Entry tags:
[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!
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 (
@zangetsu
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? ]
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that includes the time his dad had him read medical textbooks upside down while he did handstands.
he's going through the movies painstakingly. half of them are in english, which slows the process down a little. he's better at the written language than the spoken one. )
Slow.
( mr manners over here. )
And I don't even know what that is.
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Right, totally different Earth. C'mere a sec, let me properly educate you, young man!
[ Like she's all that much older than him. ]
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and then he's coming over to sit beside her, all long legs and coltish grace. )
Do we really have time to kill watching movies when we should be working?
( he's perhaps a touch too dutiful by far. his shinigami work always took precedent over the human jobs he worked, but here... well, they're basically one in the same now, aren't they? so, everything gets the same baseline. )
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But why is this guy seriously all leg, how dare he hog all the height in the room. ]
Consider it a good palate cleanser from all the crap we've been watching. [ Which her dumb super sentai movie clearly isn't. It does, however, look incredibly low budget. ]
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Should I get the popcorn?
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@heavenstorm
[ 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.
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[ 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.
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[ 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?
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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.
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[ Is she going to need to knock some skulls together to get people to join? Where's everyone's can-do attitude? Unlife isn't all about making some quick coin, and honestly Hibiki is a bit disappointed that others can't see the use of having a company together to help with those jobs that might not otherwise be tackled.
The small blonde heaves a sigh before putting a hand on her hip. PR isn't necessarily her strong suit, but... ]
Then it might just be that you and I tackle what we can from now and try to get things rolling through word-of-mouth. See if we can have some of the people we help recommend us. But that's good to know, though. I should probably keep that in mind when the time comes.
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[ That would have been far too brazen, going around asking for people to do all the hard work for him. He's glad to take help when offered, that's why Hibiki is here, but he's not really the type to ask for it, unfortunately...
He empties his armful of mugs onto the shelf below the bar before gesturing around the still partly-finished tavern. ]
Once we finish here, I'll announce the guild properly and open up recruitment.
[ Speaking of which there should be a blank book at the bottom of one of these crates... ]
@dodgeouttahell
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. ]
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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.]
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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!
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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.
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It's nice, and somehow, it feels like Hibiki. Comfortable and warm despite being drafty. He can tell it's a place that hadn't seen a lot of people recently, what with the empty spaces and corners here and there, the emptiness that keeps a place from looking well-lived. He surely knows his room back at the House looked over-lived, mess and all.] Is there anything I can help with? I'm not much of a Chef, but I can help carry stuff out of the kitchen if necessary.
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@coherer
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? ]
@nagano
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. ]
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[ 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. ]
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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. ]
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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.
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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?
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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.
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