Sayo Yasuda (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
forwantofahorse) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
deercountry2022-01-08 08:09 am
forwantofahorse) wrote in deercountry2022-01-08 08:09 am
Entry tags:
A New Year's Miracle (Closed)
Who: Sayo (and a special guest) and the rest of Clockhouse.
What: Sayo finds a miracle when she sheds her skin.
When: Early to mid January!
Where: Clockhouse.
Content Warnings: Putting a blanket Umineko spoiler warning for everything in this log, will update as needed.
What: Sayo finds a miracle when she sheds her skin.
When: Early to mid January!
Where: Clockhouse.
Content Warnings: Putting a blanket Umineko spoiler warning for everything in this log, will update as needed.
Sayo Yasuda
[After the kerfuffle over chore-doing in her introduction to the rest of Clockhouse, Sayo should've learned an important lesson: that she was a free person now and she didn't need to shoulder the burden of the entire household on herself just because she was a maid by trade.
The lesson she learned instead was that if she wanted to do that, she needed to be very, very stealthy about it.
It's not as if Sayo enjoys cleaning. In fact, if you were to ask her with her guard down, she'd say she loathed it. But there's a comfortable numbness in routine, which is something she desperately needs in the chaos of Trench and the total upheaval of her life. Sayo hadn't even gotten sleep the night her life was irreparably ruined before she went back to Shannon's shift; why would she change her habits even if she was literally worlds away?
Perhaps if she had another outlet, like reading her mysteries or writing or drawing or anything, she wouldn't adhere to her old routine so closely. But the wounds are too raw for her to write, and anything else might give the game away to Ange, which Sayo is thoroughly unprepared for.
So Sayo puts her prodigal sneaking skills to good use by creeping through the house when she thinks nobody else is around and sinking into her old duties. Oddly enough, having to be stealthy makes doing the chores more enriching than Sayo thought it would be. She's missed acting the part of the manor ghost.
Of course, that means when someone catches her dusting the windowsill in the middle of one of her stealth chore rampages, she looks like a kid with her hand stuck in the cookie jar.]
A- Ah. Hello.
b. tortured artist
[However, Sayo eventually bites the bullet and returns to a hobby that reminds her the least of the disaster on Rokkenjima: drawing.
Like her previous escapades in avoiding concern patrols while she does the chores, Sayo does her best to stay out of sight while she draws. Mostly because if Ange catches her in the wrong moment, it may raise more questions than she was prepared to deal with. After all, Shannon was supposed to be a perfectly happy, content maid who had no real hobbies or personality outside of being generally nice, loving George, and being okay with her job. Ange actually seeing her do something for fun would conflict too much with that image!
Of course, Sayo does eventually get caught, and freezes like a deer in the headlights again when she notices someone watching her. Blushing, she snatches up the grimoire and closes it tight, holding it to her chest—hopefully before anyone catches her idly doodling Gaap and her old design for Beatrice (she should probably give her another name, Clair, maybe?).]
S- S- Sorry! I'll get out of your way!
Lion
[There is a stranger in the Clockhouse this morning.
That can be said of many households in Trench during this chaotic week, but it's especially odd in this case. With the skin-shedding ceremony, most of the transformed Sleepers have at least some obvious, if tenuous, connection to their current-and-future selves. Not so in this case.
A young blond person shuffles down the stairs, clad in a loose-fitting sweater. With practiced ease, they snap their long, blond, silky-smooth hair into a tight ponytail, turn to whoever else is awake, give an award-winning smile, and say with perfect clarity:] Good morning, everyone.
[It's only when they catch a glimpse of themself in the window as they rummage through the refrigerator for leftovers that a burdensome self-awareness sets in. They stare at their own reflection, expression somewhere between bemused and bittersweet.]
...oh. This is going to be hard to explain, isn't it?
b. it's pronounced "leon"
[Despite their connection to Shannon being completely inexplicable—and their reticence to elaborate on it—Lion is a model houseguest, perhaps even moreso than the girl they replaced. (For one, they don't sneak around at all hours doing chores and spooking other residents of Clockhouse, and they definitely don't passive-aggressively wait on Qrow hand and foot whenever he's not looking.) They're charming, personable, don't get immediately flustered the moment you start treating them like a normal human being, and most unlike Shannon, actually make an effort to drag people along to explore Trench with them. It's a refreshing change of pace.
