[ooc; get some sleep! And that sounds good too! I'm flexible for whatever you'd want to do, really. And apologies for the sloppy tag, I've got the sleepies myself. D: ]
- [It was a little strange, sitting out in front of the Spa in the frigid morning, finishing off the last of a cigarette, and watching Boy thump her tail against the ground happily as she gnawed on a large rubber ball. In less than half a day he'd been gone, come back, and not only was Pollux still gone, but it had been a full week and Inara had disappeared as well. It was almost uncomfortable to stay inside the spa at the moment, as though he was trespassing in the home of a dead man. Though now Kagerou had offered to see him-- Or, rather, the dog. Which made the visit more comfortable, really, as Castor had never been good with people's kindness of their concern. He was even less competent with showing concern or kindness of his own, and he knew that she had been a friend of his roommate's before Pollux's sudden disappearance
( ... )
[Seeing the spa so quiet made Kagerou slow her steps. She hadn't missed Inara's disappearance, but it had come at the end of a long slow wave of loss. She'd felt oddly numb to it in the wake of Koi, and Pollux, and a wealth of other names she'd known better or less well.
People came and went. Sooner or later the sharp edge of hurt blunted to a dull ache somewhere deeper within. However, she knew by now she could do nothing for the vanished. The people who remained were, possibly, sometimes, another matter--and if nothing else, it was good to remind herself they were still here.]
Hello! [She offered a wave and a smile to Castor, then crouched down to receive Boy as the dog got up to greet her with familiar enthusiasm.] It's good to see you, I mean, really see you back. Was it the elevator again? If it's okay to ask?
[His lips curved up for a short moment as Boy stood up and bounded at Kagerou happily, tail snapping back and forth in sheer excitement. For a moment, he was glad he had taught the wolfhound not to jump, or else she may have bowled everyone she was happy to see over. He stood from his place, lifting a hand in a short, casual greeting.] Hey.
[He rolled his shoulders at the question.] Nah, fine to ask. And yeah, it was. I was headin' down to the scrapyard and ended up in a Shrine. [One vaguely from one of his memories, of course, but there hadn't been any other hints or people, or anything at the shrine. Just some places for offerings, fortunes, and a small playground. Still, it had been nice, so close to the new year.]
[He glanced up to her with another awkward shrug, his hands slipping into his pockets. He wasn't sure what to really do with them, after all.] You been alright lately? [Not that anyone in the sphere was "all right" most of the time, but she seemed healthy and happy enough.] Didn't seen you writing so much before I was
[Kagerou hugged the dog, then found the scratchy spot under her chin and settled to pet her for a moment. She turned to look up at Castor, though, as he was at least half the reason she had asked to take Boy out. The pretext of the dog just made it somewhat less awkward.
Her expression sobered at his question.]
I'm fine. Well, I guess I wasn't for a while, when Koi died. He... was sort of a father figure to me, so... [She gave him a brief, helpless look, meant to communicate what they all got familiar with sooner or later: she'd mourned the loss, and come to some kind of terms with it.]
And since I don't think I said it--I'm sorry. About Pollux. I like to think we were friends, so, just, I miss him, too. [A scant, sad smile now. She didn't know Castor well. There was a need to tell him she cared, anyway. The smile widened a little.]
[He quieted as she spoke, watching. He had seen Koi's death, and hadn't heard of a return. He knew the man had worked the tea shop and had been quite important to some people, but wasn't aware of the details. His brows furrowed and he nodded to her, a sort of quiet understanding. He wasn't good at consoling people- especially about deaths. People died, especially here. It was hard to know what to say.
But at the mention of Pollux, he stiffened a bit.] ...It's alright. He had things back home, I figure. [He had a life back home: he hadn't been the one to die, after all. He probably had things to do, monsters to fight, memories to have. He stepped over and crouched, taking Boy by the collar to clip a leash to her.]
