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original: hibiki fujiwara

[semi-open]

WHO: Hibiki and assorted
WHERE: Various places around Stygia and the Shadowlands
WHEN: The first half of November
WHAT: General catch-all post
WARNINGS: Drunkenness and depression, and some really, really bad movies. Will add more warnings as needed

Open starters coming soon! If you would like to plan a thing, feel free to message me over Discord (Pearl#7619), Plurk (

impearls) or by PMing this journal!

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[ Surprisingly enough, despite working at any other number of places, somehow movie theater attendant doesn’t make the list. But a job is a job, and the idea of having to go through a bunch of old film cans (see: her expectation of what this will be) looking for some old classics sounds fun! It’s like one part archeologist, and another part… movie theater attendant. But it sounds interesting! Horror isn’t really her thing, but she can find a couple of supposedly well-known films, right?

Right? ]

Uuuuugh, is this guy actually a film collector or a film hoarder? Seriously, at least label the files or something… How’s it going over there, Kurosaki-kun?

[ Calling from the other side of the projector room, sitting cross-legged amongst two piles of USB drives, Hibiki connects another to her phone, waiting for it to boot up. This wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t take at least a few minutes to get to a movie title on each one of these, but at this rate they’ll be at it for days. No wonder this guy doesn’t want to look for it himself.

Holding her phone up and scowling at it, as if her clear displeasure will make it load faster. She already assumes that it won’t be any of the ones they’re looking for, so she’s only half paying attention as the video starts. Come on already, show her the name card– ]

…Whoa, wait, really? He’s got the Super Force Nova Five movie?! No way!

[ What the hell even is that, Hibiki? ]

Hey Cedrik, where do you want this?

[ The moment the Viera told her what he had in mind, Hibiki was all too eager to volunteer to help get things settled, even if that included picking up the first few supply orders for the establishment. Bracing the door with her back, the small blonde, carrying two large, wooden crates, peers her head in to see where the proprietor had gotten off to? With no immediate answer that she can hear, she backs inside, letting the door thud closed behind her. It doesn’t take long for her eyes to adjust to the lights, and as she slowly walks toward the counter and sets down the supplies, she lets out a long sigh. ]

Pretty sure they packed this thing to the brim, so you should be good for a while. Hopefully we can work out a better deal with the other Restless around here for supplies once this place is established.

[ Do enough good work for people and they are bound to pay that kindness back in ways other than coin. ]

Still, this place is really nice. How’d you manage to snag such a good location? I might need to pick your brain.

[ How does the old saying go–be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home? And as someone who hasn’t felt like she’s had that in years, the storage space that she’s renting from one of the marketplace shops… well, it doesn’t feel like that either, but outside of her Door, it’s the only place that feels remotely hers. A former attic storeroom that some enterprising shopkeeper realized they could capitalize on, the flat was one of the few spaces that Hibiki could find that was at least somewhat furnished. She would have to wait until the carpenters finished her bed (but she can cry about how much it cost right away! :D), but at least the mattress was there, sitting in a far-off corner on the floor.

It isn’t much, but it’s at least partially hers. Also, incredibly drafty, but she’ll sort that one out later. She doesn’t plan to stay there much outside of heavy work days anyway, so it’s fine.

She has told a few people about her new abode, with Zagreus being one of the first. There was a reason for that, something that she had been planning while not having a complete crisis of self care of her shadow. A little treat held in one arm, wrapped smartly with brown butcher's paper and fastened with twine. That would be for later, as a thank you for being there for her after the Ritual a few weeks ago. On the table it goes, to be enjoyed once he arrives. Which should be about any time now. ]

[ Day… god what day is she on now for this job? The shit she’ll do for 30 coins and a free movie rental. Clearly narrowing down their list, it seems like for the past few hours, the pair has been in the middle of a giant horror and general monster flick block, which bodes well for the job! But while Hibiki isn’t necessarily bothered by either, managing to maintain a good suspension of disbelief; thank you, Tokyo, for being Really Freaking Weird.

But she isn’t the only one combing through the archives here, and while Jonas was reasonably chatty for the first hour or so, he’s gotten noticeably quieter as time goes on. From time to time, the blonde will look over to check on him, to make sure he hasn’t fallen asleep or something by now (she certainly wouldn’t blame him). But she would have to be blind to miss the clear body language of someone who is not having a good time. Hmm, maybe he isn’t good with this kind of thing? Well, now she feels bad for asking him for help.

