blue christmas

[mindgooshed]

Who: bunnabee (mindgooshed) and YOU.
What: SOME GOOD OL' CHRISTMAS ANGST.
When: p much allll day of the 25th, until early evening.
Where: the town/forest
Summary: christmas is kind of an awful time for this guy, and he's missing out on a macabre tradition that he'll be recreating here in luceti. also, uh, dealing with some issues.
Rating: idk pg13? THIS SHIT

Comments

Sorry. Have a gentleman in red. My apologies for possible shenanigans!

[redjacketthief]

[The cold air and a smoke worked wonders to settle his thoughts and still his breathing. It was the quiet nature of Luceti, the minor grade stagnation that caused his mind to whirl around in agitated circles. At least, that's what Lupin kept on assuring himself as his inherent restlessness drove him into the woods

lmao oh my god.

[mindgooshed]

[ normally, barnaby is pretty hyperaware of his surroundings, and very observant, but at the moment he's a little, um .. distracted. so lupin gets the drop on him rather easily, and barnaby doesn't even notice him until he speaks.

-- and unsurprisingly, he's startled. barnaby nearly jumps out of his skin, hops to his feet and whirls around, tense and clearly more than ruffled. he'd been having a moment and everything, and he'd never thought that anyone would happen upon him like this. let's pretend that he totally wasn't crying. ]

Who are you?

XD

[redjacketthief]

[The frantic action of the person he's addressed startles Lupin as well. He dances back a couple steps, withdrawing the cigarette from the offer. For a second he stares at the man, uncomprehending. Did he really try to flirt with a man?

Not that the casual smile that quickly replaces his confused expression reveals this. He's sorely tempted to lay down some snark, but the similarly confused look on the stranger's face stops him.]

I'm just a guy on a walk. Name's Arsene Lupin III, what's yours?

[mindgooshed]

[ oh. he should probably, um, calm down. barnaby clears his throat and straightens, averting his eyes, his hands tight fists. it's time to salvage what dignity he has left right now. ]

I'm sorry. Barnaby Brooks Jr. You just .. surprised me, that's all.

[soulboundhunter]

What's this? A ranger caught off his guard?

[She'd seen him come into the woods, of course. Go kicking through trees and fauna. And when he dug up the two rocks. She'd stayed silent, and out of sight, giving the young man respectful distance even as she followed him. The way he walked, the carry of his shoulders; it reminded her too much of her own good friend back home. And the physical similarities only added to that eerie feeling.

It's the quiet plea for help that causes Ari to finally emerge from the trees, Elder keeping a silent pace behind her. She stops some feet away, clearing her throat gently before speaking.]

Your legs must be soaked through and frozen by now.

[mindgooshed]

[ YEAH OFF HIS GUARD FOR SURE he doesn't even hear her coming. granted she's probably rather good at concealing herself, but barnaby is still a generally observant guy. still, he isn't thinking clearly, and he's assuming that he's alone out here - because it's christmas, isn't it? people have things to do. people to see. not to mention he's well off the beaten path.

so when she speaks he leaps immediately to his feet, quickly drawing his sleeve over his eyes and straightening his glasses, because clearly wiping those tears away is more important than finding out who the offender is. but after a half-second he whirls around. ]

Ah--

[ yeah, enjoy one of the rare moments when barnaby's pristine poise is all but shattered. ]

[soulboundhunter]

[Ari will take his reaction with calm silence, watching as he tries to salvage both dignity and...yeah. Good luck, there, kind sir.

Still, she makes no comment on that when he turns around, instead, leaning her head sideways for a moment as she studies him, trying to determine what she can about him from his looks alone. Elder yawns behind her, flopping down into the snow to watch from a more comfortable position.]

I have warm mead in my canteen; would you like some? Or at least a fire?

[mindgooshed]

[ she's an odd one, isn't he. barnaby's eyes rake over her for a moment, and the beast not far behind her; it's like she stepped right out of a fantasy novel. but there are all sorts here in luceti, he's beginning to learn. clearing his throat, barnaby straightens and smooths a gloved hand through his snow-dusted hair. ]

Ah, no .. no, thank you. Please don't trouble yourself.

[ and just like that the walls are up again, firm and unyielding as ever. ]

>_>

[mikangirl]

[We interrupt this angsty self-reflection towards evening with the sound of branches cracking overhead and shrieking that sounds less panicked and more mightily pissed. And then something (or someone) crashes to earth nearby, sending up a white puff of powdery snow.

Scuse her, Barnaby. Just gonna lay here and groan for a second. And mutter something about roasted duck.]

