victory_road | Video, backdated to the first week of October

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Video, backdated to the first week of October

Hello. I am Sion Astal, one of the co-leaders of the Collegiate Gym. I wish to apologize for the gym's recent, unplanned closure, and announce that as of now, we are once again open according to our normal schedule.

If you have any questions related to the gym, or wish to re-schedule anything, you are welcome to speak with me or my co-leader, Ryner Lute.

And again, my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience.

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You're sure you're ready for this?

[His tone isn't any more skeptical than he might usually come off, or anything like that. He's just... tired, and also still worried, okay.]

*that just earns a slight shrug*

I have to be.

[That is not a yes.]

If it'd help you, we can divide up the work so I'm taking on a little - a little - more of it than you, at least while you're getting back into the swing of things. Like, if you don't want to have to deal with challengers, I can take care of all of those, or something.

[You know he's worried when he's offering to do more work.]

*there's definitely a pause before Sion responds*

... I need something to do, Ryner.

...I get that.

[He gets that Sion is like that.]

I just... There's a difference between doing something and overworking yourself, and you've never known the difference even before all of this.

That isn't true, you know.

*Sion had allowed that misconception to persist, because it obscured his real intentions*

I've always known precisely how much I'm capable of, I simply chose at times to ignore it.

*because he desperately needed something to take his mind off other things... or because he was intentionally trying to push himself*

[Leaving aside whether or not Ryner believes that, and also leaving aside that if true that kind of makes things worse because Sion has been choosing to overwork himself nearly to death on purpose all these years... granted, that's not really all that surprising all things considered, but still...]

How do I know you're not just going to start doing that again, then?

What would be the point?

*Ryner knows about his... inclinations now. He has no reason to hide it behind self-destructive tendencies anymore*

[As far as Ryner knows, why would that stop Sion?

But okay.]

Look, I'm just... I'm worried about you, okay?

I know.

*there's something incredibly weary in his tone*

I didn't want you to have to worry. Not about something there's nothing to be done about.

*he'd come to terms with the fact that he was most likely doomed a long time ago--practically embraced it, even. But he didn't want his best friend to suffer needlessly*

I was always gonna worry, you know. You're my best friend. Why shouldn't I?

[also the 'don't make Ryner worry' ship sailed years ago anyway, but we're not going to get into that rainy night right now---

...though he does quickly correct himself.]

--Don't answer that, I know what you're gonna say even though you're wrong.

Why should you worry when there's nothing to be done? Besides, I--

*... yeah, he's going to cut himself off there. Just because Ryner knows how he feels now doesn't mean he needs to outright say it*

[He forces himself to take a deep breath in and steady himself, because letting himself get frustrated is not going to help right now.]

Maybe I can't do anything. But you're my best friend. That's enough of a reason.

I don't want you to have to worry, Ryner.

*he really, truly doesn't. which is probably part of why this whole situation seems so unwinnable to him*

...Can you promise me something, then?

What is it?

Promise me that when something's bothering you, you'll talk to someone about it, instead of just keeping it to yourself.

It doesn't have to be me. I know there's still a lot that you won't, or can't, talk to me about, and I just have to accept that, I guess.

[The way he says that last phrase sounds less like acceptance and more like resignation, but.]

But you have friends who want to help you, so... let them. Even if it's just with a listening ear.

*if anything, Sion looks... genuinely surprised at the request. Perhaps a tiny bit bewildered*

Why? I don't know of anyone who could change things.

*why talk about problems that no one can possibly fix?*

Maybe they can't change it, but... If you talk to someone about it, then at least you're not bearing everything alone.

[He won't mention the - very slim - possibility that someone from another world entirely could have an entirely new perspective on things. That's not the point.]

And I mean... You know how I complain about all of the bothersome things in life, all the time?

But that would only be because of burdening someone else with it.

*he's not sure where Ryner's going with that last bit though, so he doesn't respond to that just yet*

It's not burdening someone if you're talking to a friend about it. Your friends want to help.

And... well, it does help. Letting it out. Just saying it aloud, instead of keeping everything inside. All the complaining I do seriously gets me through the day, when things are a pain. It doesn't change anything, but it makes me feel better, anyway.

*he... doesn't know what to think of that, let alone what to say. For that matter, it's highly questionable whether Sion even really knows how to voice his feelings in the first place. He's always spent his entire life keeping them to himself, after all*

I don't know if that would make any difference, for me.

*read: he hasn't the faintest clue what to do.... and has too much residual wariness of letting others take advantage to be comfortable letting himself be that vulnerable*

Just... try it, please? Even if you just start with complaining about little things bugging you, like your tea being too sweet, or someone at the gym having illegible handwriting, or something.

[He knows this is a hard thing to ask. He knows this is a hard thing to talk about in the first place. Hell, he knows he himself struggles with the bigger stuff sometimes.]

If you can promise that you'll try to tell people what's bothering you... then I can promise to try to worry less about what you're keeping to yourself.

*there's the instinct to just lie, to say whatever's necessary to keep Ryner from worrying... but Sion's starting to get tired of lying, of knowing he's still hurting his friend*

.....

*that doesn't make this any easier, though*

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Video, backdated to the first week of October

Action, because yeah

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