[Closed] June Catch-All

[locumstudentesquire]

Who: Ryunosuke and Uh... Various!
What: Catch-all for June shenanigans
Where: Greentruth (mostly) but also Godsblood
When: 1st-25th of Visoseri
Notes/Warnings: Shouldn't be any warnings but they'll be marked by starter down in the comments if that changes!

Hit me up on plurk at awkwardpossum if you want to plot something to add here! Or if you don't have plurk my plotting comment on the OOC planning log is over here.

Comments

For Estinien

[locumstudentesquire]

In the time since the Venera incident, Ryunosuke has been keeping himself even busier than usual. He's been taking up odd-jobs with a sort of fervor that might even border on 'troubling', if one possessed the knowledge of how untroubled his previous life used to be. Before Horos, before London, he never used to be much for hard work. He was never an exemplary student, never put much effort into anything that didn't totally grip his interest... His grades at University were simply average at best. He'd had no direction in life, and no ambitions. He was content just to coast along at a leisurely pace, untroubled by the world and its myriad of problems.

...Things had changed with the incident at La Carnevale. Then the Burya. McGilded. Graydon. Now, waking up in Horos, with his entire world apparently hanging in the balance, he's twice as driven... And twice as lost. He rarely remembers to relax anymore, or when he does, he's rarely able to maintain that state for very long before growing antsy...

Right now, he's at least taking a crack at it. Chilling on one of the public platforms, indulging in a favorite old hobby of his: tongue twisters. It's something that the transition to Horos has taken from him, actually... Fast talking through difficult sentences had once been an odd talent of his, so the realization that Japanese no longer felt like his native tongue had certainly come as a bit of a blow. Tricky phrases that he used to be able to spout off with ease no longer come so easily to him, and he finds he has to really think for a moment before once familiar words come back to him. It's more than a little frustrating... But, if he tries to put a positive spin on it... It's also sort of an exciting challenge, in its own way.

Sitting there cross legged, his eyes squeezed shut shut, arms folded over his chest, brow furrowed in concentration, he keeps quietly muttering the same syllables under his breath:

"N... Nyanko ko nyanko mago nyanko. Hmmmm... Nyanko ko nyanko mago nyanko." He pauses. Opens his eyes, frown deepening. Focusing hard before he tries again, but this time a little faster:

"Nyanko-ko-nyanko-mago-nya--AAA-AAAACK!!"

In the middle of his recitation, something tall and winged abruptly swoops up to land on the railing of the platform and startles the living daylights out of Ryunosuke. He remembers ALL too clearly about Syrlya's warning of dragons in this forest; been haunted by it, really, low-key wondering if one might show up at some point. So he's been a bit more wound up about the idea of attacks from large flying things than one might typically be! He flings himself backwards haphazardly, absolutely panicking before he manages to actually get a wide-eyed look at what the thing is.

"S...Ser Estinien!?"

[coerthantorment]

He crouches on the railing, balancing effortlessly, his wings flapping once and then folding in more tightly. His body is still pale as snow, the only traces of colour being the silvery sheen to the scales of his wings and his draconic eyes. His hair has escaped the hood he's been wearing to conceal it, long, luminous strands hanging over his shoulders and striking a sharp contrast to his dark clothing.

His gaze levels on Ryunosuke, his head tilting slightly, as if in reaction to the man's surprise. He holds a furled piece of parchment in hand, ostensibly a map from its side and form.

He wasn't necessarily hoping to be caught by anyone he knows, but he does his best to appear unruffled. He knows more than one part of his appearance is probably worth gawking at.

"'Tis I," he says, hopping down off of the railing, his cloak flowing after him. Without pausing, he unrolls the parchment, and starts looking for a flat surface he lay it out on.

[locumstudentesquire]

Well, his initial reaction hadn't been so much about Estinien's physical appearance and more about his sudden arrival, but now that Ryunosuke is getting a good look at him...

He hadn't considered that the dragoon's shard being in contact with the Entity might leave such obvious physical alterations on the man, but the connection to that incident and that being is a pretty obvious one. And it is pretty shocking to see... However, Estinien's decision to jump right into his work without missing a beat fortunately gives Ryunosuke time to get his shit together a bit before talking to him.

He sits up again, still blinking in surprise, gaze following Estinien as he looks for a place to lay down his parchment. Huffing quietly to himself and straightening his face out, he hobbles to his feet in order to follow. He clears his throat, just as a polite warning that he's still behind the man before he speaks up again.

