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Who: Estelle Bright & whoever else wants to bother her!
Where: The town, the lakeside.
When: Open prompts on the 18th, private prompt with Joshua on the night of the 15th.
What: Estelle's finally located some fishing poles. She's ready to see what she can fish up, but unfortunately, the lake has some rather interesting fish... Also, collecting firewood.
Warnings: creepy mutant fish with too many heads and teeth, ahoy.

Locked to Joshua - night of the 15th
[Estelle was tired, dirty and hungry, but mostly tired. Their investigations today provided more questions than answers, and with dark falling soon, she knew they'd get little else done today. Stumbling around in the dark wasn't going to get them anywhere safely or sanely.

Better to rest up, see what tomorrow brought-- not that she had to like it, of course.]

Aaaaah... what I wouldn't give for a proper bed. How about you, Joshua?

Fishing at the Lakeside - 18th
[It had taken some hunting, but eventually Estelle had managed to find a few fishing poles in an empty boathouse. Some fishing enthusiast had left them behind, no doubt, and Estelle hopes wherever the previous owner was, they weren't missing them too much. She manages to collect some bits of foodstuff from the store as well as some bugs before heading out to the lakeside, settling in and casting her line. She's still not sure about testing out this water herself, but if there were any fish, she'd find them.

Now to wait. All she needed was a touch....

While she does though, maybe someone might join her? There's a few spare poles set off to the side, after all.]

Baby it's gonna get cold outside - 18th
[While cuddling up with Joshua at night was nice and certainly warm, Estelle knew that ready to use firewood was probably going to be necessary at some point for people here. She didn't have an axe to cut at trees, but there was plenty of broken and useless furniture laying around, ready to be broken apart. So Estelle selects a few especially unrepairable looking pieces, broken frames and rotten through chairs, and gets to work on them, using a rock to knock pieces loose when her hands won't do.

Slowly but surely, a sizable pile will form. An even bigger one might form with a little help! Or maybe someone needs some firewood to keep warm at night? She'll be leaving the pile out near the store for everyone once she's done.]

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[ Honestly? He agrees; the fact that he can rough it perfectly well doesn't mean he has to like it.

But Joshua's never been the vocal one, especially with regard to things that are bothering him, so he opts to redirect. ]

We can fix things up, with a little more time. Not for tonight, sure, but I think we can come up with something.

[ For now, though...yeah, for now, he's with her. It's been a long day, and the state of disrepair of this town's everything isn't much comfort. But at least there's a roof over their heads. ]

[Estelle didn't mind roughing it too much, but she hated the state of the town most of all, really. The emptiness and plainly abandoned buildings dug at her somehow, just a little.

Also, after all they'd done today, a bed would have been really nice.]

Yeah... we can probably repair some of this furniture. I bet we can find some tools in the store, too. For now though? We're probably better off on the floor.

[She tugs off her jacket, bunching it up until it resembles something that could vaguely be called a pillow-- ish. if you squinted. Sleeping in her corset wasn't exactly fun, but it provided extra layers at least.]

And now I've got a pillow! Or a blanket, if it gets chilly.

[ Hopefully it doesn't get too chilly, because here he is running around sleeveless...

He unwinds his scarf. ]

Probably the best we can do right now, huh?

[Still wearing more than Estelle in her skirt.

She watches him remove his scarf, starting to say something with amusement in her tone.]

At least we're--

[It's as if her heart starts beating for a second, when her eyes catch sight of it.

The movement of his arm as he unwinds his scarf brings into sharp focus the tattoo she somehow had missed all day on his arm. Maybe because it's absence was still fresh for her she hadn't noticed it's reappearance, but now that she did....

Her voice is a little shaky as she stares at the stigma in fear and worry.]

Joshua....? How'd you.... when did that come back?!

[She reaches out with her hands, grabbing onto his upper arm to to pull him closer. It was back.... but how?]

[ It takes him a moment to realize what she means, but when she grabs his arm, it clicks - mostly clicks, at least. Although that brings up the question: how does she know? He didn't bring it up yet (and hadn't planned to at all). ]

Since the queen's birthday celebration. But how did you...

[ ...actually, no, he can guess. ]

He told you what it meant.

[ No question who the he in this equation is.

He hadn't eavesdropped on her meeting with Weissmann aboard the Glorious; even for someone with his skill at moving undetected, trying to get the drop on an Anguis and four Enforcers was a chance he didn't think was worth taking. Not when he was sure that they weren't going to hurt her, at least, not yet. So he's not sure what was or wasn't said, but...

Telling her would be just like him, wouldn't it? ]

[For Joshua, at least.]

Since the-- but Kevin helped you remove it! It was gone.

[Weissmann hadn't told her-- he'd shown her. She can still remember the blank look in Joshua's eyes as he stood beside Weissmann, as he'd brandished his blades against her....

The sharp fear she'd felt not for herself, but for Joshua. The relief when he smiled again as his bet paid off, free at last.]

