01

[scepterho]

Date & Time: December 16-ish? Anytime.
Location: Winter Wonderland!
Characters: Saruhiko Fushimi, acquaintances and whoever else feels like crashing
Summary: The moon sucks and he’s got a guy to stalk.
Warnings: Surliness.

( munakata never said fushimi couldn’t leave the moon base. he also never said to inform him of any future travel plans. and really, nothing the king could have said would have stopped him regardless, so here he is. he first procures a nice shack far away from too many people for a base of operations.

then he sets out on his journey. but this is a big frozen wasteland, and even certain extremely loud people can be hard to find. so along the way he may be spotted doing one of several things, like sitting at a fire and, uh, throwing knives at any cats or other small animals which approach to scare them off, or peering at a nearby yeti from around a tree. otherwise he’s just got the “stalking” look about him, slowly making his way around populated areas in an obvious investigation of some kind. )

( ooc: you can actually write whatever starter you want if you don’t like the sound of all that. do your worst. )

Comments

a loser for a loser

[redsea]

[ Kougyoku is lost.

In retrospect, looking for something to fight in a frozen wasteland alone was a really bad idea when you had zero survival skills and needed someone to constantly hold your hand. She just wanted to be useful! For the record, she isn't even that far from the building HOMRA's staying at, but she lost her sense of direction after running away from the knives certain people were throwing at some animals. Who knew this place could be so dangerous!?

Tears roll down her cheeks as she admits defeat until she spots a man wandering around the area. Maybe he knows where this place is! ...but she's too shy to approach, so she stalks him instead.

She isn't as good at it as Fushimi is. ]

losers' club

[scepterho]

( indeed she's not. )

I can hear you. ( the accusation is voiced as he turns around, quickly looking to see if he can either get a glimpse of his follower hiding behind something, or catch them red-handed. )

[redsea]

[ She hides by reflex a second too late, but knowing she was caught, she reveals herself. Her sleeves cover half her face in shame. ]

I'm sorry. Um, I'm lost. [ There's some hesitation before she asks, ] Where are you going? May I follow you?

[scepterho]

( ugh, a stupid girl. why him? )

Nowhere, really. ( he shoves his hands into his pockets. not approachable over here, nope. ) I just got here. Can't guarantee I can get you un-lost.

[redsea]

[ Because suffering always manages to find him. She stays where she is, though. He obviously doesn't want her to approach. ]

Oh. [ Disheartened by the news, she's almost afraid to ask her next question. ] Then can you help me look for someone instead? He's a little taller than I am, dresses strangely and he's rather loud.

[ What an awful description. ]

[scepterho]

( ......on the one hand, if they find this person, she might get out of his hair faster, right?

and if she gets lost in the snowy wastes along the way, well, he did everything he could.... )

That's not very specific.

[redsea]

[ WHAT AN AWFUL PERSON. But it's okay, Kougyoku is constantly surrounded by awful people. ]

... Do you know someone named Yata? [ Well, he wanted her to specify. ]

[scepterho]

( well. now she has his attention.

making eye contact with her for nearly the first time after a sharp intake of breath, he peers at her suspiciously, and before he can stop himself: )

Misaki? ( of course it's him. there are no other yatas in exsilium--he's checked. )

[redsea]

Yes! [ Kougyoku clasps her hands and lets out a huge sigh of relief. Now she was getting somewhere! ] Have you seen him? You see, he's my best friend and where we're staying isn't very far, I think, so I was wondering...

[scepterho]

( his eyes narrow at the 'best friend' bit, if she's keen enough to notice, but he doesn't react beyond that. )

No, I haven't. You said he's close?

[redsea]

[ For now? Nah, she doesn't see it. Too busy being sad and nodding. ]

Oh, okay. Mm, yes. I don't know the way back to where he is, but I know it's around here.

[scepterho]

Well, he's not back that way. ( this said with a nod behind the girl, in the direction she'd been following him. ) I'm fine with it if you can keep up.

( swinging right back around, he starts forward once again, keeping an eye out for landmarks or other signs of living in the area. )

[redsea]

[ Kougyoku scowls a little at how rude the young man is, but at least he's helping. She gathers her skirt to run and follow, but not too closely. ]

Um, so... How do you know Yata? Is he your friend, too?

