#apothinnasks

[galactic-blooms]

”You’re too kind, Miss Gaia…”

she notices astrion staring at her and tilts her head.

...

*......*

(... she's back. I'm going to lose Annie now.)

(She's going to take Annie back with her.)

(Going to take her somewhere else.)

(Annie won't be here.)

(Astrion...?)

(I'm going to lose Annie.)

Astrion....)

(I'm going to lose Annie.)

Astrion....

(I'm going to lose my daughter.)

ASTRION!!!!!

*At once, Astrion jolts with a yell, frantically stumbling back as he holds his head, breath heavily heaving as his heartbeat bashes against his eardrums.*

HEY- hey, easy, careful, breathe, it's okay, it's okay!!! *She grabs Astrion's shoulders in an attempt to bring him back. Usually it works.*

*But as Astrion looks around, things aren't looking right. The world is distorted and blurry to him, except Calla. Out of the corner of his eye, he swears he sees Annie, but as his vision darts over to see her, the girl isn't there.*

*He can't breathe...*

[galactic-blooms]

”Oh, sure!”

Headpats for the moths.

*Gaia starts to say he doesn't have to.... but then pauses.*

Ehm... I'll explain a bit more to you soon and let you make that judgement call. But! Or course, Calla!

*A couple vines bring over the black binder and a key, handing the binder to Gaia and the key to Calla.*

Any preference for your room? First or second floor?

[galactic-blooms]

*Grif settles down to listen quietly, but he does occasionally glance over at the door to the back room, clearly still worried about Astrion.*

-@gryphonanon

*.... there's no sound from there... Gaia seems to pause every so often to listen out.*

[galactic-blooms]

Calla suddenly feels sick, like an extreme version of the uncanny valley.

“…should I go?”

The question is directed at Gaia.

No, you're alright, really, it-

Astrion, go to the back.

I can't-

ASTRION.

(LUIZ.)

I-... I-....

Take a moment. You're okay. Go to the back, I'll take care of this, and stay OUT of the kitchen. But it's not safe for you to stay here right now.

..........

Go. It's okay.

..... I'm... sorr... 'scuse me for a bit-

*He practically runs to the back room, slamming the door shut. A few mothlings follow, wriggling under the door as a muffled yell can hardly be heard.*

*.... the tension in the inn lobby is now heavy. Gaia looks back at Calla.*

I'm so sorry about all of that... please, be assured, none of it is your fault. I need you to understand that, alright?

[galactic-blooms]

Lu-

ASTRION HAVE YOU SEEN THE WAY HE LOOKS???? IT’S CLEARLY KILLING HIM!!!!

— @master-dealmaker

HE DOESN'T HAVE A HEARTBEAT EVEN NOW, WE TAKE IT OUT AND HE MAY NOT GET IT BACK EVER!!!!!

*... it only partially registers what Carbine was about to call him.*

[galactic-blooms]

… huh.

Well I mean. I ALSO kinda don’t have a heartbeat… but this is Radio, so-

… maybe he did some kind of. Weird experiment on himself? Went badly?

— @master-dealmaker

I don't know, I think? But like. He usually does.

*Astrion takes a breath to try and list it all off.*

No heartbeat. Smiling weird. Needs a s--- ton of water. Acts totally normal but his eyes are just full of so much fear, stiff in moving- he's got a more recent vivisection scar, and his stomach is gl-

*another retch, before he tries to continue.*

.. glowing.

It feels like- like he died and something's inside him controlling everything about him-..

[galactic-blooms]

You know… wearing dresses, growing my hair out, that kind of thing…

— @say-their-name

Well, alright, those are starts. But that's only part of the process. What kinds of dresses are you wearing?

[galactic-blooms]

Vixen laughed with him

“Well in your defense, she did start it”

Ay, that's just what favoritism is, heheh.

*He's not joking.... buuuuut he does say it in a pretty light hearted way.*

[galactic-blooms]

“Heh…you’d be surprised.”

She let out a little chuckle as she ate some more fruit

“Have as much hate mail as I do fan mail….”

*Astrion grimaces.*

Oh, that just sucks.... genuinely can't imagine why. But, people are just haters. And I say f--- them.

[galactic-blooms]

“…she seems happy….you’re a good brother staying by her side….”

There was a solemnness there that wasn’t in her voice before

She meant every word but god if it still didn’t sting hearing what he had gone through for her

*He smiles softly.*

Never been more than a week apart, if I'm being honest. We trust each other. Help each other. Always there for each other. I don't know what I'd do without my little sister, she's everything to me.

[galactic-blooms]

she beams and goes back to playing with "lily"

*Gaia just sits next to Astrion and leans her head on his shoulder as they watch the girls play in silence.*

[galactic-blooms]

PlEASE

Now I'm tempted to draw it and keep it to myself just so you know it exists but you'll never get to see it

[galactic-blooms]

”True.. I’m far from figuring out how to get into the code though. Hurts my brain just thinking about trying”

“I’m focused on other things right now anyways”

— @radioactive-circus

Completely understandable.

[galactic-blooms]

”Ooo!”

— @radioactive-circus

*Gaia hands him the drink.*

I made it as thin as I could, but please drink it slowly so you don't get sick.

[galactic-blooms]

*his face turns pink*

“STOP being better at flirting than me”

“You’re— uhhhh—“

“Like, some kind of, uhm… fire. Yeah. Like one of those fires with the chemicals in it. That makes the fire turn rainbow. That one, that’s you”

— @radioactive-circus

*Astrion laughs and leans his chin against his arm on the table, smirking at Radio with the same smirk he's always giving, from the start of their relationship to even now. It's barely changed, but never seems to lose it's effect.*

That's a new one to me.. you got the creative ones. But no matter how much fire you make or how many times you burst into flames, none of it will compare to the fire you lit in my heart from day one. You know why? Because it never goes out.

[galactic-blooms]

”Yeah, I’ll probably talk to him about it next time I see him..”

“He is really hot though”

— @radioactive-circus

*Astrion shrugs with a bit of a smile.*

He's pretty good looking, yeah. You do what you want, just tell me whatever you do, okay? I want to stay informed.