ā
Laine groaned and buried her head in her hands.
āItās not your fucking fault. Itās none of our faults, Chel.ā
āIā¦ itās just hard to shake that gnawing feeling. That if I had done this or hadnāt done thisā¦ā
āCHEL.ā Laine said, her words sharp and firm.
āNobody can change whatās already happened, and thereās no use stewing in it. We need to focus on what to do going forwards, now.ā
The unusual sharpness of Laineās words seemed to sting as they hit Chel, who gave a quiet whimper.
āButā¦ but how?ā she replied ā her voice was starting to break up.
āWhen things are already so bad here that Wasun couldnāt take it, how are we supposed to move forwards?! Do we just have to accept that weāre doomed to the same fate after overwork breaks us down?!ā
Laine was silent.
She wasnātā¦ quite sure how to respond. Because sheād be lying if she said she wasnāt feeling the effects of the workload too ever since the casino opened.
Butā¦ even if she was at her own limit after the recent chain of eventsā¦ it was unbearable to see Chel in so much pain.
āIāll take care of it.ā Laine said, after an undefined period of silence.
āHuh?ā Chel mumbled, as tears were slowly streaming down her face at this point.
āYou need time to grieve ā you were always closer to Wasundari than I was. I can take care of your workload until you feel you can return to it.ā
āButā¦ that feels like too much, Laine. I have my work already, plus everything Wasundari left behindā¦ā
āWell, Iāll treat it as a test to my skill, or something. Because ultimatelyā¦ it hurts to see you like this, Chel.ā Laine sighed.
ā…And I donāt think Wasundari would enjoy seeing you force yourself to work while like this.ā
Those last wordsā¦ didnāt hit Chel quite how Laine had intended. As Chel processed them, she broke down completely into tears and incoherent mumbling.
There was too much noise. Everything was unbearable and Laine felt like she was going to snap and lose her own mind any second.
But she had to bear it and continue. If not for the people of Borderbeach that now depended on her, butā¦ for Chel.
While she was in no place to act as a shoulder to cry on in her state, Laine grabbed a box of tissues off the nearby coffee table and placed them on the couch near Chel ā before leaning in to physically comfort her.
Chelās words were mostly mumbly and incomprehensible, so all Laine could really do was sit idly by and offer her silent support until Chel had no more tears left.
The moment continued on for the better part of an hour, during which Laine remained in a mental state of relative numbness in order to block out her own pain for Chelās sake ā at least, for the moment.
Some time after the last tears were shed, Chel let out a deep huff and turned to Laine.
ā…Thank you for being here.ā she sighed.
āOf courseā¦ thatās what a good friend does, isnāt it?ā
Chel leaned into Laineās side a bit more.
āYeahā¦ I guess I justā¦ really needed it right now.ā Chel replied softly.
āI just know weāve always had that weird competitive streak where neither of us would want to āburdenā anyone else by asking for helpā¦ā
Laine was kind of loathing the thought that Chel would bring that up so directly.
āLaineyā¦ you donāt have to go through this alone, eitherā¦ ok?ā Chel said, giving Laine a weakly determined look.
āI know you just said youād be willing to do a lot on my behalf, butā¦ please donāt think you have to try and power through it all alone.ā
āI donāt, I promise.ā
What a lie.
āI have you and the entirety of Borderbeach by my side, after all.ā
Chel gave a weak smile.
āThenā¦ letās keep moving forwards, together. Iām sure itās what Wasun would have wanted.ā
And so, with the northeast winds, the rain cleared and went to storm over in the dark marshes of Waterfall.
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