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Fandom The City That Never Weeps

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Kaida Fuyoku
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​
Pull away, dumbass, Kaida urged herself. But she couldn’t, not with Soleil looking like a doe caught in the headlights. A doe who couldn’t maintain its usual air of elegance. Reactions from people usually gave the girl a kick. Like the guy who owned the shoe locker right next to hers, sweat bouncing off his brow on the lookout for her, or the girl in her homeroom, who always dropped her pencil when Kaida strutted by her desk like a prize-winning peacock. That’s how she knew they’d keep away, after all. But watching the blush bloom on Soleil’s cheeks, and with the concern Kaida let seep into her own eyes, she knew this wasn’t something she got a kick out of. She felt confusion at how uncomposed she was in front of her, with that vulnerability. She should have felt triumph at making the has-been actress squirm under her gaze, even if she wasn’t so sure why. It was what Kaida did to make people feel uncomfortable, to keep them away. It was what she wanted...wasn’t it?

The stare lingered too long. Soleil tore her eyes away from Kaida’s, pulling her hat down. Kaida’s gaze shifted to the ground. That felt weird. Too weird. Too...personal, almost. She rolled her shoulders back. She felt another stare, albeit a brief one, and thought to peer to the source. She stopped herself with a sharp ‘No’ in her mind. She had to be imagining it. After all, why would Soleil even think of giving the likes of a so-called ‘delinquent’ a second glance?

And Kaida was right. When she heard a voice address the rest of the group, that voice, and finally looked up from the ground, she understood. Ashikaga-san was back on the scene, addressing everyone else with that friendly smile once again. The girl who most of the student body seemed to adore.

...most, being the most important word. Toro had basically told Soleil to mind her own business whilst chewing down on a toothpick like she watched fisherman down at the docks chew on tobacco. She almost agreed with him in some unfounded bitterness, yet, felt a sliver of guilt when she was about to. Why?

Soon, one-by-one, the lawless beasts of the Warden’s Ark began to move towards the lift. Kaida moved too, though, with her eyebrows so low they threatened to fall off her brow. Forget it, Kaida, she told herself. She’s getting under your skin. Just like in that fuckin’ van. The gall. The nerve. The--!

She collided into the shoulder of another body, not hard enough to send whoever it was tumbling to the ground, but enough to at least warrant some stumbles. Kaida stepped back, knocked out of her thoughts, staring at the person she had unwittingly knocked into. Guy with the headphones. Gin...Gin...something. Ginjiro, she thought, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t see him or hear of him often enough for the name or the person to stick in her mind. She was caught in a strange limbo, staring at him with her jaw threatening to drop further than it already had in her surprise. He was probably just as bewildered by this encounter as she was. Perhaps it was time for an apology…?

No. Off-brand. Stick to the script. A voice inside her demanded. And without being able to help herself, or stop it, she stuck to her part. Her lips curled up in disdain as she growled, “Watch it, dipshit.” Done. Arrow fired and unable to do anything else but shoot in one direction. She scoffed, her hands digging further into her pockets before she walked past him. Really, she fled, before more trash came piling out of that mouth of hers.
 
Ginjiro Aizawa


Honestly, what the fuck had he gotten himself roped into?

Attempted escapes thwarted by whatever the fuck Themis was, sparks flying all around amidst the colourful personalities that made up the group, this trip was just a disaster waiting to happen, honestly. So, he'd naturally decided he wanted absolutely nothing to do with all of this and focused all of his efforts on tuning everything out. They just had to...do whatever they were doing down that mine, and then he'd be free. Yeah, he just had to think of the sweet reward he’d be given: solitude. So, with a renewed eagerness to actually get going, he moved to take a step-

And promptly felt a body roughly bump against his shoulder, he’s able to keep his footing, but he does stumble forward a little, briefly struggling to regain his footing and save himself the further embarrassment of taking a tumble in the midst of everyone. He throws a glance over his shoulder, an accusatory glint in his eyes that is quick to fade when he remembers that a scene is the quite possibly the last thing he wants to result from this interaction. So instead, he opens his mouth, the “Don’t worry about it” on the tip of his tongue, as he quite fairly assumes that he’ll get an apology.

“Watch it, dipshit.” It’s a growl, and she - what was her name again? K something, maybe?- looks at him as if its his fault that she didn’t know to pay attention when she walked. His reassurance that it's fine dies on its way out, turning into an “Eh?” that is surely the very peak of eloquence. She walks on past him as he struggles to find the words he wants to say in response, and he’s left to gawk at her back…Well then, he supposed he’d managed to get out of that pretty easy, despite the rudeness. He allows himself a sigh of relief as he also sets off toward the lift…

At a slower pace, of course. No way in hell was he risking giving her the impression that he was pursuing her for what she’d said.

Arcanist Arcanist
 

  • a067498f552de3707fba13ed35b84804.png
    ~ Nearby the Site ~
    Raindrops || Jun’ichi’s CS File || Erasmus' CS File
    He straightened up with a huff of laughter as Erasmus admitted that he didn’t enjoy the little stunt. Good the fool should realize exactly what acting without thinking does, he already had to expect that from Ichirou and now it seemed another one was joining the no-brains crew. Just what did they think was going to happen as they sped away? Oh look they stole a car, sure that won’t land them in jail. Grand Theft Auto has a hefty fine. Stack on resisting arrest, because if they stole a cop car who’s arguing they wouldn’t, and whatever they can make up to cover stranding others and they wouldn’t be getting out soon. He shutters to think how much the insane duo added already to their problems. If he got in trouble for them he was calling bullshit, but maybe not to Themis, whatever she was.

    He could feel his eye twitching as Erasmus dared to ask him to hold his shirt. There’s a whole ass van to throw it on, neither he nor Hiru were here for the bullshit. Though Erasmus did get one thing right they should have left the idiots to hobble back to the lift themselves. He snatched the shirt off Erasmus with zero bedside manners and threw it over the dented hood of the van.

    “Just what do you think we’re here for? I dunno about Hiru but it’s certainly not because I give a shit. You earned your injuries, try not to expect things of people you were fine with ditching. The car totaled so the best we can do is drag you two down the damn mines with us.”

    At the mention of 'earned injuries' Erasmus actually smiled, though it was in some form of amusement. "I suppose you are right, if you were actually correct in some of those assumptions. But, I didn't ditch anyone. I was trying to stop things before they got out of hand, whether you actually believe me when I say that or not is not in my power- but if you really think I tried leaving then ask Themis." He glanced in said officer's direction. "If she can move that fast to stop a moving vehicle then she can see just as well."

    Jun was straight disappointed that he still was trying to make excuses. He was trying to stop it? Bullshit, stopping it is informing others not playing hero. Still wasn’t like there was a point in not helping the two at least they would be good as bait if nothing else. Still if it was just ice then he had nothing worse than a few bruises. The baby. He aimed for a quick kick to the side of his leg aiming to get lucky and knock a bruise.

    “You know you talk a lot for someone who could have stopped it all with a shout.”

    Opening his mouth to respond, Erasmus cut himself off by immediately shifting his leg to the side, earning a scrape and dust mark on his pant leg instead of the hit meant for his right shin. The move caused him to lose his balance just a little but he quickly regained footing and the moment he did there was a good six steps distance between him, Hiru, and Jun.

    "...Yes, uh I suppose I do that a little too much." His eyes focused solely on Jun. For a second his lips pursed into a thin line and it seemed Erasmus was about to say something, but after a second had passed he exhaled from his nostrils and said: "Jun, I would appreciate it if you didn't attempt that again. You don't know and I doubt most of the others here aside from Themis would, but I have hemophilia. It's not as bad as when I was a kid, but it can get bad if not treated immediately and with caution. So, if you uh want to help, don't do that. I'm used to being pushed around, I'd rather not have to deal with it here also. Especially after what just happened and what it means going down that mine."

    The fuck is hemophilia. He wasn’t sure if it was a like or a threat or some type of damn puppy but from the way Erasmus said it he thinks he was supposed to react. Okay so phillia (that’s love right) he had heard Hemo before like hemosphere? Okay so it’s two loves right or was it half? Eras obviously had a few screws loose if it was worse when he was a kid.

    “Listen I don’t care if you’re a tree hugger or like a cheater, whatever that means. Just make yourself useful down there okay? You’ve caused enough problems. If you can dodge something from the corner of your eye that means you’re at least alert enough.”

    He would have said something, but that comment about adding to the stack of troubles they all had to deal with kind of felt like a knife to the stomach. Erasmus frowned, but didn't say a word. His only response was to nod silently and move back towards Hiru. At the very least to get his bruises treated.

    Well, the sooner we go down, the sooner I can at least go home.

    Yamada.Saburou.full.2573514.jpg
 
Good, they at least seemed to still have a brain of sorts. Hiru sighed, a small groan soon following suit. He didn't like being harsh with people-- he certainly didn't like calling Erasmus and Aoi out for their dumb endeavor. Maybe he was biased, due to the fact they got injured because of a vehicle. Minato is the one that knows the most, he's not good with cars, overall. But, seeing those people nearly die because of this situation was...

Ugh. He couldn't help to be both worried and extremely angry.

As Ichirou called his attention and Erasmus and Aoi approached thankfully, seemingly wanting to keep their legs and heads busted for the remainder of this trip. Ichirou seemed to call him to do the obvious, and at him messing up his name and calling him the lovely nickname of 'stutters', Hiru simply closed his eyes, letting a small, yet frustrated sigh. In another universe, he'd tell Ichirou his actual name and tell him to stay quiet, but unfortunately, the Hiru in this universe is too nice for that. Or perhaps too cowardly.

"I... don't have ice, no," He'd correct Ichirou over the fact that having ice on a medkit would likely mess up everything inside of it if it melted, but he stood quiet. "I... doubt it'd be very useful...anyways. Ice generally... works to numb the pain on wounds like punches, kicks, and other stuff like that...Erasmus seems to apply more to that, while Aoi seems to...What I guess is rip her skin somehow on the impact? Unless she cut herself somehow in the car..."

Hiru shook his head and soon opened the medkit. Pulling out a few painkillers like Tylenol for Erasmus, and alcohol to clean Aoi's open wounds. The sight was something to note. The shy boy seemed to check perfectly with Eras where his wound hurt the most, while with Aoi, he used cotton with alcohol to clean her bleeding head. For Eras, he'd tell him to take it easy and walk slowly, and take a few painkillers, while with Aoi, after painfully cleaning her wound with alcohol, he'd put a bandage one would see on a delinquent on her forehead, before also giving her a few painkillers, and telling her to 'hope she didn't get a concussion' or anything of the sorts.
 
The warden circled the van, then generously glared into Aoi as an agitated Hiru tended to her injuries. But the moment the narcoleptic flicked close the clasps of the med-kit and began to move away, Themis rushed to intercept Mochizuki before she even set a foot in the direction of her peers. The woman's fingers coiled around the back of Aoi's neck with a grip so firm it was a miracle the van hadn't fucking exploded, and effortlessly pinned the student's head to the dented hood - her hands improvised with impossible dexterity then flourished aside to display the cuffs which now bound Aoi's wrists.
"You're under arrest for vehicle theft and reckless endangerment. As for you--" her gaze darted to Erasmus.
"--Next time, incapacitate her. It's considered self-defense."
With Mochizuki in a one-hand tow, she trudged into the lift and tossed her gaze aside to the control panel, which was cryptically barren save for a coin-sized aperture in the center.

Themis furrowed her brow, rummaged through her pant-pocket, then fed a five-yen coin into the abyssal slot. To this dainty clatter, the fascia yielded; with the hum-then-scrape of seldom-greased enginery, the winch spool shaved rust along its deafening revolvings. Cable whipped and strained, giving rope-burn to steel, then hushed abruptly. The warden winced once at the passing sound, twicefold when descent briefly took hold, then thrice when with sudden jolt her boots struck diamond-plate and the whole cart shook as though met floor-first by an anvil.
"Ugh," she groaned, anchoring herself on the railing, mindless to the impression of palm she'd left in the metal; "there weren't supposed to be any major structural instabilities, so what was th

The lights hide and the darkness peeks. The coffer or what once was shrieks the moan of steel, then when gagged your only accomplice sound remains your heavy breath, lonely, oh how lonely. Your skins brush grease, nostrils slam shut at the petrol fumes, though eyeless your sclera dye and in them pupils, someone else's, swim, for you have no sight with which to claim them yours. Your skins brush scale, nostrils agape at the acid-odor of someone's breath and now you see that which the leviathan sees, for it has sight but you do not, and you see yourself amid the blackness, only your extremities blink as the voidened leviathan, whose wails you hear only through its ears, whose form stretches so long and eyes it bears so many, curtains them from sight each by it passes.

Then azure. A hearth hugs your cheek and your eyes, which are yours, glimpse butterfly cuticle so small, so blue, so sanctuary in its electric glow you grasp towards it compulsively, and enraged the leviathan twists and curls upon the Stygian world and snaps the butterfly so abruptly between its maws that the snap deafens you in reprimand, then the leviathan swaddles you in its scales so thick, so greased, so dense yet permeant like petrol so pressurized you can't reach through or over it and your arm is caught reaching futilely between what coils around it and swiftly knots its snare and makes your skin compress until you pop

and then you wake. Twilight peeks between the curtains and you, well-rested, rise from your bedding to stretch and yawn and bless another day in the world where you feel invisible bittersweet nectar pumping beneath your tongue from a place which though unknown, imperceptible, you won't don't can't question, for to question its euphoria is to bite the hand which feeds you.
It's time to go to school, Rei-chan, Taro-kun, Soleil-chan, Kenzo-kun, Ginjiro-kun, Shirou-kun, Jordan-kun, Minato-chan, Yuzuki-chan, Ichi-kun, Jun-kun, Kaida-chan, Alex-kun, Hiru-kun, Aoi-chan, Mushi-kun, and the warden has escaped the warden has escaped the warden has escaped the warden has escaped

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5: 24 AM​
Digits dug into the ground and deposited a single seed. The squirrel, alone, looked around for predators- freezing in place to listen, then upon the coast being clear, deposited its masterpiece with an affectionate pat before scattering away.

