destinystrings | Redi Domum

Entry tags:

Redi Domum

Who: The missing visitors and you. Open to everyone.
Where: MAGI Labs
Summary: After being violently removed from the Tower of Animus, everyone is returned 'home'.
Warnings: None

There was a tight clench behind your navel, the sensation of something dragging you through the fabric of time and space itself... it was an unpleasant sensation, almost sickening. Those of Hinoto-Ri had vanished from the tower completely when the clock struck midnight from what had just happened, removed from that reality. It had happened with such abruptness that it was downright disorienting to observe. There was no chance for a hurried goodbye, no chance of even letting out a surprised scream...

Those of Hinoto-Ri were dragged back to their own world with very little grace, and for a dizzying and wild thirty seconds, they suffered from the sensation of thick tentacles grasping and yanking their bodies this way and that through a swirling blur of matter. Where were they going? What had caused this?

After those sickening moments that seemed to last far longer, they were unceremoniously shoved out of the Shining Trapezohedron in a stream of bright lights, and into what looked like a giant room filled with computer screens. At least it didn't appear to be the Mictlan, like when the other group had returned.

Pray that you weren't on the bottom of the pile...

Now there was a quiet hum, as an alarm went off. Lights shone brightly upon you as scientists outside were running scans to determine you weren't harmful from your trip. That left you time to think.

You had finally met him...

Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. He'd taunted some of you, shown you another world you had been sent to save...but in the end, nothing much had changed. Perhaps there was small solace that it was still standing and not completely obliterated as had been his plan. The questioned remained, however...

Where was He now? ...you could figure that out later. There were reunions to be had first.

[OOC - Anyone can start threads.]

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It's a game he can follow, though one he's not particularly adept at keeping alive, because it is a game in the end. He's never been good at playing them for long. But it's during small moments like this that he remembers better just what he had been missing for the past three weeks, and the sound that escapes his throat is something between a suppressed laugh and something else.

His reply is something of the same. Half serious, half willing to keep the game slightly alive as it limps to its eventual end.

"You probably should have."

She couldn't have known when they'd be back. Shinjiro had deduced that they wouldn't be long, but a solid date had never been in his mind. He didn't want her to waste things on someone who might not come home, and have to remember that she didn't have anyone to give them to. Bad form to potentially waste food, anyway. He hopes the vegetables in the fridge haven't suffered the same neglect. He'd been worried about them.

"Well, I didn't, so you can still have them if you're nice enough."

And then at last, she pulls back to look at him directly. She scans the coat to make sure there aren't any new bullet holes or suspicious tears, or signs that he'd tried to hide them. She notes his face and how drawn and tired he looks, even by his standards. Finally, she searches his eyes. Something had happened in those three weeks; something big enough to send everyone back looking exhausted. She knows he'll tell her what happened in his own time, but she doesn't like knowing that she'd been unable to help.

When she speaks again, her tone is soft and a lot more serious. "I'm glad you're home, Senpai."

Edited 2013-03-02 07:21 (UTC)

He'll tell her enough, but omit what he feels she doesn't need to know. It's not because he thinks she won't be able to handle the information, but what Shinjiro saw there in that tower was a problem with no visible solution. She shouldn't have to worry about people they might not be able to help or see again. Shinjiro will do the worrying for her. Aki's on his own, but he'll look after the rest of them, watch Ken in his place whether he's fond of the idea or not.

He'll always regret not being able to find some way to bring Aki, Ken, and the others home with him, and had he been alone here, he knows that he would have rather stayed in Animus, but those circumstances aren't a reality. Besides, he thinks he knows where his place is, and it's right here. For a little while, anyway.

"Yeah." His reply is quiet, tired at its edges as he steps back, as if trying to prove that he has nothing to hide and there aren't any pieces of him suspiciously missing. He manages to smile, his way of silently returning the sentiment along with a quiet I missed you that he doesn't vocalize. He had. She was an easy person to miss.

She takes advantage of his step back to double-check her observations. No, there aren't any tears or bloodstains, missing limbs or visible bruises. He looks entirely normal, save for some lack of sleep.

It's acceptable. And so, as though to grade his performance, she leans in on tip-toes and gives him a brief kiss.

...On the cheek because they are still in the middle of a crowded room and he's shy.

Then she pulls away again, no longer hugging or kissing but instead taking his hand to lead him towards the exit.

"I want to hear about your trip, but that can wait. Are you hungry?"

Edited 2013-03-03 02:18 (UTC)

And Minako gets a B- in the personal restraint category of Shinjiro's conservative moral system. He'd also take issue of being called shy, but he'll let that slide tonight.

When she starts to lead him towards the exit, it's met with a small degree of resistance as he debates over whether or not he should stay until Miki is up to leaving. After a few seconds of thought, he relents and starts to match her pace. He'll leave her to Minato.

