And I will wait, I will wait, I will wait | Open

[chickenchoicejudy]

Who: Ryan Akagi [chickenchoicejudy] and you! Open to all.
What: Catch all for September + events! Ryan discovers his omen, starts busking while the Raccoon Room is being spruced up, and all the while misses Min-Gi terribly.
When: September!
Where: Various places, but most of them are in Cellar Door

Content Warnings: Minor blood ritual, possible mentions of past self harm


A. TOMO [CELLAR DOOR; EARLY SEPTEMBER]

All things considered, Ryan is settling in okay. Maybe even alarmingly well, considering he wasn't in that town the others came from - Deerington? He's pretty sure they said it was Deerington.

It takes him a few days to really notice some of the changes. Some things stuck out immediately, like the sharing of thoughts he doesn't want shared, or the apparent ability to show memories to others. He...still hasn't quite figured that out, but it's somehow one of the less weird things to happen to him here. Being reborn as some sort of squid is up there, but now he has more bizarre things to add to the tally.

Apparently he's something called a paleblood, and it turns his blood milky in the light of the moon. He's noticed that if he's outside for long enough at night his veins will start to look white, standing out against his tan skin as though someone drew on his arms with White-Out. On top of that, his entire sleep schedule has gotten out of control - he's at his most awake in the early evening, and has been crashing until at least three in the afternoon, but he feels...good? It feels like that's what he's supposed to be doing, so he hasn't fought it much. Maybe he's just a vampire now. A telepathic vampire, soaking up the emotions of others.

One night, he was wondering to himself what Min would be if he were here. The thought creeped into his head and left him a little lonely, but he didn't have much time to reflect on it or let it spiral, because a smoky otter leapt from his chest as soon as he started to process that thought.

Their name is Tomo, and they have not left since then. They even stuck through the ridiculous amount of screaming Ryan did when they first turned up. Since then they've become more solid and they've taken to climbing around on Ryan, getting tangled up under his feet and making them both trip, and pushing their whole head against Ryan when they want attention.

And they want a lot of attention.

Right now, Ryan's been sort of idly feeding them some sort of fried fish sticks he got as a to-go order from somewhere. He's had one or two himself, but he's mostly been picking at the fries that came with it and trying to work up an appetite. Tomo chitters at him in some sort of a fuss, stamping their feet on the bench they're sharing and Ryan boggles at them.

"What? There's no more fish sticks!" he says, exasperated. "Do you even need to eat? You're like, made of smoke or whatever!"

This is his life now. He has telepathic powers and he's arguing with an otter in public, out loud. He probably looks like a basket case to anyone walking by.


B. BUSKING [CELLAR DOOR; MOST OF SEPTEMBER]

The Raccoon Room isn't ready yet, and even though Ryan knows he'll have a standing gig there with a real stage and a real audience he's still itching to perform. Plus bouncing around with his guitar is a good way to burn off some of that weird fighty energy everyone seems to be feeling.

So, he's been busking in Cellar Door. He's gotten the hang of what people wear so that he won't be ragged on for his exposed knees by the locals, and he's playing...well, whatever he feels like playing at that given moment. His lunar orb is attached to his amp with a decorative macramé holder like a gigantic keychain (since it's not like his house needs electricity without him in it right now), and he's putting on a show for anybody who feels like standing around and listening for a few minutes. His guitar case is open on the ground in front of him, and locals have dropped a number of small shiny things, which he's learned are not insults and can in fact be exchanged for goods and services! Wow!

His set list is wide and varied - sometimes he's just messing around with new chords, sometimes he's singing about dressing a dog in a toque, and sometimes he's playing around with covers of songs he's recently learned exist. He avoids the more recent Chicken Choice Judy songs though, since they don't sound right without Min-Gi. His previous solo career songs all have a lot of baggage as well, so...he really needs to get cracking on writing more songs. But for now, just to have something to do, this is fine.

Tomo is with him, but the entire time he's performing they're curled up on a nearby ledge - more content than they've ever been. They look like they're cozy enough to just take a nap there while Ryan does his thing.