Every morning the squirrel would wake up and check on this seed. Everyday, the seed grew.

Seasons changed, time passed, birds flew by and a squirrel of blue and green could not help but watch in the distance as this seedling began to sprout. Transfixed, mesmerized, astounded, it would leave- he would leave and return dutifully everyday. Day, night, winter, spring, summer, fall, rainy night, sunny day- the seed grew larger and larger and every new moment was another tick while every ending day- a tock. A tick- a tock, each sound causing a twitch in the little critter that built at a fear, a lingering fear as everyday this ticking-tocking grew fainter but never faded entirely.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, and the squirrel checked every day and every night as the seedling grew strong on every ray of sunlight. Then one day, the squirrel, blue-green in color awoke, climbed a branch, checked to see the state of its treasured flower- only to find it gone. Ripped out of the ground. Left with nothing but a mound of dirt.

The squirrel heard the tick- the tock, the chime of a clock, its heart pounding, body arock, as he stared in horror at its lost treasure- bushy tail twitching, beady eyes misting, the squirrel blinked-- eyes opened. One eye blinked, less than a second after the other followed. Blue and green saw a haze and it took the owner a mere few seconds to blink it away. One, two, three- Erasmus breathed in--

His body screamed ouch.

A groan escaped his lips as a shiver went down his spine. His body was sore, eerily so; right shoulder ached just a little, his left side hurt just a bit, and his leg was stiff, achy, a little numb.

"Did I sleep on the futon wrong? he muttered aloud, squeezing both eyes shut only to see through a curtain of his bangs. It wouldn't have been a surprise, after all, getting stiff that is.
He had foolishly chosen to forego a mattress in favor of the traditional floor mat just to get a better grasp at Japanese culture. But he'd been in Japan for over six months now. Surely he would have adjusted by now? The thought was batted aside as he shifted uncomfortably and slowly into a sitting position. The sheets fell off his body, the body was revealed, and instead of pajamas or bare skin Eras groggily blinked and found he was wearing his school pants and a undershirt.

"..." he blinked, the haze returned, and then he blinked again with it vanishing.

Memory booted and system retrieval failed as he realized he had been sleeping in his school uniform. His forehead wrinkled with displeasure, a frown, then the frown vanished at the memory of constant frowning leading to early wrinkles. Still though, he considered It, searching his memory and then yawning once when it failed. Looking to the exit outside of his room, Eras took a whiff, and he smelled deodorant not BO.

...Huh, guess I woke up early, took a shower, and fell asleep again. Been awhile since that's happened. Guess I'm not as used to Kayatomi as I thought.

Strange, but he shrugged. Checking the clock on the wall he gawked at the time- "5:45?!" He really had woken up earlier than usual. Sure fifteen minutes off but still, oh well, he shrugged, whatever had awoken him had done its job. Besides- better early than late.

6 AM​

The kitchen was his destination. Cereal, made. Supplies, check. Pills?

He opened a cabinet and found his Iron supplement pills. Pop, drop, water, down. Fifteen minutes went by and Erasmus couldn't shake the stiffness in his leg. It wasn't terrible, it just was irritating. He couldn't recall why or how, but he felt like he was forgetting something?

"Awake?"

Eyes turned. "Aunty Chiyoko"

His aunt smiled. "How are you feeling?" She asked, but seeing the flash of confusion in his eyes, her smile faded. "Y-You don't remember?"

It felt warm suddenly. Erasmus chuckled it off,"Remember what?

"Oh," she breathed rather than said. "You got into a biking accident on the way back from school Mochi...You really don't remember?" His aunt asked with growing concern when he slowly shook his head left to right. "Your friends found you dazed, bruised, and stumbling in the streets around the Red District last night- we were so confused, and you were so out of it- we had to get you checked in to the hospital last night but, well, the doctors said you were fine."

And then came the pause. "..Are you fine?"

He stared, innocently he blinked mechanically. Erasmus wasn't sure why but he was certain the blink pattern was off. "Yes" he said calmly; dip the spoon, shovel down the cereal, don't look up.

"Are you sure?" Sandals tapped closer.

He nodded, glanced up, smiled and then went back to eating.

For some reason, his heart began to pound just a little faster.

Conversation died. Save for the thumps of the drum in his chest the only sound was the delicious, sugar free cereal being devoured. It didn't last long.

Nothing ever did anyway, not when he was involved.

Flip, flop, flippidy, floppidy, flop. He felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and couldn't help but stop the next bite he was about to take to look at his aunt. "Don't stress yourself out too much okay? I know it's been only a month since your siblings left to attend school in Tokyo and- I know you're still adjusting but you...you don't hate living here, do you? With us?"

The spoon clattered noisily and he squeezed his aunt's hand gently. "Of course not, Aunty. I'm grateful, honest. Thank you for worrying but believe me I'm fine. I can handle myself just fine, I will be 18 this year after all." Which he all meant. "Uncle?" He asked to change topics.

"Is sleeping dear."

He nodded. Took a bite. Got up. "I put some oatmeal out. It's cooling. I'll see you after school aunty...sorry for worrying you and Uncle last night also."

She shook her head with a small disarming smile, tightened the robe around her pajamas, and watched him turn and wave a small goodbye as he headed for the door. Waving back, Chiyoko watched the door close as Erasmus stumbled out into the crisp morning air. Back pack slung over a shoulder.

Leg stiff, frown returning.
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本田 謙三
Honda Kenzo

As the beams of the morning sun peaked through the thin slits of the curtains, they illuminated the blissfully clean room. Light bounced off the laptop that sat on a neatly organized desk, with pencils and pens divided, sorted by color so as not to make a mistake. Notes were stacked straight, with not a single page uneven with the edges above and below it. A single page was left out of the pile, but even it was even with the edge of the desk, thought what it said was unintelligible, with hundreds of scribbled lines and the occasional comprehensible letter in a sea of black ink. Beside the paper sat a phone, which was buzzing, making a sweet tune that floated through the air to the resident of the abode, eyes now open and strangely milky.

Kenzo sat up slowly in his bed, stretching his arms above him and allowing them to fall slowly back to his sides. His eyes traced the things in his room, from posters of famous baseball players to the different trinkets he had collected over the years to the cork board that hung above his lovely desk, where dozens of pictures and pieces of paper hung. He wasn't exactly looking so much as he was observing, taking in the space with his eyes as a smile graced his lips. He swung his legs out from his bed and slowly stood up, taking his time as he reached for his phone. He opened it and saw nearly a dozen notifications, opening them and seeing they were from his friend, Isamu, who was expressing worry about where Kenzo was. He chuckled under his breath and typed a reply, saying he was safe and happy at home, before closing his phone and grabbing his school uniform that was hanging by his door. As he grabbed them, he turned to the picture in the frame that hung on the wall next to him, where a picture of his family hung. He stared at it for a few moments, his blissful smile fading just slightly as a somber frown took it's place, but he shook himself out of his daze.

Today, he was happy.

After quickly getting dressed and gathering his belongings, he opened the door, and examined the hallway. It was dimly lit, only from the light coming from either end of it. To his left, he saw the light on in his grandmother's room, where he heard the ruffling of clothes faintly, which was most likely Hifumi getting comfortable in his grandmother's clothes. He sauntered over and, cracking open the door just a hair, he saw a a pair of beady eyes peering out at him from within the laundry basket, and Kenzo gave the critter a limped wave as he turned around, going to the other end of the hallway where the sunlight from the kitchen was leaking in.

As he rounded the corner, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath from the wonderful scent of food. When he opened them again, he saw his grandmother standing at the counter, cooking something in a large pan, and his mother sitting at the table, sipping coffee out of a mug and going through the mail. Mio looked up at him with bagged eyes and gave him his typical "good morning" smile, which radiated today more than ever, before she turned back to the mail. her hair was cut short, even shorter than Kenzo's own hair, right to her shoulders and even all around, parted down the middle. She was slim, having lost quite a bit of weight in the last few years and never having been able to really gain them back, but she never brought it up, usually dismissing her condition should anyone bring it up. She had healthy skin, something she took a large caring to, though she did always complain about how the wrinkles around her eyes wouldn't go away.

His grandmother, on the other hand, looked very similar to Kenzo. She had the same droopy eyes, the pale skin, and the thin lips that he did. But her hair was more curly, similar to his fathers when it got too long, and she always seemed to have a spark of life in her eyes, and her tongue was always as sharp as the knife that she used to cook. She was also rather short, and had more meat on her bones than the rest of the Honda family did. Many people said that her face was the only thing that made her seem like a Honda, which usually was followed by her tossing whatever object was in reach at the accuser.

Karen looked up at him and scoffed. "Well, well. Seems like someone had a good nights sleep, unlike some other people in this house." She dropped the wooden spoon her hand on the countertop, and Kenzo watched as she walked around the counter and got right up into his space, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You had us worried! You were supposed to come home right after detention, but you were hours late! Your mother and I were worried sick, and I was losing my mind! I was about to call the police to go and arrest you to show how it feels to break the rules. And then what happens? We find you sleeping on the street in front of the house past midnight, with a huge grin on your face! Like a baby, lost in all sorts of fairy tale dreams! If you think that staying out all night just to avoid a scolding is a good idea, then wake up! I'll show you what it-" She stopped, backing up slightly. "...Why are you smiling like that?"

Kenzo tilted his head, his smile widening. "I just feel good today, Baba. I had such a lovely sleep, and I feel today is going to be just as lovely." He turned to his mother, who was staring at him with the same concerned look that his grandmother had. "I honestly think today is going to be one of the best days I've had in a long time. I think I'm finally realizing how good it is to be home since we moved back. So thank you, mom."

The two women shared a look with each other as Kenzo's phone buzzed in his pocket, prompting him to pull it out and look at the text he had gotten back from Isamu. He could hear his mother gulp, and he looked up as she stood up, approaching him cautiously. "Kenzo, I...I'm glad you feel that way, but are you sure you're okay? Did something happen last night? If you don't want to tell me about it, then maybe I can call up Dr. Tsunoda and you can talk to her? You just...don't seem like yourself." Kenzo saw his mother rub the back of her hand, and realized that she was nervous. He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, his smile widening. She tensed up slightly under his touch, but he ignored it. "Mom, I've never felt better. Dr. Tsunoda's methods are working! She said they may take some time, and guess what? I feel good, so that's good, right? I'm me."

He let go of his mother and picked up his schoolbag, turning towards the hallway and walking towards the front door to the house. "I need to go now. I have school and I'm going to meet Isamu before class starts, so I don't want to be late. I am thinking of going for a walk after practice today, so I may be home a little late, but I'll call you if anything comes up." He slid his shoes on and grabbed his key from the holder next to the door, and opened it to let in the sunshine, basking in it's warmth a bit before he shouted back. "Goodbye! Love you both!" As he shut the door, the faintest of words trickled out from his mothers lips, as if she didn't want him to hear them, but he did, though he paid them no mind as he heard them.

"That was the first time he smiled in years, Karen. I never thought I would feel worried about that."

Off to school he went.
 
She opened her eyes to her mirror image. The girl had a ribbon of gold in her hair instead of one of red, but otherwise the two were identical in all ways physical. While this girl glared down at her, Yuzuki’s face remained placid as she sat up. She didn’t react at all when the girl smacked her on the head.

“Hey, idiot,” the girl said, poking at Yuzuki’s unflinching face, “You awake yet, or should I go get some water to dump on you?” Yuzuki only made a playful resistance in batting the hand away.

The strange syrupy taste in her mouth intensified as memories shifted and rewrote themselves. Yuzuki swallowed, and smiled at her sister. How nice of Meika to wake her. It was unusual for her to sleep late; after all, the earlier she got up, the more time she had to enjoy with Meika and her friends. Yuzuki hopped out of bed and embraced Meika.

“G’morning, Mei-chan,” Yuzuki giggled, as Meika made no attempt to shove her away, but neither did she return Yuzuki’s affection.

“Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too,” Meika grumbled, “Just hurry up and get ready. Everyone’s waiting for us.” She broke away from Yuzuki’s hug and was gone from their bedroom in an instant, leaving Yuzuki alone among the half-dozen empty beds.

They’d been there for _̮̑_̞̯̏̍ ͒ͅm͇̝̈̒o̯̻̎̍n̐͌͟ͅt̟͗̚͢h̺́ş͓͌͐, but it was fine, as long as Meika and the others were around, she wasn’t lonely living here was wonderful. Yuzuki smiled as she went about getting ready: pulling on her uniform, tying up her hair with the red ribbon that Meika had given her _͚͠_̣̚ ̰̬̔͗y͚̅e̳̙̾̄a̘͐r̛͔̼̀s̮̏ ago, and grabbing her school bag. She looked around for Meika’s bag too; sometimes her brash twin-sister forgot her homework in their room, but Yuzuki was happy to let her copy it before class when that happened.

Yuzuki took the stairs to the main floor two at a time. After dropping her bag by the front door, she bounded into the kitchen, waving a cheery ‘good morning~!’ to the ones cooking breakfast. She put on the cute, blue, apron they’d given her for Children’s Day that year. Before she could move to the sink to wash her hands, Katsura intercepted her, and Yuzuki immediately went in to hug her. Katsura returned it, but then pulled back to examine Yuzuki’s face, brushing her bangs out of the way.

“Those still look so nasty,” she said, looking at the bruises that neither of them remembered the source of, “If Meika-chan is bullying you again,--”

“It’s fine~, it’s fine~. They don’t hurt at all,” Yuzuki said, and meant it. How many times in her life had she lied in those words? Katsura didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press the issue.

Once they’d finished preparing breakfast, of course the next step was serving it. With a spring in her step, Yuzuki carried out the dishes alongside Katsura and the others. The other children were already chattering among themselves, but Meika just sat quietly towards one end of the table until Yuzuki sat down next to her. Yuzuki was quick to join in the laughter of the breakfast table, but Meika only picked at her food, occasionally looking over at Yuzuki. Then Meika poked her in the side of the head, repeatedly, until Yuzuki stopped wiping clean one of the kindergartener’s faces and turned back to look at her with that same blithe smile.