...He talked 'bout you. [Well, mentioned Kagerou sometimes, and the fact that they took walks together. He stood, gesturing to the path: they could speak while walking, it would probably be more comfortable.] But like I said, he's got a home to go back to. I figure he just got lucky and got out.
[Technically she'd come to walk the dog, but if Castor wanted to tag along, that was more than fine. There was no point in them all standing around in the cold, anyway. She could take Boy for a proper run later, she supposed.
It had been a bit of a gamble to mention Pollux. He'd seemed very close to Castor; she hadn't wanted to intrude.]
I'd like to think so, too. There have been quite a few people from my world, coming and going. So it was just their time to go back.
[She dug her hands in the pockets of her coat as they walked, but gave her companion a lop-sided smile.]
What's your... home like? Do you have any idea? When you mentioned that shrine... it sort of sounded familiar. Like you meant the same thing with the word I would.
[She still didn't quite understand whatever it was that allowed them to speak fluently to each other. She could, however, sometimes recognise when a person was likely to speak the same language she did: talking to Cloud about sakura, or to 00 about Tokyo.]
...I think Pollux was the only one from my home. [At least, he hadn't seen anyone else, no one else had found shooting themselves to be natural or beneficial. He hadn't seen the quiet, blue-haired boy, or the red headed women, or that boy in the hat. No one had been that familiar to him. He offered the leash to Kagerou after a moment: She had wanted to look after Boy, right? He shrugged.]
Gotta be nice- if one person gets some info, you can share it. [At the question about his home, he paused, thinking.] Hard to describe. The shrine was oldish, I guess. Offerings, fortunes, Inari Sushi, that kinda thing. There was a hospital in another memory.
[He paused, glancing ahead. There was no reason to hold back info, right?] Had another with me an' Pollux fighting some monsters, but I couldn't see 'em. So pretty different from here: didn't live in a tree, for one.
[She took the leash and curled her fingers for a secure hold, even though Boy probably would have returned at a call from Castor even without it.]
Inari? I think that's familiar. Sushi is, at least. You remember when the Wilderness was Tokyo, back in the summer? I think I must have at least visited that city some time.
[She let the dog range ahead, loosening the leash as far as she could. Wellspring Island wasn't crowded at the best of times, so there was room.]
I still don't have a very clear picture, though. Monsters? There was something like that in our world, too. I mean, almost everyone I know is from my home can fight in some way.
Well, except me, really. [She looked aside. This was still something unclear and not entirely comfortable.]
[She had visited Tokyo-- he had found aspects of the city familiar, though didn't feel as though he had been there before. But he could read the signs, the food was familiar, and even the statue of Hachikou was something that he felt he should have known.]
It was close to home, I think. Tokyo, I mean. [He glnced over to her: Perhaps there homes weren't that different, especially if they had monsters as well. He had never considered the fact that other people could be from his world that he just hadn't met before: There were obviously more people from a world than just his circle of friends.]
Probably better if you don't gotta fight. [he shrugged, glancing over to her.] You know what kinda monsters they were?
quicklog (I edit these tags foreverrr, sorry!)weaver_girlJanuary 2 2011, 00:24:25 UTC
[Her shoulders stiffened, and she hoped her coat hid the twitch. Castor had a point, one made to her many times over. It didn't void the stubborn desire, as if the inability to take the offensive was a sore lack in herself.]
You know Tokyo, too? [Turning back towards him, she all but forced a smile.] It's really odd. It's like our worlds are similar, but everyone has something that sets theirs apart.
Um, about the monsters, I don't really know what they look like. But... there's a sort of feel to them--like something cold and really hungry. It's hard to explain.
quicklog (thaat is quite alright! i am an editing machine sometimes.)unevokedJanuary 2 2011, 01:00:29 UTC
Yeah. [He knew a city like Tokyo, at least, and the name was familiar. It was definitely something similar to home. She had a point, though, there may have been something to set them apart.] What sets yours apart, then? [He was honestly curious. If there worlds were that similar, what would be so different to make sure they were different entirely?]
