Comments | route_1065: Who will be there for you?

yattagarasu in route_1065

Who will be there for you?

Sep 09, 2010 12:45

Who: yattagarasu and OPEN
Where: The fringes of Azalea Town, but not too far out
When: Friday, September 10th, evening-ish (forward-dated because I won't be here tomorrow and I only remembered this date not too long ago!)
Summary: Kay goes to pay respects to the deceased in the only way she can. AS USUAL, action or prose is fine with me, whatever sails your ( Read more... )

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overthedratini September 9 2010, 22:12:33 UTC

Johan hadn't thought much of it when Kay said she was going to get more supplies. He'd offered a simple "Don't stay out too long, it looks like it's going to rain." and went back to sitting with Lazuli and watching over the Eevee and sitting with Byrne. It wasn't until a few moments after Kay had left and a few more moments of watching over her Eevee that he'd recalled he himself could probably use some more supplies, and with that in mind, he left Misola with the Murkrow and the two babies and set off - not necessarily after Kay, but moreso after a few things he could use ( ... )

yattagarasu September 9 2010, 22:32:54 UTC

For her part, Kay didn't budge once she'd finished speaking. There were things she still wanted to say - there would always be things to say, no matter how long she talked - but they weren't things she could actually voice. Not without the risk of losing her composure, and seven-- eight years now had taken the edge off her grief. Did it assuage it completely? No, but she hadn't expected it to. Loss was something that stayed with you, even though you could usually suppress it. Renewed loss was just something a little more recent and painful.

She sighed after a few more minutes and started to turn back to town (the others would notice if she took too long), but then she caught sight of a familiar figure. Considering their last night in Azalea had been a date, that this night was almost exactly the opposite... she didn't miss the irony. Still, Johan was always a welcome sight, and she turned more to face him directly, inviting him over with a crooked smile and a small hand motion.

overthedratini September 9 2010, 22:42:41 UTC

He froze instantly as she turned, his expression mirroring that of a deer caught in headlights. After all, if he had been right that he was intruding, worried or not, he'd be in the wrong, and-- ... He let out a breath after a few moments, realizing Kay was waving him over. At the very least, that meant she wasn't upset with him. Not that she ever really had been before, but...

While he normally might be much better at being able to tell how she would feel and react, he mused as he jogged over, this was... completely new territory for him, so he should be prepared for anything. Though from the looks of things, Kay was still Kay, odd smile aside (though it was still a smile, which meant she was still Kay) so... hopefully there was nothing to worry about after all. As long as Kay could be okay, that was all that mattered to him right now anyway.

"E-Ehe... Hey, Kay," he started as he arrived to stand directly across from her, now fully able to see what she had been speaking to earlier behind her.

yattagarasu September 9 2010, 22:52:37 UTC

The Swiss Rolls and the flowers were definitely in plain view, an offering for a grave that wasn't there, but Kay had done her best with what limited supplies she had. Spirits could probably see and hear you anyway, or so she hoped; surely her father's ghost wouldn't be restricted solely to his own world if his living daughter was no longer in it.

"Hey," she returned the greeting with a brighter smile, giving the flowers a glance before looking back at Johan. She'd thought she'd feel a little more awkward around him after that talk with Kaito, but she'd been able to act the same-- more or less. She certainly didn't seem awkward now. "I wasn't out that long, was I?"

overthedratini September 9 2010, 23:01:16 UTC

"Huh?" Johan held up his hands and shook them a bit, before giving his head a firm shake no. "You reminded me that I wanted to get supplies too, but when I got to the store I saw you, so..."

Johan held out his hands to his wides, laughing meekly, finding himself almost unable to meet her eyes - though for the moment, he was doing rather amiably - though a sneaking thought came sneaking into his mind as he forced another chuckle out. This was something she would have kept to herself, had he not found her, wasn't it?

Not that it was his business, not in any way at all, so...

