001 // audio & action

[antwort]

[ Do you hear that Luceti? ]

A-AAAAAH!

[ That's the sound of your peaceful evening being interrupted by a yowling new feather. And a lot of splashing. ]

I don't want to die! [ The book slaps down wetly against the rim of the fountain. Anyone lucky enough to be in the square is greeted the the sight of a red-eyed, sopping wet new feather trying to scramble out of it, brightly colored wings flapping uselessly behind him. He's not having much luck of it. ]

W... where am I?! Konatsu? Lt. Hyuuga? [ A beat, and then a slightly higher pitched, more distressed. ] Teito? This isn't funny! I-it's a really bad joke! This is too far, even for someone like you!

[ And then the panic dies down a little, replaced instead with a terribly confused silence. Any who were fortunate enough to witness it are greeted with a baffled stare, his eyes moving slowly to the wings. ] Where... Is this...?

Comments

[Action]

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee happens to be running laps around the fountain. He turns sharply towards Shuri as he shouts - and he keeps pivoting his head so that he can keep on facing Shuri because he is still running his laps at the same time.]

Excuse me, sir! Did you just call for a Hyuuga?

[Action]

[antwort]

[ Who are you and why are you moving so fast and why won't you stay still?

Oh, who cares. Shuri looks a little brighter, unsure of why he'd been overcome with the certainty that there would be no one there. Of course there would be! Right?

But he's not terribly bothered by suddenly having wings and the people around him having wings. ]

Yes! I did!

[Action]

[niceguypose]

[Because Rock Lee.]

I see! I happen to be living with one! Perhaps I can find him for you? [Still running. Well, maybe he's slightly slowing down.]

[Action]

[antwort]

[ At this point he's managed to haul himself out of the fountain, dripping wet and looking very much like an unhappy drowned rat. Why would Lt. Hyuuga be living with someone like that...? A critical glance over his dress and features - he doesn't look like anyone of note around the Empire, but who even knows with that man. ]

Yes, I need to talk to him. [ There is no please. He doesn't even think to add one. ]

[Action]

[niceguypose]

[This time as he makes his circuit, he makes an abrupt stop directly in front of Shuri, and he nods diligently.]

Very well! I will take you to our apartment, sir!

[Action]

[antwort]

[ Yeah, he's definitely jumping at that, visibly startled by how fast this guy can move and stop. ] W-well, let's go then!

[Action]

[niceguypose]

Please follow me! [And now, Rock Lee is a-jogging! Towards the Flame Building.]</small.

[Action]

[antwort]

[ If he has no choice! Shuri follows after, not quite as fast thanks to the new-wing soreness and sopping wet pants. ]

[Action]

[niceguypose]

May I ask how you know each other? [Lee says as he, like time itself, marches on.]

[audio]

[disastergirl]

Stop yelling! You're noisy!

[...said the girl who was yelling back. Hypocrisy? What's that?]

[audio]

[antwort]

You stop yelling at me! I've been kidnapped!

[ wait.

a book is talking to me and i'm not even remotely alarmed by it. ]

[audio]

[disastergirl]

Everyone else here was kidnapped too, you know! [A short sigh.]

Just take a deep breath and get a grip, alright? If you've got the energy to talk like that, you can focus on what's important.

[audio]

[antwort]

[ OW MY HEAD. Shuri groans and holds his head. ]

I'm trying to find familiar people! That's important! [ Okay, yelling back isn't helping. He heaves and aggravated sigh. ]

[audio]

[disastergirl]

It is important. But! [...Oh yeah, he couldn't see her. There wasn't much point to pointing dramatically if he couldn't see it.]

If you don't dry off, you might get sick after all that splashing around. You'll definitely get a lecture from those familiar people if that happens.

[audio]

[antwort]

I know that! [ At least he's resorted to a more hushed tone. He crawls out of the fountain, shaking himself off miserably. ] Where are my clothes then? And towels?

[audio]

[disastergirl]

I don't know where your clothes are, but you should be able to find something to wear in one of the stores nearby. They'll probably have towels too.

[audio]

[antwort]

[ Huff! The sound of a spoiled brat. ]

Fine. I'll go look there... I guess.

[ Voice ]

[generalflirt]

[ Wait a hot second was that- ]

Shuri-kun? Seriously?

[ If it was just he voice he'd let it slide, but he knows Shuri had said those names before too ]

[ Voice ]

[antwort]

Eh?

[ That... voice...

Coming from the book...? Yes, from the book. He grabs it, nearly knocking the book into the water in the process. This is all too surreal, and all too familiar. ]

Obviously! [ With all the arrogance and self importance he can muster. ] Who is-?

[ About then he realizes the strangeness of talking to a book and stops. Stares for a minute, rubs at the dark circle under his eyes and wonders if perhaps he had drunk far, far, far too much that night. ] I've had this dream before... Wake up, Shuri.

[ Voice ]

[generalflirt]

[ Holy crap ] Hah. Ah, I doubt it's a dream, Shuri-kun.

[ Voice ]

[antwort]

But it's... [ Impossible, isn't it? But this happened before too. Going home, coming back. He remembers being here and being greeted by someone impossible... right?

There's a heavy splash as he hauls himself out of the fountain, nearly slipping and heaving a groan as his unsettled stomach disagrees. Having nothing but wine was a mistake. The night is a blur. There was an explosion, and then... the smell of something sterile, was that here? And... ]

Who are you?

[ Voice ]

[generalflirt]

A man known as Masaomi Kida. You probably don't know me though.

[ A little sheepishly. That was his bad ]

[ Voice ]

[antwort]

[ It... sounds familiar. But if Shuri's being honest, he's met so many people the past few days and he scarcely remembers any of their names. Just the fake sympathy in their voices and the demands they'd been bold enough to give.

Ugh. ]

Maybe. I don't know! [ He shakes himself off, pausing to stare at the wings and then sits heavily down on the edge of the fountain, pinching the bridge of his nose. ] I had... I had a house? Here. It was small, but it was here. [ No... no. That house was gone. He'd left it because... why would he leave a house for an even smaller space? ] I have a headache.

[ Voice ]

[generalflirt]

Then maybe you should go and get yourself some aspirin. [ He's concerned, in spite of himself. Shuri was a .... well he guesses that "senpai" was a friend of his. In light of that, Masaomi gets up off his seat so that he can take the journal in hand and walk off to meet up with the guy somewhere ]

Or if you're in a rough spot, I can help you.

[ Voice ]

[antwort]

[ There's something. A quiet concern in the back of his mind, but he's never been good at listening to that. Or anything that wasn't immediate satisfaction. And he's cold, he's tired, and he's still grieving.

And honestly, the fountain wasn't a fun reminder of that. So anything, anyone, has to be better than trying to figure this out alone. He'd even take Teito at this point. ]

I'm at the fountain. [ It's definitely the fountain and not a fountain. ]