exsiliumlogs | Taking home stray idols

Date & Time: March 1st, Evening
Location: Housing Unit 501
Characters: Rise Kujikawa, Cairistiona Vyeth-Sunstriker, and open to Nanami Kiryuu
Summary: Rise's still a bit shell-shocked from this whole being taken to Exsilium thing, and Cairistiona doesn't want to leave her alone to fend for herself so soon. So what better solution than letting her sleep over?
Warnings: None that I can think of

Rise just wasn't ready for all this. She'd met some nice people and reconnected with some old friends, yeah, but she's still coming to terms with being taken from her own world to help with some kind of war or whatever in this dump.

She's lucky Cairistiona stuck with her all this time. She's honestly not sure what she would have done if it weren't for Cairi. Probably cried a lot more than she did.

And now they're approaching Housing Unit 501 - not Rise's new home, she's not ready to deal with new roommates on her own yet. But Cairi invited her to come stay with her for the night. And Rise thinks she just might be able to handle staying with strangers if Cairi's there.

Normally, she's stronger than this. She really is. But as they approach the door, in her frazzled state, Rise clings tightly to Cairistiona's arm. She's not afraid, really. She just doesn't want to let go and fall apart into the sobbing wreck she almost became earlier.

She misses her home, and she can't go back. Could anyone really blame her?

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When Cairi said she'd be "taking care of" Rise, she nearly opened her mouth to argue. She's almost seventeen, she can take care of herself!

But... Cairi was right earlier. She's had a rough time today, so she can let herself rely on someone a little more than usual. Someone other than Senpai, that is.

She's still blushing a little bit. She's not used to letting herself appear so vulnerable. But Nanami explained it perfectly. She's just been taken to a world where she's expected to fight for the people who brought her here, even though she's not a fighter at all! Of course she's still nervous and uncertain.

But She's not so wrapped up in her introspection that she doesn't notice Nanami seeming uncomfortable for some reason...

"Are you okay, Nanami-san?"

She slowly moves forward, curiously tilting her head at the younger girl.

Cairistiona's eyes followed Nanami's finger and gave her a silent nod. She wouldn't barge in to her room without an invitation. "Very well. I'll look for my room soon."

She listened to Nanami's concerns, pursing her lips together in thought. "I'll admit, the situation isn't what I'm used to dealing with normally." Dragons attacking your home, the threat of Scourge being so prominent before Arthas' fall - just to name a few. "However, if they need our help that badly, then they have to be desperate."

She took a note of Nanami's gaze. Something seemed uncomfortable about her. Maybe she was shy? Not used to sharing living space? "...Pardon me if this is forward, Nanami, but are you not used to strangers?"

"Oh? I'm fine." Nanami smiles politely and very superficially at their impromptu guess. People keep asking her if she's okay, but it's the kind of concern that burns. Nanami's been here for a month, carving out a new 'okay,' but things aren't just automatically better because of that.

At least Cairistiona is speaking some kind of sense, though. They have to be desperate, the way they're pulling in people who can't offer anything to them. Like this girl - this Kujikawa - what can she offer? What can either of them? This isn't a game.

Speaking sense doesn't seem to preclude her from asking strange questions, and Nanami balks a little at that one.

"Isn't that why they're called strangers?" What a strange question. She can't help but frown, still maintaining the thinnest veneer of politeness "I don't think you're supposed to be used to them."

Rise's a good enough actress to recognize that Nanami's not exactly being forthcoming. But she's not going to pry. They just met, after all... if Nanami wants to open up to her, she'll listen, but she doesn't expect it to happen in a few minutes.

Observing the other girl kind of takes her mind off of her own problems for a moment. If she had to guess, she'd say Nanami is almost as uneasy about this place and the people that brought them there as Rise is. But instead of relying on others she can trust for support, Nanami seems to be staying on the defensive. Maybe she just wasn't as lucky as Rise and didn't have as much stability and support when she first arrived?