"So here we are," he said finally, motioning to the ground as if that would give some greater explanation than he could.

yattagarasu September 9 2010, 23:11:04 UTC

Kay's answering smile was a rueful one. He'd found her out yet again, and though she hadn't taken as many steps in order not to rouse suspicion or concern, she should have known that Johan would have found out, whether he'd been intending to or not. She'd only stayed silent not to worry her friends, but he was here already, and Kay didn't feel like fumbling for excuses. This was perfectly normal, and she'd been doing it faithfully for seven years, so saw no reason to be ashamed of it now.

But she'd probably been silent for longer than was comfortable, so she shifted slightly and imitated Johan's early motion. "I always visit his grave on the day he died," she said by way of explanation. "But I had to improvise this year, and I'd just attract attention if I did it in town." She didn't mind attracting attention, but there were times when she preferred not to.

overthedratini September 9 2010, 23:48:17 UTC

"... I see." Immediately, after hearing it out of her mouth, Johan felt even more guilty for spying on her. Not that he'd meant to spy on her, but he'd still done it all the same, regardless of his initial (and, in his mind, now irrelevant intentions) and what kind of partner would he be to not feel even a little wrong doing that?

Still, that didn't matter right now, what matter was Kay, and he realized now that he'd been being to quiet now.

"I guess that makes sense," he said quietly after a few more moments' pause, glancing back to what Kay had left behind for him. "I bet he appreciates that a lot, even if you couldn't get there."

yattagarasu September 9 2010, 23:58:52 UTC

"I hope so!" Kay's smile was back to its usual brightness levels, though it took her a minute to call it forth. "I think the Swiss Roll might get a little wet, but that was our tradition... I'm just lucky they sell stuff like that here."

She gave the offerings another glance then, spontaneously, she once again spoke-- but not to Johan this time. "Dad, this is Johan... you know, the one I've told you about? He's been helping me out, so you don't have to worry about what you left behind anymore."

overthedratini September 10 2010, 00:20:19 UTC

Johan just nodded quietly, inwardly glad that she was brightening up again, but then, for a completely different reason than before, he once more took on the look of a deer caught in headlights as Kay began introducing him. He quickly raised an arm out towards the offerings, a few more shaky laughs escaping him.

"It's nice to meet you, sir! I've heard a lot about you...!" he started, a bit like a fish out of water for a moment - he was used to being able to see the spirits he was talking to, but after a moment he adjusted to the idea of it and continued with his greeting. Coughing, and shooting Kay a quick glance, he figured 'Why not?' and went for it. "I guess I should thank you first, for having such a great daughter-- I don't know where I'd be without her, ehehe. Probably back in Olivine somewhere ( ... )

yattagarasu September 10 2010, 01:29:30 UTC

Truthfully, Kay hadn't been expecting Johan to do any of... what he'd just done, since not too many people would go along with a girl talking to thin air. But then, she supposed he'd done that with his spirits for who knew how long, so maybe she should have expected it from him.

She kept an eye on him as he spoke, her gaze occasionally transferring from him to the offerings, and for a moment, it felt as though Byrne Faraday was actually there, listening to Johan just as intently as she was. The thought was enough to make her smile, softer than it had ever been on the anniversary of her father's death. But she'd never had company before, and not anyone else who spoke to her father.

And she'd never heard anyone thank someone for her. Without even thinking, she reached for Johan's hand, unable to muster a joking comment after a remark like that. She could tell he was being absolutely sincere ( ... )

overthedratini September 10 2010, 06:17:06 UTC

Johan was a bit taken aback by his hand suddenly being taken by Kay's, but he didn't mind - it helped, if anything, and he returned her squeeze and offered a comforting smile at her. He was slighly taken aback at her thanking him, but despite the sudden urge to question it or crack something, instead he only nodded and moved a bit closer. Just a bit closer, but it was more than enough at that moment.

He got the message.

