Dreamland (round 3)

[foundationmods]

[A strange house of some sort sits in the pitch black nothingness that exists around it. For those just now wandering in, they will be drawn to the building, finding it lit up in a way that it should not be. It's as if the whole area- house, yard, fence, and giant sakura tree- all give off their own light, and the newly-arrived are drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

Inside the boundary of the yard, the familiar faces of those who have passed on already will greet them. Depending on who is asked, they might give an accurate explanation. But even if they don't, one thing is clear: you don't want to leave this place. The area outside feels Dangerous, and it is probably best to stay put.

Fortunately, the house is built in an old style, and there are many rooms to explore. One room on the second floor seems locked, but the rest are open to explore as desired. The standard rooms are easy to find: kitchen, a W.C. and a bathroom, a sitting room of some sort, and a couple bedrooms (with plenty of futons for the dead to use). There are also several tatami mat rooms with nothing in them currently, but it seems like there might be some use for those rooms.

Around the house, perches for birds can be found. No birds are on them currently, though.

Sometimes Watanuki can be found in the house, but most of the time the dead will be left to their own devices. The question is, what will they do here?]

Comments

[sotoshini]

[ And on Shadows heels is Natsuno, though he doesn't have his wings out upon arrival. Also flopping onto a mat nearby. His head. ]

I think I'm going to need to sleep a second time after this tonight. If I can even do that. [ Or does he just sleep here??? This is just his life now. ]

[anonnomnomnom]

[Anon's been ignoring the food and just rifling through the entirety of the alcohol selection. Want to help him out? He throws a mildly commiserating glance at the flopped over Natsuno.]

Aha, it was pretty loud even on people ears. I'm really glad my shell is just the hound keeper.

[Who knows what would have happened if he were some kind of hound thing.]

[sotoshini]

Try twice because jinrou and demon. [ Once he spends a few moments staring at the soul sky he'll sit up and move to join Anon. ]

I think...sake. I need something smooth.

[anonnomnomnom]

Oh, are your senses twice as good now? I didn't know they stacked like that.

[He sounds faintly intrigued by this, though he shuffles over a little once Natsuno joins him to start going through the sake selection.]

I don't think I've had this stuff yet, actually. Do you have a favorite?

[sotoshini]

[ Thinking as he runs a finger over the bottles. ]

Starting from human it would be four but—I think so. [ He's kinda driving without a guide in both jinrou and demon life. ]

I've just had whatever Shadow's been drinking. The flowery ones are better than I thought they'd be, but my father said taru was the best. It's made in cedar barrels supposedly.

[anonnomnomnom]

Heheh, I don't think human senses should count. Going around the island like that was like getting wrapped up in plastic wrap and then stuck in a can.

[That's probably not the best way he could have described that but look. It was a thing.

But it's fine, they're all winging it around here. He hums a little as he contemplates the sake.]

Nothing saying we can't try a little bit of both, though. Maybe we can start with the flower ones, for flower viewing!

[sotoshini]

[ 'Kay laughing a bit at the image because it's both ridiculous and true. ]

It was worse being hungry on top of that. [ Humn, sure he can go along with that suggestion. ]

Hmn, it is fitting for hanami. [ ... ] Shimizu would be rolling in her grave if she wasn't paste on the road already.

[anonnomnomnom]

[He looks just as pleased with himself as every other time he gets Natsuno to laugh. Given he usually looks pretty smug on a regular day it's pretty normal, but all the same...! It fades a little into thoughtfulness after a moment.]

Right, you were totally quieter back then, too. Come to think of it, are you getting blood now that you're back?

[It's an offhand-not-quite-offhand question. He's just going to start gathering some sake and cups, glancing back at Natsuno for direction since honestly he is only guessing at which ones he's supposed to grab. There's a small snicker when Shimizu comes up.]

I was wondering if she just ended up back in her grave or not. They buried her the first time, right?

[sotoshini]

[ Natsuno is pleased himself to see all the different types of grins Anon wears. The one he contributes towards are the best, though. ]

Not yet. I think I'm going to have to tomorrow...there's no point in not being at full strength for the weekend. Not from Erhard though, even if he probably would still enjoy it.

[ There's some thought as he works it through out loud, because he has a few ideas. It takes him a moment to catch the glance, and he'll help with the cups at least because it's less about proper sake drinking aesthetic and more about not wanting to get hammered. ]

They did and I dug her up. Or her grave, at least. There was nothing in there because she turned into a Shiki, which was a pain because I had a stake ready and everything.

[anonnomnomnom]

Erhard really does have weird hobbies. But I think it's a good idea to be as prepared as you can be now that the game is winding down. Did you have somebody in mind already?

