[Thread] Stretching His Legs

[one_halfa]

Characters: Danny Phantom (OU), Open
Where: The Park
When: A bit after the resolution of the meatpuppet plot
Summary: Danny feels the need to get out and explore a bit, and maybe meet some new people.
Warnings: None yet.

Comments

[to_her_yang]

It had hurt.
While not being physically injured, Rei still felt the mental pain coming from that ''punishement'' Yugi had given her on that ill-fated Beyblade match. She felt a little dizzy from remembering what happened, but decided to take a walk to calm things down in her head.
Time alone was what she needed. Other people's concern was unnecessary, and she was ready to forgive him anyway.
As she saw the boy, she stopped on her tracks, wondering if she should greet and talk to him or move away; time alone was what she needed the most...right?

[one_halfa]

Seeing someone else his own age, Danny slowed and then stopped too, although close enough that conversation was still possible. The other teenager was looking unsure, so Danny spoke up first, waving slightly and trying to look friendly.

"Hi. Are you okay?" The other person looked a little off somehow. Of course, Danny was still banged up from his match with Dani, but that was all healing fast enough.

[to_her_yang]

His concern was unnecessary, but showed he was a caring person, Rei judged. She only had some cleaning up to do with her mind, and, rhinking about it, perhaps she could do that through talking with him.
''Hi...and I'm alright, thank you.'', she said, her tone a little strained, but the strain barely showing up. The corner of her mouth crept up in a little smile.

[one_halfa]

Danny tried smiling back more warmly in return, to encourage her smiling. After all, people had been talking about lots of brainwashing. He couldn't be the only one who'd had a rough time in the last few days.

"Okay. You just looked a little distracted. My name's Danny, nice to meet you." He offered his hand to shake.

[to_her_yang]

The smiling was contagious, and Rei gave him a warm-hearted look, as an unspoken ''Thank you'' for his encouraging.
''Mine's Rei. Nice to meet you too, Danny.'', she answered during the handshake.
''And yeah, well... this place gets a little overwhelming at times.'', she explained, truthfully.
While she felt like she was able to forget and forgive, it sometimes recquired a little adaptation to Econtra's rather peculiar way of things happening.

[one_halfa]

"Yeah... no kidding." Danny chuckled a little awkwardly, still smiling. He glanced around, looking up at the sky. "But at least the weather's nice enough for a walk today, right? You mind if I walk with you for a little while? I'm new, and I'm still trying to make friends here." His first greeting on the messenger had been a death threat from a family member; who knew what Rei had been through herself?

"If you just wanted privacy, I could totally get lost, though, no problem," he added quickly, waving a hand.

[to_her_yang]

A few personnal annoyances involving her (failed to be hidden) gender, the scare of losing Driger, and the reviving of being attacked by a bit-beast: Rei considered herself to be among the lucky ones. She read countless pleas and rather sad messages on her PDA, showing that many had it worse than her.
She laughed softly, at his waving. ''Oh no, it's alright. I wouldn't mind a little walk with you at all.'', she said, smiling warmly.
Rei gladly accepted his company; it wasn't at all like when she lost Driger because this time, they were all overwhelmed by what was going on, and calm company could appease her as much as being on her own.

[one_halfa]

"Okay, great!" Danny smiled back, and walked a little faster so he was standing more properly beside her now, though not too close. He had the feeling he should be asking her questions. How long she'd been there, what she liked to do, what her world was like... but instead, he found himself quiet, enjoying the company without talking.

It wasn't that the scenery was the most beautiful, although after enough time in the Ghost Zone seeing things in decay was relative. It was just more comfortable to let things speak for themselves, for the moment. Things really weren't so bad here. Well, sometimes.

[to_her_yang]

Quiet company. Something that was so welcome when needed. She felt she could also ask him questions, but would go once at a time; she was curious, but didn't like being overbearing.
As time passed and as she felt a certain familiarity with him, she spoke up:
''It'll never be quite home, but at least the park gives some peace.'', she said, looking downwards a little, her gaze softening.