She can’t call him out on it, though. The last thing she wants to do is potentially embarrass him.

So instead, she slowly and (not so) subtly makes her way toward the section where she remembers seeing a lot of schlocky monster films to “broaden her search”. She’s trying to find something specific, a movie she knows that won’t be too bad, but something else gets her attention.

Mostly because, as the title card comes up, she sees a very pale man wearing the world’s worst bald cap and fake nails making a weird biting face(???) at some buxom blonde, courtesy of the 1950s. What? ]

“The Vengeance of Dracula”? Hey Jonas, ever heard of this one?

[ You mean the super cult classic that’s so obscure that probably no one has actually seen it? Or have they? ]

[ If it wasn’t for Ritsuki periodically noising at and flopping against her, Hibiki might not have gotten up at all. While there were times in the week or so after the horrific Ritual gone wrong that the blonde tried to conduct her unlife as usual, the events leading up to that bloody event clung to her. While not quite reaching the fever pitch that it had while she was stalking through the Oakwoods, her shadow had found a way to worm its way deep into her self-consciousness. At first, she would only disappear for a day or two, retreating to the world behind her Door and losing track of time. She could pull herself out of it, but the breaks away from her fellow Restless became longer and longer.

Until she seemed to disappear altogether. Scheduled to perform a few songs at one of the local dives in Mirth, she simply never showed up.

She isn’t even sure what day it is when she finally comes to, waking up curled up at the foot of a great big tree like a lost child, petals falling slowly toward her before winking from existence once they land. It feels almost nostalgic–if it wasn’t immediately apparent that this wasn’t Shizuoka. This wasn’t her tree; that place that felt like it was hers. Her shadow’s voice, normally warm and comforting, feels like television static in her head, as her mind focuses on the fact that this isn’t really Her Place. That isn’t even her own voice in her head, but something else trying to take that from her as well.

(...Wait, where the hell did that thought come from?)

Getting up, Hibiki finds her way to her Door, standing there for a moment as the voice that’s hers but not quite hers hums quietly in her head a melody she’s known her whole life, but hasn’t heard since arriving here. But it isn’t quite right–isn’t her voice, isn’t quite that song–and for some reason this sets her off. Her hand turning the handle, she steps outside into the Shadowlands. Takes one step, then another, until she starts briskly walking away from the line of Doors deeper into the expanse.

That’s not her home behind that Door, that isn’t her voice in her head; and while Hibiki knows she will probably never return to her own world, there is still something that is hers (and will always be hers) that she keeps in this gods-forsaken place.

Her voice. Her pace slowing before she stops, Hibiki takes a deep breath. She has no clue whether the calming effect it’s had on others will work on her, but it doesn’t matter. Standing still with a hand to her chest, she slowly starts to sing, doing everything she can to focus on the sound of her own voice in her head. ]

Please don't vanish on me.

[ Someone's been busy while his business partner's been AWOL. For the first few days, Kaito didn't expect any response from Hibiki—she seemed far more rattled over the Oakwoods incident than he was, and the weight of carrying those murderous thoughts was one he'd familiarized himself with many years ago.

If only that same burden could stay buried.

Blood drips at irregular intervals from the cuts on his bare hands. He walks with a steady gait, but the drag of his feet against dead soil make it clear that he's not in peak condition.

...Well, the tears in his attire and lack of gloves probably make it more obvious, but y'know.

Water occasionally spawns around him, dabbing itself against the smaller cuts that haven't been dressed. Bandages wrought from dead Basilicus skin are wrapped tight around his upper arms and torso, stained a deep, dark crimson. Every now and again the liquid he conjures will burst, and each occurrence is punctuated by his Shadow's vibrant, warbled laughter.

