Just hold me close to you

[just_add_souls]

Maka pounds up the stairs of the Gauche to the roof and slams the door open, sending pigeons chirruping and cooing in spirals up to the sky. She races through the cloud of dislodged feathers and slapping wings to leap onto the roof's ledge. For a moment she totters, then steadies, takes a deep breath and screams at the top of her lungs.

"

Comments

[coolestscythe]

Soul had to get out of the Conrad. It's absolutely stifling there, and Soul hates being perpetually locked inside. He wouldn't have stood it back home and he can't stand it now. Never mind that he spent far too much time in enclosed spaces just before coming through the Rift.

So he has somehow managed to find his way to Grant Park. He still has the hoody and ridiculous sunglasses and is generally feeling like an idiot and ready to blow up at any given moment. That's about when he spots Fritz prancing about in the fountain. He watches for a moment then approaches a little warily, glancing around before lowering his hood.

"You again."

[mustardwithat]

She stops and looks over her shoulder, arms held up over her head.

"That's hardly specific, Kaczynski. Could be talking to someone on the other side of the fountain for all I know. You again. Fuck that."

She cartwheels and then sits down in the water with a splat, before flopping onto her back and making water angels.

[coolestscythe]

He can't help it, he starts chuckling. "You're really weird, you know that? It's practically freezing out, and you're taking a swim."

Black*Star would probably like her and keep trying to one-up her by jumping into ice water or something. Soul's smile fades just a little. He wonders what Black*Star is doing back in Death City, with Soul gone. Is he even alright? Soul remembers vaguely that he was attacked by the Kishin. For all Soul knows, Black*Star is dead.

He shakes his head. No use thinking like that.

"You're gonna keep calling me that, aren't you?"

[mustardwithat]

"Sure's shit comes out your ass." She pulls a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. "What's with the face, kid?"

She opens the packet and frowns at the soaked cigarettes.

[coolestscythe]

"Nice."

He looks away, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing--just thinking about home. No point, though."

Anyway, it's Black*Star. There's no way he's going down that easily. He's probably just fine, waiting for Soul to come back.

[mustardwithat]

"Sure there's a point." She jams the cigarettes back into her pocket and drags a hand through her soaked blue hair. "God, home's who you are, kid. Stop thinking about that and what's the point of anything?"

She shrugs and stretches. "Must suck. The whole wanderer gig. I'd fuckin' hate it myself. Or love it maybe. Who fucking knows."

[coolestscythe]

He grins at that, because it's true and he knows it--despite the times when he wishes it wasn't, at least where his family is concerned.

"Yeah. I'll find my way back there someday."

The idea of exploring other worlds would appeal to Soul, if the situation was different. A world without a Kishin? A world where humanity wasn't constantly in danger of being overcome by madness? It would be lovely--hell, it is lovely, the few times that Soul has stopped to appreciate Chicago even a little bit. But he never, ever would have signed up for something like this, not if he was cut off from home. Not if he was cut off from Maka.

"I just wish I'd had a choice. Or at least the opportunity to come and go, or something."

[mustardwithat]

"Yeah." She's distracted by her desire for a cigarette. "'spose that'd make a big fucking difference. Me, I wouldn't mind this city so much if I could get the fuck out of here and back to Brazil when I wanted."

God, she hates Chicago. Fritz spots a floating scrap of paper and steps on it, hard. Soon she's going to like it even less.

[coolestscythe]

"Brazil, huh? You from there, or there on business, school...?" Soul has been to Brazil a few times, usually hunting Kishin Eggs. In any case, it seems like she's getting into a bad mood, and Soul gets the feeling that Fritz in a bad mood...would not be pleasant to see. Better to talk about something she likes.

[mustardwithat]

"There for war." She almost purrs the word, then sighs and cracks her back, sloshing out of the fountain. "Chicago. Damn boring. Damn cold. Damnit."

She eyes Soul. "Don't you have anywhere you'd rather go?"

[coolestscythe]

He frowns a little. "A war? You were fighting?" It doesn't surprise him in the least, though he's not sure why anyone would miss a war. Then again, Fritz isn't exactly normal.

The question catches him off guard. He blinks a little.

"Sure. Of course there is. But...I can't go there yet."

[mustardwithat]

"Yeah, no, sort of." She doesn't much feel like explaining callings. Or Brazil. She misses it, yes, but she also wants to forget the place exists at the moment.

"Why the fuck not? What's stopping you?"

[coolestscythe]

"Hm." It's pretty obvious that there's a lot she isn't telling him. It's also pretty obvious that it's not really his business; and that the subject is complicated, not something easily explained.

"Ah..." He runs his fingers through his hair, plucking a loose thread on his headband. "I checked some maps and...looks like it doesn't even exist in this world. At least it's not on any maps. I'm gonna head to Nevada to see for myself, but I don't have any money or any way to get there for now. I have to wait."

Which absolutely kills him. Never mind that, in all likelihood, there's no way to go back to Death City--his proper Death City--without using the Rift. Which, as Aniki showed, is suicide.