[one_halfa]

He'd like to say they'd get home any time now, but even after a few days, he could tell it wasn't as simple as that. But he could sympathize with the sense of loneliness. Weird, to come to a place where he'd supposedly been before, where he had family and even another him around, and to feel isolated. Walls of unshared memories, of time missed, of simply different timelines altogether...

"Yeah. It's nice and quiet. And not too crowded." There were a lot of people around, and the messengers made it pretty easy to communicate. He found himself at risk of losing track of the people he talked to. At least the people he met in person, he was sure he'd remember their faces and the time spent together.

[to_her_yang]

Being alone was a concept she has acquired since she left her village. She knew it, but once she came to knew the Bladebreakers, she had wished never to know it again.
Rei lived alone in her apartment. Her training sessions with Robin, and the somwhat-friends she'd made, had however helped her to overcome the emptiness some days held.
So there she was, sharing a certain loneliness with people, no matter how contradictory that sounded.
''Well, I haven't seen many crowds, except for big events. But yeah, some quiet time can't hurt. Especially with the latest...'', she didn't finish her sentence, annoyed at herself dwelling on that event.
It had only been a hallucination of physical pain. She shook her head a little, eyes closed, and smiled.
''Heh. Looks like I really needed a peaceful walk.'', she said, chuckling, although a bit uncomfortably.

[one_halfa]

"... yeah, that one was rough," Danny agreed, as though he were an old veteran or something. But it had been pretty tough to go through. The disorientation in general hadn't helped.

She didn't look too happy, either. He paused. "How do you feel about flying?" Maybe she could do it herself and didn't care to... or maybe she was scared of it. Or maybe she'd like it. Danny could drift along just as slowly like that, though, and he always found it relaxing.

[to_her_yang]

Flying?
Rei made a mental note to list all the powers she heard about in this place. These people did have the extraordinary characteristics that were recquired. She widened her eyes, looking a little bewildered.
''U-uh, flying? Well, I guess it must be an interesting experience, but...can you?'', she asked, eyeing him curiously. She could jump pretty high when she wanted, but actual, effortless flying?
If she could, though, she'd use it, Rei thought. She was immune to the fear of heights, having been raised in the middle of the mountains.

[one_halfa]

"Sure. Late yesterday, I was flying around here looking for a missing friend." Well, Danny had never technically spoken to the other boy, but if he were really a 'superhero' they ought to be friends for that alone, right? Danny smiled a little shyly. "I was kinda busy, and worried, so I didn't really get to enjoy it. I thought, maybe..."

The transformation could release a burst of energy as an attack, a way to get some space in a fight, but if he relaxed and eased into it, he changed more slowly and without the energy backlash, twin white circles passing over his body as it transformed from the black-haired Danny Fenton to the faintly glowing, white-haired Danny Phantom. Hovering just a few inches off the ground to demonstrate, Danny gestured at himself. "Um... tah dah. I'm actually really strong like this. You wanna... try going up, see the view?"

[to_her_yang]

Rei stepped back a little, staring at the transformation. She felt unable to say anything, not having seen anything of the sort in her life.
She however calmed down at his new form, which looked strangely less outworldly than she expected. In fact, he looked almost like...a human bit-beast, due to the glow. She even thought, slightly amused, that Driger would be like that, would it be human; agile-looking, all of black and white and green. Her eyes lost their saucer-form right after.
''O-uh.'', she started, a little hesitant. ''Well, I'll give it a try. Mm, sure.'', she said, still amazed by the transformation. Many things impressed her lately; Rei had never felt so much like a naive village-girl.

[one_halfa]

"Too much?" Danny reddened a little at her surprise, smiling awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his head with a gloved hand. "Sorry if I startled you."

He offered her the hand then, trying to look encouraging. "I carry people along all the time, it's totally safe. And we won't go too far. I'll head back down as soon as you ask me to, promise."