Because thinking of one scene led me to another and figured I might as well throw them together in one post.
You can find more information on my yuusona Emi and her relationship with Jamil here on the masterlist.
Emi very much dislikes crying in front of people, unless it’s someone she’s very comfortable with – it just leaves her feeling far too emotional and vulnerable to be seen like that. No thank you.
Alas, she very much is a crier. Getting yoinked into a different world and going through overblots is not exactly a cakewalk, either, and as such, her emotions sure like to get the better of her.
(There's definitely the possibility of the ghosts being all concerned at some point and being all "you're wailing more than most ghosts we know" while trying to comfort her. Cue Emi trying so hard to be all silent with her tears from then on. The lack of privacy at Ramshackle sure is appalling.)
When Ace & Deuce turn up after the deal at Scarabia, and Emi realizes they’re here because they actually care that much?
Combine that with the stress of basically being held captive and everything else, and the waterworks will be coming.
If she was a less reserved person she’d be giving them big hugs too, but unfortunately she’ll be too busy hiccuping and digging for tissues (and being embarrassed) to initiate.
Cue awkward ADeuce pats on her back or something, while Grim's trying so hard to cover up his own concern. Deuce will panic, Ace will try to wisecrack and lighten the mood, and suddenly Emi’s trying to both laugh and cry at once.
They’ll probably end up sprawled somewhere at the edges of the party, staring at the sky, talking away, a lil’ wistful wavering smile on Emi’s face.
(Alas, if I could draw this I totally would.)
Jamil catching Emi crying during book 5
If Emi wasn’t in the best mental state before book 4, things sure aren’t improved after she’s done with all that.
Like, she’s just at such a low point around that time (Jamil really gets to know her at her best, huh 🙃). Stuck in this limbo of can she go home or not, the Scarabia deal's left her shaken (on top of the earlier overblots, though this one kinda takes the cake), she's just... trying to hold on. (At least she’s a little more aware of how much she can rely on ADeuce now.)
So there’s definitely a chance of Jamil coming across a crying Emi at Ramshackle at some point while the SDC tribe is staying there.
And just… Oof the awkwardness of that moment.
They're like maybe uneasy acquaintances at that point – definitely not too comfortable with each other, even if Jamil’s working to fix that (the things he does for his reputation /hj).
So Jamil’s just there like 🧍♂️
Having immediate regrets of ending up in this position because what is he even supposed to do here?
While Emi's like, waving him off, apologizing, saying something about how she's "not used to it being so hard". (Totally just referring to the homework before her. Totally.)
Girl’s basically mortified and just wants to pull herself back together in peace – while apologizing to the guy who’s definitely a contributing factor to her current emotional frailty in the first place.
Even if Jamil’s offering to help, she’ll be ushering him off unless he’s being really forceful about it. After all, at this point, she’s definitely not close enough with him to feel comfortable being so vulnerable before him.
(Dio suggested Jamil sending Kalim or ADeuce over to help and I kinda just love the idea of Jamil being all... yeah I'm not gonna be sorting this particular mess out, and it doesn't look like she wants me here either (which definitely does not sting even a little bit), let's bring in the hugbug or dump the problem on the first years. Besides, he'll get plenty of chances to be the comforting one later on.)
(As a sidenote – Rook’s gonna know every time Emi’s down while the gang’s at Ramshackle, isn’t he? Wonder what kinda stuff he’d be doing to cheer her up. ADeuce, too. I shall have to ponder (and am open for suggestions).
Vil’s probably like giving comments or tips for dealing with red puffy eyes 😔 Though Emi sure is grateful that her face usually doesn’t show the evidence too bad, unless it’s a real big cry.)
@scint1llat3 @diodellet @moonyasnow @bibi-cha
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