[ The panic in the message has her sitting up, leaning immediately into the Murmur connection between them. Concern strikes first, a needling worry, but it ebbs as Toki speaks.
Huh. ] He did sacrifice himself last month. I'd probably be a bit of a stupid douchebag in his shoes, too, but... [ That's not an excuse. Plus, she doesn't like the idea of One being mean to Toki of all people. ] How big a stupid douchebag is he being? Do you want me to berate him?—because I'm down to yell at him for you.
I know, but I thought maybe he'd want to jam or something, you know, do something a little fun now that the power's kind of working? And he was so fuckin' mean about it!
[Like, what better way to make someone feel better after a sacrifice, right? Except not, apparently.]
He... he called me a pest.
[Big douchebag behavior!!]
But... I don't want him to start being a douchebag to you too...
[ A sympathetic pang floods the connection. Pest. One called Toki a pest. Would he react the same to Kalmiya? To Jaskier? ]
I don't care if he's a douchebag to me, I care that he's a douchebag to you. [ Whatever his reasoning, it wasn't right, and she won't tolerate it. Only she gets to bully Toki—and only when he's overusing the Murmur. ] Did he say anything else?
[ Sorrow blankets the Murmur, his disappointment palpable. Toki has been One's staunchest defender since the beginning. It was a spit in the face to switch up on him this way. Hot anger floods their connection, but she's quick to swallow it. ]
I'm sorry, Toki. You didn't deserve that. He's probably just being a dumbass because of Sleep or something. Don't take it to heart.
[Honestly, her anger helps him feel at least a little better, even if it's brief.]
Yeah... yeah, probably.
[Still, it felt so... personal. Like he was trying his hardest to be a jerk, specifically. Was it Sleep, mad about him making friends? As if Toki needed any more reasons to hate Sleep.]
Fuckin' Sleep. She's just... mad she doesn't have any friends.
Probably. [ It had to be more complicated than that, but... ] No friends, no one to love her. Just some bitter bitch who thinks she's above us. She'll get hers.
You've got more people on your side than she'll ever have. Ever.
Yeah, so she's gotta try to make it so nobody else can have any friends either.
[Sharon's right, though. He can't imagine too many people out there actually liking Sleep, and even here, Toki's made so many friends. This hurts, but he's got people to care about.
[At least all of this is helping him feel better, to some degree. He's happy he can be there to help the rest of his friends, and they're here for him.]
And then I can... punch a bunch of stuff or something! Or... or give you a hug, or... stuff like that.
Yeah! That's stuff I can do. So, like... if someone's bothering you and stuff, I can kick their ass, and then I can give you a hug about it. So you feel better about it.
[ A genuine laugh of delight tumbles out of her, the sound like windchimes through the Murmur. Fully undeniable. ]
Well, it goes both ways, Toki. If someone is bothering you, I'd be happy to kick their ass and give you a hug. Even if that someone is One. Or Sleep. Or any motherfucker here.
[Toki's anger and betrayal and all that unpleasant stuff is still there under the surface, but he can focus on how nice it is to have friends who are willing to help him out like this, and ones that he can help out in return.]
And if someone's bothering both of us, we can kick their ass together! And then we do the hug too.
We'd get the best of both worlds that way—and after we hug, maybe we could eat some crappy food and watch movies until we feel better. [ Sure, the power might drop a couple of times, but what better way to wind down after a rough team building exercise? ]
You know, I'd be down for a movie night. If you want. I've already found a couple of good 70s horror movies. [ Some of them are cheesy, but they're all classics. ]
Yeah, definitely! I wasn't really looking before, 'cause nothing was working. You think there's still popcorn that's good? I don't think that stuff goes bad, probably.
[Many things might suck, but there are so many more possibilities now.]
I haven't checked any, but I'd think as long as it's still in the cellophane, it should still be good. Guess we need to find some popcorn for our movie night.
Nobody likes sugar free stuff unless you have to have it. So there was a lot of that left. But if it's hard to make popcorn without the power... maybe nobody wanted that either.
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chiming
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Date: 2026-01-03 05:45 pm (UTC)From:Huh. ] He did sacrifice himself last month. I'd probably be a bit of a stupid douchebag in his shoes, too, but... [ That's not an excuse. Plus, she doesn't like the idea of One being mean to Toki of all people. ] How big a stupid douchebag is he being? Do you want me to berate him?—because I'm down to yell at him for you.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 06:26 pm (UTC)From:[Like, what better way to make someone feel better after a sacrifice, right? Except not, apparently.]
He... he called me a pest.
[Big douchebag behavior!!]
But... I don't want him to start being a douchebag to you too...
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 02:41 am (UTC)From:I don't care if he's a douchebag to me, I care that he's a douchebag to you. [ Whatever his reasoning, it wasn't right, and she won't tolerate it. Only she gets to bully Toki—and only when he's overusing the Murmur. ] Did he say anything else?
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 03:23 am (UTC)From:[He's trying his hardest not to flood the Murmur with his sadness and disappointment from what he just heard. It's not going so well.]
Fuck, I just... it sucks.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 12:31 am (UTC)From:I'm sorry, Toki. You didn't deserve that. He's probably just being a dumbass because of Sleep or something. Don't take it to heart.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 01:36 am (UTC)From:Yeah... yeah, probably.
[Still, it felt so... personal. Like he was trying his hardest to be a jerk, specifically. Was it Sleep, mad about him making friends? As if Toki needed any more reasons to hate Sleep.]
Fuckin' Sleep. She's just... mad she doesn't have any friends.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 02:46 am (UTC)From:You've got more people on your side than she'll ever have. Ever.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 04:00 am (UTC)From:[Sharon's right, though. He can't imagine too many people out there actually liking Sleep, and even here, Toki's made so many friends. This hurts, but he's got people to care about.
He smiles, just a little, clear in the Murmur.]
...Thanks.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 04:00 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 01:12 pm (UTC)From:I got your back too! If you need it.
[And maybe when he's feeling a little better. But he's got it!]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-11 04:20 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-11 02:05 pm (UTC)From:And then I can... punch a bunch of stuff or something! Or... or give you a hug, or... stuff like that.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-12 02:18 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-12 04:08 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-12 11:37 pm (UTC)From:Well, it goes both ways, Toki. If someone is bothering you, I'd be happy to kick their ass and give you a hug. Even if that someone is One. Or Sleep. Or any motherfucker here.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-13 02:12 am (UTC)From:And if someone's bothering both of us, we can kick their ass together! And then we do the hug too.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-14 12:46 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-14 01:27 am (UTC)From:[It's wild, thinking about how they can watch movies now. It feels like he hasn't seen one in forever.]
We could do that without kicking anybody's ass, too, I think. If we had to.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 04:23 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 11:39 am (UTC)From:[Many things might suck, but there are so many more possibilities now.]
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 07:06 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-16 12:01 am (UTC)From:[If it's too hard to make, maybe nobody tried it.]
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Date: 2026-01-16 04:16 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-16 01:14 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2026-01-16 11:38 pm (UTC)From:(no subject)
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