specifiercity: (arthur002)
Arthur ([personal profile] specifiercity) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2021-09-08 08:13 pm

then they fluffed up like miyazaki characters

Who: Arthur ([personal profile] specifiercity) & Raleigh ([personal profile] righthemisphere)
What: a running club reunion
When: early september!
Where: the streets of trench



[Is that... a Raleigh Arthur sees? Is that his good running buddy Raleigh Becket? Make eye contact!]

righthemisphere: (pic#7387794)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-09 09:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Willful Machine.

It's just as good a place as any to come across someone. There's hustle and bustle all over the place, with market stalls and throngs of people going about their day. September is a sacred month, with people burying seeds and hair and pieces of themselves they want to let go and grow from. Apparently. But the more Raleigh looks into it the more it sounds like every month is sacred.

He kinda likes that.

What he actually likes is the fact it isn't October. Because last October he woke up (for lack of better words) in Deerington and went head first into a literal bloodbath.

Waking up here (again, for lack of better words seeing as it was more like rebirth than anything) was Very Weird and yeah, a little violent and a lot scary, but it wasn't October In Deerington scary. And besides, he kinda likes this place. A real place. A real world. Somewhere to start over. Maybe finally start that Actual Life he's always dreamed about. He was willing to stay in Deerington forever to make that happen, monsters and calamity after calamity come what may, so what's a little blood magic and beast hunting. Fuck it.

So, in an effort to get himself settled in, he's made a point to visit every district and explore. Make a few notes about interesting places to come back to later, and see what The City of Trench really has to offer.

So far, it's a lot. And he loves it.

Willful Machine is exactly what it sounds like: people making the city run. It reminds him of the markets he and his brother used to explore when they were kids. Busy streets in Tokyo and Berlin with vendors shouting out into the air. Here, horse drawn carts clatter over the cobble stones, with gondolas in the canals all around and the air is a mix of fresh baked bread and iron. Something in his head suggests episodes of TV shows he used to watch and as he wanders and observes he silently assigns passers by to different houses. That redhead looks like a Stark the way she walks with so much purpose. That guy selling roasted meat over there is definitely a Greyjoy.

And that guy across the square, with the dark, neat hair and straight shoulders- well he's absolutely in house-

Raleigh stops in his tracks, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark, long coat. Surprise hits him in the chest like a sucker punch, closely followed by relief and then joy. It's Arthur. Holy shit it's Arthur.
righthemisphere: (pic#14375566)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-10 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. We're jogging? Two can play at that game. Raleigh grins pushes himself back into motion. The cart traffic can get bent, can't they see they're in the middle of a reunion here?? So rude.

"Arthur," he calls, tone full of warmth as he opens his arms for a hug. Bro it out.

But man he really fuckin' means this hug. After Arthur and Eames chose to go home he thought that was it. And in those last days of war, in the difficult decision to say good bye instead of coming with for fear of him and Chuck being separated, the ache of loss was terrible.

"I thought I'd never see you again, brother."
righthemisphere: (I respect you so hard mako)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-10 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Raleigh grins wider as they hug and break back. He has a similar vein of highwire running through his bones but in this moment it's almost forgotten, squashed with excitement.

Shaking his head with disbelief, it's hard to let go of Arthur- hands settling to grip his friend's shoulders and the biceps before he can finally let go.

"I don't understand, you went home. What happened?"
righthemisphere: (pic#14375566)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-13 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Likewise. Deerington being a dream meant there would always be an end. the dream would always cease one day. And sure, worlds end too but Raleigh doesn't think it will be in his lifetime. This is something entirely new. A real chance at building something.

"That's wild. Is Eames here? Are you guys okay? Settling in? Where are you staying?"
righthemisphere: (pic#7387944)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-15 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well that makes sense," Raleigh answers (if not terribly) predictably.

BECAUSE YOU'RE BOYFRIENDS!!!!

