project vessel (twenty one pilots)

eleven - eyelids

"We don't have to smile, we don't have to make friends; we don't have to talk, we don't have to dance."

--

Jenna's shoulders slumped in defeat as she stared at the page in front of her. Ink bled on the surface from all the times she'd scrawled and scratched out certain phrases. They didn't roll off her tongue or sound the way she intended them to be like, and they just didn't feel right. The words Red had, and the ideas that Jenna thought couldn't perfectly combine into a constitution. No matter how many times she tried, failure lurked in the darkest of corners and thwarted her attempts to succeed.

Tyler noticed, but he never tried to help her. He didn't want to injustice the righteousness of their cause by tainting them with the thoughts of his toxic mind. Therefore, he focused on the official Declaration of War and, more importantly, finding Josh. No stalking the streets could ever help find Josh, since Josh had taught Tyler how to hide, and the pupil had yet to beat the master at his own game. He was stuck helplessly between finding his best friend and carrying the words that could sign his death sentence in his pocket. Tyler did the latter anyway, because he would have liked to see anyone try to imprison him. Especially with the other resident in his brain existing. The only person he could trust to assist (without distracting them – Jenna was far too busy and he hated to bother her) was Morgana.

"Tyler-" She tapped his arm in the corridor. He turned, rubbing his eyes and the lead-like weights of his eyelids, raising an eyebrow.

"You asked me to locate your comp-"

"My friend. I don't call a lot of people my friends, and he's my friend.Friend." Tyler mumbled.

She nodded, pursing her lips and pulling an envelope out from her leather jacket. "This is what you need to find him. Guy hides well, you know. You have a good..friend. Great guy, I think I might even recruit him." The corners of her lips twitched up into a brief, waning smile as an offer of some lightheartedness. He politely nodded and took the envelope, pocketing it himself. Tyler didn't offer a smile in return, and was back on his way. He passed Jenna's room and observed through the crack from the ajar door to witness a very familiar scene: puffy, red eyes, blue-and-black ink stained fingertips, thousands of scattered papers, notes, and opened books. She had half-eaten trays of food stacked in the corner, and it angered the new soldier that flourished inside him around the presence of other soldiers. She was weakening herself, and if she continued, she wouldn't be able to fight in action. She'd become unreliable in battle...Tyler stopped himself. She's saving the city, idiot. Saving you and Josh and everyone else. The family you don't know that might still be out there. I don't even care about my family.Sure. His subconscious battled with his own inner thoughts, and he stopped a few feet away from her door, momentarily soliloquizing, "What the hell, I should at least give it a try...". And with a clenched jaw and carefully poised pride, he did.

Hesitance swallowed and suffocated his next movements, and he dragged his feet as he fought the pulling tide of it. Tyler knocked gently on her door,biting the corner of his lip. He waited fifteen seconds and was well-prepared to be ignored or totally unnoticed, but a harrumph of acknowledgment from within stopped him from surrendering to the awkwardness of the entire situation. "Come in!" Plates and books clattered, signs of a hasty attempt to organize things or tidy up for a guest being made. He stepped inside gently. "Please, close the door behind you. This place looks like the devil's workshop." Jenna exhaled, and her face contorted as she yawned loudly; she stretched and winced from weariness.

He smiled a little. "You should rest a little. When was the last time you actually slept? More than five hours?" Jenna made a face, trying to remember. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "Exactly. You've earned a break, Jenna. You're working day and night."