Waking the Dead 2.0 || August 9, 2063 || Tuesday

[kalikat]

[Dinner is served late in the mess hall because it's a grand banquet in honor of the Magistrate of Kibo. It's a pretty modest celebration, all things considered: the people at Kibo are invited, along with her family, any Searing Wind members who feel like dropping in from wherever they've been as of late, and a few friends among the other Keepers of the Vigil. That's about it.

Still, Kalika looks like she's having fun. Her husband and her children are, of course, all in attendance, together with her husband's familiars and the entire division of the Strays from Seigi. The food, mind you, is excellent, and there is more than enough booze.

You're welcome to come and go as you please. Kalika's easy like that.]


OOC Notes:
+ Will have some threads for NPCs of note, but just to give you a general idea: many members of the three blades are in attendance, along with pretty much anyone whom Kalika views as family. If you want to request for somebody, lemme know!
+ Debby and Noey: feel free to put your NPCs in here. =w=
+ Feel free to start your own threads too. Just specify if it's open to all, or if you're going to thread something out with a particular PC.

Comments

[larue]

[ He's going quiet at that. The ability to turn emotions off at will seems like an incredibly appealing thing, but he knows, logically, that it's also a terrible thing to have.

Feelings make you, after all, who you are. Even if they hurt. Even if you turn away from them, even for a little while.

He's looking down at the bottle in his hands at that, unsure of what to say, or even how to say it.

He's not exactly in a position to talk about feelings tonight. Nor does it feel right for him to speak of things like this when he's never lives through a war, or anything like it. ]

[redemancy]

[She's fine with the silence, of course. It's a lot to take it, and she's aware that Josh really isn't at his best right now. She is pretty sure she knows why.

Before that, though:]

Elias is a wonderful person, and I think he's keenly interested in helping all of you. It would be nice, I think, if you were to try to extend the same courtesy to him.

[larue]

[ A quiet smile at that. A nod.

And then an equally quiet: ] We'll do whatever we can, ma'am.

[redemancy]

[Well, that takes a load off of her chest. Elias is family to her, and has always reminded her of the little brothers that she had to give up.

Still, there are other things that must be said.]

There's something I want to tell you, since we talked about Hikaru's ban.

[larue]

[ And in that moment, Josh might actually resemble a deer caught in headlights.

Recovering slowly, even though he knows that you probably caught that. ]

Uh, sure. What is it?

[redemancy]

[Now you'll need to give her a moment. She's pursing her lips, looking down at the ground. When she speaks, her voice is soft and sad.]

He called me the first time he discovered the ban. He was on duty, and found himself taking the soul of an old comrade - a Warden. Someone he was close to. He had not wanted to, but...

[But there were rules. There were always rules.]

[larue]

But he had to comply.

[ He says that softly. He still remembers the exchange he had with Hikaru in the Great Hall. April was months ago, but he remembers it with stark clarity. ]

When did it... kick in? [ What he's really asking is: how young had he been? ]

[redemancy]

Since he was fifteen years old, but he only discovered it for himself back in 2060. Rilea checked.

[This isn't a happy memory on her part, because she can still feel how much it had hurt him.]

I stayed on the line with him until sunrise.

[He wouldn't stop asking why. Crying.]

[larue]

[ Fifteen. He's pressing his lips together at that, a twist in his heart over this new information. There's a moment when his gaze drifts towards where the party is still ongoing before he bows his head and reaches to squeeze Aria's hand in his.

After what feels like a long stretch of silence on his part, he asks: ] Why... are you sharing this with me?

[ His voice is young, uncertain. ]

[redemancy]

Partially because I think I need to tell more people about it.

[Looking up, then, at Josh.]

Mostly because you're the one he cares about the most now, and has chosen to be with. And that isn't going to be easy. It's going to be one of the best things that will ever happen to you, I think, but it won't be easy.

[But the look on her face says And that's okay in spite of the gravity of her words.]

[larue]

[ He's shying away a little at that, because you don't know and he won't tell -- can't really, because he wants to fix things between him and Hikaru more than anything else right now. He doesn't have a decent hold on his emotions tonight though, and he knows that, so he's going to take a swig of his drink and resist the urge to look back towards the party. ]

Thank you.

[ That comes out soft. ]

[redemancy]

Thank you as well.

[If the two of you work out the way she had failed him... maybe she can rest easier. Her time with Hikaru will have to happen at some other point in their lives, if it ever happens at all.]

[larue]

[ And he's blinking your way at that, before he's making the connection. He do much beyond the smile he manages to send Aria's way though, precisely because of the way things are... not good, right now.

Eventually though, he offers: ] Would you like to head back inside?

[redemancy]

Yeah. People might start looking for the both of us.

[And it wouldn't be good to worry them. The Hounds are similar to Wolf's Choice: fussy, but full of good intent.]

[larue]

[ There's a nod from this one. ] Yeah. That's true.

[ He's offering Aria his arm again, at that. ] Shall we?