“Heyyy,” Meika said, still poking Yuzuki, “How’d you get beat up if it wasn’t me? You fight some jackass at school, or what?”

Yuzuki tilted her head.

“Don’t be silly, Mei-chan,” she said, brushing Meika’s hair flat, but Meika pushed her hand away.

“C’mon, you know it too, don’t lie,” Meika said, sneering, eyes shining, “Doesn’t it always feel great when you let loose and wallop someone who’s pissing you off?”

Yuzuki blinked, and denied it again, as the taste of honey rose over her. Meika was always being so ridiculous, coming up with wild fantasies.

Meika poked her in the eye this time, and the honey couldn’t erase the pain, but instead, contentment flowed over it, and Yuzuki smiled at her sister, who just scowled.

“Don’t ignore me, asshole” Meika said, crossing her arms and sitting forward in her chair “pay attention when I’m talking to you.” And then Yuzuki didn’t. Instead, she just kept smiling as the others finished eating, and cleared their dishes. Meika, again, refused to help, but that was okay; there were plenty of others there who would. Yuzuki would be sure to give her plenty of attention once the morning chores were done, and she’d make her a special lunch; hopefully they still had some umeboshi; Meika could eat that by the bucketful.

True to her word, Yuzuki hugged Meika close to her the whole time they waited for the children to finish get ready. She only let Meika out of her embrace to take the children’s hands as they walked down the street. Yuzuki looked back at Meika, who was still grumbling.

“You should hold them too,” Yuzuki laughed, “Isn’t it nice to walk together with everyone?”

“No,” Meika said.

Yuzuki laughed again, but otherwise ignored Meika’s grumping, which only made Meika grump more. It stayed this way until they arrived at the elementary school, and Yuzuki waved everyone off, making one last check that their cloths were tidy. As they were walking away, Yuzuki still grinning, Meika latched on to her, clinging to her arm. Yuzuki looked to her sister with the same carefree smile, and Meika smacked her in the head in return, and let go of her arm.

The whole walk, Yuzuki babbled to Meika about this and that: school, the children, the cute cake she saw in a cookbook. Occasionally, Meika would interrupt, not to add anything to the otherwise one-sided conversation, but to keep Yuzuki from going on a mile-long tangent about how many kanji the kids were learning this week. Eventually, they came to a crossing, and had to wait for a slow moving train.

Suddenly, Meika spoke up again, not looking up from the tracks.

“You know, it’s going to be hard for them to find someone who’ll want both of us.”

Yuzuki looked at her for a second before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t be silly;” she smiled brightly, “You shouldn’t be so pessimistic. There’s lots of people who love us.”

“You’ve always got your head in the clouds,” Meika pouted, but she didn’t pull away, “That’s why I have to be such a downer: to keep you in reality.”

Yuzuki didn’t respond, but she kept petting her sister’s head, smiling, as they waited together for the train to pass.
 
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  • Hino.Eiji.full.768163.jpg
    <--Aisatsu, Ross-->
    {[挨拶 ロス]}
    5/14 2:44 PM
    Location:Abandoned Mines
    Interaction: N/A
    Status: Pain

    In some other part of the mines, a young man with scraggly hair and a red scarf appears to be dancing. His shoots clicking along as he moves his feet, tapping his toes, heels and soles to the rhythm of a seemingly modern hip hop beat, even implementing a flip which transitioned to kick flicks. As the speaker that was set down in front of him began to grow muffled, Ross began to feel winded. The music suddenly stopped, prompting the hybrid hip hop tap dancer to put his hands on his knees, catching his breaths

    "...I should...Get that thing...Replaced..." Ross huffed and puffed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "...Is it me, or is it really hot in here?" He asked, though no one was there to answer. Why? Because he was practicing alone.

    Ross was informed that the Dance Club will be practicing inside some abandoned mines, saying that no one will disturb them because of it. Ross believed them. Greatest mistake of his life. He sighed as he walked over to his bag, taking out a liter of water. He drank out of it...Soon spitting it out.

    "Pffft--! What the?!" Ross glanced at his bottled water, tasting weird. It looks...Normal. It's just your average bottled water. "What's wrong with me today?" He asked with a sigh, soon walking over to his speaker. "...They're not coming, are they?" He pondered as he kept away his speaker on his bag. Suddenly, the throbbing headache feels worse as he staggers up. "I should bounce..." He mutters before suddenly falling to the floor with pained gasps.

    Something...Something's happening to him. Ross' skin feels like its burning, as if he, himself, is being cooked alive. His vision is being muddled with, getting blurrier by the second as it darkens. His eyes, too, feel like its burning. He knelt as he covered his eyes, trying to quell the burning. Ross tried to call out in pain, begging for someone, anyone to show up...

    But nobody came.

    Nobody did.

    There sat a smiling, broken man, filled with nothing but bliss.
 
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  • tumblr_plyyidl0RV1ru9gdho1_1280.png
    Persona: Unawakened
    Status: N/A
    Current Buffs: N/A

    Interacting With:
    Family
    Mentions:
    Aoi ( Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum )
    ~ Home -> Red Light District (Walking to school) ~
    Sleepwalker || Jun’ichi’s CS File

    It was morning, he could tell because of the alarm. He didn’t know why he chose to set the alarm last night. He was so cozy he didn’t want to get up. Usually he was a quick riser, he- usually he wasn’t cozy. Today though he felt on top of the world as he sat up. Oh the alarm stopped. Pushing the blanket off he did his best to stand without sight. The room was still covered in near complete darkness. The only thing cutting through the dark was the clear red numbers of the alarm clock across the room.

    He fumbled around for the phone looking to use it as a flashlight. He stepped on Ichirou’s arm by accident and heard him start to stir. Luckily he grasped the phone and used it to make his way to the light switch. The room flooded with light from the lone lamp in the corner. It lacked the shade of a typical one, having been removed to maximize the amount of light in the windowless room. The pile of blankets and pillows left an obvious Jun sided dent and yet the opposite side looked as untouched as usual. Another day where their parents had the full graveyard shift. He turned to his brother and found Ichirou sitting up with a smile on his face.

    “Its- yaaa. It’s like five am.”

    Ichirou looked ready to fall back asleep with the way he was plopping back down into the pillow pile. Ichi was happier than usual, today was going to be a great day. He took one of the blankets in his arm and tossed it at Jun. Instinctively Jun caught it looking at it in his hands before staring back at his brother.

    “It’s still cold. Have one.”

    It seemed that Jun was wrong at least about Ichirou planning to go back to sleep as his brother took another blanket and caterpillared into it as he rose from the ground. Oh yeah the heat went off yesterday. He was still smiling wide humming as he went to the pile of suitcases they called a closet. He draped the blanket over himself before stumbling to their couch and sinking in.. He smiled happy with the warmth it gave him. His brother was so sweet.

    Oh right it was a school day! He put the phone down on the table in the corner of the room. It was perched precariously on the stack of mail but he had to cook. Breakfast was his turn, mom and dad always prepped their lunches before they left for work, and Ichirou covered dinner. He loved cooking but people didn’t love him cooking. He was great though! He hopped up still with the blanket over his shoulders.

    “I want eggs.”

    Ichi was calling from his struggle with the suitcases, he always was a messy one. Eggs, a nice easy breakfast, that sounded great. He went to the fridge and opened it up. Milk, tofu, oranges, mess, natto, ah eggs. Good. He took out the eggs and knocked off some of the papers from the table to the floor. The phone went with it. He continued to pull things out of the fridge leaving it on the floor. There was the lunch bentos on the table. Gotta put them back in the fridge. Soon the table had plenty of space, even if he had contributed to the mess to do so.

    “Okay, Rolled with bread and miso?”

    He saw Ichirou nod from his blanket cocoon and he went on to start breakfast. He had to clean first, they did get to clean from dinner because- They didn’t get to. He didn’t remember why they didn’t get to yesterday. They ate an anipan each. Left some rice and leftovers for Dad before he left. Probably. Dad left them lunch so they probably left leftovers.

    Out of habit he pulled out three plates. Mom was usually back by breakfast. Dad would be later. A crash sounded at the door. He rolled the eggs with his chopsticks. He heard a woman’s voice yelling. He started serving the miso soup. The door slammed open. Mom was home!

    “Junnnnn what’s for breakfast.”

    She tripped over her own feet on her way in. Her boot getting caught in the buckles of the other. Mom was always stylish, Jun’s first set of boots were brought to mimic her work pair. Two peas in a pod. Ichigo went to go pull their mom up still in a mess of blankets. He finished buttering the toast.

    “Tamagoyaki, Miso, Bread.”

    The two were a mess and they worked together to stand up straight. She smelt so strongly of booze you’d think she bathed in it. Ichi has his button’s half undone from his sleep shirt; he'd evidently stopped getting undressed to help. She wasn’t drunk, she never was. She was clumsy though and he could just imagine that she’d taken a drink and shaked it too much, bursting over her. He put the plates down on the table. Everything was set up nicely.

    “Food’s ready”

    She stumbled to the table and then brought something up off the floor. It was his phone, oh yeah it fell. Her brows furrowed up as she tilted it side to side. She was checking for something. Satisfied she put it on the table.

    “ICHI, stop dropping phones. If you break Jun’s you won’t get another.”

    Both of the twins tilted their heads in confusion. Ichi came further out of the blanket cocoon to point at him.

    “Jun/I did it”
    They both admitted it at the same time. Her head darted back between the two. Suddenly she looked far more awake than she did when she came in. She was frowning. She put one hand to his forehead the other to her own, checking. Ichi came up and stole one of the two chairs. She checked Ichirou as well.

    “Mom what are you doing.”

    She looked up from checking his brother putting her hands on her hips. She didn’t continue at first. Ichi gave her a shove in the shoulder. Her frown lessened turning not quite into a smile but a smaller grin. Ichirou already starting gulping down his food.

    “Nothing, nothing. Just don’t wear yourselves thin okay. If you aren’t feeling well let me know. Heat’s coming on later I paid it on the way home.” She stroked his head. Her voice was even but there was a hint of something in her voice. He couldn’t tell what.

    “I’m feeling great. School’s gonna be a blast. Hey maybe Ichi will even get Mochizuki-senpai’s attention today.”

    She let out a laugh as she went to grab her pajamas, stopping to pinch Ichi’s cheek. “Aww does my little baby got a new crush.”

    “Mom! Mom. She’s beautiful, and awful. She stole a car, I got to bandage her up when she crashed.” He said it with the doppiest grin he’d ever seen on his brother's face. He laughed at his face, he couldn’t hide anything. Pulling up a chair he started to eat as well, not planning for Ichirou to finish first and use up all the hot water.

    “Aww she- she what. Ichirou Amano. You are not getting involved with a thief.”

    Ichirou didn’t respond right away, simply humming away as he finished eating. In response his mom slapped him upside the head.

    “Ichirou.”

    “I promise she’s not a gangster.”

    The morning was lovely. The back and forth between the twins and their mom was a typical joy. Before long they had to start getting bathed up. He grabbed his toiletries and went to get ready he stopped at the mirror. Was-was his eyes always so yellow? Wait was he frowning. But he was happy. He touched his face to make sure. He was smiling.

    Wake up stupid

    He jumped back from the mirror as he felt a clap on his back. He found Ichirou at his back. Oh right yeah bathing. They were quick, after all Mom had to have hot water too.

    Their school had a dress code, he followed it mostly but no one was getting him to give up his boots. As usual Ichirou wore whatever he wished. At some point Ichi snatched his phone away and was now playing Tamagotchi laughing at it for it’s odd looking face. Their mom fussed over his outfit as usual, wincing as he went for his vest, in the short time as a first year he’d already worn both his and Ichi’s out.

    “We’ll get you a new vest next week. Just try not to ruin that one too okay.”

    He smiled. Yes his mother was always stylish.

    “It’s no prob mom I make it look good!”

    With a wave the two were off. School awaited.
 
Kaida Fuyoku
Mentions: -
​
Like every other morning in the neighbourhood, harmonious howls beckoned Kaida to wake. She rolled onto her back, having been lying on her front a lá starfish, before she stretched her arms, bones crackling. With a satisfied hum, she sat up, tongue sweeping over ambrosia-laced lips, and with hazy eyes, adjusted to the dimly lit room. The walls were painted with posters, some bands and their tour dates that she never experienced. There were photographs too, depicting variations of a little girl with pigtails, sprouting taller, moving into ponytails, and going from black to blue, and a man, decked in graduation robes, then in casual clothes, his hair getting longer and his face gaunter, arms not as strong, and almost fading.

Kaida’s eyes moved to a chair, or what once was a chair, now a waterfall of red, puke green, pin-stripes, black, white, sad blue, reaching out to brush against trainers left dumped at the bottom. Her uniform was swimming in that waterfall above, somewhere.

The waterfall wasn’t the first thing she maneuvered herself to. Rather, it was the desk crowded with school books, two mugs Kaida had yet to clean, a tanned leather notebook with tea-dyed coloured pages, and sea of pamphlets. ‘What is Domestic Abuse?’, ‘Recovering from Abuse’, and ‘Managing your Emotions’. Sweeping the pamphlets away with its blank, blurred spaces, hardly acknowledging them in the first instance, she reached for her phone, which had been hiding underneath. Unlocking it, she read the bold numbers of 06:07. She smiled. Plenty of time to get ready and make Daddy some breakfast.

Straight to the bathroom, shower on. Within a few minutes, steam contorted and twisted against the tiles. Kaida’s skin went redder, redder, redder...it stayed red for a while, even as she brushed her teeth, returned to her room, tried to dry and tame blue strips of seaweed on her head. She changed into her uniform, lifted her bag, but not the mugs, lifted the notebook and a pen. Downstairs she went.

Teapot, cooker, pot, cups, bowls, mug, eggs, natto beans, rice, juice. All ready. She licked her lips. Ambrosia again. She heard a car drive past the house. Listened to the birds, tweet-tweet, tweet-tweet. The sound of her cooking rose above their morning call. Otherwise quiet. Calm. Before a potential storm?

