Stros
Dead Cosmonaut
KENJI & WREN
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
Heavenly Beast Plaza, Lower Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Ezra, Elias, Isobel, Kenji, Passeri, Wren
WHERE GIANTS SLEEP
It was hot.
Not as miserable as say the sweltering heat of the Rain Forest or the oppressive arid Sahara Desert. But, it was certainly warm enough to be more than slightly uncomfortable while wearing a long, dark colored overcoat. Nevertheless, the air that routinely circulated throughout the Plaza was just cooling enough to permit Kenji to be drowsy all the same. It was a wretched state caught between comfort and discomfort, that only added to his already present disdain for the place.
Ignoring the sweat on his brow that turned cold within seconds of appearing, Kenji raised a gloved hand to his forehead to shield his eyes as he looked up at the glass dome surrounding the Heavenly Beasts Plaza. The momentary shade provided some protection for the dark bags under his eyes as he permanently squinted from the overwhelming brightness of the place. The light unfortunately wasn't the only thing attempting to overcome his senses. The distinct scent of fertilizer and artificial grass seemed to stick to the air wherever he went and reminded him of how uncannily perfect everything that surrounded him appeared.
The tiles of the floor, the placement of the trees and artificial streams, even each individual blade of grass seemed cut to the exact same length and width. He had been to private parks in the past and arguably the best ones had been located in East District, but they all still had their own unique oddities. The Plaza on the contrary had seemed to erase the presence all of those idiosyncrasies, systematically, and done so repeatedly with a routine consistency to reach its now current state.
Kenji found the place unsettling to say the least.
Admittedly he couldn't understand the appeal of parks in the first place. It's not like one could really escape the presence of the city around you. The sights and sounds were all still there in the form of sirens, the smell of exhaust, and the concrete jungle that perpetually surrounded you. If you wanted a retreat from the city, you were better off getting away entirely instead of sitting cozily in your backyard garden. This fact alone wouldn't have likely bothered the insomniac nearly as much if not for the reason he had been dragged there. A scavenger hunt, at the behest of the Tiger's cryptic Jack. That was it. No details on what to look for or why, and worse yet there was no obvious reward.
An utter and complete waste of valuable time.
"Hey, if we split up we can cover more ground." He proposed to Wren.
Who was found standing next to him deeply engrossed with her phone.
… … …
Idly tapping the Mugenjin on his collarbone, he turned to take his leave before something swiftly grabbed hold of his coat collar. Yanked backwards off his heels, he would have normally gone crashing to the floor. However, this wasn't the first time this had been done to him, and with a sudden if awkward twist of his body. Kenji righted himself before collapsing under his own weight a few feet from the floor. Exiting the stumble at first with quick steps, but slowing as he rose back up to his full height. He wordlessly rejoined Wren's side, whose attention hadn't left her phone for an instant throughout the entire motion. It had become second nature to her by this point.
Wren had strolled many o’ times within the Heavenly Beasts Plaza. Be it due to favoring the ambience and the surrounding silence, or the ability to simply people watch without wondering when a knife was going to find itself between her shoulder blades, at least not as much anyways. This was a serene place, surely, that emanated a sense of tranquility that most of the city didn’t and couldn’t offer.
Whilst it was a favored spot, it also instilled too much of a false sense of security. The snow haired woman knew that truly nowhere was safe, no matter how much one desired it. It was due to this knowledge that Wren, eyes glued to the words that filled the entirety of her screen, was still aware enough of her surroundings, relying on the other senses that usually didn’t steer the woman wrong. The most important one being intuition. So as Kenji finally spoke, breaking that sacred silence they both tended to favor, Wren immediately flashed a hand out, piano-like fingers grasping the material of his shirt and with a tug she pulled him off his new trajectory course and back onto hers, not skipping a single beat during it.
Earlier, much to Wren’s surprise, she’d received a request from the Tigers’ very own Jack. A woman that she admittedly desired to get to know, and saw this as a sort of golden and rare opportunity to. Isobel wasn’t social by any means so this must’ve been important enough if she was calling, rather texting, other members to lend a hand. There were other reasons that Wren was here, steps light and by no means in a rush, alongside Kenji. Curiosity- a major insatiable one. Information - the pool of hers was ever growing. Sleuthing - a task that didn’t seem like it’d be heavily ‘thuggish’ in nature. All good reasons in her eyes. The sleepy samurai beside her being brought, perhaps dragged, along was just a plus.
