[ (ooc. this is for whatever night he stayed with Caelus at the hotel after the fight with Charlotte!)In the morning outside the door of whatever room Subaru is in, he'll find a small decorative box. there is a tag on top with his last name in English and a simple note on the back of 'thank you,' as well, with a little doodle of a small cartoon raccoon holding its paws in the air with heart emojis.
it's signed by Aventurine, also in English. (He is hoping the other can read English because after asking like one or two people who speak Japanese and getting a mini lecture on the potential kanji differences of names, he decided English was so much easier.)
Unfortunately, that's the best Aventurine can express on paper here, but in the box will be carefully placed talisman papers from one of the shrines on the island, each one meticulously placed in the thin transparent wrappers finished ofuda are sold at shrines in usually. there's maybe 50 sheets or so in total, so not a ton as Aventurine went through a lot to pick out the nicest and best preserved he could find for making the little gift. It includes a calligraphy brush, a calligraphy pen, a (very) small vial of sealed black ink, and a...hello kitty pen because not everyone's perfect and it's in case of emergency since he doesn't even know if Subaru needs a writing utensil to make use of the paper. ( In his defense it writes really well!)
he also has placed a small business card that's a little bit beat up, but still very legible, and tucked in there for the shrine that he found the items at, in case Subaru needs other supplies or whatnot that might useful to him. ]
[ Some time after Subaru takes his leave of the hotel, it will receive another visitor: a white-winged bird, no bigger than a finch. (But just as fat.) Papery and soft, it carries the faint mark of a Token's magic, the cherished black of the ink used to create it tucked neatly into its feathers.
When one of the residents leaves the hotel for scouting or supplies, it follows on silent wings, using birdsong to signal where passages through the city are safest. When threats are near, it lands in warning to go no further.
It remains active so long as nothing destroys it. (And is content to roost on the hotel's awning when not in use.) ]
[ It's been more or less a week since Subaru stayed at the hotel. Between continuing his exploration of the huge city, Caelus also maintained his habit of visiting his friends and checking on everyone. Naturally, Subaru is among the list, especially as Caelus never forgot the fact that his dear friend had been constantly sleeping outdoors for a while.
Considering the Sundowning's continued effects, it's natural for him to worry. That's why he decided to start a side project that he's been working on for the entire week. He finally finished it today, and he's excited to present it. Thus, using the tether, he calls out— ]
[ Subaru likes to be moving. His apartment in Shinjuku felt like a matter of formality at many points — a place for his phone he never answered, for his work contracts to gather in the formalized net of his answering machine. Bereft of life, wreathed in smoke, perforated by the city's lights through half-drawn curtains. There were so few things he was attached to there, all of them preserved by memory.
He hasn't much had the heart to call anyplace home in this city, either. But he's dutiful and the tether thrums with the soft stability of his answer: ]
[ As a traveler of universes, a Nameless, Caelus can certainly understand the feelings of those constantly on the move. That's why he didn't push when Subaru didn't seem interested in settling in one particular location, and why this particular idea eventually came to him. It seems to be a good solution in Caelus's head! Though this solution is actually incomplete even in its "finished" state…
Regardless, Caelus wants to see if Subaru is willing to try it. When Subaru's soft voice comes forth, Caelus is unable to stop his smile. He doesn't think he'll ever tire of hearing this comforting voice. ]
Oh, I'm okay! I just wanted to show you something. If you're free, can you come to this location?
[ Sending him the coordinates through the tether… ]
[ When Arthur reaches out across the Murmur, it's a familiar feeling to their dance in the dream; pragmatic, professional, clean lines borne with a subdued grace. Along the edges, there's a subtle warmth, like a stubborn frost being eroded by the accumulated heat of a hearth upon a windowpane. ]
[ A wintry return pulse, fluttering like a bird's wing or a shorn flower, a too-natural capitulation to the bond the Murmur brings. But familiarity gives the sensation new dimension as compared to the dream; Subaru has already felt this man's hands, so what cords his mind and heart are also easy to bear. ]
[ Oh. Huh. That was a friendlier reception than he was anticipating. Not that he thought Subaru hated him or anything.
Something to consider, later. For now, he has a different topic to go over. ]
There's a—[ Arthur pauses, searching for the best word to describe this. ]—method I wanted to tell you about, to help discern a dream from reality. I don't doubt your natural ability to keep both feet on the ground, so to speak, but when we're dealing with dreams like the one we met in ...
