deercountry | (closed) march catchall

Entry tags:

(closed) march catchall

Who: Ange (

entreats), Chizuru (

tealeafs), Daniel (

miyagimagic) and various others.
What: March shenanigans.
When: During all of March.
Where: Locations vary.

Content Warnings: Nothing right now, specific warnings will be in headers when they come up.

( starters in the comments! if you want to plot anything with me, feel free to either pm the journal or contact me at

queeningsquare, i'm always open to new ideas and threads! )

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ To be honest - the entire idea did seem a little scary to Chizuru, mostly because she has so very little experience with this sort of thing. And all of the experiences she did have with it were induced by this place, and.. well, Trench usually doesn't let you end up in the friendliest of places.

Even her own memories had been dangerous ones, after all.

But there are some factors that keep Chizuru from avoiding this entirely. The first thing is - rather simply - the fact that Robby brought up the idea to her, and she utterly trusts him. Knowing that he'll be by her side throughout it makes it a little more bearable.

And then there's the fact that she just knows she has to do this. She has to practice with her powers, even if she knows very little about how to use them.

She has to keep herself safe here. And maybe - if she allows herself to dream - help keep her friends safe too.

It's how they ended up sitting in this situation. Sitting together on the floor of the indoor dojo, a little out of the way to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping into them, and Chizuru staring with big eyes at the stone Robby is holding in his hand. ]

So.. you're sure that is going to help with practice..?

[ She doesn't sound sceptical as much as Chizuru just sounds curious. And even grateful, considering it's not really like Robby himself is getting much out of this, since he isn't a paleblood. (And it's not like she knows that warmbloods actually do have power this month.) Yet he's still helping her.

It means a lot, especially through these recent rough times for both of them. ]

[ It's not often that Daniel's Omen actually leaves the house - beyond the garden and the dojo attached to it, anyway. Even when Daniel goes out, he's often more by himself than accompanied by his Omen, who prefers staying back to keep an eye on the house and especially on the dojo.

But there are circumstances - very rare ones - where the creature does venture out into the world by itself.

To go see someone, for example. He can just see most people he knows when they come over for either Daniel or for the dojo, but there are the rare few people the Omen knows who wouldn't just show up there. Which means he hardly sees them.

And that won't do. He had been fussing over that cat who had shown up that one time around the dojo's opening, and he hasn't seen the creature since.. though it makes sense, since he seemed to not want to be spotted by the humans at the dojo.

So the Omen starts wandering over town. The upside of being in a dog-like form, especially in his current smaller form, is that he has a pretty good nose - meaning he can track down the person once he gets close enough to find that familiar smell.

Which he does once he arrives at Willfull Machine. The dog starts sprinting through the streets, following the scent, and before long Taro may find the small fluffy dog from a few months ago suddenly rapidly approaching him..

What do you do, Taro. ]

[ The past few months Ange has very much been like a frog in a pot of slowly boiling water. The only difference being that the girl very much realised that the water was starting to boil. It was like the world was getting worse and worse around her. More dangerous things happening, and more of those things happening to the people she's close to. It feels like she's nearly witnessed Ruby die so many times over the past few months that it feels unbearable.

And this month isn't better. It's like she's seen Ruby starting to wither in front of her eyes - and where will that end? Will Ruby just get worse and worse until she's weak enough that whatever is draining her will just kill her?

That can't happen. Ange can't let it happen, and it feels like it will happen for sure unless she does something here.

She knows just what to do, too.

For the first time in what feels like months, Ange feels eerily calm as she steps into their shared bedroom, watching Ruby lie there on the bed, looking as drained as she has seemed for days now. ]

Ruby.

[ Despite the calm that has come over her, Ange speaks the name with fondness. Nothing could take away her affection for Ruby, after all, not even with the corruption that's growing in her veins, her eyes having taken on a faint golden hue already as she moves to sit down on the bed, right next to where the other girl is lying. ]

It must hurt. [ To be that drained. Especially for a girl like Ruby, who is usually so bright. So full of life. The opposite of what Ange is seeing right now.

She reaches out, placing a hand on the other's cold cheek. ]

You'll let me help you, won't you..?

