awashlogs | assorted disasters feat. resident disaster boy

[Restoring the written word seems like the most important task from our nameless FFFFFFoverlord. The question then is who is the best individuals assigned to blue and red to figure out the riddle with her? Well, obviously, that would be Guren and Okuyasu. One was old and wise and the other thought outside the box. Clearly they could figure it out together.

It was easy enough to get in contact with Okuyasu and meet up but the sticking point was Guren. He had a habit of acting like a scrooge and not playing along after all. A sneak attack was the only way.

So, that's why Okuyasu and Emma are outside of the Ruga townhouse. Knocking. Loudly.]

Mister Guren! Are you in?

[It is worth noting that Okuyasu is here because Emma insisted he come along for he's-not-sure-what, and he's standing outside this guy's house for who-knows-what-reason, and he really hasn't filled in any of the blanks but instead just dimly marvelled at how many people just turn up and demand he come with them to do weird shit these days.

Very different. Very new. He's standing there behind her, a little off to the side, in his very best arms-folded Thug Pose, but he still leans down to ask her,]

Who the hell is this guy?

[It is also worth noting that he does this probably the precise moment Guren opens the door. Who???]

[There's a familiar child's voice at his door, and just when he sat down to think about taking a nap. He sighs to himself, but pushes up to go answer it. It's Emma, after all, and if she came all the way here, there's probably a reason for it.

Still, pulling open the door and seeing not only her, but some taller guy hunched over and asking who he was— ah, he's pretty sure he was one of the guys jumping around in the well, actually— it gets a frown out of him.]

...

[He doesn't want any girl scout cookies?? He places his free hand on his hip.] What do you want?

[More of just a blunt question for the point rather than anything aggressive, but he still does glance between Emma and Okuyasu questioningly. They're an odd pair... a thug and a little girl...]

[Nothing could be more natural than this pairing, truly. Guren is the weird one for questioning it.

Emma spreads her arms wide, a welcoming gesture between Okuyasu and Guren. Clearly she isn't letting the questions of her companions rain on her parade.]

This is Mister Guren, he helps around town, and this is Okuyasu, a fun and eccentric guy! I hope you've both seen the new messages by our mysterious host on the forum. It looks like one of the rewards is the writing around town which I'm particularly interested in. So! Red, blue, and yellow- [she points to each of the three in turn, ending on herself.] We should be able to work on it together I think. I bet we all have a different understanding of what a story is so we should be able to figure out what it's "worth", or so I think.

[Well... I hope you're all happy with her tl;dr. She's beaming between the two of them, because no is not an acceptable answer.]

Edited 2018-04-06 03:39 (UTC)

Aw, what? You didn't say anything about that.

[Did she, or didn't she for real?? Either way, Okuyasu definitely believes he was not informed of any of this, and is heartily disappointed with the answer to the mystery of why he's followed Emma into the red zone.

So can he say no......

also "a fun and eccentric guy" say it to his face]

[He listens quietly, at least, and he finds that he doesn't mind her words at all. Those quests— he was thinking about them too, of course. The one with stories had been a different one, certainly obscure, but Guren could think of a few ways to handle it.

He pushes his door open a little more, gesturing for them to come in, if they'd like to. The wallpaper is now a hideous shade of hot pink, and looking into the kitchen will show gross green tile, to not-match.]

Sure, that sounds fine. [And now the guy in full military uniform is fine with story telling, too!! It's 2v1. He glances to Okuyasu again, and maybe he feels a little grateful that he's clearly not remembered. He'll go ahead and let Emma convince him, so he glances back down to her.]

You're outside so much, I'm surprised you saw those at all. How do you think we should work on it? [Tell him your ideas, child, let them grow. Talk to him about story sharing.]

[Aw! Don't be a wet blanket, Oku. Her praise is legitimate and caring. In fact, Emma swings around to grab his hand and hold it with determination in her eyes.]

It's an important quest, don't you think? Plus I think you'll be vital in figuring it out! I really want your input, so please help us.

[Actual truth since his straight forward personality is refreshing. She's already been overthinking what the "worth" of a story is. She tugs on his hand a little, seeing if he will follow her into the house. At which time she turns back to Guren with a smile.]

I make sure to check the forum at least! I like reading what everyone is up to.

[He'll be the wettest blanket he can if he wants!! This sappy shit... It's lucky that she plans ahead and grabs his hand, because walking off was definitely in the game plan. Literally holding him there does more to keep his attention than trying to say his input is important... c'mon...

He's here, he's inside...!! In the end it was Okuyasu who was the little baby child.]

Let's cut the crap and get to the point, I got stuff to do.

[drawing more cool S]

[Too late, he's trapped, and now the door closes behind them.]

Haha, you followed her all the way here without knowing what you were doing, but now you want to change your mind? Are you embarrassed?

[He can't imagine why else... But that light teasing aside (since he doesn't actually want to sabotage Emma's big plan), he turns back to her and gestures for them to meet up... in the kitchen.

There's a surprising lack of chairs.]