As they approached the ornate and pristinely sculptured dragon statue, Wren’s eyes finally traveled from the lit screen to trace each minute detail, each perfectly etched curve, until they came to a rest on its eyes. There was something chilling about it but her gaze only became more hollow the longer the seconds ticked by that she remained staring it down. Eventually, those eyes drifted elsewhere, landing on Kenji’s lackadaisical expression. This entire place was a backdrop for sending Kenji into a slumber, Wren knew. The lights that filled the area and glared down on him that he was trying to shield himself from and his perpetually tiresome attitude that Wren had seen him deviate little from...Well, with those two things combined, it wouldn’t be long before he found a vacant bench and parked himself there.
A hand lifted within his vision, clearly in view beneath his own makeshift visor, as she pointed towards the statue, jabbing at the air as if to tell him to look at the dang thing. When she finally ensnared his attention, she’d stop the erratic motions and trace a finger along a few words that were engraved along the body of the dragon, close to its deadly sharp talons. Wren kneeled down for a closer look but kept a minuscule amount of distance between herself and the looming dragon. Even as a statue, this thing looked like it was ready to pounce into action.
“ Buds? Flowers bloom in spring and a canvas is a painting… Are we looking for a picture of sorts? Maybe it’s hidden behind foliage. Or it could be a spring, literally. “ Wren began to sign with both hands, not going through the usual slow and drawn out motions that she saved for those who were newer to ASL or didn’t know it at all. Kenji had been around her long enough and was no stranger to conversing with her.
Speaking of Foliage… Wren’s train of thought forced her attention to the foot of the statue, its muddied color mixed between vibrant greens catching her attention. As a painter and one who paid extra attention to the tiniest of details when it came to things or people. This small space by her feet that almost appeared bafflingly untouched claimed her full scrutiny. The moss seemed more wild and less tamed when compared to the rest of the greenery within the plaza. Her nose wrinkled, lips scrunching off to the side as she began to brush it aside, those fingers touching cold marble despite the warmth of the area. Just like the familiarity of braille, Wren’s fingers began to intimately trail along the indents of something that wasn’t smooth like the rest of the statue. With her other hand, she began brushing away the curtain of shrubbery, revealing the compass to Kenji.
Not as miserable as say the sweltering heat of the Rain Forest or the oppressive arid Sahara Desert. But, it was certainly warm enough to be more than slightly uncomfortable while wearing a long, dark colored overcoat. Nevertheless, the air that routinely circulated throughout the Plaza was just cooling enough to permit Kenji to be drowsy all the same. It was a wretched state caught between comfort and discomfort, that only added to his already present disdain for the place.
Ignoring the sweat on his brow that turned cold within seconds of appearing, Kenji raised a gloved hand to his forehead to shield his eyes as he looked up at the glass dome surrounding the Heavenly Beasts Plaza. The momentary shade provided some protection for the dark bags under his eyes as he permanently squinted from the overwhelming brightness of the place. The light unfortunately wasn't the only thing attempting to overcome his senses. The distinct scent of fertilizer and artificial grass seemed to stick to the air wherever he went and reminded him of how uncannily perfect everything that surrounded him appeared.
The tiles of the floor, the placement of the trees and artificial streams, even each individual blade of grass seemed cut to the exact same length and width. He had been to private parks in the past and arguably the best ones had been located in East District, but they all still had their own unique oddities. The Plaza on the contrary had seemed to erase the presence all of those idiosyncrasies, systematically, and done so repeatedly with a routine consistency to reach its now current state.
Kenji found the place unsettling to say the least.
Admittedly he couldn't understand the appeal of parks in the first place. It's not like one could really escape the presence of the city around you. The sights and sounds were all still there in the form of sirens, the smell of exhaust, and the concrete jungle that perpetually surrounded you. If you wanted a retreat from the city, you were better off getting away entirely instead of sitting cozily in your backyard garden. This fact alone wouldn't have likely bothered the insomniac nearly as much if not for the reason he had been dragged there. A scavenger hunt, at the behest of the Tiger's cryptic Jack. That was it. No details on what to look for or why, and worse yet there was no obvious reward.
An utter and complete waste of valuable time.
"Hey, if we split up we can cover more ground." He proposed to Wren.
Who was found standing next to him deeply engrossed with her phone.
