(semi-open) don't know how you keep on laughing every day

[entreats]

Who: Ange and existing CR/anyone who wants to check in on her.
What: Ange has gotten some nasty news that's dragging her down.
When: After the 13th of this month.
Where: The Clockhouse.

Content Warnings: Depression, talk of family murder, potential mentions of past suicidal ideation.

[ Around the middle of the month, Ange noticably completely seems to disappear from public life in Trench. She doesn't turn up for her work at the bakery, can't be found studying in the Archives or walking around the streets - basically anywhere she usually would have been, she suddenly can't be found anymore.

Maybe you've noticed and you're worried enough to come visit Ange over it. Or maybe Ruby has told you that Ange isn't doing so well and could use a visit or some help. Either way, if you stop by the Clockhouse you will be easily guided over to Ange's room she shares with Ruby. That's where you'll find Ange, at least having managed to sit up on the bed rather than just lie around in it. She's looking much more tired than usually, her skin paler, and signs of crying around her eyes or just her face in general. Still, despite her current state, she'll actually look over at you. Perhaps a tad surprised to see you, but mostly looking a mix of embarrassed and miserable as she only lets out a soft "hey." (Of course this is how people from the Clockhosue itself can also find her in her room!)

Or maybe you don't know. Maybe you haven't noticed where Ange has been, and you just happen to pass by the weird green house on your walk. It's then that Ange can be found out on the porch, at least having dragged herself over there to sit outside. Not that it seems to be doing much for her - she looks just as obviously miserable there, leaning against something as if that's her only hope of managing to remain sitting up, and rubbing at her eyes with a hand. She doesn't even notice the people passing by, so there's no greeting, but perhaps the sight makes you worried enough to approach.

Of course if you can't visit, there's always the option to shoot her a message instead. ]

Comments

[slayerskiss]

[Faith comes by Ange's doorway. She knows that she and Ange aren't super best friends, but it doesn't change the fact that she feels like she owes Ange one.

She didn't respond to Sayo's message. She doesn't know Sayo. She doesn't really want to. The fact that she had the nerve to live under the same roof as Ange...

Faith can't judge murder, she can judge cowardice.]

So... you want to talk about it? [Do you want revenge?]

[entreats]

[ It's a little surprising to see Faith of all people turn up. Not even in a bad way, really - if anything, it's a little touching that the other would go out of their way to come to her at a time like this.

Initially she's even a little confused as to how the other would know about anything, but then Ange's brainfog clears up just enough to make her realise that.. right, Faith is in the group chat too. She would have seen the message. ]

I guess.

[ It's not the world's most enthusiastic answer, but it's all Ange can muster right now. She shifts a little where she's sitting, just so she can see Faith better, pulling a hand through her doubtlessly messy hair. ]

.. I don't know what to say though. I'm just so mad at myself for not realising any of it before.

on the porch

[measuringdicks]

[Venkman the Mimikyu comes into view first, scurrying over to Ange's feet, the costume head turning up to look at her. If this were a real Pikachu those eyes would be blinking up at her right now, but as things stand Venk just...kind of tries to radiate warmth and cuddly feelings, as much as he can.

After a moment, Richie comes over, with milkshakes. He says nothing, just hands her one milkshake and takes a sip of the other. Eventually:]

Do you wanna talk about it, whatever it is, or do you just wanna be distracted? I can do both.

[entreats]

[ At least the lack of a real reaction might not be as strange since this is Ange we're talking about. She has faced down stranger things than a Mimikyu of all things, hence why she doesn't even blink when Venkman appears before her like that.

.. though her reaction does seem a bit more lifeless than usually, even as the critter is doing his best to radiate some warmth towards the girl.

No, Ange only moves when Richie holds out that milkshake to her, and even then her movement is sluggish, grabbing the drink from him just a moment later than anyone usually would have.

