a_darker_path | Folkmore ic inbox

That is not a question he was expecting and not one he's really ready to answer right now, the cup in his hand shattering when his hand clenches hard around it.

"That's really none of your business." He manages, taking a slow breath to calm himself down before he moves to the sink to rinse his hand off.

"Geto!" Alluka exclaims when the cup breaks. She sets down the riceball and moves to look at his hand and make sure he's okay. Is he in love with Shoko? Too?

"You're... in love... with Gojo," Alluka says. The pauses aren't a question. It's trying to understand the previous response. It's a lot harder without Shoko here, without having met her. However, if there's anything Nanika has taught her it's that love is love is love. It's good to love.

She looks at Geto, smiling and radiating joy. "You're so packed full of love!"

He does at least wrap his hand in a towel, securing it before he turns to look at her, his lips pressing together in a thin line.

"Satoru should be back at some point. I'll send him a message that you're here." But right now, he's heading for the door, not even looking at her, although he does stop to pick up his relic.

And the door closes behind him.

"Geto," Alluka repeats his name. "Geto?!" That's not...

She hasn't given him a hug. He needs a hug! He needs a lot of things. She'd give him all the riceballs to come back, though she doesn't think they're done. Alluka washes her hands. Then she goes to the couch and wraps her arms around herself in a tight hug. It's been some time since she had to comfort herself this way.

He enters the apartment again about half an hour later, hand still wrapped, but he's at least back.

"I needed some air. Are you okay?"

Alluka is sniffly. The riceballs are cold. She's still sitting on the couch, even after the nice man came in and checked on her. He said Geto asked him to. He didn't stay long. So it's just been her giving herself her best hug for the half hour.

She swallows. "No," Alluka says softly. She's not mad, but she's working very hard not to hate Gojo and Geto's apartment. It's terrible when it's empty.

He moves, kneels in front of the couch, but he's not touching her.

"I'm sorry. I just needed... I couoldn't stay in here for a little while but I didn't want to upset you."

"I know," Alluka says, wiping at her nose with her sleeve. "You did what you had to do."

She avoids looking at the walls and focuses instead on the fact he's here. "Thank you for coming back. Can I have a hug?"

"You can have a hug." He confirms quietly.

"And then we can go finish up the rice balls if you still want to."

Alluka throws herself around Geto and holds on tight. He could stand up and leave, and she would simply hang off him unwilling to let go. It's something of a desperate hug. Despite how Alluka almost always is in a good mood, sometimes, amazingly, she isn't. She sniffs but does her best to make it a good hug, one of her really good hugs. It might not meet her standard of best.

"They aren't ruined by getting cold?" Alluka asks. She's never cooked before, but she's pretty sure you aren't supposed to leave in the middle.

He's not the most fond of contact with near strangers, but Alluka is a child, even if she's only a few years younger and it's his fault she's like this. So he hugs her back, carefully.

"They're not ruined by being cold." He confirms. "It won't affect the taste either, but you can always reheat them. I wouldn't keep them more than a day or two though for whatever you take home."

It's a long hug, a hug that wants to be certain Geto won't turn around and leave her again. They're in Satori Hills, and that's a ways away from Sharon or Zechs. She doesn't know where Gojo is. If he hadn't come back, she might have eventually looked for Toge on the first floor. It's better he came back. Alluka gives one last good squeeze.

"Okay," Alluka says to fortify herself. "Lets finish making them and eat them. Together." That part is more important than the riceballs themselves.

"I don't really have much of an appetite but I can manage one or two." Suguru straightens, offers her a hand so they can go back to the kitchen to finish the riceballs.

"You have to eat," Alluka says primly. It's a matter of taking care of oneself. If Geto won't do it for himself, only for Gojo, then she can help him. That's what people do.

She accepts the hand because it really is nice to be close to someone. Contact like that feels good. There's still a little more rice left, but there's a large group of riceballs patted around the insides. "What's the next step?" Alluka asks.

"I'm not missing meals, but I'm just not that hungry at the moment. I'll have food later." After he's had some time to himself to settle back into his own head.

"You can put a piece of seaweed on them or not. I think they're mostly done, honestly, unless you want to work on the shape a bit more. Otherwise, just the seaweed should be fine. And then wrapping what you want to take with you when you go."

"That's good. Eating is important," Alluka says solemnly. Sleeping too, but she's less convinced he's doing that one. She's used to regular meals and regular sleep. Those aren't things she ever went without back home. Her parents made sure to take very good care of her. She didn't even have to kill anyone to get toys like her brothers might.

"Oh the seaweed seems important," Alluka says. "Kelp!" She tries to make it sound like 'Hello!' Like Toge does. She takes the time to carefully wrap a piece of seaweed around each one. They don't look as nice as Toge's do, but that's hardly surprising.

She looks down at the counter. It's the second time he's mentioned her leaving. "You want me to go," Alluka says softly. After she waited forever in this scary empty apartment all on her own.

"It really depends on whether you like it or not, as to how important it is. Some people don't like the taste so it's not a requirement or anything." He starts wrapping some of them to set aside for Alluka for later.

"I don't want you to go. I just mean you made a lot of riceballs so we should wrap them in plastic to keep them good for eating later."

"I want to make them like Toge makes them," Alluka says. "I'm not sure exactly how that is, but I know that they have seaweed. And fish flakes? Do we have fish flakes?" She can't exactly turn the list of ingredients Toge uses to talk into making a riceball. If there's an authoritative way to make them, it's his way. Plus she wants to give some of them to him.

"Oh," Alluka is relieved. She wraps her arms around his waist, trying not to get her seaweed-y rice-y hands on his clothes. It's a smaller hug, but it's a good one because she's really glad he wants her to stay. "I didn't mean to cause you any problems," she says into his shirt.

"Well that'll probably take more practice but I'm sure you'll get it down and-" He retrieves the fish flakes for her, setting it in reach. And he doesn't tense at the hug either, just resting a hand on top of her head for a moment.

"You didn't. I just...needed a moment because of things that happened before I came here."

Making riceballs certainly is easier than Alluka expected. She's glad it's so easy, even if she's not sure whether Geto cooked the fish they wrapped the rice around or not. That would be another step that makes it take longer. Alluka's just glad to be welcome here and welcomed by Geto. It makes the rest of it all right. It'll be all right.

She lets him go and shakes fish flakes onto seaweed wrapped onigiri. It's like a conversation for your mouth. And stomach. She sticks one into her mouth and has to chew for a while before she can talk. She uses that time to finish more riceballs.

"Oh," Alluka says once she can talk. "I'm sorry you were having a hard time back home. It'll be better here, I promise. Folkmore is a really good place to be. And I can give you a hug any time you need one."

"I appreciate the offer. I might take you up on it." He does smile, even if it doesn't reach his eyes.

"And I've heard that. It's just going to take some time for me to settle in."

Geto's in more pain than he's willing to let on. Alluka doesn't know why, and she doesn't need to know why. She's here for him whether he wants it or not!

"Like I told Gojo, it took me a long time to settle in. I didn't move into anywhere for months. Just camped about. You're both doing way better on that count than I did," Alluka says, "Of course, I live on a boat now, so my home is cooler."

"Boats are definitely more fun." He agrees easily.

"Camping is fun too, though."

Alluka nods in agreement. They are more fun. She'd know. They lived a little while in Satori Hills until they figured out where they wanted to live.

"It's more fun with Big Brother than by myself," Alluka says. Shrugs. "It beat living by myself." No camping by herself doesn't count as living by herself. Shush.

"Is your brother here too?" She seems young to be alone, even in a supposedly peaceful place like this.

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