Especially considering the hijinks two other transformed residents, now ages roughly five and six, are getting up to around the house. Lion is remarkably talented at wrangling rambunctious children; while nobody knows what it means, them simply putting their thumb and finger together is usually enough to get young Ange to start behaving. And even beyond whatever primordial fear that gesture invokes in Ange, they get along well with the children.
Although their domestic skills aren't quite as sharp as Shannon's, they're no slouch themself, as evidenced by how they're currently rolling up their sleeves and getting on their hands and knees to deal with the aftermath of a particularly messy incident. If you're an adult, Lion will give you a "what can you do" half-smile and hand you a cup of steaming-hot coffee as they work.]
Good grief. And I thought Ange-chan was a holy terror back home... I guess I have little Ruby to blame for her being this rowdy, huh? Speaking of, make sure you start getting up early, or you might find both of them giving you an atomic elbow drop as a wakeup call.
Still, it's nice to see her so happy here.
c. a precious everyday pleasure
[Right now, more than anything else, Lion is determined to give Sayo more connections to the other residents of Clockhouse. This largely meant trying to act like a normal person around them, but also indulging in every rich kid's favorite activity: shopping.
Grocery shopping, book shopping, tchotchke shopping, and the most scandalous of options that might have actually killed Sayo of shame if she was here, clothes shopping. It's difficult shopping for someone who is an entirely different build than you, but Lion is doing their level best, and bringing along a consultant to double-check their choices.
But even though they're not buying anything for themself, Lion can't resist the call of fashion, and tries a few things on anyways. They walk out of the changing room in a black cocktail dress with butterfly patterning and pose. Despite their totally flat chest, they look damn good.]
So? What do you think?
c
It's something the kid doesn't complain about. Maybe some other children would find it boring. Maybe even Ange, to a certain extent, does. But it's a whole lot less boring when you're doing it with people you care about.
And Lion, her only biologically-related family in this place, certainly ranks high on the list of people Ange cares about.
So she patiently waits outside of the changing room, sitting on a chair that's clearly way too big for such a small girl. Swinging her legs back and forth until her cousin walks out of the changing room. And when Lion does, Ange is immediately at full attention, her eyes super wide as she's staring at the other. ]
Wooow.. Lion, you look so pretty! [ Please, like Ange's tiny child brain is going to be occupied with whether or not it's normal for Lion to wear a dress. Instead she's just voicing her opinion out loud right away, in that way all little kids do. ] That's such a pretty dress..!
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But that was a worry for Sayo, not Lion, and once again they really want the dress! It's just so cute. They do a little twirl, checking themself out in the mirror, and laugh again. While their mother and father were far more accepting than Lion had been expecting, they'd both stopped a hair short of actually letting Lion wear skirts and dresses, so this is a liberating experience no matter how ephemeral it may be.
...
Okay, screw it, they're getting the dress. Let them have one nice thing that's for them, not Sayo. However, they're not the only one on this shopping trip!]
Do you have your eye on anything, Ange-chan? [Even though whatever the smaller Ange wants clearly won't fit the larger Ange, Lion will get it in both small and large sizes just in case. Gotta show some love for their little cousin, after all, even if she might not remember them after she grows up again.]
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[ Ange immediately sits up a little straighter when she's suddenly being asked that question - like she didn't quite see it coming, but is immediately at full attention all the same.
Though it does mean that she actually has to think. She didn't see the question coming, so she didn't really have anything in mind.. Even now, as Lion is saying it, she's kind of glancing away from the changing room entrance she's sitting at and over at the clothes in the store. ]
Oh.. I don't know.. [ It's so overwhelming. Look at all the clothes! How can she pick one thing!
So rather than contemplating something that's way too much for her little head, she glances back at her cousin. ]
.. that dress is way too big for me!
[ Thanks for the obvious conclusion, Ange.
Six year olds aren't always the smartest. ]
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I suppose it is. I'm not sure this place has "cool" children's clothes, if I'm being honest.
You know, Ange-chan, I've dragged you around town a lot today, so... I owe you something in exchange. Or somewhere!
Do you want to go anywhere in Trench before we return to the house?
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She's quickly distracted from the physical contact though. Ange's head turns to gawk up at Lion, her eyes wider. ]
I can pick? Anywhere?
[ That might be a dangerous word to say to a child, but honestly, Ange doesn't have any devious ideas. Not when she's already glad enough to be spending time with her cousin in general. ]
I have an idea..!
