deercountry | (closed) march catchall

Huh?

[ Chizuru should probably open her eyes and look for herself. But she's so caught off guard by Robby's sudden question - that's just about the last answer she expected to hear here, especially when it isn't even a direct answer to her question at all - that she doesn't think about doing the logical thing.

It's why she doesn't take a look for herself. Instead she still looks like she's focusing, the surprise strong enough that it makes Chizuru be obedient and honest enough to just plainly answer the question.

Even if it's a weird, surprising one. ]

I-I mean, you'd probably look nice..? You always do.. [ Also, yes, Robby. Yes, your little plan sure is working.

Because the fake Robby standing there is suddenly wearing clothes more appropriate to Chizuru's culture and time period. ]

Why are you asking..?

[ Robby's such a clever guy.

Because yes, he does look at his other self, a furrowed brow as he has to take in both the outfit, and decide if he likes observing this Robby doll (even if he is the one prolonging its stay....). Does he like the outfit itself? That's hard to say, never having really considered the thing, but--

but maybe he should consider his confused sounding friend, and get her up to speed. He gives their joined hands a wiggle. ]

Look.

[ It's that simple, Chizuru. Behold, your dream Robby who hasn't gone anywhere, but is now dressed like one of your Japanese boyfriends, and smiling charmingly. ]

[ The first thing Chizuru does upon opening her eyes is let out a squeak.

The next thing is squeezing Robby's hand - not too hard, but that has so much more to do with Chizuru's lack of incredibly arm strength than with anything else, since it definitely seems like she is clinging on for dear life to Robby in this instant. ]

R-Robby! [ Her gaze shifts between the two Robbys, her eyes so wide. ] W-What did you do?!

[ Please, Chizuru.

This was all you. ]

Why does he look so...

[ ...

She can't bring herself to say charming. She just can't!! Her gaze is growing more and more covered by a paleblood blush with each passing moment.. Help, Chizuru might just pass out..

It's a small miracle that the world around them remains just the way it is, despite Chizuru looking like she's about to pass out from the clone Robby looking like he fits right into her Shinsengumi ~~harem~~ friend group. A-And with him smiling at her like that! ]

[ Yeah, that immediate reaction was worth it. ]

--So what? [ But unfortunately, Robby doesn't get the true meaning behind Chizuru's fluster, though his question is framed as a faux offend. Does he look goofy to her? He thinks that might be the case, considering he thinks this dressed-up showing-off smiling Robby is very goofy looking to him, that he's become more of a joke to the real Robby than something creepy.

Well, 1% creepy, 99% cringe.

But it's alright, Chizuru doesn't need to answer him as he laughs lightly, pulling their joined hands to rest against the side of his stomach. No reason, other than as a playful tug. ]

C'mon, you can make him disappear. I mean, just imagine...a wardrobe's there instead! [ Now he's using their hands to gesture to the fake-Robby-who-should-be-turned-into-a-wardrobe. ] That'll cover him up.

[ She wants to make him disappear. She really does. Because there's something very confusing about seeing Robby like this that the girl can't quite place, and she's not too sure if she likes it - especially in front of the actual Robby.

So the girl shuts her eyes tightly, wishing - no, almost praying - for the fake Robby to disappear. To be gone.

But the wish is just desperate enough that her brain refuses to latch onto the easy alternative Robby provides. It's right there, she could just think of a wardrobe, and yet.. her brain keeps frantically thinking of something else from the house to replace the Robby.

And it does work! The fake Robby disappears, sure.

.. except there's another man standing in his place now, just as unmoving as the other Robby had been at first. And when Chizuru opens her eyes to look and see, she lets out a slight noise of surprise. ]

Oh, that's.. father..

[ A wardrobe made a lot more sense to make appear than some old guy. An old guy with quite the bald head, which is what Robby first notices about them (other than they aren't furniture), a small noise made when he appears. Robby doesn't recognise them, obviously, and he can't make any immediate guess; there's the man that Chizuru said saw her like a daughter, and maybe there's some other older men in her life.

--And there is, sort of. A man about as much in Chizuru's life as his own dad had been in his. The information stuns Robby, a small 'oh' escaping him as he figures how to feel. Or--how does Chizuru feel? Robby's definitely glancing her way, though sneaking looks back at the figure. ]

...What do you wanna do?

[ He could suggest making him disappear, or trying to move around the house--maybe they could go outside, even. Robby isn't sure what the right move might be, so he's waiting on more from Chizuru.