… … …
Idly tapping the Mugenjin on his collarbone, he turned to take his leave before something swiftly grabbed hold of his coat collar. Yanked backwards off his heels, he would have normally gone crashing to the floor. However, this wasn't the first time this had been done to him, and with a sudden if awkward twist of his body. Kenji righted himself before collapsing under his own weight a few feet from the floor. Exiting the stumble at first with quick steps, but slowing as he rose back up to his full height. He wordlessly rejoined Wren's side, whose attention hadn't left her phone for an instant throughout the entire motion. It had become second nature to her by this point.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Wren had strolled many o’ times within the Heavenly Beasts Plaza. Be it due to favoring the ambience and the surrounding silence, or the ability to simply people watch without wondering when a knife was going to find itself between her shoulder blades, at least not as much anyways. This was a serene place, surely, that emanated a sense of tranquility that most of the city didn’t and couldn’t offer.
Whilst it was a favored spot, it also instilled too much of a false sense of security. The snow haired woman knew that truly nowhere was safe, no matter how much one desired it. It was due to this knowledge that Wren, eyes glued to the words that filled the entirety of her screen, was still aware enough of her surroundings, relying on the other senses that usually didn’t steer the woman wrong. The most important one being intuition. So as Kenji finally spoke, breaking that sacred silence they both tended to favor, Wren immediately flashed a hand out, piano-like fingers grasping the material of his shirt and with a tug she pulled him off his new trajectory course and back onto hers, not skipping a single beat during it.
Earlier, much to Wren’s surprise, she’d received a request from the Tigers’ very own Jack. A woman that she admittedly desired to get to know, and saw this as a sort of golden and rare opportunity to. Isobel wasn’t social by any means so this must’ve been important enough if she was calling, rather texting, other members to lend a hand. There were other reasons that Wren was here, steps light and by no means in a rush, alongside Kenji. Curiosity- a major insatiable one. Information - the pool of hers was ever growing. Sleuthing - a task that didn’t seem like it’d be heavily ‘thuggish’ in nature. All good reasons in her eyes. The sleepy samurai beside her being brought, perhaps dragged, along was just a plus.
As they approached the ornate and pristinely sculptured dragon statue, Wren’s eyes finally traveled from the lit screen to trace each minute detail, each perfectly etched curve, until they came to a rest on its eyes. There was something chilling about it but her gaze only became more hollow the longer the seconds ticked by that she remained staring it down. Eventually, those eyes drifted elsewhere, landing on Kenji’s lackadaisical expression. This entire place was a backdrop for sending Kenji into a slumber, Wren knew. The lights that filled the area and glared down on him that he was trying to shield himself from and his perpetually tiresome attitude that Wren had seen him deviate little from...Well, with those two things combined, it wouldn’t be long before he found a vacant bench and parked himself there.
A hand lifted within his vision, clearly in view beneath his own makeshift visor, as she pointed towards the statue, jabbing at the air as if to tell him to look at the dang thing. When she finally ensnared his attention, she’d stop the erratic motions and trace a finger along a few words that were engraved along the body of the dragon, close to its deadly sharp talons. Wren kneeled down for a closer look but kept a minuscule amount of distance between herself and the looming dragon. Even as a statue, this thing looked like it was ready to pounce into action.
"Buds of green against the canvas of spring.“
“ Buds? Flowers bloom in spring and a canvas is a painting… Are we looking for a picture of sorts? Maybe it’s hidden behind foliage. Or it could be a spring, literally. “ Wren began to sign with both hands, not going through the usual slow and drawn out motions that she saved for those who were newer to ASL or didn’t know it at all. Kenji had been around her long enough and was no stranger to conversing with her.
Speaking of Foliage… Wren’s train of thought forced her attention to the foot of the statue, its muddied color mixed between vibrant greens catching her attention. As a painter and one who paid extra attention to the tiniest of details when it came to things or people. This small space by her feet that almost appeared bafflingly untouched claimed her full scrutiny. The moss seemed more wild and less tamed when compared to the rest of the greenery within the plaza. Her nose wrinkled, lips scrunching off to the side as she began to brush it aside, those fingers touching cold marble despite the warmth of the area. Just like the familiarity of braille, Wren’s fingers began to intimately trail along the indents of something that wasn’t smooth like the rest of the statue. With her other hand, she began brushing away the curtain of shrubbery, revealing the compass to Kenji.