Heck, Rise's still a bit of an emotional wreck even with her friends and Cairi around. She'd probably be building up walls too if she were all alone.

All that considered, she's quick to agree with Nanami when she answers. "I guess so, huh? Especially in a place like this..."

She wants to reassure Nanami that she and Cairi aren't the kind of strangers she'd need to worry about, but maybe it's best to leave that to her to decide?

She wants to say something, though. Even if it means appearing more vulnerable.

"That's kind of why I'm visiting with Cairi-san. I'm... not really comfortable being alone around strangers here yet."

Cairistiona was, by no means, stupid. She could sense when people weren't fine - after all, she wasn't a commander for nothing. She decides to relax her shoulders, allowing them to droop slightly to show she was relaxed and trustworthy to Nanami.

"Well... Friends, at first, are strangers, right? You wouldn't have friends if you didn't reach out to strangers once in a while. Hence why I'm willing to help you two out however possible since I know how it can be to be all alone sometimes."

She takes a pause here and sighs, glancing at a window before she shakes her head. Right, that was in the past now and she was alive.

"I'll let you in on a secret. Back home, I have a family and I'm never too far away from them if I can help it. My husband has got to be worried sick over not seeing me around and making sure my children are getting ready for the day, so I'm worried over them." Maybe rattling off her concerns wasn't what Nanami wanted to hear, however it could show that someone as strong as her still had her own concerns about things back home.

"In fact... I think I have an idea. Why don't we focus on talking about our homes so we know each other better?"

She got up and walked over to where she believed her room was. She noticed her spare armor set hanging up and smiled at it before walking over to her photos. She soon brought out a picture of her husband and then her children.

"His name is Aegidis Sunstriker. He's quite the looker, isn't he?"

"Yeah..." Yeah, she thinks. If you're into that sort of thing... She's never had an eye for other people, outside of...

Well. She's never had an eye for other people.

"Congratulations on your marriage," she says instead. That many kids? Hmph. "What a big family."

She doesn't look that old, but she'd have to be, wouldn't she? She feels vaguely envious of this woman's ability to age gracefully, but that doesn't keep her from noting how much older she must be than she looks.

Taking great care to avoid Cairistiona's possessions, Nanami goes back to sitting - finally! She balls her hands up and rests them on her knees. Rise can sit too if she wants, for all Nanami cares, but she isn't about to invite her.

"There's nothing special about my family. It's just the four of us. Me and Mother and Father - and Touga."

In a stark contrast to Nanami, Rise actually perks up a little more at the change in topic, and looks at the pictures with obvious interest.

Cairi's husband is handsome, though not particularly her type. At the sight of the long, pointed ears she actually takes another look at Cairi herself. Nope, she didn't miss any odd traits like that... it must be something to do with her world, but wouldn't it be kind of rude to bring attention to it? Best to just ignore it for now.

But she does comment on the kids. Clasping her hands together, she flashes the closest thing to her usual cheerful smile she's shown since arriving in this world, "Oh, they're all so cute!"

And there sure are a lot of them, too. Nanami's not the only one to feel shades of envy at how youthful Cairi must look for her age, to be married with so many children. Rise's just a little more optimistic about it and hopes she'll be similarly blessed.

Not necessarily with all the kids, though! One or two would be fine, if she ever got back home to Senpai...

... She feels like she should sit down. Nanami doesn't seem to be throwing any warning signals, but she tries to balance sitting closely and keeping a respectful distance. Just in case.

"At least you have them, right?" She makes a brave effort at an encouraging smile. "I stay with my grandmother sometimes, but I don't get to see the rest of my family much anymore..."

Why is that suddenly so sad? She was always perfectly fine with it back home!

She never felt like this back home, though. So small and powerless to do anything. When she quit being an idol, she felt backed into a corner, but she was able to escape then. Even if it turned out to be the wrong choice. But here, she has no choice, except to survive.

Unconsciously, she hugs her arms tightly around herself, as if protecting herself from the outside chill again...

Taking home stray idols

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oh god this is delayed....

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