CHAPTER 11: CONFIDING IN A FRIEND

– POV: ALEX –

(ROLEPLAYERS: VEN, TEA)

(ADAPTATION: TEA)

It was just a regular day in Sunrise Park, No Man's Land ...

"So, how'd the thing with the President go?" Alex asks idly, dangling on the monkey bars like the subject of the conversation was something as casual as asking someone about the weather. "Did he hear you out?”

Sat on the very end of one of the slides nearby said monkey bars is Clover, arms crossed with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"It went better than I thought it would," Clover admits, kicking his feet. "He said he'd think about it. At least. The whole ..." He briefly hesitates, but then seems to disregard it. "Glimpsing. Thing.”

"He'd think about it?" Alex echoes incredulously. "Maaaan, that's nothing! Surely that's not all, right?" She's swaying, a bit, as she speaks. Side to side, idly. Talk about that arm strength, damn.

"I know," Clover says with a sigh. "Unfortunately, yeah. That was it." A pause. "And he also seemed to be worried I'd get myself hurt somehow." He shrugs.

"Damn," Is all Alex says, letting go of the bars and hitting the ground, landing easily on her feet, with a considerable oomf . "I mean, it's kind of cool you could just. Go up to him, like that. Like it's nothing. I can't do that,"

She says, strolling by to where Clover is sitting and plopping herself down next to him.

"What's your next move, now?”

With a small laugh, Clover looks to Alex.

"You know that I'm supposed to be able to do that." Clover pauses. "Well—” He hunches his shoulders, looking a little embarrassed. "Maybe I shouldn't ..." It doesn't last, though, as he puffs out his chest. "But I did it anyway, and I didn't get in trouble, so."

He seems to consider her next words.

"I guess I just have to wait. Maybe talk to my dad about the Glimpsing a little more in-depth now that it's organized and he can't tell me just not to do it," Clover says with a bit of a smirk. "Because it's important.”

"Oh yeah— you didn't talk to your dad, right? Yet?" Alex tilts her head. "Maybe they'll actually listen to you...? Or nah. I mean, they're your dad," She vaguely gestures around. "You know how it is," With parents, she almost has to clarify. But Clover already knows that Alex's dad is, uh.

A little dead.

… She can't remember him much, either.

She leans against the slide. "I think this is a good start, though." She smiles.

"Yeah, I didn't," Clover says, and he almost sounds guilty about it. "I know they would have stopped me, is the thing. He gets real worried for my safety, and Glimpsing is a lot more intense than just regular visions." He sighs, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"But, you're right. It is a good start." He smiles, too.

"Damn. How rebellious of you, Clo," Alex snarks. She laughs, soon after. "But hey! I get why you did it, dude."

She pulls her knees up to her chest. Quiet, for a moment. Just a moment.

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"... What'dya see, anyhow?" She asks, quietly. "I don't think you told me.”

"Thanks," Is all Clover says to the first bit, with a smile. Then—

"I didn't?" Clover looks to Alex properly, and for a moment his expression turns anxious. But then he sucks it up. "I saw—" He breathes in.

"The faces of the Cabinet, and— and the Emperor. And I felt ... a lot of bad things, but I got this sense that they weren't really my feelings." He frowns, pressing a hand to his chest. "Like ... like the vision was trying to tell me something. That's why we need to do a Glimpsing, so I can listen to it.”

Alex lets that hang in the air, moment. Like a consideration.

"Awe, fuck," She says finally, unremarkably. "The Emperor? Shiiiit, man. Hope that doesn't mean another war," She murmurs. She's certainly seen enough of that, in her life.

Weren't the Cabinet supposed to keep them safe…?

Clover looks up sharply and his eyes briefly fill with dismay— then his expression eases into just ... worry.

"I hope not too," Clover says quietly. His hands twitch, and he fidgets with them idly after a few moments, looking away from Alex as he tries to decide what to say next. "I—" He pauses.

"I— I think I'm seeing these visions so we can stop whatever might happen. I'll ... We'll figure it out." Clover grins, but it's nervous. almost forced.

"Is it possible— to stop them?" Alex asks, eyes wide. Round. Worried. "Like it's not, set in stone. Right? I dunno how it all really... works. So," She shrugs.

"I think so," Clover says, and seems to try to keep uncertainty from leaking into his voice. He fails.

"That's why my parents would hold these rituals in the first place— to peer into the potential future and ... change the course, I guess." He looks… nervous.

Alex hugs her knees a little bit closer to her chest. Then— she sighs. She still has her doubts, but…

"Okay, well. If you say so, Clover." She smiles, and it's a shaky looking thing. "I hope they listen to you.”

... Clover scoots a little closer, closer, closer to Alex— until their shoulders bump together, and then he stops and just.

Stays there. Like usual.

"Yeah," he says. "I hope so, too." He's leaning on Alex, a little— like a reassurance. Contact has always helped him, she finds.

Alex leans in a little, too.

"... It'll be okay," She says after a moment. "I mean, things have been pretty quiet here in NML, right?" Easy way to jinx it, Alex. She winces. "—So, so. You know. Clearly they know what they're doing, I think. And now the President knows, too, so!" So? "You did what you could.”

… She sounds like she's trying to reassure herself more than Clover. She hopes he doesn't notice.

"Yeah, I guess so." Clover fidgets, still. It's subtle, but it's there. "Mr. Marris does know now— I definitely made sure of that," He says with a little bit of a laugh, an attempt at humor in the sudden gloom. "I ..."

Clover sighs, and goes quiet. Uh oh.

"Hey," Alex nudges Clover with her elbow. "C'mon, dude. Don't be like that. If you think about it too hard you'll go all crazy in the brain and we can't have that,"

Nudged, Clover blinks. Then, a small, embarrassed smile breaks onto his face and he looks to Alex again.

"I definitely don't want to go all crazy in the brain! So yeah, I guess I shouldn't think about it too hard," Clover says, rubbing at the back of his head. "It's tough, but I'll try. Just tell me if I start getting weird again." He smiles.

"You say that like I don't already do that," Alex snarks, with a smile nonetheless.

She leans forward, like she's preparing to stand up. "Hey, let's go take a walk. A stroll. Mama always used to say it was soothing for the soul, or— or something." She offers.

Clover blinks.

"Sure! I don't see why not," Clover says with a smile. "Dad says taking walks is, uh, healthy?" His brow furrows. "They say that it, um, gets the blood moving in your body? Helps let out stress? He says a lot of things, actually," the hybrid muses, tapping a finger to his chin.

"I guess we got double parental approval, then," Alex says, pulling herself up to her feet. Looking down at Clover expectantly. "Need any help? Or nah.”

"No, I'm good," Clover says, and hops right up beside her. His hooves tap against the ground as he finds his balance and he smiles. "All set and ready for, uh, walking?" He grins awkwardly.

Wow. That was. Something.

"Look, let's just go," He hunches his shoulders in embarrassment.

Alex gives him a light pat on the back, already beginning to walk. Pulling him along.

"Yep, going.”