awashlogs | Feburary means the otome boys take over the town y/y??

[ This shouldn't have been a hard thing to bring up. If anything, wishes and junk were something that they had quite a lot of run ins with in the past, so it should have been easy to bring it up, right? Well, no, apparently not. Not in Caramia's head, anyway. No matter how he seemed to word it, all the subsequent scenarios just seemed to go horribly.

But he couldn't reasonably put off telling Kyrie any longer, which was why he was meandering around the house to make sure he wasn't around to seek out Shiho instead. What better way to clear one's head than to talk to someone about it, after all? Ugh, really, he found he's been needing another consigliere just to help talk to his current consigliere.

Kind of pathetic, wasn't it? ]

"Shiho, do you have a minute?"

[ Not that she had much of a choice. Caramia went to join her where she sat, anyway, even she gave him any odd looks. Though, he'd at least take the hint if she left? It's the thought that counts, probably. ]

[Shiho is curled up on the couch with a book of fairytales that she's actually reading through for once with her eyes and not just using psychometry. She doesn't even look up, already kind of assuming that Caramia is likely going to take a seat, tucking her legs closer to give him room and with a sigh, she closes the book.]

Maybe? I'm so busy though, as you can probably see. [Is she????? She has kind of been sitting here for the past half hour, so that's obviously a lie.]

You're right. So busy. [ Some of those are stories about his friends, Shiho, just ask him about it, obviously?? Jeez. ]

I was hoping I could ask you something... I'm having trouble with it personally, and I figure you might be the best person to ask. [ Mostly because she just reminded Caramia a lot of Kyrie in many ways. Hopefully this was something maybe Shiho could lend him some advice with?

He took in a short breath, then settled back to relax, softening his tone in the process. ] Have we mentioned 'Dorothy' to you before?

[She definitely could ask him but then she'd actually have to sit her and listen.]

Well, we'll see. My advice doesn't come cheap, you know. [It's super cheap. All she needs is the knowledge that she's helped him.

And a Hermes bag.

Or maybe not when she sees him settling back, his tone softening in a way that has her thinking maybe this is important to him, after all. So she tucks her book away for the moment, closing it without any care as to what page she was on.]

You haven't mentioned her at all.

I'll clean your room for you, if you'd like. You can even have your say on dinner for the next couple of days-- [ He paused, knitting his brows together after a short moment of consideration. ] Wait, why should I be negotiating this? [ He pouted. He's the one doing most of the housekeeping around here, she should be grateful, geez! (That said, he'll still absolutely allow her to take the offer, because he's just Like That). ]

I... guess that's not surprising. Kyrie's not the one to bring her up lightly and... I hadn't known about her previously. Not really, anyway. [ Get ready for a wild ride, Shiho. He sigh, folding his fingers together. ] A long time ago, I met a girl with a scarecrow and a tinman. The girl, Dorothy, had apparently been swept away to our home of Oz, and was trying to see the wizard to help her go home. And the rest of us, as you may know, [ He reached up to tap the pendants he had pinned to his tie. ] were able to get our gifts from the wizard.

But Dorothy wasn't able to go home. So, instead, she became a witch...

[ Because, you know, that's how the Wizard of Oz went, right?? ]

You can sweep but you better not touch my stuff. [If only because anyone rifling through a girl’s clothes can only spell disaster.] And I’ll take the dinner too, I guess. I told you my advice doesn’t come cheap.

[So he really should just be offering her these services without even trying to negotiate. But once he starts speaking, she’ll quiet down and actually listen, not just because he’s paying her in services but also because she really does genuinely wish to help. Even if she’s taking a roundabout way of doing it.]

...A witch so she could get a broom and fly home....?

[Because what he’s talking about definitely doesn't sound like the Wizard of Oz she remembers reading.]

[ Rude, honestly. But Caramia didn’t point it out anymore, and it was either because he was just accepting his fate or because he was a little more focused on the whole Dorothy thing. Probably a bit of both, honestly. ]

Er. No. She never went home. She stayed with us in Oz. She made us a town and friends and even gave us our human bodies. She granted all our wishes and made sure we were always happy, because she truly did care about us. But...

[ He tilted his head a bit as his expression grew just a tad more somber. ] One day, and I don’t know what happened, but we- everyone in town- forgot about her suddenly. Everyone except... Kyrie.