W̷e̸ ̵r̵e̷a̸l̴l̴y̸ ̷l̴e̸t̷ ̴t̷h̷e̶m̴ ̴h̵a̸v̶e̶ ̶i̷t̷,̴ ̵p̷a̶r̴t̵n̶e̸r̶!̴ ̴I̷t̴'̷s̸ ̴a̷ ̵s̴h̷a̶m̸e̴ ̴y̷o̶u̵ ̵d̵i̷d̴n̵'̴t̸ ̷g̷o̷ ̴a̷l̵l̸ ̶t̷h̴e̵ ̵w̵a̸y̷,̵ ̷b̷u̴t̸ ̵t̵h̵a̷t̷'̷s̴ ̶o̴k̷a̵y̵.̸ ̸W̴e̶'̴v̴e̶ ̸g̵o̷t̴ ̷p̶l̷e̵n̴t̴y̷ ̵o̵f̶ ̴t̴i̶m̸e̵ ̵t̸o̵ ̴w̷o̷r̸k̸ ̸o̷n̶ ̸t̶h̶a̸t̸ ̵k̶i̸l̶l̵e̸r̵ ̸i̶n̷s̷t̷i̷n̸c̷t̸.̷

He doesn't dare respond, instead continuing to trudge his way back to his Shroud. His Shadow's quite right, after all. What can he refute? The lack of responses from Hibiki have plagued him with worry, even from the beginning. How many texts has he sent her way, trying to check in? How many little care packages of food have piled up at her Door?

His worry and frustration only served as springboards for his Shadow to gloat and get under his skin. It's all come to a head, now. After encountering a group of Basilicuses (Basilici???) surrounding a wounded Restless, joyfully awaiting his slow death, he couldn't hold it in anymore.

Like a broken dam, Kaito's anger and wrath crashed through, and while he pulled back at the last moment to keep from separating those monsters' heads from their necks, not a single one will be returning to their lairs with all their limbs intact. His Shadow sang his praises the entire time. How shameful.

After patching up the other Restless, all Kaito wants is to sleep under the tree in his false Domain. To return to his underworld abode and let time slip away.

He passes Hibiki's Door, glancing down at the dust-riddled bags he's left nearby. Some have been stolen. Unsurprising. Just as he's about to press his hand to the surface, something stirs in the air around him. An aura he hasn't felt in nearly a week. Perhaps longer.

Hers.

As if his wounds had magically healed over and his fatigued had been whisked away, Kaito takes off in a brisk walk, then a jog, then a dash. Every ounce of his spiritual awareness focuses on that trace of the blonde's emotions. It's the Oakwoods all over again, complete with beating the shit out of a monster beforehand.

But this time, he's not just worried for her.

The closer he draws, the more apparent it becomes that something else accompanies her aura. It's weak yet tangible—a soothing sensation that isn't drawing from the wellspring of her emotions. Something separate. A song, he realizes as he catches sight of the back of her head.

He was ready to call out, to yell her name, to yell at her for being gone for so long. But as Kaito slows to a stop, those desires die in his throat. All he can do is stand there, half-relieved, half-entranced by the siren's song.

Oh, and his wounds have reopened, but this isn't about them. ]

[ Standing in the endless wilds of the Shadowlands, her voice grows from a quiet, threadbare whisper, carried on a wind she hasn't realized she's created. Warmth permeates through her song, slowly drowning out the noise in her head. Focus on the sound of your own voice, Hibiki, and pour everything into it. Trace each word, each phrase in the air in front of you like an incantation woven with every note and let it wrap around you, like a blanket on a cold, winter night.

You'll be all right. In spite of everything, you're still you.

The gentle breeze abating with her last note, it disappears into nothingness as Hibiki exhales deeply. Eyes fluttering open, the world that had fallen away as she sang begins to seep back in, bringing with it that heightened spatial awareness. Pressing her lips together briefly, Hibiki paints a (practiced) apologetic smile on her lips as she begins to turn. ]

I would keep moving if I were you, there's nothing here worth stopping for--

[ She says before stopping in her tracks herself, suddenly face-to-face with the only person who could hold her there. Barely held together physically, wounds wrapped with leathery bandages and stained deep crimson from over-exertion and clothing torn and tattered; the one person she saw as stronger than anyone else she's known looks like one gentle touch might shatter him into a million pieces. ]

Kaito...

[ Stormy blues staring into golds as tears spill over, Hibiki takes a few steps toward him.