[ Is Robby kinda winging this? Yeah. But it's not without some consideration. The stone is small in his hand, no bigger than a ping-pong ball, but glimmering even under the lighting of the indoor dojo. He rocks his hand a little, just to help the way it catches. ]

Won't know 'til we try it. [ He looks up at her with a grin, worn smooth on his face. ] If it fails, we'll try something else--but it'll be fun if it works. The stonemaker said you should be able to control wherever we turn up, since you've got paleblood. You just need to focus.

[ Easier said than done, but Robby continues as he takes one of Chizuru's hands and slips the stone for her to hold; placing his own hand over hers, then cupping the other side. ]

You need to breathe, and think of me and somewhere you remember--nothing too busy, it's just meant to help people drift to sleep. [ And he didn't get a more expensive stone...even he has to be cheap. ] So a forest, or...you can try a village or somewhere. Just--somewhere good to you. Imagine the two of us there. If we do it like this, we should both end up wherever you're thinking? But... [ well. ] It won't hurt, anyway.

[ Even if it fails, or the imaginary place falls apart. But that's part of the practice, why Robby decided to try this: there's no pain in imagination, and with a weak stone. So's the hope.

And if she ends up in imaginary land and he doesn't? He'll shake her out of it. No big. ]

[ Ange can only think of one reason to leave her perfect little world so soon after its creation.

It's a simple reason. It's just-- It's not done yet. As perfect as her little world is, just the way she wanted it, away from all the danger, it's not finished. Not even with Ruby already there with her. There's no way she could just sit in there and forget about what she saw last month. Break's body, mauled by the snake, blood everywhere, a man who tried to squabble in the way they usually do, but with a part of him that seemed so lifeless.

She almost lost him. And she can't. She can't lose Break.

Ange knows she needs him with her there as well. He's too important. Even if she has to leave the rest of the world behind outside, she can't leave Break behind. She has to keep him safe. And he's been losing people from his home so steadily as well. He'll understand, right? It's safer to be together. Away from this place.

It's a good thing the corruption hasn't set in far enough for her to just burst into his home out of nowhere. She does at least bother to knock at the door, even though she can hear her own heart pounding so loudly in her chest that it resonates in her ears.

And when he opens the door, she has to resist the temptation to just drag him right along. No, that-- it won't do.

She has to make Break see this is better. She has to go slowly. He'll understand. ]

Break. The other Alice-- She's gone too now, right? I just heard about it.

[Taro's walking around in human form, looking in store windows... he's getting the itch again, so he has to pick the right sort of store. It's got to have the right amount of things in darker places, and enough things that it's going to not be missed right away -]

[He looks up at the sound of tippytaps on pavement and sighs, rubbing his face. He can't turn into a cat here - not without attracting attention. Fortunately people know omens can talk so it's not as weird when he crouches down to talk to the dog.]

Hey. What are you doing out here, alone? You're going to get hurt.

[Who knows how much an omen might fetch? ... Heh. Fetch.]

[The first indication that Break is doing poorly is that the oversized striped cardigan he is wearing when he answers the door is red and black, rather than his signature purple.

This is because, indeed, the second of the twin Alices has gone back to the sea. Both sisters had a tendency to rifle around in Break's laundry and steal his things, especially the big floppy cardigans and shawls; the pale one always went for his purple and blue clothing, and the other always went for the red. She gave explicit instructions before she left that her room was not to be messed with, so naturally the first thing he did was spitefully barge right into it and reclaim his cardigans.]

Baltus snitched again, did he?

[Because of course Ange of all people would understand how tender he's feeling and rush right to his side once she was informed, but actually bother to knock on the door, allowing him to be the one to decide whether he wants any company at all or would rather be alone with his grief. But Baltus has already given him the morning to indulge himself, because Break is taking this loss harder than some of the others.]

She went back to the sea, yes. She told me that…she meant to find the others.

[And Break knows, he knows Alice didn't have a choice in the matter, and all the bossy proclamations she gave them before she left were her way of avoiding having to say goodbye, a way to keep control. He can't even blame her. But she was the last of his kids from home, and while he certainly doesn't begrudge Echo and Lucius their places in his house, it still feels like a personal abandonment.