It feels great to be performing for a crowd again - he just wishes Min was by his side on synth, and he can't make that little heartache fade every time it slinks back into his thoughts.


C. GROWING PAINS [CELLAR DOOR (RYAN'S PLACE); SEPT 21ST]
Throughout town he's heard news of some...new beginnings ritual, and even seen people carrying around flowers. It seems harmless enough, and they're all magic now, and perhaps more importantly Ryan can't sleep. The sun is well in the sky now, so his body is insisting that it is actually very, very late. What else is he going to do, stare at a wall? Might as well play with this magic stuff, especially if it's just going to make a flower grow.

The locals are all about not being stuck in the past, right? ...Sounds nice.

He digs in a tiny patch of aesthetic earth in front of an absolutely decrepit-looking townhouse that he's been crashing in - the kind of dirt that isn't really a yard but is a place a tree could theoretically grow if it wanted to be a tree-lined city street. He's not sure if it's enough, but he decides to bury an old guitar pick. There are other things he could probably go with, but...it feels like it should be something small. It should be something small, and he doesn't want to bury the Chicken Choice Judy shirt.

(Maybe that should have been his first clue that this isn't a great impulsive thing to do at 8AM.)

He steels himself, still sitting in the dirt. It just needs one drop of blood. That's nothing. That's like, a pin prick. It won't even leave a mark.

It isn't until he feels a weight on his knees that he realizes he's just been sitting there for a few minutes now. He blinks, and Tomo is looking at him, staring directly into his soul.

You don't have to rush yourself.

For a second he stares, dumbly. Tomo hasn't spoken very much to him - this is one of very few full sentences they've said, and they say it directly into his mind. He can feel something pricking at his eyes, but he wipes it away before it can get out of hand.

"I just...really miss Min," he says. He speaks out loud, still not quite comfortable with his abilities.

Then miss him.

"It's not like it would...I dunno, make me forget or stop caring," he goes on. "But it still feels...wrong? I guess?"

...Then do what feels right?

Tomo climbs up onto Ryan's shoulder, curling up there like a living fur scarf, and nuzzles his neck. He takes a deep breath and...starts digging in the dirt again, desperate to unearth the guitar pick.

It's probably an odd sight in the middle of a heavily populated district first thing in the morning.

D. WHATEVER [WHEREVER; WHENEVER]

[Got something else in mind? Hit me up and I'll make a top level! Also I'll match format to either prose or [brackets]; I'm not picky.]

Comments

C

[royalfling]

Wu's out and about, looking for some more supplies for the Raccoon Room. It's nice to be able to really dedicate himself to a project. He's actually enjoying using his hands and creating something, even if Mako is doing a lot of the heavy lifting (literally). He hasn't worked this hard on a project since that one semester of college, when he threw himself into a history project about Avatar Aang's defeat of Firelord Ozai (he got top marks, probably due to his very emphatic presentation).

He hums softly, Fritter on his shoulder, her fuzzy tail tickling the back of his neck. He's looking for glasses and lamps, both pretty important to the general ambiance of the theater, and his bag is full of rocks, dragging his other shoulder down. Really, who decided rocks are a good currency? Yes, he can just pick them up off the ground, which is nice, but-- still! They're heavy!

He's lost in thought about rocks and lamps when his eyes land on Ryan, kneeling there on the ground in front of a pretty awful looking building. Maybe Ryan would want to go look at lamps with him (and maybe he could carry the rocks..?)!

"Ryan!" Wu skips over to him, even if it's a little less springy than usual with all the rocks. He stops by him, frowning at Ryan's hands in the dirt. "Oh, are you doing the flower thing?"

[chickenchoicejudy]

Both Ryan and Tomo startle at this, but Tomo actually recovers a beat sooner. You can almost see the light switch flip in their head at the sight of Wu - a friend! They leap right off of Ryan's shoulder and run a little circle around Wu before standing right up on their hind legs and putting their paws on Wu's pant leg, like they're trying to figure out how to climb up him.