At least she does take a sip from it, pausing before she finally speaks. ]

I.. guess I should talk about it. [ That's only fair, right? If she was the concerned friend, she'd want to know what's wrong too. ] But I'm worried that it's going to make me sound real dumb.

[cuddlery]

[It seems like it's been forever since Scorpia saw Ange around. Maybe she saw her at the bakery semi-regularly. Starting to worry about her friend, she eventually comes over for a biscuit, while toting a basket of treats from the bakery.

Once she arrives at her room, she quickly feels a pit in the stomach as she sees how miserable her friend looks.]

...Ange...?

[entreats]

[ That expression on Scorpia's face is telling Ange so much here.

Mostly just how bad she must be looking if her sheer appearance is startling the other like this. It makes Ange slowly suck in a breath, pulling a hand through her hair to try and make herself look a little bit more presentable, even though the gesture itself is lacking in energy as well - meaning that it doesn't really do anything to make her look better. ]

Sorry.

[ Her voice is softer than usually, and though it's flat, it's more just due to a lack of energy than due to the usual deadpan. ]

I should've warned you. I just.. [ Her voice trails off.

She just didn't have the energy or the willpower to send people a message on what was up, or why she might not be around much for a while. ]

Porch

[onekindsoul]

[Ruby hasn't pulled away completely from her day to day routine. But she hasn't been straying too far from the Clock House for too long and even when she does she's got her Omni in her hand and her Omen keeping an eye on both Ange and the house. Ruby didn't need the bond that her and Ange now shared to know that her wife girlfriend had been dealt an deep blow. She remembers when Ange told her about the mystery of her families fate and how that had consumed her back in her own world. She couldn't imagine having something like that come back to smack her in the face the way it. Ruby didn't have the words to say to make this hurt go away or even an actual answer on what to do to respond to it.

All she can do right now is be there for Ange and that's what she does. She makes calls to her friends to make sure that know Ange could use some support but she doesn't go into detail into why to respect Ange's privacy on the subject at least.

It's late in the afternoon when she appears at the door way to their bedroom and she gives a little wave.]

Hey.

[entreats]

[ At least seeing Ruby feels soothing, even in the middle of all of this. Honestly, Ange is pretty sure that making their bond just in time is the only thing that kept her from fully flying off the handle when Sayo had confessed everything to her. Something about Ruby's presence seems to calm her down a little bit, seems to root her enough that she can at least stay herself, even though she feels very tired and energyless all the time.

But that's no excuse to not greet her girlfriend. ]

Do you have some time to just stay here with me..?

[ She doesn't doubt that Ruby would have done so earlier already, really, if Ange had asked for it. But she didn't want to totally stop the other's daily routine, just because she's having a bit of a hard time right now.

But after Ruby having been out for a while - she does feel like she could use the other's company, if not just for a little bit. ]

[payingfordeliverance]

[The first indication that Ange has received another visitor -- if she's of a mind at all to be paying attention to noise in the hallway -- is the scrabbling patter of a four-legged beastie scurrying up to her door. After a moment's pause something shadowy and black seeps into the room underneath it, wisps of darkness that curl and pool and ultimately reform themselves into a certain long, noodley omen.

Baltus gives himself a good doggy shake, and then wastes no time whatsoever in leaping right up onto the bed and slithering to Ange's side. The first time he offered her comfort like this, he was almost timid, letting Ange dictate just how much of him she wanted in her personal space. Since then, they've met her as a child, one who threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close in a moment of distress. Because of that the omen is no longer inclined to faff about, and he'll settle in leaning right up on her if she lets him.

The person the omen is attached to follows more slowly, and not simply because he has to bother to open the door. By now Ange has seen him swanning about with his usual obnoxious grace, and she's seen the younger version of him, stiff and skittish and retrained. Break is somewhere in between those two extremes now, his movements as distant and solemn as the look on his face as he steps inside and shuts the door behind him without making any sound at all.]

...hey.

