come_sailaway | [Open] I said something on the surface, well it kinda makes me nervous

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[Open] I said something on the surface, well it kinda makes me nervous

Who: Rich Goranski (for real this time) and you!
What: Rich deals with the whole coming back from the nothing thing. With how much support he needs, he assumes some others might need it too. Also, at least there were some sweet gifts to make up for everything.
When: November 2nd on.
Where: Through the hallways, the promenade, the arcade, the spa, and Room 107.
Warnings: A little bit of unhelpful coping with mental illness, probably some talk about trauma and possession. I'll warn if there's anything more!

The remedy is the experience [Cabin Hallways]

So... not that Rich wants to be a Joss Whedon imitator, but... October happened, didn't it?

Not that he remembers much at all, but he's been given an update from his parents and friends, and as far as he's aware, he's mostly caught up on what he (César will say over and over that he's not responsible for the actions of the boy who possessed him, but he knows that's not going to make a difference to the people hurt by him) did

Which means he knows he has some work to do.

And he's doing it. He's actually going door to door, knocking and waiting politely at each one. If he gets an answer, he offers a gentle smile and an introduction of himself if they've never met, before adding:

"So I promise I won't take much of your time. Just... wanted to ask if there's anything I did last month, and if there's anything I can do to help."

If he happens to miss you, don't worry! He'll slide a note under your door (and you can certainly accost him later about it).

Hi. My name is Rich Goranski. If you've never met me, I'm the tiny little asshole that looks like a discount unmasked Deadpool. You know, all the scars and shit?

See? That's me! You remember my handsome mug now, right?

If you do, and you remember me doing anything really awful to you last month, I was one of the people that got possessed pretty early on. I don't remember what I did, so I'm just writing to say I'm sorry for whatever it was. You can message me or come find me in 107 if you want to talk. If you don't, that's cool too.

I understand it'd be really unsettling to see someone who hurt you acting like nothing happened, so if you don't vibe with that, just tell me and I swear you won't hear from me again.

And last thing: if you went through the whole "getting possessed" thing like I did and need some advice, I'm going to be in the library on Sunday all afternoon. You could swing by and we can talk. Maybe if we get enough people, we can make like a Possessees Anonymous? Or something dumb like that.

Well... that's odd. Feel free to track him down!

This is a dangerous liaison [Promenade]

But after all that crap, Rich needs a good old fashioned emotional outlet.

Music has always been that for him, but he hasn't had the opportunity to really properly rock out until... well, until those gifts came from Friday. When he saw the one giant one she was hauling over, he nearly knocked her over in his excitement.

He's in the Promenade, his old worn guitar covered in stickers in his arms... which are being shown off far more now that he's back in his regular outfit. His case is on the floor, just like a classic busker would have it... but hey, you can just mime throwing stuff in, he doesn't care.

"Hey! You got a request? Or just want to hear one of the ones I sort of know well? No worries, no Wonderwall unless specifically asked for."

The comedy is that it's serious [Arcade]

It's not often that Rich can be found not actually playing DDR when he's hanging out in here, but hey, exceptions do happen.

And it just so happens he has a more modern system to work with at the moment. He's reclining on one of the little couches in the lounge area, frowning at the little rectangular gizmo in his hands as he carefully maneuvers the joystick. If anyone comes in during his intense gaming session, he'll nod his head at them.

"Sorry, give me a sec. Just lining up these flowers right."

...Look over his shoulder and you'll see a little mini-Rich, scars and all (though he's wearing a camo skirt because Rich doesn't have the shorts yet), carefully digging holes and planting pink, purple, and blue flowers in a pattern all around a building.

"Do you wanna play something? I've got extra controllers!"

This is a strange enough new play on words [Spa]

Rich hasn't actually snooped around in Calgona much before, but apparently, he was taken here after his little spill in the pool, so he couldn't help being curious. It was cool to see the sauna and the hydrotherapy rooms. Those might help his scars or something or other.

He doesn't really care about that when he finds the salon.

Within minutes, he's got a little hairdresser's cape on over himself and he's bent over by a mirror, frowning at himself as he applies some sort of substance to his hair. It smells quite strong.

"Hmm... Is purple gonna be a good choice? Eh, if it's ugly, I'll dye it back."

