11th ♌ Birthday Surprise [OPEN]

[naochansensei]

WHO: naochansensei and YOU
WHAT: An informal birthday celebration, a sudden disappearance.
WHEN: August 11, morning
WHERE: Hospital cafeteria
WARNINGS: Derp and karakasa

A haunted island such as this one really wasn't conducive to celebrating one's birthday, but it seemed a shame to let the day pass by without at least acknowledging it in some form -- even if

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THE SURPRISE

[naochansensei]

Hold on. Where did Naoshi go? He was just here. You only turned your backs for a minute. Oh, he went into the pantry to get more ingredients, of course.

...it's a tiny pantry. What's taking so long?

Someone will have to peek in and find out. Nothing there but a pile of island clothes and a woven red bracelet. The island either has a kind side, or a twisted sense of humor, or both: it just sent him home.

[noppo_sempai]

He's taking this well, actually. His hands didn't tremble, and he didn't burst into tears when he picked up his clothes, pocketed that bracelet. It seemed important, somehow. But mostly he just stood there, staring a while, wondering if he should go and check the graveyard. He should be happy. The only one who mattered to him on this island was finally gone. Safe.

[roadstotheriver]

Heading back to try and find Naoshi, to give him the gift she'd managed to find and even bespell for him, Lirael poked her head into the kitchen pantry, where someone else had said Naoshi went. All she saw was a familiar tall back and shock of blue hair. "Homare?"

[noppo_sempai]

Could he blame anyone? He didn't know for sure if he's really gone from the island. Not unless he checked the Graveyard, but even if he knew that those headstones were all lies, he still couldn't help…

He turned around slowly, not saying a word as he holds the bundle of clothes tight to his chest.

[roadstotheriver]

Confused for a moment, Lirael looked from Homare's face to the bundle of cloth. Why was he holding it, and why did he look so stricken? Then she recognized the colors of the clothes-- wasn't that Naoshi's apron...?

Finally she caught on, and she looked sharply back up to Homare's face, startled and dismayed, even though she knew she should be glad. "Oh," was all she could think of to say, but her tone was one of regret and sympathy. She thought of Naoshi as a friend, too, after all.

[noppo_sempai]

Him being gone should be cause for celebration, and on his birthday, no less. It's the best thing that's ever happened to him, and he should be glad. He took a deep breath and walked past her. "Please tell everyone that he won't be coming back." He didn't have the heart to say it-monsoon or not he had to know, and he'll go to the Graveyard to find out no matter what.

[roadstotheriver]

It was impossible to think that Homare was actually happy with this, island or no island. Lirael knew how close he and Naoshi were, close enough that Homare tried to scold the whole island for putting him in danger and Naoshi would put himself in danger, to help Homare. How would she feel if the Dog was suddenly gone, without even a chance to say goodbye, and she was left alone in a strange place?

Oh, she knew how that felt, all right. She put her hand on his elbow when he tried to pass her, to stop him. "It-- it will be all right," she said, hesitently.

[noppo_sempai]

He stared at her for a while, then shook his head. This wasn't anyone's business but his. He knew Haruki-sensei had made a lot of friends on this island, and he'd have to break the news to everyone else eventually. But right now-right now he needed to go out into the storm and find out for himself.

[roadstotheriver]

In the face of that look and silence and head-shake, Lirael let Homare go. She didn't have a clue what to say to him, anyhow, and if he wanted to go....

She'd just do as he asked, and tell anyone else who came by that he was gone. Which would be hard enough, she imagined, even if it wouldn't help Homare much.

[noppo_sempai]

"Thank you," he muttered, before he left. It was the polite thing to do, at least.

The bearer of bad news

[roadstotheriver]

For the rest of the afternoon, Lirael sat in the mess hall, by the counter that led into the kitchen, and waited for people to come looking for Naoshi to tell them the bad news. It was an uncomfortable job, but it was better than dusting, anyway, and she kept herself occupied by casting tiny Charter marks for light up onto the ceiling, making a starry sky up there that she imagined Naoshi would have liked.

[selfmadehero]

Steph could sense the atmosphere around Lirael without even looking. It was like a rain cloud hovered over the witch (not that Stephanie would call her that to her face. With all the cultures on the island, who knew what might be offensive?).

She sat down quietly and stared up at the stars on the ceiling.

"Where's Orion?"

[roadstotheriver]

"Where's what?" Lirael asked, startled, blinking at Stephanie and losing the mark she'd been starting to draw. It vanished with no ceremony. She didn't know the constellations from Earth at all, and in fact didn't even know very many from her own world, so mostly she was just making random patterns.

[selfmadehero]

"It's a winter constellation, but it's my favorite. Got anything I can draw on?" Steph explained, glancing around to see if there was anything in the immediate area. When she didn't find anything she started tracing the image with her finger on the table.

"Gotham's so cold in the winter. When things get to be too much I like to climb up as high as I can and find Orion. With all the pollution I can only ever find his belt, but it's something, you know? Something bigger than right here and right now. People all across the world can see that belt."

Her little narration finished, she glanced back up at Lirael.

"So what's got you down?"

[roadstotheriver]

Lirael watched Stephanie's finger with interest and curiosity, trying to imagine the shape, but not sure exactly what she was drawing without any kind of reference. Perhaps it was time to start learning about constellations and stars on this world, since she was starting to run out of books on medicine and healing from the library.

She looked up again at Stephanie's question. Her answer was sober. "Naoshi is gone. He disappeared about half an hour ago, from the pantry."

[selfmadehero]

She glanced up, startled by the revelation.

"Graveyard?" was the automatic question. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad. That was the danger of this place: you made friends. Good ones.