Once the rice was finished, she dropped it into a bowl. Then, out of white shells slithered two flattened Saturns with translucent rings, riding atop the fluffed clouds. She smiled, shook the bowl, watched the yellow Saturns wiggle at her. Ha. Haha. She stopped wiggling the bowl, dropping webbed beans inside the bowl. Perfect. Just like he liked it. She left it on the counter, beside his tea.

Galloping down the stairs disturbed the calm. She was making her own bowl of fluffy clouds and orbiting yellow planets when she felt a breeze tickle at her neck. “Good morninggg~” she greeted, looking around at her Daddy. Black, greasy hair pinned back as usual, bar black tufts that wilted and stuck to his forehead. Still tall, he hadn’t started shrinking yet, as he usually joked about. Wrinkles lined his forehead, dark bags hung under his spectacled eyes, making him look olderthan a typical man in his forties. The smile stayed fixed. She was happy to see him. Always struggling glad to look at him.

“Kaida, my meds. Have you seen them?”

Kaida blinked once, twice. There were words, then an interval of white noise. A word has wisped into the air and trying to catch it was like trying to grab and hold smoke in the palm of your hand. Was something supposed to be there, when his lips made that shape? Regardless, her smile remained transfixed. Her eyes moved. Were those raindrops on his forehead? Had he been standing outside in the rain? No, no, it was warm and bright and yellow and the birds had been out this morning. He had been running. A big, long marathon. Explains the huffing, and the puffing, and how his chest swelled and fell and how he had darkening stains under the arms of his shirt that swallowed him and he looked exhaustedand oh he still needed to shave those little prickles off his jaw--

“Kaida. Meds. Did you put them somewhere?”

Moving lips, no sound. “Mmmm?~” Kaida hummed, dazed, watching her Daddy turn to the cupboard, and begin to claw through a shelf. She started mixing the contents of her own bowl instead, watching his frenzied eyes move between her, the cupboard, back again. “Oh!” She giggled as if something important had bypassed her mind. “I made you your favourite!~” she told him. He couldn’t hear her over the rattle, rattle, rattle of dropping boxes of pills. “You gotta eat it before it goes cold, Daddy.”

“Sh-shit, fuck-fuckiing shit,” he puffed, his hands trembling as he reached for a bottle of pills and tried to unscrew it. “K-Kaida, I-I-I think I’m go-gonna di-die. I-I can’t breathe...”

He was gonna… She couldn’t fill in the missing word. Kaida blinked, watching those trembling hands trying to unscrew the lid. She was about to happily lend him her hands, though ended up watching white powdered stars scatter across the floor. Daddy slid to the floor and joined them, more raindrops dropping from his forehead, hand-over-heart, chest heaving, and heaving, and heaving. Kaida joined him and them too, still smiling. “Daddy…” She crawled in front of him, sitting down in front of him now instead. He stared at the meds and the floor and the cupboard walls but not her. Kaida kept smiling. “Let’s play a game. I got a great one. I start, and then you can join in with me, yeah?” She took his hands in hers, and his nails dug into her palms. And start. “One...two...five…” She paused then, before she giggled, and she added, “Oh, silly me. I’ve missed something, haven’t I?”

Breathless numbers evaporated into the air. Stars on the floor burned out, one by one, collected and contained in a bottle once again. Daddy was moved to the sofa, with his breakfast and his tea, and a big blanket. Worn out. Kaida phoned work for him, told the nice receptionist there that he wasn’t coming in. That he was feeling under the weather.

School was soon. Kaida didn’t have time to play games anymore. She tucked him in on the sofa, and put on the TV, and left him everything he could possibly need. She squeezed him tight, said, “Love you~!” and ran out the door with all her stuff. Her breakfast was still sitting on the counter, alone.

Kaida felt invigorated. With every step, there was a skip, even though those skips were taking her straight to school and a smile with its corners stretching into her cheeks. That springing was halted, though, when she had unwittingly bumped into a man who had paused on the sidewalk.

She seemed forever transfixed with that smile, even if that man who bumped into her five minutes later called her a stupid bitch for not looking where she was going. Not that she had heard it with the void of white noise that replaced it, or registered that disgruntled look. Kaida could only respond with an, “Oops! Silly me!~” before she continued her skip down the road. She couldn’t help but trace her fingers along a utility pole as she circled it, giggling like a middle schooler, seeming to have forgotten her interaction with the man. She eventually stumbled away from the utility pole in a dizzied daze as she had yet to get anywhere near the school.
 
Toro

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Fresh morning crowned the horizon's line, flooding the industrial park with deep neon. Like anglers casting bait at crush depth it's palette starved the eye, giving only enough light to cut dusk cobalt clouds from the sky. It was a rare cyclical moment straddling realms in a place where nothing stirred — except that is — a lone figure weaving beneath steel canyon peaks. Hood raised he'd crunch tired asphalt and glass pebbles at half-speed, eyes flicking for movement without a single catch. The concrete desert provided little in that regard; resolute it vowed monk silent-static without life of any kind. The lone ambience came from wind cutting cracked window rows, whistling a song of industrial abandonment. A chilling orchestra for many explorers and taggers over the years but not drifter Toro; he didn't care and couldn't explain why.

The dead zone was like a horror set and he was alone but ehhhhhh whatever. Worry bounced with only a smudge holding strong — but the drug overode the last bastion at pace. The chemical excelled at it's job, silencing dissent to declare the day 'GREAT' in advance and nothing could stop the high. Everything would go well because it was meant to; only the glowing paradigm existed with white emotions and drivel like - "But where is the plant anyways!?" floating through. Anything critical or intelligent melted to white noise, and ignorant of the drug's existence Toro couldn't fight it. He was rendered lame and didn't even know it.

Robbed of intelligence the stumped kid sought the "Old cement place" like a zombie. Other tasks burned and he buzzed euphoric to see his old friends for the first time in months. It brought new motivation, sparking a jog through the final stretch and after two minutes he'd come a stone's throw from the plant. Winding to a brisk walk he'd close with awe for the Goliath factory, it was an impressive place and excited curiosity tuned. Stabbing skyward the sibling towers cast a seven story perch, ruling the landscape and setting an aesthetic example of functional beauty.

Well adorned and skeletal the thin towers lacked walls, exposing complex internals. Like a bared engine it exuded grit appeal with hydraulic tubing and old wires, valves and chutes, conveyer belts and gages — bells and whistles attached to an iron cylinder running ground to peak like a spine. Toro didn't know what the hell any of it did but it impressed; at one point it must've earned nine figures but c'est la vie — these days it stood shot with rust. What remained was a poor excuse for past glory that two gloss black, stylish and wax-clean SUVs sat below.

What a contrast between Old Busted and New Hotness. The cars were expensive chromed Cadillacs worth more than the factory at this point. Toro dug the style and scanning their lines he'd smile numb with legs autopiloting, dead thoughts dripping — "Ahhhh! Would be cool to have one huh? Yeah it would be so cool to have a Caddy one day, I'd really enjoy that. I bet it has such nice seats and a cool sound system" wished with a yawn as eight doors popped, revealing an equal number of black suit Yakuza. Normally it would've sent shivers down the back but not today - today was a good day because it would be and eight killers in the boonies didn't budge the needle.

Not even Zaou stepping from the group set alarms, and this was Yakuza Underboss Nakamura. A dangerous man of 52 years with the reaper's reputation, now awaiting Toro ten paces from the men at his back. With the confidence of a continent the he stood with a high chin despite his 5'4" frame; Zaou was far shorter than Aki but he balanced with a Rottweiler's build, a brick jaw and a dangerously dominant aura. To enforce the look his black hair cropped tight with a shaved face only blemished by a thin razer-scar. Running cheek to brow it's trail passed eyes set narrow like a hawk's and below shot an angular roman nose rarely seen among Japanese islanders. It was the perfect face for a mobster and the clothing below packed the point. From his tailored all black three piece to shined alligator shoes and a simple Rolex — his image was immaculate.

Had Zaou covered the tats edging his collar he'd look the corporate giant; yet he was far removed from legitimate theivery. This was a man who'd never filed taxes, a career criminal with thirty five years in the game and two prison stints. Starting as a runner he made bodyguard - then collections - then hit jobs and finaly pit manager. After six years running a gambling spot he'd become a made man; an untouchable Yakuza underboss. It was an honor reserved for the best and most brutal and old Zaou was both. A model of efficiency he rarely failed and a model of violence his body count was astronomical. Zaou's visits spelled doom but Toro couldn't see the dance with death through the drugs cloud haze.

The only thing Toro knew was Zaou's smile, he was happy so everything was good right? The officer's look placated Aki despite the wolf's glint in the Yakuza's loud friendly — "TORO! My guy! The fucking man himself eh? You see this kid? Top earner on the street for three years! I've never seen someone hustle harder!" laughing as he looked to the guards. Refocusing after a parce he'd pivot to a chipper - "It's been too long! How's the new city? Everything going well?" - with feigned interest and a heavy clap to shoulder. The undertone courted violence but the kid couldn't perceive it. Even with guards shark-smiling — "They're happy because it's a good morning right?" was the only thought allowed. The day would be good because it was meant to be and Toro's worry bounced as he walked with Zaou, drawling "Yeah-yeah you know..... The city is great..... everything's great. I wish I could work with the family again but the law's on my ass you know?"

"The motherfuckers eh?" Zaou joked back as the pair joined the seven, and with narrow eyes the officer shifted gears. From 'old friend' to 'questioning boss' he'd curiously stare Toro down, quietly asking "Ay kid, when you got nabbed in the city... you talk to the DA?"

"No.... No way not for that..... It was just.... Just drugs and my first charge"

"Well after you went down they knocked our house on the west side" accused Z with mounting suspicion, answered blank by Toro who'd mumble - "I'd never.... You know just.... Talk to someone at the attorney's office they'll tell you" - amusing the underboss who looked at the suits gleaming. Something shifted but the game continued with Zaou placing a reassuring hand on Toro's shoulder, holding the silence with mock thought to eventually answer - "Of course you'd never talk you solid motherfucker you eh? You should slap the shit out of me for bringing it up you know? But uhhhhhh.... There is something else" trailing off at the end with his tone souring.

"What?" a bleak Toro countered — drawing a death stare from Zaou who'd lean in with sudden aggression, grabbing a rough handful of Aki's collar. Wrathful eyes staring he'd cut through Toro's soul, growling out "You're liable for the lost drugs you stupid motherfucker! Look at you, dumb as bricks staring at me like I'm speaking Chinese.... Now I don't know what kind of amateur shit you think we run but you don't duck the family after losing three pounds to the feds. You're a whore's son and I swear to God I'll throw her fifty and fuck her dead if you don't pay what you owe, understand?"

"Uhhh... Yeah.... Sure Zaou"

"Fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm good"

"Pills or heroin?"

"No... No way... Man I'm clean"

"Bullshit, can't believe this kid's a junkie now! Fucking mook, you owe me so sober up!" Zaou barked with a coarse laugh as he pulled Toro down by the shirt. It was the perfect position for striking leverage, and from it Zaou whispered "You better remember this! You got three weeks, three weeks to pay up and then you're fucking dead" ending with a savage smack across Aki's temple. The open hand packed surprise power and served the first of a salvo with fists landing by the pound. Splitting skin the gangster fired away and with blurring sight Aki covered his head with pathetic defense. Any sanctioned fight would be stopped by now but Zaou didn't; he wasn't close to finished even after landing two dozen. A sober Toro would've countered the beating, he could fight but in the moment he'd only turtle. The will to act was just.... gone.... to the wind it flew with happiness from pain. The beating was wonderful and gave Toro no cause to fight, and even when the seven suits jumped in Aki smiled. When a bat cracked his leg he laughed screaming and when he fell to the ground he sighed happy to die. When the kicks hailed he muffle-groaned with joy, vision tunneling black.

He hugged the moment — but something powerful spurred beneath.
 
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Soleil Ashikaga.


"...It's time to go to school, Soleil-chan..."
​
Soleil awoke to those words, just as sweet as the taste in her mouth, her eyes fluttering open. Sunlight poured into the room, making her rub her eyes and groan as she sat up. But she didn't look to the opened window and the blue sky that lay beyond it, nor the walls paved with old memories encapsulated in movie posters, nor even the massive teddy bear that claimed the corner of the room. It instead went to the woman sat upright at the edge of her bed. The woman with a face similar to Soleil's, aged with time yet still beautiful. There was a tender smile on her face, one that made Soleil melt. "...I missed you, mom...b-but...I'm so glad! You're finally...!" The words excitedly spilled out of her mouth as Soleil outreached her hands for her, just like a child asking for a hug. It had been lonely. It had been so lonely. But she was here now, wasn't she? Her mom was home. She could feel her warmth, she could hear her real voice again, she could tell her all of the things that had happened and she could hear her laugh about it. Because she was finally, finally hom—BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!


BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Her eyes flashed open as she woke from her dream. Brought back to reality, ripped away from that warmth her dream offered her, once again left with nothing but the ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ of reality. BEEP! BEEP! Her phone continued to ring out, until Soleil stopped the noise with a single tap. The serenity returned. For a few moments...Soleil lay there, still covered in her pink sheets, staring at a blank ceiling in the dark. But she couldn't return to the dream no matter how hard she tried; she never could. How many times has she had this happened? Sometimes it was her mom, sometimes her dad. They always left her with that same, hollow feeling...but now? She was smiling. Today, those feelings of ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ didn't bother her. Bringing her phone up to her face, it became the single source of light in the room as its screen flashed to life. Her eyes took a glance at the time first, reading out as only a little bit past 6. Soleil's gaze flickered to the picture underneath, next--and she quickly turned her phone off before she looked for too long. That wallpaper's picture...it was a ▒▒▒▒▒▒sweet memory, one she sometimes wished she could forget and one she sometimes clung onto. It was one that filled her with joy, a feeling that lingered with her as she finally slipped out of bed. A feeling that made her smile.