You were free. You broke it, so how....?

What?

[ It's an entirely different kind of blank look he gives her this time, one that makes it fairly clear that he's not joking. He has no idea what she's talking about.

And his own heart skips a beat at those words - you were free. you broke it. - but the idea's barely had time to enter his head before he's already trying to forget he heard it. That can't be right, can it? It's too much to hope for.

Hope isn't for people like him. ]

When...did that happen?

While we were in the core of the Aureole. When he tried to make you--

['Kill me', she's about to say, but she's pretty sure Joshua wouldn't react well to that if he'd somehow forgotten.]

You really don't remember? You said Kevin planted some sort of wedge... something about guessing what Weissmann would try to make you do helped you break it.

[Honestly, Estelle had been too relieved to think too deeply about what had been done, just grateful, endlessly grateful that it had happened. Joshua had won back his freedom by his own hand. She grips his arm a little more snugly, staring up at him with a worried look. What was happening?]

[ More things that don't compute. More things he can't remember doing. ]

The last thing I remember is after we got off the Glorious. The beach. You called Josette a greasy tomboy.

[ Sure, mention that and not the fact that he'd done ten years worth of crying or the part where they almost kissed. But there are a lot of feelings attached to - all the rest of what happened on the beach, and when emotion starts to run high, Joshua starts to run away. It's a coping mechanism that's far too entrenched to let go of that easily.

If it were only that, though - if the entire dilemma were just that Estelle remembers things he doesn't - that would...not be good, certainly, but he'd have a harder time feeling much alarm about it. Not after Weissmann took his mind apart, put it back together, blocked parts on a whim. It's hard to get worked up over one more crack in a mind that's completely riddled with them.

He's a mess. What else is new.

But the fact that she says (and he's inclined to believe her over himself, considering the aforementioned) that the stigma should be gone, and yet it's still there.

That, more than any discrepancy in his own memories, is what convinces him that something is definitely wrong. ]

[Yusuke's exploration continues... while he hasn't necessarily given up hope of finding any place with colour, nevertheless he has accepted the possibility of there being none. Nevertheless, he can't let a lack of colour deter him from his sketching! Perhaps this is a way to deepen his understanding of art...

(He only has pencils anyway so who even knows why he needs colour.)

So he's made his way to the lakeside with a sketchbook under one arm, pulling up short when he realises someone else is there. Oh. They're fishing.

He approaches Estelle, making no secret of his steady footsteps.]

Have you managed to catch anything? [He doesn't see a bucket with any fish but who knows maybe she caught and ate some already, he is thinking about sashimi now that he's thinking about fishing--]

[ since their encounter in the general store, dextera has seen quite a bit of estelle—but only in observation, not actually speaking to her beyond what constitutes as "speaking" for him. he's acknowledged her presence, and it's hard to tell one way or the other what he feels.

...but he's not unhappy to see her by the lakeside, today, and it seems she got ahold of that fishing pole she mentioned before. he makes sure his footfalls are nice and heavy to keep from surprising her as he approaches, and then he taps her shoulder. ]

[Though it's been a confusing (and alarming) few days in this colorless town, Izuku thinks there's at least a positive side in it all; he'd never have met most of these new people otherwise, and making new friends is one of Izuku's favorite things ever.

When he spies Estelle out by the water, he wastes no time in approaching her, a smile lighting up his face when he sees what she's doing.]

Ah, you found some! [Fishing rods, he means. It had been disappointing that they'd turned up empty handed in their search that first day, so he's relieved she's tracked some down after all.]

[Really, watching Estelle at work is pretty impressive. The way that she's breaking apart the useless and rotted furniture is a pretty wise idea, actually--and after watching for a moment, Minato heads on over, hands tucked into his pockets.

... He has noodle-y arms, but despite everything he's not a total pushover, so:]

Do you need any help?

[ Oh? For as strangely drawn to the water as Ryoji has been since he'd come to this town, there were always people to warn him away from it, telling him not to touch it, not to disturb the water. But here is somebody sitting right by the lake, sitting and watching and... Hm. He's not sure what's supposed to be happening, if anything, because you don't need to hold a stick to watch the lake. ]

Hello~ What are you doing?

[ What is fishing. ]

[Estelle's confusion grows, and it's plainly reflected on her face, wearing her heart on her sleeve as always. Of course she remembered the beach, remembered Joshua's tears as she held him tightly. She also remembered the uh... interruption by certainly nosy girls who couldn't mind their own business.

But...]

Joshua... that was weeks ago. You really don't remember the Towers? The Aureole?

[She can see gears moving in his head and acting on impulse, she reaches up, pressing a hand to his cheek and looking up into his eyes.]

Think for a second, Joshua. It's got to be this place.

[She knew Weissmann couldn't put the tattoo back, because she really couldn't believe anyone could survive that fall without help. And she knew it would be the last thing Joshua wanted, too. So that only left--]

Weeks?