"Oh! Uh. Hey, Wu!" He waves a dirty hand nonchalantly (or at least, he tries to be nonchalant about it). "I, um. ...I was thinking about it? But..."

He trails off and shrugs without explaining very much at all. By this point though, Ryan has processed what Tomo is up to and he flushes - pink, now that the sun is up.

"Tomo! Cut it out! Wu's got his hands full!"

Tomo does not. In fact they are so put off by Ryan trying to tell them what to do that they double their efforts, pat pat patting the side of Wu's leg with teeny paws.

[royalfling]

Wu just laughs, dropping down and letting the bag of rocks fall off his shoulder with a loud thud. Some of the rocks drop out, but Wu doesn't notice, reaching down to pet Tomo with a bright grin.

"Wow, you're adorable! Ryan! You didn't tell me your omen was adorable," he picks Tomo up, hopefully with their permission, and cradles them close. Fritter looks a little put out, but instead of getting jealous, she decides to leap down and trot over to Ryan, looking up at him with her big, big eyes, also asking for pets.

"You are adorable! So cute and long. Yeah, you're so long!" That's a compliment, Wu supposes, too wrapped up in this adorable little creature to really think about what he's saying. The flower is completely forgotten for the moment.

[chickenchoicejudy]

There is no doubt that Wu has Tomo's permission. Tomo practically launches themself into Wu's arms and snuggles close. They are cute and long, thank you so much for noticing, Wu!

Ryan is a little unsure how to take this development, especially since he's still a little rattled from almost doing the flower ritual, but he eases when Fritter approaches him for pets.

"Ha. Somebody wants attention," he says, but he also immediately rewards Fritter with as much attention as she wants. He reaches out a hand and motions for her to come over so he can give her pets and scritches. It...actually helps more than he was expecting.

"That's Tomo," he explains. "They sort of jumped out of my chest recently? They've been lurking around me ever since. They sort of just do what they want?"

Which Ryan finds kind of frustrating, in a way that shows a complete lack of self-awareness. But, he would be lying if he said they weren't growing on him a little.

"...Guess they are pretty cute though," he admits.

B

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz had, in the later part of the month, frequented Cellar Door from time to time. Most of her time was spent in Earworm, but there were times he just wanted to walk Cellar Door itself to get an idea of what it was like. It was on one of these days that she happened to overhear someone playing in the streets. Her ear perked up and she walked over, finding herself oddly entranced. When he was done she joined in on the polite applause, then noticed the curled up animal.

"Oh gosh! It's an otter! I remember when I had one! as a guide, not a real pet! Pretty sure there were laws against that back home."

Re: B

[chickenchoicejudy]

Ryan's still taking some dramatic bows when she speaks up, and he laughs a little and heads over.

"Yeah, same here I think?" He has no idea, but it does feel kind of illegal. "That's Tomo. They're my...Omen, I guess? They can do the smoke thing, but they mostly hang out like this."

Tomo, sensing that they are being spoken about, tilts up their head curiously at the new person. They then lean forward with their head a little, indicating that yes, they are accepting pets and scritches and affection at this time.

"So...you had one as a guide?" he asks. "That sounds pretty cool."

Re: B

[imaglyphwitch]

Heh, what a ham. Luz liked him already.

"I guess you're supposed to leave them be to do...their otter stuff. Swimming and eating sea food and whatnot. He's adorable! My omen's different now though. I could probably ride my omen, if she allowed it."

Luz doubted it though. She can't even imagine the face Tempest would make if she suggested riding the wolf.

She eagerly pet Tomo though because OF COURSE Luz is petting Tomo, she'd never pass up a chance to pet an otter. She loved them.

"I guess the omen's supposed to represent inner you? Maybe?"

[chickenchoicejudy]

Ryan leans against the same ledge Tomo is curled up on, guitar still in hand. He's still idly picking at notes here and there, but the notes are more gentle - background to conversation instead of screaming chords.

"Yeah?" He feels like he's heard that before, but he didn't actually put much thought into it at the time. "So...what would an otter say about someone? It sounds like you're totally an otter expert, so you'd probably know."