[ He trails off, letting Subaru fill in the rest. Sleep's dream (or rather, One's, because Kalmiya had corrected that notion) had been ultra-real, even with the fantastical elements. It catered to the senses and had a solidity that was abnormal by usual human standards. ]
[ His head feels like it is swimming. The emotions felt in the song daze and confuse; it pulls pain that isn't even his to the surface. What is he to do with it? His own trauma is minimal at worst. Ah, what a world they've awakened. ]
[ Unease is like a river's current in the Murmur. Ambient at first, but treacherous the deeper one treads. Subaru senses it; his natural instinct is to assuage the effect. ]
I'm alright. You felt it, didn't you?
near far wherever you are i believe that one will go on ~
[ it's been some time since he was supposed to meet subaru at the park.
clumsy, staggering footsteps drag him through the city. laid over the buildings, his vision flickers to show what they once were—how they became what they now are. the fear rises up in his throat like nausea and in his ears, he can hear it, steady and continuous:
—I can change nothing no I can change nothing nothing has become my plaything I can make nothing into a weapon there will be no void left unfilled I am human and humans are always human and always scared because being human makes us scared and being scared makes us human—
the chanting eggs him on, and his head feels like a mess. it hurts, it aches, it stings, but at the very least, it's not so far gone that he finds himself unable to recognize the fact. he's not thinking clearly, and he knows he's not thinking clearly. it's hard to think clearly—but maybe if he's lucky, if he gives it a minute, it will pass.
under the red light of the moon, agent choi leans back on what's left of a dingy bus stop bench, closing his eyes as his lips move intermittently of their own accord. ]
[ Some time has never been cause for alarm. It's when some crosses into too much that Subaru decides he will have to go to him, instead.
It only becomes a chase when he tries to reach out through their tether and finds it deadened, as if a wall of static has come down between them. It weighs heavy in his soul. There are breaks in the noise, full of distortion: searing flashes of pasts long gone. Futures wrought by divinity's purging hands. Then, to his ears, the mantras. The hymns, repetitious and discordant. Each notches fear a little higher in Subaru's throat as he tries to locate him in the debris of their connection; he wears the emotion well.
What precedes him aren't the clatter of footsteps, but the flutter of wings. White birds wheel out into the street from an alleyway, bigger, sharper, stronger. Cast with more intent and more formidable magic. They circle, paper and song, some shooting up into the moonlight like signal flares, some coming to land near Agent Choi. As if to say:
[ It's been two weeks since the incident, and Caelus finally left the hotel for the first time in a while. He's so happy to be able to walk outside again! But he knows he shouldn't push it too much, so he's not going to run around like a hyper raccoon or do any crazy parkour moves yet. He did, however, bring his skateboard, so it'll allow some ease of movement on his legs. So he rolls forward, onward to his destination.
The usual stop, in the Chelsea neighborhood. The soft sunshine easily replenishes some more energy to Caelus, who undoubtedly appreciates the light after weeks of constant dark crimson. So he's all smiles as he stops by the familiar trailer in the parking lot he's come to know so well. He peeks around the area first, checking if the trailer's handsome owner is around the parking lot or the fire pit. Tip-toe. Tip-toe.
Then, he sees a recognizable silhouette at the window. He quietly comes up to it and tips himself up, but he can only reach with the upper half of his head. His gray hair and golden eyes are visible from the frame. How long until he's noticed, he wonders. He stays there, not saying anything yet! ]
[ Upon his arrival, nothing changes for a moment. The silhouette insides carries on just as it had been, moving and rearranging things around the trailer. He's somehow managed two homes now, the apartment housing his day to day needs and the trailer becoming a shrine of sorts for his spellcasting. It's well-fortified and as lovely as the day Caelus gifted to him, if not moreso — it's got Subaru's touches all about it now, too.
Then, it's not Subaru who notices him first. At least not technically. ]
Just here to spy? Or would you like to come in?
[ — Subaru's voice from overhead, quiet and slightly echoed. One of his paper birds sits on the roof of the trailer, peering down at Caelus. This one looks more realistic. It's bigger and more refined than its fat, tiny cousins. Subaru's voice was projected from it by the rune that glows faintly on its back. It pauses, then specifies: ]
Not through the window.
[ Inside, his movements have slowed, knowing. Onmyouji are difficult to sneak up on. ]
[ pacing is a bad habit that's getting harder and harder to break.
the fuller the moon gets, the more difficult it becomes. agent choi doesn't consider himself an anxious person by any stretch of the definition, but even in the absence of that, this evening too it's started up again as reliable as clockwork. back and forth. back and forth. back and forth. all in anticipation of what might happen this time.
well, suffice to say that they've found out. or rather, subaru has.
because resting across his lap, in the very same place that agent choi had finally been coaxed from his restlessness into a fitful sleep, there's now a much heavier weight, warm and soft. he can feel it under his hand—fur that's much, much longer, fuller and thicker, and when he opens his eyes, orange, black and white will greet him—a tiger's stripes.
