deercountry | (closed) march catchall

[ 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. ]

[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.]

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. ]

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.]

[ 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. ]

[That makes it easier, as Taro's no powerhouse.]

I'm fine. I'm... ugh. I tend to look after myself. I'm not... like a lot of the people here. I'm used to taking care of myself for very long periods of time.

... You're going to keep checking on me anyway, aren't you?

Yes.

[ ...

This little creature has absolutely zero sense of shame, huh. He says it so easily, and so quickly after Taro asks that question. Like the Omen didn't even have to think about it for a single second.

His fluffy tail is even wagging as he says it, like he's very pleased with his own answer. ]

Being used to something does not mean you can't get help. Anyone can benefit from help.

[He sighs and shakes his head, absently petting the little dog's fur.]

I'm used to being on my own. I might take a while to settle in, but I'm doing fine. ... You're not going to tell your Sleeper, right?

[ Thankfully the fluffy creature has one good bit of news here for Taro. ]

Of course I will not tell him. [ See? He's serious about that too. This Omen doesn't break a promise, and-- ] We had an agreement.

[ Way back in the kitchen all those months ago. Apparently he hasn't forgotten, even though so much time has passed. But he easily remembers the other having seemed so skittish about being found out there, and so he hasn't mentioned a word about any of this to his Sleeper. ]

Anything you tell me is just between us.

[ .. a pause, and then, turning his head to try and look at the other while still being carried: ]

Have you really been doing fully fine? This place is dangerous. Not just physically.

[He shifts the dog so he's leaning against his shoulder rather than dangling his feet. Better to be polite, he supposes.]

... It's the Sleepers more than anything else that scares me, if we're being honest. The beasts and the... being fucked with can put a lot on you, but the people here have wildly overpowered abilities that can hurt a lot of people.

I don't see why other people aren't scared of it. It's frustrating to - mm. People don't like to learn from the past. Even in other worlds... I don't know. But I'm okay. More or less.

[A little psychological scarring, but... otherwise okay.]

Have any of them hurt you?

[ Okay, maybe the question is a little direct.

But it seems like that's just how the Omen is. Cute, sure, and caring, sure, but.. also the type that doesn't really beat around the bush. It's not even that the Omen necessarily suspects it's the case, but on the other hand, it's only natural to worry about that sort of thing when Taro is specifically highlighting other Sleepers as a problem.

Because he's right. Not entirely, since the Omen thinks some people here are probably nervous enough about it - but it is true that most people would think of the main dangers here as the monsters and everything Trench sends at them first, rather than other Sleepers. ]

... Not here. But people at home have. I don't... trust easily.

[He strokes the pup's fur gently and leans against him slightly as he walks.]

But I've seen some of the power that some of them wield. Even the ones I trust, I can't... trust completely, as much as I want to.

[Even Sharon... he wants to, but he can't. He just can't, especially with the powers she has. She can just rip the trauma out of him and show it to his face. That's terrifying, and while he likes her, her abilities...]

[He realizes he's holding the pup a little too tightly and adjusts his grip.]

... Sorry.

It is fine. No need for apologies.

[ The Omen does truly sound unbothered enough as it says that - but then again, its tone more or less always sounds like that, so it may be hard to tell whether it was truly bothered by the slightly tighter grip or not.

The Omen doesn't seem to linger on it anyway. It doesn't take more than a moment before it's already continuing, his head resting on Taro's shoulder. ]

You want to trust.

[ It can't help but point that out loud. Taro basically said so himself a moment ago, after all. ]

Maybe you should think about what it takes for a person to trust.

Uh huh.

[What a weird dog(?). He scratches its ears gently and puffs up his cheeks.]

What, me? I mean... I... guess. But there's only one person I trust, because she's like me.

... But she's not here. And it takes a really long time to build trust. It's not like I can just snap my fingers and trust someone.

[ The Omen seems to silently contemplate this for a moment.

.. or it's just enjoying the ear scritches, who knows. They sure make his tail wag.. ]

Do you trust me?

[ It seems like a loaded question, despite the dog asking it so relatively calmly and innocently, but he adds for clarification: ]

You are telling me all this.

[ That implies some trust. Like trusting him to not tell his Sleeper about it. ]

To a degree. I don't trust you completely, but... well.

[The fact that he's a shisa helps, and he's not going to pretend that it doesn't.]

Like I said, it takes a long time to build real trust. It's just... not easy.

I've been burnt too many times.

I am not saying you have to. [ Trust him, that is. It might be evident in the way the shisa doesn't even seem all that offended by Taro telling him he doesn't trust him completely.

Then again, he seems offended by very little. At all times. ]

I am only saying you are still putting some trust in others. [ Some. Not all. But even some trust is better than none, in shisa's opinion. ] That is a good thing. A heart without trust is too cold.

[ Even when - in Taro's case - it's born out of hurt, rather than malice, it seems. ]

You never know when the right person comes on your path.

I... yeah. I miss the person who was the 'right person'. We get along so well...

[Damn but he misses Toshiko. She'd hate it here, though.]

... Tell me which way to take you to get you home. I don't want you to have to be away from your person for too long.

[Speaking of 'the right person'.]

[ Honestly, the Omen knows that Daniel will be fine even if he isn't around for a little bit..

But he's also not sure if Taro would believe that if he said it, so instead: ]

To the right at the end of this street. [ It's not the full instructions yet, but it's not like he wants to overload the guy - so he'll just give him directions along the way.

And speak on in the meantime. It's kind of nice, being carried like this.. ]

Do you think there is only one right person for you?

[He follows the pup's instructions and sighs at the question.]

A lot of people die before they get a chance to have me really trust them. Or they move on in other ways.

So maybe no, but it's hard to tell. Not when people keep moving - including me.

None of us are moving much here.

[ Not to be argumentative here, Taro. In fact, the dog-like creature doesn't sound that way at all, it's still just calm...

Especially when the shisa is pretty sure it is just pointing out a fact here. ]

We can't go anywhere. Even when people die, they come back. [ Not that death can't still be traumatic, but it's no longer a permanent separation the way it sounds like it is in Taro's own world. And in the shisa's Sleeper's world. ]

Edited 2023-04-01 18:41 (UTC)

[He sighs. The calmness is almost irritating, but it's not the creature's fault.]

Maybe here. Not at home. Here... I haven't been here long enough to really trust anyone.

To a degree, yeah. But true trust takes years, especially when you live well over a hundred years.

[ There's a pause - though it's only small - like the Omen needs a moment to process that before he speaks up again. ]

You live that long?

[ Granted, the concept of lifespan to a creature like an Omen is.. a little wild, but it's not like he can't grasp it, especially when he's very well aware of his own Sleeper's lifespan.

Which definitely is not over a hunderd years. Sorry, Daniel. ]

Yes. Not everyone here is a human. I'm actually a hundred and fifty one.

[Roughly? He's pretty sure. His first year or so was kind of blurred and confusing as he got used to just suddenly... existing.]

I don't know how long I have the potential to live, though.

You seem very young for your age.

[ .. It's supposed to be a joke.

But when the Omen always seems to speak with that same serious voice, it's really hard to tell that it is one.. At least the creature did already know not everyone here is human. Hell, even the humans who arrived here technically aren't human anymore.. ]

It sounds sad. Living that long without many people to trust. Hopefully you can find trust and comfort here sooner or later.

for taro

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