wipesfaith | 08 [action/written]

Entry tags:

08 [action/written]

[All that time up in the mountains ended up doing Jean some good. After how long it took to get anywhere with Nala, he didn't expect to take to Kipinn so soon. Not that he's on his way to being some all-powerful wizard or anything, but...it's a start.

This afternoon, he can be found out in the forest, suspended from a high-up branch of the sturdiest tree he can find. He's essentially got a glorified tree-swing going on here, with the hooked ends of the maneuver gear's iron cables speared into the branch, the cables themselves wrapped around for good measure, and his weight hanging down. His goal: to stir up enough of a gust to get himself swinging in the direction of his choice.

Maybe it would be easier to practice this in the Battle Dome, but he'll take the snappish cold over the high potential for making an idiot of himself where people can see it.

The tree conveniently sits at the edge of a decent-sized meadow clearing, and he lets his horse roam at his leisure, trusting him to not wander too far. As darkness begins to settle in (earlier and earlier at this time of year), he'll head back to town.

Once Jean's got his horse put up in the stables for the night, his next stop is Celcius' Tear to warm up with a cup of tea. He stakes out a table and tries to rub some feeling back into his fingertips. Then he throws all kinds of manners to the wind, tugging off his boots and massaging his icicle feet. This is definitely the sort of company you want while you enjoy your tea, yes?

Eventually, a message jotted down:]

[Written]

Not that I'm complaining, but it just seems awful convenient that everything worked out like it did. [Not that it's perfect, exactly. He knows damn well there's no such thing. But it looks like - up against the hundreds of ways things could have gone wrong - optimism won for once. Maybe it's just that the feeling is a little foreign.] I mean, peace is nice.

[That sounded lame as hell. What's more, he's faced with the dilemma of being a soldier in a time of relative peace. It's funny. This is exactly what he wanted, what feels like a long time ago - to loaf off without any worries. But now? He's restless, useless. It's not that he wants another war to fight; there's still the one simmering back home, while he's stuck here. It's about having some sense of purpose, some direction.]

I guess the point is, what do we do now?

[Take that as rhetorical, or take it as a legitimate question. He's just agitated and spewing shit.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, Jeb was taking his tea over to a table when he spots Jean. Now he's just... sort of staring.]

...ah...

[He won't notice Jeb at first - he's too busy heaving sighs and grumbling about how he's never gonna feel a damn thing in his toes ever again - but give him a moment and he'll look up to find his tea. And there's Jeb.]

Take a picture, it'll last longer. [He picked that up from a movie, if you couldn't tell. Because he's cool like that.]

[Jean's voice startles him to the point that he almost spills his tea all over himself. What a disaster. He should compete with Jean for the nerdy disaster award.]

I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare, I just... are you sure you're supposed to be doing that here?

[Excuse you, Jean would like to think there's no contest. ...And he's not the winner, for the record.]

Hah? Why the hell not? [Meanwhile, he's wrapped his fingers around his nice steamy hot cup and he's taking a long sip.]

Well, it's just... most places would consider that rude, I guess.

[And while Jean takes a nice sip of his tea, Jeb will continue to stand awkwardly with his.]

--n-not that you're rude! It's just... um... nevermind.

Not like I'm offended or anything.

[But he's swinging his feet down from the chair he'd had them propped up on while he was trying to resuscitate them from cold, sad death. He doesn't want anyone's panties getting in a twist or anything.]

Are you just gonna keep standing there, or are you gonna sit your ass down somewhere?

You're always so straightforward, aren't you? [He laughs a little, as if to show that he really doesn't mind that much. He's still a tad embarrassed, though.] Is it all right if I sit with you, then?

So I've heard.

[He'll sigh a bit, like it's some inconvenience to him when really he doesn't feel that way at all, and gesture to the seat across from him.]

Go ahead.

It's not a bad thing to be straightforward, though. I think it's admirable--it means you're not afraid to be honest and show the world who you are.

[He'll sit across from Jean, putting his tea down on the time.]

Thank you.

Edited 2014-12-23 14:04 (UTC)

What do we do now?

How does tea and something sweet sound?

[Well, that's...not exactly what he had in mind, but.]

I've got the tea part down, at least.

Oh! Then you're a lover of tea? You have good tastes.

Is there still a tea shop here? It's been a long time since I'd been here, and now some things feel different... There are definitely more places, I think. Unless my memory fails me again.

Doesn't everyone drink tea? [It's just a normal thing? It's like saying someone's a lover of water just because they're drinking water.]

Yeah, it's the one above the welcome center. I think it's been around for a while, from what I can tell. [At least, it had already been well-established a year ago when he got here.] It must have been a long time since the last time you were here?

You would think so!! Tea is too wonderful to not drink.

But some don't.

[She gives pause, frowning.]

