[closed] call me curious george the way i keep asking questions

[bonobos]

Who: Sha-Ming and assorted
Where: Aldrip
What: A closed log comprised of custom starters for the month of May; if you would like to do something, just hit me up at moontrip -- I don't bite!
Warnings: None as of yet.

Comments

minato

[bonobos]

[ feeling organs, nerves, tissue come to back to life -- it's like learning how to walk again. his body moves sluggishly, every light too blindingly bright, every motion oddly exhaustive.

he knows the route back to his room well enough by now. it's muscle memory; and so his feet carry him there instinctively, eyes flitting back over his shoulder as if to constantly survey his surroundings.

when he enters the hallway leading up to his room, his footsteps are feather light. he slinks into the shadows, hands in his pockets, eyes tired and distant. the door next to him maneuvers open with a turn of a knob.

he sees him, then. ]

...

[ what is there to say, really? ]

Hey.

[ "i'm sorry -- that i worried you. that i got you dragged into my mess. i didn't think you cared. i wish you didn't. ]

[memori3s]

[ On the seventh day, Koromaru catches a familiar scent in the hall. He leaps to his feet and barks urgently at Minato's door. Minato glances over and watches from his seat on the bed, wordlessly, as the person he's been searching for finally enters the room.

He swallows, visibly. Had Koromaru not started barking furiously as Sha-Ming entered, he might have written this person off as a figment of his imagination, a trick being played on him by his fatigued mind. He'd lost all desire for food and sleep. The only thing that stopped him from wondering whether he'd developed Apathy Syndrome was the fact that he remained keen on searching for Sha-Ming. ]

...hey.

[ Koromaru whines and presses himself against Minato's side. His human companion raises a hand to tangle his fingers in the dog's fur. ]

I made sure no one tossed your stuff.

[ A beat. ]

Kotone and Cloud helped.

[ Spotted him Sha-Ming's portion of the rent, he means.

And though he'd like to throw those very words Sha-Ming spoke at the clinic, they all die on his tongue. The fact that he's been here, waiting like a dog who'd lost its master, must speak for itself. ]

[bonobos]

[ everything minato says goes in one ear and out the other. he can see the paleness in his face, the shadows cast beneath his eyes. he looks weak. fragile. misery twists in sha-ming's gut, a knife plunging into him.

for a moment, he is at a loss. relief and guilt tug at his brain in equal measures, laying claim over him. he tries hard to maintain a level expression. ]

Thanks. But you haven't eaten. [ is all he says. a silence passes. ]

...Let's go grab a bite.

[ hands back into his pockets. ]

And you'll go to bed right after. [ a beat. ] Ok?

[ he descends, crouching to a knee -- before reaching his hand out to run his fingers through koromaru's fur. ]

I'm countin' on you to take care of him, Koro-chan. Think you can do that?

[memori3s]

[ "Arf, arf!" goes Koromaru.

"Of course, I've had a lot of practice."

He was there doing exactly that for those few months after Nyx's defeat. And though no one else had sensed it, Koromaru could detect those small changes in Minato, the little things that cumulatively indicated he was fading away.

Minato rises, responding with a small nod. He'd eaten earlier in the day, but that was only a single meal for someone who typically had an incredibly healthy appetite. ]

...okay.

[ He'll join Sha-Ming for food, but as for the other request, ]

...I don't want to.

[ Maybe he sounds petulant raising that objection. He can't find it in him to care. What if he wakes up the next morning only to find that Sha-Ming's vanished again? ]

gogol

[bonobos]

[ the first time he'd ever been to a city, it was a mausoleum to him -- a labyrinth beyond his understanding. this was how humans lived, how they thrived. shining, smiling faces, the bustle of laughter and conversation, sleek modernity and glittering towers.

he remembers the way they looked at him, then. condescension, alienation. a human can always recognize an animal in the wild.

his gait is brisk and easy, lips flattened into a thin line; it was easy to blend in amongst the crowds in most places, but particularly so in aldrip, where civilians were lacking in any real perception. how convenient.

he sees a familiar silhouette. his prey instinct kicks in, heart racing, trepidation in his veins. he continues walking regardless, his pulse gradually slowing into something more comfortable. he can't help himself; it's a black hole, drawing him in.

sha-ming rests his arms against the back of the bench. he's dressed in a black letterman and jeans, necklace dangling from his throat as always. ]

Bread's bad for birds. [ he speaks in an even tone.] They can't digest it properly. Try somethin' else, Niko.

