deercountry | (closed) tea for two

Entry tags:

(closed) tea for two

Who: Chizuru and Blue
What: The promised tea party happens!
When: Sometime in May.
Where: Over at Chizuru's place.

Content Warnings: Should be nothing, will edit if anything comes up!

[ Honestly, Chizuru is actually pretty stoked about Blue coming over. Partially since she just likes the company - yes, it's not like she lives by herself, but having more people over is always nice, especially since Lys happens to be out today - but also because she likes the idea of Blue having more company.

Even if he seems to be doing so much better than he did back when he left that message on the Omnis, Chizuru can't help but fuss a little all the same. It comes naturally to her, like instinct. So if he's coming over, and they're going to have tea and chat - well, it gives her a few more moments to see how he's doing, right?

And since he's bringing the tea, the girl figures that she ought to do something here too. She makes sure to thoroughly clean the house beforehand, then makes sure to arrange everything on the table all nicely so everything is just right when Blue comes over.

Once she's done with it all, she just waits.. but thankfully it doesn't take too long to hear a knock on the door. Chizuru is quickly to make her way over to the door and open it, a smile on her face.

The next moment she's already bowing in greeting. ]

Hi! Thank you so much for coming over..! [ She moves back up. ] I'm so happy to see you!

[ And she sure seems to be. Chizuru currently has a bit of that 'dog that's way too happy its owner just came home' energy about her.. ]

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[it turns out she is greeting both a strange-looking man and...and a very pale lion. Blue's hand rests on the beast's shoulder, keeping him steady and upright as he withdraws his hand from the door and watches the flurry of emotions rush over to greet them.

bright red eyes fix on her, unblinking, his head tilting just slightly to rustle his bangs and give him a better look at her.

he'd guessed she was young from her voice, and her temperament and presence only convinces him more. she seems...brighter than most people he'd passed by on the way here.]

Hello, Chizuru. [he nods his head in response to the bow. the lion's ear flicks.] Thank you for allowing me to visit. This is...the first time I have been invited to another's home in this way.

The first time..?

[ Somehow those words seem to surprise the girl so much more than the lion by the other's side. If this meeting had happened months earlier, that sure would have been different - but it's not the first time Chizuru has greeted someone who just casually had a dangerous animal with them, so she's starting to think that sort of thing might just.. be normal here.

Somehow.

Either way, she doesn't want to insult him by drawing too much attention to it to a point where it'd seem like she thinks it's strange. Instead Chizuru shakes her head, her gaze sliding from the lion to Blue as she asks: ]

Ah, wait.. Is that your omen?

[ Or maybe it just is a random lion? Who even knows at this point. Chizuru figures this is the most polite way of asking about it though, making sure to keep her expression pretty neutral as she asks it. At most a hint of curiosity slips into said expression. ]

Yes.

[he smiles small, looking to the beast at his side, who in turn gently chuffs and stretches his neck out, attempting to nose and get a sniff at their host.]

He is docile, but if his size is troublesome or frightening, he will sit outside and take no offense.

[ She quickly shakes her head. Like she doesn't want him to feel worried even for a moment - even though Blue is kind enough to say that his lion pal would take no offense in the first place. ]

No-- It's fine! Please, both of you, come in..

[ She's already stepping inside so they can come into the house in the first place. ]

I know some people's omens may be pretty big, but.. um, I haven't seen a single one yet that wasn't friendly!

[ In fact, if the lion tries to sniff her in passing, Chizuru doesn't seem to pull away or to try to stop it in the slightest. ]

[for her kindness, Chizuru does get a sniff and something of a nudge from the lion's large head while he's walking his person inside, tail swishing wide one last time before going still for the duration; rogue tail-swipes could disturb the host's belongings, after all.

Blue keeps his hand on the omen's shoulder as he steps in, stopping partway in the room to look back to Chizuru for direction.]

Your own, too? Or...have you not uncovered yours yet?

I have!

