Overflow: El Nysa

[baguablade]

doot doot

Comments

Intro Log Overflow (Sept 2017)

[baguablade]

( original toplevel, overflow toplevel )

Leanne

[baguablade]

( from here )

[ His eyes widen a little as he listens, a brief flicker of hope — it's far from impossible that she's from his world and the skydoms and they just don't know each other. But as she continues, it becomes apparent they're not speaking of the same thing at all. Ruefully, aimed at himself, he shakes his head, casting away the impossible hope. That really was too much to look for. ]

It sounds similar in some ways. Where I'm from, we live on islands scattered across the skies above the Crimson Horizon. Such a huge tower... I've never heard of something like that, but it sounds like the same kind of view you'd get from a airship.

A2

[baguablade]

( from here )

It sounds like you've got it pretty tough.

[ Even before the Storm, and now... well, he supposes those machines and aliens don't matter all that much when there's no world to protect in the first place. Still, that she's been made to fight, hasn't known anything else... Cain doesn't like that at all.

He flickers a grin at her and offers his little plate of almost-takoyaki. ]

But things are different here, right? Come on, you should try these yourself.

Vane

[baguablade]

( from here )

[ Later, Cain will be very proud that Vane refrained from his usual boisterous shout. Later, he'll be very impressed by Vane's restraint. Later.

Right now, he's a bit preoccupied with being kissed.

Cain's frozen up; he can feel his cheeks heating, red creeping all the way to his ears. He'd definitely intended a less realistic sort of blending in, but it seems like Vane's got his own ideas and taken matters into his own hands.

There's no time to correct him; he can hear the men moving through the room, even if he's currently a bit too shell shocked to try for some angle that'll let him see them. And he can't waste Vane's efforts, however startling they are.

With only a slight hesitation to betray how off-balance Cain is, he brings an arm up to grasp Vane's shirt, the picture of an eager lover as Vane kisses him — as he responds, to keep their cover intact, mouth working softly against Vane's.

He's a bit out of breath when the men finally leave. Gently, he pushes Vane away, still blushing. ]

That... I guess that's effective.

[ Give him a minute here! ]

Demyx

[baguablade]

( from here )

[ Give Cain a minute, he's just going to stare. And stare a little longer.

Huh.

Slowly, delicately, he asks: ]

Could you clarify that for me? In detail?

[melodiouspacifist]

Uh, I can try?

[He pauses for a moment, thinking.]

I'm not really human. I'm a Nobody, because my heart was stolen when I was a normal person. I kinda appeared like this. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I'd guess magic.

[He's no scientist, sorry.]

So I don't have a heart and haven't for awhile.

[regives]

[ oh yeah the one with castmates is the one that's disappointed i'M GONNA JUMP CAIN

But somewhere in the midst of his explanation they arrive at the ice cream vendor who's quick to hand two cones off to Leanne. She turns back to Cain, handing him his own cone before she begins eating her dessert. ]

Airships? So you guys were, like, flying in the sky? That's so cool... [ But there's no point in her being envious. Not when she has a whole new world to adventure out in, now; though she'd much prefer to find out more about her own, that's no longer an option. ] It's really weird how common it's getting to hear about other people's worlds. Who would ever think that there was that much out there. Or it was.

[ rip ]

Sorry, I don't mean to make this sound all depressing.

[atwo]

Not exactly...

[ The only rough part was her first mission, everything else afterwards barely felt 'rough' to her. Sure, it got hard once in a while, but A2 is a being that can adapt.

Her eyes flicker down at the plate and she takes one of the sticks, biting into the takoyaki (or what looks like it) ]

It's ... very interesting, the texture. [ something that she isn't familiar with and it shows with the way she is chewing. ]

[baguablade]

Are we talking about the thing beating blood through your body? Do you have a heartbeat?

[ He has to check, because it doesn't actually sound like that anymore. Otherwise, how could the man be standing here, speaking to him?

Well, he's heard stories from the crew's captain of an island full of ghosts, zombies reanimated by a primal beast's power, but that seems far less likely to be happening here rather than they're talking about a more metaphysical concept of the heart. Something stolen by magic. ]

[melodiouspacifist]

That is the heart. [He laughs a little.] Nope.

[Demyx holds out his arm in invitation, he is welcome to check if he likes, or even touch his chest if he truly wants to see if his heart is beating. It isn't.

But he does also mean metaphorically, his connection to emotions was severed as much as anything else.]

Most people ask - but I really don't understand all of it. I'm not the scientist.

[baguablade]

[ JUST BECAUSE YOUR JRPG IS MORE NICHE CLASSIC...

But despite the imminent threat of jumping that Cain's totally unaware of, he licks at the cone with good cheer, wincing a little as he carelessly comes just a little too close to brain freeze and has to slow down. ]

That's right. From island to island. Though looking out at space from Thesa Station seemed far more awe-inspiring. [ He trails off, remembering the vast, star-studded blackness. It'd been like being above the sky. ] But there's no need to apologize. You're right, and it's understandably common when so many of us are refugees. Still, it's strange. It's certainly not something I expected to ever happen to me.

[baguablade]

Good, right?

[ Huh. It's like she's never eaten before. Then again, if she's an android, maybe she hasn't. She doesn't need to eat if she's a machine, he's guessing, as long as she has some sort of fuel... but she can, that much is obvious by the way she's so carefully chewing the food. Which means... ]

You know, for someone who's supposed to protect humans, it kind of seems like you don't know that much about us.

[ Which is strange. He's not accusing her of anything, it's just puzzling.

It doesn't stop him from offering her another not-takoyaki. ]

[regives]

[ Leanne notices the small wince, unable to hide a giggle in response to his (subtle) pain. She continues to eat her own and soon enough reaches the cone, eyes brightening almost immediately and humming in delight.