[quizpersona]

[ A big hand is midway through delicately pinching off a piece from a loaf when a vaguely familiar voice floats over. As a widened eye shifts over to confirm, recollection of the expression worn during the last time he saw this guy-- when he had strangled him to death-- occurs.

Yet now the goggled man is approaching with the intention of striking up a conversation. A not-so normal reaction--a thought he has accompanied with inner glee. ]

I know, [ A low drawl with audible regret reserved for the birds. ] but there wasn't exactly a lot left in the pantry after so long!

[ Not many people tend to approach during birdfeeding time so it's one of those rare occasions to be wearing something less eccentric. It's kind of a nice peacoat actually, with something black and white tucked in as the underlayer. ]

Unlike any human these guys are always free to fly away if they don't like it.

[bonobos]

[ honestly, he looks nicer like this — an inappropriate thought to have about a man who smashed your knuckle in, but it could be worse. sha-ming raises a brow. ]

Not how that works, pal. The average bird doesn’t have the intelligence to pick apart which food sources are good for them and which ones aren’t. So long as it’s readily available they’ll take it.

[ and another thing— ] Just because they can fly doesn’t mean they’re free either. The reason they can do that to start with is ‘cause their bones are hollow. The second they can’t migrate somewhere safe, they’re screwed. So you might wanna think that one over again.

[ a sigh. suddenly, he disappears out of sight, striding away from the bench. he’s back in a matter of minutes, presence entirely unannounced, only to park himself onto the bench besides nikolai. there’s a decent amount of distance between them, but sha-ming reaches out to offer what is a fresh fistful of birdseed. ]

Here. Can’t imagine the stuff they have out here is clean, but it beats bread.

[quizpersona]

[ Well that's that, Gogol thinks, while watching the retreating back. Guess he's satisfied in infodumping biology facts before retreating? But then goggles returns to park his nerd-ass back down on the bench and isn't that an interesting turn of events. Nikolai laughs aloud—a lively sounding ahehe—and it's because of the obvious distance between them on the bench. As if that'll do anything if he wanted to do something nefarious. ]

Oh, is that so? [ An impish grin appears. ] You sure found this quick!

[ Some would say that means he's up to no good. What happens is that Nikolai activates The Overcoat to send his right hand to reach over from the left of Sha-Ming to take the handful of bird seed. Go on bro, give those seed to the disembodied hand. While it's held out patiently the rest of it from the wrist down disappears from sight into a glimmering yellow portal. ]

into the woods to free the titties

[cursegod]

[With no clowns to bother her and her head clear of any angst related to The Feels, Dara has returned to the woods! The place she typically returns to to relax. Although the scenery has shifted somewhat since her extended nap, she's able to relocate her favorite spots after slithering around for a bit. (Both ground and treetops are fair game for wandering.) It's been awhile since she's felt comfortable enough just letting her tail be rather than staying in a hyper-aware state by morphing it into "legs". Without the threat of losing control, it's now time to stretch her muscles a bit. But before all the roaming, she folds up her clothes and hides them in a tree hollow. Freedom!!!

There's a certain waterfall that she always gravitates to for clearing her mind. The spring waters are deep enough to submerge the length of her tail, and a convenient rock at the bottom of the falls makes for a great spot to meditate. She may not be able to sense the cold anymore, but it's refreshing to let the flowing water to surge over her.

Aside from lounging in the tree-tops and surveying everything from high above, Dara happens to glimpse a new area that is unfamiliar: a large boulder sitting atop a hill. What's perfect about it is that the size of it has made it hard for trees to completely overshadow it. That means it's an ideal basking spot! When she finally arrives to her destination, the curse god immediately flops down to soak in the sun. She may enjoy the water more, but she can also appreciate a nice warm place. (A distant sense, maybe, but still warm nonetheless.)

No worries, just reconnecting with nature and enjoying the freedom of being a monster in the woods.]