The tragedy is how you're gonna spend the rest of your nights with the light on [Closed to Dads, Room 107]

There are two packages here that Rich isn't sure what to make of. He peeked at the inside of one that felt like clothes... but he saw red and silk and metal cufflinks, things that he's pretty sure he'd never be able to wear. Not without a lot of guidance, at least. Why would they send him this anyways?

...Unless...

He takes a look at the other package, which contains four little boxes. The perfect size for a ring.

"Oh my god. Shit, uh... did I open jefe's package by mistake?" He frowns at the label.

As usual, the door is propped open with a slipper, and he's so confused by his gifts that he isn't paying attention when someone walks in.

So shine the light on all of your friends [Closed to Dimitri and Darcy]

hey
hey
hey
hey hey hey hey hey

Oh boy. Darcy and Dimitri are sure to be overjoyed when they get another dose of their doctor-approved Rich Spam.

are u guys busy
if u are can u be not busy
i wanna hang out
i got something to show u!

Honestly, he's pretty hyped up about these. They don't even look that lame, so hopefully, Darcy won't tease him for it!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

César pushes the door open with his back, carrying his own packages, which seem... heavy. "... eh? You ended up with one of mine?"

He immediately goes to put his packages down on the couch. "That's weird."

"Um!" Oh gosh, this is extremely embarrassing already. "I think so? They're uh... jewelry boxes." He wouldn't have any jewelry that he could think of, unless they were piercings, maybe. "It isn't labelled for you, but I was thinking, since you guys are, um, planning on getting married and all."

There are four of the boxes now sitting on the bed. Which is weird, since there's only three people getting married. Rich hasn't noticed yet in his panic.

Thump goes his packages. César then turns to walk back over to Rich and put an arm around his shoulders. "Well, the suit's for you. You'll need one since you're in the wedding, and that's the perfect color for you."

He hmms, because there's four of them. "Maybe ring boxes?"

"Oh... you think so?" Rich looks touched, an embarrassed smile coming across his face. "I hope so. But if I look that good in it, I'll take attention away from you guys, won't I?"

He teases gently, before passing one of the boxes to César. "That's my guess. You wanna take a look?"

"We're too old for the attention you'll get, mijo." César teases, dropping his arm so he can take the ring box with both hands.

He opens it and goes incredibly quiet.

He's about to make some lewd comment or another that would totally ruin the mood, but he's stopped short by César's uncharacteristic quiet.

"...Jefe? What's up?"

And he's still the quieter of the brothers.

"This one's for John." He's in awe. "A wedding ring."

"Really?" He sounds... stunned. Is that a good thing? Rich peeks around Cesar's side and notices the ring. It... reminds him of one his mom used to wear. It's beautiful, but...

"Why are there extra stones besides the diamond?"

"Birthstones. All four of ours." A shocked laugh, his shoulders sagging with relief as he smiles softly. "W-We've been only half-joking when we say we were getting married as much for you as for us...."

"You're... what?" Rich's face immediately flushes red. "Why are you getting married for me? You guys have known each other way longer! You're in love! A kid doesn't factor into it. All that stuff about staying together for a kid is bullshit."

Not that he thinks any of them would do that, but still!

"For all of us. All four of us. We'd get married regardless, but... you're what turned us into a family." César smiles wide and puts down the ring box to pull Rich into a hug instead. "We love you so much, Rich."

"Ah-"

Rich is about to protest, but... fuck, even being a bratty teenager, he can't find a reason to want to leave this hug. It's comfortable, and safe, and... he feels so lucky to still have this kind of reassurance, after last month.

God, his eyes are stinging. "You... you're all okay with us being family? I don't... I don't want to take away from your guys'... whole thing. But..."

He swallows hard. "I do... love all of you."

"It's too late to be 'okay'. We're already family, Rich." César's voice is thick, because Rich finally said it, and he's blinking back tears himself. "You don't take away. You've never taken away. You've only made our love for each other and also you stronger. From the first day, as we planned how to care for you... we each met you separately but cared for you with one heart."

A shaky laugh. "We were worried we'd scare you off with how much we cared, even from day 1."

"From the first day? You're... you're really sure?" He can't believe what he's hearing. He'd been so certain that he was a burden or an annoyance at best. He thought they were so insistent on being family because they'd be too ashamed to leave him alone. He thought he was just an uncomfortable addition to the special relationship they all already shared, and to even imagine that he made it better is...