Messy hair fell in bunches past her shoulders once her feet touched the ground. Stepping closer to the window, she threw her curtains open with a dramatic swoosh! Soon, the bright light of day filled into her room, and illuminated...! Well, not much. Light now took the place of darkness in filling the emptiness of the room. She walked past the only two items of note in her room: the bed where her blankets now lay in a bunched pile, and the desk. Her fingers slid across it as she paused next to it, her gaze settling on the only item on it. A severely cramped file organizer. How much memories were kept in this, she wondered? Even now, she was sure could recite most of the scripts she kept in there by pure memory. A delighted "Hah." escaped her as feelings of ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ filled her. Those scripts, those memories...all part of a ▒▒▒▒▒▒ childhood. Moving past this desk, past her bed, there was nothing else to look at. No posters adorned the walls. Nothing lay on the ground. But she paid no attention to the lackluster decor as she made her way to the closet; after all, it was her own decision (or maybe the lack of one) to not decorate. She was used to it. It made her happy. Opening up the closest door, she tabbed through the few casual outfits she actually had in search of her mandated school uniform. It was surprisingly lackluster for the closet of an actress (or so she supposed, never actually having seen the closet of another actress before.) The only other items in there were old props: the saber of an adventurer, the harp of an acolyte, the canvas of an artist...all pushed into the corner, out of sight. Even now, she looked at them in fondness, as she slid out of her silky pajamas and into her Nageku uniform. In some ways, it was just like putting on an outfit to get into a role—but that was silly. After all, this was the natural her!

There was only one thing left out in her outfit, naturally. It wouldn't come until she was finished with her routine in the bathroom, which she head to next. A room just as ▒▒▒▒▒ as the rest. Then came the slightly lengthy process of preparing herself: she had to straighten out her hair, carefully brush it until it all flowed perfectly. Then had to take care of her face, adding to the usual luster most people assumed was natural. It was tedious, but necessary. Besides...once it was all done, the final piece of her outfit could come in: her hat. A gift from her father, and the one thing she cherished the most. Soleil gazed at her reflection, at her completed outfit, and the ▒▒▒▒ smile on her face. The ▒▒▒▒ Soleil Ashikaga was ready. Continuing on with that smile, Soleil moved out of her bathroom and into a kitchen, linked together with the living room. A wooden table in the kitchen; a single couch in front of a TV in the living room; both lacking notable wear from a lack of visitors, only Soleil using them. Only ever Soleil. Every room in the apartment was like this...all of it. It was all empty. Lacking. It all brought that same feeling of ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒. But that was fine! After all, home was home, no matter what! There was no reason for that frown to be on her face. How could she, when this was such a good morning? Passing by the kitchen, Soleil felt absolutely...happy, even! She wasn't quite the morning person, but today was just different. In fact, maybe Soleil could even indulge herself in breakfast...because, after sleeping in, she was a little short on time (and who could blame her, after getting such good rest?) So instead of cooking for one like always, she scoured through a cabinet. There wasn't much left in them, once she paused to take a closer look. Though restocking for herself wouldn't be hard, right now it left her stomach growling...she supposed she had planned to spoil herself anyways, so anything would do. Grabbing a box of Pocky from the cabinet, she went to finish the rest of her routine. Heading to the couch (looking almost new from its scarce use) to grab the bag that had been tossed onto it. Slinging it onto her shoulder, she felt a little skip in her step as she went to leave her apartment...

Her empty apartment.
With its empty living room. Its empty kitchen. Its empty bathroom. Its empty bedroom. Like always, she found herself wishing her parents were there to fill that void. To fill it with life, with their presence, with their smiles and love. Maybe then, she could bother herself to decorate. Maybe if there were people who actually visited, she could find it in her to liven the place up. But there was nobody. It was empty. Empty. Just like ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒.

But it was okay. She was happy. Everything had never been better.

That was right. Today was a good day. Today, she didn't feel like that. She was fulfilled, even! She was happy. This was happiness, wasn't it? It had to be. No, it definitely was. It was happiness. And she couldn't stop smiling! No, she couldn't. Each step she took, the wide smile across her face—one she had to fake so many times—came to her naturally. It was natural. And she was so happy that her hands were trembling! She couldn't stop them from shaking from the elation! Trembling from joy—No. No, it wasn't just from her own joy. It was because she was craving something, like a starving man for food. Why did she suppress a desire like this for so long? She wanted to touch someone. She wanted to hug someone. What did that feel like, again? What did that warmth feel like? It had been so long. Too long. Feelings panged out in her chest, ▒▒▒▒▒▒ and ▒▒▒▒▒. But she was still happy. She was still smiling. And looking up, her focus returning to reality, everything became crystal clear. Her heart started pounding. She wasn't sure if her hands were supposed to stop shaking, or shake even more. Yet, all of those feelings sorted out themselves. And Soleil truly did think that today was a good day. Her arms moved before she even thought about it; and when she did, all she could think of was to go through with it, and finally sate that desire.

Maybe it was pure luck. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it was fate. But Soleil chalked it up to today just being good, to have met her on her way to school. And without thinking, her hands stopped trembling and her arms shot out. It looked almost desperate, but was just her own happiness. From behind, they tucked around the girl she had sat on and teased in the van. Trapping her in her arms. Was it because she was cute when flustered? Was it because she was fun to tease? Was it because of that glance, the odd glance she had given to her? No. It was just because Soleil desperately wanted to hug someone, again. She needed to. She had to. Kaida was there. And Kaida, who was as close to her as everybody else (though everybody was close to her) was simply available. So her arms wrapped around and held her, like greeting an old dear friend—What was she talking about? Of course she was a dear friend! Just not old. It didn't matter, anyways! "Kaaiiii-daaaa~!" Her voice rang out, sharing the pure euphoria she felt. It was so nice, hugging someone. To feel their warmth, to hold them in her arms. Knowing they couldn't disappear if she looked away. "On your way to school, are you Kaida~? Then let's go together~!" And there came a giggle. Not the usual one—the one that was almost ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ in the way it was well-crafted to be likable. It was a purely happy giggle, a natural one she didn't even know she was able to let out. It made her smile even more, made her tighten up the hug even more. "Just don't let go, okay~? I'll be your special escort...!" And she smiled. And she was happy. And she was satisfied.

Today was a good day.

Interactions: Arcanist Arcanist
Mentions: n/a
 

  • tumblr_plyyidl0RV1ru9gdho1_1280.png
    Persona: Unawakened
    Status: N/A
    Current Buffs: N/A

    Mentions:
    Toro ( Jet Jet ) Aoi ( Colorless Spectrum Colorless Spectrum ) Sachie

    ~ On The Way to School ~
    In The Air I Breathe || Jun’ichi’s CS File

    Their neighborhood was quiet every morning. Aside from a few theatres that were always open, after all the pictures could just rotate out during evening hours, few things stayed open past daybreak. With the sun this high even the district police lessened up. He gave a wave to a familiar officer who looked to be heading off his beat. His face was different. Almost shocked as if he didn’t expect Jun to be happily waving to him. With a pep in his step, he started forth passing Ichirou. He turned back around continuing to walk backward.

    Their neighborhood in the mornings was peaceful. But it was already alive by the time they came home. The posters and advertisements up left little ambiguity to just why the nights became bustling. Weird, usually Ichi hated looking at these posters. They were just part of the walls to him, no more exciting than pink wallpaper. When he was younger he’d have to be dragged away by Ichi. Ichi wasn’t averting his gaze as usual. He was still laughing away at the Tamagotchi. He probably didn’t even realize that they were walking down this road. He hadn’t seen it in a long while. Usually they took a long way around, Ichi didn’t like this road.

    It was the shortest way though. School awaited, and today was a good day so he’d do his best. Ichi would go find Mochizuki-Senpai and talk her ear off. Jun would go to class, maybe he’d get Miyamoto-san to help him. If she was there. Heck, even Toro-senpai could join in!

    He fell. His legs were kicked out from under him. The concrete scraped his back and his head rattled. A mess of color appeared above him. He could still hear the beeps of Ichi playing with the Tamogatchi. Blinking he laid there as the blur of color sharpened into an identifiable image. It was a guy, one he didn’t recognize.

    “Well well if it isn’t the two little shits from the whorehouse.”

    The man's face twisted above him. The figure left his vision almost like he was speaking to someone else out of his sight. He put on a smile rolling over on the floor so that he could see too. A group, maybe six guys and two girls, all unfamiliar. He threw himself up coming in close to the man’s face. He was taller than him by a bunch and didn’t look like another high schooler.

    “Hi! I was right, I don’t know you. Who are you?”

    He heard Ichirou snicker behind him. He turned back to his brother. Oh did Ichi know- He fell back again on his ass as the man pushed him away from him. Huh? Oh that was twice, maybe he should stay on the floor then. Maybe he wasn’t used to people being near him, not even his friends stood too close.

    “Wha- Who am I? What’s wrong with you punk you don’t remember getting your ass getting handed to you? You know damn well not to walk down these streets.”

    He tilted his head to the side. This is the way to school why wouldn’t he walk down this street. Also he only remembered him forcing him on his ass from now. From his spot on the ground, he saw some of the others coming closer. He looked them up and down. OH he recognized one of the skinner ones, almost scrawny. They’d hit him before. He didn’t remember why Ichi did, but after they’d done so two of the others had come. It had gotten messy. He jumped up with the realization.

    “OH YEAH. I HIT YOU. How’s your face doing dude? Looks better than before you should thank me.”

    He felt the big one grab him again. His feet no longer touched the ground as he felt the vest stretch even more. Hmmm. Maybe he liked the crooked nose then? The dude’s face was obviously better now though. Even so he heard the snickering and goatting of the girls behind the man. So they agreed huh.

    “Listen you little shit I don’t know how many screws you lost the last time I smacked you around but you better shut your mouth before you say something you can’t take back.”

    That's silly nothing can be taken back, ever. He was considerably closer now and could smell the onions on this man’s breath. Oh he still didn’t have a name for the man. Onion man would work well. Onion man, Nose man, Ganguro Gal Pink and Ganguro Gal Yellow. All of them clearly looked older, wearing makeup and clothes too young for them. The other four guys behind him looked far closer to his age.

    “Onion man you still haven’t given me your name. We have to get to school though, did you wanna come with?”

    He felt himself drop and a punch to the face that put him back on the floor. Yup the floor was becoming his friend now. The stars were back.

    “Aww what’d you do that for Shun? He’s just a little jokester. It’d be much more fun to play with him, after all I’m sure that his mommy taught him some skilllls.”

    One of the girls, Ganguro Pink, slurred as she talked. She was making gross obscene gestures. Her voice was high pitched and odd. Annoying even. Still Onion Man, now known as Shun, seemed satisfied with it. He came squatting in front of Jun.

    “Well how about it did mommy teach you well huh?”

    Of course she did. His mother was great at everything she did. Shun really did need to go back to school then. He let out a huff as Jun didn’t react in time, He got up and left some room between the two of them as he went to grab Ganguro Yellow. Ichirou seemingly had gotten bored. He was walking away with the phone making little pings. He was soon surrounded by the younger four.

    “Just where do you think you’re going?”

    “School Duh? Geez, You’re slower than Jun. Okay okay how bout this, it’s not like I plan to go anyways but Jun wants to so I’ll show you some of my best skipping spots, then I’m off ‘cause I got a girl to find.”

    This gave them a chorus of laughs. Each one was holding something related to their hobbies. From his point of view it looked like one was a baseball player, the other a construction worker, a cook, and a bass player. How nice, maybe they would enjoy coming to school with them. Ichirou was even going to show them some nice spots.

    “Okay you people obviously have a few more screws loose, so how about the baby goes off with my boys. Little smart mouth here comes along with me, Ryuu, and the gals til we get bored of you.”

    Jun figured that he was the one named “Smart mouth” as Ichi was already being corralled away with the group of high schoolish guys. He figured that it would be interesting. School was every day but he didn’t usually get invited to parties before school. He looked to Ichi and felt vaguely unsettled, he couldn’t read his brother’s face. And that should have terrified him.

    “Sure”

    Of course Ichi would agree, he was probably in a rush to get to Mochizuki-san. He looked back up to Shun who was getting handsy with Ganguro Yellow. He felt himself being lifted up by who he assumed was Ryuu then? Ganguro pink started curling up to his side leaning on his shoulder in a way that only his ex had before. It wasn’t too bad right?

    “Okay. -Bye Ichi- then where are we going?”

    Y-u f--ki-g idi-t --e yo- k--ding me --w?
    HEY
    JUN'ICHI

 
Shirou Lancaster

Today's the day, I can feel it!
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It's 6:15 AM. Shy morning sunrays penetrate the half-closed windows into a carefully laid-out chaotic symphony of worn clothes, cigarette buds and torn condom packages, naught but a lone, perfectly ironed pile of uniform standing out amidst it. The furniture was simple and functional, almost clashing with the overt rapper posters and the myriad of photos adorning each nook and cranny of the walls to the point one could no longer spot their original paint job from a glance. Said pictures - admitedly expertly framed and filtered - were all equal in their focus: be it his charismatic grin or a distant, mysterious gaze into the distance, Shirou Lancaster's countenance had to be the star of the show. The nightstand sat across the door and held two items. One was his cellphone, ever so insistently vibrating every few seconds. The other, his SLR Cannon camera, carefully nested in its padded stand.

At the bed next to it, a restless shuffle. Shirou was uncharacteristically murmuring and frowning as he spent his last moments of clarity slumber uttering senseless words such as "stop...", "Let me go" and "I'll remember that-" before finally caving in to a sudden silence. The young man opened his eyes and effortlessly jerked himself upwards. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled all the drowziness and worry left in his system, slowly running his fingers through his hair to rid them of their recently waken mess. When he was done, his expression had molded into a smirk of such giddy overconfidence that left even himself suspecting he'd forgotten some exceptionally good news due for today.

Hoping to quench his inquiry, the young man reached for his cellphone: 153 unread messages, 28 new saved pictures. Besides the usual ex or fling awaiting his response, there were some concerned about him missing a hang-out at the Red Light district last night. Where were he last night? He opened the pictures folder. Right, he had detention that day. They took a cramped van somewhere and met this hilarious wasted-ass cop. Then there was the mineshaft. Some arguments, a crazy stunt involving the van and two dipshits - is that Warden lady stopping the vehicle with her bare hands? And then they went down the shaft, and oh God, SOMETHING AWFUL HAD HAPPENED, HE HAD TO...