A̴r̶e̴ ̷y̷o̸u̵ ̸c̶r̸a̸z̷y̸?̵!̵ ̷L̶o̸o̷k̵ ̸a̵t̷ ̶h̶i̷m̴!̴ ̵D̴o̴n̷'̷t̴ ̶g̴e̷t̷ ̷a̸n̴y̷ ̶c̸l̶o̸s̸e̸r̵ ̴o̷r̵ ̵h̶e̷'̴l̶l̴ ̶k̴i̸l̷l̴ ̷y̶o̸u̴!̷ ̴T̸h̴a̵t̶ ̵m̷a̷n̴'̴s̸ ̵a̵ ̷w̵i̴l̶d̶ ̸a̶n̵i̵m̶a̴l̴,̸ ̷t̵h̸e̵ ̸m̷o̶m̴e̶n̸t̷ ̴y̴o̶u̷ ̸g̴e̸t̶ ̸c̵l̴o̵s̸e̷,̸ ̶h̴e̴'̷s̷ ̵g̵o̸i̶n̵g̴ ̵t̶o̷ ̶s̷n̴a̶p̸ ̵y̶o̷u̷r̸ ̷n̶e̴c̵k̷!̷

...

A̷r̴e̶n̴'̶t̵ ̸y̷o̵u̷ ̵l̴i̵s̴t̸e̸n̴i̷n̸g̸?̷!̶ ̶H̵e̵'̵s̸ ̴d̵a̴n̷g̵e̷r̵o̶u̶s̶!̷ ̶W̸e̵ ̸b̶o̴t̶h̴ ̵k̷n̷o̴w̴ ̴y̴o̶u̷ ̵c̸a̵n̶'̷t̴ ̵s̵t̷a̷n̴d̶ ̵u̵p̶ ̵a̴g̷a̵i̸n̸s̴t̴ ̸h̵i̴m̴!̷ ̴H̷e̸ ̶W̴I̵L̶L̶ ̴k̷i̶l̸l̶ ̸y̶o̴u̸!̷

I don't care.

Slowly closing the distance between them, the small blonde reaches a hand out to him before stopping herself. Pulling it back, she takes one more step forward before slowly, delicately putting her arms around him. Pressing her lips tightly together to try to keep them from trembling, she doesn't say a word. No questions, no scolding--just a ragged little sigh. ]

On the counter, please!

[ Cedrik can hear just fine, but surrounded by furniture and crouching down near the floor, doing what he can to fix a wobbling table, his own voice didn't carry far enough. Luckily there was no need and when Cedrik pops his head up, she's taken the crates right where they need to be. ]

Thank you, Hibiki...

[ With a soft grunt he stands up and gives the table he'd just been under a nudge...still wobbling, but not nearly as bad as it was before. He puts that problem aside for now, striding over to help unpack those crates. ]

It's funny you mention it, 'snagging' this place required calling on no small amount of good will already.

[ Even with everything slowly crumbling around them, real estate is a precious resource. Cedrik put in a lot of hours running odd jobs and doing various tasks and favors, the sort of things not important enough to make it to the board while also being the sort of thing someone would gladly foist off on another if they could. ]

But we'll build it up again, I am sure. Especially as the guild grows.

[ It's inevitable that she'll notice him. Even if he hadn't been so loud in his approach, she surely would have turned around at least once. So when that blonde head begins to turn, Kaito wonders if he should bolt. Fly away. Use the last ounce of his strength to force an instant teleport that he knows he doesn't have the skill to perform.

Y̸o̸u̸ ̸l̶o̴o̶k̵ ̷s̷o̷ ̷l̴a̶u̴g̴h̶a̷b̵l̷y̷ ̴w̸e̸a̶k̷.̷

I know. I—

His thoughts come to a screeching halt when their eyes meet. Suddenly, he can't be brought to care about his Shadow's berating. About his own berating. None of it matters. He doesn't matter, not in this moment.

He fixates himself on her teary gaze, and his composure cracks. There's no decorum, no restraint. Through the biting pain of his wounds, Kaito's arms snap around her shoulders and pull in as tightly as he can muster. His clothes smell terrible—blood mixed with rotting flesh and acid. But she holds him like he'll shatter if she makes a wrong move, and he holds her like she'll disappear again if he ever lets go.

Amidst those wavy fields of gold, he sees flashes of her memories. A bright smile. A child's desire to style her hair like her mother's.

Yours looks just like Rapunzel's.

The glimpses aren't nearly as vivid as he's used to experiencing, but they still hit him hard as he embraces her. A choked sob shakes him as he carefully strokes her hair. Good job making even more of a mess. ]

Hi there, [ he whispers, voice raspy, ragged. ] I was worried you'd gone and done something stupid...