If he's being honest, Tomo has been kind of frustrating since they turned up. This is actually the calmest he's ever seen them so far. He...really has no idea what that says about him, but thinking about it for more than a minute or two makes his brain itch.

Tomo, meanwhile, is enjoying all of the attention. They nuzzle right into Luz's hand.

B

[droptheious]

Varian's still not doing any better than his weirdo message to Ryan in the wee small hours. Sleep is still an elusive beast and the growing anxiety he's feeling is only making matters worse. Exploring their new home is at least helping take the edge off- letting him walk and explore if nothing else. He hears Ryan's music before he sees the guy himself, heading off in that direction.

He smiles, listening to the song- it's...genuinely nice to hear. Music was the background in Corona- people sang all the time and he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss it sometimes. He doesn't interrupt, waiting for Ryan to finish before wandering over with a smile and a hand raised in greeting.

"Hey. That sounded great. Eddie would absolutely lose it if he knew you were playing Taylor Swift. In a good way."

cw: joking about pot

[chickenchoicejudy]

On the upside, Ryan has pants on today!

He recognizes Varian from the beach, and from the bizarre 3AM messages, and he waves him over. Tomo also looks up curiously.

"Thanks, man! Ha, he's how I heard about her in the first place," he says. "He would totally lose it. I kinda hope he turns up."

He's pre-Taylor Swift, but not pre-"lose it" as slang, evidently.

"So, you hanging in there after your bad trip a few nights ago?" He asks very conversationally, with no judgement but just a little amusement - he's pretty clearly teasing him.

always and forever little stoner boy

[droptheious]

Varian is so glad Ryan has pants on today. He's very proud of you, Ryan. You've done so very well, Buddy.

"That doesn't surprise me. He taught me about her, too. And well... a lot of future music, honestly. Maybe the sound of her dulcet tones will bring him running."

It's gotta be like setting off The Eddie Signal, right? Varian grimaces at the joke, tilting his head skywards to let out a pretty solid ugh sound.

"I told you I hadn't taken any drugs. It's apparently a coldblood thing this month. The no sleep. Though actually trying to make something to act as a sedative isn't something I've considered yet. Might be worth trying out. I think I have stuff in my lab that could work."

So hah, take that with your jokey jokes!!

Re: always and forever little stoner boy

[chickenchoicejudy]

"Dude, he sent me a whole list and every single thing on it is amazing," Ryan grins. "He's got pretty good taste!"

He laughs a little at the big reaction, but he does manage to look sympathetic now that they're talking in person. Varian does actually look kind of tired.

"It's not a bad idea. If I had any connections I'd hook you up, but I'm still a little too new in town for that." Or more accurately, he just hasn't had much reason to look into it. "But it sounds like you've got it covered with...mad sciiiiience? Maybe?"

It's like he only processed halfway through his response that Varian said he was going to actually go make his own, which is absolutely wild to Ryan. Maybe he's gotten this backwards. Maybe Varian is the connection here.

B

[payingfordeliverance]

Break was a ways away when he first heard the guitar. He has followed the sound to its source not out of curiosity, but because he is half convinced he might need to get in a fight here, given that something is clearly dying and no one has yet put a stop to it and honestly it's not at all uncommon for this kind of thing to somehow become Break's problem. Given that he is being stealthy, he remains just out of sight around a nearby corner, but he's certainly close enough that when Ryan pauses between songs he'll easily overhear him.

"-- an instrument? You mean to tell me someone's making that noise on purpose?"

"Boof," comes the firm reply, and if Ryan turns that direction he will find an omen staring at him with white glowing eyes. Detecting no threat here, the creature emerges from around the corner and prances closer. Break lets out a small "hey!" in protest, but it is too late. He wanted to investigate the noise and Baltus shall therefore investigate the noise.

Hello, sir. Prepare for a curious snoot sticking itself in your business.

[chickenchoicejudy]

That's the risk of performing on the street - hecklers. Well, that and someone running off with your profits.