[Cold and hungry... It didn't feel entirely wrong, but he couldn't remember 'feeling' anything from them. But it seemed right.] I dunno what they look like either. Pollux may've, but we never really talked about them. I wanted to know more 'bout how we fought them.
[He glanced over to her again.] How do the people from your world fight? [Differently, if he remembered right- wasn't Toushi and Bastet from her world? And lin, of course...]
Hmm, I'm not sure. "Our monsters are different"? [She laughed, a brief, bright sound.] It sounds a bit silly. I can usually tell when someone is from our world. They... have this specific kind of energy about them, and our monsters have something kind of similar.
[She made a small shrugging motion.] So I hear, anyway. I've never actually had a memory about them.
[Boy tugged on the leash, and she staggered a step forward, yelping at the dog to slow down.] Aah, they have swords! Most of them do, anyway. Kazahana fights will spells, too, fireballs and the sort. But the swords are important. Um, Toushi or Kiba can probably tell you more.
Could be it. [And no one he knew had powers like the people from he world-- They weren't human, he didn't figure. Sure, he and Pollux had monsters in their heads that gave them some kind of power and strength, but it wasn't the same. It had to be called, for one, and they seemed more... specialized? At least it seemed that way. Pollux could heal others, he could control lightning, whereas Castor only knew how to destroy things.]
Swords and fireballs. [The combination wasn't too strange, but it wasn't something he remembered- and he knew they had a different power source. Their worlds were similar, but they were different when it came to the kinds of monsters and how they fought them.]
We-- Boy. Heel. [He spoke sternly to the dog, who paused in her shoving along and looked back, ears perking up. Obediently, she trotted back to Kagerou's side with a low whine, tail wagging low. Castor continued after a moment.] Me and Pollux fought different. When I sparred with Lin, it was completely different.
You sparred with Lin? [Kagerou quirked an eyebrow before she could control her expression. She had often seen Lin and Castor converse on the journals, sprawling columns of acidic quips and comebacks. The nature of their relationship wasn't quite clear to her, but Castor obviously had a way of relating to people she did not always grasp.]
She's very strong. I haven't seen her fight, but I can tell--there's this, like a tightly coiled spring of power in her when I sense her. [She stuffed her hands in her pockets, feeling suddenly ill at ease. Lin was not a subject she liked to raise. As things were, the woman was one of the very few people in the Sphere Kagerou might have been said to actively dislike.]
So, I mean, if you fought her, you must be very good, too.
..Sort of sparred. [He didn't expect most people to really understand how he got along with people. He and Pollux had frequent fistfights and arguments, he and Lin were cold and cruel to one another, and yet he considered them the closest people he knew. He was sure most people thought he was romantically involved with one or both of them, rather than understanding that the distance was what he appreciated about the 'friendship' the most.] And she beat the hell outta me.
[He paused, considering for a moment.] ...Only reason I stood a chance is 'cause things sorta... rebound sometimes, if that makes any sense. [Every few attacks, she hadn't been able to hit him- She'd attack, and would bruise herself. It was weird, but definitely appreciated.]
So you can sense all their energies? [Another.. half-familiar thing, and something that Lin had mentioned. Perhaps Kagerou was similar, simply less-trained, or with different abilities.]
[Well, she thought she had an idea or two. Trading insults and feigning distance as a sign of affection didn't seem altogether unfamiliar. Not something she'd do herself, but something she did get. She might only hope she'd have the time to figure Castor out, if only a little.]
Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe I'd have to see? You have some sort of a... shielding ability? [Her brows scrunched. There was a thread of familiarity in that, too.]
I can recognise pretty much everyone who's been here longer. Bastet, Kiba, Toushi, Kazahana... Lin, of course, too, and Crimson lately, too. [A shudder went down her spine at the next thought; she suppressed it and spoke on.] Sometimes I just... feel a presence and don't really know who it is. There was someone here for a while that I... didn't want to get close to. At all.