"That was a hell of a fright you gave me just now. I hadn't heard you were back in the main settlement... It's good to see you out and about!" He's trying to peer around to get a glimpse at the parchment while he talks, curiosity taking the upper-hand over his manners. "What's that you've got there, anyhow?"

[coerthantorment]

Having had the time to find a relatively flat surface to roll it out on, Ryunosuke will see a bunch of charcoal scrawlings that look like some kind of self-drawn map. Estinien isn't the best at drawing, so they do leave a lot to the imagination, but it appears as if he's been mapping distances and locations towards various points within Lohkimareen.

He adds a few more marks, numbers and letters that seem to imply him calculating a flight time between here and where he just came from. He glances up at Ryunosuke, having stored the information he was holding in his head. His gaze lingers contemplatively.

"Getting a lay of the land," he says. "I've been looking for landmarks outside of Greentruth's usual stomping grounds."

He's also been taking the opportunity to ease himself into passing through the main settlement without being nervous. It's easier when he has something on his mind and isn't concerning himself as much with the reactions of others. Hence why he gets straight to business instead of dwelling on how this is one of the first times he's shown himself in public since his death.

[locumstudentesquire]

"Really?" Ryunosuke hums. He circles around to take a proper look at Estinien's handiwork, cocking his head and stroking his chin as he peers at it with interest. It certainly looks thorough...

He... Probably shouldn't be judging Estinien's drawing skills, should he? No, he shouldn't. Now... is he going to judge them anyway? Yes. Yes he is.

(He keeps that entirely to himself, at least.)

"You've certainly covered a lot of ground. Is there a particular goal you have in mind with all this? Or do you simply have a fondness for exploration...?"

It can't be that he's into cartography. That's for damn sure.

[coerthantorment]

He shakes his head. Well, he doesn't mind exploration really, but he isn't doing this for recreation. There's no time for that, at the moment.

"The Pleroma need a place to store their captives when it comes to it, and I would see that we are prepared in advance. Natural cave systems seemed the most promising, but they must be far enough from the core settlements to maintain their secrecy in the event of an escape."

He knows that some people will be inclined to question him on this, but he isn't going to keep it a secret, either.

[locumstudentesquire]

"A place to store--?" Ryunosuke starts to repeat, then breaks off abruptly.

Ahah.

"...You're looking to construct a prison, in other words." He says it more quietly, his face taking on a troubled expression. A sense of unease starts to creep over him, casting the edges of its shadow over his heart.

For Cid

[locumstudentesquire]

To Ryunosuke, it's a little bit frightening in some way that he's reaching a point where he can actually identify what counts as a 'normal' day in Greentruth. But that's what he'd categorize this one as: just another day where he tries to make himself feel useful among the hustle and bustle of the Resistance. Looking for a niche.

Today he's got a delivery to do: just a simple little errand, running a small box of freshly procured leather out to the iron works. It's not the first time Ryunosuke has had make his way over there, so he at least knows how to get there... But somehow it is the first time he's stopped by while a familiar face has actually been out and present.

"Oh! Hello there, Cid," Ryunosuke says... Pleasantly enough, but also a bit out of breath since he's rolling up to the iron works entrance with a fairly heavy crate braced in both arms. "I, ah, I was told to bring this over from the tannery... I don't suppose you know where I can set this down...?"

[youngprodigy]

It's been a while since he's managed to settle back in to the routine in Greentruth. It's far from what he's used to; arriving in this world has resulted in... a lot of learning, on his part. But at the very least, the Resistance has really come round to him, even if they're still struggling with supplies.

But that doesn't matter right now; there's only so much he can do, after all. He's one man, and has long since learned just how much situations like this take a village, so to speak. "Ah, Hello, Ryunosuke." He motions to what looks like a drop-off location not too far from the entrance. "That'll do. Thank you, I'm sure someone will be by taking inventory shortly."

[locumstudentesquire]

Ryunosuke nods and hurries over, eager to be rid of his burden. As he straightens up he turns to face Cid again and gives him an apologetic look, clearing his throat.

"I, ah, was also told to pass on a message, that there won't be any more of this for a while... Not until some of the longer range hunting parties return, I suppose..." He winces helplessly. "...Sorry to be the bearer of bad news and all..."