He's not exactly dad of any year, but--dads are dads. Unfortunately. ]

[ It's such a good question that even Chizuru herself doesn't seem to have an answer to it for a moment. She glances at the man, then at Robby, and then at the man again.. which is where her gaze lingers for a few moments. ]

.. Let's go look around the house. [ She settles on, finally tearing her gaze away from the dream image of her father that her mind conjured up. It's not really him, anyway. He won't talk to her. He won't have any of the answers for her that Chizuru wants to hear. Why he did the things he did. How he could have such cruel thoughts if he was her father.

It helps that she's still gripping onto Robby's hand. It was meant to be the thing tying Robby to this dream reality, but honestly, it's doing so much more to ground Chizuru. It allows her to tug on his hand to drag him along and show him the other rooms. ]

I mean, not that there's much to see.. [ Which she's right about. There's a small kitchen, a small bedroom - a shared one, judging by the set of futons there, rather than just one of them.. and that's about it. ] But.. um, maybe it'll give you an idea of what houses where like in my world..

[ Since it's really nothing like most houses in Trench. ]

[ It would be awkward, Robby thinks, if he saw his own father--if he wasn't in the city. His own mom too, but he thinks about his dad, their own history, if they weren't trying to patch things up.

...but it's not a deep thought. He squeezes Chizuru's hand, though it's doubtful if she'll feel it with her already gripping tight to it. ]

Sure--I wanna see where you came from.

[ It's sincere, a touch soft, and even if there isn't much, it's her home. Better any other room than this one, with Robby hoping the old man's figure will disappear if Chizuru has other things to think about. ] Maybe one day I can show you where my mom and me were staying. But we moved place a lot--we didn't have our own home.

[ He says it, more to just continue their thoughts elsewhere than on the man, to help move them along before--or as--they walk. ]

[ Chizuru will lead him along. Over towards the kitchen, this time. It's small, and there isn't much - certainly none of the modern kitchen appliances that Robby may be used to. It's backwards even compared to Trench itself, which also isn't always the most modern of places.

But there's something in Chizuru's eyes anyway as she looks around at it. Exactly like how she remembers it. The long, long days she spent here, alone..

She drags herself out of the memory enough to turn and look at Robby. ]

Why didn't you have your own home..?

[ She asks it delicately, at least, not wanting to push if the answer is too painful. But it's a little harder to naturally understand for someone who comes from Chizuru's kind of culture, where people who don't have homes just.. made one themselves, or took up an abandoned one like people do in Trench.. ]

[ It may be sparse, but Robby still takes it in. His life was never wealthy, but you could buy things for cheap, make it look like you had more than you did, or the apartments came with appliances to make up for what you didn't own.

This was still Chizuru's house, though, marks her own frugal life. Robby takes in the layout, the details, few as they may be. Looks over to Chizuru and the question which furrows his brow, but not in a bad way. ]

Do you know about rent? Wait, [ wait wait; he points a forefinger at her. ] Land rent? Lords rent out land to farmers, right? People do that with houses where I'm from. You pay to have somewhere to live.

[ Truly, the actual painful part about this: possibly having to explain renting in the modern day. What's having your own home in this economy?? ]

[ Unfortunately Chizuru knows very little about rent. Even the rent in her time that did exists for farmers, yes - she's just been too sheltered from society to know much about this sort of thing in general.

Thankfully Robby's explanation does a lot to catch her up, even if it's.. well, baffling. The girl was moving towards the window as if to open it, just to see if she can do that as well in a dream-like state, but now she turns towards Robby with her eyebrows knitting together into a frown. ]

You have to pay.. to have somewhere to live?

[ There's something in her tone that almost sounds offended.

Offended by Chizuru's standards, which is to say.. not too much, but still. ]

But then what about the people who can't pay? Then you just.. don't have a roof over your head at all? That's so cruel.. [ Welcome to all the miserable crap about the world you missed by being sheltered, Chizuru.. And by not being a modern girl, for this one too.. ]

[ sorry to introduce you to capitalism, Chizuru... ]

That's America for you. [ ...well. ] Everywhere, in my time. You don't have money? Good luck living.

[ Maybe that's too sad and depressing to be saying in such a way to someone like Chizuru, but there's nothing pretty to that side of life. It's been a constant trouble in his life, even if sometimes it was his mom and her spiralling ways that lost them homes.

Or places to live. Could you call anywhere a home if you moved so often?

(So he liked to tell himself, so he never became disappointed. Told himself he was never attached.)