[Forgot about her? This... comes just a bit too close to what Yuri had done back home and she can't help but to wonder why it had happened to Dorothy.

And from what she'd learned about Yuri, she can imagine it would have been difficult both for the ones forgetting as well as for those who had been forgotten. Thinking about that, her tone is a little softer, a little gentler.]

....That must have been difficult. Do you... know what happened to her? Did Kyrie-san... tell you guys?

[ "Difficult" was just the start. He's not sure if he should go on telling Shiho that that was the reason Kyrie was the way he was today, or if that was just better left kept to himself for now. ...Probably the latter. No point in bringing up painful memories right now. ]

No... I mean, he... tried, but... [ Caramia cleared his throat, slapping on his best smile and shaking his head. ] It doesn't matter. That was a long time ago, after all. [ It did matter, but he was just going to pretend things were totally fine and change the topic entirely, with a new peppy demeanor and everything! ]

Recently, I decided to do that bell quest thingy! You know, the one that's supposed to grant wishes...?

[Did it really not matter though? Shiho isn't sure she believes that, but she knows the last thing she should do is push when someone isn't willing to talk about it. At least, for now. Or until she gets frustrated and he's heading down some kind of self-destructive path.

For now, she'll listen. She can kind of guess how they would have reacted to someone trying to tell them about someone they'd forgotten... and a part of herself hates that hope hadn't prevailed in this situation, that in this situation, the bonds hadn't been strong enough.]

...You better not have told him it doesn't matter, he'll cry. [Would he?? She pouts, but with that said she'll let him change the subject.]

And yeah, I know the quest. Did you get something for it?

[ He absolutely would. There were lots of tears to be unfortunately had on that day. But he'd rather not just tell Shiho that. Though, it didn't take a rocket scientist to detect the guilt scrawled all over Caramia's face about it.

And this is why topic changes are important, kiddos. ]

Y-yes! I did, I... [ He cleared his throat. ] That's actually why I wanted to talk to you. I might have... possibly made the wish to... remember her again. And... it came true? And, admittedly, I'm not sure how I can even begin telling Kyrie about... any of that.

[ Is he looking away? You betcha. Mostly because he knew there was like 0 whole tact in this confession. This was exactly why he couldn't go to Kyrie first about this. ]

Heyyy, you know what sounds fun? Eavesdropping! A fun and harmless activity for everyone involved--but especially the eavesdropper!

Or at least, that's how things usually go, anyway. Kyrie's listened to his fair share of conversations in his day, and despite the warning ever-present in the back of his head that, eventually, he's going to hear something he really shouldn't have... well, century-old habits are awfully hard to break, aren't they? Plus, he definitely heard his name there, and that's practically an invitation in and of itself.

He doesn't have Caramia's superhuman hearing, so at first, as he settles himself against the wall, he only catches brief snippets. He tried, and it doesn't matter. But once he's tuned in, he listens more carefully. Mentions of crying aside ~~(and yes, Shiho, as a matter of fact--)~~ what he's more interested in is hearing about this wish that Caramia seems to be stumbling over so dramatically.

Which is fitting, because the moment he hears remember her, it's as if his thoughts stumble themselves to a stop as well. That's... not possible. Surely. It can't be that easy...

It looks like the trend of zero tact gets to continue, because Kyrie's just going to... laugh, just once, and step around the doorway. He looks warily between the two of them, like he's trying to figure out which one set him up for this.

"What an awful thing to joke about." He doesn't want to believe he would joke about something like this, but to even consider the alternative... He can't afford to get his hopes up like that. "Miss Shiho, you really shouldn't encourage him like this..."

Unlike someone, we know how to tell jokes that are actually funny.

[Shiho resists the urge to sigh. Because... maybe they should have escaped the house for this conversation. But who knew if Kyrie wouldn’t just follow them? (She would follow if she were in his place and he’d been speaking to Kaoru. Or at least she would use psychometry afterwards to make sure that the conversation hadn’t been about something dangerous.

Still. She doesn’t so much as move when he looks between the two of them. Kyrie cares about Caramia. She knows that much and she’ll trust in that as she extends a foot to tap the ground in front of the two of them. There, that’s Kyrie’s seat if he wishes.]