[ She closes the door behind them before moving ahead, squeezing past Blue and the lion to head into the living room of the house. She gestures as if wordlessly telling Blue and his lion to go ahead and sit down.. wherever lion omens sit, anyway.

And it also makes it very clear that Chizuru has discovered her omen, because there's a tiny bird, looking very much like a swallow, perched on a post in the room. ]

That's mine over there.. [ She smiles a little. ] It's a lot smaller than yours, huh..?

In stature, yes... [he gives the bird a thoughtful look.] But...that is a songbird, yes? I've heard that...such creatures have beautiful voices.

Is it true? Where you're from.

[ She nods. ]

It is. I remember hearing birds singing in the mornings sometimes.. [ If she was up early enough, before the rest of the compound would wake up and - inevitably - start causing a ruckus. ]

But.. you know, surprising enough this one is very quiet.

[ Chizuru glances over at her omen for a moment before looking back at Blue. ]

I haven't heard it make a sound even once.

[hmm...]

Perhaps...it sings only for a certain moment...a feeling, or...a person. [a beat, then he smiles somewhat apologetically to her.]

I cannot say. I know very little about omens. Or animals.

[the lion snorts.]

It's okay! [ At least Chizuru doesn't seem too worried about it. Sure, even if she was worried there is a chance the girl might have brushed it off with an 'it's okay' either way, since it's just how Chizuru is.

But right now she seems genuinely not worried about it, instead offering him a smile. ]

Maybe my omen is just quiet, you know? I don't mind..

[ It's not like Chizuru is a loud person either. ]

Besides, I think it's the same for both of us. Um, that we're still trying to find out a lot about omens in the first place.. Everything is a little overwhelming when you show up here at first and have so much to learn about, right?

[when you show up here at first...]

How long has it been, then? Since...you found yourself upon these shores.

For me? Um..

[ She hums, seeming to think. She'd like to give an exact answer here, so she's got to count months for a moment - though it's only a brief moment. ]

It's been four months by now. [ Thankfully she can still count those. ] I guess it might not be so long to some people, but it's felt like a pretty long time to me already now..

[ Especially since she usually never travels back home. She's too used to the familiar. ]

[Blue fixes her with a mild, thoughtful expression.]

...It can be. Given...the way things happen here. I don't think it's strange to think that way.

[ She nods. ]

Yes. Everything here is also so.. strange and different, compared to where I come from.

[ Chizuru starts moving in the direction of the kitchen - just so she can get started on brewing some tea for the two of them here.

Though she's still talking as she walks. After all, saying that.. it's making her a little bit curious. ]

How about you? How does this place compare to the one you come from..? [ Chizuru is realising she knows very little about Blue, after all. Let alone about the place he comes from. ]

[with some help from the omen, Blue follows her along through the house toward that kitchen, stopping to rest a hand on the back of a chair. he won't sit unless invited to; it'd seem impolite somehow. even then, his focus is more on her question than matters of teatime etiquette.]

Where I come from... Is very different. But...the feelings people feel...are familiar. Yet stronger. Minds and hearts here are unrestrained...and there are no machines here to dictate their paths forward.

[his mouth quirks faintly.] I do miss...the technology that so easily controlled temperatures, though. Humans invented many remarkable comforts in that reality.

.. there were.. a lot of machines where you come from?

[ That's rather curious to Chizuru. It's why she can't help but focus on that part of what the other is saying.

After all, it might as well be the complete opposite of her own world, where there weren't any machines around at all. If anything, this place has been introducing her to new ones..

(And then there's that second odd part, where he refers to 'humans' like he might not be one of them. Or is that just her reading too much into it, considering she is the same..?) ]

And they controlled a lot of things? I've never heard of a place like that before..

[he nods gently.]

Machines...computers, they manage everything. Every facet of human life there. Long ago, humans decided...they were unfit to govern themselves, and so they have given themselves up to the rule of computers which design the courses of their lives.

