@stardustedknight
His shoulders tensed with the words that were thrown at him. Briefly, Ryoken glanced at Spectre, before his entire focus seemed to belong to the laptop before him again. With the bright screen of the device, the dark set of circles underneath his eyes were even more prominent than usual. Or, perhaps, they had worsened.
This wasn’t the first time someone had pointed out his behaviour. The day prior, Aso had kindly suggested a “much needed break” and Genome had even offered a supposedly calming tea.
Since leaving the mansion behind, which was a few days ago, this occurred more often. It wasn’t all too surprising, not really. Ryoken had just lost the last living part of his family and Hanoi had taken an unimaginably serious blow. His reaction to everything falling apart right before his very eyes was to isolate himself in his new, significantly tinier room, and work until he would pass out, before continuing.
This routine left little time to think about what happened, which was good.
However, all good things must come to an end, and Spectre decided to be the one to threaten his “peace”.
Ryoken needed a long moment before he could voice an answer. At first, it seemed like he was intent on ignoring the question entirely, but suddenly, the rapid typing finally ceased for the first time in hours.
“Does it matter?”
Things certainly hadn't turned out as any of them had planned, that much was obvious. After all...at least Spectre for his part could say, that he hadn't expected to see another day, after the decision for Hanoi's tower had been made. His last thoughts after he had lost to Playmaker were that he had failed Ryoken one time too much. But that Hanoi would succeed anyways.
Turned out he'd been wrong. Because eventually he actually had woken up again, confused and lost and not sure where to go or what to think. Eventually he had found his way to Ryoken. Like always. And like always the older teen was the one to show him his way, to direct the next steps.
Days had passed in a blur. There had been a lot Spectre had to come to terms with too. A place to call home for example. A ship, so far away from the shore, from solid earth beneath his feet and Spectre had to admit, that he was missing his flowers and plants around. Then there was the fact that the boat was smaller than the mansion they had used to live in. Like...a lot smaller. And then there was the fact that someone was missing. Kyoko hadn't managed to escape. Part of him knew that it wasn't just him that needed to get used to all those changes, to this new situation, but it had taken a while until he reached a point mentally where he actually realized exactly that.
And soon enough he found Ryoken again. Just that Ryoken was buying himself in work and Spectre felt even worse. Because he couldn't help. Because he hadn't been at his friends side up to this point. And it was clearly visible how everything was dragging the older one down.
Which...eventually lead to him to speak up words like this, because Spectre knew one thing. If he would loose Ryoken too... he wouldn't have anything left at all.
"Of course it matters." he replied in the end, voice a bit louder, actually angry. Worried? "You're our leader!" You're my only friend. "What are we supposed to do if you're not here anymore?" I'd be lost without you, please don't leave me too.
But it wasn’t his place to say things like that.
