waking the dead 2.0 | 1st of samhain, deardaoin (thursday)

[icarusalsoflew]

WHO: The War Hounds, Hikaru, Alistair, and Jason
WHAT: Base Camp Site 001, Arcadia
WHERE: An area off the roads of Akitagawa, somewhere between the Trods, the Hedge, and Arcadia itself
WHEN: November 1, Arcadian Year ???
SAFE FOR WORK? For now? Yes.
OTHER NOTES: Make your own threads as needed!


[ Tandang Sora, with Brianna and Alistair's help, clears out an area right beside a river - at least, it LOOKS like a river, even if it shines far too brightly in the light of the sun (or moon, depending on whichever one is shining upon the lot of you at any passing minute), and its ripples occasionally form watery mouths that quietly fill the air with song. Said song matches the whisper in the trees scattered about the area, and the laughing exchanges between Sister Sun and Brother Moon in the sky.

The Tower of the Lunargent Thorn, as promised, is always a fixed point somewhere on the horizon no matter where you turn - yet another weird thing to take note of in an increasingly bizarre place. The only "normal" thing in this area, beyond the lot of you, is the way the camp site has set up.

Tandang Sora has gone off to confirm the route that you will be taking. That means, thankfully, that the lot of you have some time to cool off your heels and attempt to acclimatize to how you have all changed. ]

Comments

[ktotheatothez]

[ He shrugs, hands in his pockets. ]

Yeah...

[ His thinky face pops up. ]

So, you wanna join the Brotherhood of Violence, huh?

[ A small smile appears on his face as he sinks down to sit next to her. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ Smiling back at that, because it isn't too surprising to hear you bring it up. ]

Uh-huh. A lot of things have happened, and I guess it's sort of put me on the path towards... well. God.

[ From the sound of it, it's clear that she's still surprised by this herself. ]

[ktotheatothez]

Well, you're already my sister, and not just in Zangyaku.

[ There's a small shrug from him, and that proud of you smile he seems to wear when it comes to every Hound, and more. ]

It's a path people often find themselves on way before they know it. I never really thought I was cut out to be a Brother in Violence. Uncle Pao and Aniki taught me otherwise, so did Alistair and Maes.

[ Yeah, his was a path that he tripped, rolled, and kickflipped from. It's gotten easier for him to see himself as a Vaizard. ]

It was actually meeting Elaine that was a real kicker, though. I don't think I ever told you that I met her, actually.

[therealbrianna]

[ O_O ]

You did???

[ Her look is a combination of "OMG" and "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?!" ]

[ktotheatothez]

I did. It was... Something else to see The Lady.

[ He laughs, and it's a joyful little titter. ]

She was with me when I during my initiation into The Brotherhood. Helped me discover which Cross I was meant to bear.

[therealbrianna]

That is so cool.

[ And those words come out with no small amount of awe and just a little bit of envy. ]

[ktotheatothez]

She really was. [ Pause ] Is. She really is.

[ He's slipping a cigarette out from where it was tucked on the shell of his ear. You didn't see the cig there, mostly because his hair has grown out. Light, puff, exhale, hmmmm. ]

You okay, though? Leaving home isn't easy. I know it was different for me, but... still.

[ Genuine concern. It hadn't been easy for him when his mom was distant, and there was no comparing a distant parent to really, actually leaving. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ Making a thoughtful noise, mostly because she's actually letting herself think about your question. She's also turning back to what she was doing, because she's not entirely comfortable with the idea of you being able to see all of her reactions straight away. Not now, while she doesn't quite trust herself.

#ArcadiaProblems ]

I think I'm all right. There's a lot to do around here, and in the Vigil. I don't think I can really afford to dwell much on the matter just yet.

[ktotheatothez]

[ He makes a rumble of curiosity now, low in his throat. He won't press any further on the issue of home, because really, home is where the heart is. He's also thinking about making changes to the Tower. It's an excuse to redecorate, and at the same time... He's thinking about laying down protection for their safehouse. ]

So, Ms. Lopez, what are you doing?