[entreats]

[ The omen doesn't quite get the same reception he did back when Ange was so small - but he's not quite getting the cold shoulder either. In fact, the moment the creature moves to Ange's side like that, she does seem to make some space for him, and then lets Baltus lean against her without a single complaint. It shows that the omen's company - and the company that will inevitably follow Baltus - is welcome enough, even if Ange isn't at her full energy to greet it.

It makes Break's attitude a good fit for the situation. She definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with his usual extreme Break-iness in her current state, which makes the calm very welcome here and now.

Even if the fact that he came all the way here seems a little surprising to Ange. Not so much when she's still busy letting Baltus settle in, perhaps even leaning back against him a little. But when she spots the actual guy standing there, it makes Break's presence here a lot more real.

And that means the girl needs a moment to process the fact that he came here for her. It's weird. Not unpleasantly so, but.. just surprising. ]

I.. [ Ange's voice trails off, and she reaches a hand up to rub at her eyes, the whites in her eyes still so red from crying. ] Um.

[ It's hard to even find words when it feels like she's drowning in her feelings. ]

Sorry. I didn't expect company. [ 'Sorry for my current state', she probably means to say. Since Ange sure isn't the type to look this messy in front of anyone if she can help it.

But then again, even if she knew Break would have come over, she probably wouldn't have been able to find the energy to make herself more presentable under the current circumstances. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Hey, there.

[Michael may not see Ange all the time, but he's used to her being around when he picks up his weekly order from the bakery. Lysithea's the one who told him that she'd apparently just vanished. He doesn't know anything more than that, really - is she sick? She looks sick. But also maybe upset? Maybe she had a nasty death.]

How's it going?

[entreats]

.. not too great.

[ And she lacks the sort of energy she'd usually have to make a deadpan quip in regards to what he's asking her - even though the field is wide open for it. After all, it's not like she exactly looks alright, which she usually would have pointed out.

But in her current energyless state, it's easier to just tell the truth, even though it's not the sort of thing she'd like to display to other people.

She breathes out, realising that leaving it at that probably isn't too great either. ]

It's been.. a rough while. [ The understatement of the year. ]

porch

[blackmothwings]

[It doesn't take Lucille too long to realize that she hasn't seen or heard from Ange for a while, and her silence frightens Lucille. She checks the Omni first, fearing that she might have lost another loved one to the cruel whims of Trench, but Ange's name still appears. Thank god it still appears.

At least she knows Ange is here, but that knowledge just replaces old fears with new ones. Is she sick? Has something happened? Memories of zealots and violence bubble up to the surface of her mind, and her heart beats a little faster in her chest. In the interests of remaining calm and appearing normal, she purchases some tea and brings it over to the Clockhouse. And when she sees Ange on the porch, she makes a beeline for her. She notes that the girl looks miserable, and Lucille feels a heavy sensation in her chest.]

Hello, darling. [She sits down and sets the paper cups of steaming green tea between them both.] I thought I'd bring you some tea.

[entreats]

.. thank you.

[ Ange's voice is quiet, and even her reply is a little slow. By the time she says it, Lucille is already long done talking and sitting down with the tea.

But at least it still is a reaction, even if it's coming very slowly from someone who is pretty obviously looking miserable over here. ]

I guess.. I could use some tea, huh.. [ Especially since it's not like Ange has been taking the absolute best care of herself lately, given everything that's been going on. ]

[frogfear]

[Willow only knows what Ange has told her about her family - namely, that they were murdered by witches back in her world. To say the least, Shannon's confession on the house's group chat had come as a shock.

Of course she goes to her friend to offer her support.

She knocks softly on the door before opening it just a little.]

Hey, I, uh... saw the chat... How are you holding up?

[entreats]

Well..

[ Ange's voice trails off. But just from the way she looks, it's pretty clear that 'not too great' is the answer. Ange managed to keep her eyes mostly dry throughout the confrontation, but the moment she was sure Sayo left the house, Ange just couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Her eyes still definitely look red as heck because of it, and she selfconsciously rubs at them once she realises Willow is looking at her. ]

It's just.. a lot. I really didn't know it was her all along. And I let her stay here with us..