Nervous eyes flick around the workshop as he recites the message; it's simply his habit, awkward as he can be in these sort of situations. But he's also just curious about what kind of work Cid has been up to...

[youngprodigy]

Ah, well. That's no shock.

Cid's merely the weapons guy, anyway. "It's much the same situation with ore in Greentruth. They're badly in need of supplies all around, it seems."

Cid, for his credit, doesn't seem to acknowledge the nervousness. He's almost certainly noticed, of course, there's just no much of a reason to call the guy out for not wanting to give an already struggling Resistance bad news.

As for what Cid's working on... the unfortunate answer is not much. There are a few worn-looking lances here and there that he appears to be trying to repair, but the sad fact is that what they really need is better materials to begin with. Even the Resistance members he's joined with look visibly frustrated at the state of their materials. "We must needs find a more efficient way to gain materials. There was a boy who was among those of us who arrived first who had the idea to venture out in search of ore. That still needs to happen, but the situation in Venera put a wrench in my plans."

[locumstudentesquire]

With the message delivered, Ryunosuke settles down fairly quickly. He likes Cid, and has no reason to fear him really; he just hates having to pass on information like that.

"Yes... I'm afraid Venera 'put a wrench' in all of us, in a sense," he says, smiling wryly. "Unfortunately I know little about obtaining ore, or I might try to help... I do know some of the other Aions have been working to increase the flow of supplies between Greentruth and Godsblood, but what sorts of goods they're focusing on, I haven't the faintest idea..."

[youngprodigy]

Godsblood... he hasn't been before, in large part because he knows he'd stand out. Even if he's spent a fair amount of time in cities, he's spent nearly all of his time in this world in Greentruth. That's bound to make him stand out in ways that aren't exactly good.

"With how much Greentruth is hurting for supplies, it seems wise to figure out what they might need. They're ostensibly allied with the Regent, correct? Mayhap there's some way to start encouraging an alliance with us."

How, he doesn't know. They can't exactly risk the Kenoma becoming aware of the Resistance's base of operations.

INVESTIGATION/Closed to Cid and Ernesto

[locumstudentesquire]

The day after Ryu and Cid's discussion in the ironworks, both men make their way through the portal from Greentruth and head into the city to meet up with Ernesto. Ryunosuke has made certain to get in touch with Ernesto first, to let him know there'd be another person accompanying him in. Aions still have to keep a low profile in Godsblood, after all... So walking around in too large of a group is probably ill-advised. Better to make sure +1s were alright to bring on this tour, before showing up with one without any notice.

Having gotten the OK on that, they make their way to the agreed upon meeting place to rendezvous for a little crash course/tour of the city. The place in question is out front of a little tavern near where the portal is hidden, an establishment of apparently middling quality possessing a rather peculiar name: 'The Busty Barnacle'.

Ryunosuke is... Trying not to think about the meaning of that moniker too hard. He's more focused on finding their fellow Pleroma anyway. Luckily, he's not too hard to spot, at least when he's waiting to be found.

"Mr. Ernesto!" Ryunosuke waves cheerily in greeting as they approach. "How are you today, sir?"

[goldendeceiver]

It's true, walking around in a big group as outsiders is likely to draw in some suspicion, but the good news about this little trio is that Ernesto, the established member of Godsblood, is likely the one that stands out the most. While he's not the only man in Horos to have an additional set of ears and a tail, Ryu and Cid probably blend in better at a glance.

The other benefit is that Ernesto has already established himself as a trader in this city, and people that he's towing around with him are likely to be overlooked as fellow traders or even suppliers by the smattering of people around the city who are familiar with the man. It's a pretty decent cover, especially if Ernesto treats them as good friends visiting from out of town.

Hence the local hole in the wall bar with some mean drinks, some decent pub food, and most importantly a convenient location near the portal. The name leaves something to be desired, but the establishment is decent, and the people inside tend not to ask a lot of questions.

As Ryu and his companion approach, Ernesto pushes himself away from the wall he was standing again, tail swishing in a friendly wag as he lifts up one hand in greeting.

"Pretty uneventful day for me so far. How about you, Mr. Naruhodo?"

[youngprodigy]

The tail doesn't even net the briefest of looks from Cid, which likely makes sense if Ernesto has seen Cid spend any time at all around Himeka. The good news is that Cid grew up in an enormous city, so while Godsblood is completely new to him, he's at the very least used to the general vibe of such locations. And the fact that the pub looks about what he expected means he's further able to look comfortable.