And rather than thinking it’s a joke, why not listen to him seriously instead? The best way to start talking to each other is by being honest, isn’t it? [Therefore both of them need to do it. She turns to Caramia and makes a little nod towards Kyrie with her head. You can do it, Lion Dad! And she’s here if Kyrie says something rude.]

[ That definitely was a "we" there. Thanks, Shiho! Caramia's so happy to hear you think he's funny.

Or, rather, he would be, were it not for the fact that he had been far too busy staring at Kyrie like a startled, frazzled cat. He wasn't surprised to find out that Kyrie had been eavesdropping, but the timing of it had done a little more than just alarm Caramia.

Though, he did appreciate how calm she stayed about it. It helped! He felt a little bad that she suddenly turned mediator, but for something delicate like this, he supposed it was necessary? ]

You... think I'd do something like that? [ Dug yourself a hole with that one, Kyrie. ] Do you really think that little of me?

[ It wasn't as if Caramia could control the whole "Oh gosh gee I guess I'm a statue now" fiasco, but it certainly didn't mean he didn't feel guilty about it, anyway. He apparently missed a whole lot. Like, things ranging from "there was an epidemic" to "yeah everyone's got these cool or not so cool new things". He didn't even get all the details, but from the sounds of it, there was definitely A Lot. Not to mention the fact that he had barely gotten to know anyone from the new batch of kidnappees.

But, on top of all that, he also set back his signing sessions with Dextera. Who! Apparently! Didn't even need them at the moment!!! But!! That's besides the point.

It didn't stop him from messaging Dextera anyway, asking him to come over to his house so they could, at the very least, catch up on things. He left the front door cracked for him and occupied the kitchen so he could make treats in the meantime. ]

[ by the time that caramia returns, dextera’s voice has disappeared anyway. it feels cruelly appropriate that caramia would be relieved of his stony form just in time for dextera to need the instructions again.

he’s getting better, steadily, but having his voice back just reminded him of how much he wants to be able to speak. without caveats, without limits.

once again, using his hands feels limiting. ]

Is Ochako coming?

[ he doesn’t know. ]

[ Don't tell him he missed that, he'll just be really sad.

In the meantime, though, hey, Dex! Welcome to the usual abode. Doris is still here, if nothing else. And Caramia! It might as well be a party alright, right? Totally... And like any good party, Caramia alright looks completely heartbroken from the get-go.

What do you mean that's not the mark of a good party? ]

No...

[ He laughed, soft and bitter, with his eyes briefly averted to the floor before he could look back up at his guest. ]

She's not... [ What? "Around anymore"? That just makes it sound like she's dead. And, well, Kaoru confirmed that all the people who disappeared were safe. So, that meant he should be happy, right? She went home, so that made it better, right?

And yet he so selfishly missed her. ]

She's gone.

…!

[ ochako, too? dextera doesn’t even know when this happened, since he’s been so caught up in his own issues, and now this. when was the last time he really spoke to her, after all?

he looks down at his hands, and at the table that he’s come to so many times before with ochako and caramia just like this, and he exhales. more than sad, he feels guilty for not having noticed, and for bringing it up now.

as always, he’s been selfish. ]

I’m sorry.

It's alright. [ Spoilers: It wasn't alright. ] I'm happy with the memories I have of her. Who knows? Maybe we'll have a way to see her soon.

[ It comes so easily to Caramia to stay optimistic, but this time around, he's clearly struggling to do so. His eyes, usually loud and bright, glossed over with a somber, dull sheen that more resembled that of grief. ]

I just wish we had the chance to say good-bye.

[ it’s too much loss. dextera swallows around the lump in his throat, and he thinks to himself that he needs to talk to zelda soon—the future, unfortunately, isn’t looking very bright for him. he doubts much is going to get done in terms of progress here at caramia’s today, but it’s just as well.

he’s good enough by now to communicate, so if this is a sad, social visit, surely nothing bad will happen. ]

…

[ he nods, a quick, miserable gesture. ]

Too many people… have left.

Not of their own volition, I'm sure. [ It's not that comforting, but he's trying, really. ] If it were up to them, I mean... I'm sure... [ Some of them might stay, right? I mean, Chroma wasn't exactly paradise or anything, but they wouldn't just abandon their friends like that? Well, they were given a chance to go home, so... maybe, but...