"Any time. And I do mean any time, day or night, rain or shine, so..." Johan paused, shooting a glance back to the offerings, then turning back to Kay, that sneaking thought he'd had earlier coming back to mind. He gave her hand a squeeze again and then, after looking over at where Byrne, the first Byrne, was presumably watching from, one more time, he looked back to Kay. "If your father here doesn't mind, I'd like you to promise both of us something."

yattagarasu September 10 2010, 06:40:30 UTC

"Me?" The remark caught Kay off-guard, and she glanced at him. Confusion warred with curiosity, as well as a vague look of reminiscence. Any promises made between her and her father had been in that notebook she'd kept as a little girl, but one between her, her father, and Johan? That wasn't something she'd ever considered, for obvious reasons.

Curiosity won the fight, earning Johan an inquisitive smile after a moment. "I can't exactly promise you anything if you don't tell me what it is first." Part of her admitted to feeling some sense of strangeness over having a conversation while her father presumably watched over them, but she'd felt his presence before when she knew she was following the same path he was. She was positive that Byrne would have been present if he could have, whether he was actually there or not. As his daughter, she chose to believe that he was.

overthedratini September 10 2010, 06:47:23 UTC

"Hmm... Well, make that two promises, actually," Johan corrected himself after a moment's thought, giving Kay a quick grin as she smiled at him. She'd looked a little out of it for a moment, and now that she was "here"... He nodded to himself, deciding that, if there was any way to really at least get the subject out there, this would be one of the better ways to go about it. That in mind, he turned back to Kay and held up a single finger.

"Here's the first promise: 'I promise not to keep things from my partner or friends, for better or worse, just because I'm afraid I might worry them'," he stopped there, not quite to let her respond yet, but to take a breath. There was one last thing he had to say in regards to that promise. "... I know you're more used to being alone, and I know you're just looking out for us, that's how you are, but-- You aren't alone, Kay. And we're all here for you. Even if something ever happened, and we all got separated, I'd still be there for you even then," He paused, then turned his head slightly - as if ( ... )

yattagarasu September 10 2010, 07:00:47 UTC

"Two--" Kay began, but quieted a few seconds later to hear Johan out. He wasn't being too direly serious if he was grinning, something that served to relax her and dispel any suspicious thoughts she might have been gathering.

... Which she wasn't. This was Johan, after all, who couldn't have lied his way out of a paper bag (a saying she'd heard before but hadn't quite ever understood). Even the first promise he proposed failed to surprise her, especially after the talk they'd had. But it was true, wasn't it? As much as she hated to admit it, she had almost given up, and had to renew her determination through... a hallucination, but her first coherent realization after that and a giant bat freeing her was Johan diving for her. And her first thought had been a very simple I'm glad I held on, even more so when she realized that she had an entire rescue party ( ... )

overthedratini September 12 2010, 06:00:21 UTC

With each addition Kay spoke of Johan's promise, his eyes grew that much brighter and his smile that much warmer. He couldn't help it, not with everything that had happened that had finally led up this this point. The fact that she'd gone along with it helped, but he didn't doubt she was going to not go along with it in the first place; still, hearing it out of her mouth made him brighten up all the same ( ... )

yattagarasu September 12 2010, 22:32:29 UTC

Had Kay been any more aware of things beyond her father's death anniversary and her present company, she might have thought that Johan having a "turn" made this feel more like the exchanging of vows then a promise made. But sadly, she didn't even consider this, watching her friend with attentive green eyes and a solemn expression-- made difficult with all of the grinning he was doing, but somehow she managed.

The weight of what he was promising hadn't eluded her. What he was promising... was what the original Yatagarasu had needed in order to keep from collapsing. Complete and utter support. Unwavering trust. What made partners different from friends was that, with friends, there weren't too many opportunities where you had to trust them with everything. There wasn't much working together-- not in that sense, anyway. But with what Johan was saying, he'd already been there. He'd never doubted her, even when she had doubted herself. And as far as she was concerned ( ... )

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