I believe I worked at it before, but my memory isn't very good.

It's been two years since I left, though... it doesn't feel like any time has passed. Odd, isn't it?

Guess some people don't like the taste. Either way, I'd rather have a beer or something but tea's alright.

Going home must've messed with your memories of this place right? I know you're supposed to forget all about it when you leave.

I suppose that's how it works, yes. Though honestly, it's not all that different from how my brain normally works. But at least I went home to my son for a while before I returned...

Considering the horrible things that this place can do, even with the most dangerous threats muted, we enjoy the lull. Try to find something that we want to do to fill our time.

Basically, we take a breather.

[One lifetime soldier to another, kid, enjoy your break. It probably won't last.]

I don't have anything against down time. It's just different when there's so much of it, and there's nothing to be ready for. I don't know. It gets boring real fast doing the same thing day after day.

[...He's becoming increasingly self-conscious of the fact that this sounds an awful lot like whining.]

It's good that this place can have some peace for real, not just inside the barriers. I'm glad, don't get me wrong. But the same can't be said for back home, which is why I'm feeling antsy about it.

I understand the feeling of being bored when you have too much down time. It's not really something that I'm used to either.

[You do sound like you're whining, but it's not offensive. Yet.]

From what I understand, this place needs the peace. And if where you're from isn't as peaceful as this place...Well, I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. Who's to say you won't return home tomorrow and forget all about Luceti?

Nothing about this place is permanent. I mean, we went and changed the way things had been for hundreds of years, made it better. [Which is incredible to him, when he'd always been one to accept inevitablities.]

Nothing's to say that won't change again. Maybe someone else will start stirring shit, who knows.

There's something kind of sad in enjoying peace you're just going to forget about. [He's not sure if he means sad as in pathetic, or sad as in just sad, because life is too short and filled with too many cruelties. Maybe both apply.]

[Kanji doesn't really do tea shops back home, but the one in Luceti is pretty okay when it comes to brewing up a decent cup. Not like his mom's but not much is around here.

He's got his cup and is headed towards a table to make out a list of things he needs to pick up before returning home when he spots his friend at another table. And then he sees that he's got his shoes and socks off.

He takes a minute to put his cup down on another table before slapping the back of Jean's head carefully. He's pretty strong and he doesn't want to hurt the other teen. Just get his attention.]

That's gross as hell, man. Ain't you got some goddamn manners?

[He sits swiveled sideways in the chair, so he can prop his feet up on the adjacent chair while he hunches over and rubs life back into them. When Kanji slaps him across the back of his head, he startles out of focus; he's quick to whip a glare Kanji's way as he rubs at where he'd been struck. Not that it hurt much, and not that he doesn't already have hat hair from the cap he'd peeled off, but. Hey.]

What? 'S not like I'm putting them up on the table or anything. That's gross as hell. [He roughly gestures the chair.] People's asses go here, not their drinks.

[Kanji pulls the chair from under Jean's feet, stares at it for a minute and then sits down on it.]

If you put your feet on the table like a barbarian, I'd have to disavow all knowledge of you in public. Just sayin'. And feet belong on the floor anyway. Besides, best thing for your cold feet is lukewarm water, not sitting around rubbin' 'em like that.

[He tips backward a bit when the chair is yanked out from underneath his feet, but he catches himself and swivels his butt to face forward, with his feet planted on the floor now.]

You're acting like I'm sitting here scratching my balls or something gross like that, calm down. What are you, my mom? Look, I'm sitting all nice now. [His scowl does relax a bit as he considers the suggestion.] Think the shop owner'd let me have a pan of water?

[Rock Lee will take your written message and shout at it.]

Isn't it obvious? The time is here now, waiting to be seized.

To... truly live in the springtime of our youth!

[He has to hold the journal away from him when he gets Lee's message, and it's with something of a scowl that he replies. Kind of his default, nothing to worry about.]

I don't know what else I expected from you.

[But okay, he'll bite.] The hell does that even mean, anyway? You're always going on about "springtime of our youth" this and "youthful spirit" that.

Jean-kun... You have so much to learn! And I have so much to teach!

It's about being rambunctious and having fun! Spirited rivalry, passionate competition, fun activities!

It's simple. We kick back, prop up our feet, and we wait until the Mallies figure out how to send us home.

Yeah, sounds like a great time.

[A sigh, but it's under his breath.]

I would've eaten this up a year ago [more than that, but time is weird], but now it just feels...cheap. Like it's fake, you know?

What? You mean because we didn't have some epic, amazing, big battle showdown? Because we didn't come out victorious after smacking around our enemies as if they were nothing?

Okay, well I'll grant you, that would have been fun, but hey, fake or not, why not just enjoy the peace, kick back, and relax?

[...well, isn't this interesting.