What I'm worried about is how something like this can be tracked. How does this user know if we tell stories at all? [It's weird, but.] But I don't mind trying, anyway. It probably shouldn't be any pointless story that doesn't mean anything...

[He looks at Okuyasu... just because.] So, why don't we each share something meaningful?

We'll make sure to figure this out fast, don't worry.

[Okuyasu is a very important person with important things to do. No time will be wasted here, no sir. Although she does shoot Guren a Look when he teases Okuyasu just as she leads him through the doors. Read the mood!]

They decided when we've cleaned enough so they have to know somehow... [Also so few chairs. Emma just leans against a wall then.] Can it really be that easy? I mean, if I was asked beforehand I would say a story is good for sharing a meaning or analogy so you're probably right.

[But that's so easy! Please, tell this child to relax and go with the flow.]

[Okuyasu is following, okay, he's cooperating up to a point, but that doesn't mean he wants to tell stories around the campfire with these punks!! He won't thug loom against a wall but instead just

you know

crouch down..... just slav squatting in Guren's kitchen... it's fine.]

An analogy? You mean like on a test? [nothing like a multiple choice test actually,] One of you can go first.

[He hasn't decided if he's going to go with this plan all the way yet, but even if he is, he'll need the next ten minutes to think seriously about it... save him.]

It's not always easy for people to share meaningful stories like that.

[Moving over, he hops up to sit on one of the hideous green counters. He doesn't mind Okuyasu not going first— in fact, he thinks he should probably go last, to give him time for something like that. He just looks like the type of person who has difficulty expressing anything meaningful.]

So it's simple, but not necessarily easy. Why don't you try something first, since this was your idea?

[She has to giggle at Okuyasu bringing up tests.] I guess. But they can be in fun novels too.

[Ah- She's going first. Emma nods, acknowledging, but she stays quiet for a little while as if considering the best story. There are a lot of meaningful stories she could share... The question is which ones could she do justice?]

It's hard to tell a meaningful story correctly as well. [She scuffs her shoe against the gross tile. Okay. She's made up her mind.]

So, this is a story about Conny. All my siblings are great, of course, so she's no exception. Just the sweetest little girl. Her wish was to become a kind mother when she grew up, to always be there for her kids...She had just turned six a little while ago when Mama announced that she was going to be adopted. It's always bittersweet when someone has to go... We miss them but we're so happy they are going to a new family. [haha, they both know spoilers for how fake that is since Emma hasn't been shy about demons.] Well, Connie had this little stuffed bunny that was made for her by Mama for her sixth birthday. It's her most prized possession that she was going to take to her new home with her- but she forgot it on the most important day! You can't imagine how shocked I was! She was going to leave forever and she wouldn't even have her best friend with her.

It hadn't been long since she left so Ray and Norman suggested we run it to her before Conny was gone for good. Mama probably wouldn't notice us sneaking out. Oh- Ray and Norman are my closest friends since we were all eleven. So, Norman picked the locks and we rushed to the gate as quickly as we could. When we got there it was the first time I've ever seen the gate open. There was even a real car parked on the road!

[And her steady cadence halts. Up to this point she has sounded mostly neutral, even proudly happy when describing Conny and the others but she hesitates. How does one put this into words?]

[........]

You're not fucking with us just talking about a car, right?

Shut up, let her finish.

[The mood is RUINED. Nah, it's fine, but he is curious to know what she deems meaningful enough to share.]

[She has to collect her feelings, okay?! She told the details to Ray before but it's been so long since she has thought hard about it... Especially now that she has escaped with so many of the kids after Conny's sacrifice.

Emma takes a deep breath. She continues to worry the toe of her shoe against the floor, her mouth a hard line, but she's got it. It's under control.]

In the trunk of the car was Conny. Um- Her body. A blooming flower was stabbed into her chest and the floor was covered in her blood. I learned later that was a special plant to the demons. It's part of a prayer- and it bleeds the meat so it lasts longer. [That is... useful information...] I could feel my own heart stop. I couldn't believe anything I was seeing. We heard voices so Norman and I ducked under the truck to hide. The voices had come from demons, the first that I'd ever see. Honestly, we had no idea who or what they could be we gave them the name of demon because of how monstrous they were.

They joked about snacking on Conny's finger because they were hungry. Of course, that wouldn't be allowed. They didn't have the money to buy premium-grade meat that was grown on our farm.

[Ugh... Okay. Wrap it up. She clears her throat.]

They got distracted by discussing shipping schedules with Mama and we ran. We were so lucky to get away without anyone seeing us, really. And after the fact I consider it lucky that we found out the truth as well. The next three shipments were us. Norman, Ray, and then me as we reached our twelfth birthday. With that advanced knowledge we were able to work together- To play our escape and save everyone at Grace Field. I just wish we could have escaped with Conny as well. So that she could really grow up and live freely.

[And Norman too... but that's a whole separate story. This was hers.