Porch

[azurestar]

[Lance is on his way to the Farther Shores. But he got a little distracted, it happens a lot with his corruption, he loses time, finds himself walking somewhere else. And somehow, he's found his feet taking him in the direction of strong emotions. Once, he ended up right by a crying boy and helped him find his parents.

This time, he's drawn to Ange on her porch. He still has the eyepatch, but he's covered up the look of his skin better, and his expressiveness has improved. And his entire focus is on how immense her depression is, it's enough to make him feel like he's choking more than he already is.]

Ange?

[He calls her name softly from a few feet away. He can help her with his powers, but… when it comes to emotions he feels like talking to her about her pain first is more respectful.]

[entreats]

[ It takes a moment, as if the fact that someone just said her name takes that moment to fully get through to Ange in her current state, but then she turns her head slowly in the direction of the sound.

The girl sits up a little more properly, rubbing with a hand at her way too read eyes. ]

.. who..?

[ It's not that she doesn't recognize Lance. They talked fairly recently, after all, at the wedding party. But all her emotions and misery have weighed her down so much that her brain has become a big more foggy, making it take a moment longer for her to realise who she's dealing with here. ]

in ange's room

[arclightning]

[ Mako doesn't waste any time hovering in the doorway.

Not for Ange, not looking like this, with her face this pale. Mako's never been able to take crying: there's something in him that rears up every time, something that has to fix it.

He brought food, but it's been left in the kitchen for Ange to eat later. For now, it's just him, with another book under his arm in case she needs a distraction and a face full of worry. He lets the door fall shut behind him and pads over the bed in socked feet, sinks down onto the edge of it. ]

You don't look great.

[ No holds barred, here. He doesn't need to ask if she's okay. The answer's pretty clear, and anyway, Mako himself never knows how to answer that. ]

[entreats]

.. I don't.

[ Maybe it's him being so direct about it that makes Ange answer so honestly in turn - or maybe she realises that there's no way she could lie about this one either way. Not when she's looking so pale and miserable, and not while she still feels that way on the inside.

Or maybe she just thinks that it's something that's okay to share with Mako of all people.

It's why she doesn't reject him sitting down there either. If anything, she scoots over a little to make space for him, showing that he's very much welcome. ]

I don't know what to do. [ She doesn't look directly at him as she speaks though, instead staring at her shoes. ] It's like the ground suddenly crumbled away right underneath me, right when I thought things might actually be a little better here.

Porch

[shiro2hero]

Hey.

[The last time he'd spoken with Ange had been the conversation about dice, swords, and Pthumerian gifts. Given the fact the dice were... concerning, is it any wonder Shiro's turned up? Just to make sure their suspicions didn't actually come true.]

[But as he drags himself toward the house, spying her on the porch, he's already worried he's too late. Realistically, someone else could have blamed the Warmblood illness, or whatever it is. Shiro is not "someone else". He's going to absolutely blame himself if he's too late to help.]

Long time no see. [Shiro manages to sound more amused than upset by that though.]

[entreats]

[ Ange glances up at him, looking pretty tired - if not just for the way she's doing everything relatively slowly compared to how she usually does.

Then she starts to upright herself, like she's trying to look a little better.. though it's not doing much, given that she really does look tired and kind of on the pale side. ]

Hey, Shiro..

[ Her voice trails off for a moment, and it seems like she might not say more than that. But then, after a moment, she finally manages to add: ]

Were you looking for someone..?

[ You know, as if she doesn't even realise that someone might approach her just because they're concerned about the way she looks right now. ]

inside

[wannasmash]

Midoriya is ushered through the house, walking with his usual polite care, but there is no spring in his step. His thick curls are scraggly and uncharacteristically coarse. There is still a sleepless roughness around his eyes. Despite receiving some healing for the worst of his injuries, a few scrapes mar his face near the back of his jaw. On the face of a person who lived his life looking at the world wide-eyed in wonder, surprise, and earnestness, his restful and serious expression is a drastic change. He doesn't wear it like a temporary affliction, but like he's settled into this skin.