FREE THEM

[bonobos]

[ glad that one of them is free of clowns.

sha-ming is here more pointed reasons; more notably, he had sought to document what he could of these areas and the life that dwelled within them. the good thing about being from space is that you grow accustomed to the prospect of every "region" functioning on its own laws and orbit. aldrip isn't a far cry from "the average" because no such thing exists within his mind.

it's more reminiscent of earth than it is any other planet he's been on, though. sha-ming's dangling from a tree, nestled into its crook with a knee up, squinting at a pad of paper before he gets a glimpse of--

some honkers? ok. wait. who's attached to the honkers.

oh hell, it's dara. okay. he leans in to glean a better view -- not at...you know, although the thought is tempting, but the massive lizard tail that's the real beauty in this picture here.

the boobs are really nice too, though.

sha-ming hops down, a hand settled at the back of his head. and then with a bit of a shiteating grin-- ]

Lettin' it all hang loose for a change, eh? Didn't realize you hung around here.

[ a beat. ]

You look waaaaaaaay better like this, by the way.

[cursegod]

[Dara holds a hand above her eyes to squint through the sun rays towards Sha-Ming. Her expression reveals the immediate thought: "Ugh, it's this guy". The snake tail emphasizes the notion as the end of it thumps against the ground.]

Clothes become meaningless when you lose your humanity.

[...And yet she makes sure to wear clothes when walking around Aldrip.

Whether he wants to debate her on that or not, Dara rolls over partway, laying on her stomach as her tail takes on the motion more languidly. Miraculously, her hair remains a reliably consistent censorship bar for her chest, and the god props her chin up with one set of arms to observe Sha-Ming.]

If this was my territory, I would've snapped your neck for disturbing my peace. [But it's not, so Sha-Ming can consider himself lucky.] Don't expect me to be happy about your gawking.

[Maybe if it was Shinjiro--]

[bonobos]

[ fair enough point; the bonobos he grew up with only found a need to wear clothing due to their attributed humanity. a shrug of the shoulders. ]

Fair enough. Kind of a human construct, but don't ya need them during the winter anyways? Or are you cold blooded too?

[ and there comes that scientific curiosity. his eyes are pretty blatantly fixed on her tail, a hand coming up to his chin, soaking in the sight. ]

Yeah, yeah, I know how it goes. Believe it or not, I'm more used to places like these than I am civilization. [ a wave of the hand. ] Step into the wrong area and you'll get your head ripped clean off, shit's crazy. Buuuut-- [ he clasps two hands together. ] Thanks for the mercy, yer Highness! You're the best!

[ and then there comes that cheeky grin, so irritatingly overjoyed. ]

Listen-- I've just never seen a creature like ya before. [ and then, more earnestly, still beaming: ] You're a real beauty! Was out here doing research, actually, but that tail of yours is more interesting than anything else I've seen out here. What's it do for ya? Help you move, recenter your mass, regulate your body temperature...? Or is it just there to look super cool?

toph

[bonobos]

[ the coming week trickles like honey, time indelibly slow. sha-ming takes to the outskirts of town, closer to where thickets of trees pockmark the lands, and makes a point to perch himself atop a branch.

he stays there, like that, for hours on end on the daily; people were keen on keeping to the confines of the city. it was safer, busier, less lonely--

but solitude is easier for him right now. so he sits, legs dangling idly, ink smearing against pages. notes. lines upon lines worth of notes, incessant and long. grass rustles, the breeze careening by. someone's here. he squints through the slats of his glasses and--

ah.

a drawn out beat. ]

...Uh. [ ... ] Hey, boss... didn't know you hung around here...

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph likes to stay active and ever since her stint living clueless in the woods, she's grown some fondness for the place. That on top of Minato explicitly asking her to check around for Sha-Ming means she regularly takes a sweep through, though doing so alone makes her miss her friends from home more than ever. It's exactly the kind of thing the rest of the Gaang would normally join her for.

With her ability to sense motion around her in a wide range, Toph doesn't need to do more than take a stroll. This ends with her standing directly underneath Sha-Ming's tree, pointing directly up at him with finger alone, staring sightlessly ahead rather than up. ]

You better get down here right now or I'm going to make you get down.

