The Magic Left Behind

[saving_sound]

[Action; Private]

[When she had opened up the list of other Travelers, she did a double-take. Many of the names she had grown so familiar with were... no longer there? She reads through it several times to confirm, mentally going through the alphabet to make sure there's no mistake.

Eventually, she closes the list, letting her hands drop helplessly into her lap. So many people had come and gone since she first came here. She hadn't known all of them, no. But it still hurt to see them leave, especially when among them were those she knew so well.

As with every other time she had made this discovery, the tears begin to well in her eyes. She knows Hisao will be by soon for their daily run, but suddenly, she doesn't particularly feel up to it. It doesn't help that she's crying now, and who even knows when she'll be able to stop.

Quietly, she climbs back into her bed, burying her face in her pillow. It's too sad. Too sad, and in a way... scary. She's been here almost from the beginning, and she hasn't returned home a single time. What if she stays here forever, while everybody else leaves? She'll be alone again, and she won't even get to see Shi-chan or her Master, and...

The thought only makes her cry even harder.]

[Audio]

[The voice that comes over the feed is soft, but if you've spoken to her enough, it is unmistakably Hibiki's. Considering she doesn't usually do voice posts, this is a little... odd.]

Does anybody... know what to do when you really, really miss somebody?

Comments

[voice]

[hollowchild]

[sophie remembers hibiki's voice, the eager-to-please little girl who had bought conan sweets. she sounds less happy and eager now]

You do, for a bit, but then you do other things. Missing people...we just do, hm? But the people we miss, they probably wouldn't want us to be unhappy.

[voice]

[saving_sound]

[There's a wet sniffle.]

...I know they wouldn't want me to, but...

...I can't help it. It's... lonely.

audio;

[heiligegral]

[the sound of a child's voice--a young girl, at that--asking such a question hits her squarely in the longing for her own daughter, knowing of the fate that was given to her.

her voice is just as soft, taking on a tone of quiet encouragement colored with a pained knowing]

That is a hard question, isn't it? It's hard to think about the people left behind... but you know, while it hurts to miss them, if a person thinks well of them and hopes for the best for them, it can be a bit easier. Even moreso when sharing those feelings with others.

audio;

[saving_sound]

[Excuse her for a moment as she sniffles - she's still a little watery, but this is still much better than she was earlier.]

When... sh-sharing?

[Action]

[seventeenpills]

[Hisao was, indeed, due to show up. He'd also seen how many people's names had left the network of late and he'd been close with a few of them too. However, he hadn't yet seen Hibiki's message.

He knocked softly on the door.]

Good morning?

[Action]

[saving_sound]

[He is greeted with silence.

Well, no, not entirely. If he listens closely, he might hear the sound of muffled sobbing.]

video;

[sworntovalor]

[He himself finds himself battling with that very same question on a daily basis. The list of people he misses seems to grow longer and longer by the day, but returning to find Raven gone has truly been a blow to him.]

Perhaps talking of the people you miss will help ease your pain?

audio;

[saving_sound]

That wouldn't... b-bother others?

[Even like this, she doesn't want to bug people about her sobbing.]

[Video]

[comeonthensexy]

There's not really much to do. You'll always miss people in your life.

Distracting yourself can help. With time, the feeling starts to fade, bit by bit.

[Audio]

[saving_sound]

You mean like... forgetting?

[She doesn't like the sound of that, either...]

[Video]

[snugglesjugs]

[He gets the feeling he knows exactly why she is asking this. Out of everyone he knew Hibiki is the fragile in a lot of ways. He wasn't sure how to answer her at first but it takes him a moment to remember.]

You keep your memories of them close to your heart, no matter how painful it is sometimes.

[Audio]

[saving_sound]

It really hurts, though...

It hurts so much.

audio;

[verybigpheasants]

[ Oh, Gwaine's... usual brand of advice is completely useless in situations like these. For the best, probably. ]

Ahh. I expect that depends on what you want done about it.

audio;

[saving_sound]

I don't... know if anything can be done. It just--

It hurts to remember everybody...

audio;

[unhappymeal]

[Now that's a subject close to his own heart. He can't relate how he deals with missing people. He doesn't want to encourage that kind of unhappiness in Hibiki. So instead he just says the most reasonably nice thing he can think of.]

Try to remember they'd want to see you happy, and that you're not alone. Think about your happy memories and cherish them. That's all you can do.

audio;

[saving_sound]

[There's a small sigh, as if she were holding her breath and only now remembering to let it go.]

...I know they would want that, but...

[Her voice grows tiny.]

...I'm scared. I have friends now, b-but... if they keep going, then--

I don't want to be alone again.

audio

[wristbands]

[oh, this just breaks Chie's heart. she knows exactly where Hibiki's coming from, since she's in the same position right now herself... she tries her best to keep her tone reassuring, despite how she feels, too.]

It depends on how you feel. Some people like to hang out with their friends and talk it out, and some people like to just have some alone time for a while. What do you want to do, Hibiki-chan?

audio

[saving_sound]

...

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

[Video]

[5thchild]

Would you like company, Hibiki?

[Audio]

[saving_sound]

Kaworu-san...?

...I-I think I would.

[Her cozy little room has never felt so lonely before.]

voice.

[charmandchant]

I .. like to think about them and talk about them to others; the things I liked about them, jokes they used to tell, funny stories. And remember them that way, rather than being sad about the fact that they're gone.

( Whoops, Hermione is talking about people who are gone from this world as in dead gone. )

Or at least, I like to try.

voice.

[saving_sound]

It's... so hard not to be sad, though, especially when you remember...

[Even though she knows she's probably making a bigger deal of it than necessary. Leave it to her to cry over this sort of thing...]

audio;

[reaction]

[ When you're a vampire, it's all to easy to do that thing called flipping the switch. It works to keep all of the icky feelings at bay. But when you're human...

Well. Guess it sucks. ]

Find a new someone to occupy your time with. Easy peasy. And if that doesn't work, I'm sure a bowl of ice cream will do the trick.

Who'd you lose?

audio;

[saving_sound]

A... n-new someone?

[But that just sounds like replacing them, and she could never do that. Not after all the memories she's had with them...]

It was... a lot of people. Vyse-san and Enrique-sama and Ja'far-san, and...

[And many more from even before then.]

[Video]

[suppressthedark]

[Oh, hanako. He's heard that tone from his sisters from time to time, and it hits his empathy rather hard.

At least he's still here, right?]

...I can come over if you want, Hibiki.

[He'd probably go even if she said no, just to check up on her.]

[Audio]

[saving_sound]

...Could you?

Please.

[There's the tiniest hint of desperation in that last word. She doesn't want to be by herself right now.]