exsiliumlogs | you've been acting awful tough lately

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you've been acting awful tough lately

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!))

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[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?

[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?

[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.]

[It's not too unreasonable for him to think that. Even if she didn't know him multiple times, he had sort of a memorable face. She's glad he doesn't seem to mind the smoke though, and brings the cigarette up to her lips as she glances around. This... definitely wasn't very private, she supposed.

Her expression falls a little, only half on purpose. The confirmation was concerning. She hoped he had a better plan than just... her.

Nill exhales smoke away from him, and waves it away quickly.]

We could go to where I live if you would like, but it's a big place with lots of people. It's not very private.

[Memorable freaky facial scar, at any rate.

He has a few plans, of the vague, half-formed variety. Nothing concrete.

He needs to keep his options open, pick the safest path. Someone who specializes in the mind might have insight he could get from, say, somebody who hunts ghosts. Only one way to find out.]

Would you mind a tavern? I know a place that would be nearly empty this time of day. [ he gestures behind him. ]

[ 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. ]

[Her eyes follow his gesture, before a small smile tugs at her features, and she nods. With the hand holding the cigarette she gives him a clumsy thumbs up. She's pretty sure she knows that tavern, at least in passing, and it was definitely quiet this time of day.]

[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.

[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 ]

[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.

[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!!))

[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.]

[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?

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?

[Might as well have been one. She certainly doesn't mind the company - Stan was a good guy, if a little odd at times, and she hadn't really seen much of him since the... memorial. Funeral. Whatever the most appropriate word for it was. It was good to see him again, to know he hadn't frozen somewhere or that he was still stuck up on the moon, unable to look after himself very well.

Despite herself, and despite Stan, she can't help but state at the mouse, just a little. It's beyond her how he could miss having a mouse in his pocket for who knows how long, and after a moment she realizes he asked her a question, so she shakes her head. She pulls out her tablet quickly.]

Hi. No thank you. I don't think the others would appreciate me bringing a mouse home.

[And then, unsure of what else to do, she holds out her cigarette towards him. It's nothing better than nicotine, but help yourself.]

[She manages to catch her breath and stop choking on smoke after a few moments, but even then, she doesn't lift her head right away, instead... wondering how she's going to look him in the eye. Wondering how old he is this time, if he's younger or older than the boys she's known in the past.

Finally, after about ten seconds, she lifts her head and offers him a strained smile, waving her hand as if to brush the whole thing off. No no, she's fine, see? Totally fine. Absolutely fine. Totally fine. See?

Even while she's trying to convince him of that, she notes that he is indeed older, though not by much. It puts him at just about the age she remembers her Yosuke being last, maybe a little younger.]

[you thought 'totally fine' twice there though. Are you sure you're fine? 8|?????]

Sorry. Again. I mean, I know I said it before but... [he flutters about, a little unsure because why was she so quiet? Did he say something wrong? ... should he not have said anything at all? Whoa there, self doubt, now was not the time ~~it's actually the perfect time but he brushes it off as best he could~~

There's a slightly strained, slightly awkward air to his smile, but that's not really Nil's fault]

Haha~ I'm just making this awkward now, aren't I? Guess I should probably exit stage left. [he even makes a little gesture in an attempt to lighten the mood]

[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?

[She's extremely not fine, but there's not a lot that can be done about that - and even if there was, somehow, she wouldn't want him to know about it. She absolutely doesn't want him to know about it.

She doesn't want his concern. She doesn't want his awkward, uneasy smiles. She doesn't want his uncertainty, his doubt, his anything. She doesn't, she doesn't, she doesn't--

Nill inhales and exhales slowly, during which she realizes her cigarette is in the snow at her feet. She crushes it under her boot, and takes a second before she looks up at Yosuke again. She offers the exact same smile she had a moment ago, before slowly pulling out her tablet to type on it. She takes a couple seconds longer to do so than usual, just so she doesn't need to look him in the eye for a few extra moments.]

You don't need to keep apologizing. It's fine.

[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?

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.

[He wasn't serious about that, so the response gets an amused eyebrow quirk from him. The cigarette he accepts, though. The mouse shivers, and he decides it's cruel to set it free out here. Back to the barn where it only has Allergies to worry about, then. He tucks it back into the pocket he found it in and gazes thoughtfully up at the sky. Puff, puff, pass. Tobacco and all.]

What's good?

[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?

[anything he might have said about the cigarette is cut off when he sees her pull out her tablet. Wow, she could have just asked him to leav- oh.

...?]

Right. It just, I dunno, I did sort of surprise you there. So I figured...

Normally, I'd say 'hey, do you want me to grab you anything' to make up for it but... It kinda looks like you're waiting for someone and I'm probably just in the way. So I guess I'll just... [he makes a vague gesture down the road] Go.

[because this was way too awkward and she looked even more uncomfortable around him than he ever felt about himself. haha... ha]

[To the tavern they go! It's a few minutes away, down a flight of stairs, tucked between a couple shops. He greets the tired barkeep, and finds a table in a dark corner of the establishment - which is, indeed, just about deserted.

He grabs a seat, opposite hers.

Well, then.]

Thank you, for meeting with me like this.

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you've been acting awful tough lately

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telepathy a-ok as usu

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