awashlogs | [closed-ish?] behold: a catchall post

[Whoa, whoa, whoa. Barging in was one thing, but marching right up to the second floor? After asking that question? Her smile was already beginning to falter, but by the time he reaches the top of the stairs it has been replaced by a tight frown. How did she do... hmm. Let her just focus on keeping her voice nice and steady as she completely avoids looking his way. Very subtle, Ochako.]

It wasn't too bad. For me, anyway. I was tripped a few times, but— [She pauses for a moment, trying to swallow that lump in her throat.] But my friends, they...

[She wants to end that positively, to tell him that they're missing and that she's sure they'll turn up soon, but it's far easier to let it trail off into nothingness. Silence is better than tears.]

[Oh. Okuyasu pauses at the top of the stairs when he catches sight of her expression - that's not an Ochako standard - and frowns as well. Don't make him do the leaning around into her face thing, he's done that so much lately...]

What? C'mon, I'm not gonna say anything.

["You can tell me," he should say, but the added bonus of not going to tease her about her feelings is... helpful...? He thinks?]

[He's going to have to think of a new way around it, then, because there's no way that she's looking up at him right now. She can feel that familiar prickling sensation in her eyes, and that means that she's honing right in on the floor beneath her feet, thank you very much, and giving her head a quick shake. She's not going to cry! Even though she's running on a solid two hours of sleep right now, she's not going to cry.]

I know! It's just—

[Starting and stopping, starting and stopping. And her voice! It's so quiet! Everything about this is frustrating, but there's nothing that she can do about it other than take a deep breath and force herself to keep going.]

Okuyasu, I can't find Momo. And Deku is... Deku is g-gone.

[This is the first time that she's actually said it out loud, and it makes it... different, somehow? Worse? She's still determined not to cry, but the floor is, um... a bit blurrier all of a sudden...]

[Oh. Well, shit? Okuyasu may have spent most of the week dealing with his own shadow all by himself on purpose, but he isn't totally ignorant to what the rest of them have been doing to people—it just didn't occur to him that it would happen to anyone he knew. His relief that Ochako is okay is at odds now with how her friends are missing—in, uh, in various ways.

So: shit. He sighs, frustrated with the whole scenario and not honestly sure what he should do now—he's not great at reassuring people??]

Look, uh... [uhhhhh] She's gotta turn up sooner or later. Didja try emailing her?

[Something something color IDs don't go away until they're really not here anymore, right? He wasn't super clear on that particular forum post...

...and he still doesn't know what to say about the actual, confirmed shadow eating, so after another frustrated beat he reaches out and claps a hand on her shoulder.] Let's check the computer!

[Did she try messaging her housemate? The answer to that is no, because she's absolutely positive that Momo hasn't entered their home in the past day and a half. But... was that something that she should have done? For Deku, especially? Her chin sinks a little lower as she considers this. Instead of trekking over to his cottage after hearing that he was missing, maybe it would have been better to—

That hand on her shoulder, however, pulls her right out of her thoughts, and she looks up at him with a start. Oh. Right. Even though he didn't ask for any of this, he's obviously trying to help; the least that she can do is get it together and act normal. ...Well, normal-ish. Her eyes are noticeably watery, but cut her some slack.]

The computer? [She says this slowly, giving herself a few seconds before finally nodding.] Good idea. I haven't checked it in a while, but maybe Todoroki found something new.

[The chances of that are slim... and yet she still turns back toward her open door, gesturing for him to follow her into her room. Which is quite cheerful-looking, thanks to her colorful and very Ochako-like wallpaper? Her bed isn't made, it's true, and there is a stack of altered dresses—thanks, Minato!—sitting in one corner, but her space is otherwise neat and clean. She'll just trust that he can find somewhere to sit while she silently heads over to her desk. While it's usually so easy for her to chatter away, she honestly can't think of a thing to say right now... soooo take it away, Okuyasu.]

[Oh jeez don't cry, oh jeez—

The computer, their savior, at least until probably nothing happens and she gives him that sad, watery look again. Okuyasu says nothing of the sort out loud, just nodding and following her to her room which is... you know, somehow exactly what he expected? For a house that colors itself in, that's either lucky or creepy on the town's part.

He'll just lean against the doorframe for now. The silence is pretty noticeable, so give him a second to come up with something-]

If you wanna look around later, I got nothing else to do today.

[Keeping it casual... so he doesn't make her cry suddenly!!]

