you've been acting awful tough lately

[reassures]

Date & Time: The 8th, from 12pm - 3pm
Location: Outside town
Characters: Nill and YOU
Summary: Nill promised to meet an anonymous person on the network, and has decided to send smoke signals with cigarettes to find them. Also action spam.
Warnings: None! Will be updated if needed.

[It's a strange day that finds Nill smoking during daylight hours, but one way or another she's found herself doing exactly that. Small promises made and easy modes of identification, she supposes - she'll end up going through half a pack by the end of this, but it's worth it if she can actually manage to help the person she promised to help.

Even so, it's not difficult to tell that it's a strange sight, a blond girl bundled up, sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree beside one of the better-known ways to town, just... smoking. She doesn't appear to be going anywhere, apparently comfortable where she is, though she smiles at anyone that spares her a glance while they're on their way. She'll be there for most of the early afternoon, from noon to about three, and will welcome anyone that feels like sitting with her.

Hopefully it won't decide to snow while she's sitting there. It's cold enough out as it is, and a new layer isn't going to make her stay terribly pleasant.]

((ooc: Telepathy permissions!))

Comments

2 pm

[debtor]

[The anonymous stranger arrives in an oversized winter coat and a knit hat, face red in the winter air. He wrote the directions on a bit of paper, crumpled in one hand now; he's found the right place. Nill isn't hard to spot.

His memory of her is terribly fuzzy, but she'd been kind, he thinks. He has no reason to trust her, but no reason to distrust her either, and if she really can do something for him, well...

isn't it worth looking into?

He steels himself with an deep intake of icy air and approaches, heart still thumping away in his chest. Meeting someone you (sort of vaguely) know after texting them anonymously for help with the Noah taking over your mind—

it's a little awkward.]

...Miss Nill?

[reassures]

[In a way, she'd actually been hoping it wouldn't be Allen. Even the third time around or so knowing him, she remembered how he'd reacted in the past to what she could do - his reaction wasn't unwarranted, but still... it had been disheartening. There was more she could do to avoid it now of course, but even so... she didn't want to make him uncomfortable again.

And it's not like it makes a difference here and now. This Allen barely knew her. She'd be surprised if he even remembered her, honestly.

Nill tries to look surprised by his arrival, and a small smile spreads across her face when she sees Allen. She doesn't put out her cigarette, since she's only halfway through it and they're difficult to get, but she does wave the smoke away as best she can. She pulls off her glove, since they don't promote touch screen use, and stuffs it into the same pocket she pulls her tablet from.]

Hello. It's Allen, isn't it?

[debtor]

[He seems unbothered by the smoke, at least. He's quite used to it. And he blinks at her tablet, momentarily confused by the text. Why is she—

was it that she couldn't talk...?]

Ah - yes. You've a good memory.

[He pauses, glancing at their surroundings.]

Did you want to speak somewhere private?

[Indoors might be preferable, he thinks, for a variety of reasons.]

[manifestum]

[ It's not so bad out! ... Okay, that's a lie, it's freezing out here and miserable, but sitting around by yourself in your tiny apartment isn't exactly the most fun someone could be having, so Lee's ventured out into the cold for something to do. He's used to colder climates, but man this is something else.

It's pretty much pure coincidence that Lee happens to wander by Nill as she's puffing away there, and even though she'd probably rather not be harassed by random people he does stop to say-- ]

You know that's not good for you, right?

[ Gotta be that person. ]

[reassures]

[It's actually the first time Nill's gotten a comment like that since she started smoking with any sort of frequency. It makes her falter slightly, unsure of how to respond with much more than an awkward expression. It's a pretty obvious look of "what do I say to that".

After a moment of uncertainty she pulls her tablet out, fumbling between it and the cigarette and her gloves before she actually manages to type something. She holds it up, and then realizes there's still smoking handing around her. She quickly tries to wave most of it away (though she doesn't put the cigarette out) before holding it up again.]

I know. I don't do it very frequently.

[manifestum]

[ The tablet response is a little strange. He figured just saying it might be easier, especially considering how much trouble this seems to be giving her, but hey! Who is he to judge anyway? About using a tablet to talk away, since he's clearly already making some judgement calls with the cigarette part of this.

Just a raised eyebrow at her attempt at juggling everything. That's it. ]

Started up a habit and couldn't quit cold turkey?

[juneshero]

[there's a familiar face not far away. He'd managed to finish inventory ahead of time at the store today, so the manager had been nice enough to let him off for the afternoon... With the on stipulation that Yosuke returned in time to help for evening rush. Never had Yosuke ever thought that he'd be thankful his parents talked him into working at Junes.

... Wait, what's that girl doing just smoking by herself like that? (cough)

He had to admit that the smell of cigarette smoke was at once familiar (because Dojima-san) and intimidating (because Dojima-san). But Yosuke can't help but be a little nosy]

Hey, are you waiting for someone?

