awashlogs | Event Eight.

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Event Eight.

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there.
No more from the cottage again will I roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

he Town is quiet this week. No sudden quests on the forum post, no roars of werewolves in the distance... just peaceful, peaceful quiet. Of course, it's hot as hell right now, but that aside, it's pretty pleasant. You probably don't want to wander around the Town right now, but...

Naturally, now's when the Town is going to start thoroughly encouraging you to do just that.

You do want to find your doorway back home, don't you?

Better get searching! And don't mind the other worlds you might end up stumbling into first.

Welcome to Awash's eighth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post.

You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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To be honest, I've been spending the majority of my time here now.

[ like there's a shower and electricity. can you blame him? ]

So for however long this thing lasts, I guess.

[ dextera nods. she’s more than a friend, and sometimes scary and confusing because he doesn’t know what she is—in general, or to him—but that doesn’t mean he finds any less peace with her. ]

…something like that.

Uh--

[ OKAY this is happening he guesses! ] Sure, I'm down to come with. Y'know, for science and all. [ hmmmmmm... ] Oh - not gonna lie, I'm totally curious to know if any of the portals around Bluo lead to other places with water in 'em.

[ It's a good thing he waves it off like it's casual; that definitely sounds distressing, but they also know that everytime they explain their own homelife they get a similar stressed out expression from others. So they just nod, taking down all this information for later. ]

A battle for survival then, huh. [ They hadn't really seen it that way when Crowley had described it to them originally, but now they're kind of starting to get the whole picture. ] I find that a lot of humans don't come from worlds where they're at war with other beings, so when you describe it to them, they get appalled. But my kind are hunted like that too.

[ So they get it, is what they mean. They lean back a little, equally as casual about the topic as he is. ]

Obviously not for the same reasons you are, though. I don't think there's much that'd be interested in eating us.

So you were always stealing stuff.

[ Is the gist of what they get from that anecdote, huffing out an exhale that's somewhere between a scoff and a (sarcastic) laugh. They adjust so they can sit instead of crouch, leaning their arm against the stone ledge and looking back to him— the movement of which causes that butterfly to flit away. They're fine with that, because now they can lay their head down on the stone and take in the sun, effectively just lounging there like some cat in a very warm and sunny spot. ]

But giving flowers isn't that weird of a custom. Gems do it too, after someone recovers from an injury, or something like that.

[ There's a beat, while they close their eyes and remember the collection of courting imagery they've seen from fairytales. ]

Somehow I doubt that's what the younger Lupin was doing it for, though.

Edited 2018-08-26 23:00 (UTC)

[ What Lupin will see after peeking from around the corner is a scene typical to this land: that of a relatively small and glittery gem versus the far larger and far more intimidating Lunarians. Immediately after throwing Lupin across the room, they're having to fend off waves and waves of arrows, always maneuvering in such a way that each swipe of their blade will take out enough of them to allow them to continue advancing without being chipped. It's creating quite a racket, and a mess too— even without watching them directly, their path can be followed by the sounds of weapons clashing, and by the littering of splinters of the alien material the projectiles are made of.

Having assumed Lupin has followed their directions, they don't beat around the bush to go straight for the kill, leaping from the ground up to one of the pillars near the front of the school with the similar level of grace and power that Lupin has witnessed a few times before. Once their heel makes contact with the pillar, they shift all their weight so they can push themself off and launch right at the center of the unit, both hands clung to their saw while they glide through the air.

The last thing that clearly happens in Lupin's line of sight is Cairngorm slicing the center of the unit clean in half with a swing of their saw, the upper half falling slowly backwards like a felled tree. From there, the unit begins to disappear almost as abruptly as it had appeared, the center of the unit melting like wax and the rest of it dissipating like mist, each individual Lunarian retaining only some of it's form while slowly whisping away. What's not as visible is where Cairngorm ended up after all of that; between the heavy fog that destroying the Lunarian created and the blinding snowscape which would mask their all white color scheme, it's hard to tell if they're even really there at all, or if they'd disappeared with the unit itself.

Despite the eerie absence of sound and movement, it seems as though the coast is clear to investigate. ]

[ooc: Continued over here!]

[Well, it’s fine sometimes not to put labels on things. She brings him peace, that’s enough.]

I see. I’m glad... you have someone like that back home, too.

[There's a sign until Sora leans against him. Of course it's okay. Physical closeness from his best friends are always okay, and he'd rather stay for Sora's comfort as well.

His relaxed expression is broken at that news. Staring at Sora with a tone of disbelief.]

He has a a what now?

