One - Audio - UN: XvXSherryXvX

[littlemissgvirus]

[It's pretty early in the morning when Sherry sends out her message. She was still trying to really 'get' the network, but it was starting to make sense.]

[Also no one should make fun of her awesome 1998 style username.]

Hi. Good morning. I'm Sherry Birkin. I only arrived here a few days ago so I don't really know anyone yet...

Which I guess makes this a strange question but I-

[There's a pause because of a very audible yawn.]

Oh! Sorry about that. Okay. Does anyone have advice on what to do about getting rid of nightmares? I've never really had them before but they're...pretty bad right now.

If not it's okay. I'm sure I can get used to them.

Thanks though.

[There's another yawn that cuts off midway as she disconnects.]

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[littlemissgvirus]

[Sherry really was not expecting all of that. The advice, the confession, even just what he sounded like didn't quite match the picture she'd had in her head from his texts. He certainly sounded younger than she thought he would. So it's a few minutes before she actually responds, this time voice as well. And she definitely sounds as young as she is, whoops.]

That's...thank you. I, uhm. I'm sorry you had to do that. With your dad. I bet that was really hard, walking away.

My parents, they both...they died. Just...just two weeks ago, actually. Right after I started to, to understand what they were...I mean, I don't understand what they were doing, it's all science stuff but it...it was really bad and a...a lot of people died. And I...

[The longer she talks, the more her voice starts to break, because Sherry hasn't actually dealt with any of this, and has been running on pure emotional adrenalin since the moment she had arrived here. There were so many things to see, she could forget about what happened. Sometimes. For a little while.]

[She trails off into a hard sniffle, and the faintly audible sound of rubbing her hands across her eyes, trying not to cry.]

[And mostly failing.]

Sorry, sorry...

[ooc: Apologies for how late this is.]

[rediscovering]

[ Oh fuck, two weeks ago, for real?! Zuko is out. of. his. depths, oh boy. This is far beyond sleep tricks, meditation tips, or pep talks about ~*~DeStiNy~*~ for this traumatized teenager himself. But now he feels some vague connection, already bonded to helping this kid in smaller ways, more responsible now for having drawn out this information in the first place... He's not the comforting type, exactly, but he's the caring type, who wishes he were the comforting type, and even though he's still so young himself, he's got an early paternal streak growing in him. He doesn't like to see people in pain — or hear them, rather — and even for a stranger, he's honor-bound to his own compassion, as shaky and new as it is natural instinct for him, even if, yes, he's out of his depths... He doesn't want to tell her not to cry cuz as he sees it, she has all the reason to, but— he certainly wasn't expecting this. Plus something about monsters. And the nightmares. Poor kid. ]

N-No, don't say sorry, um—! I, uh— ...I'm sorry. That you lost them. So recently, and then arriving here, too... That's a lot to deal with. No wonder you're having nightmares. Um... It's complicated mourning bad people or, uh— loving people even if they're bad... I don't get it, but I do— sort of. My dad's killed a lot of people, too, in war, and even after he hurt me and I left home when I was thirteen, I still missed him for years... And, um— I lost my mother. When I was eleven. So— ...yeah, I sort of get it.

[ "Yeah, I sort of get it" is not the profound line that matches the drama its tone is drenched in, but you get what you get with this guy. He's fumbling but, clearly, he means as well as he can, for two kids who have clearly seen much more than any kid should. ]


((ooc: no worries at all, not even late! i'm technically on hiatus anyway but hhhhh i'm loving this whole thread, so I couldn't resist replying hehe))

[littlemissgvirus]

[Sherry didn't answer for a minute or so, trying to get control of the unexpected tears. To say she hadn't had time to deal with everything that had happened was an understatement. The realization came in waves, at unexpected moments.]

[Eventually she manages to contain herself again, drawing in several ragged breaths before she spoke.]

S-sorry. [She said again, whoops.] Yeah it's...I...

[Mm.]

I'm sorry about your mom.

[rediscovering]

...Thanks.

[ Zuko doesn't talk about his mom. It hurts too much. He'll shit-talk his dad off the cuff, but mourning his mother's mysterious and sudden disappearance, even over five years later, still was too much to open up. Having someone say "I'm sorry about your mom" is a first.

He wants to be sincere, but doesn't want to give her empty platitudes. What can be said in a situation like this poor child's? The best he can think to do is just reaffirm that what's happened to her is awful. That'd be what he'd like to hear, he thinks; being told "it's okay" when it's not okay is infuriating. ]

I'm sorry about your parents. That's rough.