001.st Fragment: A Soaked Arrival [action]

[shred_the_sky]

[ A new arrival might seem unusual so late in the month, but there is one in town today. Visit the clothing store today and you might see a tall young man hanging out near one of the shelves. He's dressed in usual New Feather pants, except their color and the way they sit on him is a tad unusual. Coming up closer reveals why: the newcomer is

Comments

Earlier this morning...

[shred_the_sky]

[ Aether's arrival is both quiet and unreasonably painful. His blood may be filled with memories of the eastern oceans, but the cold is an old nemesis and his ability to handle it is far from good. When the cold water envelops him, only his gills and endurance. His limbs quickly turn numb, skin becomes pale to the point of corpse-like and restless sleep is replaced by pained unconsciousness.

It is in this state, that he ends up being carried by the river stream. There is no sound or a hint of movement coming from him; if there is any sign of him not being dead, it will have to be discovered by fishing him out of the river.

...someone is going to fish him out of the river. Right? ]

[OOC: This comment is for the players who agreed to participate in bringing Aether back to solid ground and the land of the living! Everyone else, feel free to either ignore it or PM me if you'd like to participate in the scene.]

[poppetry]

[ Xion, like many people, has been trying to ignore the weird horoscope she found in her journal. But she hasn't been able to avoid this urge to at least use a brisk trot to get everywhere, instead of just walking, which is weird and annoying, but at least she's not full-on sprinting yet.

Besides, it ends up being useful when she spots ...

... is that a body?

In the river?

WHAT.

Stifling a shout of alarm, Xion races over, her mind racing as she tries to think of a way to get the person out without ending up in the probably freezing cold water herself.

She also chances a panicked look around, wondering if maybe there's someone else who can help her... ]

[falenandawn]

[Frey is luckily nearby enough to hear that stifled shout, and follows the sound out of concern. When he spots a girl by the river in the distance, he wonders if she nearly fell in, glancing at the waters as he gets closer.] Are you alrigh-

[His words are cut off by a startled gasp of his own as he sees the floating body.] What happened?!

[poppetry]

I don't know! I just--

[ She cuts herself off, realizing wasting her time explaining could cost this guy his life. She goes abruptly still, forcing herself to focus, then turns away from Frey and opens her eyes again. ]

I'm going to get him out of the water, but you're going to have to pull him to the shore. Get ready!

Drift!

[ A burst of black and purple magic pushes outwards from her body as she lifts an arm to perform the spell, and Aether's body abruptly lifts out of the river. A glittering transparent barrier surrounds his body, apparently holding him in the air.

It's go time, Frey. ]

[seiriald]

[.... Last time Kaori checked, she had been fairly certain that the floor of the clothing store was not made of water.] Ew.

[Quietly she tries to listen for a source, but manages to overlook Aether the first few times she turns her head around; she's a little preoccupied with trying to not get her feet and rather thin shoes too wet.]

[shred_the_sky]

[ It doesn't help that as a person, Aether is as quiet a they come. The few sounds he makes are quickly lost amidst the light noise of falling water, leaving him completely blended into the scenery.

It's only when he pulls the towel off his head and squeezes it (resulting in a legitimate miniature waterfall), that he speaks up in a quiet voice. ]

You should go to the other side of the shop. I'm not going to turn dry anytime soon.

[seiriald]

Oh! [The sound of Aether's voice takes her entirely by surprise; how had she not noticed that there had been someone else in here? Bowing her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment she moves to try to avoid the water, mulling over what he had said.]

How come you're wet?

[shred_the_sky]

I...

[ The sound of the falling water fades after a short time. Replacing it, is the distinct sound of a wet towel flapping through the air. ]

You could say I was brought here by the river currents.

Two for two!

[seleniahymn]

[Even with the ongoing experiment Tear attempted to continue her daily routine, which includes picking up the groceries for dinner. While she successfully averts making eye contact with others passing through the plaza, she finds herself drawn to Aether; there was something distinctly familiar about him, even if it had been months since she had last heard from him.]

[shred_the_sky]

[ Aether is used to simply drifting past people whenever he walks down the street. As long as he doesn't make eye contact, all it takes is to simply move forward. Soon enough, he would blend with the scenery or the crowd and fade out of attention of anyone who passes.

But this time is different. This time, the passerby locks her gaze on him for several moments too long and Aether soon finds himself looking back.

It feels like it has been years, but her face is familiar. The knight's footsteps slow down to give him some time and look her over, even if only for a few seconds longer. ]

[seleniahymn]

[It almost surprises her that Aether is returning her gaze, though the emotion doesn't translate to her face. Instead she puts on a small smile, searching for a means of properly apologizing for such rude behaviour.]

I'm sorry, are you new here?

[shred_the_sky]

Yes and no.

[ The smile is returned, but his is faint and almost distracted. This place is filled with both memories and unfamiliar things; even her face reminds him of someone he met a very long time ago, but cannot quite remember the name of. ]

It's strange, no? [ His gaze slowly drifts away from her and upward, as if seeking out the town's meager skyline. ] It may feel like years have passed, but the sky in this place is still the same old color.

[generalflirt]

[This comment is a convenient placeholder for the "Aether walks out of the river" idea. Masaomi, as it is, is by the river considering the various situations he's gotten in this week and, well, Cue action]

[shred_the_sky]

[ There is no action. There is, however, a trout.

It isn't a symbolic or a metaphorical trout. It is a genuine rainbow trout of truly impressive size that suddenly emerges from the water and makes a graceless curve through the air at incredible speed, only to land right next to Masaomi with a loud flop.

And if that just happens to not make Masaomi feel like his morning has been made, there is a telltale sound of something emerging from the river. There is something there; something six feet tall and clad in a pitch-black outfit that resembles a futuristic duster reinforced with armor plates. The figure's head is completely concealed by a smooth black helmet with a visor that glows an eerie blue.

This is not how normal people fish, Masaomi. But then, it's not like you're normal people. ]

1/2

[generalflirt]

Holy shit. [That comes out when the trout lands next to him. He looks at the fish and then back at the river. Okay, so thee must be... someone there... Or something. But, that is-]

[generalflirt]

Shit-! [He takes two steps back, his eyes widen, and he looks around for something he can use as an improvised weapon if needed. He doesn't honestly think that he'll last in a fight with something like this, whatever it is, but he doesn't want to just run either. It's close to town and it might strike him down before he gets anywhere and-

It's coming out of a river is it a robot?]

[inabook]

[shred_the_sky]

[ He could have simply approached her and said hello. It would be a perfectly normal reunion, nostalgic and more than a little awkward. And yet, it would never satisfy him. Because so much time has passed for him that it feels like a thousand years, a simple "hello" would never suffice.

So he sits down on the back of the bench, his back facing the seat, and opens a book he had got from the library on the way here. Rather than wondering about how to say this any further, he flips through the pages and lets himself stop on a poem that resonates with him particularly well.

A sign and, in the same soft voice as he so often used, he begins to read. ]Chieko says there is no sky in Tokyo

[inabook]

[shred_the_sky]

[ The book in his hand closes with a soft thud. Aether sighs, his expression turning nostalgic at her face, and finally begins to talk quietly. ]

You know, there was a time when that name was the only truth I knew. Then, this place and... you came along.

[ He turns toward her, a shaky smile on his lips. ]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forget you.