expiationlogs | [02] [open] nemesis identified

Who: Mizuki and YOU [open]
Where: The wilderness, a ways from Aldrip in an out-of-the-way little cave (Not Lorentia)
What: In which Mizuki finds out she's been alone all along.
Warnings: Spoilers for AI, IDK—will add if any become relevant.

[ There are thin tire tracks starting at the inn that head out and away from Aldrip today. Curious, isn't it? Were they there before? Have you even seen a motorbike here in Aldrip since you woke up here?

If you're keen to find out, you will follow a trail that is just long enough to make you wonder whether you should turn back. Keep with it, however, and you will find yourself at a small cave nestled in the mountains, the opening of which is surrounded by trees. ]

👁️ i. He was the Universe

[ Perhaps you'll see the bike first. It sticks out like a sore thumb. But walk a little further and inside the cave, there's Mizuki, asleep on the cave's dirt floor.

Her hair is messy with sleep. There is a hair piece that sticks out against her cyan locks, standing out almost as much as her bike does in the wilderness. In her hand is an empty, decorated box with a note attached that wouldn't look out of place in a trash can, as it is. Meager remnants of the few good things that have happened to her here, now that she can't go back.

A subtle, unpleasant odor lingers in the air, reminiscent of a wet dog or wild animal that's no longer there. Somewhere beside her sits her pipe, and at her waist, there is her holstered Evolver. ]

👁️ ii. Ought to Know

[ Alternatively, the trail is still going. Eventually, footprints start to appear in the dirt next to the tire track, suggesting that Mizuki has started walking. Catch up to her, you'll find that her back is to you and she is dragging her bike alongside her.

Why? ...Well, technology continues to be fickle, apparently.

Watch her for long enough and you'll see her stop and try to start it again. Instead, there's that all too familiar, insufferable buzz that makes her cover her ears. Her mouth opens, like she's groaning, but the noise that escapes, if there had been any, is easily swallowed up by the rustling of leaves and the buzzing of insects.

Once that passes, she can be seen pulling out a piece of parchment from her pocket—a map. ]

▶ ooc/wildcard

[ Due to trauma, Mizuki will be aphonic/unable to speak temporarily! Sorry about that. She will still be writing things in the dirt or on the back of her map, probably, and if I feel it's appropriate, I may give her back her voice midthread.

Enjoy the introduction of her shiny new bike, and please feel free to reach out via PM, on the Discord, or

yammdere for plotting/ideas! Thank you! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It is less that she cannot, and more that she doesn't want to.

There is a part of her that feels that she should warn people about Saito, however, so even if it doesn't seem like it right now, he's got that going for him. She still doesn't say anything, but after a moment where it might seem like she's not going to respond at all, she does scoot over a little bit. She hardly needs to; there's plenty of room in the cave.

But it's about as close to an invitation as he's going to get. ]

[Even if there's plenty of room, that bit of movement is enough to tell him he's not entirely unwelcome. He lightly touches a hand to the side of the cavern before dropping down beside her, stretching a leg out in front of himself while propping his arm against his raised knee.]

Anyone who might be looking for you?

[He's certain she has friends that might be worried if she's out here for too long, but...]

I'll not say a word, if you prefer. You came out here for good reason. I assume because you didn't want to be found.

[ She doesn't appear to confirm his deductions one way or another. One could argue that if she really didn't want to be found, she would have hidden her tracks better. As an investigator, she should know better... but there's really no way for him to know that.

Wordlessly still, she lifts her wrist where the golden charm sits that all of the Chosen were given. If only it had the capacity to form a keyboard for texting...

Instead, she seems to fiddle with it idly. Maybe she's hoping a keyboard will pop out, somewhere, somehow. Wouldn't it be something if she were to discover something like that?

Instead, a rather tacky hologram is projected. ]

[His lips twitch for a moment before he gives the hologram a disapproving sort of look— it doesn't quite sit right with him, though he does not know the man in question.]

I see— to a certain extent, anyway.

[Someone is looking for her, though the manner in which they're doing so is... questionable.]

Missing cat.

[He snorts softly, shaking his head.]

Hoping to get your attention, I take it?

[ Is he? ...Perhaps, at a glance, you'd think that. But she knows full well that if he really wanted to find her, he could, the very same way Balthier did. In truth, he probably would not even need the tire tracks.

She shrugs, and for a moment, she's tempted to leave it at just that. But finally, though her stomach bubbles in protest like she might vomit— ]

He knows where to find me.

You're not thrilled about that.

[It's not a question. Even if it weren't obvious, he knows a little something about not wanting to be found. Still— the fact that she's spoken at all seems significant.

He exhales, diverting his gaze to look straight ahead rather than directly at her.]

Are you in trouble?

[He doesn't say the words themselves, but what he really means is: 'Do you need help?']

[ How does she answer that, even if she wanted to?

The can feel the weight of her "crime" pressing against her chest, and it feels like it's a little bit harder to breathe. She just ends up shaking her head, though it's more of an "I don't know" rather than a "no." ]

He is.

[ Yet even here, Mizuki finds herself bound by her own morals and the laws she swore to uphold back home. He made sure to make fun of her for that. She continues, clarifying just a tiny bit. ]

He's— He's trouble.

Trouble.

[His brow furrows as he echoes her; it is but a single word, but everything in her being, from the hard edge to her voice and the faint tremble in her— restrained rage, he thinks— is more than enough to tell him it speaks volumes.]

The sort we all ought to be watching out for, I assume?

[She has his interest, in addition to his concern.]

He's done something to you.

[Whether directly or otherwise. That much is clear.]

[ There is just so much she has to explain for him to understand the layers of awfulness that was Saito Sejima, and what he did to her. She really isn't about to get into all that, unfortunately, but he will still see her grip at the skirt of her school uniform, which had to be mended once or twice already.

She already feels like she is blabbing too much. ]

You should stay away from him.

[He nods his understanding— for as curious a mind as he has, he knows that there are many warnings that one ought to heed regardless. The way she grips at her skirt tells him this is absolutely one of them.]

You don't say that lightly.

[Which is to say he'll listen.]

I'll not chase after him, if that's your concern. I do worry about leaving you out here on your own in this state.

[ Mizuki doesn't particularly feel like she needs to get into everything that makes Saito Sejima objectively The Worst^tm. Balthier seems to be accepting of the fact that the scrawny Rich Boy is Bad News, and for now, that's good enough for her. Somehow, Balthier showing his concern only makes it a bit harder for her to meet his eye. ]

I'm a big girl.

[ Eventually, the charm's hologram fades. ]

I just need some time.

That you are.

[Something he intends to respect, regardless of his own concerns. He exhales, looking out ahead of where they've both chosen to sit, propping an arm against his raised knee.]

In which case, there's nothing to do but leave you to it. I've no doubt that out here, you'll have all the time you'll need.

[ Relief starts to warm her at her core, though it comes with an overwhelming sense of dread that she hasn't been able to take since she left him in front of the inn. Regardless, she doesn't feel any pressure in his presence, and maybe the perceived lump in her throat has started to ease as well.

She can certainly appreciate that. ]

Thanks.

[ She'll find her way home soon—wherever that is. ]

[02] [open] nemesis identified

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🎀