It's why he looks at her so nonchalant, having been trying to eye past her to see if there was any scenery beyond. Was there limitations to the stone, or to Chizuru's imagination? It could be one or the other. ]

Living here's easier--I never lived anywhere like I did with Tory back home. They were four or five rooms. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and then a kitchen and living room. Sometimes you had a wall between those two, but not always.

[ He didn't have preference there, really. ]

[ At least the description of the house itself isn't too depressing to her - since it sounds very much like the house they're in right now, nothing too special.. The only special thing about it in comparison is that it's at least a proper free standing house, rather than an appartment.

It's clear just from the way the girl is staring at him that she's thinking about it. Trying to imagine it in her head. Not just the places Robby might have lived, but even the apparently harsh society he was just trying to get by in..

.. it doesn't feel fair. A kind guy like Robby - he deserved so much more, she thinks. ]

I'm sorry, Robby.

[ The words are said quietly. Honestly, Chizuru could elaborate on them. There's so much she could say here, but she knows what Robby is like. He acknowledges that his circumstances aren't the best, but never quite seems to want to linger on them either.

So she doesn't either. Instead Chizuru just provides a silent way to show her feelings all the same. Still holding his hand makes it easy to lean against him, something close to a hug but without the actual embrace. ]

Actually I.. I wonder if I could make something appear from your memories too, rather than just my own.

[ It's a good chance to test these powers, right? Not that she's good at them yet, judging by her failed attempts at making specific things happen a moment ago, but.. she's got to be brave and just try stuff - the sort of thing that always feels easier with Robby by her side. ]

[ Her sympathy apology does get an awkward--but appreciative--pull of Robby's mouth, at the very least. He might not have reason to linger on it--his moving home so often was as much a problem of his mom as the way the world works--but...it'd been a part of his life, still. One he'd become frustrated over plenty of times.

His lips turn closer into a smile when she leans against him, if brief.

It goes as she continues, the idea she presents. A place from his memories. Robby thinks, but nowhere is jumping out at him immediately. Rather- ]

Uh... do you wanna see somewhere I used to live? I remember the last place I was with my mom.

[ He supposes. It was rather simple, too, a place they needed to move into once his mom got out of rehab. The same standard layout as he's described to Chizuru, even though--it feels different, he thinks. There's no real memories Robby has of the place. Would it be that exciting to share? Compared to Chizuru and the home she shared with her dad. ]

It wasn't exciting. [ Which is why he feels the need to add that. ]

It's okay.

[ They're soft words, a gentle reassurance. It's nothing too strange coming from Chizuru, when she says stuff like this all the time. But as she moves to take Robby's other hand into her own as well, the stone will in that hand resting between their two hands, she smiles up at him. ]

I think it's a little exciting. I've never seen what houses are like where you come from. [ Sure, she assumes it's.. probably just a little closer to what you see in Trench. But there could be nuances. There could be little signs of Robby's life. Even if you only stay in a place for a short while, there's got to be little things like that, right..?

It's still something about Robby, about her friend, so it feels exciting to her. ]

I'm not sure how to do this.. [ Given that all of this is still new to her. But she wants to try. ] Maybe you should think about it really hard and describe it to me..?

[ Maybe she can get it to work that way with her paleblood. Somehow. ]

Edited 2023-04-10 09:42 (UTC)

Okay, [ he starts slowly; not because he's unsure about the idea, but because his own head is in the process of figuring out what to do. Robby thinks to say more, but there isn't really, so--think hard and describe, right?

He makes a 'here we go' kind of face before he closes his eyes and thinks back. The last flat...wasn't that spectacular, but the one before that, he and his mom were in longer. The dance-y, art-sy type of space with its print posters. ]

It was, uh... Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and the living room and kitchen were together. You entered near the kitchen? It was on your right when you enter, and the left was for coats, a mirror... uh, I don't remember a lot about them. It was just a normal...mirror?

[ The details feel...less than useful. Because Robby can remember the apartment well enough, but what should he pick out, tell Chizuru about them? He can't tell her how the kitchen had a microwave and a TV on top; because even if she knew what those were, would it help? The one that was in the living space, the two plush chairs and the red couch. ]

This helping at all? [ It might be hypocritical for Robby to lose heart in this idea so quickly, but--look, he's bad at describing things. Especially if he's doing it to a girl from ancient Japan. ]

[ There's a hum coming from Chizuru that really doesn't say much at all. It's hard to tell whether it even means yes or no in the face of the question he's asking her. It also doesn't help that the girl has closed her eyes by now, making it impossible to tell anything by her gaze either.

But it's since she's focusing over here. Really hard. It's true that the description is not doing much for her, since she mostly ends up imagining the room layout in a more traditional style, like the Japanese houses she's used to back home.