Of course she'd leave him eventually, in favor of the loves she's really meant to be with. They were making the best of Trench, but they never truly belonged to one another. Nobody Break ever belonged to in his old life is here anymore now, and while there's always a chance, the lack of impossibility is painful in its own way, too. He's going to be hoping, pining every goddamn day for the rest of his life and he knows it.

It's how he's felt about the Rainsworths this whole time. As he stands aside to let Ange in, his eye gleams faintly in the shadows of the foyer.]

[It was hard to predict what was going to happen in Trench from one month to the next. Most of the time Ruby didn't try, she was almost always ready to face a challenge head on. Except this month she found herself without the energy to rise much less go out and protect the people she cared for.

It hit her especially hard because the cold blood that ran through her had merged with the abilities she carried from home. Her aura, the physical manifestation of her soul had been linked to those powers. And for reasons Ruby explain for the life of her- It felt like that very force was being drained from her body. Like she was being pulled out from her own body.

It leaves her bedridden on the worst of days or going about her day like a shadow of herself on the best. The bright and vibrant young woman is hardly there and only manages to come out in spurts.

There's a slow blink when Ange enters the room but hardly a reaction beyond that when Ange first enters the room and approaches. Her head turns slightly in her direction as she feels the touch on her cheek. There's a hint of recognition in her eyes but a hint of struggle too. Like it's taking her a little longer than normal to piece together what the other girl is saying to her.]

Ange? I...

Of course. Anything you say.

I wanted to see you.

[ .. the Omen sure seems to be ignoring the last part of what Taro says, huh. But at least it is giving an answer to the other's question, in that typical low voice that doesn't suit the dog's cutesy looks at all.

A tone that's just as straightforward and earnest as the last time they spoke. Because the Omen very well realises this is the same person he talked to before, even if Taro sure isn't a cat rigth now. ]

I remember you. [ It even clarifies, as if darting straight for Taro didn't make as much clear yet..

The Omen's fluffy tail is wagging back and forth like crazy too. ]

.. alright.

[ Chizuru doesn't sound entirely sure, even as she's giving that answer. Then again - is that rare when it comes to Chizuru? Certainly not, it seems like the girl always has a hard time believing in herself, and the idea that she could do something like that because of her blood when she hasn't been able to use its power at all feels.. a little overwhelming.

But despite that feeling being obvious about her here, she doesn't let it stop her. Robby is here with her, and he got her this stone in the first place. He's putting time and effort and even money into her by just being here with her like this and doing it with her.

The least she can do is try. That's what she always says, right?

So without wasting more words, the girl closes her eyes, trying to focus. On her breathing, like Robby mentioned, but also on the feeling of the stone in her hand, and the feeling of Robby's hands around her own. The same hands that have comforted her so many times when she was sad or hurt - the way they envelop her with trust, and friendly affection. She wants to be able to pull this off. For herself, for Robby. Even if it may just be a first step.

Chizuru frowns, clearly greatly concentrating over here, even if something about their surroundings seem to change just yet. ]

H-Hold on..

[ Apparently she can also tell that nothing has changed yet, despite not opening her eyes. ]

I.. I'll get it. [ Chizuru kind of sounds like she's saying it more to herself than to Robby. Like she's trying to encourage herself here. ] I just need a moment..

[ A moment to calm down. To think.

Maybe to even believe in herself. ]

[ Even with Ange's mind where it currently is, it's hard to not notice all these little things about Break. His choice in clothing. The words he's saying, and how he's saying them.

That eye that glows, only barely. ]

She was the last one.

[ It's not said without softness in her tone. Ange feels for Break, after all - that's the entire problem in the first place. She feels so deeply for both him and Ruby, and that's why she has to do something about this. Are they just supposed to accept that the ocean is allowed to take away the kids that seemed so important to Break one by one? So slowly over time too - like slow torture, rather than a bandaid ripped off.

And sure, there's still kids here in Break's house. She was - literally speaking - not the last one.

But it's different. Even Ange can tell. She knows Break far too well to not be able to tell how fond exactly he is of a person simply by how he speaks of them, no matter how casual it may seem in nature.

Ange does step inside, but she doesn't move past Break. Instead she stands right in front of him in the hallway, looking up at him. ]

.. you're hurting.