[Once they have things all together, Anon's going to pour for them, because that's apparently his first instinct. He's not as good with this as he inexplicably is with tea, but he seems perfectly happy to bustle around getting the spread all done and nice. Now they can just contemplate Watanuki's tree for as long as they and their fellow party guests feel like.]

Ahaha, I bet Shiki totally expect people to try and stake them in there. I wondered if they were sleeping there, like some of the stories, but that would be pretty stupid. Why would she roll around in her grave, anyway?

[sotoshini]

Riku. He's strong enough and it wouldn't be the first time—though it would be here. [ Oh, this is nice. He's never had the chance to drink sake properly before because hedgehogs don't know Japanese culture, but somehow he still knows the proper motions of lifting the cup with two hands. He'll hold on sipping it for the moment, taking time to breathe in the aroma. ]

I had to try anyway, just in case. But no they were sleeping in a bunch of abandoned houses and in the irrigation pipes under the village. [ ! They should toast too, cheers? Holding out the cup. ]

Because this is exactly the kind of thing she wanted to do with me.

[anonnomnomnom]

Hmm. Stable, too, so he's definitely a good choice. How come you didn't go with him from the beginning?

[He's definitely curious. He does like Riku, even if Sora is the one he knows a little better out of that pair. Anon doesn't exactly know the ins and outs of Japanese culture either, but it's easy to go through the motions when he's watching Natsuno closely and moving naturally into mimicking the way he always does. There's a brief blink at the strong odor, but for someone who was teethed on scotch whiskey (thanks Emi) it's an interesting change.]

Ah, the irrigation pipes! Maybe one day we'll get to do a hunt like that.

[He definitely is fond of the concept. There's an amused quirk to his grin as he responds to the toast after a split second of assessing what the gesture is.]

Cheers? To dead Shiki who are definitely dead.

[sotoshini]

I only wanted to feed off of people who deserved it, back then. [ This is a bit quieter, but only just. ] People who didn't mean anything. I was just afraid to accept what I truly was.

[ It's a topic he could get lost in, but everything around him right now—the company, the atmosphere, the sweet smell of sake—helps root him to the present. His smile is subtle, but genuine. ]

Cheers. To definitely dead Shiki and a future hunt.

[anonnomnomnom]

You're you.

[Anon tells him that warmly, with the same lack of hesitation or reserve that he's always said those words, any variation of them. That's what Natsuno's existence means to him, after all; in any of its numerous iterations.]

I guess you've found the people who deserve to be part of it. And who know what they're getting into.

[Are they ever going to stop dragging certain people?? Probably not. For the time being, it flows smoothly into the exchange of smiles, the lifting of sake cups, the soft swaying of the tree above them. It probably shouldn't be as lovely as it is, just like the sake shouldn't be as sweet over the recollections of past massacres.

But sometimes, that's just how these things go.]

[sotoshini]

Yeah. And the most important one too.

[ Natsuno might never know how to properly reciprocate that assurance, and it'll likely never fail to evoke a warm feeling in his chest. For now he chooses to lean into the infernal—it's almost a nuzzle of a sort—before straightening back up so he can drink the sake. There's still light contact between them because he doesn't want to pull away, but it would be hard to drink sake like that.

It might have been kind of a moot effort though, because instead of taking a sip he just takes a big gulp and effectively does a shot instead. At least he doesn't sputter or anything cause he's somewhat used to drinking like this. ]

Mmn you're supposed to sip at it. But it's hard with these cups and too easy to be greedy.

[anonnomnomnom]

[Anon leans into the touch with a pleased hum, the thrill of affection like this from Natsuno still new and strange. He keeps his gaze down at his sake, happy to stay there for the moment -- but with his hair up for the day it does very little to disguise the ridiculous way he's smiling into his cup or the sudden flush across his cheeks, a shade or two lighter than his hair and entirely impossible to blame on the sake.

It's only once Natsuno actually goes for his sake again that he looks up, curious because he's still copying the technique, but then he laughs at the way he's tossing it back.]

It does look kind of hard to sip from. But we have plenty of sake, so... it's fine to be greedy!

[Even if it's just like, soul sake or dream sake or whatever. He promptly goes for the same motion, thanks Natsuno, and does sputter a little because wow yeah. Probably wasnt meant to go that way.

He's still kind of laughing, though.]

[sotoshini]

[ They're only one drink in and already this flustered, surely this bodes well for them. Natsuno's thrown off enough that he might not have caught the extent of the blush or smiling, if not for the laughter that follows. Ahh this is really... really.... there's surely a word here that perfectly describes what he's feeling, but he's still all too new to this. Whatever it is he's certain he likes it, just as much as he likes the look on Anon's face, the laughter, smiling and everything and anything in between.