.. so she tries to not focus on the description. Instead she tries to dig beyond it, squeezing Robby's hands a little. It's not about the words here, she thinks. It's about.. the feeling behind it, the memory. Isn't that what people have told her? Palebloods who can tap into people's emotions. Even if that house may not have been home to Robby as much as people's houses usually are, there has to be something, and Chizuru is concentrating really hard to try and dip in that.

She's concentrating enough that tiny beads of sweat start to form at her temples, but it's not for nothing. Something is taking shape around them, the contours of Chizuru's house fading, replaced by something else.

Something that's still vague, like staring at it through a blurry gaze, but maybe Robby may actually recognize it as the very apartment he's thinking of.

It's only then that Chizuru mumbles, still not opening her eyes: ]

This is kind of hard..

[ Chizuru isn't the only one with her eyes closed. This is what you're supposed to do, isn't it? When you focus and think for something magical, extraordinary, how you make it happen. You don't see the magic in motion, and it helps, too: to picture the layout, his memories of the apartment. The parts of him that miss it; his mom had gotten most of it just as she liked it, though there's always better and new you could wish for. ]

Sorry; I'm no good describing things. [ --but fondness--and a pang of wistfulness--doesn't help with the now, and Robby gives his apology sheepishly. ] We can give up...--

[ Except--he's opening his eyes then, willing to skip over this idea and just stick with places Chizuru knows (maybe they can try a different location?), and sees the shift in the layout framed around her head. There it is, the TV--that's definitely where the TV should be, and the wall mural. From Chizuru's side, she would see the kitchen and the way out if she were to look; the bedroom doors to the left, one with a fullbodied old-fashioned pin-up.

And she'll have reason to look, when Robby lightly shakes her hands. ] Chizu-- Chizu, look.

[ Is it bad to stop her from keeping her eyes closed or losing her concentration when the world is blurry as it is? But it's close, it's so close, that he wants her to see. ]

.. hm?

[ It's a noise that's little more than a mumble, like a noise someone might make in their sleep - even if Chizuru isn't asleep right now as much as she's just so deeply concentrated that it takes her a moment to pull herself out of it. Especially when she doesn't want to lose the concentration entirely, when she wants to keep at least part of it to try and figure this out. To actually be able to use some of the magic she should be able to use.

But it's not like Chizuru to ignore a request from a friend, let alone from Robby, so she does look. Carefully, at first, only opening a tiny bit of one eye..

.. but even that is enough to realise their surroundings have changed, huh.

A second eye follows, and she opens her eyes more. The girl looks surprised, but thankfully not enough to pop the sight around them like a bubble, though it remains blurry. ]

Is-- Is this it?

[ It's not like she'd recognize Robby's apartment, after all, blurry or not. But it does look totally unlike anything she has seen before, so it can't be one of her own memories.

She glances around them, but then her wide-eyed stare returns to the boy in front of her. ]

Is it right..?

[ He has to wonder how actually fascinating his old apartment looks to Chizuru right now, as he watches her, but does sneak glances around too, as if hoping it might change, become clearer, somehow. Is it him making it this way? The stone? Chizuru?

Who asks if this is right, and, well... ]

It's not usually blurry. [ At least said jokingly, though he's got a tugged frown on his mouth. Another look around taken, before briefly back to Chizuru: ] Lemme try.

[ That is, let's see what happens if he tries focusing more, here, and evident as he shuts his eyes now, taking both of Chizuru's hands in his (maybe it helps?? maybe it helps). He knows this apartment well enough, there's no need for it to be blurry--when he can recall the wall decor, the colour and the shape of the sofas, where there were wears and how they felt to sit on. He knows the kitchen, even the rooms beyond the doors closed. There's his to the side of his mom's, the bathroom beside that with its dinky shower and toilet. Printed posters of art nouveau or something like that that his mom picked out, the spice rack they never actually used.

Does it work? He's waiting on some sign from Chizuru that thinking really hard can do something and, well--that's kind of how blood magic seems to work around here... ]

[ When Chizuru notices the other trying to focus really hard, trying to help, she does the same thing. As much as she'd like to look around at Robby's home - as blurry as it is - she figures that she has to try and help this along. Even if it's just by closing her eyes, by focusing on the stone the way she had before to try and draw out the power. Trying to draw out images that aren't her own, instead emerging from another mind.

It mostly means she tries to reach out to Robby. It doesn't feel easy, and Chizuru briefly wonders if this is the sort of thing that comes natural to people who have a bond - something she's heard a lot about, but has never experienced for herself.