-
[It was a little strange, sitting out in front of the Spa in the frigid morning, finishing off the last of a cigarette, and watching Boy thump her tail against the ground happily as she gnawed on a large rubber ball. In less than half a day he'd been gone, come back, and not only was Pollux still gone, but it had been a full week and Inara had disappeared as well. It was almost uncomfortable to stay inside the spa at the moment, as though he was trespassing in the home of a dead man. Though now Kagerou had offered to see him-- Or, rather, the dog. Which made the visit more comfortable, really, as Castor had never been good with people's kindness of their concern. He was even less competent with showing concern or kindness of his own, and he knew that she had been a friend of his roommate's before Pollux's sudden disappearance ( ... )
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People came and went. Sooner or later the sharp edge of hurt blunted to a dull ache somewhere deeper within. However, she knew by now she could do nothing for the vanished. The people who remained were, possibly, sometimes, another matter--and if nothing else, it was good to remind herself they were still here.]
Hello! [She offered a wave and a smile to Castor, then crouched down to receive Boy as the dog got up to greet her with familiar enthusiasm.] It's good to see you, I mean, really see you back. Was it the elevator again? If it's okay to ask?
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[He rolled his shoulders at the question.] Nah, fine to ask. And yeah, it was. I was headin' down to the scrapyard and ended up in a Shrine. [One vaguely from one of his memories, of course, but there hadn't been any other hints or people, or anything at the shrine. Just some places for offerings, fortunes, and a small playground. Still, it had been nice, so close to the new year.]
[He glanced up to her with another awkward shrug, his hands slipping into his pockets. He wasn't sure what to really do with them, after all.] You been alright lately? [Not that anyone in the sphere was "all right" most of the time, but she seemed healthy and happy enough.] Didn't seen you writing so much before I was
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Her expression sobered at his question.]
I'm fine. Well, I guess I wasn't for a while, when Koi died. He... was sort of a father figure to me, so... [She gave him a brief, helpless look, meant to communicate what they all got familiar with sooner or later: she'd mourned the loss, and come to some kind of terms with it.]
And since I don't think I said it--I'm sorry. About Pollux. I like to think we were friends, so, just, I miss him, too. [A scant, sad smile now. She didn't know Castor well. There was a need to tell him she cared, anyway. The smile widened a little.]
So, I'm done worrying now. I promise.
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But at the mention of Pollux, he stiffened a bit.] ...It's alright. He had things back home, I figure. [He had a life back home: he hadn't been the one to die, after all. He probably had things to do, monsters to fight, memories to have. He stepped over and crouched, taking Boy by the collar to clip a leash to her.]
...He talked 'bout you. [Well, mentioned Kagerou sometimes, and the fact that they took walks together. He stood, gesturing to the path: they could speak while walking, it would probably be more comfortable.] But like I said, he's got a home to go back to. I figure he just got lucky and got out.
[It was better than the ( ... )
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It had been a bit of a gamble to mention Pollux. He'd seemed very close to Castor; she hadn't wanted to intrude.]
I'd like to think so, too. There have been quite a few people from my world, coming and going. So it was just their time to go back.
[She dug her hands in the pockets of her coat as they walked, but gave her companion a lop-sided smile.]
What's your... home like? Do you have any idea? When you mentioned that shrine... it sort of sounded familiar. Like you meant the same thing with the word I would.
[She still didn't quite understand whatever it was that allowed them to speak fluently to each other. She could, however, sometimes recognise when a person was likely to speak the same language she did: talking to Cloud about sakura, or to 00 about Tokyo.]
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Gotta be nice- if one person gets some info, you can share it. [At the question about his home, he paused, thinking.] Hard to describe. The shrine was oldish, I guess. Offerings, fortunes, Inari Sushi, that kinda thing. There was a hospital in another memory.