[ooc: SINCE IT'S BEEN A WHILE, I'm cool with Nill remembering her previous Yosuke CR. 8|b ]

[reassures]

[She hear's someone coming. It's not hard to, honestly, not out here, and not with the way the snow crunches under your feet if it's been a day or so since the last snowfall. Even so, Yosuke's sudden appearance startles Nill more than it should.

She'd avoided him, honestly. She'd seen his name on the list of people that arrived, and she'd very purposely not tried to seek him out, turned down another hall every time she thought she heard his voice. Some things were just too painful, but this...

It startles her so much that she inhales the wrong way, and starts choking on the smoke in her lungs. She ends up dropping her cigarette into the snow at her feet while she tries to catch her breath again and stop the sudden coughing fit.]

((ooc: Thank you!!))

[juneshero]

Whoa. Whoa!

[he rushes forward, a little helpless to start because alksjdgasdfkja what do but not willing to just... walk away. It did kind of feel like it was his fault she's choking on smoke after all.

So Yosuke stops just short of patting her back and instead opts to give her some space. It wouldn't help if he crowded her. Right?]

Sorry! [he waits for her to recover before laughing nervously] Sorry, my bad. I guess I should have given more warning, huh? [how?] You all right?

telepathy a-ok as usu

[lazyinlove]

[That head of blond hair is familiar, or so Stanley thinks. He ruffles it before he realizes his mistake. Oh. Not Lily. Nill. Crap.]

Sorry. Thought you were someone else.

[reassures]

[She sees Stan coming, and sends a smile his way, but he doesn't seem to be paying much attention. It's not until he's ruffling her hair that she realizes he doesn't actually recognizes her, and Nill fumbles slightly with the sudden surprise, nearly falling off the tree trunk she's perched on. Once he realizes who she is she just... waves. Hey Stan.]

[lazyinlove]

[He waves back and takes a seat. That was an invitation, wasn't it?

He smells more like hay and marijuana himself than cigarette smoke, but what he pulls out of his pocket to light up is a pack of-

Oh. Actually it's a grain mouse. A tiny one too, that blinks up at him in surprise as he blinks down at in surprise. He's really gotta start checking his boots and coat pockets before he leaves in the morning. This is the third time this month.]

Hey. Uh. Need a mouse?

[concealingeyes]

[Even if it's cold - and she really hates the cold - Kido hates being stuck inside even more. Mostly she visits the towns around them looking for odd jobs and buying things fresh for dinner.

Today she found a few good groceries and starts out when she spots the familiar blonde hair. She gives a small wave before coming over.]

Hey Nill. Taking a smoke break?

[reassures]

[Nill is actually pretty fond of the cold - it's one of the reasons she doesn't have too many issues with the world the way it is now, even if the reasons it became this way are ultimately a tragedy. There's something nice about it, even if it makes transportation around here something of a challenge.

An easy smile spreads across Nill's face when she sees Kido coming down the pseudo-path. She lifts her free hand to wave.]

Yes-- it seemed like a good time for it. Were you shopping?

[concealingeyes]

[She shifts to sit down in the snow - it's not so bad with layers - and smiles.]

Yeah, I was looking around for something good for dinner. I kind of miss the old city's conveniences but I missed getting to have fish that weren't soaked in radiation, too. Eh... it could have been a worse change.

[speakveryclearly]

Kanaya is out in her usual disguise, still not sure how she's going to fit new arrival greeting into her workday. As she approaches one particular corner, wisps of smoke enter her field of vision. Confusing. She didn't think anything could catch fire in weather like this - and it doesn't rise like out of flames, either. When she reaches the juncture, her eyes find the the source: One of those little sticks. What do humans call them? Cigarettes. She had a friend who used to "smoke" them, and it takes her a moment to recollect his name--

She sees Nill and all at once vividly remembers Gokudera playing the piano, looking like somebody else. What should she do? She's still several meters away from Nill, Kanaya reasons; maybe she can't "hear" her either.

Things haven't been like that time, when Kanaya sees Nill in the predictable environment of the Dansion, for a while. Kido and Kano's camaraderie is like a big marshmallow to stuff in her head. The Blindfold Brigade assured her she can be more than just her past, or her alleged future. She chews on those soft, sweet memories for a while before continuing her approach.

"I didn't know you liked that. Do you 'drink', too?" She's still not used to using the verb that way, as metonymy for alcohol.

[reassures]

[Nill doesn't usually see Kanaya out of the dansion, so it's admittedly a little bit of a surprise to see the disguise that she wears outside it. She's seen it once or twice, but even now, it's difficult to get used to. Frankly, Kanaya looks much lovelier in her natural state of being.