"We're in a new place, safety in numbers. And it's a nice house. Chuck'n I are out in Feed," he says with a gesture in the rough approximation of a direction.

"His house and our stuff showed up too."

Tragically, there is no sign of Raleigh's beloved shack. Not that he would leave Chuck or the house to move in, but he's still sad about it's demise.
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-15 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. Something bittersweet crosses Raleigh's face but he smiles to push it away, glancing up at the sky- the normal sky- remembering what he can before looking back to his friend.

"It was quiet. No birds, no people, nothing. One by one everybody left.. I guess we were waiting it out until we could be sure Chuck would be able to make the journey. We never did know but by the end everything just.. collapsed. Like a big sigh. There was no way we could stay longer. I looked for a way but."

Raleigh shrugs. He was that desperate to keep Chuck alive. He tried, but there was no power to focus like Ramona had. No time. And no one left to make a deal with. No devil to sell his soul.

"In the end we had to go through the door and hope it worked out."
righthemisphere: (pic#14375570)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-16 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Keep this thing with Chuck going, yeah, you know. Keep him alive. Devil's in the details, buddy. He smiles softly before getting zapped by the world's newest, most serious Pikachu and jolting backwards with a yelp.

"Jesus-" he shakes his hand out. He's so fried from electrical pulse it's amazing he can feel it but Christ alive.

"Let me guess, new weird powers?"
righthemisphere: (pic#7387938)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-21 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," he nods and considers his own hands for a moment before slipping them back into his coat pockets.

"I'm like the Human Torch without the spandex."

Not that he wants the spandex and honestly the The Fantastic Four are a B team ensemble anyway, but whatever.

"My friend Mako calls it Firebending."
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-23 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's right," Raleigh nods.

"Lighting bending or something. He said once he used it working in a power plant. Seems like some high level stuff."
Edited 2021-09-23 12:15 (UTC)
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-27 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, it's how he was born," Raleigh shakes his head.

"But come to think of it he said he'd developed ice abilities. I bet that's got to do with the blood thing."

A beat.

"Chuck bleeds black glitter now. So that's a thing."
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-30 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It would be something.

"Wow.. so you've really looked into this. Any tips for noob?"
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-09-30 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"Mm," Raleigh nods and agrees.

A beat.

He very visibly gets an idea and opens his mouth before shutting it again.

.... no, it's still an idea.

"Arthur, I um."

Mmmm not sure actually. Might be stupid. Definitely is stupid.
righthemisphere: (pic#7387938)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-01 10:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Do you want me to knock you out?"

Genuine question.
righthemisphere: (pic#14347522)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-01 12:35 pm (UTC)(link)
This is how adults make friends right? He thinks Arthur would punch him out of he asked. Hell, he might still ask.

Not a mean punching out, a friendship punching out. For friends in need. With fists.

Yeah.

He nods a little and tries to half-laugh it off with a shrug.

"Desperate times and all. Last October I spent like.. ten hours the whole month. We're almost there again and who knows what's going to happen."
Edited 2021-10-01 12:35 (UTC)
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-01 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"If it gets any worse I might take you up on that. Should probably start stalking up on supplies anyway."

Is he still scarred from last October? Absolutely.
righthemisphere: (pic#7355208)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-04 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Raleigh snorts and gives him a look between you're such an asshole and it's funny you should say that with a dash of I actually love you.

"Well, our house showed up here with all our stuff inside. Amazingly the beans have survived. Lucky me."
righthemisphere: (is that right)

Yes. You waited this long for one line. Love me.

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-14 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Do horses eat beans?"
righthemisphere: (Default)

/preen

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-14 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Huh.. guess we'll have to eat'em then. We've got chickens by the way. If you ever want eggs I guess I'm your guy."
righthemisphere: (Default)

[personal profile] righthemisphere 2021-10-14 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah he.. same. Hard same.

"So uh.. are you busy? Should I let you get on?"