[ It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, considering the circumstances, but Ange can see it as she looks at him right now, as she stares him in the eye. ]

[ It hurts to even see the other like this. It feels.. wrong. This isn't what Ruby is supposed to be like. It's like this place is slowly taking everything that makes Ruby.. well, Ruby away from her.

And Ange hates to see it.

It's why she's glad for the other agreeing, even though she figures Ruby has little energy to do anything else. But she wants to make sure they're on the same page about this. Ange doesn't want to do anything to hurt Ruby, she just--

She wants to keep her safe. It's why she gently shushes, leaning closer to press a gentle kiss against her wife's lips. ]

Don't worry. I'll make it all better.

[ As she softly says that, almost more a whisper shared between them than anything louder than that, Ange slowly pulls her face back.

Not her hand though. It still rests on Ruby's cheek, mostly with the palm, the fingers moving a bit further into Ruby's hairline, where Ange remembers she pressed her fingers against the other's skull before to create their bond. ]

If you don't have power right now, then.. you can have some of mine. [ Her hand starts glowing golden as she says it. ]

[ It's a big ask, or a not very defined one, Robby thinks. Guiding by feeling than by anything concrete, but isn't this exactly how Mister LaRusso taught him to use his ice? Imagination, and concentration. He hopes it works all the same, when generating ice out of thin air has to be as unreal as conjuring an imaginary world.

Sure, one seems more possible in the real world without magic than the other, but they're not in a normal world, are they? ]

It's alright, [ Robby offers her firmly. Reassurance is all he can give her at this point. His eyes close, as if it's what he should be doing, willing to wait. Reassuring Chizuru that it's okay to wait, that there's no rush--no rush from him, anyway.

But he does believe. Because if he could do it, shouldn't Chizuru be able to, too? Unless this is like Mister LaRusso and fire, but maybe (hopefully) the stone will bypass that, and give Chizuru some guidance to even feel the magic at work. Even if she can't do this without it, it's a start, feeling a spark that could possibly be used for whatever fits her more naturally. ]

Uh huh.

[He's not happy about that, but he can't change his scent if he doesn't realize people are looking for it. He sighs and picks the omen up - providing it allows itself to be - and starts walking down the street.]

You need to get home. Why were you looking for me, anyway?

[Couldn't be that someone was worried about him. That'd be stupid.]

...Echo is still here. She...went against her horrid drain rat of a master to help me rescue Lady Sharon, once. I'm certain that — she was treated terribly for it.

[Break's voice is soft, but he tells Ange this almost defensively. Of course he'd never forget anyone saving the life of a Rainsworth; it's certainly one of the reasons she lives in his house here, despite all the ways they just don't seem to understand one another at all. Even so, his expression does remain drawn and tired, as though his pain is physical.]

Mm, but...she doesn't know my past.

[Ange does, so he probably doesn’t need to explain why such a thing would matter. Break isn't an easy person to get to know in a great many ways, most of which are very deliberate on his part, and it's a simple fact that no one can ever truly understand him without that essential key. Alice was the last of his kids from home who knew that story -- and, even if Echo did find out the rest, it's not as though she'd have reason to care. She wasn't really involved with the Alices, the girls the whole story was ultimately wrapped around, and given her circumstances a much more pressing issue than Break's past as a Contractor was whether he might Hatter her to death in the present. Satisfied that Break is an ally in the now, there's no real reason for his past to matter.

Which means the last person who had reason to give a damn about just what Break meant to the story, what he went through to play his part in it, is gone. He is hurting.]

Alice was -- much more a tie between myself and what we left behind. This is...an even more "adrift" sort of feeling than when we first arrived, you know...?

[ As always, the thing that's stopping Chizuru - well, it's Chizuru herself.

Because everything else is perfect. There is a certain power pulsing from the stone, so apparent that even she can feel it. There's Robby's warm hands around her own, the reassurance of a loved one's presence always steadying for Chizuru.

But it's her own heart that makes it hard. The feeling of trying to do something she's not sure she can do, and struggling with it. It's that feeling that holds her back, that always threatens to pull her under - even now.