He knows it's too late to blink back any more tears, and he leans his head against César's shoulder in embarrassment. "I doubted you all too much."

"Yes, I'm very sure. And who could blame you, after all you've been through?" César's arms envelop his son, and he simply holds him because he can again, smiling down at him. "After you fell asleep, Watson and I went to see Johnny and gave him a quick overview of the situation. We didn't discuss 'if' we would care for you. because we didn't need to. All three of us already knew. What we discussed was logistics of care, your health, not pushing you away by being too overbearing, and giving you as much independence as possible."

He hmms. "How did Johnny put it? A handful of minutes into the conversation. 'We want to make sure he realizes we're all here for him, and by choice.' That's it, pretty sure. And Watson. 'If we're embarking on this together, and it sounds like we are'. And of course, I was in full agreement. And then there was a whole round of old men being sappy to each other."

Edited 2022-11-08 00:57 (UTC)

It's nice to be held like this. He thought this might end up being too much sensation for him for a while, but it turns out it's just plain comforting, no matter how overstimulated he's felt as of late.

Hearing about one of his nights here all over again, though... it's a different kind of overwhelming. He can't convince himself to stop tearing up.

"I can't... I mean, Johnny had barely met me. But he loved me just as much as you two did. You three are... just incredible. You didn't have to 'embark' on anything, but God, I'm glad you did."

There's a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo that César can say to explain it, so it's a good thing Rich's just thinking about it.

"We had all just barely met you." César adds, letting out a happy, content sigh. "... Those are probably the nicest compliments I've ever gotten. I'm glad we did, too. Who's spoiling who, here?"

"Hey, c'mon! I'm just telling the truth! You didn't have to do anything for some weird ass kid who ate all your food and dumped all your booze down the drain, and yet here we are. I think... you all are really kind hearted."

If it was on him, he's sure he wouldn't have managed to allow the four of them to connect so quickly.

César's quiet for a moment as a swell of emotion goes through him, love and gratitude. They're just going to clothesline each other with feelings, aren't they?

"Sometimes... Sometimes I-I need to be reminded of the truth." César breathes in shakily. "Te amo, mijo. And take your time. It's okay if you don't feel as strongly as me. But that's how I feel."

He's explained the difference between te amo and the less intense te quiero before. César's telling the truth. There's no rush to this, and he's not going to force Rich to go faster than he feels.

That does seem to be their main way of communication in this moment. And Rich is certainly feeling a little bit winded with all the times his emotions are punching him in the gut. He doesn't want to cry again. God dammit...

"I know it's okay. And... I know you can be patient w-with me." He exhales slowly, reminding himself of the differences, measuring the definitions against the warmth in his heart.

He nearly chokes when he says, "Y yo a ti, jefe." He hopes he got that right. He only read it in a few dictionaries.

He's probably going to cry again. Because now César's eyes are leaking. Rich even got it right, for him.

"I'm so proud of you." A generalized statement, not because of what Rich just said; César holds Rich tightly. "You've come so far so quickly."

Rich has to get it right. He knows César has been incredibly patient with him, and probably will still be patient, as Rich struggles to make himself actually say those words more often. At least he can hold onto that memory until Rich gets the courage to say it again.

"It's been through you, you know. I wouldn't be even close to stable right now if you three hadn't been here."

César won't forget this anytime soon. It's too precious of a memory already. This is everything they've worked for, with Rich. Giving him a family where he feels safe and loved.

"Because you finally have the love and support you need and deserve." Unable to help himself with Rich in his arms, he presses a kiss into his hair. "You're welcome. And I'm grateful for you every day."

Rich is incredibly overwhelmed, but he doesn't think he'll be forgetting about this any time soon either. He offers a wobbly smile, trying so hard not to tear up.

"Yeah... you guys have given me... something I didn't realize I needed." He's not sure if he can admit he deserves it, but it's a start.

Well, it's too late for César. He's definitely got glassy eyes. "Mmm. I could say the same for you."

César knows Rich isn't there yet with his self-esteem, but slowly, they're getting there.

Room 107

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okay I GOTTA continue this thread because it's too damn sweet

it's so good...

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