[scepterho]

( she took the words right out of his mouth. amazing. )

Something like that. You might say we go back. ( and then, a glance over his shoulder. she's really a pitiful, scrawny-looking thing, isn't she. )

How about you? Best friend, was it?

[redsea]

[ Someone from Yata's past? So cool. Maybe she could ask him more things about her friend later. There's something odd about his tone when he asks that question, but she ignores it. She doesn't know what's going on in his mind. ]

Yeah. He's the second friend I've ever made, but he's my first friend here. He teases me a lot, but he can also be really nice.

[scepterho]

( he stops in his tracks after she answers and just. stares at the snow on the ground for a second. deep in thought? perhaps, but he also catches sight of a set of footprints nearby, and begins following them. hopefully the person they belong to didn't end up even more lost, or eaten. )

Your second friend? Were you raised in a cave?

( he aced hypocrisy 101. )

[redsea]

[ Kougyoku is just blindly following him, stopping when he stops, walking when he does. Although she wants to get mad, she only groans at that jab at her lack of friends. The only thing keeping her from pointing her sword at him is the fact that he and Yata apparently know each other. ]

I wasn't. [ It's the opposite. Thanks for making her feel uncomfortable. ] It's complicated.

[ She keeps her head down, only looking at wherever Fushimi's feet lead her. ]

[scepterho]

( making people feel uncomfortable is one of his specialties. ) Either way, that puts it in perspective. ( he's still facing forward so she can't see his grin, but she may hear it. )

Calling someone you just met your best friend?

[redsea]

It wasn't me.

[ The first time she raises her voice in the conversation, and it's for this. She takes in a deep breath, careful not lose her cool before anything else. ]

Yata said so.

[scepterho]

Did he, now. ( do you hear that, princess... it's the sound of pure skepticism. there's no way in hell misaki could carry on a conversation with a girl long enough for that.

even if hell seems to have frozen over. )

Hate to break it to you, but there's only one thing he cares that much about.

[redsea]

[ She knows what he's going to say. ]

King Mikoto...

[ But she also knows that's not true. Yata said so. She clenches her fists, refusing to believe it. ]

[scepterho]

( so she's been given the speech already, eh. good to know that if misaki's going to carry on a conversation with a woman, there's still only one person he can talk about.

this time he actually turns to face her when he stops. because the fact that she even said the name when he hadn't clarified means she knows it's true. )

Not just him. ( he considers not doing this, but honestly, if they're really all here to fight she would have found out soon anyway. suddenly in his hand is a knife, appearing from somewhere beneath his sleeve quick as a blink. ) This. ( he charges the weapon with his red aura, letting the sharp flames hum around it for a moment before dismissing them.

hopefully she understands that flames=homra=red clan "pride," or else that sure was a waste.... )

[battering]

[ yata had been told that the way to get further into mikoto's heart was through cooking good food. after their most recent talk, he needed that! desperately!

and so his hunt for a market began, or some place where he could trade to get ingredients for the perfect curry so they wouldn't have to eat yeti again, and why he was now glaring at two potatoes very seriously in a small crowd of people going by.

your stalking target led a very interesting life here. someone start the fighting soon. ]

[redsea]

You...

[ The same aura Yata was proud of was right in front of her. Why? She didn't understand how he had it, but she was, at the very least, sure of what he wanted to show her. It pained her to know it was the same thing that plagued her thoughts the other day. ]

You're wrong. He loves his clan and his king, but so what? Isn't that admirable? More than that, he said... he said I made him happy, too! I don't know what you know of him, but that's what he told me.

[ She bites her lip. ]

So I'll believe it.

[scepterho]

( he can't say he was expecting much better of a reaction. )

Fine. ( he returns the knife and shrugs, all nonchalant, absolutely stable, and in spite of the way he feels his voice doesn't raise above its usual levels. ) Believe what you want. Belief doesn't change facts.

( she's just as much of a sheep as the rest of them. ) You don't know what I know, so don't try to give me some kind of pathetic lecture.

( just like that, he sets out again as they come up a hill. ) It looks like there are some buildings down that way.