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Latula had always, always hated seeing anyone at all crying.
She was used to being the most radical gal in the radical land, and as such, rarely found herself in the company of folks who ever cried. She had learned not to cry, because the last thing she wanted was for anyone to feel sorry for her. Okay, sometimes it would be nice for someone to show a little pity of the non-Quadrant variety, but she knew that it would give her a horrible feeling in the end to be looking for it in any way. For their own reasons, the Trolls whom Latula was surrounded by and those whom she had played that terrible game with had never cried before her.
Oh, she knew very well that they all had weaknesses in their own way. It was obvious that a good few were just barely keeping it together as the game went on. She thought that was just how it was going to go, no one showing their fears or shedding tears until they beat the game. And then, of course, Meenah blew them all to kingdom come to save them from a fate that made Latula cold just to think about it. Throughout all of their trials, she had friends and more like Mituna to rely on. They all used each other as their rock, and it was nice to know that if one of them needed someone to keep them from breaking down, they could go to someone who had done the same for them before. For Latula, Mituna had always been an important person to rely on.
Wasn't it just the damnedest irony what had happened? Mituna had fried his brain to save their lives, and none of them knew what he had even saved them from but Kurloz - and he sure as shit wasn't going to be talking soon. Latula did not know the half of what went on in Kurloz's head, but she guessed that it was creepy and probably menacing. Then again, he had seen his own share of his life get fucked up; it was one thing to not be able to do anything to save someone precious to you from being hampered for the rest of their life, but it was a completely different to know that you were the cause of it, and that you could never undo what you had done. And, for better or worse, Kurloz was always there when Mituna needed him, like a perfect moirail. He would just sit there with Mituna, that giant, gaunt Troll with his painted face and mess of hair, rubbing the back of Mituna's neck or just hugging him into his shoulder until the smaller Troll was done with his fit, be it a few minutes or a few hours later. Latula couldn't do much to help Mituna, but she knew that the best thing she could do was stay far back and not interfere while Kurloz calmed him down.
For his part, Kurloz did all that he could for being a self-inflicted mute to keep her up-to-date on the situation. Latula bet that he could use his psychics as a Troll on the highest end of the hemospectrum possible for those on land - those sketchy-ass "chucklevoodoos" - he could talk to her, or even talk to Mituna on a level that would help him calm down faster. It was the strangest thing, but whatever had happened between Kurloz and Meulin, it had led to Kurloz trying to do everything he could to avoid using them. That was, at least, all that Latula could tell. What Latula knew for sure was that Kurloz did more than she ever would be able to, being a moirail with no voice to reassure their pale partner with.
That was why it was the weirdest thing for Kurloz to beckon for Latula to come over to himself and Mituna, during one particularly bad fit. She hesitated, but not for long. Once she was close by, she could make out what Mituna was upset over. "KURL0Z, HHHHH, HHHHHHHHH," he fought to scream out, "I 7H0UGH7 CR0NU2 WA2 MY FR13ND!!!! WHY 12 H3 20 M3AN T0 M3!!!?????" He beat his fist weakly on Kurloz's chest. Kurloz looked up at Latula, trying to console Mituna, and it was then that Latula saw the one thing she never expected and never wanted to see in the eerie highblood's features: confusion and helplessness. Then, Latula realized with a very sick feeling that Kurloz could not respond. It could be that actually using his psychic abilities would endanger Mituna, with his injury, it could be that Kurloz simply did not know how to answer; but at the moment, he was desperate for Latula to do whatever she could to calm his moirail down where he couldn't.
Latula knelt down beside the two, and remembering a few bad experiences, was sure to wait until Mituna had noticed her on his own to speak. "m1tun4, 1 dont know 1f 1 c4n r34lly 3xpl41n wh4ts up w1th cronus, but 1 c4n try," she began lamely. Mituna stared, waiting for her to continue. Knowing that he could be building up to an even bigger screaming fit, Latula decided to speak quickly. "1 dont th1nk th4t cronus 1s such 4 compl3t3 douch3b4g th4t h3 h4t3s you just b3c4us3 you got hurt. 1 gu3ss 1 just hop3 h3s not. 1 th1nk, w3ll, th4t h3 do3snt know how to d34l w1th s331ng you hurt l1k3 th1s. h3s obtus3 4s fuck, but 3v3n h3 h4s r34l f33l1ngs, 4nd 1 doubt h3d st4rt to h4t3 h1s fr13nd ov3r som3th1ng l1k3 th1s." Mituna was listening, or at least seemed to be. Good. "1 wont 3v3n b3g1n to d3f3nd th3 w4y h3 4cts 4bout sh1t, but 1 do know th4t wh3n h3s confus3d 4nd ups3t, h3 4cts on 1t by l4sh1ng out 4t h1s p33ps. 1 th1nk h3 do3snt know how to not b3 4 j4ck4ss wh3n h3s hurt, or sc4r3d, or anyth1ng. 4nd 1 th1nk th4t h3 w4s s4d just l1k3 th3 r3st of us wh3n you got hurt. h3 just h4ndl3d 1t 1n w4ys th4t 4r3 n3v3r, 3v3r ok4y."
God, this couldn't possibly be helping! But Mituna was just looking at her, and if he wasn't screaming and out of control, then he usually wasn't upset. Soon enough, he began to nod his head a little bit. Luckily, Kurloz was ready to catch him when Mituna finally fell completely alseep. It had to have taken it out of him to have such a bad fit this close to when he was used to going to sleep. Kurloz was able to half-carry him to a place where he could sleep it off. Latula wasn't sure what to say, but from the slight smile of his stitched-up lips and the tilt of his head towards Latula, he seemed to be thankful. Latula just smiled, and nodded back as Kurloz ambled off to wherever he went at this time. Now there was someone who was really obtuse. Still, he would always have Latula's thanks for being there for Mituna.
For once, Latula had been able to help Mituna. This was important to her. But as she looked down at him, she knew that her cheeks were damp, and teal. She knew that Kurloz had seen, and for some reason, that didn't bother her nearly as much as thinking about Mituna seeing her cry. Did that put doubts in Mituna's eyes? Did he in some way feel like she could understand him more, for whatever reason? Latula didn't know, and not knowing was beginning to get to be too much to take.
Like how she didn't know if she did believe deep, deep in her heart what she had said about Cronus.
Alone, over a sleeping Mituna, Latula cried without a sound.
She had certainly saved up tears to shed.