He hovers in the doorway in a more subdued, understated way. Who is this sad, forlorn figure sitting like she could sink entirely into her furniture and never rise again?

"...Ushiromiya-san? Good afternoon." His voice is low, not raised to look up at anyone in preemptive conciliation as usual, but soft. "I came by to thank Rose-san for helping me, and I wanted to say hi to you. I've left you both some green tea."

[entreats]

.. oh.

This is different. He's not the first person to visit the house, but most people came here out of concern for Ange. And while he's already making it pretty clear that it wasn't his reason for visiting, he stands out because she.. she remembers.

Even though her mind is so foggy, so heavy with emotion, she does remember. There was someone asking about Midoriya earlier on the network. She remembers talking with them, because she too was worried about the news that the other had apparently disappeared..

And here he is now. Definitely looking a bit off, but he's here, and he's alright enough to walk around and talk.

Not much can be a relief in Ange's current state, but.. well. At least it's something.

"Thanks," Ange says. The sound of her own voice almost sounds foreign to her ears, and it sounds a little raw, like she hasn't done much talking between fits of crying. "How.. are you..?"

That's probably a little easier to talk about right now than about her own state, honestly. And he is genuinely curious, because she was definitely worried about him.

on the porch

[zib]

[When Zib approaches Ange where she's sitting on her porch, his gait is a little awkward. Like he's a little more top-heavy than normal, but it's hard to tell why because of the thick coat he's wearing and has both of his arms tucked inside of. Maybe he's just cold?

Either way, it seems whatever is going on isn't enough to distract him from speaking with Ange here, especially after he noticed how unhappy she looked when he was wandering by.]

Um, hey Ange? You don't look so good... did something happen?

[entreats]

[ Honestly, it's hard to tell if Ange even notices how odd Zib is looking in this moment. Her gaze seems a little unfocused, even as she's moving her head in that sort of way that makes it seem like she's at least looking at him. Or in his general direction.

And when she speaks up, it's just an energy-less: ]

.. hey.

[ It even takes another moment or two before she addresses his question, starting to frown a little bit.

It seems like something is off about both of them in this moment, huh. Even though Zib is the only one noticing as much so far. ]

I've had a pretty crappy while. [ .. That's probably the only way to describe it, honestly. ] Found out my family's murderer was actually in this place all along.

[ Her tone is much softer than usually too. There's no deadpan in it either, the way there usually is in Ange's tone. ]

Ange's Room

[lightthedarkness]

[There's a gentle knock on the door but it doesn't open.]

Ange-chan, it's Usagi, can I come in?

[She adjusted the bag of treats and a bento box, she'd leave them with Ruby if Ange said no and wanted to be left alone.]

[entreats]

.. yeah.

[ It's not exactly the most enthusiastic of replies, but still, she's definitely giving the other permission to come in. It might help that it's not like Ange usually sounds very energetic or enthusiastic in the first place, making the reply a little less weird..

.. but.. well, once Usagi enters, she'll be sure to notice that Ange really looks off, even by her standards. She's just too pale and too exhausted-looking to really seem like her usual self. There's not even an attempt at putting her usual pokerface up on her face, which is saying a lot.

The only thing that moves is her gaze, turning towards the stuff Usagi is holding, before moving back up to the other girl's face. ]

You.. stopped by..?

Porch

[onerthes]

[Vira-Lorr had been coming out to see her eventually. It was easy to get caught up by everything, but she hadn't heard from Ange in a while. While that wasn't unusual? At a certain point, something was up. Maybe it was just one of those moments when she was dragging herself out to the porch, or maybe who knows what any other reason might be, but she drew near and leaned against the posts of the house, smiling and waving.]

