001; action - introduction

[king_en]

Waking up in a strange place is not exactly new to me but, usually, I at least try to make it to a room.

[He's sitting cross-legged in the middle of a street. It's not the busiest street ever, which is probably lucky because it means no one has stepped on him as he's slept. Or run him over with a carriage or something equally tragic

Comments

[action]

[entaiho]

[Rokuta is huddled under a pile of blankets in his apartment, staring out the window and trying to decide if he really felt like going out in the cold, when he abruptly realizes he can sense something, something he hasn't in the entire time he's been in Luceti. Ouki. Shouryuu.

Here? But what--

In an instant the kirin is out the door, running as swiftly as he can to where the king is sitting - just sitting, casual and bored like he's back in En. Where he should be, keeping watch on the kingdom. Couldn't he at least look a little bit worried? Idiot.

Rokuta slows his headlong charge once he spots Shouryuu, turning it to an annoyed-looking stalk in the man's direction before he stops with fists on his hips and a distinct scowl.]

What are you doing here?

[action]

[king_en]

[Shouryuu's not exactly sure - but hey, here was his kirin, predictable as always.]

That's what I want to know.

[Pause]

Where is here anyway?

[action]

[entaiho]

[Yes, it's Shouryuu, all right. Rokuta glares a moment longer before giving a gusty sigh and lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. Great. Just great. Both of them here? His only reassurance had been that Shouryuu was still sitting on the throne (as much as he ever did, at least) back at home, but now....]

It's called Luceti. Nobody knows how we get here or why, but there doesn't seem to be any way back. At least, I haven't found one, and I've been trying for a couple months now.

[action]

[king_en]

[Shouryuu is unaffected by the glare. He's had a few hundred years to get used to it, and he knows Enki will tell him what's going on soon. That's just how this whole deal works.

But if Enki's not expecting him, then he hadn't come to get Shouryuu which means...

Wait a moment.]

A couple of months? [He'd seen his kirin lately. But, well, he's not going to be that direct.] Getting very lazy these days, Rokuta.

[action]

[entaiho]

Yeah. A couple months.

[That comment earns Shouryuu a look of disgust, but it's mild when compared to the usual ones. He'll never admit it but Rokuta has missed him and is relieved to have him here... even if it simultaneously makes him worry for his kingdom.]

Time's kind of funny here, it seems. And there's a barrier I can't get across. Can't even open a shoku, either... I tried and didn't so much as stir up a breeze.

[action]

[king_en]

[It's not something Enki can control, really. It's part of a kirin's narute to miss its master when they aren't together - whether they like each other or not.

Shouryuu, however, is not going to admit that hearing that makes him worried about his kirin, and makes it more important to find out what's going on.]

I suppose time being weird is the reason I saw you a little while ago and you're telling me you've been here for a while then.

[action]

[entaiho]

You didn't notice I was gone? Huh.

[Shouryuu can be an oblivious idiot, but he isn't that blind, which leaves Rokuta looking a bit thoughtful. He'd heard it mentioned that those brought here weren't missing for any apparent space of time back home, but... reassurance that it's actually true is always good. And it makes him just a tiny bit less worried that he'll return to find En in ruins. Not much. But a little.]

What's the last thing you remember, then?

[action]

[king_en]

[Yes, yes, he can be a little...involved in other things that he doesn't notice some things, but joking aside, his kirin's health and happiness - the first more than the second - is important to him. Even if he'll never admit it out loud. The point is, he's likely to notice if Enki goes missing.

There is, of course, no point worrying about what's going on in En so, at the very least, he's not going to worry about it out loud.]

You sending Youko and Rakushun to crowd my traditional alone time. And then turning up as well.

[Alone time to contemplate the will of the heavens, etc. etc.]

[action]

[entaiho]

...same. Or thereabouts. But I've been here for two months since then. That really is strange.

[But right about then a chilly breeze stirs Rokuta's hair, reminding him that he'd left the apartment without grabbing something warm to wear. Right. Winter.]

Maybe we should take the introductory speech indoors, though.

[action]

[king_en]

Cold?

[En's definitely not this could.

He stands and steps up beside Enki, turning the kirin around in the direction he's come from. Maybe it's an excuse to let his hand rest against Enki's shoulder, maybe that's just coincidence. Who knows?]

Let's go and see this place you're staying in then.

[action]

[entaiho]

[Coincidence or no, the contact is still reassuring and causes some of the tension in the set of Rokuta's shoulders to fade; two months of involuntary separation from his king and home have been wearing on the kirin and now, having Shouryuu there is making him feel (in his opinion) ridiculously pleased. King and kirin are meant to be together, after all, no matter how aggravating the king might be.

Rokuta nods toward his apartment building, which is fortunately not terribly far away, then glances up at Shouryuu before starting to move that direction.]

Whoever runs this place provides housing for free... people just live wherever there's an empty spot. It isn't anything special, though.

[action]

[king_en]

[Useless and irresponsible, for the most part, in everything else he might have been, but Shouryuu has had enough time to learn his kirin's habits and reactions, and he knows enough about kirins to know a good deal about their natures.

The relaxation means Shouryuu doesn't move his hand away, keeps it resting on Rokuta's shoulder, occasionally brushing his thumb over the exposed skin.

That's when he notices the...addition. Not removing his hand and not ceasing the contact, he says:]

Rokuta, what are these?

[action]

[entaiho]

[His wings twitch slightly in an almost guilty-seeming gesture, though confined as they are under his clothing they can't move very much. Rokuta just keeps walking, though, giving a disgusted-sounding snort.]

Haven't looked at your back, have you.

[action]

[king_en]

I can't see my back.

[His hand doesn't move away. Instead, he traces the shape of those wings under Enki's clothing. He's less concerned about someone sticking things on his back than he is about them doing so to Enki.

Not that it's something he'll ever admit out loud, of course.]

[action]

[entaiho]

[Rokuta wrinkles his nose at that, wings twitching again under Shouryuu's hand. It isn't quite as uncomfortable as having someone touch his forehead, certainly, but the wings feel... different. Weird. It's one of the reasons he just keeps them hidden when he can, especially after the warnings he's had about damage to them.]

Everyone gets a pair of wings when they arrive here, as a gift from those who run the place. That and the... well, this.

[He reaches up to pull his mane aside, baring the back of his neck so the barcode is visible. Might as well get all the bad news out at once, right?]

[action]

[king_en]

[The only thing that really goes through Shouryuu's mind is that someone's hurt his kirin. Someone here has dared to make a kirin - his, no less - and that is unacceptable.

Though it's clear that, seeing as they've done this to all of them, that isn't entirely possible. They would have to bide their time and see what happens. Who these people really are. Meanwhile, he would just have to keep a closer eye on Enki.

He runs his thumb over the barcode thoughtfully.]

I wonder what this is.