There's laughter and a stupid grin back too of course, even as he shakes his head a bit. ]

The last time we talked about that I had almost killed someone. But sure. [ Here, he will pour this time. ]

Maybe this counts as training for eating a dragon. [ These two aren't really related at all but in his defense his mind is pretty much drunk on something else even before the sake. ]

[anonnomnomnom]

[To be perfectly fair, they absolutely do not need the sake nor any kind of drink or help to fluster themselves in endless loop -- their still rather brief tenure here so far has more than proven that. The warmth of the sake blends almost seamlessly with the warmth of the wind under the tree and everything Natsuno's laughter and expressions are making him feel.

Quite apart from the occasion being new, and the sake being new, and everything else between them being just as new and clumsy -- Anon is pretty sure he's never even been near an atmosphere like this before, at least before Natsuno came along. He was never meant to be.

It's exciting, the feeling of breaking through something, and it widens his smile.]

Mm, but you totally escaped Nirrti.

[As far as he's concerned, the subsequent case still doesn't count, since it's all on Tsubasa's shoulders anyway. And that's not important here, right now. He'll delicately mimic the motions from before again, sniffing at the sake briefly before tossing it back again. Between that and their closeness it's a miracle he manages to pick up the thread of the conversation again.]

--Ah, this is training. I'm pretty sure dragonfire burns way more than this, but it still counts.

[sotoshini]

Yeah, I guess I did. [ The words are quiet, cause he's still not happy with how everything went down. But there are plenty of distractions here, the most pressing being the way Anon just downs the sake again. Natsuno just blinks at the whole display then laughs some more. His cheeks are probably going to just stay flushed for the night at this rate. ]

I hope so. I'll be disappointed if it isn't. [ Bringing the cup to his lips, he pauses to take in the aroma this time. And then bottom's up, even if this is all entirely improper. They tended not to follow the rules anyway. ]

In that case...we should see if there's sake with honey. That's training for bears, right? [ He's absolutely being silly here, but glancing over at the sake Anon picked out. ]

[anonnomnomnom]

It's training if we say it is, and if we totally work hard at it.

[Anon just tosses that out all carelessly, laughing back with a happy lingering flush of his own -- it's silly and definitively not how these things would work if they weren't relating their bizarre personal bestiary (or is that buffet?) to literally everything for no reason, but nobody's counting right now. In this little pocket of time and space they can do whatever they want.

He rouses himself a little from their pile of limbs and laughter to shuffle through the various types of sake they've managed to hog to themselves like the greedy novice drinkers that they are. It takes him a little while, and he goes farther into the non-sake piles present, because a dream is a good place for a full bar under a tree.

(The air and the very light itself is oddly soft and luminous here just by virtue of whatever strange magic created this place; and if Anon closes his eyes and reaches for one of the presences in him that he can finally feel again he can chase that magic, lighting everything up in shades of soft blue.)

He returns with a bottle of plum wine, which may or may not contain honey but is certainly just as sweet and cloying. He's swinging the bottle a little bit before he settles by Natsuno again, curling closer than before because although Nirrti's shadow might have been swept away in the space of merriment and ridiculous sake swigging -- it's also a good excuse to tuck himself further into all that warmth.]

Maybe this will work?

[While he waits for the verdict he leans his head over on Natsuno's shoulder, a tickle and a tumble of pink, and stares up distractedly at the tree and its flowers all limned in soul light. There's an idle thought stirring in the back of his mind that he'll chase in a moment.]

[sotoshini]

[ For him the rays of blue at night are as natural as the blue sky during the day. He's gotten used to the way the various shades hug the different shapes both man made and not. And some things always look the same no matter whether the moon or the sun is sleeping—there's no dulling that bubblegum pink, it's vibrancy becoming something like a North Star.

Being farther apart for just that small period is reason enough to draw closer when Anon returns then, it's only natural. So what if it's getting progressively harder to drink this way, everything is secondary in comparison, even other acts of greed. ]

Umeshu...let's split the plum at the bottom. Drinking the whole bottle is working hard in this case.

[chaoscontrol]

If we sleep here while our bodies sleep in the mansion, we do get rested. Won't help my going partially deaf from Takumi's alarm, though.

[Shadow frowns]

I'm just tired from keeping Terios manifested.

[sotoshini]

I'll just do that then. [ Glancing over at Shadow. ]

Just leave him alone until tomorrow. Everyone's tired tonight, and if he fades out before Friday it'll have been pointless.

[ Surely this is no bias in this statement. ]

[chaoscontrol]

[he sees your bias and raises you Dad Concern]

I can't do that. I'll just have to tough it out.

[sotoshini]

Hmn. I guess.

[ Whatever Shadow wants, but this also means Natsuno is sure as hell going to try to stalk Erhard himself tomorrow. What could go wrong. ]