Hey. You alright?

[She was not going to look worried. She was not going to look worried. She was not going to look worried. She was not going to look worried. She was not going to look worried.

...fuck it, she looked worried.]

[entreats]

...

[ At first when Ange sees Vira-Lorr, all she seems to do is just suck in a deep breath and then release it, sighing so hard that it's almost as if Ange's soul is leaving her body.

It sure looks like her soul left her body, anyway. There's dark circles underneath her eyes, and her skin is pale, like she hasn't had a good night rest in a while now. Her hair is even messy, and though Ange raises a hand to try and smooth it out a little bit, the gesture helps absolutely nothing here. ]

Not really. [ She finally says. Her voice is slow and energyless, her usual deadpan nowhere to be found. ] .. Sorry.

[ Why is she saying 'sorry' here? Maybe it's exactly because she's spotting that worry on Vira-Lorr's face. ]

Some.. big stuff happened.

porch!

[possessum]

( Finding out about Ange has been one of the rare collaborative efforts between Paimon and Peter.

It was the demon to discover something was strange first. He hasn't been at work as much these days, himself — staying home much more often, ever-vigilant and protective of the townhouse and Luna — but he'd still noticed a distinct absence of The Golden Witch inbetween his own shifts. A loss of her particular, familiar energy.

Communicating still isn't something they often do, but a very fretful Paimon ended up telling Peter about it, via a note left for him.... In turn, Peter reached out to Ruby, who relayed the fact that her girlfriend wasn't doing too well. This brought the both of them to the mutual conclusion that Ange needed to be checked up on.

So Peter's making his way to the big green house with an anxious flutter in his stomach, feeling weirdly dazed. He isn't filled with only his own worry for his friend, but also Paimon's, after all. And the demon feeling such a sensation so strongly... it makes Peter a bit strange, dizzy. But he pushes through that, tries to swallow back the demon's thrum and buzz and brightness, because he catches a glimpse of red hair up on the porch, and he approaches.

He almost didn't come in person. His physical appearance is... a little bit startling, these days. There's currently a pair of large black horns jutting out of his head, and a long scaly black tail trailing behind him, and Peter isn't sure how anyone's going to react to any of that. So he approaches the porch slowly, peering up at it until he can see Ange. And she... doesn't look good. She looks tired — listless, maybe sick. She doesn't even seem to have noticed him yet.

Peter swallows again and steps closer, adjusting the bag that's hanging off of one shoulder as he calls to her. )

Hi, Ange. It's uh, it's Peter. ( A soft, apologetic smile. He can feel Paimon pressing hard within him, wanting to make sure she's all right, but Peter isn't one to push into someone's personal space. He hesitates there on the ground, looking up at her. )

Sorry to just show up like this. I was hoping to talk to you for a little, if you're okay with company. But I can always come back another time if that's better.

[entreats]

[ If there's ever a sign that Ange has been out of it, it's this one. Because she's sitting here, staring up at a Peter who is very much not looking like himself - yet is definitely Peter rather than Paimon, even in this state Ange can tell the difference between them just from the way the guy speaks - and she doesn't even react to it.

She's staring right at his head, horns included, and yet all Ange does is slowly blink. It's even hard to find much emotion in her eyes. It's like her gaze is just a little bit clouded over.

But just when it might seem like she doesn't react to his presence at all, Ange slowly nods. ]

.. no.

[ Even her speech is slow. But she manages to talk - maybe because there's something she wants to say, because it would have been easy to not say anything at all and just let him walk away. ]

You.. can stay. [ There's plenty of room to sit on the porch, after all. Ange even starts to move a little, shifting ever so slightly, like she's trying to scoot over and make room for him.

Even though there's.. plenty of room already. Look, she's trying in her own way. ]

I like your company.

[ Also way too easy of an admission, compared to the way Ange can sometimes be so hesitant to be direct about those matters.. but it's hard to care about that when she's already so overwhelmed with emotions in this moment. ]