Ugh. He hated this line of thinking. Any way he can smoothly change the topic? Probably not. He does take a moment to think to himself before glancing up at Dextera. Something was... off. He was sad, sure, but there was definitely a weight on him that Caramia couldn't really pinpoint. He racked his mind for who else could have vanished-- admittedly, he's only really talked to Kyrie and Shiho since his whole statue-fiasco ended. ]

Is everything... [ "Okay?" almost slipped out to finish that sentence, but Caramia decided to revise his words a moment. ] Do you want to talk about it? [ What better way to practice signing then frantically spilling your guts to your teacher!! [Timmy Turner voice] What could possibly go wrong? ]

[ dextera wants to believe that, too. surely there are people who wanted to stay—surely guren would have stayed a little longer if he could have, because dextera needs him. they were supposed to be together, and this line of thinking combined with caramia’s gentle question is enough to push the tears from his eyes. ]

…

[ they slip out silently, as he stares down at the table, the only sound from him the quiet shaking of his breath. ]

[ Ah. You know? He really wasn't expecting that reaction. Come on, Dex, Caramia's the one who's supposed to be a mess in front of you, not the other way around.

Still, Caramia didn't hesitate to walk forward and coil his arms around Dextera. He knew he couldn't just leave him like that! Besides, Dextera was one of few who seemed to accept Caramia's affection. This just felt like the natural thing to do.

He just hoped it helped. ]

[ dextera, naturally, starts crying harder as soon as he feels caramia’s arms around him—but they’re cathartic tears, something he needs out of his system so he can release this flood of emotions that’s been building up steadily since he lost his voice.

he sobs, softly. ]

…

[ in return, after a while, he wraps his arms around caramia, too, and clings. ]

[ Who allowed this boy to cry?? Because whoever did was the absolute worse creature in Caramia's book. (Sorry, Mary.) Not the crying was a bad thing. Dextera should have his time to grieve, but the fact that he had to in the first place was really shitty.

Just what was Mr. F's objective, anyway, if he brought all these people here and made sure to put an emphasis on bonding with the people around town only to rip them away without warning? Even if there might have been a reason for it, who would do that, reason or not??

He didn't say anything. Not yet, anyway. There wasn't anything comforting coming to mind that he feasibly thought he could realistically try, and lying with your standard "It's okay"s or "Everything will be fine"s had the potential to make Dextera feel worse. But he does rub Dextera's back, his own eyes tearing up as he rested against his friend and rubbed his back.

After a few more seconds, Caramia uttered a soft: ] I'm sorry.

[ dextera cries it out, and luckily, it doesn’t last that long. there are only so many tears he can shed, after all, when he’s already been crying so much, but caramia’s embrace is warm and loving. the apology, too, reminds him that other people are suffering just as much as he is.

(though, selfishly, he thinks that no one can possibly hurt as much as he does right now.) ]

…mn.

[ he sighs, and it sounds like his tears have stilled, but he isn’t lifting his head yet. ]

[ Welcome to Caramia's and Kyrie's forest tour, featuring Hell Forest and the gang! We'll have surprise special guest in the future, so stay tuned!

But really, Caramia fully intended on going into the forest on his own. With the trees suddenly creeping into the town (which was a really weird sentence to say anywhere outside of Chroma, but here the fuck they are, friends) and the recent anxieties about this town, it was really hard for Caramia to not make some kind of attempt to look for some answers. And yet, Kyrie was apparently having none of that. It was probably for the best, really, since having someone accompany him into the forest was always going to be the smartest decision.

That, aaaaaand maybe he liked having Kyrie's company a lot. Maybe. Probably.

Regardless, heading into the forest together was... a bit strange. It had been a while since Caramia had gone out here, and the fact that it was back on its bullshit shouldn't have been a surprise, and yet here he was, surprised. ]

Do you think this place... [ He paused for a moment, looking around once more to see if he could hear anything besides the two of them. It was so eerily silent that even Kyrie's heartbeat felt loud to Caramia's acute hearing. It was probably better that he did try to strike up conversation, with that in mind. ] ...Do you think it wants to give us answers? If heading in like this puts us on such blatant paths, then...?

