rashness | Tanagura IC Inbox

[ Despite there being no one around, Rin tenses a little in spite of himself when his pet throws her arms around him. But he relaxes soon enough - Arietta was obviously shaken, and it's not like there's anyone who would get them arrested or see them around here. And he was genuinely concerned about her too. He pats her head and outs one arm around her body. What did she even see, why is she even out here? If they're still here when the sun goes down this desert is going to get really fucking cold.

Still... ]

Hey, hey, I'm here.

[ He did slip on Liger by the way ]

[She stays close for a little bit, and not just because he was warm whereas she felt so cold. But eventually she pulls back, just enough to look him in the eyes.]

I... I'm sorry for making you come all the way out here, but... I couldn't tell you in the city. I-I don't know how safe it is. If they knew what I saw, I... I could get you in trouble. O-Or worse...

[And not just what she saw -- it's what she knows that makes it dangerous. What would happen if more people knew about this? About everything she heard from the others that day back in Diedo? There was a reason she thought of this sector in particular, after all.]

[But she takes a deep breath. There was a reason she called Rin out here so soon. Why she knew she had to call him now. Because he deserved to know. And she's not going to beat around the bush with it--]

Rin... Renzo's dead.

[ Rin watches her apologize and stutter her way through things, his eyes wide and uncomprehending. What the hell was she even talking about now, did she see something awful? Or do something? How safe it is ?

... ]

Wait, what? How?

There was an accident, in Tanagura. Near the place where all those research labs are. This really big truck got tipped over, and... a-all these dead bodies came out it. They practically filled the street.

[She's shaking even more in his arms now. Strangely, it's not the sight of the bodies themselves that shocked her. She was a soldier, she's been on the battlefield. She knows what a corpse looks like, and has seen far worse. But...]

I-I saw Renzo there. He fell right at my feet. I tried to get to him, but the authorities were pushing everyone back, and... i-if I stayed, they might have... added me to the pile.

There were other people there too. People I knew, and... people who disappeared. Cause they don't... really disappear.

[ People who disappeared... hadn't they heard something else similar to that in Diedo, when they were meeting with everyone to discuss how shady everything was between the Black Market and Quicksilver and All Points? Rin's eyes narrow, but that was in the abstract, now he has something concrete, and his mind goes to the mongrel who he'd had so many adventures with, or to the then-Elite who had taken him in when Samus went rogue.

He had his own suspicions, his own little wonders, but this one made his eyes narrow - they... ]

They were gonna kill you? For real?

[ They don't disappear... He didn't went Arietta to be gone. He'd known too many people to get killed here, and he's seen many more vanish. A lot of his friends had gone missing in the same way, and he didn't even know how to contact them, or they had fallen silent when he tried. ]

Edited 2016-01-08 00:54 (UTC)

I... I don't know if they were or not. But the way they were treating them, just... tossing them into a truck like they weren't even people anymore...

[Seeing Renzo had been bad enough. But then she saw Zuko, and even Edward -- people she hadn't seen in far too long, who she didn't even realize had gone missing. How many others ended up sharing that fate?]

[Maybe even Ion...]

[A small sob escapes her throat, and she reaches up to wipe at her eyes before tears even have a chance to escape.]

I-If those two elites who saw it too hadn't pulled me away, I... I-I might have never... seen you again.

[She might have just disappeared too. And he would never know what happened to her.]

Edited 2016-01-08 00:59 (UTC)

[ He'd been patting her head and half-hugging her for a while now, but now... now, Rin thought of all the faces he hadn't seen in months, ones he didn't know for sure were dead (and there were even a few of those). Four, Shiemi, Kaguya. Coworkers like Fang and Yukari. Even mysterious people he didn't see consistently in the first place like Sabo. He'd known since that meeting (for why would they lie) that people were... well, that something was done with them. It matched up eith that crematorium that he snuck into with Cassie and Shiemi (both of which were gone...) and when he got Flint's helmet. But that was someone he knew died.

What if...

Well, whatever. ]

Hey, no, I'm here. You can see me here.

[ But all the same. Those people died. Those people died and - the government or someone else in Tanagura was doing something with them (and Shima was dead... Out of the blue, he- ]

Shima... you sure it was him?

[ His voice sounds a little smaller now, even if he's trying to be reassuring to her ]

[She hears the difference, but won't comment on it. Really, she didn't know just how close he and Renzo were, but they were both from the same world regardless -- she didn't want to be the only one getting comfort.]

[She takes another deep breath, trying hard not to cry again, to keep her voice steady. And she nods.]

When I first saw him, I... didn't even realize he was dead. I thought the truck had just run into a crowd and knocked people over. It didn't even look like he was hurt, but... he didn't look alive either. And some of the others there were... th-they were... definitely not alive.

