[The calm mask of the Principal shatters a little when Douman decides to put his elbows on the table and rest his chin on his folded hands in a way that fits his physical age much more than his actual one.]
Of this place. I know what they say, of course, but.... Seeing with your own eyes is always better than relying on secondhand information.
[He waves his hand idly at the last part, implying an 'oh, you know how it is' kind of sentiment. At the same time Douman's eyes scan over the work Seimei had been engrossed with. The planisphere is recognized but quickly dismissed - hasty, the voice of another Seimei drawls inside his thoughts only to be stomped out of existence quickly. The memory of that man is the least thing Douman needs on his mind right now, and it's another red mark in this imposter's book that he has muddled the waters enough to summon it.
No, let's focus back on the star map and why he doesn't need it. Point one, Douman hasn't had a need for the kind of magic that'd require knowing the stars and their positions in centuries. Point two, even if he did, he could easily make one himself that'd be a lot better and more accurate than this man ever could. So dismissing it is the right choice. He is not making a mistake and letting Seimei win. Those kind of games died centuries ago together with his rival.
The content of the notebooks and loose papers interest him more, but unless he finds a thief to hire to get them for him they'll remain out of his reach. For now. Moving on- ]
Let's call the reason for my visit a precaution. Since it's not the first time that somebody has tried to trap me.
[They are playing a dangerous game now. One wrong move, and Douman will lash out to smite the Onmyoji. But Seimei is also an unknown factor, so he doesn't trust anything the other says, does or presents himself as. Being careful with his words and creating a new distance while also sealing the cracks in his armor that might show anything too personal seems common sense.]
[ There's finally a flicker of something other than cool passivity--annoyance. Not at the guest and his table manners, but at the can of worms 'the truth of this place' is bound to open. He looks down as he speaks now, searching for a specific notebook. ]
Would that I could provide a more informed answer than any other "Chosen" you've likely run into. The council who run this city, and their singular enforcer, have kept even those who arrived here long before myself largely in the dark as to this place's true nature. They all parrot that our purpose here is for "rehabilitation", but I fail to see the logic in how what we've experienced thus far is meant to foster anything genuine.
[ --Ah, here's the one. A few page flips and he's got whatever specifics he was looking for. ]
Even more baffling, this all seems a recent phenomenon. The earliest account of Chosen activity in this city is only over a year ago, and yet the natives speak and act as if this is something that has been going on for...generations, perhaps.
Though I will admit that would only be the beginning of any and all oddities here.
[ Marianne's expression falters slightly at his question. ]
Ah, um...not always. Strange things happen from time to time, and there's sometimes tension with the neighboring towns.
[ Not to mention how the Outsiders themselves aren't always peaceful. She recalls the number of times city hall has been attacked...but not to overwhelm him with dour news! Right now Aldrip is the embodiment of cheer and festivity, and he should enjoy himself. Peace is a fragile and precious thing. She's been put through trials often enough to know. ]
[She can't help but blink a little at the rapid transformation and apparent surprise, tilting her head a little. Is it that strange...? Sure, she's not the type to go running around telling people Scott's her boyfriend (Scott makes it obvious enough all by himself), but she'd thought it would be nice to make a connection with another mutant like that.
...Oh.]
"Still?" [she echoes, and there's a moment where her face goes curiously blank in the way it does when she doesn't know what the correct expression to make is. So there's some other girl, huh? Someone else with red hair, which is a little funny considering it's the only color he can see. And they're close enough that Morph is surprised there's anybody else -- well, okay, probably anybody who only knows them from Aldrip would think the same thing about the two of them.
Eventually, her expression settles into something of a smile, soft and resigned as she nods and shrugs with a cheer she doesn't quite feel. Whether Morph's Scott is "her" Scott, it's good to know that if he is, he'll move on. He probably won't remember her at all once he goes back, right? So it's for the best that he does have someone else in the real world.]
Yeah, it's... I think 1983 for him? We've both been here for a little over a year now, but time doesn't work like you expect it to.
bring back victorian swimwear! just not wool. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY
Tell me about it. I'm from 1997, so uh, I'm not sure it's worth getting into the details. The Cyclops I know is like twice as old as yours is.
[Not to mention that with Morph's own personal problems being what they are - well, inserting themselves into the fringes of a love triangle meant that they have a strange vested interest in their Scott having a happy marriage. Scott and Jean breaking up would be bad for Morph for reasons that were Morph's own goddamn fault, really.