Had to...

...

Anyhow, it must have been a blast. Shirou blocked his phone, dressed up in his uniform and stuffed the device in its pocket, making a mental note to reply the messages later. With his camera safely in his sling, he made his way out of his room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. The table had been long set, his aunt had already finished her morning coffee and was washing the dishes when he arrived. The middle-aged, black-haired woman was short and soft, flinching slightly by his presence as if she tried to hide within the safety of her pink sweater. She offered her niece a fearful, forced smile and said:

"Good morning, Shirou! I'm sorry I didn't tidy your room last night. I was just so tired... But today I will-"

"It's nothing, auntie." He replied, instantly earning a raised eyebrow from her with his soft tone. Shirou didn't seem fazed by it. He chugged the lukewarm coffee in a single go and grabbed a sandwich for the trip as he headed for the door. "Why don't you go ahead and leave it like that? I'm feeling so nice I'll take care of it myself when I'm back."

"I'll... Clean it up right away!"

She replied. It must have been sarcasm, right? The woman was cut short from her questionings by the realization that her niece was quickly leaving the premises, reaching her hand out to yell: "Wait!"

Silence followed as Shirou's aunt shifted her feet and pursed her lips. How could she put this lightly? No matter the wording, it felt like the announcement would rip the smile right out of her precious niece's face. This exact situation had happened a few times already - more frequently as of late - and every time, the atmosphere inside the household grew harsh and heavy for the next few days.

"There's something else I need to tell you. Your mother wants to have a call with you tonight. She seemed... Upset about something."

The young man stopped walking immediately and turned his head back, which made his aunt's heart skip a beat. She was even further shook, however, when he merely smiled at her and said:

"Cool. I can't wait!"

And then the door closed, leaving the woman to question herself just what could have gotten the kid to act so sarcastic all of a sudden.

Haz. Haz.
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[Div class=headfont]Erasmus | The Site[/div]

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6:42 A.M.​

Stiffness faded, tingling took over. With every step Erasmus felt the stiffness in his body melt away and replace with a warmth as he moved through the rising city towards the bus station. Every now and then he would pass a civilian or see a few early birds drive by and every now and then he would offer a good morning where convenient. In the distance blue jays in the passing trees he walked by with glowing beady eyes chirped in sing-song words: "LOSER! LOSER! YOU'RE A LOSER!" at him.

And as if his body wasn't his own, not that he minded, his lips were pulled up by hooks at the corners, and he smiled.

A full minute passed and his tingly walk continued to where he saw a jogger coming on his right. Politely stepping aside to give the runner some space Erasmus waited as the jogger passed him and--

You're real pathetic you know that?​

He turned to stare, the jogger turned to sneer and Erasmus, not understanding why, as if the corner of his lips were being forced upwards, smiled at what he'd just heard. Then for no reason at all, he waved goodbye. Feeling none of the cheeriness or the joy that his face was somehow portraying as he watched the yellow eyed runner scowl and leave.

The moment he turned away was the exact same moment Erasmus felt he had regained control of his body- and as if being shoved, he walked casually forwards. Every step causing a bump and a thump in his chest. A beat that now played in his ears. Ba Bump Ba Bump, Ba Thump Ba Thump, matched his steps, synchronized with his breathing, and drove away the sense of warmth that had initially emerged from the stranger's odd greeting. In his peripheral, as he walked cars began to pass by but he ignored it.

At least till one stranger with yellow eyes slowed down as they passed and shouted from their window:

Can't even defend yourself when being insulted, huh! What sorta dumbass are you?!​

And the girl passing him on his right: Content to just be a sponge aren't you? How long are you going to just let bad things keep happening to you without so much as a fight back?

But every barb just became a smile and every jab just added to the beat that only his ears could hear. The beat in his heart now matched a rhythm, went at a quick tempo, and now caused a jig to travel through his body. Erasmus swayed in his steps, carving a funk out of the bumps and thumps that drummed into his ears, and found no effect from the negative comments he had been receiving. They fueled him, inspired him, gave him some pep in his step and that pep became a groove.

The second he reached the bus station however the-
Ba-Da-Da-Ta-Bump-​

Stopped. Leaving him...breathless.

"...Um," startled he looked, "Good morning Erasmus-kun?" Said a young school girl, sitting with friends. "Excited today?"

Excited? Well now that he thought about. "Haha, Himari-san, morning!" He smiled and waved, flushing at the cheeks a little and not entirely sure why. "I uh, must have gotten a little carried away, huh?"

"Oh um, no not at all..." the twintails brunette smiled awkwardly, fiddling with the bag strap on her lap and flushing also. "Getting an early start?"

Clearing his throat as he sat stood beside the metal bench the three girls sat on Erasmus nodded. "Yes well- what about you, Himeko and Yui?"

"Club activities senpai," the one with the nose ring responded. Neither sounding pleased or excited Himeko stifled a yawn and stretched with a grunt. " Himari is making me go this time."

"I'm not making you do anything!" Himari swatted the other's arm. "I told you if you really don't want to come and listen to Ichika-san's changes to the Volley ball club's practice sessions then you could just head straight to class ahead of us."

Yawning Himeko shrugged, "I'm up now anyway, doesn't matter." She sighed and leaned on Himari's shoulder. "Could have waited though- classes start at 8 and we've still got at least an hour. Could be napping instead of here waiting for the stupid bus."

"And then you'd be late for class. Like always." The bespectacled member of their group responded as she thumbed her phone screen. "You just like making my job as Class rep hard."

"Cry me a river Yui," Himeko groaned with an exaggerated sigh as she shifted off Himari, turned towards Erasmus with that same bored, sleepy expression and then with sudden speed-she snatched his jacket in a vice grip and began tugging him towards the bench, away from where he stood.

"Himeko!"

"Whaaaaat? I'm not doing anything right, Senpai?" She grinned. "Hora hora, come here Mushy-senpai. Himeko taunted tugging on the jacket gently.

To her genuine surprise, instead of rolling his eyes or giving her the usual gentle chide, he actually did sit down with them. Erasmus only chuckled at the surprise that flashed on their faces. "Getting used to my attacks nowadays, aren't you senpai?" the sleepy-eyed first year squinted at the taller second year as he sat down. Leaning forward and trapping him in a hug. "You're usually so stiff when I catch you off guard like this. Didn't even try to fight it this time. What's going on senpai?"

Erasmus shrugged, the steady beat from before faintly drumming in his ears with each thump from his heart. "Guess I'm feeling a bit energetic this morning." He beamed.

Glancing at each other the three girls quirked a brow at each other. A bit odd. He was always so fussy when Himeko did this so it was a honest surprise to see him not even slightly chiding her even if it all was in good humor.

"Mmm, if you say so senpai." Himeko replied, releasing Erasmus and giving him a pat.

"Oh, bus is here."

And it was. They all climbed aboard, the girls first then Erasmus followed second. It wasn't your usual school bus, just a regular public bus with a few passengers- hardly full even. Erasmus and the girls moved towards the bus driver who checked their student IDs one-by-one. When Erasmus got his turn, the bus driver's eyes flashed yellow. "Why hello there Mushi-kun, early as always aren't you? What, would it kill you to walk for once in your life? Or is all that running I see you do starting to get a little too much for you?"

Erasmus laughed. Mr. Satoshi was always cracking jokes with him, but this was the first time the bus driver had ever showed sign of knowing about his daily run routine.

A routine he hadn't done this morning due to sleeping in. The man's remarks didn't strike him as odd at all, he just continued chuckling and then so did Mr. Satoshi. All while ignoring the glowing yellow eyes.

"Go on you little scamp, go take your seat!" The man said waving him off. Erasmus could only continue laughing as he patted the bus driver on the shoulder and walked away- ignoring the scowl that caught the edge of his eye as Satoshi began closing the bus gates.


6:58 A.M.​

Erasmus, felt off. Not bad off, good off. The current rhythm of his heart was now dull, boring, lame. It lacked the oomph the previous one had- lacked the force, the energy behind it and it the dull beat currently left him feeling relaxed-- but he didn't want to be relaxed.

Then again, that was to be expected. Chat had fell into a lull since he and the girls had ran out of stuff to discuss. It wasn't long till they were talking amongst themselves though and Erasmus turned his head to stare out the window. Steady beats in his mind making him smile.

Every now and then people boarded, or people left. Every now and then, he'd catch glance here or there from a new face and maybe a few more after- especially when the girls laughed a little too loud but it was nothing odd. In fact, he found it quite normal. Yellow eyes would glance his way, each a different face, and he would smile and wave- only for those eyes to look away. Each new face brought back the funk, the bumps and thumps, and left him feeling just a bit more energized. Like a wave he went up and down on this feeling of energy, going high and low and every time he lost the oomph, Erasmus' eye would twitch.

"Senpai?" A distorted voice called.

One eye blinked, a second later, the other eye followed.

"You okay? You seem a little out of it today."

Erasmus blinked normally, and shaking his head he chuckled, cheeks flushing with pleasant embarrassment. "Sorry I guess I've been lost in thought today. Had a bit of a weird morning."

"Weird?" Himeko asked, poking her head out from the other side. "What happened?"

"Ah, well-"

"Senpai."

"Himari-san?"

"Were you about to say: "its nothing?""

A pause.

"Senpai."

"Yui-san?"

"What happened?"

"I--"

"Senpai?

"H-Himeko?"

"What happened?"

An explosive snort followed. "Alright, I'll tell you. My aunt said the strangest thing this morning. Apparently I got into a biking accident on the trip back from school or something? Weird, right? I mean yeah I feel a little...tingly? But not horrible. And I have a pretty good memory you think I would remember it right? I don't know" he chuckled, "just- I find it a little odd but in a funny way now that I think about it."

Clearly, the girls didn't feel the same. The looks of concern were more or less ignored and as if sensing it Erasmus beamed, raised one arm where his shoulder was particularly tingly, and flexed the bicep. Muscle bulging. "I'm fine you all worry too much."

Ding!

"Besides we're at the stop, c'mon!" He said, moving off the bus with the girls following shortly in tow. Nageku High was a few streets away and all it would take was just crossing them.

Erasmus, having already pushed the switch stood, tapping his foot too a beat only he could hear, unaware the girls were now studying him with caution.

"You sure you're good Senpai?" Yui asked as others approached the side walk from different directions.

Grinning Erasmus nodded, thumbs up. "Surprisingly haven't felt better!"

Seconds ticked by, the bumps and thumps grew louder. The tingling in his body was getting stronger. It was warm now, terribly so. Hot. Scolding hot even--

Erasmus sunk a hand in his pocket, plugged in his earphones, skimmed for a song- any upbeat song that matched how he was really starting to feel, and finding one with a particular vivacious looking picture he clicked on it just as the walk sign turned on and the seconds began counting down to 0.



The moment he heard that first beat, Erasmus' heart began bumping to it. It filled his ears, caused electricity to tingle through his muscles as he watched cars moving begin to slow down. Something intense was happening, something mesmermizing and Erasmus let the tide carry him away, as one word played over and over in his ears.

🎵Ḑ̸̧̨͕̻͚͓̮̻̮̘̌̆̂̄̃̏̿́̔͑̔̂̕͝͝ẹ̵̢̝͉̙̝̌̍̇̔͒̆͋̑̎̿̽͒m̵̥͖̝̞͕̫̞̬̹̗͚͌̔̃̀̀̈̚o̷̱̅̉͐̋̏̌͑̍̆̆n̴̺̲͉̳̗̈́́̓̍̑🎵​

THIS, was the kind of energy he needed, the freedom he wanted- and as the first beat took off, his vision blurred at the edges and all he knew was song and yellow eyes.

Doing an electric slide into the sidewalk he was off with music, following after Himeko, Himari, and Yui with every sense of concern gone. There was pressure in between his eyes and a subtle ringing in his ears that sounded almost like shrieking but if anything it filled him with more vibrancy as his body moved as if it wasn't his own at all.

Every step came with a wiggle from his entire body, hip hop moves combined with freestyle his legal crossing of the street became jaywalking as he stopped dead center in front of a row of cars and now wiggled his rump while doing a marionette version of the robot. Pairs and pairs of yellow eyes behind car windshields stared at him in utter disbelief and the longer Erasmus stared with a cocky brow waggling grin, the more the yellow became gold and strangers in cars became clear to central clear spot of his eyes.

Him. Multiple versions, different ages, varying cloth styles, some looking healthy, others looking feeble. They stared at him in disgust, fear, confusion, horror, rejection behind their seats and then as he did a jump off the hood of one car and a backflip, the first car honked its horn and made Erasmus stumble backwards as he landed, bumping into someone.

When he looked, it was a gold eyed man- scowling. You need to snap out of it! Give me those earphones!

Which made him smack the hand away as he ran and hands of law abiding citizens with gold yellow eyes tried to grab him, restrain him- making him kick them away. The second he was free Erasmus ran-- ran for his freedom, ditching his backpack he didn't remember taking off and running towards Himeko, Himari, and Yui on the other side of the street. Distant, broken voices reached his ears and when the clear spots at the center of his vision focused on the girls and not those throwing things behind him to trip him up or the lines of him honking their horns and revving their engines, Erasmus now faintly could hear the concern in the girls voices, calling out to him this entire time.

"Senpai what are you doing?! Where are you going?!" But Erasmus could not respond because his lips were hooked into a smile as the musical notes flooded his bloodstream and gave him the strength and power of an Olympian athlete. Himeko's words and the others yelling died in the wind as he took a turn, and Erasmus glanced behind him- seeing cars driven by blurry faced versions of him backing up and giving chase.

"Oh," he laughed, perpetually smiling. "How good it feels to be alive." Then making a turn through an alley, he rushed for a different route to school.

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Mentions: n/a

Interactions: n/a
 
Kaida Fuyoku
Mentions: loveweaver loveweaver
​
Kaida continued her strut, voices floating past her with their accompanying owners. None of the conversations stirred much in her. After all, they were all just words, some with no meaning at all, on a typical school morning. She walked past a bunch of middle schoolers standing on a street corner, talking about how much of an idiot some girl was. Kaida walked on as if she didn't hear the conversation, or at least, again, the words didn't register with her. It wasn't as if the conversations concerned her, so they didn't matter anyway! She continued to move happily along, passing by people without a care in the world. Though her movement was restricted when she felt a pair of arms coil around her, preventing her from taking another step further.