[The horrifying image of pristine corpses laying side by side with ones covered in blisters and their skin seemingly rubbed raw... it's enough to make her feel sick again. It's not an image that's going to leave her mind any time soon.]

[ He didn't look hurt? What the hell killed him? Or rather, why did he die? ... truck. ]

And a truck just spilled out a load of dead people, just like that...?!

[ Something is coming up inside of him, a fear, an anger. Something which dwells deep within him. He knows to some extent there's a lot than can kill mongrels in this world, but at the same time, a truck full of people like that, and he hadn't even heard about it? He'd talked to Shima barely a week ago... ]

[She nods again.]

There were... other people I knew there too. L-Like Zuko. But he's an elite, and... and really strong. And he didn't look hurt either.

[A few tears make their way down her face when she thinks of him lying there in the gaggle of limbs and carnage, recognizing him only by the scar on his face. She didn't have a chance to look any harder. She reaches up and wipes furiously at her eyes.]

I-I don't know what happened after that. I know they were calling for another truck, but... we ran away.

[And even now, she's not sure she'll ever be able to forgive herself for it.]

[ They ran away. And Zuko--

Did he know Zuko? No, not really. Okay. ... Shit man. ] But if they were gonna lock you up too, or - it's good you ran, probably.

[ He wouldn't have run. Someone would have needed to drag him. It sounds like someone did, for her. Man. But all the same, all sorts of people she knew... ]

I'm sorry...

I-I'm sorry... too...

[She sniffles again before moving to bury her face against his chest, her tiny shoulders shivering.]

[Maybe if she were stronger, she could have done more. If she had her monster friends, or more allies. If Van and the other God-generals were here. Maybe then, at the very least, they could have given them a proper burial.]

[Instead, she left them there on the street. Where they were probably tossed into another truck and sent who knows where. To Vesta, maybe? Or someplace worse. She didn't know. And maybe a part of her didn't even want to know.]

[She wants to be angry. And maybe this time, she should be. But she doesn't even know who to be angry at. In the end, all she can do is cry.]

[ Why is she sorry...? She--

He remembers the funeral he gave flint. It fit with the beliefs that his father had instilled in him. His true father, Shiro Fujimoto. And then he realizes why she's upset. None of those people have a true burial, they're just brought out to -- He holds her closer, and -

Shima is dead. He inhales, sniffling a little bit, and shakes his head ]

You were-- what else could you do?

[ Where should he be mad? How should he feel? He just feels a crawling sense deep inside of him, so many mixed emotions he goes from mad to upset to back and he can't settle on one or or the other ]

[It's more than just that. Renzo had been Rin's friend too, after all. And now, with what she's seen, they both know the consequences of what happens to those who disappear... how many more people had Rin lost all this time, without even knowing? And not to mention the problems with his memories -- problems she still only barely knew about, and hadn't been experiencing herself at all.]

I-I dunno... but. I wish I could've done... s-something. They didn't deserve that. I couldn't even tell how many there were, or if there was anyone else I...

[Her grip on Rin tightens, balling a handful of his shirt in both hands.]

What if... wh-what if Ion was...

[She can't bring herself to finish that sentence. She's been trying all this time not to think about what became of the Ion who was here, even making a point not to talk about him. Either way, the Ion she knew back home was dead. And so what the replica. But he was alive here before... did that mean he was carted away in one of those trucks too? Could he have been lying in that pile too, buried beneath the pile of corpses?]

[She curls her head down, shaking even more. She feels like she's going to be sick.]

[ Ion. Four. Yukari. Shima. Kaguya. It's so weird to think of all the people who have vanished, and that they might be ... they might be dead. Has Rin known this? Maybe? Even if he did, he never thought about it. He had been willfully ignorant of a lot of things. For some reason, his mind went back to -- ... Oh yeah, the PRCA would be going again now. cyclically, Lupercalia would be coming up after that. His first time experiencing it as an Elite. Would it feel different?

Why is his mind going in so many different directions? Why can't he focus?

It's pathetic. He needs to say something to Arietta, he needs to comfort her. ]

Arietta... I... I mean- [ ... ] We could go back, and we could try'n find the truck again.

[ But they couldn't - even with all his power, even if he wore that armor Gevena gave him, there's no way he could fend off all the authorities... ]

[Just the thought of going back and possibly seeing that truck there, of possibly finding the bodies or traces of those that were once there, is enough to send a shiver of horror through her spine.]

[Maybe it would be the right thing to do. Or maybe it would get them needlessly killed. Either way, she never wants to see that intersection again.]

[Immediately, she thinks of excuses -- the truck would be long gone by now, the whole area is probably closed off right now, there was nothing they'd be able to learn without knowing where that truck was going... but that's all they were, right? Excuses. Lies to make herself feel better about the decision she made.]