But she tries to fight it. Robby wouldn't bring this to her if he thought she couldn't do it, she reminds herself. Robby believes in her, so she-- she has to live up to that. She has to become someone who can do more for others.

And in this moment that means activating the power in this stone. Maybe it's not the most powerful of stones, but it's potent enough that Chizuru can feel its power, and slowly tip herself over into tapping into them, feeling something inside of her connect with it. She tries to imagine a place as hard as she can. A place that's calm, yet familiar enough for her to be able to recall it well. Most of the streets of Kyoto are too busy, as are the Shinsengumi headquarters, or any of the many battlefields she's been part of.

Chizuru, however, knows of one quiet place she knows intimately well.

It's how their surroundings finally start to shift, even if neither of them may notice right away with their eyes closed, until they're drawn fully into that dreamlike state. The space around them is simple. A Japanese-style room with little in it, just the bare necessities when it comes to furniture, other than what seems like a Japanese-style bookshelf covered in scrolls and other papers. Tatami mats on the floor, a paper sliding door.

There's a quiet over the house, as if even the sounds from outside don't reach in here.

Chizuru slowly opens her eyes, looking awed that even just this much worked already - even if it may be the bare minimum when using this stone, but it's not like Chizuru isn't a girl who gets baffled over every bare minimum. ]

It's-- It's home. [ She softly explains.

"Home" feels like a more and more complicated term to apply to this place, especially when she's found so much more love and care with the Shinsengumi or in Trench than she ever truly may have in this house, but-- there's nothing else to call it.

It's the house she grew up in, the one she hardly left for well over a decade. A place she remembers well, for as bare as it may be. ]

[ There's absolutely zero resistance to being picked up. It also helps that it's small enough that carrying the Omen is no hassle at all, especially when he isn't resisting in the first place.

It's like carrying a way oversized potato. ]

I wanted to see if you were alright. [ The Omen states - so plainly.

Sorry, Taro, but he definitely was worried about you. There's hardly any other way to interpret these words, huh. ]

[ Usually Ange would be one for nuances like these, really. It's not like she'd want to accidentally insult anyone who might mean something to Break after all.

But it's a little harder when her brain has been all jumbled up, priorities shoved around until she's practically got one thing on her mind. It's hard enough to keep herself together enough to look like herself out here, when every single part of her longs to be back in her own little world already, when it is calling her back to rule as its witch, rather than linger here as a girl.

Which means her one priority right now is keeping Break safe, rather than thinking about ridiculous things like nuance. Especially when he's so openly admitting to feeling lost.

Break does not admit to these things easily, Ange knows. Not unless it is serious.

It makes her reach out, a hand moving up until it's resting on his cheek. There's concern in her eyes as she looks up at him. ]

I can help you. [ Ange states - so simply. Like it really is that simple.

Her hand glows golden, and a feeling will slowly start to creep in. It's nothing forceful, nothing that overrides any part of Break. Instead it's more like a warmth in the background, like the feeling of basking in the sun. A feeling that feels, at worst, inviting. ]

Will you let me, Break..? I don't want you to hurt anymore. You've already hurt enough.

[ So maybe he laid it on thick for a sensei who was teasing a well-deserved nemesis.

For good reason, Robby thinks, and he tried not to ever cross a line with his teasing back, but he knows that everyone else jumped at the chance to roast him a lil' too. And Sharon suggested a bond? And Darth Maul joined in.

(Who better have jumped right the fuck back out, thanks.)

Needless to say, Robby feels a tinsy bit bad. He doesn't know how exactly one makes up for some harmless teasing, but--Mister LaRusso deserves something, right? And Robby happens to be visiting Sharon to make a trade of foods, and that gives him something to put on something of a show with. There's funny long squash (as Sharon called it), brussels sprouts, herbs, and the most attractive part? Strawberries. All carried in a small wooden crate like a makeshift hamper, but that really wasn't the purpose. It's just what he had.

But when he walks into the house, and hears the sounds of kitchen flurry, he discards everything but himself and the crate as he walks to the doorway; spotting where Mister LaRusso is, ready with a smile. ]

Hey. Already cooking?