“H-huh?!” Kaida let a yelp escape her from her lips, eliciting genuine surprise at being grabbed from behind. She should have protested and wrestled out of the grip, but...it wasn't such a bad surprise. It was a nice surprise. A nice, surprise hug. But just who was it surprising her? She looked over her shoulder to find none other than that girl, Soleil, with the hat. The hat she recognised often bobbing up and down in the sea of students that flooded the halls of Nageku High everyday. When she registered who she was, Kaida's smile widened, and she laughed with pure joy at realising how melodious her own name sounded in her ears. “Hehe…yeah, that’s me!” Did her name always sound that nice? Maybe it was because Soleil’s voice was so…harmonious. So warm and just lovely to listen to. Kaida felt a warmth rise to her cheeks just thinking about it.

She had forgotten Soleil had asked to walk with her, in those few moments she was caught in thoughts about her voice. “O-oh…" She laughed, looking around to her with a smile threatening to cut into her cheeks. "Yeah, okay. Let’s go!~” Kaida cheerfully accepted the offer, though she didn't move. She expectedSoleil to let go of her first, so that they would walk side-by-side. So, she stood, her gaze moving down to Soleil's arms when she felt them tighten around her. Soleil was so close, keeping Kaida pressed against her as she stood behind her. Would they walk to school like this? Well, Soleil was her escort, wasn’t she? Her own personal escort! Maybe she was going to steer her in the right direction! So, in that case, Kaida couldn’t just push her away. Of course not Plus, it would be nice to walk with someone to school. She crossed her own arms as if to hug herself, and put her hands on Soleil's arms, giggling with a girlish glee. "Well, okay! I promise I'll hold on tight then!~" And with that, Kaida started moving, though, at less of a skip, and more of what looked to be a waddle. She tried to remember if this was what it was like to walk with people to school. To let people close to her.

Kaida's blissful state had remained even as the two travelled to school together. She waddled along, full of smiles, and her hands still holding onto Soleil's arms. Often she had paused, obviously, for things like crossing the road or avoiding a repeat of someone bumping into her like earlier in her journey. Though, ironically, the latter failed, for often she didn't quite give Soleil enough warning that she was coming to a halt. After haling, Kaida would giggle with a slew of apologies before resuming movement again. This continued several times, even when they had gotten to the entrance of the school. She looked back over her shoulder at Soleil again and announced in triumphant glee, "Hey, we made it! Wow, you really are a great escort, Soleil!~" It felt good to compliment someone, instead of bombarding people with such mean words. She smiled as she looked up at the school building. Nageku High. Usually she looked upon this building with disdain but this morning, not even school could affect her cheery mood. Perhaps it was because it had been such a good morning alrea--

“Do I have to spell it out for you? So that you can get it into that thick skull of yours?”

“Hm?” Kaida looked down from the school, and she glanced over her shoulder to Soleil. “Did you say something?” She asked. Did she? It didn’t sound like her voice, though. Maybe it was a teacher’s, or another group of students caught in a conversation as they passed by them both? But, it was familiar. With that venomous spittle. It seemed so distant, distorted, yet, it was as if it was closer than she thought. Even as she looked around, no one else was reacting to it. Maybe it had just been her imagination. So, she opted to ignore it instead.
 
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  • image4.jpg
    Persona: Unawakened
    Status: N/A
    Current Buffs: N/A

    Interacting With:
    Shriou ( CapRock CapRock ), Yuzuki ( Veradana Veradana )
    Mentions:
    Junichi
    ~ Roads To Nageku ~
    Hot || Ichirou’s CS File

    The day was going good so far but now he was dragging around four utter dumbasses. Like he was fine with it but he had to find some people with proper reps rather than the first chump change he found. Still his baby bro was busy so it’s not like he had anyone better to hang out with. Oh he still had Jun’s phone, oh well Jun wouldn’t need it. He pocketed the phone and looked back to the four. They were quite obviously mad. He flashed them a cheeky smile.

    “Yup yup, So like I was saying Nageku is like well okay can say much I don’t remember the last time I went to most classes. Anyways by the grounds there’s a little alcove that’s nice and private- ”

    They were so boring. He needed to pick up some other people. Like any people at this point. Beyond the fact that they kept looking from side to side like they had someone to find. It’s like you separated then from their old man and they forgot how to talk. Like one at least was grunting every once in a while, though he couldn’t even tell which. In his eyes they were all the same, wasn’t like any of them were important. Heck none of them were even interesting.

    “Oh Hey Hey!”

    Luckily he didn’t have to suffer through them long. Every step he took he found more and more interesting people. He was getting closer to the standard segments of the city and it showed. The ones behind him were getting fidgety for a while. Weird but hey he didn’t give two shits anyways. When he took his right down second street he turned back to point out how the police around the area once found the two and dragged them home once, only to find that they weren’t there any longer.

    With a shrug he kept going on his way, he could find better people to ditch with. Hell he was Ichirou Amano, far better than any old first year. He passed down another street and found a familiar face at the end of the road. Bear in mind he didn’t like the face he found at the end of the road but hey right now he couldn’t even remember why. He had a sprinting start down the road and gave a nice solid clap to their back.

    “AYYY Mister Camera man. What’s up”

    Before he even let Shirou speak he saw another familiar face in the distance, the same girl from yesterday at the-. Oh he didn’t remember how weird. But he didn’t spend time on the thought as he yelled right from Shirou’s side at the top of his lungs.

    “HEY. GIRLIE. QUIET LADY”
 
Toro

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​
Curled fetal Toro's head slipped what frame took fully; the physical fury of seven Yakuza suits hail-firing blows. Hammer kicks raining with curse-taunts he writhed for a drawn minute without reprieve. The beating was relentless and never ending; near lethal but Toro stuck to life with his pathetic passive defense. It was the only play even when Zaou stepped out for a cig; this wasn't 36 Chambers and he wasn't Bruce Lee fighting off a mob. He could only huddle gasping knocked of wind and death loomed certain even in Toro's drug-happy mind. He could feel chest tightness and a panic rush with desperate adrenaline. He couldn't see anything but a wall of deadly feet and the only noise bar-static was his own ragged breath. In shock his body iced around a cracked ribline soon to snap and the world faded gray but he was chipper. The situation demanded fear but Toro could only smile through the baptism. With a deathly drone he'd cough shallow giggles too and the suits brewed hot at Aki's abnormal willpower.

"Kid's fucking crazy" one said as another laughed "Must be a masochist" with a cocked front kick. "Honestly I respect it" came a third as number four replied "Hell no he's just high" — landing a stomp to side. As hits stacked the group grew more vocal, casting commentary like "Laugh now!" and "Fucking psycho!" at each blow. Mirroring chorus the gang's assault snowballed angry with unsettled aggression at Toro's concrete composure. The attackers felt impotent rage at their inability to truly "win" so they struck faster and flustered with one in particular — a tall burly flat faced man — broiling as he stomped away beet red.

Physically massive he looked the lineman. An alpha dog built to steamroll but a shitty kid defied him? Toro's wall cracked his ego and he mumbled quiet "Fuck this" — pulling a .45 from his waistline. Shake aiming Toro's way he'd snap his head screaming as the suits shot back from the gun. Toro could see them yelling at Big Guy but Punch-Drunk he couldn't catch the words. Flicking between different allies 'Giant' shouted and kept on for thirty seconds but it all sounded underwater. It was distant nonsense; muffled noise dubbing a silent film with ringing static in the background. Toro could only watch without understanding as Big-Man cocked a round with his thumb clicking safety.

With gunbarrel hot, primal panic overrode at last. A great wave of pain flooded and terror filled Toro's heart that rock-dropped with eyes to the steel. For the first time all day he could think clear with a black desperate — "I don't want to die. I don't want to. I don't understand! Where am I? Why am I here!? " as he looked to Giant with a feeble "Don't... Please" - his shaking hand reaching up without a purpose.

Unanswered the question hung silent for three seconds — and then a single shot pierced the air.
 
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Aoi Mochizuki | 望月 葵

A groan escaped from her lips as Ichirou kept talking, can't the guy just shut up and leave her alone? She looked at him and found him irritating, an eyesore. "Mochizuki and that is all you're getting out of me." Hoping that he stops jabbering compliments her way while Hiru patches up her head. Taking the bandage, Aoi slowly and painfully failed to bandage her wrist, flinching at every time pain registered to her brain. She then felt another pair of hands tend to her wrist, giving it a proper wrapping. "Thank you, both of you." She muttered beneath her breath to both Hiru and Ichirou, although she didn't know who the latter was.

She made her way towards the others when she felt cold fingertips snake their way to her neck. She didn't resist, but there was a look of weariness on her face. A look of disregard for her arrest. Themis dragged the young pianist to the lift, the closer she got, the more weak-willed she felt. She could tell that her face was drained of color and she could hear the rattling chains from her shivering hands. She couldn't stop herself from sweating as their group was slowly enveloped in darkness.

"Ha.... ha..." Her chest rose and deflated in shallow breathing as she sat on her bed's side, Aoi knew that she had a nightmare but at the same time it was already fading from her mind. Rather than a feeling of dread, there was a growing contentment. An odd feeling to have but she paid it no mind. Her attention crossed to her keyboard. She made her way there, hearing the jingle of chains from behind her. “Hmmmm… Hmmm… Hmmm?” She started humming to the tune of the song in her head until she noticed that her hands were restrained.

Her morning has more or less been like this since she came to Japan. Wake up early, play the piano, her grandmother coming to her room and disturbing her, dismissing her grandmother with irritation, get ready, leave for school. She never ate breakfast with her grandmother, not even dinner. She doesn’t even take the boxed lunch that was prepared for her. But it was different today. She felt good, she felt calm and at peace.

The door to her room creaked open to reveal her grandmother that was wearing a smile on her face, “I got a bit worried, you’re always playing beautiful music whenever you wake up early.” Aoi cocked her head to the side, as she remembers that she always does play the piano the moment she wakes up, a habit. A relaxed smile spread on her face as she replied, “Don’t worry, grandmother. My hands are just cuffed, the moment I woke up.”

“Cuffed? What did you do last night to get these?” A worried expression filled the old woman’s face, her minding drifting to things that might have landed her granddaughter to get arrested. As for Aoi, she couldn’t exactly remember why she does have them but there were only two things to consider: she got arrested for something or she did something raunchy in the Red Light District.

“I’m not sure, maybe I was having some fun? It doesn’t matter anyway, I think these are toys. Look.” With little effort, she broke the links of the cuffs and forced her wrist free. “It is a toy.” She gave a grin to her grandmother who had an odd look on her face, knowing that Aoi had never once smiled at her since her granddaughter first came. The young pianist took the older woman’s hand and led her to the kitchen, finding breakfast that was already prepared for them. Breaded pork, white rice, natto and miso soup with tofu.

“Looks delicious.” Aoi complimented, sitting in a chair right next to her grandmother's. Although finding it odd, the older woman was happy that her granddaughter has changed. Seeing her smiling puts her heart at ease. Whatever that happened, she was thanking the heavens for it.

After a wonderful breakfast and a good shower later, Aoi was ready to go to school. She was walking down the hallway with her grandmother this time and stopping at the sight of her picture with her father. A memory coursing to her mind.

Click. The door to their house closed gently despite the drunken mess that appeared from the outside. The man could hear the melody of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata as he wobbly walked to the living room and found Aoi at the piano.

"Papa. Where have you been? Mama’s been looking all over for you." A young Aoi said, halting the music that filled the room.

"Tsk. She should mind her own business since she doesn't really care about mine at all." Her father slurred as he trudged to the stairs. Stopping as he took his fifth step, he retraced his steps halfway and headed to his daughter.

He looked at her with a hint of disgust, and disappointment. More so than before. "Is there something wro-" He gripped both sides of her cheek in one hand, leaning in close, she could smell the reek from his consumption of alcohol. “Why do you look so much like her?” He grunted and let her go forcefully.

“AOI! WHY HAVE YOU STOPPED PLAYING? WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT STOPPING?” Came the shrill of her mother, while she flinched at the sound of it, from above as the woman’s feet pounded the staircase. Frustration dissipated from her face at the sight of her husband who has just gotten home from his nightly adventures. “You’re home.” There was a hollowness in her voice while she stared at her husband’s drunken state.

“Tell me, Angelica… is she even my daughter?” He asked in a jokingly calm manner but there was anger seething beneath it. “What? You think I didn’t notice how Natsu looks at you? Especially now that you always seem to be with him every time that you go out.”

Angelica scoffed at the accusation, can’t seemingly decide if she would retort with anger or laugh at his theory. She slowly went downstairs while saying with mockery, “Are you even hearing yourself, Hifumi? We’ve been together for a long time, Aoi is already in middle school. So, how the f*ck did you even come into that conclusion?”

“ANSWER MY QUESTION IS SHE MINE OF NOT!?”

Aoi stared at her parents in horror. She didn’t know what to make of it but she wanted it to stop. Stop. “Stop it!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, heaving as hearing even just the idea of not being her father’s daughter feels like there was a part of her being torn apart.

“Aoi?” She stared at her grandmother’s soft eyes then smiled sweetly at the older woman. “Sorry, I just remembered a good memory with mama and papa. Anyway off I go.” Giving her grandmother a goodbye kiss on the forehead, she walked out of their house and to the street. The street is just the same as always, the sound of the cars zooming to and from, the people that walked by, children walking to their school, mothers coming home from shopping for groceries.

The young pianist stared at her reflection in the mirror that was staring back at her with dissatisfaction, there was both anger and sadness in her eyes. She smiled just as she did earlier, she's been smiling so much she could feel the muscles on her face getting tired, something her reflection didn’t do but she paid it no mind. She still had to go to school after all.