[ Not the smoothest segue, but if there's anything Kaz can do, it's read when a topic needs to be diverted. The task Brianna has at hand is enough for him to take notice in any case. ]

[therealbrianna]

Oh, I'm updating my notes on all of the local fauna!

[ You can tell that she's actually really excited about this. ]

Things in Arcadia are a lot more stable now than they ever have been, so people like me can do stuff like this, and it'll still be relevant later down the line.

[ktotheatothez]

[ He makes an interested noise as you continue. ]

Mmh, if things stabilize maybe Arcadia can be mapped out in full. A Fae Almanac of sorts?

[therealbrianna]

[ Nodding vigorously. She's so happy you get it. ;w; ]

Uh-huh! We've got a lot of material, but some of the stuff in it isn't exactly recent or accurate given how much things have changed.

[ktotheatothez]

Would photos of the plants help?

[ And you know he's up to something equally helpful and mischievous when he smiles like that. ]

I haven't been using this in a while.

[ He twists the face of his watch and it launches a disk about half an inch thick, clicking and whirring about. It clearly looks like a cybernetic version of the old gopro camera doohickeys. Where it used to be on his watch is now a tiny joystick. ]

[therealbrianna]

Oooh.

[ Watching that a moment, unashamed to show how it impresses her. ]

Yeah! Maybe you could take pictures of some of them, and I'll draw the others myself. We can cover more ground together.

[ktotheatothez]

[ The little disc is already hovering around, taking photos of the plants he saw you documenting earlier. He switches to video briefly and directs it at Brianna. ]

And here we have Brianna Lopez, cataloging the various flora and fauna of Arcadia. Miss Lopez, a few words for the camera, if you please.

[ He's missed you, and all the shenanigans. His face kind of betrays it all, really. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ There's a small squeal of delight, and a sing-song, half-hearted protest of: ]

Ka-az!

[ But she's smiling even brighter now, and, after mock clearing her throat, she's bouncing over to you. ]

And Miss Lopez is only too happy to present her fabulous assistant, Kaz Zobel de Ayala.

[ That's her best announcer voice, by the way. ]

[ktotheatothez]

Wha-at? Hey, I have an idea. What about we make this a project that we can give to Balamb?

[therealbrianna]

We could! I mean, we're Inquisitors now, so.

[ Wahehehe. ]

[ktotheatothez]

Yes we - [ He actually goes still for a couple of seconds. ] We are?

[ There's this look that clearly says "I didn't hear a thing about this." on his face, plain as day. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ Oh.

O o p s .

UM. ]

Well, I saw it in a dream, so it might be true, so we might as well assume that we will be, like, in the future?

[ Near future, she's quietly adding to herself. Ehehe.



She's a proud creature, okay. ]

[ktotheatothez]

Godhand Karlo Antonio Zobel de Ayala has a nice ring to it... Or at least that's what Maes said the night I got initiated into Netsach.

[ He allows himself a grin at that. He also allows himself to wonder that maybe if he's a Godhand by the time Brianna enters the Brotherhood, he could ask to be the one to take her on the Journeyman's Walk, but then... She also has Maistir, and Aniki. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ Laughing. ]

It really does!

[ It's so nice to plan for the future. It's kind of like telling the universe "okay, love, we're totally going to live this long to accomplish all the things". ]

[ktotheatothez]

[ It also comes to him that yeah, he'll get to spend years with Brianna. ]

Brianna Lopez, Shadow of Heaven also sounds awesome. Well, bad-ass.

[therealbrianna]

Or Inquisitor Zobel de Ayala.

[ A beat, with a teasing little smirk. ]

The fabulous priest one, not the fabulous CEO.

[ktotheatothez]

Someday.

[ A brief look of YIKES crosses his face when you say Inquisitor, but it's not the bad kind of yikes, more like... It could be real soon yikes. ]

So, where to next?

[ He's gonna make this project with you when he can, you know. ]