It does seem like it's been awhile since Nill saw her in the Dansion last, though. Kanaya seems momentarily conflicted, so Nill pretends to not have noticed her at first, exhaling another lungful of smoke. She lifts her head when Kanaya finally approaches, and offers her a smile. She spares a discrete glance around, because she's not sure Kanaya knows how secretive she is about the telepathy, and she doesn't want to put her in the situation of someone stumbling across them talking, but there doesn't seem to be anyone too nearby.]

I used to spend a lot of time around people who smoked. It's just something I picked up. [She smiles, almost a little sheepishly. If only Kanaya knew...]

Yes, I do. I haven't since we came down here, though. Do you?

[speakveryclearly]

"Not like that," she says out loud with a little laugh. The images of the alternative - the goat-horned boy in clown makeup whose purple blood she drank from his intimately familiar neck by the liter - appear unsummoned. "I know it's infectiously popular, but for various reasons I never caught on to it."

She wonders why Nill stopped, though. They usually only progress... unless they stop, and she did provide a timeframe. Since it's from their return to terra-firma: "Are you trying to be sober for the sake of invaders twenty-four/seven, too?"

[retraced]

[It's been a few days since Gilbert has found himself out of the house. Well, "house" is a strange word for it, but it's not a home either. A structure that they'd repurposed for shelter and warmth in the wake of an alternate timeline and a loss of stability and normalcy. Relative normalcy. The moon hadn't exactly been anyone's idea of normal (nearly anyone) either, but at least Oz had been there. Now the warmth of their temporary living space is as cold as the air outside.

Which is maybe what finally drags Gilbert out of his room and into a bundle of warm clothes and out the door. He takes to the underground tunnels first before finding them just as stifling and airless. The cold outside might be overwhelming, but the air is easier to breathe. Of course it's also that crisp air that makes it all the easier to smell the other thing that he's been missing: tobacco. The moon hadn't allowed for such things, and bullying by enough people into quitting had produced a mission for modern medicine in the form of nicotine patches. Blessedly, it had worked, but habits are harder to break than all that.

It takes him a moment to see past the smoke to its source, but when he finally catches sight of her face, he stops right in his tracks. The girl he'd helped out of the hospital, the one who had known his name and could speak inside of his head without use of her voice. Even with his brain as exhausted as it is, he remembers her name.]

Nill?

[reassures]

[Nill notices Gilbert before he really seems to notice her. She looks him over in the time it takes him to realize where and who she is, end in that time she sees (and hears) more than enough.

She'd seen the post on the network, of the girl who was so upset that Oz Vesalius had gone. She'd wanted to see how Gilbert was, but... there was no good way to go about doing so. Especially not the last time they'd spoken, and she'd been sick and a little stupid but so eager to get out of that hospital. She'd probably worried him sick himself when that was going on.

She doesn't know what to say at first, not really. He's trying to quit, again, and maybe that's good, but Oz is also gone, and Nill doesn't know how anyone could try to quit smoking when someone they loved was gone. It was the absence of her own loved ones (and the awful realization of their potential demise) that had driven her to smoke more often herself.

After a moment, instead of offering him words, Nill tucks a hand into her jacket and pulls out a half-empty pack of cigarettes, which she holds out to him in offering.]

[retraced]

[Even if she couldn't read his mind, she'd see the hesitance in his posture and the shuffling of his feet through the snow as he approaches her. There's no such thing as counting successes in his life, only failures. And this will be failure #10. It was inevitable, he thinks as he takes the pack from her, silently, and taps his finger against the bottom to shake one out. But just like snow melting under a warm sun, his hesitance melts away the moment that it's grasped between his gloved fingers.

The rest of the pack is handed back over, and he settles down to sit on the tree trunk next to her. His free hand then moves into his pocket where he still, out of habit, carries a book of matches.]

[duplicitoussight]

[Coming back from town is Kano, a small bag of groceries in hand. It's nice to be able to find little treats to bring back--wooden toys, some good meat. He doesn't expect to see Nill on his way back, but he greets her with a bright smile anyway.]

Hey, hey~ It's a pretty cold day, isn't it?

[reassures]

[Even Kano was out running errands today, huh? It's kind of refreshing to see him with groceries, even if it's not a great deal. She's so used to guys who neglected to do these things, less because they don't want to and more because they just frequently forgot. Her own expression brightens considerably.]

At least it hasn't snowed yet today. Are you heading back?

[copia]

[ Kaede is trying to get to know their new surroundings, so she is doing some exploring while staying in visible sight of buildings. Push come to shove, a shot into the sky for an aerial view will help with figuring out where to go next.

She closes up her thermos of tea as she spots smoke signals, deciding to be curious and wander over from the air. She comes lower and jumps off her ice path once she sees who it is, lifting a hand in greeting. ]

Hi!

[reassures]

[...Did she see that right? Nill had 'heard' someone coming, but she wasn't that sure just what she'd witnessed, she looked up and for a moment it looked like Kaede was... in the air? Standing on something? What.

After looking a little confused, Nill lifts a hand to return the wave.]