choosetruth | ic contact post (entranceway)

( clementine put in the effort to get iris and georgia to talk again, to make it up to each other, because she knew they both wanted it. because they're both important to her, and it was hard to see them at odds like that. now though- now iris is gone. she's waited for her. she's looked in her room. her stuff is gone too, and maybe iris will come back in a month like last time, but chances are slim.

and it's hard.

it's hard as fuck.

clementine should be used to it by now, losing people, losing friends, losing family but it still stings like hell even knowing iris is going some place that's likely better than here. she knows georgia cared about her too, and it's why she shows up a few days into check on her.

to see how she's doing. she steps into the office a few days after iris is- is gone. )

[Georgia is doing completely fine, at least, as far as she ever is. She even gives the slimmest hint of a smile when Clementine comes in, nodding her towards a seat as her fingers fly across her keyboard as she finishes up her sentence.]

Clementine. [She shuts her laptop, turning to face her, then frowns a little. She's very good at reading people, but she doesn't have to be to catch Clementine's mood.] What's wrong?

( for some reason, clementine hadn't expected to have to be the one to tell georgia this. maybe it's because georgia always seems like she's in the know when it comes to information, but clementine did see iris every day. so it wasn't hard for her to figure it out. it wasn't hard to find out that she wasn't here anymore as much as that hurts.

she swallows, folds her arms across her chest. she shelves and shelves again until she can be under control of all of it, of everything she's feeling. she's learned how to do it, how to not let it crash into her. no matter how hard and heavy it gets. she doesn't sit but remains standing as her arms fold in further against herself. )

Iris is gone.

...oh.

[The word is soft, with very little intonation. If you didn't know her, it might almost sound like she doesn't care, but it's not that at all. She is processing as well as she can.

And there's a lot to process. They'd just made up. Georgia hadn't seen much of her, but she'd assumed that was just because, well, Georgia doesn't see much of anyone who isn't Shaun sometimes. She keeps an eye on the networks, but it's hard to notice a lack of someone when it could mean they're just not posting to the network. She isn't always the best friend in that way. Too busy working to check up on them. Would she even notice Clementine's absence as soon as she should?]

How long? Is her stuff still here? [Is there any chance she's coming back?]

( clementine knows georgia well enough to know the truth. she cares. it's just hard to show it. clementine made sure the two of them could get together to make up because she knew it mattered so much to the both of them. to iris and to georgia. )

I don't know. Maybe before the last Event? I didn't see her during the Event, but I thought it was because-

( events get busy. they get complicated, and they get wild. it's hard to keep track of what's happening during them. it's hard to keep up with people, and schedule goes out the window so she wasn't seeing iris for breakfast because they were all in some big quarry and everyone had different powers. )

Then I didn't see her after either, and I usually do every day. Her stuff's gone.

[Which means she probably isn't coming back. Which means if she does come back, she probably won't remember this place. She did remember last time, but that wasn't the norm. That was an amazing fluke.

She feels the weird burning in her eyes she's come to recognize as a sign she's about to cry. No. She blinks rapidly, trying to force the feeling back down. No. She already hates crying. If there's one thing she misses about her old shitty eyes, it's that they never produced fucking tears. She swallows down the lump in her throat and looks to Clementine instead.]

Are you okay? I know how close you two were.

( instinct nearly takes over. i'm okay gets trapped in her throat, but she can't get the words out. she doesn't know if it's because the words are a lie or because her version of okay has turned into some consistent level of heartache and pain. she doesn't fully feel any of it, because she doesn't want to. it's possible to get numb to everything.

because how do people move forward then if they felt everything there is to feel?

she doesn't know what's right or not. emotions are hard. they're hard for georgia too. her throat strangles and then doesn't. her gaze lands on her quiet concern, a question too. what's the right thing? feeling it or holding it back? )

Are you? ( there's a pause. ) Seems like warm people are always taken so fast. ( her parents, lee, luke. in meaningless ways. and iris. she was so warm, and she's alive so it shouldn't hurt like this. the world just feels colder without that warmth. ) At least she's home with her family.

[Georgia's always okay. Georgia hasn't been okay in a very long time.

She has Shaun. When it comes down to it, if she lost everything else in the world and still had Shaun, she'd still be okay on some level. But she still wakes up screaming every night. No, she's not okay. But she doesn't know whether Iris' absence changes the level of not okay she is.]

And her home's not like our home. She has things to look forward to. In a way, this is good for her.

[It just sucks for those left behind.]

I'm... glad we made up. I know she wouldn't remember either way, but I'd hate it if our last conversation had been a fight.

( Clementine nods as her hands become little, useless fists at her sides, and she swallows thickly. She knows how much Iris must have missed her dad and her brother. She's grateful she gets to go back to them even if she can't shake the way it feels.

Somewhere deep down. )

I'd hate for that too.

( She shakes her head. )

It's good you made up. It's hard enough losing someone without having something unfinished between you. ( Throw in a fight as a last conversation, it's that much harder. )

Yes. Thank you for that.

[If it hadn't been for Clementine's intervention, it might not have happened. This quickly, anyway.]

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