[Listen! Ochako is doing her best, and that's why she doesn't even sigh when she logs into the forum and finds... an empty inbox. While that isn't much of a surprise, it's still disappointing.]

Nothing.

[She keeps her back to him for a bit longer as she stares at the screen, but she turns to him once she's positive that she's blinked away most of her tears. He's being so nice! Well, he's always nice to her, but still. The last thing that she wants to do is cause him any undue stress.]

I was going to head back out soon, but you don't have to come. You're probably tired, right? I don't think anyone's gotten a good night's sleep in a while.

[The amount of sleep she's gotten doesn't even factor into this. Worrying about other people is so much easier for her than worrying about herself? Just let it slide!]

[Ah, well, there goes his only plan. The computer has failed him, and now he's left to frown over Ochako trying to nudge him into going home to take a nap. Please.]

Nope, I'm good.

[He folds his arms and nods seriously for emphasis, because what he's actually saying is he's not going home just after showing up to check on her. Please!!]

You look like you need a nap more than I do.

[While it's nice to have someone—especially someone as loud as Okuyasu—with her in her unusually quiet house, it's also making it harder for her to, you know, stay as composed as possible. She feels absolutely awful, but causing anyone she cares for to waste their time worrying about her is so... selfish. Ugh.

She stubbornly sits up a bit straighter in her chair, trying to look as wide awake as she possibly can. See how convincing she is?]

I'm fine. And I've already taken a nap. [Lies!] When was the last time you slept?

[Hmm, yes, very convincing, in the way that she's not convincing at all!! Okuyasu gives her a look, unimpressed with her attempts at nap deflection.]

Last night, like a baby. I look just fine, unlike you! C'mon, just twenty minutes!

[They've reached the aggressive bargaining part of this conversation, and spoilers: Okuyasu is going to win.]

[Okuyasu. Yes, she's tired, but that just means that she's now determined to prove that she isn't tired. Is it childish? Oh, for sure. Irritation, however, is much easier to deal with than grief, and so she'll just return his look with a much milder look of her own. She has important things to do, okay?]

I'd rather spend twenty minutes looking for my friends. I don't need a nap right now!

[And she looks fine!!!]

[She should be taking an important nap! Okuyasu will continue to give her this look to emphasize that point, but--]

If you pass out somewhere, I'm not gonna take you back here. [yes he will, he's a good friend] If you're not gonna sleep, let's go look around!

[She can't get rid of him that easily!!]

[Doesn't he have squatting practice or something? That would be ideal, but—well, at least he's dropped the nap topic. It's a small blessing, and so she pushes herself right to her feet before he can say anything else.]

I won't pass out. I know my limits. [Says the person currently ignoring her limits, but like? Whatever? Grabbing her nifty new cloak off the foot of her bed, she walks toward the doorway he's totally occupying.] So let's head to Flavo first? That's where Deku—

[She pauses for a moment, eyes slipping past him before she weakly shrugs.]

It's just the best place to start.

[He's an expert at squatting, thank you, he doesn't need to practice. He's not an expert in this, though, so even though he rolls his eyes at her insistence she's totally in top shape - just a reminder, he doesn't buy it - he still gestures for her to lead the way.

Which, he supposes a moment later, isn't working because she's too down? Aaaugh.]

Okay, then let's go! The place isn't gonna search itself!

[Being the enthusiasm is exhausting and he needs Ochako to bounce back ASAP, thanks— For now he quite literally circles behind to clap his hands on her shoulders and steer her to the stairs. Let's go.]

[Yeah, she'll bounce back when she knows that Momo and Deku are both safe and sound; until then, though, Okuyasu is just going to have to deal with this muted version of Ochako, who allows him to push her toward the stairs with no real resistance. She's moving a bit slower than normal, but once they're out of the house she forces herself to pick up the pace. There are so many places to look, so many places to double- and triple-check... she's content to silently sort through the list as she wills herself to walk.

But that would be inconsiderate, and so, after heaving a very quiet sigh, she glances over his way.]

Thank you for helping me look for my friends. It means a lot. [A beat, and then:] And... I'm sorry that I snapped at you.

[There still isn't a smile, but that's at least a bit more Ochako-like?]

[He'll have to bust out the big guns, the moment he figures out what those are; cannot emphasize enough that this is not in Okuyasu's wheelhouse at all. The best he's got is the earnest feeling of sympathy and not wanting her to be upset for overly long— it's a work in progress??

So there might be a lot of hair ruffles in the future. They will get through this!!]

Nah, forget about it. Anybody'd yell if, y'know... Well, forget it!