Even without a bond-- she still tries though. She just wants to see Robby's home so badly, and she wants Robby to see it too. Even if he may not think of it as a home as much as Chizuru thought of the building they saw before, she still wants him to be able to see something familiar.

The desire mingles with Robby's own efforts, and the apartment around them slowly grows into focus. This time it's Chizuru who can't resist opening her eyes to peek, though her gasped surprise is very much the same as last time. ]

Robby, look, it's done..! You did it!

[ .. granted, it's more like they did it, but is Chizuru ever going to give herself that credit?

Clearly not.

Besides, the girl is way too busy with glancing around them with wide, surprised eyes. ]

This really is your home, right, right? [ Look at her repeating that last word in excitement, almost bouncing a little on the spot.. She's just glad it worked out! ]

[ It definitely has to be Chizuru this time who looks, because Robby's trying his darndest to make his imagination come to life...!!

And that sound of his name might be promising, except he won't open his eyes until she's done saying the rest. A split second where he doesn't want to open them in case it makes everything crash down, but he does, and--success. There it is, an apartment he hasn't called home in a while; a home that stopped being a home soon after his mom left, as the heating and electricity were turned off, before Mister LaRusso arrived at the front door.

...it's not all bad memories. Robby's looking as Chizuru asks her question, knowing the answer, and yet--he wants to take this space in. It's different from memories, despite memories being what's made it appear. An evening light filtering in through the slightly parted curtains (the outside will surely be blurry), while the rest of it is... ]

...Right. [ His home. Robby turns his head back to Chizuru with a grin, but one that's baffled, surprised, awkward. Like he isn't quite sure what to do, where to start with any of this. ]

You, uh... want a tour? Or [ Yeah, have an awkward laugh. ] You can point at stuff and make me talk about it.

[ Since it's all so...different, right?? ~~and luckily a schat knows what the place looks like :)~~ ]

[ Robby may be a little awkward about all of this, but it doesn't seem like the sentiment is mirrored in Chizuru. No - instead it seems like she's still riding the high of the excitement that came from the realisation that this really worked out. That they're standing in the apartment Robby lived in. A place Chizuru has never seen before, but one that's undoubtedly part of her friend's past.

It's exciting. It's a little heart-pounding in ways that feel too complicated to put into words, and Chizuru glances around as if she isn't too sure what to look at first, before he gaze settles on Robby again. ]

Yes! I want to see everything!

[ The look in her eyes as she says it is so earnest.. Like the idea of looking around an apartment is just the most exciting thing ever to Chizuru.

(It's exciting because it's Robby's.)

The bounce in her step definitely remains as she starts moving, gently tugging him along through their joined hands. Her jaw drops as she stares at all these things, some of which she's never seen before, and then--

She gasps as she glances right at a piece of art on the wall, pointing at it. ]

Robby, is that a nude woman?

[ Clearly the idea of modern art is what Chizuru needs explained the most out of all 20th century concepts, right...

It's just that she's used to a little bit more modesty than that. Under regular circumstances. She can't imagine her own father hanging something like that on the wall.. ]

[ This place probably is a lot more fascinating to look at than Chizuru's home (sorry, Chizuru's home). That had a lot more rooms, whereas this just has more...colour, right? A lot more tidbits, thanks to a more material world.

A 'nude woman'. Thanks for pointing that out, leading Chizuru. Robby actually needs to tip his head to look at it, mimicking the piece of art in the process. ]

I mean [ a huff ] is it really a nude woman? More like a kid painted it.

[ Wow, Robby....art snob right here. But let him gesture with his free hand over to the pair of prints in the kitchen. ]

What about those ones? They're less.....naked.

[ What does this even prove?? who knows. ]

[ To be fair, as far as Chizuru knows, a kid really could have painted it.. It's not like she knows anything about art beyond the kind of Japanese art she's used to, and that usually tends to be very different from this.

If not at least in style.

The same goes for the prints once she turns to look at those. Judging by the way Chizuru blinks at them with an odd look in her eyes, she really hasn't seen much like it before. Especially when Trench isn't the most artsy place ever either.. ]

What.. are those..? [ The girl slowly manages to ask.

Still blinking in surprise though.

She manages to tear her gaze away from it all for just long enough to look over at Robby instead. ]

Are those people you know?

[ Yes. Clearly. Robby has family dressed in old-timey clothes and who pose naked for paintings for sure. But Chizuru's home obviously didn't have any art, so the only idea she has as to why someone would put these up in their home is that they're portraits of relatives.. ]

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