On the other side of the door, Poppy silently gasped for breath, the sobs shaking her body uncontrollably. She heard his words and stumbled to the bed and curled up into a tight ball, trying to hold herself together before she flew into a million pieces like glass.
He felt sick. His head was spinning and he was nauseous. He eventually regained ground and slowly went to his room, clicking the door behind himself quietly. Though he didn't make it very far, and ended up sitting on the floor, his hand on his head as he contemplated. Finally, tears slowly slid down his cheeks, but he made no noise or movement.
(TIME SKIP!) The message on their watch reached them both at the same time, and Poppy looked down at it and felt sick to her stomach. "The Council requests Miss Abernathy and Mr. Craw's presence in Meeting Room B in 10 minutes for their next assignment."
Francis read the message, biting his tongue until he tasted something metallic. He considered not going, but decided it would be better if he went through with it. He reluctantly stood up, and slowly went to get dressed.
Poppy washed her face, burying her head in the clean towel when she was finished. She shuddered deeply before putting the towel down, turning off the light, and stepping outside of her room to head to the meeting, her chest feeling hollow and her head buzzing.
He stood at his door after he had gotten ready. The light was still off as he waited. He didn't want to go out there yet. He didn't want to face his problems. He wanted to run. After a moment, though, when he was sure she had already left, he opened the door and checked the hallway, stepping out and starting for the meeting room. He felt weird. It was a mixture of hurt, confusion, sadness, and anger.
Poppy steeled herself before entering the conference room. She wanted to laugh with him. She wanted to hold his hand. She wanted to kiss him. He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you. She took a deep breath and then stepped into the Conference Room, sliding into a seat. Owen glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ah, Miss Abernathy," he said quietly. "Is Mr. Craw not with you?" Poppy shook her head, and Owen considered this before resuming his conversation with his agents, their voices low and hushed.
Not long after, Francis joined them, slipping quietly into the room. He didn't know what to do at all. Should he make eye contact? Should he acknowledge her? He wasn't sure. He did end up looking at her for a moment, before turning away, his eyes on the ground. "Good morning," was all he said, afraid that if any more words escaped, he would crumble.
Poppy stared straight ahead, her hands folded neatly on the table. Her expression was lifeless, and she seemed smaller than usual, her shoulders slumping. He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you. "Good morning," Owen replied. He rifled through his papers before squinting up at them. "You have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow," he said smoothly, "with the nation of Elphae. You two will be meeting with a Miss Burgendy. Unfortunately, they've given us quite short notice, and so we don't have much information on her at this time. We'll try to send any more information we come across to your watches."
"Okay," he said slowly. "Is that all we need to know?" His fingers tapped on his arm, and he stole a quick glance at Poppy.
"For now," Owen said. "Keep your watches on, and read any information we send you very carefully." He waved a hand lazily through the air. "You're dismissed." Poppy stood up almost immediately and made for the door, trying to get out as swiftly as possible.
Francis stood up as well, trying to catch up to her. He knew he was going to say something, but he didn't know what. Once they were in the hallway, he opened his mouth to speak. "Poppy, please wait! I need... I need to talk to you. Please?"
Her quick stride slowed to a stop, and she stood with her back to him for a moment before slowly turning around. She didn't say anything, just looked at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest as if she were protecting herself.
He watched her, searching for something- anything to say. "Please trust me. I didn't... I wouldn't do that to you, Poppy. I love you. Please understand that," he said, his voice getting quieter with every sentence.
She considered him, but there was no warmth behind her gaze. "You don't love me," she said quietly, vocalizing the words that had been spinning around in her head. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You don't."
He faltered a bit, a pained look crossing his face. "I do love you. With all of my heart. I confessed to you in the observatory that I had feelings for you, and I've been the happiest person in the world ever since.. But it's all going away now. I don't want it to all go away over some stupid photos that shouldn't exist." His voice was stern, but there was a tone of sadness behind it. Like a terrible loss.
"But they do exist," she said quietly, a small fire burning at her words. "Those pictures do exist and you are in them with...her." She swallowed, unable to say her name. "You two are in our hallway, where she told me that you were 'good to hook up with', and I didn't believe her." She sighed and dropped her hands limply to her side. "God, I wish I had believed her. It might make this easier, or at the very least I wouldn't feel like such a fool."
"They're not.. true. They didn't happen." He paused, hesitating as he thought about his next question, and if he wanted to hear the answer. "Do you regret this?" he asked, finally. "Do you regret being... us?"
She stared at him, slight tears filling her eyes. "I regret not seeing it for what it was," she said quietly. "I regret that I was too foolish or too naive..." She trailed off before frowning "It doesn't matter."
"It does matter," he stated, taking a step towards her. "Will you please believe me? I don't know how those pictures exist, but they aren't true. They're a lie. I don't know how well I'll do without you. I know today has been terrible, and, God, I just want to have a second chance, or something to help, because I need it. I need you. I love you. Please..."