[ He's obviously fine and he's obviously been here for a while, which means she's mad on top of worried. ]

[bonobos]

[ oh shit, yeah -- he knows an undercurrent of anger when he hears it. it's crazy how she commands presence without looking directly at him; what the hell is this girl going to become in the future?

instinctively, sha-ming raises his hands in surrender before realizing that uh, obviously, she can't see that. he then heaves out a breath, climbing out of his spot and letting his heels skid against bark as he slides on down. ]

Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way mom.

[ and he's here, dusting off his pants, scratching at the back of his head. ]

Listen... it's not what you think... [ whatever she DOES think. ] Had to destress after... whatever the hell that all was.

[ another beat. ]

I saw you helped him. [ the him in question should be obvious, he thinks. ] So...

Thanks. I'm shit at saying that but-- I owe ya, seriously.

[fieldtrip]

[ The immediate admission of appreciation takes some wind out of her sails, which just leaves her grumpy and annoyed rather than outright angry. Toph huffs.

It actually takes her a second to parse what he's talking about because it is not obvious, so there's a short delay as she decides how to respond, but it's clearly because she's considering it and not because she's fumbling. ]

You saw I helped your neighbor [ she emphasizes the absurdity of that epithet ] but you couldn't at least let me know you're okay?! Didn't I say you were supposed to hide behind me next time something happened?

[ Because she was absolutely not joking about that. Toph takes her 'staff' seriously, even if the word itself is a bit of a joke. ]

And don't call me mom.

kotone

[bonobos]

[ he lingers around the perimeter of the farm, seated on a fence -- for quite some time, he stares almost seemingly aimlessly, eyes settled on the animals, silent studying. there's a pad of paper in his hands, hands twitching every so often to burn words through its pages.

there's a familiar sight; a girl he doesn't know, not particularly well, but he's aware of her presence -- like they've grown up in proximity of one another, still.

minato's sister.

but she isn't, is she?

he realizes he's been noticed. and he looks to her, the slightest bit dumbfounded, like he's trying to find the words--

eventually, he swallows. ]

Listen, I'm not doin' anything weird, I was just-- you know... checking this place out. Ok? Don't jump me.

[ a drawn out beat. ]

You're...

[ ... ]

Minato's...uh, pal, right?

[orphne]

[Sha-Ming can be forgiven for thinking she's about to jump him, because she's marching toward him with determination on her face and her phone in hand. She's more assertive than Minato usually is, and she's been wearing her Evoker on her waist more and more often now that it's clear Aldrip is no longer the idyllic country village it had once been.

Of course, the effect is someone dimmed by the fact that she's being trailed by a lamb trying its best to keep up, bleating unhappily behind her because hey! Hey!! Can't just stop petting him like that!]

Did you call him?

[Straight to the point. The set of her eyes and the phone in her hand make it clear that if Sha-Ming hasn't talked to Minato yet, she's about to call him herself. They can exchange pleasantries in a second -- this is way more important!]

[bonobos]

[ he doesn't expect that -- he looks to her, caught unawares, with all of the shame of a dog that's been scolded. then he shrugs it off, adopting that more seemingly unbothered and lackadaisical veneer of his. a sigh breaks past his lips; he doesn't meet her eyes. ]

He saw me right when I got back.

[ it's not a lie. but something about that makes it all the more embarrassing. ]

I--

[ he rubs at the back of his head. ]

I owe you. For takin' care of him. So, uh...

Thanks. I guess.

seimei

[bonobos]

[ the soles of his shoes scuff against the soil. he's descended from the trees for the afternoon, penning notes slowly, easing into the evening. the closer you were to town, the less likely you were to see anything in the wild-- still, it was good to chart what the ecosystem was like and the conditions that characterized it all the same.

the darkness makes it easier to retreat into the contours of aldrip, nowhere to be found. but from a distance, he observes a familiar figure -- one that he'd come to be horribly endeared to, much to the host's chagrin...

❤️SEIMEI❤️

sha-ming flashes a smile, a cutting white making his presence known. he draws near, a hand on his hip, leaning in sleazily. ]

Heyyyyyy Seimei! Didn't know ya hung out here, too. [ he tries to glean a better look at him. ] You workin' on those studies of yours? Anything jump out atcha?

