[BitP:R] Mortal World

[horngeek]

Izumi goes to find Val. "It looks like she'll be all right, at the very least."

[Kasanip]

[Takara]

Soon enough, Takara arrives home with Erima. She heads inside and says hi to her mom before retreating to her room where she takes Erima off and starts pulling out her buried homework assignment.

Takara's house
[Erima]


Once they were back in Takara's room, Takara took Erima off and with the soundPon!, Erima was standing again. To try and keep the floor clean she quickly took her shoes to the side of the room . And then she brushed her hair (now dry!) and to find her homework she opened her school bag. Then she sat down at the small table in the room that was for studying.

She waited until Takara had sat down.
"I can help you study. Except for the math." She offered.

[Sucrose]

"Well, it sounds like your father's here, so let me go and get him..."

Claudia slips out from the bathroom, still wringing her hands a bit, and opens the door. Her initial, composed look of welcome is momentarily tinged with confusion. She eyes the twenty-something Yori suspiciously.

"You seem a little young to be Ayaka's father... I guess that would be him behind you. Who would you be, then, young man?"

[Rebonack]

[Park]

One might expect an eyebrow to be raised at this point if the Coat Man actually had one. He had felt a spike in power a few days prior, though it had quickly died down before he could investigate. Other matters had required his attention.

But now the source of the disturbance seems to be standing before him.

And frightening ducks no less.

"Only the slow decay of age and hardship, the troubles any old man must face," the apparent hobo replies as he rather shakily rises to his feet, bracing himself against the bench's wrought-iron armrest. It would seem he doesn't feel inclined to tip his hand just yet. His power is extremely diffuse at the moment and while he could draw it to himself in an instant it would attract...

Attention he would favor avoiding.

"But thank you for having concern for this old man. And I wish you luck with changing the weather. Heavens me, that would be quite the trick wouldn't it?" a slight chuckle as the brim of his hat is pulled down. Might be getting ready to take a nap on the bench... "Or is that just a saying among you young people nowadays? I can never seem to keep track of them all anymore."


[Airport]

It was an adventure! A grand obstacle to be faced and conquered! Or... well... Several grand obstacles to be conquered. El Capitan had been quite the climb, that was for sure! Standing there at the top where the air was crisp and cool even in the summer heat... Like being on top of the world! Anything is possible if you can do that!

Even focusing on school work?

Bleh... Maybe...

Enter Minoru! Loaded down with travel bags and suit-cases. Mostly his mother's, of course. Sometimes he wondered if she somehow managed to cram the whole house into these things... "I wonder how fast I could run with all this stuff... Bet I could still beat Izumi-chan!" the giant of a youth laughs to himself, only to grimace as he suddenly recalls. "Oi... Told her I would call when I got back..."

He glances down at his pockets.

Or tries at least.

All the baggage in his arms completely obscures his view of the ground.

"Maybe I should wait 'till we get to the car..."

Seems like a sound enough idea.

[riccaru]

"Well, it sounds like your father's here, so let me go and get him..."

Claudia slips out from the bathroom, still wringing her hands a bit, and opens the door. Her initial, composed look of welcome is momentarily tinged with confusion. She eyes the twenty-something Yori suspiciously.

"You seem a little young to be Ayaka's father... I guess that would be him behind you. Who would you be, then, young man?"

Alexander looks behind him quickly, seeing the man behind him. He then turns back to Claudia. "I'm here to talk to someone who is also here. May I come in? Oh, and I hope I don't have a daughter. I'm much too immature for that." He says, ready to move to the side for the man behind him.

[Shades of Gray]

Donovan

"Eh?" - Donovan sighs and makes a defeated face - "Right, right, thanks for the help." - And follow Eirine he does.

Eirene

Eirene takes on a serious look. "You really have to watch what you say. Rosa probably thinks that Viatrix is a drug dealer now, and that the colas are hallucinogens. And the other guests who heard you talking about "seeing things"? We can't blow our cover again, okay? We both know what happened last time." Eirene then goes back to her usual smiling self. "Right. Now we have a party to cater. I think."

[Draken]

Donovan

"She heard Jammerlich, I had to say something." Donovan crosses his arms. "And I take it you noticed by now that Rosa has spiritual powers. We should probably brief her into it all before she find it out the hard way, like due to the shinigami and the substitute in the party."