[Gods, how many Keyblade wielders are there.]

Probably for at least a week if the things from the past are anything to go off of. [But also, fair? He cannot blame Dirk at all.] What are you planning to take with you from this place?

( yes don't mind him. with a quiet "'scuse me", jon makes his way over to the fridge. rummages around through the contents before calling over his shoulder: )

Do you think it'll stay this way for forever? The portal-things?

[ He's never been one for combat, outside of the occasional scuffles that one inevitably has to deal with if they live in the underbelly of society - he hates to get hurt, he doesn't like seeing innocent bystanders get hurt, either, and most of the fights that come his way are avoidable. On the other hand, he has an appreciation for those who are so good at fighting that they make it into an art. Cairngorm is one of those people. Lupin knew they were a fighter, but he'd only really seen them fight from the corner of his vision in that castle, and the night he was transformed, through a haze of hunger. This is different; this is them in their element. This is also a situation with very real danger for them (and possibly himself), he knows; even so, he can't help but watch them move with a sense of awe.

Not that it lasts very long. Any outlaw worth his salt knows a properly-executed fight should be over quickly - he's glad Cairngorm puts an end to things swiftly. (That saw was exactly as scary as he imagined.) Once he's reasonably certain the Lunarian is down for the count, he takes a hesitant step out from behind his cover. They won that fight for sure, right? He's not feeling particularly worried about their well-being. But the fact that he can't spot them in the mist makes him uneasy. ]

Cairngorm?

[ rather than shouting out, he calls their name in a conversational volume, throwing his voice just slightly - all just in case that alien isn't quite as dead as it looks. He doesn't know anything about Lunarians: if it's programmed to launch a hundred arrows upon death at the nearest loud sound, he'd rather have them hit the wall and not him. ]

Hey. Just what are you implying?

[ getting teased by a sentient rock...... he sounds amused rather than defensive, though. ]

Well, we give 'em to each other when we're sick or hurt, too. But you're right. I just did it because I liked to make them smile. [ Lupin smiles. ] I've grown a lot since then, but that hasn't changed.

[ that's why he brought Cairngorm to this garden, too, after all... but he'll let them connect those dots on their own. There's still no smile in sight, but they seem pretty comfortable sitting in the sun with him. He'll take it. ]

The stealing hasn't either, I guess. But back then, I was doing it to survive. It was either steal or starve.

He got really cool??

[Sora lets out a laugh, he knows that's not what Riku was asking.]

A keyblade! I'm not lying! You'll see it someday! I dunno how he got it, but it's the real deal.

[ he can see where his words got confused here; Lupin shakes his head a little bit. Of course, what Minato's saying makes perfect sense - it's just not what he meant. ]

Of course. I'm not saying you should tell the entire world what you've been up to. Some things are secret for good reason.

[ like Minato himself was thinking - or, well, partially - people would be terrified to learn the danger they were potentially in. There's merit to having a hidden, silent protector. ]

But it's not a secret to me. You can hold your head high and say whatever you like about it when we're together. It's not easy to keep a big part of your life from everyone all the time. Probably not good for you, either, hm?

[... Ha. It's funny, because he's never thought of it that way before either. But there's something a little warming about what Lupin's saying here and now--

That it's okay to hold his head high and be proud of what they've accomplished, and not keep that entire part of his life a secret.

Huh...]

I guess you're right... I didn't think about it that way.

[...But he's also a naturally humble person, so.]

It's a little odd for me still, but... I'll try. To talk about it more, and be a bit more open about it. At least around you, Lupin-san.

I doubt it.

[ His smile is small but wry. ]

Things like this seem to happen for a few days or weeks, but then they end.

This place likes to keep us on our toes.

[ a confident nod as he sets his fork down on his now-empty plate. ]

That's the spirit. You don't have to force yourself, but... Well, don't be shy. [ a teasing grin. ] I like hearing about your heroic exploits.

[ and he wants to be someone Minato can rely on, too. Like Lupin, he's on his own in Chroma without anyone from home to support him; unlike Lupin, it sounds like he had a hell of a burden on his shoulders, and on top of that, he doesn't seem averse to taking on more in town. Heroic though he may be, no one can take care of others all the time without getting taken care of themselves once in a while, too. ]

So? What's next?

[It's still something he appreciates, even if he's not sure how to make use of it. That sort of sincere support... it's still odd for him to get used to.

But it means so much to him even so.]

Got it. I... like talking to you about them too. [Even if he's bad at it, and even if his first instinct is to deflect, he does like talking to Lupin about everything--serious and not serious and everything in between.

