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[knifemonopoly]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 *** PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1> If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.

Main handle: < Player1 > Anon: < turtleluck >, < actuallydied >, < burner >

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[softspokenlandlord]

I understand.

[He gets it. Trying to fix something that wasn't his business to mess with was wrong, especially if he couldn't make it stick. And he doesn't want to make Atem think about things like this too hard, because that's just not fair. He's been through so much, and May was...very tough on him, to put it in simplest terms. So...Ryou deflects the topic entirely by...of all things, brushing his hand against Atem's forearm.

He wants to loop his arm around Atem's, but absolutely platonically. Yeah...]

I have other things I could practice anyway.

[It's said faintly, like he's on the verge of another yawn. Why is he so sleepy?]

Things that don't have the chance of hurting...or messing things up. Like...invisibility. Or maybe motor control with my tendrils.

[knifemonopoly]

[Steve dying is terrible for many reasons.

One of them is making going to this graveyard bad romantic timing. Ugh. Atem wants to tell Ryou, wants to tell him more and more the less anxious about it all this graveyard makes him, but he can't! He can't bring himself to!

Damn it, he thinks, as Ryou brushes his arm, and they lean on each other. This really is incredibly stupid.]

That's a good idea! If I'm not up for having somebody else in my mind that day, there are plenty of abilities you could put to use, if you're good at them. Shades have a power set that's hard to stop!

If they weren't, there'd be fewer power-flickers every time Miss Zacharov on the seventh floor has a temper flare.

[He might be a little more distant than a moment ago. This might be a touch automatic. He's thinking about how the sides of their arms are touching, and experiencing grief and frustration. The anger doesn't come out in its true form; it's just the hint that Atem might be thinking about something else that's off.]

[softspokenlandlord]

[Ryou is so close to falling asleep. Soooo close. But something about the way Atem's speaking sounds like an opposing force to the relaxing nature of their surroundings. And because Ryou is an insufferable worrywart when it comes to other people, especially Atem...he straightens up.

His hair's a little messy where he had been leaning, so he reaches a hand up and straightens his bangs out before trying to mentally clear out the fuzz of sleep that had been overtaking him.

They...they were here for a reason. Ryou had forgotten, and it had probably upset Atem that he couldn't move around. He couldn't just sit here with Ryou when they'd spent all this time getting to the graveyard just to look for Steve's name!

Stupid...stupid stupid Ryou. Stop wasting time. He's sure that's what's going on. He's sure of it!]

Hmm...that's her then? I didn't realize that was a thing shades could do. I suppose I still have plenty to learn, don't I?

[He glances at Atem, as if trying to gauge his expression...then realizes that doesn't matter, they have a job to do.]

Hey...d-did you want to get back to looking around? If we keep sitting, I'm liable to fall asleep and I know we had something to do.

[Honesty is the best policy, right?]

[knifemonopoly]

[This is probably for the best. Atem hasn't come clean about how he feels yet...it might be unfair to allow this to happen when he's waiting to talk about it until at least after the meeting Giorno's calling tonight. Clearly, nothing will happen at that meeting that will make him not up to it.

(His snakes are still leaning in Ryou's direction, though. Sorry about your hair, they totally messed it up.)

He gives a brief, firm nod.]

Right. I've got to find out sooner or later...let's see if Steve's name is here.

[He pushes himself off the bench and back to standing-height; he'll help Ryou up, too.]

[softspokenlandlord]

[Ryou can see the snakes in his periphery...but while he might be tempted to touch them at any other time, it doesn't feel right to do it now. He has to focus...be strong for Atem in this difficult situation! No sleeping yet, no petting hairsnakes. That'll be later.

So, he does take Atem's help to stand back up initially, but he also attempts to levitate on his own. It's been more than long enough to recharge his shade batteries, he hopes. And, blessedly, it does work. He lifts off the ground just a bit, his edges growing less sharp and his coloration darkening, but not completely.]

O-okay, I think...I've got it. Where do you want to start?

[knifemonopoly]

[Oh look! He's got it. That's very good.]

If I had the speed I used to, I could cover this whole place in seconds...

[Sigh! Nothing for it when you don't have legs!]

Let's split up. If you take the part we walked through to get here, I'll check the rest.

[He gestures to the rows of headstones between the gate and the bench; it's maybe 1/5th of the total area, and shouldn't be too taxing.]

[softspokenlandlord]

[Hmm. That seems like an unfair distribution of the load, but even though he has one more leg than Atem, he knows he's the slower of the two. At least Atem can slither...]

Mm...Okay. I can do that. Shall we meet at the bench again once we're done? You'll probably finish after me...s-since you're doing more.

[But it doesn't matter. He's going to help. He's going to make a difference! Ryou's not...exactly energized, but he cares about Atem, and to a lesser but still clear degree, Steve. If this helps...he wants to have a part in it.]

[knifemonopoly]

[That works for him.]

Mm-hm. Let's meet there.

I'll leave it to you!

[--he says over his shoulder, as he slithers off. It's good to check this place thoroughly, every once in a while....since it's hard to keep in touch with everybody all the time.]

Oh -- if you see Nagito's name, let me know. He's still missing...

[Atem does not like that. Not one bit. He's asked around, when he's gone visiting other places on the map, looking for main-quest leads...but no one's seen anyone matching his description. If Nagito's name is not in the graveyard, he must be somewhere...

He just hopes that somewhere isn't the same place Steve was, or worse. He really, really hopes Nagito just fell asleep somewhere inconvenient, which happens to monsters sometimes.]

[softspokenlandlord]

[Ryou begins to float away...then hesitates, looking over his shoulder.

...This must be so hard on Atem. He's lost two of his close friends, and now he's driven to searching for their names in a graveyard to confirm if they've gone for good. Ryou wishes he could do more to help...but at this point, any comfort he might offer would probably be seen as cloying pity.

He doesn't like being pitied. He couldn't imagine Atem would like it either.

So, he goes about floating along the headstones, reading the names carefully. No one they know shows up, and that's a good thing! There are actually no names he recognizes either, not that he expected to find any.

By the time he's reached the stones closest to the gate, Ryou can tell he has to stop, just for a moment. He wants to keep floating, but his body feels so heavy...so he settles down next to one of the graves and leans against the stone.

He's...just going to rest for a moment. He's tired...the ground somehow feels so inviting, and he doesn't even mind that he's leaning on someone's grave. He hopes they don't mind either, actually.]

...Please accept my apologies. I mean no disrespect.

[Murmured quietly, even though he knows it's an empty grave...he has to pay his respect.]

I'll let you be in...a minute.

[...Many minutes later, he's completely out, curled up on the ground and scarcely corporeal, if at all.]

[knifemonopoly]

[...

...

...

Atem makes the executive decision to let him sleep.

Ryou is gently wafted home with an old flyer someone pasted to the cemetery walls.]