About the only way he does stand out is the bandages around his arms, but at the very least he doesn't look like he's spent the last few moons living in the woods... even though he very much has.

"It's been uneventful enough for me. Cid Garlond." He doesn't offer a hand to shake, because he's a bit too awkward for something like that, but the greeting is friendly.

[locumstudentesquire]

It's really a trio of city boys they've formed up as here. The thing Ryunosuke isn't used to is the pressure of having to hide his identity, but he's fine for right now, at least. Being in the company of two other people who know what's up.

"I was surprised to hear you two hadn't met before," he notes, glancing between the both of them. "Cid's a brilliant inventor. I thought he might find some, uh, inspiration, getting out and around the city."

[goldendeceiver]

Ernesto certainly recognizes the man, even if they haven't had the chance to speak yet. He's made it a point to memorize the faces of his fellow Pleroma, and the ones that arrived with him in particular are hard to forget.

"Nice to formally meet you, Señor."

As he saunters over towards the two men, his smile is relaxed and easy. There aren't people standing close enough to really be listening in on their conversation, but Ernesto still lowers his own voice to make himself harder to hear, despite still maintaining a casual look and tone. It might be a little worrisome that he's speaking out in the open this way, but he's found that trying hard to have a covert conversation tends to come across more suspicious.

"Our original group split apart pretty quickly after we escaped the Regent's men, and I've mostly stuck to the city since then."

He stops a few feet in front of the other two now, smile brightening.

"But from what I understand, you won't find a better city than Horos to take inspiration from. Though first..."

And here, Ernesto indicates to the bar he'd been leaning against.

"Should we start with something to eat and drink. I can get a better idea of what part of the cities you'll want to see the most. Besides the obvious for an inventor, of course."

[youngprodigy]

By the looks of things, Cid has plenty of experience in talking in a less-than-covert way while still not drawing attention to himself.

By his expression, it makes sense to him that they would attempt to divide their forces a bit— after all, otherwise they could very well lose out on noticing important matters, and Godsblood currently is the closest the Resistance has to an ally. "Food and drink sounds perfectly fine to me." Both because it helps him observe the locals for a little while, and also because he assumes there's far more variety in food here than there is in Greentruth.

"I do know there's plenty of interest here, of course."

Closed to Kaeya and Dextera

[locumstudentesquire]

The two of them have been searching for close to two hours at this point, and yet they've spotted neither hide nor hair of Lumine.

Ryunosuke is beside himself. It just doesn't make any sense... The three of them had just been together earlier that day. They'd planned their ill-advised reverse-heist of a branch of the Venera public library. They'd cased the joint, had a plan in place, and were on their way back to the inn together so that they might finish their preparations in time to make their move that night. A trio of Pleroma hurrying through Veneran streets, doing their utmost to remain inconspicuous. Lumine was in the lead, Ryunosuke and Dextera close behind her but still lagging just enough that she'd gotten ahead of them. She'd only just turned a corner.... But when the two of them turned that same very corner only seconds later?

Nothing. Gone. Vanished, apparently, without a single trace.

Ryu and Dex had immediately searched for her, of course. Lookedfor signs of her having been snatched up, or fallen into some kind of trouble, or... Something. Any clue or hint that she was still here. But the longer they search without results-- limited as they are in their efforts, by the need to avoid appearing too suspicious themselves-- the more disheartening the situation becomes. Now Ryu is really starting to wonder if Lumine has gone gone, the way Jae Ha had just a few days prior.

Communion would be the easiest way to verify, but they can't exactly just whip their shards out in public and check. They've paused for a moment anyway, in one of the city's many public gardens. This one's a bit more out of the way, off the beaten path... Private enough that Ryunosuke he can groan at Dex a bit more freely. He's seated on the edge of a fountain right now, the sort built into wall. He speaks with his face buried despairingly in his hands:

"I can't believe this..."

[passio]

Dextera has experienced his own loss already, with the Archangel’s painfully sudden disappearance, tangled by all the complexities of losing someone you hate—but for that very reason, it’s different to think that Lumine is gone, when she’s been nothing but kind and welcoming to him. She was a gentle presence from their time in the cave all the way to now, and with the very real possibility presented that she’s gone, Dextera heart aches in a way he hadn’t expected he would feel for some of his fellow Aions.