Superior Domination... That is what their system is called.

[ It sounds like a story to Chizuru.

A story she can't even properly wrap her mind around, considering she's never even seen a computer, as far as she knows. She's only heard people in this place speak of them. ]

Why would people think something like that..?

[ She sounds like she truly can't understand, even though she's trying. Chizuru naturally wants to try and understand people, but this feels like.. so much. ]

What's so wrong with people deciding about their own life? With.. people just trying their best..?

[Blue smiles empathetically. her reaction is true - something the youngest of Mu often echoed, themselves estranged enough from the history to relate at all.]

Because of what humans did...to their homeland. Earth, Terra... Under the purview of mankind...it was ravaged, made unlivable.

So when they all left, escaping to the stars...they decided then. No more human error. It would be the machines who would decide their futures.

Many hundreds of years have passed since then - many generations of humans who are now so used to it as to never wonder of life any other way. Those who do...are quietly suppressed. And those deemed unfit...[his expression grows somber as he looks toward a window.]

Those deemed unfit are eliminated.

Eliminated..?

[ It's that word that she's stuck on the most here, distracting her entirely from making the tea. The rest of the story is so wild to her as well in every single way possible, since Chizuru is just a sheltered girl from the middle of the 19th century - she has no idea about most of this stuff, let alone what it could mean. Moving into space is something she can't even imagine.

And yet it's that word she gets stuck on.

Just staring at him.. and frowning with concern. ]

What.. does that mean..?

[ She has an idea of what it means, sure.

But Chizuru doesn't like it. It makes an ice cold dread grow in the pit of her stomach. ]

[that chill...he can sense it, and because of that, he looks back her way with a sad smile.]

You'll have to forgive me, Chizuru. Where I'm from...is a place full of sadness. Those like me...those who have survived, we endure. Finding happiness despite the danger...it's something people can still do.

We see it here all the time, don't we.

[ Chizuru fully turns away from the kitchen she had been facing, her attention fully moving towards Blue now. Forget the tea for another moment - it feels so silly and inconsequential in the face of what he's telling her here. About all this stuff she had absolutely no idea about.

Her own expression softens, but that just means it melts into a sad kind of sympathy. ]

Oh.. I'm so sorry. I had no idea..

[ No idea just how hard Blue would have had it, even before ever showing up here. Even before getting so hurt at losing his friends.

It's a little forward by her standards, but she can't help it in the light of what she's hearing here. Chizuru reaches out, gently taking a hold of his hands and holding them in her own, probably trying to provide him some comfort with the gesture. ]

You've been through so much, but.. like you said, you've endured. That's an amazing thing, you know..? You're so strong, even now.

[Blue goes still as she advances and takes his hands, seized not only physically but psionically. her thoughtfulness is potent enough without physical contact, but doing so opens doors to that wealth of intention and feeling.

humans...really are remarkable. the wealth of emotion and will they can have unfettered by machines and systems designed to hold them back still keeps catching Blue off-guard. to be fair, he's had three hundred years of the contrary to inform his perspective and mere months here to unlearn it - it'll take some time for the uniqueness to ease off. ease off, but never entirely wear away.

he smiles, squeezing her hands.]

That strength is from my people, not myself. From others...from you. Thank you for your kindness. It's very potent - I can tell just at a glance.

[ Being the way she is, Chizuru just assumes that he means he can tell from her actions, rather than quite literally being able to feel it in this instance - but it basically has the same reaction on her anyway. She starts looking a little flustered, though the sympathy in this moment is still stronger, and mumbles a 'thank you' first.

It's only appropriate to thank him for saying something so kind, after all. ]

I think anyone would tell you the same after hearing about something like that..

[ His world sounds rather extreme to her, after all. And even though Chizuru is aware most people here don't come from the same sort of place as her, she figures that their homes probably aren't quite as extreme as Blue's either. ]

Though.. does that mean this place is better for you than the one you come from..? [ Not that this one is ideal, mind you.