[ Subaru isn't exactly the guy to be espousing the virtues of a good night's sleep to anyone. But he does tend to think that some rest, even intermittent, is better than none; having someone around who might actually be a little worse at it than he is serves as a reminder. Not that he blames him, sensing the deep reservoir of magic storming in him. What shape it'll take... he can't say. What he does know is this: he can only watch Agent Choi wear a rut into his apartment's floor for so long.
It wasn't an easy sell, necessarily. But it did work. And its shape finally emerges when Subaru's sleep-tingled legs and sore back finally stir him from where he'd dozed off too.
His palm drowsily skirts the wide, weighted plane beneath it (a big cat forehead), fingertips catching on thick fur (not hair). Stilling, Subaru tenses, blinks awake fully, a little too cognizant of when he's dreaming and when he isn't. His hands pull away, hovering over the heavy form of a full tiger snoozing away on his lap.
One whose tether has remained the same through the shift, making him realize exactly what's happened here... ]
( To be, or not to be, a Murmur's sweeted bluffer: Determined for your twin star's raccoon mind to suffer The slings and arrows of fortune that him skewer As he rears fluff head and whiskers from the sewer Thus facing Sumeragi woes: to smoke, to sleep No more; and by a sleep, to say pretend There is ever bitter end to consternation That Subaru is heir to? 'Tis a summation Of twink wants, twink needs: to die, to smoke, to sleep To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, Seishirou's the hurt — )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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22 November.
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November?
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( Let it land like a hurricane. )
A good-will gift. To complete your collection of every other tatter of my dignity you've embezzled. I don't invite reciprocation.
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3rd week, TNDNBTG event, gift item.
In the morning outside the door of whatever room Subaru is in, he'll find a small decorative box. there is a tag on top with his last name in English and a simple note on the back of 'thank you,' as well, with a little doodle of a small cartoon raccoon holding its paws in the air with heart emojis.
it's signed by Aventurine, also in English. (He is hoping the other can read English because after asking like one or two people who speak Japanese and getting a mini lecture on the potential kanji differences of names, he decided English was so much easier.)
Unfortunately, that's the best Aventurine can express on paper here, but in the box will be carefully placed talisman papers from one of the shrines on the island, each one meticulously placed in the thin transparent wrappers finished ofuda are sold at shrines in usually. there's maybe 50 sheets or so in total, so not a ton as Aventurine went through a lot to pick out the nicest and best preserved he could find for making the little gift. It includes a calligraphy brush, a calligraphy pen, a (very) small vial of sealed black ink, and a...hello kitty pen because not everyone's perfect and it's in case of emergency since he doesn't even know if Subaru needs a writing utensil to make use of the paper. ( In his defense it writes really well!)
he also has placed a small business card that's a little bit beat up, but still very legible, and tucked in there for the shrine that he found the items at, in case Subaru needs other supplies or whatnot that might useful to him. ]
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When one of the residents leaves the hotel for scouting or supplies, it follows on silent wings, using birdsong to signal where passages through the city are safest. When threats are near, it lands in warning to go no further.
It remains active so long as nothing destroys it. (And is content to roost on the hotel's awning when not in use.) ]
Somewhere within week 4, nearing end of TNDNBTG
Considering the Sundowning's continued effects, it's natural for him to worry. That's why he decided to start a side project that he's been working on for the entire week. He finally finished it today, and he's excited to present it. Thus, using the tether, he calls out— ]
Subaru? Are you busy?
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He hasn't much had the heart to call anyplace home in this city, either. But he's dutiful and the tether thrums with the soft stability of his answer: ]
No, I'm not. Is everything alright?
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Regardless, Caelus wants to see if Subaru is willing to try it. When Subaru's soft voice comes forth, Caelus is unable to stop his smile. He doesn't think he'll ever tire of hearing this comforting voice. ]
Oh, I'm okay! I just wanted to show you something. If you're free, can you come to this location?
[ Sending him the coordinates through the tether… ]
Take your time. I'll be here for a while.
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beginning of the month sometime ig
Hey, got a minute?
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[ A wintry return pulse, fluttering like a bird's wing or a shorn flower, a too-natural capitulation to the bond the Murmur brings. But familiarity gives the sensation new dimension as compared to the dream; Subaru has already felt this man's hands, so what cords his mind and heart are also easy to bear. ]
What is it?
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Something to consider, later. For now, he has a different topic to go over. ]
There's a—[ Arthur pauses, searching for the best word to describe this. ]—method I wanted to tell you about, to help discern a dream from reality. I don't doubt your natural ability to keep both feet on the ground, so to speak, but when we're dealing with dreams like the one we met in ...
[ He trails off, letting Subaru fill in the rest. Sleep's dream (or rather, One's, because Kalmiya had corrected that notion) had been ultra-real, even with the fantastical elements. It catered to the senses and had a solidity that was abnormal by usual human standards. ]
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ARRIVES 3000 YEARS LATE WITH STARBUCKS
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post One's regrettable sacrifice
I'm afraid to inconvenience.
rest in pieces
Is something the matter?