"And we have had a party to cater for awhile now, baka."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Park]

Yui chuckles at the last remark. "Yes, I know that feeling. Words are such annoyingly fickle things." Like a cool breeze dying in the heat of late summer sun, the tense air around her calms down and her smile becomes sincere again. "It's sad to hear your health is failing. I hope you have a proper shelter to go for the night, even warm summer nights might not be good for you, Mister."

[Rebonack]

[Park]

"Oh dear heavens yes, words are troublesome things. So easy for them to twist and turn. But I suppose that's better than biting each other to communicate like the ducks do," the Coat Man gives a wheezing laugh as he gestures to the water fowl that have already retreated to the nearby pond. As if on cue one of them pecks at another that strayed a little too close.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head over this old man and his old bones. I have my place and it has served me well thus far. Doubt it'll be letting me down any time soon."

With that said he turns to begin shuffling away.

He still has bread left and the pigeons aren't far.


[Airport]

"Maybe if you... turn it a bit?"

The Abe family has successfully reached their car! Unfortunately the trial is not yet over. As usual Minoru's mother has acquired a fair number of completely useless trinkets in the course of their vacation and now it's up to the youth and his father to figure out how to fit the jumble of knick-knacks into the trunk.

It's rather akin to playing Tetris.

Only with fragile keepsakes.

The stakes of this game are much higher.

After several minutes of quite amusing hi-jinks the last of the luggage is packed and the family is on their way home! Which means now is finally the time to...

At the pool party Izumi's phone will begin to ring. Hopefully somewhere within earshot.

[Shades of Gray]

Donovan

"She heard Jammerlich, I had to say something." Donovan crosses his arms. "And I take it you noticed by now that Rosa has spiritual powers. We should probably brief her into it all before she find it out the hard way, like due to the shinigami and the substitute in the party."
"And we have had a party to cater for awhile now, baka."

Eirene

Eirene laughs nervously. "Right, right, I knew that." Whether this is in reference to Rosa having spiritual powers or having to cater is unknown. Still, she returns to the spreading of food and drink, totally not eating some of the food and drinking some of the beverages.

[Sucrose]

Alexander looks behind him quickly, seeing the man behind him. He then turns back to Claudia. "I'm here to talk to someone who is also here. May I come in? Oh, and I hope I don't have a daughter. I'm much too immature for that." He says, ready to move to the side for the man behind him.

"Well, I suppose. Who do you wish to speak to?"

Claudia provides an opening for him to step through the door, though she still conveniently places herself between the pool and Alexander.

[riccaru]

"Well, I suppose. Who do you wish to speak to?"

Claudia provides an opening for him to step through the door, though she still conveniently places herself between the pool and Alexander.

"I need to speak to Viatrix-san. She left a note at her store saying she was out. I went for a drive and saw that her car was here. Excuse me for interrupting. Is she busy at the moment?" He asks her, looking past her to see what she was hiding from him. I sure hope this works. No other way to get in. Now, which one was Viatrix again? He thinks to himself.

[KnightDisciple]

Val's House

A glum-looking man in slacks and a short-sleeve button up shirt stands in the doorway. After a moment, he politely clears his throat, before speaking softly.

"Ah. Pardon me. I am Sasaki Shin; Ayaka's father. She called me to pick her up?"

[Sucrose]

"I need to speak to Viatrix-san. She left a note at her store saying she was out. I went for a drive and saw that her car was here. Excuse me for interrupting. Is she busy at the moment?" He asks her, looking past her to see what she was hiding from him. I sure hope this works. No other way to get in. Now, which one was Viatrix again? He thinks to himself.

Claudia smiles brightly, but it does not reach her eyes. She is hiding nothing in particular directly behind her. It seems to be a protective positioning, rather than a strategic one.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. There's no vehicle belonging to Vi here. Please continue your drive; it's a nice day outside."

Spoiler

Show

There really isn't. Vi arrived in the catering van's trunk. Someone who knew her wouldn't refer to it as her 'car,' particularly since she doesn't even own the catering business. Heck, she isn't even a member of the catering staff, though that part isn't perfectly clear to Claudia.

She then turns to Sasaki briefly, one eye still on Alexander.

"I'll be with you in a moment, sir, please come in."