They’re relative strangers, after all, but he’s learning now that they’re still companions.

He doesn’t really know how to contribute to the pivoting of their investigation as such, when his new de facto leader of Ryunosuke seems to be cracking apart. Dextera’s silence is nothing new, but with an inability to offer any words of comfort—even if he could speak, it would still be an inability—he reaches out and awkwardly touches Ryunosuke’s shoulder.

[subsist]

It's a beautiful day, but Kaeya remains as busy as ever.

While the Kenoma don't have any specific orders, he'd spent most of his time here at Venera, helping out where he can, no matter the task. Today is one where he's simply patrolling the streets, looking out for trouble, for anything out of the ordinary. The locals have been on edge since an 'illness' plagued their city, and thanks to the way the Achamite and Hylician soldiers abandoned them, Kaeya is here to make sure they feel safe here.

His route takes him to one of the city's public gardens, further down the area where not a whole lot of passersby linger. He likely would have kept walking had something — someone — caught his eye. There's no time wasted as he is quick to approach, and once he's close enough, a smile is already on his face.

"Well, well, well," he starts, already a menace. "To think that we would meet again so soon."

He doesn't recognize the quiet one, but he definitely knows the one with his face buried in his hands. It's not like he can ever forget that despairing groan. If they're together, it's probably safe to assume which side the quiet one belongs to.

"Why the long face? Is something the matter?"

[locumstudentesquire]

Awkward as the touch may be, it's still appreciated, even if Ryunosuke doesn't say as much aloud. Ryunosuke finally stops trying to palm his own eyes out and lets his arms drop instead, some of the tension going out of the shoulder beneath Dextera's hand...

...Only for it to immediately ratchet back up again when that familiar voice chimes in.

Ryunosuke lifts his head sharply. Easy to miss while his face was in his hands, it'll be plain as day now that Ryunosuke has sprouted a distinct pair of horns from his forehead in the time since they last met. And his metaphorical hackles already raised. This is that blue-haired Kenoma from the last time... "Sebastian", he'd said his name was. The one who'd defended M after he'd killed Estinien. Even given the role that he'd played in that whole fiasco, he hasn't really been at the forefront of Ryunosuke's mind since then, so there are a lot of unexamined feelings hitting Ryu at once now.

Perhaps the most pressing feeling... Is alarm. They've been spotted by a Kenoma, and that should be cause enough for worry. Ryunosuke's eyes flick briefly to Dextera; he has no idea what sort of powers his companion has, but considering how meek he is in disposition, it's easy for Ryu to slip into protective mode... Even if own offensive powers are pretty much nil. He subtly and unconsciously shifts, like he's ready to put himself between Dex and the Kenoma if he has to.

"...We don't want any trouble," he says firmly, though his heart is starting to pound with anxiety.

[passio]

Dextera doesn’t know the stranger. Even if he made an appearance in Ryunosuke’s relation of Estinien’s murder, Dextera’s attention had been focused solely on Makoto at the time. He would have easily mistaken Kaeya for a run of the mill Veneran, despite the confident swagger, if Ryunosuke’s response hadn’t been so instantly anxious.

When alone, Dextera is the same way. As he feels more like a bodyguard to Ryunosuke now, and hot on the heels of Lumine’s disappearance, he manages to show markedly more confidence than he has yet in Ryunosuke’s presence. His body tenses not with fear, but with his own willingness to defend someone he sees as utterly human—and attack, if need be.

His silence may be an inevitability, but it’s also a threat. While he has to let Ryunosuke take charge of the conversation, he meets Kaeya’s gaze to respond in his own way.

[subsist]

Oh? Both of them are already on the defensive. It's almost as if he's caught them doing something they shouldn't be. Now he's way more interested in what they're doing here, especially if their reactions to his presence are anything to go by. It couldn't have been anything good. Then again, it could always just be because he's from the Kenoma. That's the boring answer though.

His smile grows sharper, but the overall demeanour he wears is one that remains casually friendly overall.

"May I remind you," he starts, not at all bothered by the silent threat he's receiving from Ryunosuke's companion, "that you are in enemy territory, so I wouldn't try anything funny." His hands are raised to accompany the shrug that rolls off his shoulders, followed soon after by a shake of his head. "Now, if you aren't looking for trouble, then what are you doing here?"

He raises a brow. "I believe we can have a simple conversation about that, no?"