[ Squeeze. ]

I was so worried.

Don't mention it, just glad I can help!

[ Hibiki starts unloading bottles from the top-most crate before setting them down on the bar counter. Assorted beer and mead--they aren't established enough yet for the brewers and distillers to hand off entire casks yet, but given time (and enough foot traffic in the area) that will probably change.

Wiping her brow, she smiles up at Cedrik brightly. ]

I kinda figured. Places like this are easy to build up so long as you have enough buy-in. How goes recruitment, by the way? Anyone else lined up to help? Where have you been advertising for members?

[ Hibiki isn't sure what she expects when she carefully embraces him, but when he pulls her in, clinging to her like he's afraid she'll suddenly disappear into the aether, she doesn't hold back. All at once, she tightens her embrace, her head rested against his.

It doesn't matter that he smells like death, that (once again) her golden hair is stained with each gentle stroke of his hand. None of that matters right now. She just has to stay composed, she can't let herself get upset--

But when Kaito shakes, clearly trying not to cry himself as he chokes out a few words, she loses it. When he squeezes her, she can't help but do the same, shaking as she tries so desperately to not start sobbing herself. This isn't like her; she isn't the type to show or tell people how she's feeling, let alone crying openly like this. What does she say? What can she say? ]

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.

[ If she had enough sense in this moment, she would lead them away from here. Even where they stand now is dangerous, and the smell of blood is likely to draw any number of monsters to them like moths to a flame. Taking another shallow, ragged breath, she squeezes him tightly before slowly, reluctantly, releasing him. Her hand runs down his arm before finding his hand, threading her fingers between his. ]

...But we can't stay here, not like this.

[ Taking a breath, she looks up at him with a fragile smile, her face and hair stained where they came in contact with damp fabric or skin. Tilting her head girlishly, her eyes still wet, she attempts to lead him. ]

You'll come with me... right?

[ For a long time, Kaito doesn't respond. He simply holds onto his (business, purely business) partner, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head, gripping tighter (yet with a paranoid, almost fearful gentleness), unmoving.

When she apologizes, he wonders if his heart wants to soar or break. How could he attach himself to any one person so readily when he knows he can only marginally trust any of them? Where's his Shadow's cajoling or griping? The only sounds reverberating alongside his thoughts are the echoes of her song and the voices from her memory.

Reality eventually yanks him back to join it when she pulls away and slips her hand into his. It's covered in calluses, marred by scars of varying depths, and caked in dried blood. Ugly by any sense. Yet she clasps onto it all the same.

He squeezes in turn, meeting her smile with a neutral look that just barely hides his yearning. A nod follows, then his feet trail alongside hers. He has his answer. ]

Let's go.

[ Like she cares how callused and torn his hand is, she would reach for it again and again if it means she has that assurance that he isn't going anywhere. That he's still here in whatever sort of Hellscape this is with her. Still, it's funny, all this time she saw herself as needing him to look out for her; that the disparity between the two of them was so great that it was insurmountable.

Maybe she's just too trusting, but seeing him follow without question, it becomes abundantly clear that he might rely on her as much as she does on him.

If he remembers the path she takes (of course he does), he will notice that Hibiki is leading back to her Door. Her shadow's litany of paranoid rambling and pleading is met with silence from her. If he means to do her harm, then he would find a way to do that eventually, but she refuses to leave his side like this. Kaito would do the same for her--has done the same for her--and he isn't the only one who needs the reassurance that the other won't just disappear.

Reaching the Door, Hibiki reaches for the knob with her left hand before briefly pausing to look at one of the care packages that hadn't been taken with a very confused look on her face. (They have postal service out here?) Whatever, she'll investigate later. Taking a deep breath, Hibiki pushes the door open, a small foyer to an older-style Japanese building welcoming them.

D̶o̸n̶'̶t̶!̶

With a determined nod, Hibiki takes a step inside--pulling him along with her. ]

[ With their hands joined, Kaito becomes all the more aware of her emotions—and of every pulse that represents her Shadow's protests. Every time it protests, every time it shrieks its disapproval.