[LET'S GO TO DEKU'S HOME!!]

[Damn, all caps?? That is the goal, but let's be real: seeing the exact spot where her bff was swallowed by his shadow is probably—no, definitely—going to make her cry. Not that she's even considering that, though. In her mind, it just makes sense to get the most difficult place out of the way as early as possible, because she's got this! She's totally got this! She's walking and talking and doing her best to look confident all the way to Flavo!

Until, at least, they actually cross into Flavo. Deku's cottage is a bit further down the street, and she stops to stare at it with a strange, fixed expression on her face. This, um... might be a little tougher than she'd thought.]

Maybe we should split up for a minute? You can look here, and I can go check near his house.

[She's totally got this... Okuyasu shrugs uncertainly; as long as she doesn't ditch him, sure, she can go off by herself, but he can't think of how to say that without sounding weird, so. So!!]

Uh, sure, if you want. You wanna meet back up in twenty minutes or something?

[Hopefully she won't need that much time, but she still gives him a nod. Better safe than sorry.]

Mm-hmm. Just yell if you find anything, okay? [She sets right off, not even looking back as she waves.] And don't go too far. I'll find you when I'm done.

[Aka don't wander into her half of Flavo! Go kick a rock or something until she returns in... twenty-ish minutes. It's hard to keep track of the time without a functioning phone.]

Yeah, yeah. I'll stay on my side.

[Grumble mumble... he isn't sure about this, but there's a 60% chance he will actually keep his word and stay where he's supposed to, looking around.

It occurs to him he doesn't know what he should be looking for, actually - Deku's shoes or something?? Like, what's the goal—]

[The goal is to stay busy? To throw herself into something that requires little thought? It's not the most logical thing in the world, but she's never had to deal with something like this before. She's operating on autopilot, and that's why she uses her twenty minutes to mechanically poke around the neighboring cottages, and the many overgrown gardens, and even the street itself. She doesn't actually approach Deku's cottage until her time is almost up, but... it's fine. Okuyasu can wait an extra minute for her to finish combing through this very familiar area.

Make that a few minutes, actually, because as soon as she crosses through the front gate she feels the tears start trickling down her cheeks. Well, shoot. There's no sense in fighting it now that's it begun, so she's just going to stay here and... try to get it all out as quickly as she can, unless she hears him shouting for her. ...He should probably just shout for her.]

[So Okuyasu's job is just to loiter for twenty minutes or so, good, because that's what he winds up doing. Oh, he makes a passable effort to look around outside, but since he doesn't just find Deku sitting on someone's porch somewhere, he doesn't know what else to do besides give Ochako her search time.

Who knows how much time has passed when he decides it's enough, but sure enough, he makes his way to the middle-ish of the area (he estimates) and looks around for her.]

Ochako! Hey!

[How loud. She couldn't ignore that yell if she tried, and so, after hurriedly patting her eyes dry with her cloak, she begins jogging right back toward the last place she saw him. It was annoying to break down like that, but hey—at least she didn't do it in front of him! He'll never even know.

Except that he will know as soon as she approaches him? Those red, puffy eyes kind of give it all away, and when she speaks... oh, her voice definitely sounds a bit thick. She's just going to play it cool, though. Everything is a-okay! This is a completely normal look for her!]

Did I take too long? Sorry. I guess I got a little distracted.

[That's one way to put it...]

[He sure will know. She looks like hell and sounds worse, making this the most jarring change in Ochako he's ever seen. He's been loitering for barely half an hour, and she looks like she's been crying all afternoon!

He won't even bother commenting on her flimsy excuse; instead he just looks thoughtful, then nods and holds his arms out at his sides.]

Alright, c'mon— bring it in. You're not getting past me so you better get a move on.

[Get in here for this emotional support.]

[Is he trying to turn her into a blubbering mess? Because with the way her eyes are welling up, it's clear that she's about thirty seconds away from turning into a total blubbering mess. Comforting her isn't allowed. This isn't even fair, and she furiously swipes away the first few tears.]

It's okay! I'm fine! I-I mean, I'll be fine, but I...

[That's, uh, not very convincing at all, and even her stubborn self recognizes that. Okay, then! Maybe it's time to swallow a bit of her pride and try a different approach.]

It'll make me cry!

[That's a threat!]

[closed-ish?] behold: a catchall post

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I'm scared of that icon

me in every thread w/ you: hmm... i should use my weirdest icons

how many weirdest icons do you have

enough

i see....i'm spooked

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