* i’m not going to tell anx, though. if… he finds out, he finds out, but i don’t want to drop that on him and risk putting him through another panic attack. he’s been through enough lately.
[ Anx smiles, just a little. Hard not to when faced with Flaps’ grin. ]
* I susuppose so. I still do not do not remember much of m-my life before ending up here, but… I th-think it it is not something I have ever been good with.
* N-not much of an acrobat, I I am afraid.
[ He yawns – the cozy atmosphere of Flaps’ space is starting to take its toll on him. ]
* [He nods…] Well.. Even if it wasn’t a strong point before, there’s nothing saying you don’t have the time to try and work at it.
* [But he notices that yawn… Sleeby.] That aside, though – do you, uh. Maybe want to stay here a while…? Only if you’re comfortable with it. I figure it might help you get re-acclimated to things, and it is nice having you around. ;v; If you don’t want to, though, that’s absolutely fine – I just wanted to extend the offer.
[ Anxiety accepts the the blanket gratefully, wrapping himself in it and shutting his eyes. ]
* Th-thank y you, Flaps. You are are a good f-friend.
[ The word “friend” catches in his throat a little, and he pulls the blanket tighter around his small form. Little skeleton burrito.
* You are right, it it would not do to overwhelm m-myself. It is… hard to sstrike a balance, I find. I d-do not wish to to presume, but… perperhaps it is similarly diffificult to b-balance your solitude?
* Ah- I a-apologise,
* [A skelerito….. Incredible,]
* [He gives a sad little smile, though.]
* Nah, no harm done. You’re right – it’s… been hard. I keep being torn between wanting to go back to it all and wanting to just stick to my own here. It’s… Empty feeling, not having the same kind of contact with a lot of people anymore. Relaxing at the same time, but. You know.
* [Oh- he grins!] Guess striking the right balance is something we both need to work on, yeah?
* I-it has been… overwhelming. I do do not believe I have managed to absorb much of it.
[ Anxiety wrings his hands a little, an an absentminded motion. Everything is fine. It’s fine. Be be polite, friendly. ]
* I I am afraid- I ah, h-have not fully caught up on y-your situation. H-how have you been?
* [Another nod….]
* Fair enough. It’d probably be a good idea to take some time to relax in the meantime, you know? Wouldn’t do you any good to get so overwhelmed all at once.
* I’ve been doing… Okay enough, though. Backed away from a couple situations that had me stretched a little too thin, but…. You know. Now things are fairly quiet around here, haha. ;v; I guess it’s a little lonely? Just because of how different it is from what had been normal before.
* [He glances around a bit – and then pulls up a blanket, offering it to Anx.]
* Here, uh – do you want one of these? They’re pretty good for making it feel like you’re in a smaller space, and I know larger spaces make you uneasy.
[ Seeing a friendly face after so long sends a strange pang through Anx. He he tries to ignore it – it’s okay, this is is flaps. He cann trust Flaps. It’s fine. ]
* I h-have been…
[ He hesitates- ]
* Ah, w-well. A lot t has hhappened. I was unabable to track eventss outside of of my lab f-for some time. I h-have been attemptinging to- ah, catch up.
[ Anxiety looks at the couch- the smaller scale is definitely appreciated. The room as well is is not nearly so overwhelming, though being preprepared for relatively openn spaces also helped. He climbs onto the far side of the couch and tucks his legs close to him. ]
* [He smiles gently! This poor fragment. He’s glad to give Anx a safer and calmer space to be in, for the time being.]
* yeah, i heard a bit about some things going on…. i’m glad you recovered okay from it all. kinda feels like one mess after the other, you know?
* [A stretch….] i hear you as far as catching up on things goes, though… there’s a lot that’s been going on all at once, it’s hard to keep track of that. i’d imagine it must be even harder for you, with having to catch up on what was going on while you weren’t available.
[ He scoots his chair back and and braces himself – it had startled him last time. He he wanted to avoid that if possible. ]
* [Nice, nice… he brings all the food and whatnot down to his bedroom, setting everything out on the coffee table. Once he’s got everything comfortable and set up, he pulls his phone out again.]
[TXT] * setting up the portal in about a minute! be ready for it, i dont want it to spook you or anything
* [And it goes up, exactly at the minute mark. He has his door shut and everything, and it’s a very cozy space! Definitely bigger than the panic room, but it’s a far cry from how open the main living room is.]
[ After a while, certainly over an hour but Anxiety could not say exactly how long, the Panic Room is mostly tidy. The the debris and decorations are stacked neatly in a corner – there there was no trash to put them in, and he cannotwould not open the door to the chaos of the greater lab to dispose of it. Pathetic. ]
[ All of the books have been shelved, save save for the one that was dropped by the couch. Anxiety is is very focusedly pretending that one does not exist. Nothing there, tidy room. Blanket neatly foldedd, useless phone on the hook, everyeverything in its place. It it looks more or less as it did originally. ]
[ His eyes flit to the book on the floor. He he pretends they didn’t, and adresses his terminal. ]
* [While he had been waiting for a message back from Anx, Flaps had busied himself getting his own home ready. Cleaning up in the living room, getting some food together….. Mostly just to pass the time in between checking his phone, but it kept him distracted.]
* [Once he gets that text, though, he grins!]
[TXT] * alright man! give me a moment to set things up. i remember last time being in the pit was kinda overwhelming – would you prefer it if i put the portal down in my room and we can hang out down there? it’s a much smaller space and there’s no one else down there.
[TXT] * it’s no problem man, i’m just glad to hear from you again. i’ve been doing okay – i hope you have been, too! you should drop by sometime. o: or like – i could come to you, whichever would be easier. i’m up for it.
[TXT] I I think a portal will be fine. I am uncertain hhow to leave this space without one, I I hhave never found an exit…
[ He once again looks around the room. It it is a mess, still wrecked from that horrible child’s torment. He had not had the energy to clean it at all… What what would Flaps think? ]
[ … ]
[TXT] I wwill need s some time to prepare, if that is acceptable.
* [Aw, Anx. He’d be happy to help clean up!]
[TXT] * that’s fine! you take all the time you need man, just let me know when you’re set and i’ll get that portal going for you, yeah?
Flapsinhands Backup 