Fandom Island Museum, Thursday Daytime

[hasaknightjob]

Steven was honestly well over the events of the past weekend. Hearing about possible futures was nice, and certainly gave him food for thought. But anything involving leaps of time was simply not something best lingered on, even if his own participation in said leap had been a misunderstanding.

Fortunately he had something to distract him. Specifically finalizing plans for Friday night. Which was why he was spending the majority of the work day focused on his mobile as he researched things and made reservations.

If he perhaps obsessively confirmed what the current time was - well that was between him, his mobile, and any other clocks visible around the museum, wasn't it?

[open]

Comments

[flamesburned]

Liz had been feeling rather bad that she had not mentioned anything about the chance of a reunion weekend happening and what that involved and so she decided to stop by the museum at lunchtime to see how Steven was. She had picked up the usual box of vegan pastries from the bakery and decided to check in, even though she was still feeling rather awkward about visiting the museum

“Hey,” she said quietly, hesitating for a bit, “are …are you busy?”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven looked up with happy surprise when Liz came in. He put his phone and glasses away to give her his full attention. "Liz! Hello. Never too much for you. How are you?"

[flamesburned]

“I’ve - I’ve been better,” Liz admitted quietly, after hesitating for a moment, “I …”

She glanced down at the box in her hands, “I remembered the weekend,” she finally said, not knowing what Steven knew what the future had been like for her possible older self.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had some idea of the details. Particularly since Marc had said he needed to check in on Liz once it was over. "I heard it'd been hard for you. But it's hopeful news that that could be a future for you, surely?"

[flamesburned]

Liz bit her lip and then nodded, “I just … that future with Prompto and having a large family and … it’s everything that I’ve ever wanted and … it’s only a glimpse at what my future could be like,” she said quietly as she looked back up, “what if … what if I don’t get to be that Liz?”

[hasaknightjob]

"But you'll get to be your Liz then, right?" Steven pointed out. "And near as I've seen that Liz is lovely."

[flamesburned]

Liz was quiet, “what if I’m not like her though, what if I’m …what if I … That I don’t …” her voice trailed off, her thoughts too jumbled to process what she wanted to say.

[hasaknightjob]

"If you don't what?" Steven asked. Not pressing her to talk before she was ready, just letting her know he was listening. "What could be so bad as all that, then?"

[flamesburned]

Liz hesitated, “that I don’t get better,” she said softly, “I’m just …scared that I’ll be …” she wasn’t sure how to voice her thoughts, “that I won’t be as strong as she was,”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven came around the desk so he could stand beside Liz. He went to take the pastry box from her so she wouldn't have to keep holding it while she was upset. "But you'll be as strong as you are though, yeah? Which has been pretty strong all this time. Look at all you've been dealing with. For months now at that! I'd say she should be envying you, how well you're handling things."

[flamesburned]

“I don’t feel strong right now,” Liz admitted, as she handed the box over to him, “I’m falling apart over a future that may …that I may not even get to experience,” she said quietly.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven gave her a quick smile of thanks when he saw what the box was. He put it on the desk for now. "I understand. Honest. Especially if it seems like a future where it all works out. Then you're left stood here wondering how real it could be."

From a slightly different angle than Liz had experienced it, but Steven still understood.

[flamesburned]

At that Liz did feel guilty, “I - I actually came round to check on you, to see how you were after the weekend … I’m sorry that I never gave you the heads up that such a weekend could be possible,” she said softly.

[hasaknightjob]

"It's all right," Steven assured her. "Sort of getting the idea there's a bit too much to warn about, yeah? Not your fault."

Pay no attention to how he was skirting around saying how he was doing. Obviously that meant he was fine. Everyone knows that.

[flamesburned]

Liz did notice that but she didn’t want to push Steven in case he didn’t want to talk about it, “i just … it should have been one of the things I mentioned first,” she said quietly, “I - my memory of the last one isn’t all that clear, it was quite a number of years ago not long after I graduated, I’d forgotten about it - I …I know there’s probably quite a few things that had happened and I’ve forgotten to mention,” she admitted.

[hasaknightjob]

"You warned about us turning into children," Steven reminded her. "That's much more important to know about. This weekend was more... confusing, I think. And more upsetting for you it seems. I'm sorry it put you through it, everything you've already got to handle on your shoulders."

[flamesburned]

Liz bit her lip, “it ..,I didn’t realise just how badly I wanted that future,” she said softly, “and then I - I feel guilty for wanting it - that I don’t deserve it,” her shoulders slumped a bit, “I’m sorry the weekend was confusing for you though,”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven thought about it. "Seems to me that if she's a version of you, right? And she deserved it? Then don't you deserve it as well? Only difference between you and her was future, yeah? Not past?"

[flamesburned]

Liz was silent for a moment as she considered, “I - I never thought of it like that,” she admitted, “ I think we shared the same past and I - we both had a daughter, she - she was able to reunite with Prompto…I - I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see him again,” she said softly.

[hasaknightjob]

"Right," Steven said. He looked at her with sympathy. "And that part's up in the air, can't deny it. But it's got nothing to do with you, yeah? It's on the portals and all."

[flamesburned]

“I - I guess so,” Liz said quietly, “it - I just wish there wasn’t so much uncertainty, I wish Prompto was here - him being here this weekend and only having the memories of it, I miss him so much,”

[hasaknightjob]

"Oh that must've been hard come Monday," Steven said. He reached to put a hand on her shoulder then pulled back, considering what they were talking about. "Him not being here and you having memories of being able to talk with him, hold him. Even a future version of him. That must've hurt."

[flamesburned]

Liz could only not at that, “it’s - I think it’s why the whole weekend upset me so much,” she said softly, “especially since he still doesn’t know that he’s going to be a father,” she placed a hand on her stomach.

[hasaknightjob]

"Can't blame you," Steven said. "Here you are, trying your best, then come Monday it's like you're starting all over again, yeah? Like it's just happened."

[flamesburned]

Liz nodded, "it feels like I can't get away from it," she said quietly, "I try to keep busy and focused and then Fandom does something like the weekend, I ... I'm trying and it feels like its not enough," she admitted.