But these were kids they were dealing with. The Scott here probably wasn't even from the same timeline. Morph is enough of a responsible adult to not want their own stupid feelings to get in the way here.]
But hey, mutants still oughta stick together. If either of you ever need help, look me up. I'm particularly good at celebrity impersonations and beating up bad guys.
[ luffy simply looks at her for a heartbeat, and as if a cloud passing over the sun, his expression looks strangely intense, like he could see right through her —
and then he grins, and it's like the sun coming out from behind clouds, blinding in its brightness. ]
That sounds fun!! Exploring new places is the best! So you like adventure, too?
[With that, she gave a sigh before nodding to herself.]
I suppose you're right. It's still a little odd for me going to people sometimes. Outside of my friends, I haven't really talked to a lot of people before...
[His expression grows only more awkward at that comment. It's true that it was quite an embarrassing ending to the race, but it could've been worse, right?
At least nobody knows him here (yet).]
I-I just wanted to give it a try. I've never been good at running, but... I travelled for a long time and I wanted to see if anything changed about me.
[Usually he would be the last, but this time he was second last. That's an improvement!]
Of course. I think everyone deserves a chance. [He says that with a light smile. And at the same time, he remembers a conversation with Scott, and how Mystique was a mutant hero in his timeline.] ...I think I'd even say the same with her if she was here.
[And now his smile grows as he nods along.]
Of course I'll still help you! Now that I know who we're looking for, it'll be a lot easier to cover ground! We can even take the express trip! [He offers them his hand as he says this.]
[Crap, she wasn't supposed to call his bluff!! Scott will just use the tried and true method of just staring at her from behind the comfort of his shades as the gears in his mind slowly turn and creak.]
.......
[Think of something Summers-- and no he's not just going to blast her! He's not psychopath!!]
[He matches her tone, crossing his own arms as he stares at her from behind his shades. This conversation is definitely taking on a different tone than what Scott initially wanted, but he can't stop now. He can't just let himself be called old and weird!!]
What do you mean I'm not being helpful-- I was trying to explain! [Nope, he's not hiding that exasperation from her, not even a little.] But okay, fine, let me try again. If you're from 2002 and I'm from 1983 and I'm supposed to be around your age... that means we don't share the same timeline. Obviously.
[With the way the dog barks, Ruca is almost ready to start talking to it as if it actually understands them. His attention then shifts to Guinaifen and he patiently watches her.
It takes a moment
He understands that it must be difficult to hold all those balls. He is impressed. The hand that is placed on his shoulder makes him blink, before he gives the tiniest smile.]
R-right... Oh and I'm Ruca. It's nice to meet you, Miss Guinaifen.
[ There's the part of him that stands on guard, perpetually on edge. And why wouldn't he? Just looking at Sephiroth brings back bad memories. Flame, slaughter, and the knowing, stifled chuckle that haunts his dreams. ]
Don't see why I need to share that with you. [ Like that, his brows are furrowed, and the walls are up. He doesn't need to acknowledge anything about his crime, even if a part of him is morbidly curious what Sephiroth is here for, if anything. But the fact that he appears to not be here of his own volition. ]
...Guess these folks are the real deal, if they can trap even you.[ A part of him wonders if Sephiroth could escape. It is Sephiroth, after all... but based on what he's seen? Even Sephiroth is likely at an impasse, here. ]
But honestly, he finds it kind of fascinating to watch Hiei control the flames that flicker on his hand. Maybe it's sort of less cool because he's a fire demon and thus should be able to control this, but it's hard to pull his gaze away. It helps that the demon pretty much looks like a regular human and yeah, he knows to keep that to himself.
He doesn't want to deal with endless bitching if he said that out loud. Scott almost snorts to himself, but he manages to stop that noise from leaving him, instead leaning his cheek against his hand as Hiei mentions something else that's pretty interesting.]
Wait, unnatural eye?
[He's... not talking about his normal eyes, right? And look, maybe he's just a little biased, but he's always just a little more focused when someone mentions they have some weird eye powers.]
[ Tifa, of course, disarms Cloud in her own way, reading him like an open book. He's a little taken aback, the shock reading on his face like he'd just been slapped. But he can't come up with a decent counterargument, so the accusation clearly stands. ]
[ So instead, he fumes, slightly, working on the castle with a sullen expression. The diligence in his work, however, betrays that maybe he didn't take Tifa's remarks entirely personally...
