memori3s: (97)
minato arisato ([personal profile] memori3s) wrote in [community profile] expiationlogs2024-06-07 08:45 pm

dear fellow traveler under the moon

Who: Minato & You!
Where: All around Aldrip
What: Catch-all for the month with open prompts, maybe some closed starters too
Warnings: Injury, suicidal ideation, asphyxiation, updated as needed.

i. ball is life

[ City Hall's gardens have quickly become a spot that Minato frequented. He's often here in the early evenings, accompanied by Koromaru. It's an ideal place for the dog to stretch his legs. Aldrip doesn't appear to have any leash laws. Ergo, Koromaru roams free as Minato sits by himself on a bench.

The shiba inu trots about with a red ball in his mouth, tail held high with a pleased look on his face. He circles back to Minato who's seated on his usual bench today. Typically, Minato observes as Koromaru entertains himself, racing around the greenspace or flinging whatever toy he's brought with him that day.

Today though, Koromaru stands in front of Minato and presents the ball to him, tail wagging enthusiastically.

You WILL throw ball, Minato Arisato. Ball is LIFE. ]


ii. gardening

[ Visiting the farmhouse is a recent addition to Minato's daily routine. He greets the animals there even though he's technically not at the farmhouse to see them. He can't help but offer a friendly headpat or snoutpat to the ones that are bold enough to approach.

There's an empty field of soil just outside the farmhouse. Kotone's offered it to him, leaving Minato free to use it for his new project. He's there today wearing comfortable work clothes, kneeling in the dirt with a hand hoe to carefully loosen the soil.

It began with an off-the-cuff response, an answer to a question that's always been difficult for Minato to grapple with.

"Is there anything you've always wanted to try, but never have?" Kotone had asked as they walked side by side through City Center, a bag of peanuts in his hand that she'd pressed into his palm.

And even before that, there'd been Sha-Ming with earnest anger flaring in his eyes as he declared that all creatures should have dreams, desires, and things they wanted to do while clinging stubbornly to life.

He's not used to contemplating all the things he'd like to try, things he never got the opportunity to do. He's here now though, thanks to the response he'd given to Kotone's question. Minato decides this answer is satisfactory as he continues loosening the soil to prepare it for some seedlings.

There's some soil streaked on a cheek, and his elbows have some dirt on them too. He's content though, quietly working on his task. ]


iii. i am thou, thou art i

[ The mild breeze leaves delicate ripples along the oceanwater's surface. The shore's salty air fills Minato's lungs, clearing his mind and easing any troublesome thoughts that plague him as of late.

It's why he finds himself at the beach again today, shoes removed and socks tucked neatly in them. The sand is warm and silky under his feet, offering him something to focus on other than how, lately, his mind continuously strays to a ruined moonlit bridge.

Something brushes against his foot and disturbs his train of thought. It shifts his gaze from the horizon to the floor. There's a crab scuttling across his feet; it pauses in between them, freezing when it senses someone's attention focused on it. Then it's moving again, faster, making a beeline towards the water.

He takes a step forward to follow the trail left by the little crab. He doesn't get very far, interrupted by a sudden, agonizing pain in his head. He folds over with a gasp, pressing a hand against his forehead. He does not see the towering shadow taking shape from behind, unaware of its presence until a white-gloved hand grips his shoulder.

The creature shoves him down. He collapses like a marionette cut from its strings. And as he looks up to identify his assailant, he swiftly realizes there is nothing to truly fear. He immediately recognizes that metal mask. It's why he doesn't struggle against the hand holding him down, merely gazing back at the familiar Persona: Thanatos.

The Persona unsheathes its sword and releases an earsplitting wail, driving the weapon's sharpened tip through Minato's shoulder. But Minato makes no noise, even as it cuts through flesh and blood pools beneath him. There's no need to be afraid. After all, Thanatos must be here simply to remind him that, out of everything in the world, Death is the sole certainty. ]


iv. wildcard

[ Let me know if you're interested in a starter! You can send a private plurk to me at [plurk.com profile] alaudarum or hmu in the Discord! ]
entreats: (what she can't be)

[personal profile] entreats 2024-07-14 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Ahh, really?

[ It'd be nice to take that as a compliment.

But Ange can't. Somewhere between the fact that it'd fluster her too much and the fact that she's horribly worried it's some sort of lie, she just can't accept those words so easily. It'd be too much like giving herself hope, and all of Ange's hope in her life has only ever met to set her up for failure.

So.. ]


Are you a masochist then?

[ Clearly the only normal thing to say here, right.

A normal thing to ask while she's busy petting your dog and only looking at your dog while she's giving scritches, rather than actually over at you.. ]


Or are you just not picky about the kind of people you have around you? It's got to be either of those two, right? Most people tend to be pretty outspoken about me otherwise.
entreats: (your absence tonight)

[personal profile] entreats 2024-07-25 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sorry, Koromaru.

This time you do go neglected. Not that Ange isn't willing to dish out the most wanted belly rubs of all, but her attention is fully taken away from the dog by Minato now. Blame him, if you must blame anyone.. Because there's no way she can't look at him when he's saying something like this, of all things.

There's something faintly skeptical in her gaze, but the girl mostly just looks well and truly surprised. It takes a moment before she can even speak. ]


.. are you that optimistic?

[ She says it almost like the words just don't make sense to her. Like it's hard for her to believe that someone could say something like that and truly mean it.

Yet she hasn't had any reason to assume Minato was lying to her so far. So-- what does that imply for these words? ]
entreats: (i'm trying to find a place i belong)

[personal profile] entreats 2024-07-30 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
.. It's weird.

[ At least she's not saying you're weird, so that's already a step up from Ange's usual directness. It's entirely possible that she's going for a more vague warning since she likes Minato enough so far to not want to be entirely mean to him..

Especially when his point of view sounds better than her own, from a purely objective point of view. Isn't what he's saying something you'd hear in those sappy movies people like so much? It's what people want to hear. ]


Usually I'd say you're just saying that because you've never experienced true loss. [ That's what people who are this optimistic usually are like, from Ange's point of view.

They can only say that because they don't understand. Because they don't have her kind of experience. ]


.. but it sounds like you have. And yet you're saying all this anyway.

[ It makes no sense to her. It almost feels like a contradiction. ]