[KnightDisciple]

Val's House

Shin bows slightly and steps inside, and over to one side.

He does not speak, but he does eye Alexander with some suspicion.

[horngeek]

Izumi looks at her phone, and fishes it out. "Hello, Hayashi Izumi here."

[riccaru]

Claudia smiles brightly, but it does not reach her eyes. She is hiding nothing in particular directly behind her. It seems to be a protective positioning, rather than a strategic one.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. There's no vehicle belonging to Vi here. Please continue your drive; it's a nice day outside."

Spoiler

Show

There really isn't. Vi arrived in the catering van's trunk. Someone who knew her wouldn't refer to it as her 'car,' particularly since she doesn't even own the catering business. Heck, she isn't even a member of the catering staff, though that part isn't perfectly clear to Claudia.

She then turns to Sasaki briefly, one eye still on Alexander.

"I'll be with you in a moment, sir, please come in."

"You did not say that she was absent, is she here? This matter is of some urgency, I'm afraid." He says, still trying to get inside the pool area to see what is happening to attract so many spiritual beings.

[KnightDisciple]

Val's house

Shin silently steps to stand beside Claudia, blocking Alexander's path.

He does not speak, but his action indicates his silent support of Claudia's decision.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Park]

Yui's eyebrows twitch angrily as the coated man turns to leave. Pretty little head? Her pout makes it clear she isn't particularly happy about being addressed in such a diminutive manner. Old bones my ass. You wouldn't know a damn thing about those. Or of young ones, for that matter. Struggling to regain a friendly expression, she turns to face Silva.

"So, I guess we won't be needed here anymore. Which direction should we head next?", she asks primly. Blackened blood is painting her face in unhealthy colors again, though it has nothing to do with embarrasment for a change.

[Rebonack]

[Izumi's Phone!]

"Hey! Izumi-chan!" comes a rather enthusiastic voice from other the line. "We just left the airport after getting all of mom's stuff into the trunk. I've had to deal with jig-saw puzzles that are more straight forward than that."

Cue corny laughter.

"The trip was great in case you were wondering. I'll upload the pictures after we unpack. How's the gang doing? You all get into any trouble without me?"

Because getting into trouble without him just wouldn't be right! Comrades need to suffer as one through the rough waves of life! Like getting kicked out of one of those photo booths after seeing how many people can fit inside. That would totally be rough-waves worthy.

[horngeek]

"No, didn't get into any trouble."

Unless, of course, you count getting attacked by a monster and having to gain wierd powers from a Death God- who looks like a delinquent- getting into trouble.

"I'm actually at a pool party at the moment, one of the new girls invited me to it."

[AmberVael]

[Val's House]

Kaito shrugs.

"I usually play Guitar Hero."

[Val's House]

Emi gives a tiny giggle, hiding her smile behind her hand with a bit of embarrassment.
"I guess that's the more entertaining way to go about it."

[KnightDisciple]

[Val's House]

Emi gives a tiny giggle, hiding her smile behind her hand with a bit of embarrassment.
"I guess that's the more entertaining way to go about it."

[Val's House]

Kaito holds up his hands.

"Great for page turning and typing. Good for video games. Horrible for music. I can sing...decently."

He shrugs.

"Just means I won't be a musician. Plenty of other options, and this way people with more musical talent have a better shot."

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Park]

Yui's eyebrows twitch angrily as the coated man turns to leave. Pretty little head? Her pout makes it clear she isn't particularly happy about being addressed in such a diminutive manner. Old bones my ass. You wouldn't know a damn thing about those. Or of young ones, for that matter. Struggling to regain a friendly expression, she turns to face Silva.

"So, I guess we won't be needed here anymore. Which direction should we head next?", she asks primly. Blackened blood is painting her face in unhealthy colors again, though it has nothing to do with embarrasment for a change.

Silva had watches the pair exchange words, the malice in the air making her feel a little uneasy. Just when she was going to try to determine its source, the old man walked away.

She shrugs a little. I'm not sure what all is here.

[Rebonack]

"No, didn't get into any trouble."

Unless, of course, you count getting attacked by a monster and having to gain wierd powers from a Death God- who looks like a delinquent- getting into trouble.

"I'm actually at a pool party at the moment, one of the new girls invited me to it."

