Room 301, Tuesday Afternoon

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle was tired and weary, still, but a few days in Idris had done her some good. Even if everyone was still more than a little shell-shocked. Even if everyone was still in mourning for something or someone, and there had been a Council meeting to determine the place of the Seelie Court among them after their betrayal.

Even if the Hall of Accords had been draped with the blue banners of victory, a golden rune of triumph on each one.

It all felt very far away now that Isabelle was back on Fandom. Her room looked the same. Glitter and clothes spilled everywhere. Nothing here suggested the occupant had quite literally been to hell and back not too many days ago.

Isabelle sent out a single text to Flick – I'm here, and nothing else – and dropped her phone on her bed. And sighed.

[ooc: Open door, open post.]

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[seveninchmotto]

"I had to get it out there," she replied, but she wasn't talking about her apology from just now. Maybe that would become clear in a moment. "I know you didn't want me to say it. But we were going to Edom, and there was a very real chance none of us were going to make it, and I just didn't want to think I might die without saying goodbye to you."

[flickofthewrist]

"Shh shh shh," Flick said, stepping back and putting his hands on her cheek, rubbing his thumbs against her skin and then back through her hair. "I get it. I get it."

He took a shaky breath. "My baby, my Isabelle, I just wanted you to come back," he told her, nodding. "And you did. You scared the fuck out of me but I can get over that."

He leaned closer and kissed her forehead and pressed his cheek against her cheek. "Goddammit, I'm so glad you're here."

[seveninchmotto]

And now the cheek he was pressing his against was wet. Sorry about that. She sniffed and tried to keep everything else at bay because she didn't want to cry again.

"We lost Simon," she told him quietly.

[flickofthewrist]

"Lost him?" Flick asked, voice quiet. "He's dead?"

[seveninchmotto]

"Almost." She tried burying her face against the curve of his neck. "He –- he gave up his memories. For us. To get us out of hell. Otherwise we would have been trapped there forever, so he gave up all his memories of us and the Shadow World in exchange for the demon sending us home."

[flickofthewrist]

Flick sighed and wrapped her up tightly, holding her and swaying them both gently.

"Then, you build new memories," he told her quietly. "He's young, you have time. Start anew. I know it's daunting but he saved you. Now, you guys save him."

[seveninchmotto]

"But that would be breaking the Law," Isabelle murmured, a little sadly.

[flickofthewrist]

"Isabelle," he sighed, shaking his head. "He's not an exception to your Law? Look at what he did for you guys. He gave up everything and now he's going to be shut out?"

[seveninchmotto]

"I don't know, Jon," she said. "I don't know. We've been erased. Maybe he's better off."

[flickofthewrist]

"I don't believe that," Flick told her, shaking his head. "And I doubt you do either. If you guys can't be around him anymore, then I'll do it."

[seveninchmotto]

"Jon, I don't want to talk about him right now!"

She was surprised by how anxiously that came out. She even pulled back a little to see him. Her eyes were shiny with tears.

"I just... can't."

[flickofthewrist]

Flick almost said that she'd actually brought him up but held back. He nodded.

"All right, fine," he murmured. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about him."

[seveninchmotto]

She had. But now she was calling for an abrupt ending to the subject, and she was glad he was going with it.

"Sorry," she said anyway. "It was –– it's hard. He saved my life."

In hell.

[flickofthewrist]

"I'm sorry it's hard," he told her, closing his eyes. "I wish I could have been there to help."

To do something.

"I owe him."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle's eyebrows knitted together.

"Why?"

[flickofthewrist]

"Because he saved you," Flick told her emphatically. "Because he made it so you could come back and I wouldn't have to mourn you. I couldn't have dealt with that. I know I couldn't have."

[seveninchmotto]

"Oh."

By the Angel, she was tearing up again. That's what he got for caring.

[flickofthewrist]

"Don't cry," he murmured, rubbing the corners of her eyes with his fingers and sighing. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle couldn't really help looking a little shaken. She was trying, though. Really trying. She didn't want to feel like this.

"We went to hell, baby," she told him quietly. "Well, a hell. A demon dimension."

[flickofthewrist]

"And you came back," he pointed out, pressing his lips to her forehead again. "You saved a lot of people and you came back. It'll take him to heal all the way for you. I know."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle's eyes were shut tight.

"We had to kill a lot of people." Her tone got a little flat there. "Or at least they used to be people. They were poisoned into... not."

[flickofthewrist]

"You did what you had to do," he murmured, sighing quietly. "I know that might not help but think of all the people you saved, Isabelle. Think of the people who didn't even know this was happening that you saved."

[seveninchmotto]

"That helped in the moment," Isabelle mumbled glumly. "It doesn't really help now."

[flickofthewrist]

"I'm sorry," he said, quiet and slow. "You're going to have to forgive yourself. And I know that's hard, believe me. But you did what you had to do. You literally went to some hell dimension and did so much good. Just don't forget that."

He rubbed her back slowly, smoothly.

"I wish I could help you."

[seveninchmotto]

"You waited."

Her voice sounded broken, even though that was a good thing. That he'd waited.

She was just so tired.