And that was their opener. One of the most depressing stories of the batch. Thankfully, during her last hopeful comments about freedom and escape she returned to her normal neutral smile. Everything is fine with Emma. She even turns to Guren.]

My suggestion is something fun for the second story.

[okuyasu got up and left the room like ten minutes ago

No, actually, he didn't, but he did actually get up from his slav squat at some point and go over to stare out the window instead of looking at Emma while she tells this story. Maybe that looks insensitive - probably - but he can't look her in the face while she talks about this stuff happening to little kids—it's way too upsetting. And like hell he's going to look soft and start blubbering in front of these guys, who are basically complete strangers...

Well, he'll be over here, glowering outside at the gray lawn or whatever. Hmph.

There's a long pause after Emma asks for something fun, both because he can't think of anything good to say to her story, and—uh, he has no fun stories, really. Not really at all. So.]

It's the old man's turn now.

[That's heavy, and it's kids. He doesn't judge Okuyasu at all for his reaction, reading through it with a glance over. Even he doesn't know how to reply. His eyes move back to Emma, and she's over with it, back to that smile of hers. A strong kid. But no one should have to deal with things like that. It's too familiar. From how she moves on, it sounds like she doesn't want to dwell on it, or speak about it. She's probably sorted it through her head too many times to count. He won't bother with advice, then.

He can't help but laugh when both comments are pointed at him, though.]

Me? And fun? I don't know if I have anything fun... [Uhh, life has been hell, but of course he has fun. He just has to think about how to phrase it.]

I guess I could talk about high school.

[She knows it's heavy. That was actually one of the reasons she picked it as meaningful. If they were reacting like that they she successfully shared the story, right? At least that's what she hoped. She really doesn't want to repeat with another downer if it doesn't work.

Emma slides down the wall, electing to sit and listen now that she's done with her part. Too bad there aren't any real chairs in this house. Guren and his friends should fix that soon.]

C'mon! I believe you got something up your sleeve.

[Don't let her down or he's sporting for heckling from two children.]

[Damn girl chill out, talk about a favorite food or something. Okuyasu glowers out the window for a bit longer before he turns back to look at Guren expectantly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

Let's hear it, old man.]

School? [fun????] Go for it, I guess...

[Guren sighs. Alright, alright... If he ignores that he was part of a magic cult pre-apocalypse, that his family was the scum slave family, that weird people kept getting obsessed with him including his crazy ex, that all of his fun interactions ended up interrupted in some way by one of these things... Then he can come up with a fun story.

He'll leave out that he's battling a demon in his heart with this one.]

Well, I guess I can tell you about some time I spent with my friends. After school, they'd always follow me back to my apartment, even if I told them to go home. I guess it was their way of caring. One of them brought over this old school video game... Bomberman.

[Uhh. It's much harder to tell a compelling story when it's happy like this and you're a big tsundere. He rubs the back of his head.] I was pretty shitty at it at first. I kept dropping the bomb on my own character and dying.

[This is glossed over in the novel so I'll gloss over it here, too. He talks about how shitty he was, and goes into how each of his five friends were. How they'd tease him, how Mito would do the same thing at first until she became a bomberman pro and then she was terrifyingly serious, how Shinya was an asshole and kept making Guren's character pink— fun, cutesy things like that.]

Anyway... I was never trying to make friends at that school. I was actually trying to avoid them all, but they wouldn't leave me alone. [...] I got lucky.

[Can his big tsun story be over now]

[The tsun is strong with this one.

A lot of this story are words and ideas she's read about but are still foreign to her. Like, old videogames... The closest she's gotten to one of those is seeing Ray's contraband game system. Truly, the outside world is wild.

Emma listens on, not even bothering to hide her smile at Guren struggling with describing the friendship. When he finishes she can't help but laugh at his awkwardness.]

I never expected you to be the shy type, Mister Guren. That's cute. ['cute'... look, the aloofness reminds her of Ray.] You're friends sound nice.

[That took so much less time than the first story, Okuyasu thinks. This is his only real substantial thought. Video games... are cool? Yeah, nice. But Second Life, which is definitely the game Guren is describing, did not exist in 1999, so Okuyasu has no frame of reference for any of this besides it sounds like a bunch of nerd shit. Zelda is okay? This is the extent of his game knowledge.]

So you were just a dork?

[LIKE......... like]

Both of you can shut the hell up.

[He's flustered in two different ways?? Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he crosses his arms.] It's time for the gorilla to share his story.

Aww- Don't get angry.

[Except Emma is totally still giggling to herself. At least his fun, video game childhood brought the mood back up. Consider it doing a favor to the group, Guren. She turns to face Okuyasu now, eyes expectant.]

You have the duty of the grand finale.

assorted disasters feat. resident disaster boy

a worthy storytime / emma, guren & okuyasu

this title sucks beans, try again

damn harsh

I feel shunned

make it better

the real story was the friends we made along the way

i'm leaving this thread right now

deleting this from my log

wtf this is oppression

:'(

ghost thread. cursed space

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SECOND LIFE SHUT UP I'LL KILL YOU

now ash is the tsun

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