[ She holds out a hand, like she's expecting them to take it. ]
Let's go, I'll show you!
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[Wait. Ange has been heavily influenced by Ruby. They should probably add a stipulation before anything goes disastrously wrong on what's supposed to be a joyful day.]
...that's not dangerous!
[Lion has a sinking feeling that their words fell on deaf ears. Regardless, they smile back at Ange, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Sayo would probably pray for Ange to forget this moment and really anything that happened with Lion at all, but Lion hopes she remembers this tenderness for when the guts are torn out of Shannon and the truth is laid bare.]
Let's go. Ah- [Oh. Right. They're still wearing the dress.
...ah, screw it, they brought some potatoes to barter in case of an emergency. Lion should be allowed to have some nice things.]
Ready when you are.
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And while she's happily chattering on about pretty much anything - do little kids ever stop talking? - on their way, it doesn't take too long before they arrive at their destination.
It's the beach.
It's then that Ange momentarily lets go of their hand, instead running forward, shoes hitting the sand.
She smiles, turning back to look at Lion. ]
Lion, Lion, isn't it fun? It's the beach!
[ There's a small pause, and then she adds: ] It's like back home!
[ After all, most of the time when Ange sees Lion, it's on Rokkenjima - and there's no way the cousins ever pass up on the chance to go to the beach there together when they can.
Except now.. it's just the two of them. ]
no subject
[Lion stands there, wind tousling their hair as they stare out into the choppy ocean. Sayo had avoided returning to the beach because it reminded her of Rokkenjima when, despite everything else about Trench, she'd finally escaped, but for Lion...
Ange's right. It reminds them of home.
Startling, Lion realizes that a few tears are falling from their eye, and wipes them away quickly—hopefully before Ange can see. Smiling, they walk up to stand next to her, reflexively moving to sling their coat across their shoulder before realizing they're wearing a dress and letting out a small chortle.]
...the sea's a beautiful blue today, huh, Ange-chan?
Thank you for taking me here.
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Even if she sure doesn't know all the meaning contained behind such a simple statement about the sea, something about it feels nice to her all the same. ]
No.. [ She slowly shakes her head. ] Thank you! Because, um..
[ Slowly the smile drops a little, replaced with something a tad more thoughtful. ]
I think.. if you weren't here, I might be kinda lonely.. Because mom and dad and Battler onii-chan aren't here.. [ Even if this Ange hasn't had to miss them the way the older Ange has, it's almost as if something of the sentiment, of the pain, remains deep within her. ] .. but when we're both here, we don't have to be lonely.
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It's strange to say this, but... [Lion laughs, rubbing the back of their head and doing their best not to cry.] ...thank you for being here, Ange-chan. Thank you for staying here, no matter how hard it gets.
[Even if Ange forgets everything else eventually, they want her to remember that. They kneel down, scooping her up in a tight hug.]
You're very strong for being able to keep going without your mom or dad or brother, you know that? Even though I'm here, it must still be pretty hard.
But I'm so, so glad that I was able to make that a little easier for you.
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[ Ange softly repeats the word. Despite seeming a little surprised by the hug - and really, even moreso by the words coming out of their mouth - she does allow herself to be draw into the embrace, even though she's momentarily pretty passive in the hug as her tiny six year old brain is starting to think really hard.
Is she strong? She does guess she misses them, but it's hard for this younger Ange to understand the full extent of what the other is saying. ]
Then.. aren't you strong too..? Don't you miss your mom and dad and sister..?
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[The Golden Land always being there for Lion doesn't dull the pain of never being able to see their own family again.
Every time that Jessica looked at them like a stranger felt like a stab in the heart, and every time that Natsuhi refused to look them in the eye as her shoulders sagged from guilt was just as painful.]
But I can always keep them in my heart, where my memories are. That way, it's almost like I can visit them whenever I want to.
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In your.. heart..?
[ It's like she's pondering those words in this moment. She doesn't doubt that it's something Lion can do, since she does look up to the other - if not just by default, just by being an older cousin - but Ange seems a little bit doubtful of it when it comes to herself.
Especially since her expression drops little by little, the more she thinks about it. ]
That sounds a little sad though.. It sounds much nicer to have your family with you instead.
[ ... ]
I'd rather have you here than in my heart, Lion..!