[foxphorus]

[ In an attempt to better understand this strange world around them, Seimei had gone to the first place he usually goes for important matters: the stars. It didn't take long to notice these aren't the same constellations he's used to, and only a little longer to realize they weren't moving as the weeks, even the months passed. Which. Shook him a little, he won't lie, because he can't even begin to think of what could cause such a phenomena.

Determined not to let the unknown immediately become a sign of calamity in his mind, he went looking for official documentation of the sky. Which he found!

...And was completely wrong. Great. Wonderful. Very helpful and just what he needed.

So that's what brings him this far away from the city proper, has brought him out here a good number of nights now, armed with a simple oil lantern, a small notebook, and a neat spyglass he chanced upon in a shop. He's gotten into a peaceful rhythm of looking up at the sky, writing findings down, rinse, repeat...and then something jumps out at him alright.

He's at least kind enough to glance over in Sha-Ming's direction, confirming it is indeed him before going back to whatever he was writing. Or, drawing. Should Sha-Ming peek, he'll be treated to the baby stages of an already complicated chart with a slurry of notes snuck into almost every available blank space. ]

Ah. Is this where you've been hiding yourself?

[bonobos]

[ ah! he noticed him. be still, his beating heart. sha-ming's legs swing forward, notebook under his arm, back inclined as he makes an attempt to sneak a peek at the aforementioned chart. ]

You noticed I was gone? [ he asks very cheekily, a shiteating grin playing along his lips. ] You really are sweet...

[ but, more importantly: ]

Wasn't hiding. Just doin' research -- I guess. [ still eyeing the chart, sha-ming's eyes flicker back to seimei. ] Is that a planisphere?

[ shocking that he would know this, surely, but his parents were well respected academics. there are some things you can't a scrub away, no matter how hard you try. ]

hello hello i'm here (cw: animal death)

[traumaticus]

[It's a beautiful day. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. One of those days when it just feels like everything is right and fair in the world!

And, look! If Sha-ming happens to be around and aware, which i hope because otherwise this thread will be over very fast, he might spot a rather rare sight strutting in the cool shades of the forest. A Golden Pheasant. Its vibrant colors shine in the rays of sun, making the bird appear even more majestic as it digs the dirt with its talons, appearing majestic. Truly, what a marvelous creature.

At first, the bird is seemingly unbothered, not aware of the eyes following its movements. But then, it quickly raises its head and turns it around to look somewhere in the shadows. Waits and listens. A moment passes and the bird goes back to pecking the grass as it seems like it might have found a favorable spot.

Then. In a blink of an eye, an arrow shoots through the air and hits the bird, piercing through its' chest with an ease. The bird immediately falls down, letting out a shriek from the pain. From the shadows emerges a dark figure. Young man, donned in leather black from head to toe, carrying a bow and arrow. He walks up to his prey, grouches down to pick the bird up from its feet, hanging it upside down. Seeing that he had failed to give the thing a swift, clean death he had originally intended to, has him frowning. He reaches for his dagger that's strapped tightly on his waist, pulls the blade out and stabs the bird, delivering the finishing blow.

I'm sorry that you gotta witness this, Sha-Ming. ]

[bonobos]

[ sha-ming isn't here.

jk he is-- he's crouched in the bushes, eyes peering over swathes of leaves, the sunlight eclipsing through shades of green. his gaze is locked onto a beautiful bird: a pheasant. diligently, he's scrawling notes, ink bleeding through the paper in rapidfire movements.

and then suddenly -- just like that, the bird loses its balance, tumbling to the ground. a man materializes from the shadows and hoists the bird up with little care, suspending it like fresh meat, and sha-ming doesn't realize he's holding his breath until he releases it in a pronounced huff. his chest is unbearably heavy; quietly, he shakes to himself, blood running cold.

slowly, he rises to his feet. ]

The hell is your problem...!? [ he asks, traces of anger contorting his voice into something more guttural. ] What do you get out of huntin' something for shits and giggles?

[traumaticus]

[Richard had been completely unaware of the other man lurking in the bushes. Otherwise he might've chosen his prey differently. He only looks behind his shoulder, frowning at Sha-Ming as the other rushes towards him.

He does not look like a hunter, after all he did not carry weapons of any sorts on his person. But...]

Were you targeting this prey as well? [Because why else would the other be so mad??]