"I can just get something out of the fridge." He's not really all that hungry, doesn't really feel like eating, and their sudden, abrupt departure hadn't done much to help his appetite. They certainly hadn't starved inside the tower, if that's something she's worried about. The place certainly had no qualms about letting people die, though starvation hadn't really been on the menu. Regardless, he should probably try. Be a guinea pig and see if his body has to readjust to the food here like it had in the tower. He ain't cooking any goddamn oatmeal though.

It'll also give him a chance to make sure they hadn't gone back to eating cheap, unhealthy boxed shit again.

"There's nothing in there that's decent and doesn't need cooking, and you shouldn't bother with that today."

She, at least, tries to eat healthy... some of the time. She still likes eating out more, but being around him has inspired her to try and improve her culinary skills. His cooking is so good it brings out her competitive streak. "So we either need to grab something or I can make it for you."

Edited 2013-03-03 03:22 (UTC)

If there was nothing decent in the fridge that didn't need cooking, that meant they hadn't been eating as decent as they probably should, because no one cooked, really, besides him and Miki. And Minako when she felt like it, he guesses, but he knows her habits as well as anyone.

So unless Aki had magically taken up cooking while he was gone, them eating well was probably too much to hope for.

And that's something he'll never bet on: that would be too much of a miracle. Dying hadn't even gotten him that.

Not that this revelation is new or unexpected in the least.

But he'll keep his quiet disapproval to himself.

"Might as well just grab something." She doesn't need to cook him anything. He trusts her cooking skills just fine, but he's not sure he can sit there and watch her cook. "It doesn't matter where."

"Hmm..." She's already thinking. "We could get it delivered? If we call on our way back it shouldn't be that long of a wait."

And he can order what he thinks is healthy without her having to give suggestions and brave his disapproving stare.

That is acceptable. He knows a place or two. The information's stored in his COMP system. "You want anything?"

"Sure!"

Really, Shinji, when has she ever been known to turn down food? Although, she has a plan to dodge all responsibility for its nutritional content this time. "I'll take the same as whatever you're having."

One of these days he'll be surprised.

But he figured as much. So he'll order for the both of them once they make some headway towards the dorms. It's healthy, and he can put the remainder he doesn't eat away for later. That, or Miki will finish it off; it's why he's getting chicken. Just in case.

That will be the next time Miki makes some comparison between her weight and Minami's. And it will include an entire day of tiny, low-fat meals.

But anyway, she's confident in his choices. Shinjiro is too serious about food to order anything that tastes bad. As they go back to the dorms she talks at him about all the topics that are appropriate for public discussion - so, mostly what happened in the dorm on Valentine's, leaving the more serious topics of angry mobs and network censorship for later. But regardless of that, describing Chie's soy sauce and beef jerky chocolate takes up most of the trip.

An entire day. That'd be history in the making.

It's easy enough to navigate his way back to the dorms. He listens, mostly, holding to a sort of silence that's different from his usual standards. His attention's divided between this world and another, and he's tired enough that his usual sharpness is dulled by it. There are times his thoughts wander, but those seconds are sort, and it doesn't take much for her talking to pull his attention back to where it should be. He's grateful for the normality. She might not be telling him everything, because this place was hardly paradise, but it's enough to tell him that whatever had happened here, things were still fine.

...Even if it pains him to admit that soy sauce, chocolate, and beef jerky could potentially work if done right—or at least, wouldn't turn out to be a complete disaster. Sounds like something Aki would eat, as bizarre as the combination sounds. But given that the other girl hadn't known what the hell she was doing, it reeked of unexperienced experimentation. It makes him wince internally. That rarely went well. It was like trying out a new car when you didn't know how to drive. Chocolate just happened to be difficult to get wrong.

Eventually the Dorm comes into view, and he's inwardly relieved to see it. It might have only been three weeks, but it feels a bit longer than that. He's never been so attached to a place to ever begin to think of it as a home, but it's still somewhere that's familiar, and a hell of a lot more welcoming than a tower.

The food arrives soon afterwards, and it doesn't take long to separate half of his portion into another bowl and cover it for whoever wants it later. It also gives him enough time to stare disapprovingly into the refrigerator before returning to the table.

She's waiting for him when he gets back from the refrigerator. Her own bowl is set out and she has water for the both of them.

"Let's eat!" she says, while breaking her chopsticks.

It's hard to talk and eat at once while remaining ladylike, but she stops after devouring about half of the bowl to move into the heavier topics. "So some other things happened while you were away," she says, while poking at a piece of chicken. "There've been some demonstrations against the visitors, and there was this weird interference when Yosuke-kun tried talking about the government on the network."

Edited 2013-03-03 23:36 (UTC)

He sighs.

Both of those issues are disturbing in their own right, though he can't say he's ever fully trusted any governmental body. He recognizes that they're necessary on some level, but he's not so blind to put his faith in them. He's also far from believing that it isn't corrupt on some level. Doesn't matter how good they are, there's always dirt underneath. Shinjiro would, quite frankly, prefer to keep his head out of politics, but if Hanamura had been censored for things he said, that didn't bode well. A government should be able to take talk and criticism like anybody else.