But at least they aren't being controlled all the time here. Or eliminated. ]

[his grip slacks, freeing her should she fluster so much that she needs to relent entirely. still, the fond, appreciative smile remains, though it takes on a contemplative shade at her question.]

...In ways, yes. I don't have to hide here, but...there are still dangers against our lives, aren't there. This isn't the home I dream for still, but here I have met humans who aren't afraid of me. [even if they should be.]

[ Usually she'd ask why people would have to be afraid of him, but.. considering his home, the place he just spoke of.. Chizuru can imagine that people might live with a whole lot of fear in that world.

So instead she smiles a little, despite the fluster that still hangs around her. ]

I'm not afraid of you.

[ She can at least say that much. And since it feels important, she does keep holding onto his hands, despite his slackening grip. It's like a way to show what she's saying, a way to back up her words. ]

I don't think I'd ever have a reason to be.

[she says that, radiating reassurance, and while Blue can feel the compulsion in his blood to sponge those feelings for himself, he recoils, slowly withdrawing his hands entirely with a conflicted look painting across his features.]

This place...is very keen to exploit such dauntless faith, Chizuru. It's done so before. In me, through me.

My own natural talents...were bent and distorted to do harm through a wish to do good. Don't let me do that to you by putting your guard too far down around me.

That's--..

[ She starts a bit more confidently, but then abruptly stops after that first word. Her gaze turns more worried as she looks at Blue, now no longer holding his hands.

Her natural inclination is to protest what he's saying here, but it'd feel too much like denying what he went through. How hard it must have been on him. So Chizuru swallows the words right back up before she can speak more of them, her own gaze just as conflicted as his own for a moment.

.. until she seems to realise something. Something that makes her shake her head. ]

It's fine. I don't want to lose faith in the people I care for, no matter what this place does.

[ She fiercely believes in that. Enough so that there's none of Chizuru's usual meek hesitance about the words. ]

Besides.. I can't get hurt as easily as most people. So you don't have to worry about causing me harm, really.. I'll be fine, no matter what happens.

[Blue's expression scrunches a bit as he seeks to understand beyond what he can see so plainly. he can perceive the bond forged already, bright and strong as her compassion is, and it's already found its way to his own heart. cutting it now would be very painful, no matter how fresh and new it is.

her speaking so confidently of herself...it's commendable, but...Blue can't help but fear for her, all the same. this place seems to like to prey particularly on those kinds of confidences, after all.

yet he can't deny her honesty, because as it stands right now, she is right to believe in herself. Blue dips his head in a remorseful nod.]

I'll believe those words, then. [for as long as they ring true.]

.. please don't look so sad..

[ It's not an order though. After all, Blue can't help his feelings - but when she sees him looking so remorseful, Chizuru's look turns a little sadder too.

Blue seems like such a nice person.. It's not right that this place has hurt him so much already. That it has made him fear even just being close to people. It's not fair. ]

For now.. Let's just enjoy what we've got, you know..? Let's just enjoy having this tea together here, when nothing at all seems to be wrong. [ Even if they can't change anything about the future.. well, then they've still always got the present. ]

[his head lifts, eyes back on her. his expression wanes out of its sadness to a soft, reflective kind of look before he can manage to smile small.]

Yes. It's what we set out to do today, isn't it? [so he'll set his worries aside and meet her halfway in this.] May I sit? Or should I be assisting with some preparation?

[ She shakes her head. ]

No, you can sit down! [ Together with his lion pal. ] You're the guests, after all. I'll take care of making the tea, and then I'll come right over to sit with you.

[ And then hopefully they'll be able to talk about something a little lighter. They deserve it. ]

[he does as requested, sitting himself in a chair that can enable him to watch her work; the lion paces around the table and goes to the end of the kitchen to sit patiently out of the way, since no one wants a scenario where tea cups get broken from tripping over tails or big ol' feet.]

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(closed) tea for two

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