I̷t̷'̵s̵ ̶k̴i̶n̵d̵ ̸o̵f̸ ̵a̶n̶n̸o̶y̷i̷n̷g̴,̵ ̴d̵o̷n̸'̶t̶ ̵y̸o̵u̷ ̸t̵h̴i̶n̸k̶?̵ ̴Y̸o̶u̵ ̶r̴e̷a̸l̸l̷y̴ ̷w̸a̶n̴t̴ ̵t̶o̴ ̸a̸l̵i̴g̶n̴ ̵y̸o̷u̸r̶s̵e̸l̵f̴ ̴w̸i̸t̵h̷ ̴t̵h̸a̴t̶?̶

'Without a doubt.'

Another squeeze. Once they're at her Door, Kaito follows her befuddled gaze to the paper bags that he's been leaving there all week—and the faintest hint of a smile perks on his features. He'll tell her later. ]

...Huh. A ryokan? [ Mumble, mutter. Despite his exhaustion continuing the slow him down, the rush of emotions from their direct contact keeps him alert enough to take stock of his surroundings. It looks cozy. ]

I guess that means you've got a working kitchen, too. That's convenient.

[ Without thinking too much about it (a feat for this overthinker), he squeezes her hand once more—as if he's sure she's about to let go. ]

[ Hibiki nods as her grip on his hand begins to loosen, a thoughtful look on her face. She should let go so they can both take off their shoes--but no, she isn't quite ready for that. She wants to keep a hold on him for now. ]

Ginkoya. I worked here for a couple years before I moved back to Tokyo. [ She shifts her balance, using the toe of one shoe to slip off the other, then doing the same with her other foot. ] It isn't the whole ryokan, but the kitchen and a few of the rooms are here. There's probably enough here to get you cleaned up.

[ When he squeezes her hand, she smiles reluctantly at him. ]

Sorry, I can let go if you need me to. It's probably kinda hard to take your shoes off with one hand, huh? ...You're coming in with me, right?

[ Said in a tone that clearly states that no matter whether he does or not, she will be following him. ]

[ It's the opposite, actually. He'd really like to hang on for a while longer. Kaito just murmurs a 'yeah' under his breath before proceeding to mimic her balancing act. Laces are yanked away before he pulls out of his boots, which he carefully sets to the side. They're looking the least weathered of his attire by far. ]

Where else would I go, at this point? Out and away? After I've finally found out that you're okay?

[ A beat. ] It must mean a lot to you in some way or form. The inside of a Restless' Shroud is supposed to reflect a place that had a heavy impact on their life.

...While a bath would be nice, I have to take care of the rest of my wounds first. I've got enough ointment, but I ran out of bandages. [ Kaito gestures vaguely to one of the Badaliscus skin strips. ] It's gross, but I've discovered that there's a working alternative out here in the Shadowlands.

[ Oh, he's just going to keep holding on to her, then. Blinking a few times as he pulls his boots off with one hand, some of the stressed that worked itself into her shoulders starts to melt away. There are plenty of places he could go--but Hibiki is more than a bit relieved to hear that he's staying put. ]

I basically lived there. I'd say it was a second home, but I think I spent more time there than at my apartment. Not just when I was working.

[ Leading him past the foyer and through the front part of the building, her quiet smile turns more into a grimace when he mentions the alternative bandages that he's used. Gross. Useful, but so, so gross. Turning into a back hallway, she leads him into the kitchen. It isn't huge, but still more than enough to service the dozen or so rooms through of its real-world equivalent. ]

There's a first aid kit in here, I just hope there's enough to patch you up. [ A beat, as she debates. ] You're welcome to take a bath afterwards, if you want. Can't really offer to make you anything to eat, though. Whoever's supposed to keep the kitchen stocked out here sucks at it.

[ She's talking about herself. ]

[Any time is, indeed, now.

Knocking softly on the door, Zagreus looks down at himself to ensure everything is nice and proper for visiting a friend. Not that there's anything different about him, really, but it's the first time he's done so, after all. It's much unlike his close ones back at home, who were lodged in the House's winding and labyrinthic halls and corridors, who he walked past frequently and met in their common rooms, or happening upon a shade residing somewhere in a chamber or space somewhere in Hades.

The closest thing he had ever done to this was visiting his Mother in her evergreen cottage. And even that is different, somehow.

So, with a little bottle of artisanal mead under his arm, he waits for Hibiki to answer the door. A beat, and:]

Oh, Gods, this is the right place, isn't it? [A mutter, suddenly apprehensive. It must be, right? He's usually good at following directions.]