And depressingly easy to relate to.]

If you don't mind elaborating for one of the recently returned, what do you mean by "peace"?

The last time I was here, we were very much at war with beings who called themselves the 'Third Party'.

[Giles has been away for a long while.]

[He'll be short, sweet, and to the point here.]

They're not much a problem anymore. I know it sounds crazy, but if you've been here before, you should be used to crazy. We basically cranked back time and fixed the problem before it ever became a real problem. Peachy keen, right?

I have been here before. And even from home, I am entirely accustomed to [...] strange happenings. [And given where Giles comes from, he's usually hesitant to use words like "crazy".

But that's neither here nor there.]

Yes, because meddling with the flow of time and space never ends with disastrously unexpected complications at all.

You understand if I am somewhat dubious all the same, then.

Never said everything was as perfect as it looks. That's what I mean. It feels too easy, like some other problem is gonna spring up out of somewhere and catch us all off guard while we're patting ourselves on the back for doing a good job.

And you say that like you've seen people mess with time before.

Time specifically? No. A fascinating concept, but not one that was ever really possible back home. Going back and attempting to fix their mistakes only to make matters worse than they were to begin with?

I have some personal experience, yes.

[...] To say nothing of the idea that something is too good to be true.

Keep your skills sharp just in case, and anything else you can think of to keep yourself busy.

[He knows all too well the way Jean's feeling. Even the old Luceti, which he can almost but not quite recall thanks to being among the recent mass-return, felt tame compared to the constant struggle against an overwhelming enemy bent on total destruction.]

Right after "how to point the gun at the other guy", a soldier's most important skill is keeping himself too distracted to have an existential crisis during peacetime.

This isn't an existential crisis. [Mostly because that sounds like something a crazy person has. He knows what he's about. Maybe. More importantly--]

I've been keeping up with training, just in case, like you said. [Also because he doesn't know what else to do.] I'm trying some stuff with the spirits too. I don't really want it to be just a distraction.

[He had decided he couldn't afford to get distracted.]

Bad choice of words on my part, maybe. Hobbies, taking a job around town, something to do, that you want to do, that can take you out of that soldier state of mind for a while.

Hell, I worked as a teacher's assistant for a while. Don't think you could have paid me enough to do it back home, and here I was doing it for free. [Mind you, working with the lovely Raine Sage helped a lot.]

[Something finally clicked in Michael's mind. Why should he be worrying about this now? He remembered Luceti as always beeing fairly peaceful. Or at least he thought that was how he should remember it, except for that part of his hindbrain that held on to the feeling of tension from battles and a looming threat his memories didn't contain.] ...What exactly was it that brought this line of thinking on, anyway?

Honestly, I'm not sure what to do now either. [If Jean could see her, he'd notice the uneasy way she held herself and the small, uncertain smile on her lips.]

When I got here a few months ago I thought it was peaceful, but everyone seemed to imply otherwise. All the weird experiments didn't help clear up things.

I wonder if they're still gonna be doing all the weird experiments or if that's changed too. All this time travel crap just made things confusing.

Feels like we're just waiting to be able to go home, and who knows how long that'll be. I guess that's what we were doing before though. [Maybe he doesn't even know what he's talking about anymore.]

It really did, as if we didn't have enough to be confused about already! [So should they believe the other residents when they say things are simple as they seem? It was something she wanted a clear answer on already.]

It feels like no matter what, we're all just waiting to go home. Others have rebuilt their lives here, but they say they're still waiting, too.

[The forest has always been one of Tear's favored places, appreciating the usual quiet serenity of it and the opportunity for privacy. It wasn't often she ran into someone while out here.

That's why it's a surprise when she sees a horse out in the midst of one of the meadows, and she approaches it tentatively while searching for the owner. Surely it wasn't here unaccompanied?]

[Benoit's ears flick as she approaches, trying to gauge if she's a threat; he's still trotting in a lazy pattern, but his eyes are on her, alert. She won't have to wonder where the owner is for long. There's a frustrated growl coming somewhere from behind her--]

Work with me, dammit...!

[--and if he turns, she'll find Jean dangling uselessly from the sturdy branch of a nearby tree, kicking the air for want of something more solid to sink his boot into.]

[... Ah, so there was the owner—there was no way Tear could overlook him now that he's spoken. Nevertheless she wasn't sure of what exactly she was supposed to do other than try to come closer, if Benoit allowed her to.

Just what was he trying to do?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

08 [action/written]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action] nothing changed with my icons it is all in your head ok

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

Written

Written

Written

Written

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[Written]

[Written]

Re: [Written]

[Written]

Re: [Written]

[Written]

[Written]

[Written]

written.

written.

written.

[action] latest of all late

[action] no worries my dear, i've been atociously slow

[action] /turtles forever!!