She wants to say something about how the unexpected turn of events seems... odd, but keeps those thoughts to herself. Instead she changes the subject, smiling blissfully. If anything she just looks like she's agreeing with him. ]

The ice cream is good, right? I'm glad I chose it over the watermelon! [ She probably would have choked on a seed... she has that kind of luck. ] Y'know, earlier I ate some of that omelette... noodle, thing [ she forgot the name ] and it kinda went all downhill really fast, but if you haven't tried it you'll need to later!

[baguablade]

[ Well, with an invitation like that... Cain puts his fingers to Demyx's wrist, feeling for a pulse, pressing down a little against the radial artery. He frowns as he discovers there truly is nothing. It should be impossible, but clearly it's not. Demyx is standing here, living, breathing, speaking with him.

He lets go of Demyx's wrist and regards him with plain curiosity. ]

It's almost like you're a zombie, but you don't look like it at all. You're not even cold. It must be a truly powerful spell that's done this to you.

[melodiouspacifist]

[He smiles pleasantly, despite the odd circumstances.]

Yeah, something like that? I'm not sure what kind of spell it is, but since it's keeping me alive, I'll take it.

[It's probably even deeper magic than any of them knew.]

I'm not a zombie, I don't think, but it kind of is like I died.

[baguablade]

I doubt it's anything so simple as just missing a heartbeat, too...

[ No, spells like this usually have some purpose behind them, from what he's seen. They're closer to curses than spells, and even if the man in front of him seems mostly unbothered by his predicament, Cain can't trust that it's anything so simple as the spell is merely keeping him alive. ]

Have you undergone any changes since you, ah, lost your heart? [ Wryly, he adds: ] Besides the obvious lack of pulse.

[baguablade]

[ Cain's thoughts mirror her own, but there's no way for him to tell — instead, he lets the subject be changed back to the food at the festival. That's something of a new experience, too, all the different traditions and things to eat, and he's willing to be distracted for the moment. ]

You want me to try it after you've just told me it went downhill?

[ Light and teasing, his smile bright to show it even as he presses a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. What sort of betrayal is this, where she's egging (ha) him on to eat something she already doesn't like? ]

[atwo]

There... was no need for me to learn much about humans.

I wasn't supposed to survive my mission. [ her eyes dart down and she just focuses on the food, taking note of the textures and taste that it provides her. this is the first time she has admitted that fact out loud.

it isn't an easy one after all. ]

[defenses]

[ despite being the one who had originally initiated contact, vane can't deny the swell of sheepishness that seems to seep in. and akin to that concept, despite being pretty forward and not really holding back, there's an acute pause that settles in soon after. maybe even dread? like ... did he do good? bad? especially, as he almost seems stunned at his own actions, but as cain reaches up to hold onto the cloth of his shirt...

vane feels ever more resolved. his hand is steady as it grips onto the back of cain's neck. it's automatic. maybe even intrinsic as he doesn't find it wise to pull away immediately. then, when he feels cain push him, he nearly has to force himself to break contact.

after a while, he laughs uneasily. ] Ha... hahaha. They went straight past us, it looks like. [ vane is also a bit flushed, but he seems to be doing his best to keep it together. especially as he reaches over to give cain's wrist a small tug. ]

... my bad. [ he doesn't actually know what he did wrong, but he feels he should take some... responsibility!?!? ]

[melodiouspacifist]

Well, I don't feel anything and at the beginning I was kinda zombie like, but your memories come back slowly, eventually. I can summon a weapon now and I have a magic affinity. Is that what you mean?

[Still just a pleasant, neutral smile tugging at his lips.]

[regives]

Okay, listen, it tastes great. But would I ever recommend sharing it with other people?

[ She's trying her best to suppress the memory and it keep it from causing her cheeks to tint with an obvious rose color. She huffs, breath loud enough for him to hear as she switches the cone to her other hand once she notices some ice cream beginning to melt. ] No. Never do that. That's the worst idea I came up with to date.

[ AND SOON ENOUGH SHE WILL LEARN TO REGRET THAT ]

[baguablade]

No, it's— fine.

[ Is fine even the word he wants here? He just got kissed, and his brain is still halfway to short-circuited. This is usually not something he has to deal with on missions — but he can tell that his surprise is making Vane uncomfortable, and more than that, they're still in what could technically be considered enemy territory. There's no time to stop and act like a delicate maiden flower who's never been kissed before.

He clears his throat and pastes on a grin, cocksure even if he's not feeling it. The tug to his wrist has his brain kicking back into gear — thanks, Vane! — and he turns to the now-clear path to the door. ]

Good work. Now's our chance, so let's take it!

[baguablade]

...yes, that's what I mean.

[ He keeps his expression even, but beneath the calm mask, his mind is racing. This man... doesn't feel anything? He's missing memories? More and more it sounds like he really has been turned into something of a zombie. ]

I suppose if you don't feel anything, it doesn't bother you, though...?

[ But can anyone really not be bothered by such an existence? ]

[melodiouspacifist]

[Oh good, he got it right. It's hard to know what people mean sometimes.]

Kinda, yeah, I mean I'm working for my Superior so he'll give me back my heart, but now this all happened and I might not get it back. I don't really know what to do about that.

[A small confession, he does worry about that.]

Things are weird without my Superior, but if he woke up he'd make me do stuff.

[baguablade]

[ Worst idea it may be, but now that that she's brought it up, Cain's intrigued. That she doesn't seem to want to explain just makes him that much more curious. ]

How contradictory. Something that tastes good but that you don't want to share? Why is that?