Ryan looks up at the sound of complaints and is immediately rewarded with the sight of a big dog trotting his way. Tomo looks up too, from where they've been lounging - someone noisy is approaching and they're not sure how to feel just yet.

"Woah, hey there!" Ryan says, laughing a little. "You're so pretty you're going to wind up stealing the show on me!"

He crouches down a little and offers a hand to sniff. The interruption doesn't seem to bother him much. He's been here all day - he can stop and say hello to a dog.

"Aw, do you like my very on-purposes noises?"

[payingfordeliverance]

Break isn't even a proper heckler, he's just an old man yelling at clouds. He subsides with a look of faint disgust as his omen elects to be a skanky flirt, his feathery tail lifting to wag a little at Ryan's praise. Baltus, like Break, has little use for being told by strangers that he is pretty. However, Baltus, like Break, knows that anyone who would do such a thing is probably a sucker, and suckers often turn out to be useful sooner or later.

As such despite not really being a dog, he certainly acts the part, giving Ryan's hand a polite sniff and then raising his head to greet his fellow omen with a similar gesture. But his real attention is on the strange guitar and Baltus returns to that in short order, tilting his head to peer at it this way and that. It does not seem so dissimilar from an ordinary guitar, just a box with strings on it. What is it that makes this one sound like an infernal hellcat screaming at the blood moon?

[chickenchoicejudy]

It's true, it isn't terribly different. The main difference is easy to spot - there is a plug that extends out of the base of the guitar, into a little box. The box has a lunar orb dangling off of it in some sort of macramé holder, powering it like a battery on a keychain.

This is the cause of the racket. Ryan is too delighted by getting to meet a nice dog (?) to really pay attention to anything potentially examining his amp. He stands upright and attempts to go back to playing - this time the song is animal-themed though, clearly meant to be dedicated to his new friend.

"I'm gonna dress my cat in a toque! I'm gonna dress my dog in a toque!"

And so on and so forth. Those are the only words in the song, looped over and over. Isn't it beautiful Baltus?

( B )

[fabrications]

Akechi hears the music before Ryan comes into view. When he does he actually slows his pace just a touch. It's a surprise in a good way to hear what he considers modern music again, even if it's not to his usual tastes. He's not about to outright stop but he'll definitely take a more leisurely stroll while the musician is in earshot.

Granted, it turns out that the musician isn't just playing modern music, but both the musician and his instrument look like they could have just arrived from any given street corner in Shibuya or Shinjuku; even the clothing isn't that out there when it comes to street fashion. It's enough of a unexpected development that Maurice, who's been placidly trotting along beside Akechi this whole time, suddenly splits off and trots himself right up to Ryan instead. He sits down directly in front of the guitar case, staring up at Ryan with his grey eyes wide and his tail curled neatly around his feet. With his cover already blown, Akechi doesn't see that he has much choice but to follow - though he keeps a more respectable distance than his Omen.

Both of them are quiet until the song is over, and though Akechi doesn't have any physical trinkets to toss into the case he does, at least, offer a polite round of applause.

"I must say, it was a pleasant surprise to hear contemporary music in a city like Trench."

[chickenchoicejudy]

Ryan's omen Tomo looks up before he does - they're the otter curled up on a nearby ledge. Neither of these newcomers seem like they're up to anything at a glance though, so Tomo settles back down in their spot.

When Ryan finishes his song he takes a deep, dramatic bow and thanks the small gathering of locals that turned up before giving his attention to Akechi. He either doesn't notice that Akechi didn't put anything in the guitar case or doesn't mind.

"Oh! Thanks, man," he says, all friendly smiles. "I've been hearing a lot of it, surprisingly? You'd think it would be all classical or something but someone showed me you can get all kinds of music on those Omni things. And it's been going over pretty well so far!"

At least, judging by the amount of people who have stopped to listen. Only a small percentage of them have been put off by the concept of rock and roll!

He looks down at the very fluffy cat and grins. "Is this your omen?"

C.