[He paused, glancing ahead. There was no reason to hold back info, right?] Had another with me an' Pollux fighting some monsters, but I couldn't see 'em. So pretty different from here: didn't live in a tree, for one.
[he looked back over to her.] What 'bout you?
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Inari? I think that's familiar. Sushi is, at least. You remember when the Wilderness was Tokyo, back in the summer? I think I must have at least visited that city some time.
[She let the dog range ahead, loosening the leash as far as she could. Wellspring Island wasn't crowded at the best of times, so there was room.]
I still don't have a very clear picture, though. Monsters? There was something like that in our world, too. I mean, almost everyone I know is from my home can fight in some way.
Well, except me, really. [She looked aside. This was still something unclear and not entirely comfortable.]
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It was close to home, I think. Tokyo, I mean. [He glnced over to her: Perhaps there homes weren't that different, especially if they had monsters as well. He had never considered the fact that other people could be from his world that he just hadn't met before: There were obviously more people from a world than just his circle of friends.]
Probably better if you don't gotta fight. [he shrugged, glancing over to her.] You know what kinda monsters they were?
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You know Tokyo, too? [Turning back towards him, she all but forced a smile.] It's really odd. It's like our worlds are similar, but everyone has something that sets theirs apart.
Um, about the monsters, I don't really know what they look like. But... there's a sort of feel to them--like something cold and really hungry. It's hard to explain.
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[Cold and hungry... It didn't feel entirely wrong, but he couldn't remember 'feeling' anything from them. But it seemed right.] I dunno what they look like either. Pollux may've, but we never really talked about them. I wanted to know more 'bout how we fought them.
[He glanced over to her again.] How do the people from your world fight? [Differently, if he remembered right- wasn't Toushi and Bastet from her world? And lin, of course...]
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[She made a small shrugging motion.] So I hear, anyway. I've never actually had a memory about them.
[Boy tugged on the leash, and she staggered a step forward, yelping at the dog to slow down.] Aah, they have swords! Most of them do, anyway. Kazahana fights will spells, too, fireballs and the sort. But the swords are important. Um, Toushi or Kiba can probably tell you more.
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Swords and fireballs. [The combination wasn't too strange, but it wasn't something he remembered- and he knew they had a different power source. Their worlds were similar, but they were different when it came to the kinds of monsters and how they fought them.]
We-- Boy. Heel. [He spoke sternly to the dog, who paused in her shoving along and looked back, ears perking up. Obediently, she trotted back to Kagerou's side with a low whine, tail wagging low. Castor continued after a moment.] Me and Pollux fought different. When I sparred with Lin, it was completely different.
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She's very strong. I haven't seen her fight, but I can tell--there's this, like a tightly coiled spring of power in her when I sense her. [She stuffed her hands in her pockets, feeling suddenly ill at ease. Lin was not a subject she liked to raise. As things were, the woman was one of the very few people in the Sphere Kagerou might have been said to actively dislike.]
So, I mean, if you fought her, you must be very good, too.
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[He paused, considering for a moment.] ...Only reason I stood a chance is 'cause things sorta... rebound sometimes, if that makes any sense. [Every few attacks, she hadn't been able to hit him- She'd attack, and would bruise herself. It was weird, but definitely appreciated.]
So you can sense all their energies? [Another.. half-familiar thing, and something that Lin had mentioned. Perhaps Kagerou was similar, simply less-trained, or with different abilities.]
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Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe I'd have to see? You have some sort of a... shielding ability? [Her brows scrunched. There was a thread of familiarity in that, too.]
I can recognise pretty much everyone who's been here longer. Bastet, Kiba, Toushi, Kazahana... Lin, of course, too, and Crimson lately, too. [A shudder went down her spine at the next thought; she suppressed it and spoke on.] Sometimes I just... feel a presence and don't really know who it is. There was someone here for a while that I... didn't want to get close to. At all.
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