[ Even knowing that he'd lost some pieces before, that it could easily happen again, he hadn't been expecting it to be that great a length of time. ]

I think there's an easier explanation for most of it than that. [ Namely: that he's a disaster zone and taking a chunk of time out for shits and giggles is not at all out of character for Weissmann. ] But...not for the tattoo.

[ So he can see where she'd draw that conclusion, sure. It makes about as much sense as anything does here, although so far, that admittedly hasn't been much. ]

To what end, though?

[ Things happen for a reason, even when that reason is something as simple as "someone wanted it and the Aureole went 'sure.'" It's difficult to picture a scenario where this relapse would benefit anyone other than Ouroboros, but the sheer number and variety of people who've wound up here along with them are proof enough, he thinks, that Ouroboros has nothing to do with it.

So why? ]

Oh, hi!

[She turns her head to look at Yusuke, offering him a quick smile. She does have a bucket she managed to scrounge up-- she just so happens to be sitting on it, because why not really.]

Nope, nothing so far, but I haven't been at it too long. If it takes too long though, I can try to switch bait. I don't know what the fish here prefer yet.

[She peers at what he's holding curiously. Is that... huh.]

Did you come out here to read....?

Edited (realized she might not be able to tell it's a sketchbook) 2018-03-19 23:19 (UTC)

[Etelle glances up at Dextera, at first surprised by the shoulder tap but once she confirms who it is, she shoots him a happy smile. She seems to be slowly swishing the rod every few moments, for some reason.]

Oh! Hey! You're-- Oh right. I never got your name.

[Not.... that she could, since he seems to be mute. It's fine though, and her smile returns.]

Have you been able to find something to eat? I just found a fishing pole today in one of the houseboats.

[Estelle liked to think that way as well, to be honest. She'd met a lot of new and interesting people here, and while she'd very much like to return home with Joshua still, she considered it a nice bright side to being stuck here.

When Izuku approaches, she offers him a happy smile, nodding energetically.]

Yeah, I did! I checked some of the empty house boats over and found a few dusty rods and a tacklebox tucked under a rotting bed. Must have belonged to a fisherman at some point, I'm guessing.

[Estelle glances up from what she's doing, which at the moment is knocking a rotted through leg off an equally decayed chair seat. It's a lost cause for repair she thinks, which means it's perfect for burning. She's a little grimy and has some wood flecks on her clothes, but she looks pretty content with her work.

And when Minato offers his help, a bright smiles comes to her face.]

I'd love some help! There's a lot of stuff that's wrecked enough to take apart, and the more we can make manageable, the more firewood we'll have.

[Well, Estelle sure wouldn't want to swim in it, that's for sure. It was seriously creepy looking, even compared to the rest of the grey town.

However food was important, and if they could find some food that didn't taste wrong, then Estelle was ready to look into all options. Maybe the fish in the lake were an exception to whatever had affected the town.

Estelle glances up from her rod when Ryoji approaches, though her hands continue to occasionally move the rod just a tiny bit even with her attention diverted.]

Hm....? I'm fishing, of course. I mean I know it's a long shot, but there might be something in the lake, you know?

[Given he's been staying in Bluo and getting a lay of the land, it's not hard for John to notice someone new out by the lakeside casting a line and trying to fish. He watches for a moment before he strolls on over, giving the lake another curious look before looking at Estelle.]

Any luck? There are definitely fish down there. [Please don't ask him how he knows this.]

I don't know. This place is so bizarre.... it could be anything. but I know what isn't behind it, though.

[She tugs Joshua to sit next to her, because this is probably a conversation he needs to be sitting for.]

The Aureole is gone. It broke apart midair..... Weissmann was up there too, when it did. I don't think he escaped.

[Estelle wasn't someone to wish death on anyone, not even Weissmann... though he'd certainly deserved an a major beatdown. But she understood what it meant, in the long run. They'd barely made it out alive. Weissmann was injured and had had even less time than they did, even with his weird teleportation.]

[ He stops walking only when he's standing right next to Estelle, hands clasped behind his back and him leaning forward just the slightest so that he can peer into the water, the fishing line catching the sun from time to time and shifting in and out of visibility. ]

It's such a thin line and such a wide lake... If you keep so still and quiet, won't it be hard for anything to notice?

[ He sits down, a bit heavily, and listens.

Weeks of time he's missing, in which the Aureole was destroyed, Weissmann (maybe) dead...

He takes a deep breath. ]

I hope you're right.

[ Joshua can't find it in him to be quite so forgiving. He regrets a lot of things, killing so many people...but even if he's finished with that life, he'd still kill Weissmann without thinking twice, even if he's cynical about exactly what it would take. He hadn't been sure that even crashing the Glorious would do the job.

Mostly, it's just a matter of...seeing it. Without a body, there's always going to be some part of him that isn't convinced. ]

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15th

15th

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18th

let's go fishing!

18th

18th

lakeside fishing

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18th

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18th

18th

Re: lakeside fishing

18th - fishing

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