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another post one sacrifice --
... how is my coworker?
we barely knew him 🕊️
I'm alright. You felt it, didn't you?
near far wherever you are i believe that one will go on ~
You ... you are all right, aren't you?
[ The question he wants to ask if "how." Is it some trick as a Sumeragi? Or a Dragon of Heaven? Here he thought he knew all their little gimmicks... ]
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1/3
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the offering / guy who rolled a 1 on the subway trip
clumsy, staggering footsteps drag him through the city. laid over the buildings, his vision flickers to show what they once were—how they became what they now are. the fear rises up in his throat like nausea and in his ears, he can hear it, steady and continuous:the chanting eggs him on, and his head feels like a mess. it hurts, it aches, it stings, but at the very least, it's not so far gone that he finds himself unable to recognize the fact. he's not thinking clearly, and he knows he's not thinking clearly. it's hard to think clearly—but maybe if he's lucky, if he gives it a minute, it will pass.
under the red light of the moon, agent choi leans back on what's left of a dingy bus stop bench, closing his eyes as his lips move intermittently of their own accord. ]
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It only becomes a chase when he tries to reach out through their tether and finds it deadened, as if a wall of static has come down between them. It weighs heavy in his soul. There are breaks in the noise, full of distortion: searing flashes of pasts long gone. Futures wrought by divinity's purging hands. Then, to his ears, the mantras. The hymns, repetitious and discordant. Each notches fear a little higher in Subaru's throat as he tries to locate him in the debris of their connection; he wears the emotion well.
What precedes him aren't the clatter of footsteps, but the flutter of wings. White birds wheel out into the street from an alleyway, bigger, sharper, stronger. Cast with more intent and more formidable magic. They circle, paper and song, some shooting up into the moonlight like signal flares, some coming to land near Agent Choi. As if to say:
Someone is looking for you. ]
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🎀
Nearing end of Week 4
The usual stop, in the Chelsea neighborhood. The soft sunshine easily replenishes some more energy to Caelus, who undoubtedly appreciates the light after weeks of constant dark crimson. So he's all smiles as he stops by the familiar trailer in the parking lot he's come to know so well. He peeks around the area first, checking if the trailer's handsome owner is around the parking lot or the fire pit. Tip-toe. Tip-toe.
Then, he sees a recognizable silhouette at the window. He quietly comes up to it and tips himself up, but he can only reach with the upper half of his head. His gray hair and golden eyes are visible from the frame. How long until he's noticed, he wonders. He stays there, not saying anything yet! ]
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Then, it's not Subaru who notices him first. At least not technically. ]
Just here to spy? Or would you like to come in?
[ — Subaru's voice from overhead, quiet and slightly echoed. One of his paper birds sits on the roof of the trailer, peering down at Caelus. This one looks more realistic. It's bigger and more refined than its fat, tiny cousins. Subaru's voice was projected from it by the rune that glows faintly on its back. It pauses, then specifies: ]
Not through the window.
[ Inside, his movements have slowed, knowing. Onmyouji are difficult to sneak up on. ]
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Happy 🦃 Day!
🍗🍗🍗
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full moon, december 4
the fuller the moon gets, the more difficult it becomes. agent choi doesn't consider himself an anxious person by any stretch of the definition, but even in the absence of that, this evening too it's started up again as reliable as clockwork. back and forth. back and forth. back and forth. all in anticipation of what might happen this time.
well, suffice to say that they've found out. or rather, subaru has.
because resting across his lap, in the very same place that agent choi had finally been coaxed from his restlessness into a fitful sleep, there's now a much heavier weight, warm and soft. he can feel it under his hand—fur that's much, much longer, fuller and thicker, and when he opens his eyes, orange, black and white will greet him—a tiger's stripes.
snzzz... ]
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It wasn't an easy sell, necessarily. But it did work. And its shape finally emerges when Subaru's sleep-tingled legs and sore back finally stir him from where he'd dozed off too.
His palm drowsily skirts the wide, weighted plane beneath it (a big cat forehead), fingertips catching on thick fur (not hair). Stilling, Subaru tenses, blinks awake fully, a little too cognizant of when he's dreaming and when he isn't. His hands pull away, hovering over the heavy form of a full tiger snoozing away on his lap.
One whose tether has remained the same through the shift, making him realize exactly what's happened here... ]
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AHEM-hem | knock-knock, who is it
Determined for your twin star's raccoon mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of fortune that him skewer
As he rears fluff head and whiskers from the sewer
Thus facing Sumeragi woes: to smoke, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say pretend
There is ever bitter end to consternation
That Subaru is heir to? 'Tis a summation
Of twink wants, twink needs: to die, to smoke, to sleep
To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, Seishirou's the hurt — )
Angry?
a blind minstrel...
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