It's raining somewhere else: It's raining somewhere else

And so, it started to rain.

And for once, Laine found herself inside and staring out at it.

 

“Oh! Laine! You’re back early, did… you find out anything notable?”

Chel seemed to have snuck into the room without Laine noticing. Her voice expectant, as Chel was the type to know Laine didn’t usually cease her work early unless she had a good reason.

 

But…

 

“I’m giving up.”

Laine’s voice was apathetic.

 

“You’re… huh?” Chel replied, her voice suddenly confused.

“What do you mean?”

 

“The weather is starting to turn. There’s no point in searching now.”

 

“I thought you loved the rain, though… I wouldn’t think it’d be a ‘turn’ for you.”

 

And then, silence between the two.

 

It’s been 48 hours since Chel had discovered the note.

72 hours since she’d last seen Wasundari alive.

And though Chel had initially been very reactive and thorough, the fact that Laine was throwing in the towel now, too…

 

“If nobody could pick up a scent before, there’s no way anybody is going to find anything after this storm comes in and washes it all away.” Laine sighed.

“It’s no use. She’s gone, Chel.”

 

Laine slumped over at her seat on the sofa. Even without it being completely overcast, the staff room at Borderbeach’s city relations center seemed to be dimmer in general since the discovery.

 

Quietly, Chel padded over to take the seat next to Laine.

 

“I should have said something.” she sighed.

“I had a feeling she was acting off a few days prior, but I didn’t think too much of it. But… but now…”

 

Laine groaned and buried her head in her hands.

“It’s not your fucking fault. It’s none of our faults, Chel.”

 

“I… it’s just hard to shake that gnawing feeling. That if I had done this or hadn’t done this…”

 

“CHEL.” Laine said, her words sharp and firm.

“Nobody can change what’s already happened, and there’s no use stewing in it. We need to focus on what to do going forwards, now.”

 

The unusual sharpness of Laine’s words seemed to sting as they hit Chel, who gave a quiet whimper.

 

“But… but how?” she replied – her voice was starting to break up.

“When things are already so bad here that Wasun couldn’t take it, how are we supposed to move forwards?! Do we just have to accept that we’re doomed to the same fate after overwork breaks us down?!”

 

Laine was silent.

She wasn’t… quite sure how to respond. Because she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling the effects of the workload too ever since the casino opened.

But… even if she was at her own limit after the recent chain of events… it was unbearable to see Chel in so much pain.

 

“I’ll take care of it.” Laine said, after an undefined period of silence.

 

“Huh?” Chel mumbled, as tears were slowly streaming down her face at this point.

 

“You need time to grieve – you were always closer to Wasundari than I was. I can take care of your workload until you feel you can return to it.”

 

“But… that feels like too much, Laine. I have my work already, plus everything Wasundari left behind…”

 

“Well, I’ll treat it as a test to my skill, or something. Because ultimately… it hurts to see you like this, Chel.” Laine sighed.

“...And I don’t think Wasundari would enjoy seeing you force yourself to work while like this.”

 

Those last words… didn’t hit Chel quite how Laine had intended. As Chel processed them, she broke down completely into tears and incoherent mumbling.

 

There was too much noise. Everything was unbearable and Laine felt like she was going to snap and lose her own mind any second.

But she had to bear it and continue. If not for the people of Borderbeach that now depended on her, but… for Chel.

 

While she was in no place to act as a shoulder to cry on in her state, Laine grabbed a box of tissues off the nearby coffee table and placed them on the couch near Chel – before leaning in to physically comfort her.

Chel’s words were mostly mumbly and incomprehensible, so all Laine could really do was sit idly by and offer her silent support until Chel had no more tears left.

 

The moment continued on for the better part of an hour, during which Laine remained in a mental state of relative numbness in order to block out her own pain for Chel’s sake – at least, for the moment.

Some time after the last tears were shed, Chel let out a deep huff and turned to Laine.

 

“...Thank you for being here.” she sighed.

 

“Of course… that’s what a good friend does, isn’t it?”

 

Chel leaned into Laine’s side a bit more.

 

“Yeah… I guess I just… really needed it right now.” Chel replied softly.

“I just know we’ve always had that weird competitive streak where neither of us would want to ‘burden’ anyone else by asking for help…”

 

Laine was kind of loathing the thought that Chel would bring that up so directly.

 

“Lainey… you don’t have to go through this alone, either… ok?” Chel said, giving Laine a weakly determined look.

“I know you just said you’d be willing to do a lot on my behalf, but… please don’t think you have to try and power through it all alone.”

 

“I don’t, I promise.”

What a lie.

“I have you and the entirety of Borderbeach by my side, after all.”

 

Chel gave a weak smile.

“Then… let’s keep moving forwards, together. I’m sure it’s what Wasun would have wanted.”

 

And so, with the northeast winds, the rain cleared and went to storm over in the dark marshes of Waterfall.