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[a very impressive trick, and maybe one she'll teach vier later. not that she thinks they'd be into it, but, like. just good to have in her back pocket.]

Appreciate it, but you did the hard work of tracking it all down. I'm not against you getting the lion's share. [she's glad to follow him, still high on the rush of battle and camaraderie.] Can't believe you were doing this for pay this whole time and I'm over here fighting monsters for free.

Hah! Man, that's something the guild taught me: never do anything for free. Karol got so pissed at me when I would.

[ He snorts and grins at her. He feels better, too, more himself, balanced against the awfulness of Trench ]

And I gotta make enough to feed three guys. You have no idea how much Flynn eats.

Ha, god. That's one thing I don't mind about living alone. I get to decide what I eat and when. Way easier to plan things out that way. [way lonelier, too, but she's ignoring that part.]

Oh hey, that reminds me. You guys do anything like Thanksgiving in your world? 'Cause I think that's coming up, if time works the same around here.

Man, it's been so long since I got to do that. [ He isn't actually jealous. Cooking for one is no fun ] You could come over sometime. There's always extra.

Thanksgiving? Nah, haven't heard of it. Is that some kind of festival?

It's this big thing about family back home. Late November, everyone gets together to eat a ton of food and have arguments with family members that you can't stand the rest of the year. It's a way to celebrate what everyone's thankful for in the past year.

[though, of course, anna would be coming at it with a little negativity behind it.]

I haven't been invited to one in a while. Mostly I just spend the holiday sitting around at home eating, like, turkey sandwiches or something.

[ He snorts a laugh at that ] So, you inviting me or what? I never hate an excuse to eat a lot of food and argue.

[and she responds much the same way.]

Man, I've never organized one of these. I had this friend back home who handled all of that. If you, like, wanna hang out or anything then we can totally do that, though. Flynn can come too.

Yeah, we'll come hang out. Flynn loves an excuse to have a party.

[ He laughs easily, shaking his head ]

Be careful, he might make it into a whole thing. Just put the idea into his head and he'll be your new handling it all friend.

God. Rather take my chances with another beast. [that's mean, and she nudges Yuri's shoulder to let her know she's just joking.]

Don't need Flynn being my keeper. I know he can handle it all, but can he really handle two of us?

Eh... he can handle a lot. Been my friend since we were kids, hasn't he?

But, y'know, I wouldn't go head to head with him if I was you.

[ They're close to the city now, heading in back the walls ]

I definitely don't wanna go head to head with either of you. [this is going to come out casually, but hopefully yuri can recognize the sincerity underneath it. maybe she just feels safer because they're about to be inside the walls soon.]

I'd rather have you both at my side than against me in a fight. Whether this place lets me always have that is a different story, but, you know.

Yeah, that... [ He's worried about that, too. Worried that this place will set him against his friends, that it will make him hurt or kill them ]

We'll do what we can to make sure that doesn't happen.

I think we're doing a pretty good job of it. You always hear about how you have to believe in the power of friendship to fight that stuff off, right? [that's just, like. she may just be tempting fate by saying that. but again, it's fine.] Not to be sappy about it or anything, but you two are probably the best friends I have around here.

[ That gets him, right in his gut. He almost protests, but, well, he gets it. He gets the power of friendship because that's what helped save their world, that's how he did all that stuff. He never would have done it on his own. ]

...yeah. You are too, Anna. I know I, hell. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there, back in September. [ When Flynn died. It's strange, being this honest with her, but he feels like she deserves it. ] That really, it means a lot. Lucky to have met you.

[ He doesn't look at her when he says it, instead staring hard at a tree ]

[nah, she knows how it gets. she doesn't try to fight for his attention as he says it, and when she hears those words, there's a pang of something in her chest that makes her feel warm all over.]

Yeah, well. I just know what it feels like to go through that kind of thing alone. Didn't want you to feel the same way. [it seems as natural a way as any to return to the subject that she cut herself off from discussing so crudely earlier. she looks at her palm, the cuts already healing better than they ever really had back home, instead of to yuri.]

Flowers don't work with Rose. She didn't like them. Not after one tried to use her to take over the world.

You did, huh? [ He does look at her now, easier when it's not him who's being vulnerable. He cares about her, he really does, another person who's nestled their way in his heart, alongside too many others.

It takes him a moment to place the last thing she says, but he lets out a soft laugh ] Oh, yeah? Alright. No flowers, then. Too easy, anyway. She was probably sick of them before that, too, huh?

[lots of not looking directly at each other. it's comfortable for anna this way, or as comfortable as any sort of serious conversation will get in the aftermath of a hunt. she puffs out a breath and it's kind of amused.]

I don't remember if she liked them much. I always thought it was too cheesy to do something like... a rose for the rose, you know? [says the girl who gave her girlfriend the nickname Rosenherz.] She really liked Christmas a lot, but that's another one of those Earth holidays and all that stuff is too tacky anyway. [why is this when metaphor fails her? why is it now? she closes her palm.] I don't know yet. I don't know what the best way to remember her would be. I just... freaked out a little when it got too close to home.

Yeah, I get it. [ Clearly, as they stare in opposite directions when they try to get anywhere close to vulnerable. ] What... reminds you of her?

[ So many things remind him of Flynn. Swords, the sound of the ocean, the stars in the sky. He could choose any of them, and even then they wouldn't be enough to capture all of him. ] You don't have to figure it out now. Think about it. Then we'll make it, whatever it is.

Yeah.

[there's not much else she can think to say to that. she has time... they both have time here, don't they? they'll figure things out together, same as they have for other crises that have come out. so normally while that little "yeah" of hers might be dismissive or dispassionate, right now it's just. sincere agreement. for once.]

Yeah we will. God. Well, this is gonna be tearing at some memories. [and now the detachment returns.] I know I'll be fine on the other side of it, but don't be surprised if you see a weird midnight network post or something from me.

[ He laughs softly at that ] Yeah, I'll keep an eye out. And, hey, if it gets to you, just call me. I stay up pretty late these days.

[ He can come right over, even if he has to ditch work for her. That's what friends are for, right? ]

Will do. [she probably won't, but she can pretend she will. she's good at pretending like she has her life together sometimes.]

Speaking of getting close to home, you gonna head back? Rest on the heels of another successful hunt?

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