[Break twitches a little on reflex when her hand comes near to his face, but he allows it. And he doesn't pull away when he catches that glow out of the corner of his eye. Instead he huffs out a soft, faint little laugh, a release of breath only barely identifiable as mirth.]

I suppose you've spells now to heal broken hearts and put weary minds to rest?

[He's being more dramatic than sarcastic. After the stunts she pulled against that beast last month, Break would not actually be surprised. That feeling of warmth, which he recognizes as coming from her, is very reminiscent of the peace he feels when he drinks the tea from his silly blood relic of a teapot. It's tea he's deliberately staying away from at the moment, because the notion of those feelings is just too bittersweet to confront in his current state.

…during Break's first November here, he got into a mushroom that eased all of his griefs and anxieties, so much so that it fixed his eyesight for a time. Wary of the potential to become too reliant on them, he hasn't had those mushrooms in the house since. But if Ange were to grant him such a thing for a while, it'd be alright, wouldn't it? She's someone who has only ever had his best interests at heart, and scolds him for treating himself poorly at the slightest provocation. Hell, he trusts her enough to permit her to touch his face, fingers resting right by his eye. If he were to let her work whatever magic she has in mind now, certainly he could likewise trust her to be responsible with him. To bring him a bit of peace without letting him go too far.

It's been so, so long since he was able to just — turn everything off, for a time. Let someone else make the decisions, and simply follow along and sort things out on their behalf. He knows it would be a relief, giving in like that, and the temptation to hand himself over to Ange is strong.]

[ Apparently Daniel was so caught up in what he was doing - staring at the oven, so really, nothing that should be too attention-capturing - that he startles a little bit when Robby suddenly calls out, like a kid caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

Or in this case, a sensei caught in the kitchen doing some stress baking to try and deal with his feelings.

Sure, he tried karate first after putting down his Omni, moving to the dojo to try and get the feelings out with some kata, trying to center himself again.. but he was too agitated for that to work, and doing kata while he feels on edge never feels great.

Hence Daniel indulging in a different way of dealing with his feelings. This is productive, he's told himself. At least the kids will be able to eat these cookies during class later, he's told himself. Even if he was squatting there on the kitchen floor, staring at the oven like it has single-handedly caused every bad thing in his life. (Apparently the stress-sulk doesn't go away that easily.)

He only barely manages to avoid hitting his head when he stands back up way too quickly, eyes momentarily widened in surprise, though Daniel is quick to try and shake off the initial reaction. ]

No, I was just--

[ Bad feelings rise up like nausea in his throat upon seeing Robby, upon actually looking at the boy. Feelings that aren't really aimed at him as much as they just center around him, all clustered up into a cloud of worry that Daniel will never, could never, be the real dad here.

While said real dad doesn't even have to do as much as lift a finger to have the boy take his side. Doesn't even have to put in a quarter of the effort that Daniel puts in on the daily.

Shame that rises at the thought - it's childish, and dumb, and he shouldn't be thinking it, what would mister Miyagi even think of him if he knew - fights with the innate urge to sulk, but Daniel - as always - only sees one way to deal with it all. Shoving it down, brushing it under the carpet, away from sight. He swallows, breathes, and tries to embody a calm he doesn't feel whatsoever right now. ]

.. just making some cookies. [ He may be able to reach the calm at least partially, but it leaves him with very little spirit in his voice as he gestures at the oven with one hand. ] For class later.

[ Look, sometimes an old man is a little too busy dealing with his emotions to really pay attention to the crate Robby is carrying. ]

[ Ah.

Robby thinks anyone could read the mood around Mister LaRusso well right now. He's not hiding, or not decently; with the way he struggles around his words listlessly, and Robby figures he can get it. His dad, Darth Maul, all that--he doesn't blame the older man for feeling not all that cheery. For being mad, even, despite not looking that upset.

He's heard about stress baking before. Is that what he's witnessing right now? Eyes looking down at the oven at the gesture, only just seeing the outlines of what's inside. Robby slowly nods in acknowledgement, thinking of the right course of action here.