[ He looked over at Kyrie at last, very casually grabbing his hand now. Not because of the buddy system, or because he didn't want Kyrie to get separated (though, that was a bonus), but rather just because he really wanted to hold Kyrie's hand. ]

It was really only a matter of time before the looming threat of the forest became too curious to ignore, but it sure was nice for Caramia to offer him such a convenient excuse to investigate! Considering the potential danger, Kyrie's made sure to come prepared, forgoing subtlety in favor of the extra protection his rifle will lend him. It's inconvenient!! But also unavoidable.

He'd be content to keep walking along in relative silence, really, as focused as he is on the forest itself and its unnatural silence, but he'll at least let his attention flicker briefly over to Caramia when he does speak up.

"You really must have nothing but air in that stupid, empty skull of yours," he says, although despite the airy dismissal in his tone, he doesn't offer any resistance to the hand taking his. If anything, as he breathes a sigh, he lets their fingers fold more comfortably together. "I don't believe there's any entity here, forest or otherwise, who wants to give us anything... Everything we've been provided so far has been either a reward, or a punishment, hasn't it? We're encouraged to play along and make the correct choices, just as we're reprimanded for failing--or resisting, I suppose."

He thinks of the message he'd received, detailing the steps needed to return color to his eyes, and wonders if he would ever get it back if he were to simply refuse. Would it begin to affect him later on? Would it spread? And what if he went home? Would it be fixed on his arrival, or would he lose his chance entirely? He can't stand all the uncertainties--he'd rather be the one supplying reinforcement than receiving it any day.

"Right now, we're nothing more than someone's playthings. If we're being led someplace, I'm sure it's not due to any goodwill; it's more than likely because they have something in store for us."

He clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer. Caramia took just a moment to collect his thoughts again and try not to focus on how negative Kyrie felt about all this. Really, if he was so certain that this place was so intent on using them like that, why should they have been so intent on staying...? Caramia didn't want to believe this place was inherently malevolent, but that couldn't have just been wishful thinking, right?

"How can you be sure of that, though?" Kyrie couldn't really prove that after all... "It might just be a hopeful thought, but in a way, it makes sense..."

Especially with the story they had been slowly piecing together on the forum. The man who... one could only presume got the worst end of the stick, all because he fell in love? It wasn't his fault for that. And after he'd gone through so much trouble...

...

Caramia gently squeezed Kyrie's hand.

"But we're still here. And we're still going. So, I'm sure even you must think there's something more than that... right?"

Edited 2019-02-17 17:38 (UTC)

It isn't so much that he believes the town is malevolent... if that were the case, he's sure they would have run into far more difficulties than they have already. If anything it's likely meant to be neutral: a pendulum that depends wholly on the choice of an individual to sway it one way or another.

He's just a little bit bitter that most of his choices so far have proven to be the wrong ones. Isn't he supposed to be the advisor here...?

...He sighs again, and eases his pace to more evenly match Caramia's. "I suspect the forest and the town have differing opinions of us... but we haven't got enough information to go off of, yet."

Hence why they've gone in in the first place. And he's sure they'll encounter something that will pause their easy progress--like, I dunno, maybe that looming mass of glass up ahead? They should probably watch for that. At least Kyrie is, anyway, but...! Well, aside from putting a bit more control into his stride so he can stop when he needs to, he... won't actually say anything about it. Thanks, Kyrie.

Caramia lulled his head off to the side to huff. Not necessarily at Kyrie, but really, it probably was to some extent. He didn't think this world shared one collective mind, of course, but it clearly had some semblance of sentience among everything. And it was hard to tell between its malevolence and benevolence... It sucked more that even Kyrie couldn't tell him. But, hey, maybe it was a good thing there was finally something Kyrie didn't understand?

Before Caramia could open his mouth to voice more irritation on the subject, however, a loud Klunk! interrupts his thoughts. Rather, the sound itself wasn't the culprit, but the fact that Caramia himself had slammed right into massive wall of glass. How he managed to slam his face into it without realizing was truly a feat, and he staggered backwards a couple of steps as he brought his hand up to his face to hold it.

"What--" he hissed, rubbing his nose and looking up. "What the hell!!!"

He released Kyrie's hand to reach out his own to press against the glass, mostly to confirm it was actually there and not just some imaginary thing he just ran into.

Give him a break, his eyesight sucks.

Feburary means the otome boys take over the town y/y??

Shiho/Kyrie

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Dextera

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Kyrie

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