<_<

[mindgooshed]

[ you think you can break this angst? yeah just try it, girlie. it's too intense for you.

barnaby's head snaps up. normally he probably would have been quick enough on the uptake to catch her before she hit the ground, but today? he just sort of stares blankly, surprised, red-rimmed eyes wide and glassy and staring.

this is a habit of hers, isn't it? but barnaby can't even bring himself to cough up some snarky, charming response to this. ]

.. Are you all right?

|D

[mikangirl]

[Hey she can try 8|| But...she probably won't, some angst is good for you okay.

Anyway, after a couple of helpless blinks as Nami tries to process that this is kind of a habit and she's not sure whether that's hilarious or embarrassing, really. But she'll deal. Nami blows her hair out of her face and gives him a wry smile, not quite noticing that blotchy face just yet. Give her a second.]

Oh, I'm fine. I just broke my fall on a whole bunch of trees, after all.

Though I'm going to kill that duck! [Yelling that for the benefit of something else entirely. B| There's an answering and terrified-sounding kaa! somewhere up above and a heavy flapping sound as said duck takes off. Yeah, you better run.]

[mindgooshed]

[ BLOTCHY FACE, akdjadskl. he is always flawless okay. ugh.

.. but anyway while she's screaming at that duck, he's taking the time to recover, drawing his sleeve over his eyes and drawing in a deep breath and sitting back on his heels, straightening his glasses and schooling his features to neutrality. but there's no hiding the flushed cheeks and red-rimmed eyes - but that could just be the cold weather okay. ]

This is a habit of yours, isn't it?

[ is he going to have to give you his jacket and walk you home again. ]

[Action] I was enabled. :D;;

[lostinmyway]

[Grune has just about finished delivering all her presents by now, but she wouldn't be herself if she didn't wander from her intended path every once in a while.

She strolls through the forest, admiring the beautiful sight of the snow on the trees, her bag of gifts forgotten on her arm. It isn't until she hears someone speak that her attention comes back to the real world.

And then, of course, she can't possibly ignore anyone sounding so sad.

When she comes across Barnaby, she doesn't hesitate, but kneels next to him and puts her arms around him.]

It's all right. Don't worry. Everything will be all right.

ahhhhhh is that so

[mindgooshed]

[ clearly he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings. when those arms close around him barnaby freezes immediately, every muscle in his body tensing, red flags flying in his head. oh god, physical contact is difficult enough when he's in a stable state of mind, and despite the fact that, somewhere deep inside, this kid really needs a hug, barnaby can't help but reject it. the fact that she's all bit a stranger doesn't help, either.

he leaps up almost instantly, reeling back as if he's been burned, tense and alarmed and more panicked than he rightly should be.

.. but oh wait, he recognizes her. the nice cookie girl. ]

Ahh- I'm - I apologize. You .. startled me.

Pao-lin seems to think Bunny needed a hug. :P

[lostinmyway]

[Grune blinks up at him. She hadn't moved when he jumped out of the way; she doesn't have much in the way of reflexes.

After a moment, she stands.] Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.

[She studies him.] What's wrong?

UGH PAOLIN YOU MEDDLER WHAT DID YOU DO

[mindgooshed]

[ well at least she isn't trying to hug him again and hey you totally didn't scare him okay. startled.

.. regardless, he stands stiffly and quietly, trying to salvage the torn ribbons of his dignity. ]

Nothing. Please, don't worry about it.

[Action] lemme know if you want to move to DW or anything but I really wanted to hit this!

[ledbythewind]

[Richard hadn't really headed out on a walk with a clear destination in mind-- what he wanted most of all was just to get away from everyone for a little while and have some space to think about things.

Judging from that figure in the clearing up ahead, he's not the only one who had that in mind, though he doesn't know it at the moment. Of course, his first thought isn't that the other man is thinking, but that something worse has happened, so he quickens his pace as he approaches to make sure that he isn't injured or anything of the sort.]

Are you all right?

i'm fine with either!

[mindgooshed]

[ barnaby's head snaps up, and for a moment he just stares blankly (because he really hadn't expected to be sen), but after a few seconds he snaps out of it and stands quickly, joints creaking, and brushes the snow from his knees. ]

Yes, I'm .. I'm fine.

sticking with here for now, then!

[ledbythewind]

[Richard's first conclusion given the situation is that Barnaby was returned from a kidnapping... which really isn't that unlikely given how many of those there seem to have been lately.

But then he gets a closer look at who he's speaking too and realizes there's something vaguely familiar. He spoke to this man briefly when he arrived, didn't he?]

... I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name the last time we spoke. I'm Richard.

[mindgooshed]

.. Barnaby. Barnaby Brooks Jr.

[ he stuffs his hands under his arms, hunching against the wind. yeah he vaguely remembers speaking with this guy. ]