And it's okay that Mister LaRusso isn't paying attention to the crate. Robby puts that down on the nearest available surface, a ] Yeah? [ as he turns to Mister LaRusso instead, walks over to join him as if he's particularly interested in seeing the cookies up close. But the cookies are just an excuse: one that brings him side-by-side with the man, Robby looking at the oven for a good second before he angles his head in Mister LaRusso's direction. ]

...I'm sorry you had to put up with my dad today. And Maul. And everyone joking about you and my dad getting together... and me taking my dad's side. [ Can't forget that part.

But surprise: his intentions for being stood here aren't in the cookies at all. Robby finally looks up at Mister LaRusso, a sympathetic hold of his brow, his skewed smile present, too. ]

I know he overreacts--and throws you into it, too. You deserve to get back at him.

[ Even if there's an obvious but, or why Robby didn't do that. ]

[ It's home that draws Robby to open his eyes--oblivious of the shift, though he was patiently waiting, on it and some cue. But he doesn't know the flow of magic without seeing it more visibly, like how, as he lifts back his head and opens his eyes, looks around them with hands still around Chizuru's own.

Mister LaRusso's dojo has a Japanese touch, but this--this is more, even as scarcely decorated as it may be. ]

This is home? [ --which, does surprise Robby. He's never thought about what home would look like for her, except maybe a crowded room of textbooks and a father hunched over work, and Chizuru there to aid him, read his books, and then be left with them once he disappeared.

This isn't that. Barer than what his own homes had ever been, where poverty can be hidden behind loud colours and cheaply bought furniture always second-hand. Still, Robby is more surprised than anything else, and he figures they should stand, try to look around? And he looks down at his knees, and then their joined hands, and-- ]

Uh-- [ Uh. Hm. ] I don't know if we have to keep holding the stone.

[ ...would it matter, like this? Would he disappear out of this imaginary place? He looks up at Chizuru, a sheepish yet complicated expression pulled across his brow. ]

[ Ange's lip twitches - very faintly so. ]

Something like that.

[ The hand on his face doesn't move in the slightest though. Maybe Ange is aware, even in this state, how rare it is for Break to let anyone do this at all when the evidence of what happened when a hand came this close to his face in the first place is right there on his face, a gem hidden underneath hair. It's why she doesn't want to make this more uncomfortable for him, doesn't want to give him a single reason to worry.

She's here to take away the worry, after all. The pain.

That's the spell she's got for him. ]

I just.. love you too much to let this world continue to beat you down. [ Her voice dips a little bit as she says it, something too emotional to not be genuine in it. Even if her corruption is driving her to crazy extremes, the wish behind it is innocent in nature.

And the way she feels about Break, letting him in closer than almost anyone else, truly considering him an adult she can rely on, she can freely love as family without fearing anything about it - that can't be bent by the corruption either. ]

I'll keep you safe.

[ The force of the magic seems to grow stronger now. It still doesn't force its way in, but it's like it lurks there, ready to wash over Break the moment he allows it to.

If he does allow it in, he'll be able to feel something form between them. It's not like the bonds that exist in this world at all, but something.. different. Something that ties him to Ange, her magic flowing into his body, connecting witch and furniture for as long as he'll let it. ]

You trust me, right..?

[ Words that Ange will - much later - be kicking herself over for sure, but right now she can't see any harm in them at all. This is for his sake.. no, for both their sakes. So they can be happy. ]

[ Something twitches in Daniel's face - visible to Robby, with him looking over at the man. At the same time it's like Daniel himself is actually trying to avoid Robby's gaze, instead staring at the oven instead. Like he's worried about maybe not being able to maintain his face properly if he saw the expression that's coupled with those words being thrown his way.

It's already a little hard with just the words. Just how often has anyone come to him to actually say this sort of thing after he's had a hard time?

Hardly ever.

Still, maybe it's that unsaid but hanging in the words that has Daniel not making eye contact with Robby, something slowly creeping into his features that's a little more pouty. (As pouty as an old man can be, anyway.) ]

It's not like it was my first time putting up with your father. [ God. Understatement of the year.

Though Daniel likes to think he's presenting it more as a factual counterpoint than as a sulk. Even though it doesn't lean quite as heavily in the direction he'd like in reality. ]

Or Maul. And I'm sure it won't be the last.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 21

(closed) march catchall

for robby

for taro

for ruby

no subject

for break

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

for daniel

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject