![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
1.0 game launch log
1.0: Game Launch
Patch Update
Maybe you’ve been getting settled in for a little while now, maybe you just arrived yesterday. Either way, a big change is coming! All Dodo residents will receive a city-wide broadcast on their phones:
> Thank you for your patience with our construction, city-goers! As our month of pride celebration has wrapped, all our streets are once again open. Hope it sets your hearts aflutter for 🤍 White Day! 🤍
The streets of Crane City have opened, and what glorious streets they are! Decorated with gently blooming white flowers, ivory streamers hung from building to building, and floating snowy balloons, everything seems to be elevated with a touch of elegance. What’s that? It’s looking a little bridal? Now you’re getting in the spirit! The city is abuzz about an upcoming celebration...
Meanwhile, Duocaeli has also become the loveliest storm. It’s a tornado of silks, a cyclone of chiffon, ribbons as far as the eye can see - that’s right, it’s time for a parade of princesses. Avis Isle is tittering with gossip, airship after airship coming to land as royalty gets to enjoy the fresh air and roguish sights of a guild town. There’s princesses from faraway lands, kingdoms large and small, excited to rest before they depart soon to their next destination—some kind of royal slumber party? rich people—and they’re so excited to be here! Some are children, others as mature as their late 300's—once a princess, always a princess.
Avisle is excited for their business too! ♥ Looks like everything’s a little more expensive around these parts (know your audience) but there’s also better service and rumors of special treatment for those of blue blood pedigree, or their staff. Why don’t you slide on in? If anything, you might want to teach your friends how to pass for royalty, lest they get mistaken for a worker!
Speaking of roleplay, it seems like there’s an abandoned chest in one of the roadways, likely fallen off a carriage in the chaos… Inside, characters will find gorgeous adornments, including lovely gowns, crowns, etc. The criers looking for royal customers ring in the back of your mind – “Princess business welcome!!” – do you do the proper thing and look for the owner of the chest, and see if you can get a reward? Or is it time for royal cosplay? (Though should you return it, and the shopkeep may ask you to wear some garments as advertisement anyway...)
Alternatively, in your plain clothes, or... most clothes, it’s easy to be mistaken for a page. Well, they’re all awfully young ladies–have a sense of humor! Don’t let it rankle you too bad... or do?
Guild business is in high demand now especially, with most specialties being sought after by a monarch-to-be for one reason or another.
♔ Crafters are highly sought after, especially those who specialize in adornments. Won’t you make them some hair ornaments that bloom just like true roses?
♔ Warriors are being asked to fulfill more bodyguard roles. You know! Just like in their romance novels…
♔ Scholars are being asked to fulfill divinations—how good are you at fortune tellings? The future of their kingdoms are prosperous, aren’t they? Aren’t they?
♔ Wanderers are being requested as tour guides and escorts. They have a higher chance of being mistaken for pages. Sorry.
♔ Menders must clean up after everyone’s messes, as usual. Stained gowns, broken hairpins, the occasional sprain of a princess fallen out of a tree (we told her not to!)—you name it.
♔ Warriors are being asked to fulfill more bodyguard roles. You know! Just like in their romance novels…
♔ Scholars are being asked to fulfill divinations—how good are you at fortune tellings? The future of their kingdoms are prosperous, aren’t they? Aren’t they?
♔ Wanderers are being requested as tour guides and escorts. They have a higher chance of being mistaken for pages. Sorry.
♔ Menders must clean up after everyone’s messes, as usual. Stained gowns, broken hairpins, the occasional sprain of a princess fallen out of a tree (we told her not to!)—you name it.
1. Questboard
The quest board at the guild hub has been updated with the latest patch! Excited players are gathered around to collect new bounties, which are open to all. The guild hub also provides a useful bestiary, which is readily accessible by guild members via crystals.
2. Dungeon Crawl - Guild Hub Catacombs
Welcome to your first limited time domain! Princess Andalina is the belle of the ball, and the one organizing the royal slumber party... when she's suddenly attacked by robed figures in the Guild Hub! It's your job to escort her safely through some secret underground catacombs so that she might be smuggled aboard an airship and escape–though naturally, there's a catch.
Task: Escort Princess Andalina Quartzrosen Pili Majesteria the Third
Reward: Daiya, diamond jewelry of choice.
Chamber 1: Once Upon a Time...
Right in front of your eyes, the exhausted Princess suddenly transforms… into a beautiful diamond? Housed in a necklace, it seems that this icy stone is her dormant form, and is entrusted to players for safekeeping. Dungeon party members will be given roles in the first chamber: knight or princess. Knights will be in charge of defeating foes; princesses will have to wear the enchanted stone and keep it intact. If princesses are hurt, the stone will be damaged. If they're grievously injured or killed, the stone will be destroyed outright.
Additionally, knights will find themselves buffed overall and invulnerable to damage. But it's not that convenient–princesses will sustain any injuries meant for their knights. In RPG terms, princesses serve as the HP for all members of their parties.
It's imperative to keep moving to avoid the incoming assassins, though that's easier said than done: some of the hallways are incredibly narrow, there's constant forks and uneven terrain, and the darkness is thick and suffocating. It'll be easier to stay close–or maybe even get a piggyback ride? A princess carry, if you will? It's easy mana!
Chamber 2: A Sticky Situation
The catacombs are damp and stale–and of course, in their neglect, they're teeming with danger. The pitch black corridors make it easy to stumble into giant spiderwebs, which are nearly impossible to escape alone, though they can be burned or otherwise destroyed with some help. The webbing itself is weaved with magic, and will quickly drain the mana of anyone trapped within.
But where there's spiderwebs, there's bound to be… spiders! Careless knights and princesses may find themselves kidnapped and carried away by these hunters, which can attack with sharp barbs and acid that lingers on every surface. Knights are invulnerable, but can still be incapacitated by webbing–be careful!
Chamber 3: Sins of our Daughters
The light is at the end of the literal tunnel, but one obstacle remains: the young leader of the assassins who introduces herself as Nina.
Nina doesn't attack outright, instead first explaining Andalina's crimes against her kingdom, and her desire for justice. Proudful and grieving, Nina will only accept Andalina's death, but nevertheless offers the players a choice:
Destroy Andalina: By deliberately injuring a party's princess, Andalina's crystal will be destroyed, and she'll be killed. Nina will thank the party and slip away without another word, looking wearied.
Save Andalina: Protecting Andalina will cause Nina to attack, leading to a boss battle.
BOSS: Nina the Emerald
HP: 10000
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Weakness: Water, despots
Resistance: Earth
Attacks
Defeating her can be as "simple" as beating her in a fight before the party sustains too much damage, but there's also a large, deep lagoon in this chamber. If you can make Nina sink like a stone, the water might be enough to dispatch her permanently…
HP: 10000
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Weakness: Water, despots
Resistance: Earth
Attacks
- Crystal Cage: Summons giant, emerald shards to create walls, isolating party members.
- Shatter: Anything her knives touch turns temporarily into crystal, including limbs and portions of flesh. Nina will often throw these knives, though she can also be turned to stone using them. Payback's a bitch!
Defeating her can be as "simple" as beating her in a fight before the party sustains too much damage, but there's also a large, deep lagoon in this chamber. If you can make Nina sink like a stone, the water might be enough to dispatch her permanently…
G̴̮͇̽ĺ̶̻͉̓͝i̷̜͓̙̊t̵̤̄́̏c̶̝̘̃̉̀h̶̯͓͘i̶̖͙̭͆ń̷̻̦̘g̶͐͒͜ͅ: Occasionally throughout the dungeon, including during this boss fight, the role between princesses and knights can switch without warning! Don't get too comfortable.
In the end, only one of the two girls can survive. While others may view this as just a cutscene in a game, to PCs, something about both these women feels quite real. Claim your reward, and step into the glowing portal that will teleport you back to the dungeon entrance. Players may thread any number of outcomes, but can only report one of their threads here for rewards!
OOC Notes
March's OOC Event Plotting Post is also here for your reference!
Please look forward to our next gamewide mingle for Dodo's Doki Doki White Day Auction on Friday, March 17th.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
duocaeli duologs duolingosTaken / Applications / Hiatus & Drops
FULL NAVIGATION
no subject
—!
[ And just as she prepares to smooth things over, to shut things down, she feels it. Like a heartbeat perfectly in sync with hers. Her eyes widen as well, the sound of her name spilling from his lips hitting her like a tsunami, washing any doubt churning through her in its wake, leaving but one quiet emotion.
A faint flicker of hope. He felt it too, didn't he?
It's gone in an instant, but she felt it with practically every fiber of her being. Saw it in his eyes, recognition shining in vibrant golds during that brief exchange. Seeing him pitch forward, Hibiki moves, stopping herself just short of catching him. Her own mind is going into overdrive ('Don't touch him right now!'), the small elf fumbles with her sleeves, clumsily unrolling them and practically yanking the fabric over the palms of her hands in case he really does tip over.
She doesn't touch him, but her hands hover precariously close, her gaze briefly averting before she forces it back to him. ]
Don't force yourself! It's okay, really! [ There's that forced smile again, but not for the reason he might think.
It doesn't stay long, and as cerulean meets gold, her countenance turn quietly somber. ]
This... might sound weird, but you remember some place other than here, right? Not Avisle I mean, but... Wherever you're logged in from.
no subject
There it is again—that agonizing pang of familiarity. She knows. She knows not to carelessly touch him. She must know why.
But how? He's not an empath. Or... not an empath in this second life.
Or was the Netherworld his second life?
A beat. Kaito's breath hitches. What's the... Netherworld??
It's too much. It's all too much. Lurching forward, Kaito grabs her hands as if to ground himself. Instinctively, he knows that she's stability. An anchor. But he doesn't know why, and it infuriates him to no end.
Eventually, he manages to calm himself and releases her covered hands, shoving his own in his black coat's pockets. ]
I... Yes? This is just a game. Duocaeli. Outside of the game, I live...
...I live a facsimile of a life in Crane City.
An existence that isn't true, yet feels just as real.
What does that have to do with us?
no subject
Push it down into the dirt, where it won't hurt either of them... Even if that's the last thing she wants to do right now.
Hibiki stays silent as Kaito works to calm himself, and when he finally lets go, her arms fall to her sides. Even as shaken as he seemed to be a moment before, there's conviction in his voice. His question hits, and for a brief second, she falters.
What is she supposed to say? He doesn't remember her, doesn't have any reason to trust a word she says, so she needs to tread carefully. Her eyes darting away, Hibiki takes a deep breath before slowly sitting back down in the grass
hopefully some wind whale calf won't try to smother her again. ]Here, sit. [ She'll give him a moment to decide, leaning back on her hands as she waits. Whether he chooses to plop down or not, she won't leave him hanging for too long. ]
It's the same for me, too. I have a life in Crane City, but it isn't the life I know I've lived. [ She pauses briefly, blinking a few times. ...Maybe because her ring doesn't seem to work here? Hmm. ] I have memories of growing up there, of a normal life with my mom and my step-dad and my sisters. I've got a steady job, an okay-ish fan following. You know, a normal, mundane life. Except I know it's never been mundane, even back when I thought it was. I've never set foot outside of Japan my entire life, never mind lived a complete other life in a place I'm pretty sure I've never heard of before logging in.
[ Taking a deep breath, she lets her words settle before offering up an apologetic smile. ]
Sorry, bad habit. That didn't really answer your question. I guess if I had to put it simply... Somewhere between the life you know is real and the one that only feels real, we knew each other. Sounds pretty hard to believe, especially since you have no clue who I am. I mean, why would you trust some random stranger, but... I'm not the type of person to lie, that's just not me.
no subject
Kaito, of course, obliges. Stupid Disney Princess. ]
I've seen other worlds before, [ he blurts, soft yet blunt. ] But the experience has never come tailor-made with a witness protection program backstory, y'know? I usually just get dumped in a city and have to fend for myself. Here, in Crane City? I'm established. I have my own restaurant. My mother, I never lost her.
...Yukito's not here.
There are too many holes for me to ever be able to accept this substitute life as truth. Perhaps it belongs to a Kaito... But it isn't this one's.
[ Somehow, this angle prompts a more relaxed and genuine smile from Kaito, as if the rambling is some welcome reprieve from everything else that's confusing the fuck out of him. ]
If you truly know me, then you know that you can't lie to me. Even here, with my natural talents diluted by the game's programming or whatever, I'd smell a liar from ten miles away. So if you are deceiving me, then there'd be no way for me to catch you regardless.
I don't really know how to take all this. I'm still getting used to the tail and horns, y'know? Now some pretty elf is insisting that we've been some degree of close for who knows how long. You'd have to be real deep into the con, assuming this is one.
[ A beat. He leans over to prop his arms on the whale calf, then settle his chin on his hands. ]
It's too early to say I trust you because you're not lying, but it's too suspicious to simply discard your words as delusion. So answer me this one question, and maybe then I'll have a better idea of how to sift through all your words and emotions:
...Will you stab me in the back if it seems convenient?
no subject
...That isn't fair.
[ Said quietly to herself, but likely still loud enough for him to catch. But it does mean that this place isn't nearly as idyllic as she thought it might be. Alternate realities however, that is something Hibiki hadn't considered. She had only begun to wrap her head around multiple versions of Earth existing within the greater universe, but alternate versions of people?
Thanks Kaito, she's blaming the next few sleepless nights thinking about what bizarre-o Hibiki would be like on you. That and the fact that, without any prior knowledge to go on, he calls her pretty like it's no big deal. He doesn't need empathy to see the effect of that particular blow, because having elf ears makes it much easier to tell when they've been set aflame. ]
I like the tail and horns! [ SHUT UP DUMBASS. ] A-and this is definitely not a con! Trust me, I'm not smart enough to come up with any of these weird memories, let alone try to pull a wool blanket over your eyes!
[ Not quite right, but close enough, 80/100.
But wait, hasn't he asked her that question before? She could have sworn... No, she knows he has. She can't quite remember how she answered, but this weird deja vu feels oddly comforting. Tilting her head slightly, silver hair spilling to one side, Hibiki smiles at him warmly. ]
Absolutely not. [ Zero hesitation. ] I'd kick somebody's ass if they tried that on anybody. That's the kind of person I am and always have been.
no subject
...How indeed.
At the compliment to his own new body parts, his considerably shorter but also pointy ears flash with a hint of crimson before his tail swings as if to blow the blush off his appendages. Nice. ]
Mm.
[ He smiles, glancing sidelong. ]
I'm sure your honesty has never gotten you into any trouble before.
...Yeah. You seem like the type of person I'd want to keep around. I still don't quite get why you've got memories that I seem to have lost, but I'm willing to believe that most versions of me would take one look at you and see someone worth protecting. Someone good.
Just call it a hunch. Or ironic.
[ He shakes his head, petting the blubberblob between them. ]
I suppose this is just my luck. I would be made to forget someone possibly very important to me. It doesn't seem fair to ask for everything, either. What if regaining that knowledge closes a door in the life I'm living now?
Did I forget about you for a reason, or was it just to torture one or both of us?
no subject
[ Brat.
Also turnabout is fair play, Kaito. Besides, what kind of girl would she be if she didn't give him a (flustered) compliment in return? She means every word, and the fact that she gets to see him lose his composure a little bit makes it even more worth it. And that tail swish? Absolutely adorable.
But hey, making declarations like that are against the rules. Someone he'd want to keep around, who's worth protecting? He can't just say that practically sight unseen, it isn't fair...
But he brings up a good point, one met with a sharp exhale as she leans back and directs her attention skyward, her arms propping her up while she thinks. ]
I wish I knew. I have a theory for why I remember, but it's a little out there to be honest and it wouldn't completely explain why you wouldn't. It just... It doesn't make any sense.
[ Letting out an exasperated sigh, leaning heavily on theatrics to try to lighten the mood slightly, Hibiki sits up straight before flopping onto the baby blob. ]
And it's just my luck that I can't do anything about it. [ Time to nuzzle her face directly into the blorb. Apply directly to the forehead. Did he forget about her for a reason? That's... not a question she wants to think about.
That comment about her being potentially important takes a moment to process, but when it does, Hibiki turns her head to the side, a somber smile on her face. This hurts. There's so much she wants to say, but should she? ]
I can't tell you. Or, I guess maybe... I won't would be more accurate, even though I want to. And I do. Trust me. But. [ She pauses, treading carefully. ] When the chips were down, and when everything felt bleak and hopeless, I knew you'd have my back. And I hope you felt the same way.
no subject
She sounds so sad. Even if it's not in her tone, her emotions carry such a profound sorrow that can't be ignored. Regardless of what their relationship may have been when they both knew each other, Kaito can't help but feel that he has to keep an eye on her now. Perhaps this too is fate coming in to arrange the pair like little figurines.
After some thought, the empath turns his head to face silver hair. A gloved hand lifts to cross the gap between them before poking her cheek with an outstretched digit. ]
Are you familiar with kintsugi? It's an art form from back home—you mentioned Japan, so I figure we're both Earth kids. Broken things are pieced back together, their cracks smoothed over with golden adhesive. What starts as something unrecognizable eventually returns to its original form, and arguably even more beautiful than before it had been shattered.
[ Poke. Poke.
Eventually, he shifts his hand to smooth over her cheek once before drawing away. ]
If our bond is truly as you described, then there's no reason why we can't glue it back together again, piece by piece. That is, assuming you want to. I want to at least see where it takes us.
I don't know what we will be when it's all said and done, but I don't think the me that you knew would let me live it down if I just walked away after hearing and feeling all of this, y'know?
So? What do you think, Hibiki?
[ The sound of static suddenly fills the air, but it seems that Kaito and calf don't hear a thing. In the space between them, static-y golden text pops up that only the Siren will be able to perceive.
W̸o̶u̵l̴d̶ ̸y̴o̴u̴ ̵l̵i̷k̸e̴ ̷t̵o̵ ̸b̶e̸g̷i̴n̴ ̷a̷ ̸N̶e̴w̸ ̴G̶a̸m̴e̶+̴?̶ ]
no subject
Sky blue eyes blink owlishly at him as he pokes her cheek, any quiet teasing or protest she might offer in response when he speaks. Kintsugi... wasn't that something that Yui really enjoyed? Broken pieces brought back together with seams of gold, turning what might normally get discarded into something beautiful. It's small, but he manages to pull the first genuine smile out of her--still sad, maybe even a little unsure, but burning brightly underneath the surface.
But that light is ephemeral, flickering as a strange, static-y text box appears between the pair. Her stomach drops, a familiar feeling seeming to bleed into her psyche (no, there's no way), taunting her, calling whatever conviction she felt into question. Her mind felt surprisingly empty, but was his... ]
...First thing you should know about me.
[ Reaching across the expanse, she sticks out a finger and lightly pokes his shoulder, that smile from before finally starting to catch in her eyes.
'I know you can hear me, so listen up.' ]
I'm not somebody who gives up that easily. Call me stubborn, call me a fool, I don't care. Even if there's no clear path forward, that just means I need to make one myself. And if that means taking the broken pieces and putting them back together again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. You don't even have to ask.
[ Drawing her hand back, she curls her fingers into a fist before holding it toward him. Is she terrified that she's going to somehow mess this up? Absolutely. But that fear does nothing to smother the quietly incandescent warmth she directs toward him.
'Challenge accepted. I won't let you win here, either.' ]
Whatever this ends up being, I'm in this for the long haul. So let's find out together.
no subject
It's hard to say. Even harder when her mood suddenly plummets for all of six seconds, as if she's been slapped across the face. What was that all about?
Kaito decides he isn't going to ask. There are too many questions that she probably wants to share the answers of that she's forcing herself not to. It's weird, and some might call the pair stupid for participating in this act of secret-keeping, but it makes sense to them.
So when she holds her fist out, he lifts his gloved hand and matches her before bumping together. ]
For what it's worth, I've been known to be fairly stubborn myself. Perhaps you've already seen it.
Either way, we're settled. Starting over as friends again, putting together whatever it was we used to have.
[ Kaito grins, but the static text next to him continues to linger. With a noise between a shriek and something shredding, it changes.
D̶o̸n̴'̵t̵ ̷l̷o̶o̸k̵ ̴a̴t̸ ̷m̸e̴ ̷l̸i̸k̵e̸ ̴t̵h̴a̴t̸.̸W̷e̶'̶r̷e̴ ̶p̵a̴l̸s̸ ̷n̶o̵w̵.̵ ̸I̶ ̶h̷a̶v̶e̸ ̷n̵o̴t̷h̸i̴n̶g̶ ̷t̸o̵ ̴f̵i̷g̵h̸t̷ ̴y̸o̶u̴ ̴o̶v̶e̵r̷ ̵i̵n̸ ̵t̸h̴i̷s̷ ̸w̷o̸r̷l̸d̴.̸ ̵
̷L̸e̵t̴'̷s̵ ̶w̵o̶r̸k̵ ̵t̸o̷g̸e̶t̵h̴e̴r̶ ̵t̴h̸i̷s̸ ̵t̷i̴m̶e̶.̵ ]
no subject
This guy can say they're "pals" and that he has nothing to fight over here, but she won't believe it. The link that she and Kaito shared is still there, she felt it briefly, and the fact that his Shadow is still there in some form means she needs to be on guard. She can't feel hers at all (or hear The Song, but that's fine), but she sure as hell isn't giving Kaito's shadowy stowaway that information.
Her expression doesn't change, but she does manage to tilt her head a little bit when he mentions being stubborn. He's right--he is, and she knows--but she isn't going to say anything. Whether or not the tiny gesture goes over his head, it's hard to say. ]
Yeah, I like that. It's a lot better than staying strangers. Although... Hmm.
[ Slowly sitting upright again, giving the blorb baby a few rubs (good... boy? girl?) before draping her arms over it like she's sitting at a desk. ]
I know some things about you, but you know nothing about me. Doesn't really feel fair, does it? Normally I don't do this kind of thing, but for a new-old friend, I'll make an exception. Feel free to ask me anything. [ She raises a finger. ] With some caveats. I won't tell you any more about the both of us than I've already told you. And you aren't allowed to ask why, either. If I think you've found a loophole, I can refuse to answer.
If those terms work for you, then fire away.
no subject
̴N̵o̷ ̵n̸e̸e̴d̵ ̸t̷o̶ ̴c̶a̵l̸l̶ ̸m̷e̵.̵ ̸I̵'̶l̸l̵ ̷b̸e̸ ̴b̶a̷c̷k̷.̷ ̶:̸)̷
Kaito also sits up, folding his arms on the blubbery... baby. Yes. Baby. There's a mild scoff at the ruleset she lays out, but he's smiling. ]
Are we on-brand with the whole video game thing? Dialogue options unlocked until I've, I dunno, upped my charisma stat or progressed some more in the main story?
[ These aren't the types of references Kaito would normally make—he sure wasn't this game-savvy in the Netherworld—but the influence of his "other life" seems to have bled into his turns of phrase. ]
Okay. Tell me about your life. Your real life, back in Japan. I don't know how much about me you know, but if we were at least somewhat close then you're probably aware that I make noodles and negotiate with supernatural forces.
And maybe also that I love my cat.
[ Even as a Tether, Tango seemed to act more aggravated whenever she was inside his Door's tree... ]
no subject
Directing her attention back to Kaito, she smiles brightly. ]
The latter. The story's pretty involved with a lot of twists and turns, and I don't wanna spoil too much too early. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.
[ Leaning back on her hands, she shifts a bit to make herself comfortable. Where to begin..? ]
Let's see... I'm originally from Tokyo, although I lived in Shizuoka until about... [ She pauses to think. ] maybe half a year ago. Time gets a little fuzzy, since I wasn't really able to keep track for a bit. I do contract work for someone that helps the spirits of the deceased or those existing between realms move to their next stage of existence. Spiritual social work, my boss calls it.
[ And yes, she's going to completely avoid the fact that her boss is now somehow her step-dad. It's awkward.
Azure eyes looking skyward, she pauses briefly before continuing. ]
Until recently—six-ish months recently—I thought I was a normal human with really weird luck. The idea of being anything other than that hadn't even occurred to me. Come to find out, that couldn't be further from truth. See, I never knew my father; he left mom and I before I was born. And he wasn't exactly human. Or. At all. He's a siren—the winged variety, not the finned. And my mom, well, she was a clairvoyant.
I had to learn all of this from my boss. [ The frustration and pain from those few words cut deep, but she doesn't bother to bury it. He wants the full story, and she can't hide that from an empath. ] My mom never got the chance to, and even then... I'm not sure she would have. If I had to guess, probably not.
[ Taking a deep breath, Hibiki pauses. The next part never gets any easier to talk about, her gaze sliding back toward him, as she smiles apologetically. ]
Stop? Keep going? There's a little bit more but I'm sure you've got questions. And the next part's kind of heavy.
comes back to this thirty years later
Shizuoka... Shibuya, here. [ He frowns. Does she already know that? She probably does, if they're close. Well, either way. ] But I was born in Osaka, according to my dad. Mom went into labor while they were on vacation for their anniversary.
[ There. Bet she didn't know that. ]
...Mm. I wonder if our parents knew each other. I can't say I've ever heard of you or your boss from the work you do, but my dad and grandfather knew everyone in the supernatural business in Japan. Or at least seemed to. They always had a contact for a particular need or situation.
[ A beat. He can feel the frustration bleeding out of her aura, and something about the story tugs at his heartstrings. Makes his own blood heat up. ]
I'm sorry. Parents are always going to find ways to keep secrets from their children, but to not know your own heritage is... Painful. I can only imagine. [ Oh, Kaito. If you only knew the irony of your own words.
Her check-in prompts him to fwap his tail against the second calf. It apparently enjoys that attention, because it rolls in to Also fwap its tail against his back—much more heavily, too. Oof. ]
Hurk. Um.
Tell me the rest. There's a lot I want to ask, but I think it'd be better to get the fullest picture I can before I start.
cw for brief metion of suicide
His musings about their families is met with a shake of her head, shutting that theory down quickly. ]
I don't think we're from the same Earth. Well, what I mean is that it is incredibly unlikely, since we never had the chance to prove that theory. I've met people from different versions, and it's always a bit confusing at first. You'll just need to take my word for it. [ Something tells her that that won't be too much of a stretch for him.
A quiet, faintly pained smile quirking her lips as he offers his sympathies, Hibiki doesn't respond directly. She isn't looking to reopen her own wounds, only to give him the important points of who she is. And if she's lucky, he'll file that information away rather than poking at that pain in the future. ]
There's not much more, don't worry. But it's important. Really important.
So the reason I left Ikebukuro after high school... A couple months before I was set to graduate, my mom died. I left for school one day, and when I came home... she was gone. The police ruled it as a suicide, possibly related to a debt she supposedly had with the yakuza, and wiped their hands of the whole thing. It never sat right with me, and after that, I couldn't bring myself to stay. Most of my mom's side of the family was out in Shizuoka, so once I was done with school, I moved out there to be closer to them.
And I probably would've stayed there if an old friend of hers hadn't reached out to me and sent over one of her journals. I'm still working on decoding a lot of what she wrote, but it's clear from what was in there that she didn't jump. She knew that she was going to die, that someone was going to kill her that day. I came back to figure out who and why. Brooks, my boss, found me basically the moment I got back to Tokyo, and... well, that's it. More or less.
no subject
And it's agonizing to think that she's been alone through it all ever since.
Before he realizes it (this is going to become a habit around her, huh?), Kaito sits up and reaches for her arms. Yoink.
He's going for her hands, obviously. That's why he eventually shifts his to hold them. You think he's really just gonna awkwardly hold her shoulders like that? ]
World... No, universe jumping magic can't be that out of reach if so many of us can be plucked out of our homes to play a video game. And between you and me, this is probably my third or even fourth time being forced to survive outside of Earth.
So regardless of how everything else here shakes out, I want to make a request:
[ Golds narrow, and that trademark steely determination she's seen in them so many times before resurfaces like they had never left the Netherworld. ]
Hire me.
I used to be an odd-jobber back home. Cooked noodles during the day, investigated supernatural cases at night.
If we were as close as you claim, then it's not even a question. When we get home, I'll find my way to you and we'll get to the bottom of this.
no subject
Her fingers spread out of habit to give room for his, ocean blues search golds as he makes an open declaration. Hire him. They can get to the bottom of her mother's murder together.
This isn't what she had in mind when she promised that she would find him again, after the Netherworld decided it had its fill of them and sent them back to their respective Earths. To their separate lives. But this hits her like a truck, waves of silver spilling over her shoulders as she lowers her head. Whether it's this new life making it harder for her to maintain her mask or simply his presence dislodging it, she can't look at him right now. ]
I can't say the pay will be great. Most of what I had saved up went to getting back there. But if you're okay with that, even if it takes me a lifetime to pay you back in full...
[ Looking up at him, meeting his gaze with unwavering resolve, Hibiki nods. ]
Then I'd be happy to work with you.
no subject
For Kaito's part, he simply laces their fingers together and squeezes firmly. When she finally meets his gaze, he flashes her a reassuring smile. One of those all-too-familiar and all-too-precog-evasive gestures. ]
Bold of you to assume you'll be paying me. Taking care of this job will be payment enough.
[ In more ways than one, he'll come to realize if and when he regains his memories of the Netherworld. ]
no subject
Whether fully aware or not, Hibiki leans a bit against the blub-baby wind whale that has sidled up to her side. They will get some good head pats soon, once she has her hands back. Kaito can take his time with that. She squeezes his hand back, out of habit. ]
Oh, I will be, one way or another. Especially if you're hopping worlds just to take this job.
[ He might not remember how stubborn she is, but he can probably guess from the smirk she puts on. ]
I guess I could start with introducing you to a few people. I'm still building out a network, but I can think of a few people you might find interesting.