On the other hand, he's not sure the demonstrations surprise him. He knew not everybody trusted them, had no reason to, and it was likely that distrust would be acted out sooner or later.

He grimaces. "They violent at all?"

Peaceful demonstrations were one thing, but if they were escalating or had already grown violent, he'd start to be more worried.

Edited 2013-03-04 01:26 (UTC)

She sighs. "Everyone seemed really riled up and they weren't willing to listen to logic at all. I don't understand how they can just fall right into what the Anoli want them to believe. They haven't given anyone any reason to trust them either."

Minako can't say she has much faith in authority, either. Too often the 'authorities' in her life have been absent, or revealed to be not worth looking up to. Adults, even adults in power, are people with troubles like anyone else, so it's much better to rely on your own observations and logical reasoning. "But Nicholas-san - he's the man with glasses who says he's a paranormal investigator - is organizing a group to help show people we're here to help them. I think it's a good idea."

Edited 2013-03-04 01:52 (UTC)

He stares at her for a moment. She had been there then? ...Of course.

His grimace thins in thought. "Doubt the people here trust them any more than we do." Not after the tournament. Not that there likely weren't few sympathizers in the crowd, but out-right trust by the majority was a little much to expect, not after the Anoli had tried to kill the mayor and terrorized countless others. "Doesn't mean they haven't been thinking about what the Anoli brought up before. They just gave people reason to think about it, is all."

Bringing that sense of distrust and suspicion right out into the open, using a very public and heavily populated venue, guaranteed it would be talked about, discussed, and debated. That in turn might make people that were more hesitant about talking about it more vocal in their opinions. With any luck, Nicholas' ideas would help change people's perceptions, though what impact it'd have is impossible to say.

"But they don't trust us, either. Because of the tournament, they're acting like we're all violent without even getting to know us."

She isn't saying so directly, but the crowd's assumptions were hurtful. The tournament had been hard for everyone involved, and the result was more mistrust. And besides that... The crowd was acting like no one who arrived here deserved to stay, regardless of their circumstances or how hard they worked for the city. They should just 'go back' to wherever they were before and leave Hinoto-ri alone.

Not everyone has that choice.

"N' that's probably what they think." And he can't say he's surprised. Even if by some miracle they were all saints, they'd probably still be disliked and mistrusted by a minority, because being afraid of something alien is easy to do. It's easy to give into negative assumptions, especially when you're afraid and want to protect what you have. It's not right and it's not fair, and the assumptions are hollow and without much foundation. You'd think people would be more rational, but they aren't. "Ain't how things should be, but that's how people are."

There's plenty of historic precedent for that.

"I know." And she really does. Assumptions without facts had followed her all the way through school, even to Port Island. Her circumstances were different, and so there were whispers and gossip, and even the vague uneasiness from some people no matter how bright and friendly she tried to be. Maybe that was Death's doing, in the end, but... most people only see what they want to see, and hear what they want to hear, and nothing more. "It would just be nice if there were a few less."

This is about the time she thinks she should change the topic. "So how's the food? Acceptable?"

"Heh." That sentiment doesn't surprise him either. If they're lucky, that mistrust will fade with time. Emotions flare then simmer down. Of course, there's the possibility that they won't be here long enough for any of it to actually matter.

He takes the change of subject in stride. He stares down at what little remains of his food, almost appraising. There's a part of him that would be appalled at ordering a bad meal. It had tasted like he had expected. It certainly met his expectations, and so far his system seemed to be accepting it just fine. It'd better. He hadn't been adventurous for a reason.

"Yeah." But with the change of subject he figures he should start to fill in her own curiosity. He's sure he could get away with not saying a damn thing about the place for awhile, but there was no reason to hide anything that he didn't already have an intention to. "Was getting sick of the cafeteria food."

The food had actually been decent, but you got sick of seeing everything heart-shaped and dyed pink after awhile, and there was something unpleasant about finding candy hearts that tasted like chalk in the more solid things you ate. But he figures that's as good of a place to start as any. It'll tell her a few things on its own.

"Cafeteria?"

He knows her and her curiosity well. Now that he's brought up the topic himself, he's left himself open for questioning. "Where exactly did you all go, anyway? All I've heard is that it was a 'horror tower.'"

That's an apt description, though he thinks it's something of a subtle understatement, but he'll keep that to himself. There hadn't been anything nice about it that wasn't some mocking charade in disguise. Now that he's answering her questions, he'll have to figure out how to strike a balance of what to say, how to say it, and what to keep quiet. She deserves to have things honestly told, but doesn't need to be given all the tiny details.

"It was a tower. Like what Tartarus might've been like if it had people with an imagination runnin' the place."

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