[laminae]

It certainly is a strange sight to see. Not one Fern is expecting to see, and definitely not first thing in the morning. While he doesn't quite have the same nocturnal tendencies as Ryan he's still been having a heck of a time getting a full night's rest thanks to everything going on through the month, so he's tired enough to do a double take when he sees the other boy. That's certainly some gardening he's doing.

He is going to wander on over, running a hand through his hair. Should he be concerned? He isn't totally sure at this point, and he doesn't want to jump to any conclusions and freak Ryan out. He stops a couple feet away from the patch of dirt, looking bewildered. "Dude, you doing okay?"

[chickenchoicejudy]

Ryan is focused enough on what he's doing that he doesn't notice Fern at first and despite how careful he is, Ryan still startles. It definitely isn't Fern though - Ryan is tired and on edge, and seems a little like he would have startled at anything.

He's crouching in a patch of dirt, digging with his bare hands, with an otter on his shoulders. ...In other words, he has no idea how to answer that question.

"Yeah!" he blurts out all of a sudden. "Yeah, I'm totally okay. I'm just..."

Tomo looks up at him, like they can't wait to hear what stupid excuse he tries to give. They're already not buying it and he hasn't even said anything. There's so much judgement coming from this little otter.

"I.........lost something in the dirt!" he settles on, overcompensating a little too hard with the good cheer. "It's no big, I just dropped something and it got buried a little. Ha. ...Clumsy, right?"

He shrugs like this is some wacky sitcom-y happenstance, and honestly the more he treats it that way the more it sort of feels like one. Tomo, meanwhile, looks at Fern. He sees what they're seeing, right? They have this almost conspiratorial look, like, can you actually believe this guy? Since they're on his shoulders, Ryan can't actually see the incredulous faces they're making.

[laminae]

This is a very strange situation to come across, and Ryan's reaction to what Fern assumes should be a very simple question isn't helping matters. Yeah, Fern can be pretty gullible, but even he isn't falling for this. He isn't totally sure if he should go along with this or call the other boy out on the very obvious lie.

He raises an eyebrow, giving Tomo a small glance and picking up on his judgmental vibes. Don't worry, he gets it, he's just trying to figure out whether this is some kind of weird cry for help or what. Downsides to not knowing someone very well, huh?

He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, and decides he should probably try and do the nice thing here. "Uh, sure, yeah. Do you... you need any help digging it up?"

[chickenchoicejudy]

Ryan seems to do some mental gymnastics in that moment, trying to gauge whether it's weirder to insist he doesn't need help or to accept help for something that's probably only buried a few inches down. Tomo helps by gently papping the side of his face.

"Oh, uh. Sure? If you want to, I mean," he says. "It's nothing big - just a guitar pick. Thanks, man."

It's apparently not that true if he's going to all this trouble over it, but offering Fern an out if he wants it seems like a good compromise in his head.

B.

[onekindsoul]

Ruby was mostly out to get a lay of the land when she comes across Ryan playing the street. Honestly if there was one song that really spoke to her heart it was the one about putting a toque on a dog. She was getting some sort of weird subliminal messaging that she should go home and dress Zwei up immediately and she couldn't imagine why.

She fights off those feelings and decides to listen for awhile. Every once in awhile she is going to throw a bullet into his guitar case. Because what else would she use as currency, really?

[chickenchoicejudy]

It speaks to everyone. It's a universal emotion, wanting to put cute hats on animals.

Ryan notices the bullets while he's playing, but does a good job not letting it trip him up mid-song. It's only after the song ends that he stops playing for a second and waves her over. He recognizes her from the beach, so he tries to be friendly in his comeplete bafflement.

"Hey! Glad you like the show," he says. "But uh. ...Why are you using bullets as money?"

[onekindsoul]

She gives a playful clap as he finished playing and then quickly moves over to join him.

"Of course! You were doing great." She gives a little shrug at the question. "Well there's no actual money here but like monster hunting is a huge business, right? I figured I could pay people with the stuff they need to protect themselves. The bullets are like small change but-" And she opens up her cloak to reveal a handful of knives.

"-These are the bigger bills. What do you think?"