[ Hearing a voice fretting on the other side of the door, Hibiki smirks. Yeah, this doesn't really seem like it would be somewhere a person would choose to live, but the price is right and she's used to living in small, somewhat drafty places. This is old hat for her.

She doesn't let him wait for long, opening the door and grinning at him brightly. ]

Yep, definitely the right place. [ Don't be a brat, Hibiki.

Moving out of the way so he can make his way in, she notes the bottle under her arm but chooses to say nothing. She'll ask about that in a moment. ]

Can you close that behind you? I wanna keep the warm air in. But make yourself at home!

[ From the counter Cedrik takes those bottles and begins to line the shelves behind the bar. Little by little it's all coming together... ]

Mm, well...most of this has been myself alone. In truth you're the first volunteer I've had.

[ He really is just winging it, after all. With one crate emptied he moves on to the second, finding it full of empty mugs to go along with the bottles. These will be more useful when they do get kegs, but it's better to have something and not yet it quite yet than to wait and be wanting. ]

After all, I still lack the means to pay anyone else, at least for now. [ He smiles apologetically at Hibiki with a shrug. ] As for members, I asked around on Soulidarity some sennights back--that's where I first got the idea.

Oh, hello! [Eyebrows shooting up, he smiles straight away at the cheekiness, and makes sure to brush the soles of his feet on the mat before entering with a soft 'excuse me, then'. Zagreus grins, closes the door behind him, and looks around with something on his face close to wonder.] Wow, would you look at this place! This is nice, Hibiki. Thank you for having me. [He doesn't leave her wondering about the bottle for longer, holding it out for her.] Here! This is for you. A housewarming gift, so to speak.

[ Kaito's eyes flit all over the interior of her home space. He's taking in Hibiki's words too, sure, but it's his eyes that file away every minute detail to memory.

Especially that nice-looking wok hanging alongside the other pots and pans... ]

I worked in a noodle restaurant. Real run-down hole in the wall kind of place. It felt like a third home to me, so I understand the sentiment.

[ Golds lock onto the first aid kit, and when it seems like he's finally about to let go of her hand, Kaito simply lifts the opposite and conjures a stream of silver energy to whip out and grab the kit. ]

It'll do. I'm pretty good at making things work with limited supplies, and I have just a little healing power with my water magic. [ Only now does he loosen his grip and pull away (and even then there's hesitance). ]

Which way to the nearest bath? And, uh... is there a change of clothes I can possibly use? If not, that's fine—I can just teleport to my Shroud after cleaning up.

[ So he says (and honestly, he probably could), but are you really going to let him wander off after all that? Is he going to allow himself to wander off? ]

[ It's the sort of space that's rarely seen in the 20xxs, a product of an era long since past lovingly maintained by its proprietor. It seems much smaller than the normal ryokan, judging from the size of the lobby and the kitchen, the latter appearing to be the only fully modernized part of the facility.

Watching as Kaito plucked the kit from a nearby med cabinet, it takes her a few seconds to realize, oh, right, he's going to want to clean up. He's going to need a change of clothes. Taking her hand back withsome reluctance, Hibiki jumps at the chance to busy herself. ]

If you don't mind wearing a yukata, I can grab you one.

[ And in the first glimmer that she might be returning to normal, she smiles pleasantly at him. ]

I'll help get you patched up. I should probably be able to cobble something together to eat after you're done with your bath.

[ Said sweetly, but incredibly firmly. ]

[ It's not much, but she's proud of what she's been able to do with the space and the resources provides. ]

Thanks! It's still a work in progress, but I'm happy with how it's turning out.

[ Taking the bottle before looking at it, the blonde grins. ]

Wanna crack it open? I picked up some stuff from the bakery a couple doors down that we can have too.

[ In other words, it's the sort of space Kaito's family would love to stay at. Hah.

Even with their hands separated, he's still able to vividly feel the smile draw onto Hibiki's features before ever seeing it. There's a touch of silence for a few moments. Kaito's eyes lid shut, and he seems to be contemplating something.

Eventually, he also cracks a tiny smile while holding the med kit close to his chest. ]

I'll remember this for the next time you try and pretend you're okay while pushing me away.

[ Oh. Ouch. Rude?

His smile grows. ]

It's going to be ugly, though. This is your only warning.

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