Some people might be willing to count that sort of thing if they knew about it. Or... most would probably count that sort of thing if they even thought it possible. But most wouldn't.

Just too crazy to contemplate.

But sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.

"Pool party at a new girl's house? Sounds like a good time. Are they serving those tiny hot-dogs there? Because if they are then I'm going to have to be jealous," everyone likes minute novelty food after all. "So what's her name? What's she like? Is she going to be in our class?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Park]

"Ah, I was hoping you could just point a random direction..." Yui sighs, desponded. Then, she notices Sören's figure in the distance, and perks up significantly. "Maybe we could ask that handsome young man over there?"

[strawberryman]

[Valeria's House]

Val nods to Izumi. "That's good..."

She also giggles a bit at Kaito. "I can't say I've played many video games... I lived in the middle of nowhere outside of a really rural town for most of my life."

[AmberVael]

(Suggested Listening)

"Hey-"
She shifted, trying to identify where the voice was coming from. Where was she, anyway? What time was it? It was all dark.
"Look at the sky."
The sun trickled down through the darkness like raindrops, pouring down on her face. There was a clear blue sky above, and a grassy field below, a beautiful landscape laid out for her. Ah. So that was it. She smiled and kept looking upwards.
"One day, you'll make it. You've just got to keep trying."
The voice was edged with the harshness of reality, but also unwavering. It could be hers, maybe just thoughts, or of some strange narrator. But it didn't bother her.
"Don't give up."

The voice cracked through the dream, and Akiko jolted awake, her heart beating fast. Her fright slowly faded away, along with her smile, as she got out of bed. The house around her was quiet and empty as she prepared herself for the day ahead, but life slowly entered into it again as she hummed softly and began flicking on the lights one by one, each time she entered a room. Even though she was alone, the house she lived in was slowly drained of its loneliness as she moved through it.

'Don't give up,' she thought to herself, as she put herself into keeping the aura of the house vibrant and alive. 'Don't give up,' she remembered, as the smile gradually came back to her face, small but sincere. She dressed, cleaned a few areas of the house that needed it, doing her best to maintain it and give what she could to the home she had. Giving was important- it was demonstrating your place in the world, placing yourself among other things, so they would give back. Without that flow, she wouldn't be a part of the world, and would slowly fade away.

Don't give up. She had to keep going.

"I'm off!"
She said to the empty house, putting on her shoes as she left. With a smile on her lips and now in her eyes, she went out into the sunlight and into the city. Maybe she would go to the park, or a library, or perhaps she should go shopping. Come to think of it, she probably needed a few more things in the pantry, but that could likely come later in the day.

School was starting soon, Akiko realized as she saw others around her age enjoying the last days of vacation. She'd probably be joining them, but she wasn't really sure about it. Maybe, maybe not. Studying on her own just felt... better, though she guessed it isolated her more. Her aunt would probably try and push her into going.
Maybe I should try talking to some of my peers.
If she got an opportunity, of course.

Being underneath the sun, hearing people talk, and walking through the streets was refreshing and energizing, but at the same time, a little saddening. As beautiful as it all was, it still felt like she wasn't really a part of it anymore, that she'd been pulled out, as if she were a plug to be removed from a socket. Yet... she couldn't let it get to her. Don't give up.

And so, Akiko walks alone through the streets, a tiny smile on her face as she keeps moving, with no destination in front of her.

[Purple Rose]

[Takara]

Takara finds her work and sits next to Erima. She flips through it and frowns slightly. She probably should have studied this stuff at some point. She looks at Erima and smiles.

"Sounds good. Now... What is this about?"

((Unless you object, I think we can safely skip the homework section of the RP. I have plenty of that IRL. ))

[Sucrose]

"You did not say that she was absent, is she here? This matter is of some urgency, I'm afraid." He says, still trying to get inside the pool area to see what is happening to attract so many spiritual beings.

Claudia's smile rapidly wanes into oblivion, and her hands begin to curl into fists. The look in her eyes begins to gain some measure of steel.

"...You lie to my face, and expect to be able to get past me to my child? Vi's car is not here. If it were a matter of urgency, you wouldn't have taken a random drive into the country. If you know her and need to connect with her, you can call her by telephone. I suggest that you start being truthful with me, young man. What are you here for?"