It's a moment before he answers her followup, carefully making a little window in one of the castle walls. ]
Didn't... exactly have any plans, though. Catch some sun, catch some surf. Try to get used to the new... normal, I guess. Town wasn't like this when I got here, I can tell you that.
Greeeat. I get the feeling I'm going to have to write all of this down.
[It's a (mostly) good-natured gripe, despite how strange all of this is getting. Morph's life hadn't been normal since they joined the X-Men, but this place was above and beyond the usual amount of supervillain schemes, killer robots, and bird aliens that the team ran into on a regular basis. Even the time travelers were pretty good at laying out a single problem that needed to be solved.]
Huh. No, never heard of him. And with a name like that, I'm sure I'd remember it.
[It's slightly reassuring that they weren't the only odd one out. It makes enough sense that this Scott didn't know Morph, since they didn't start living at the mansion until the early 90s. But if these are timelines and not just time travel, maybe it shouldn't make sense? Yep, Morph is good and confused now.]
Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later.
Ange wonders if this is how it feels to other people when she asks them if they have games on their tablet and only get real confused at her.. Because this is just the world's most befuddling text to her. She has no idea of at least half of the stuff described in it. ]
Wait, what's a vlog?
[ Let's start there. Then maybe the rest will make sense. Is it some sort of.. play, maybe..? It's hard to determine what it is going by context alone! Especially for a girl from 1998! ]
[ At least the girl doesn't seem too offended by his accusation of her sneaking up on him. Maybe because she knows it's not technically true, or maybe she just doesn't care all that much.. Her expression doesn't change away from the poker face in the slightest as she stares at him. It even stays that way when his obvious sarcasm kicks in.
(She thinks it's obvious sarcasm, anyway, not knowing there is actually a core of truth somewhere in it after all.) ]
Well, I don't think you're going to reach any aliens here.
[ Flatly. Ange is mostly just going along with his sarcasm, batting it back with some of her own, but her tone is so flat that it does sound kind of serious all the same.. ]
We're completely cut off from any outside world as long as we're here. [ Is that news to him? She isn't sure.
Then again, she doesn't think she's really seen him around here before, so maybe he is relatively new and still hasn't given up hope yet. ]
There seems to be a lot of new faces these days. Just doing what I can to help. [She doesn't have to be masked up to be a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Woman! Just little deeds always make a difference, even if it is just making such a drunk stranger makes it back to the inn safely.]
Oh, perfect. That's not too far. Weird but quick question, how bad do you get motion sickness?
[Because swinging would get them there so much faster! But he's been drinking, and drinking doesn't always mix well with swinging. She...might've learned that the hard way. And she isn't in her suit, so getting puked on would not be a good time.
So she's just going to see what he says before she makes that call.]
Yes, exactly. As if a centuries old demon wouldn’t see it for what it was.
[ Hiei had taken Mukuro’s interest in him and tried to die with it, which is how he supposes he’s earned her trust. Thinking on things is not his expertise, after all. It required more brain power than “destroy my obstacles or die” at the very least.
Scott asks about his eye and Hiei uses his free hand to reach for the white cloth at his forehead. Pushing it up reveals what, at first, could be mistaken for a small crease or scar in his forehead until the third eye opens.
Its purple in color, glowing faintly as if in demonstration ]
This is the Jagan Eye. Or evil eye, depending on who you ask about it. I had it surgically implanted when I was young. [ as if Hiei isn’t still a little baby in demon terms. ] It has, somewhat, a mind of its own.
[ and no, he won’t bother to mention how painful it was to implant. That seems like a forgone conclusion at this point. ]
[In truth Ekko should have been looking where he was going as he walked through the middle of the street, staring up at the modern sky scrapers above much like anything he'd ever seen. Sure Piltover was technological advanced in its own rite but nothing like the sprawling towers as far as the eye could see within the bustling commercial district.
With a shake of his head getting back his senses the boy savior grumbles a bit under his breath as he dusts himself off before slowly getting back onto his feet with a disgruntled look plastered over his features.]
I'm good...But what is the rush? Someone chasing you or something? You were running full tilt down the middle of the street.
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expiationlogs2024-06-10 07:58 am
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