She plugged in some "music" to her ear as she walked. Humming cheerfully, steps calm but there was an odd energy to it. She could feel a sweet warmth at her chest as she listened to the loop of her father's insults and her mother's scolding. "I told you to take this seriously, didn't I? Wake up. Do you want another slap on the wrist? Wake up. The music that you make? I said wake up, damn it. There is no soul to it. Listen to him. There is nothing. It makes you angry, doesn't it? It grates my ears. It hurts hearing these words, right? You truly are a useless daughter. This isn't you, you know that. Can't even play the piano right. WAKE THE FUCK UP."

"Oh." She said with a pleasant surprise, looking at the school gates while the other students filled in. She didn't notice the passage of time, standing by the gate as she placed her equipment back to her bag, some students bumping into her but she just gave them a wave and a toothy smile. "Have a nice day!"

location: || interactions: n/a || mentions: BriiAngelic BriiAngelic Celestial Speck Celestial Speck Haz. Haz.
just note that the Kanji is written by surname-given name

 
Shirou Lancaster

Great days shouldn't be spent alone!

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The walk towards Nageku high that ensued Shirou's exit wasn't exactly a long one, yet it was enough to sprinkle in some Carpe Diem; As the young man paced, he'd enjoy the buzzing of cicadas, the serenity of the cherry trees that adorned the sidewalks and the ever-growing variety of blurred faces crossing his path. So much to see, so much to photograph! Almost as if this was his first time walking around Kayatomi, a feeling equal parts familiar and strange in the best ways possible.
It was during his sightseeing that Shirou was startled by a pat on his back. Their countenance was definitely familiar, but putting a name to him was a wholly different task as his memories regarding that specific person were hazy at best. He attempted to open his mouth and utter a reply for his question - a fool's errand, he'd soon realize as he was summarily interrupted by more shouting. It had been close and loud enough to make him flinch and grimace, yet he kept a grin to his mouth, the end result giving off the impression that he was about to snap. Such suspicion, however, couldn't be further from reality.
"I'm doing stellar, siren-kun." Shirou replied. "Rounding up a gang, are we? And you're even bringing in some chicks!" He noticed, glancing at Yuzuki and Meiko for a moment. "Fine, I'll let you entretain me for the morning. Let's find something fun to do."
Following those words, the young man buried his hands into his pockets, leaned back and proceeded to follow his colleague around. The entire time, his eyes were lively and active, scouring the premises for the 'something fun to do' mentioned earlier. It could be anything - a nice view to hang on, an empty house to crash in, a nerd to bully, a cutie to hit on. Whatever option they picked, surely the day was far too fine to be wasted on dumb classes. His gaze would eventually pick up something, yet he refrained from pointing it out. Watching them notice it by themselves seemed like it'd yield much more interesting results for him.

Koemi Hiraoka

Performing my duty.
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Not too far from Shirou, Ichirou and Yuzuki, two figures laid under the shrouding veil of a dark alley. Their eyes followed their each movement with near fanatical concentration, not unlike a predator stalking its blissful prey. They bore not the blurred, altered faces nor the yellow eyes of the background, yet they also seemed exempt from the mindless jolly that seemed to plague everyone else. The figure in the front was on the short side, standing still in a remarkably stiff and unpersonal fashion. She was the first to speak, her toneless high-pitched voice giving in her gender but not much else:
"They seem stable despite the deviation. Though it's unreliable to watch from afar. Approaching them for a closer inspection."
The girl didn't await for confirmation before stepping into the light, revealing a tan figure with long white hair and golden eyes, clad in a battered and worn version of Nageku High's tracksuit. She made a beeline for the group, arriving just in front of Ichirou's path and turning towardss them. She stood silently in their way, simply scanning their expression with the same laser focus from before. The way they'd react to the sudden appearance and the interactions that'd follow from it ought to tell Koemi what she sought to know - to fullfill her current mission, sure, but also to satisfy an ever-lasting curiosity that belonged to her and her alone.

Haz. Haz. (????) Veradana Veradana (Yuzuki, Meiko) BriiAngelic BriiAngelic (Ichirou)
 
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A game of cat and mouse had certainly been longer than this. The second the guitar hit a strong chord he heard her steps. Crouched, peeking out, he took a look and saw her. A girl wearing the same uniform as his own sister skipped merrily in time with in rhythm to the energetic finger magic that was dancing across a guitar's neck in his ears. She moved with a sway in her step in time to the beat, skips matching drum beats as she did her own little jig to sound only he should have been able to hear. The most visible thing about her as she emerged through the darkness, was her glowing golden eyes. Come out, come out where ever you areee! Called the pony tailed girl in a sing song voice. You can run, but you can't hiiiide! No matter where you go I'll find you! She called merrily.

Look here you waste of space, called another voice from another alleyway and Erasmus sank himself into the wall, feeling cold stone as he ducked under the same balcony an old man was standing on. Stop making this difficult for me. Footsteps, and the man was coming down through the staircase.

Inching his way along the wall to another adjoining alley and then dropping onto the ground to crawl when he caught sight of a pony tail, Erasmus crawled along the ground, military style, towards the light that was his exit. Never fearing, just grinning. Certain of his victory. Home base would be in his sights soon and he knew it. If he got to the school and reached his classroom before the bell, he would be safe and would win this game of Ultimate Freeze Tag.

Every time he heard an echo in the emptiness that sounded like a step matching with the guitar strum, he froze, glanced, then once certain, moved forward.

​


FOUND YOU! Came the girl's cheerful cry from far behind.

Like the devil was after him, Erasmus felt a surge of electricity shiver down his head to his toes and faster than Speedy Gonzalez, he was up. Muscles tingling from his run lost that sensation. Footsteps came rushing at him from behind- more footsteps than just one girl could possibly have and he knew for certain that she had company.

Shooting down the alley towards his exit Erasmus was gone. Running, he weaved like a basketball player through garbage cans that obstructed his path, ducked gold eyed birds that swooped down to peck at him, and jumped over filled or empty boxes conveniently in his way. Just as he reached the light that was his exit, time itself seemed to slow as everything around him came into focus as a new song started.

Erasmus became keenly aware of all his surroundings. It was him, the light, the gold eyes behind him with their hands reaching, and for the briefest second, right when that bass hit- he felt himself, as if astral, try to claw its way out of his body before hands that could not be seen but held form, yanked the astral form of himself back into the perpetually grinning him.

That's when time went on. And the pressure in between his eyes returned with that subtle wailing in his ears.

Once again his body was not his own as he ran for it. The speed, the stamina, all of it was his, but none of it felt like him-- which was fine. He was content to watch the ride.

Slamming into someone in the street as he busted out, Erasmus chuckled an apology when the person next to that one knocked someone else down. Glancing quickly behind him and seeing the others still catching up he chanced etiquette and reached out to help them up-- but immediately recoiled looked up at him with glowing yellow eyes.

As if he had omnivision and could see in all places at once, Erasmus saw the girl, the old man, and several of the Starbucks customers that had been watching him near from the corner of his vision.

Instantly, he was off. Leaving the downed two behind.

Snarling, the girl growled and said in his own voice: GET HIM!, just as he was running towards a group of children near a crosswalk. The children blinked, their eyes turned gold- and they pounced. Erasmus, slowed, did a funky half run/ dance as he now ran-stepped his way towards the running children. The first one leaped, he immediately swerved to the side. The second joined in, he dodged their hands and moved back. In the distance he heard the girl and her group approaching through the crowd of passing citizens and Erasmus decided to hedge his bets--

He ran into the busy street.

A car came skidding to a halt right at him and he jumped, slamming into the windshield, feeling a sharp tingle of delight and cackle that made him roll off the roof and fall to the ground.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! A voice called and when he looked up, on the driver's side was a police officer.

"...Ooops," he madly giggle-snorted. The officer merely scowled. One in the passenger seat looked at the older, then their gold eyes twinkled. Pulling out a gun and aiming at his foot, the officer's thumb moved towards the safety-- Erasmus rolled with a 'weeeee' into the open road, causing cars to turn, swerve and one crashing into the officer's passenger side, knocked off his aim and with the safety still on the click never happened.

By the time they looked back Erasmus had entered a mall.

Security officers now stunned, stared at him having seen the display across the street. Then their eyes glinted gold and there was nothing but fury. Erasmus pouted, finding this a little unfair. But, it was a challenge! And he lived for those. "Catch me if you can!" He skipped, between people too and fro, forcing them to either move out of his way and impede the security guards paths or stop and stare in alarm which just gave him more time to run.

Now with security guards after him Erasmus giggled. He might as well be the single greatest runner of Freeze Tag in the world. All it took was a two-hand touch and he would be done for. So far, he had slipped them all. Making a dash down the mall he skidded to a stop at the southern exit when he saw officers entering, talking to a security guard who pointed somewhere vaguely in the direction he was in. Hiding behind a potted plant and ignoring the weird looks Erasmus looked around wildly, and entered a clothing store.

[/div][/div][/div][/div]

Mentions: n/a

Interactions: n/a
 
They continued on their road to school, Meika no longer clinging, but still close enough that they were practically shoulder to shoulder. Kayatomi was so beautiful, especially now that the cherry blossoms were blooming. Yuzuki had started chattering again, as if Meika’s gloomy words had been forgotten, washed away by the taste of honey. All of a sudden, someone screamed at them from down the street.

The yelling boy, Yuzuki wasn’t sure she recognised him, but he and the other guy had the same uniform that she did, so they must be people she knew from school, right? Yuzuki waved back jovially as their groups joined together. She all but dragged Meika along behind her, and while Yuzuki was smiling and laughing along with Shirou, Meika just watched the two noisy boys completely stone-faced.

“Why would we want to hang out with these jackasses?” She grumbled.

They were probably about to get going to wherever they were going, school, right? But it seemed like Shirou, and Ichirou were talking about ditching and honestly, Yuzuki thought that sounded a lot more fun. As they were about to head out, another girl stepped out from the alleyway, and stood alongside them, but she didn’t say anything either.

Yuzuki blinked at her, was she shy? They were all from the same school, so she should at least recognise this girl, right? But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t place a name to the face. She opened her mouth to great the new girl and to invite her along with them. The more the merrier, right?

Meika however, her pale eyes turned fire, glare locked onto the invader, her face contorted in a way Yuzuki had never seen before. In an instant, Meika was between the two, whole body bristling, snarling every word.

“You, what are you…,” Meika stepped forward, “get out! Go away!” Another step, she swung a fist at the interloper’s face, “Don’t come near us, trash!” Whatever it took, she wouldn’t let that thing any closer to Yuzuki.

Yuzuki just tilted her head, watching Meika. Why did the new girl need to leave? They didn’t know each other, but Yuzuki was sure they could be friends. More friends were always the best. Yuzuki smiled, and skipped over, wrapping her arms around Meika’s chest and pulling her into a hug from behind. Meika thrashed and pulled against it, not taking her eyes off her target.

“LET GO! LET GO! LET ME GO!” Of course, Yuzuki didn’t, couldn’t, understand what it was, what it had done.

“Aww, Mei-chan,” Yuzuki giggled, “You’re so cute when you’re jealous, but don’t worry; I have room in my heart for both of you~!”

“idiot idiot idiot,” Meika growled, clawing at Yuzuki’s arms, kicking at her legs, “you bubble-headed little idiot, can’t you see what’s going on around you?” Yuzuki’s face remained in that same docile expression. Meika’s face contorted again, this time into an eerie smile, and she let out a low chuckle.

“That’s okay, I’ll make you understand soon enough.”


BriiAngelic BriiAngelic CapRock CapRock Haz. Haz. ((things are starting to heat up))
 

  • image4.jpg
    Persona: Unawakened
    Status: N/A
    Current Buffs: N/A

    Interacting With:
    Shirou, Koemi ( CapRock CapRock ), Yuzuki & Yuzuki's Shadow ( Veradana Veradana )
    ~Streets to Nageku ~
    Cherry Soda || Ichirou’s CS File

    If he had to rank people, which he always did, then these were at least three tiers higher than the fools that ran away. Which meant that he was definitely gonna have some fun today. He even got two cute girls joining them, which was saying something cause he definitely didn’t originally notice the extra. Since when did Quiet Girl have a twin? Actually he hadn’t realized there were other sets of twins in Nageku High. Shit was he behind in the twin-o-meter and he didn’t even know it. He waved back franticlly from Shirou's side.

    He let his eyes go back and forth between the two, eerily similar twins. Quiet girl had to be the one that was doing the dragging since after all she didn’t have such glowing yellow eyes. The other, had he ever seen her before, was far less enthusiastic to hang out with them. As the girls approached he heard the sarcastic,biting, voice of Shirou beside him. He let out a laugh as he thought of the comparison, Beautiful and Deadly. That’s what Sirens were right? He approved.

    “Oh I’m a siren eh? I would say that would mean that you’ve already decided to be stuck in my orbit right? Don’t worry I don’t bite. Much.”

    He went to elbow Shirou in the side with some childish need for contact. The girls were a nice addition Quiet Girl needed a name soon though. He was ready to throw himself on either Quiet Gal or her doppleganger of a twin, since after all hugs were more fun with more people, but a new girl appeared before them. Another he’d never seen before, even if he was a first-year this basically meant he was far too behind in interschool politics. Especially considering that the doppelganger knew this girl judging by her violent reaction. At least he learned the twin’s name was Mei.

    Turning back to the new woman he near turned up his nose hugged her. Instead, he looked her up and down. Yup never seen her before. Her hair was nice, her clothes looked worse off than his and Jun’s were. He went forth aiming to grab her hands.

    “Hey you another Nageku native then? Chill with us.”

 
a good(bad) boi.png
Alex Feron
Interacting: none
Mentions: school people
Alex woke up, blinking a few times to himself, before getting out and going about his morning like he usually did, he got out of the bed and went about his day as usual "What if we went out and cut someone's chest open and slowly pulled out the organs?" as he stepped out of the door the thought came, although this time it didn't seem to stop him, nor did he frown, in fact he started to smile a bit as he went out the door and started walking towards the school, taking the path he usually did "So like, how would a group of people react to their head being decapitated" another thought and once again, ignored, how strange and peculiar, his smile was still going on strong even! and finally he would make it to the school when he usually did, and "Let's go on a killing spree tonight, maybe we can really concuss someone to death" he entered into the building​
 
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