But right. He clears his throat, and then stands. (He feels bad leaving the plates, but if this is a weird pocket dimension then... they probably won't even stick around, right?)]

Do you want to look around at the stores? We can poke our head into the arcade and karaoke too, so you can see what they're like.

[AND THEN LUPIN AND MINATO HAD MANY MALL-FILLED ADVENTURES BC DAMMIT CAPTCHA]

[ There’s a long pause after he calls out, before their shiny hand pops right out of the snow near the front of the school, the rest of them soon following it. They’re too far away to see clearly, but they’re definitely frowning, huffing while they step over and back into the school, brushing frost from their shoulders and hair. ]

You really can’t listen to anyone, can you.

[ He doesn’t know that if in some horrible accident they’d been shattered in that small fight, they would’ve eventually noticed him there... nothing bad ended up happening, but if they’re being honest, they have a hard time not being listened to in a situation where they definitely know better.

They don’t look at him as they close the distance between them, brushing splinters and snow alike from the edge of their blade. ]

Be grateful that was a small unit. The second one they send today will be way bigger, so unless you’d like to stick around and fight it yourself...

[ Their gaze is sharp when they finally make eye contact with him, knowing that its only now that he can finally see the reality of their way of life. ]

[ he's perfectly aware of the danger - he spends most of his life getting away from it, albeit under vastly different circumstances and from vastly different enemies. The fact of the matter is that he's willing to take on a risk to make sure his friend is all right. They work alone, and they aren't human; maybe they don't understand how difficult it would be for him to turn his back on them to save his own skin.

Lupin was expecting them to be angry, though, so he takes the glare in stride, returning an even amber gaze. ]

Sorry, but I wasn't going to leave a friend behind to fend for themself without a backup plan in mind. If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. [ on that, he won't budge, it seems. he won't ask if they're okay, either, because he knows he'd probably just get a sarcastic response. ] You're really something, though. Taking down a monster like that on your own...

[ he may be looking at them in a new (appreciative) light now, even if he also can't believe they take down monsters like this nearly every day for hundreds of years by themself... he supposes they'd have to be this strong to pull it off. He steps aside to let them keep moving onwards towards the exit, intending to walk beside them. ]

[ Their contentment is a huge step up from the usual uptight aura they have hanging around them, since it's quite rare that they can afford to let their guard down. In this place though, they can just sit without thinking about something descending from the sky or some eldritch horror appearing from a forest. They have to admit that the idea of taking a nap here would be very enticing if not for the fact that Lupin is supposed to be showing them around.

But they peek open one eye and raise a brow at his words, wondering in turn what he's implying by that. It's not that they're skeptical, but more like they're just casually curious— is he trying to accomplish a similar goal by tugging them around here...? He continues though, so they just file that question away, figuring that they'll catch on soon enough if something is up. ]

You didn't have... "family" looking after you when you were younger? [ That's what "parents" are for, right? Making sure their offspring survive? The distribution of resources in human societies such that some people don't have enough is still wildly irrational to them, but there's something else about this situation that's more confusing. ] I thought animals take care of their young until a certain age.

[ Strangely enough, their gaze softens, even though they keep their blade in the hand closest to him, like some sort of barrier while they make their way back to that secluded chamber. ]

...You're right. It was an unpredictable situation and you did what was best.

[ For a moment, they seem genuinely reflective— ]

Is that the kind of thing you want me to say? There's nothing you could've done if something went wrong, so stop trying to explain your stupid reasoning to me.

[ Nope, it's back to the cutting words and perpetually unimpressed expression. ]

That flattery won't earn you anything, either. A fight like that— it's nothing.

[ They simply don't care if he won't budge; they're still gonna take the opportunity to say that he's stupid. ]

[ and here Lupin was being surprised at that reaction... for all of two seconds. Then they go back to shooting him down, as usual, and he just sighs, heavily. There are times when he feels happily convinced that he actually has managed to befriend this weird alien, and then there are times like this, where he feels like they're about three comments away from cutting his head off with their big saw. If he wasn't convinced it was mostly bluster, he'd probably be getting tired of it right around now... ]

How do you know there's nothing I could do? You said yourself that you have no idea how they'd react to a human. Besides - you don't know half of what I'm capable of, my dear Cairngorm.

[ he may not be a fighter, but he's an escape artist, if nothing else. Stealing a jewel right from the jaws of danger and getting home without a scratch would be nothing new. Lupin's firm tone softens just a little after that, and he shifts to tuck the bundle of clothes under one arm. ]

You can worry about me all you want, but I'm allowed to worry about you, too.

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Event Eight.

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