[She doesn't want to lie. If Ion really had been in that pile-- well, he would have understood better than anyone why she'd be too scared to go back. ]

[She shakes her head against him.]

...n-no. It's too dangerous. If something happened to you, I-I... [...] I was so scared... that you were there too.

[Those frantic messages weren't sent right after it happened. They were sent after searching their apartment, at Spectrum, at anywhere else she thinks he might have been... too afraid to message him and get a response that his device was out of service. That had only been her last resort.]

Come on, I'm not going to die that easily.

[ ... But neither would Shima. In truth, that's probably not anything they could control. Rin keeps her close, and the caste divide is forgotten for this moment now then they are out in the increasingly chilly sands of the wasteland. Still, brushing his hands down her. Too dangerous...

Would Quicksilver kill them? Was it even Quicksilver?

He doesn't know anything. He needs to do more. He's been inactive for too long, somehow content to allow himself to believe he destroyed the Black Market just like that ]

I'm glad you weren't.

[She sniffles again, not responding this time, but instead just holding onto Rin. Feeling his chest move as he breaths, listening to his heart beating in his chest, knowing he's alive. He may be trying his best to find words to comfort her, but just being beside her, holding her in this way and reminding her she isn't alone... that was really all he needed to do.]

[When she shivers again, this time Liger moves towards them, turning and curling a few of his tails around them, shielding them somewhat from a cold wind that was moving in. The sun would be setting soon. They should probably go back, but--]

Can we... [Her voice is a little calmer -- though only marginally so.] Can we go to Tamida? And the temple there? I-I know we're not all from the same place, but... I want to pray for them.

[Despite growing up in a Cathedral, Arietta was never very religious. The only prayers and hymns she knows, she knows because of Ion. But if there was anything she could do for them, no matter how small the gesture, she still wanted to try.]

[Ion... would have liked that, she thinks.]

[ Rin's father had raised him in a religion, though he didn't practice it very well. Shima was also at least peripherally religious. He didn't know about anyone else. But Rin recalls his prayers for Tinder and everyone that died during the war with the Black Market, and his prayers for Flint and ... well, Ash's arm, at least in this same wasteland.

If he can pray for them, then - ]

Of course we can. That's a good idea anyway.

[ Plus it would be less cold than here. ]

[Liger seems to find this plan to be great as well, once more lowering himself down for them to climb on. Of course, they'll have to be careful the closer they get to Tamida's house of prayer, since it was kind of difficult for two people to ride on Liger's back without touching each other.]

[Though Arietta will be hesitant to stay too far from Rin, maybe even looking a little antsy. She can't even hold his hand...]

[And yet in the back of her mind, she can't help but think it a little odd that there was no such taboo in death. The bodies of mongrels and elites alike were stacked up in that truck, no distinction made between one or the other. It only made the whole divide seem even more meaningless than it already was.]

[She'll stay quiet most of the way, until they get to Tamida proper. At which point they can probably walk instead of ride on Liger (even if he is totally warm and cozy to ride on with all that fur).]

...I forgot how long it's been since I came here. Not since... [The black market.] Since I became your pet, I think.

'Ve been down here a few more times. Vastania has me meet her here. Or well, at least a few times.

[ Rin keeps close to her on Liger, but he does want to shift back to get away from her as they get closer to civilization. He's simply not sure how he'll remain on Liger still while he moves back. Err.

Still, it's sort of awkward all things considered! And... and yeah, it's a problem of sorts. But while he does squirm, he doesn't have any real way to correct for it.

Why is he focusing on stuff like that while he got on there with Liger to go with Arietta in the first place, though? Mm. The fact of the matter is that he was as comforted by their proximity as she was. And he really shouldn't be, for both of their sakes. ]

Edited 2016-01-08 04:57 (UTC)

Really? So this is where you meet her... [Which she's probably heard a little about, but. It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks, all things considered.]

[She can feel Rin is still close, even if they're not touching now that they've started getting closer to where people are. She wished she could lean back against him, but... well, the last thing she wants is either of them to get arrested. Especially now that her distrust of the government was more or less at its highest.]

[But at the get closer to the temple itself, she does climb down off of Liger -- though Rin is free to keep riding.]

...it's so different here from everywhere else on Amoi. If I don't look too hard, sometimes... it really does look like Daath.

[After the day she's had, there was something strangely comforting about it. It didn't remind her at all of Tanagura, or even the other more popular parts of Midas. If it were just more green, it would almost be uncanny...]

Yeah, she's all ... holy and stuff.

[ And a giant blue goat. Still! Once they get there- If she's going to walk, then he'll walk too. After all, Liger's more her brother than his friend. ... Shut up that totally makes sense. Still, once they're there, it's on foot from here with a pat on Liger's head to show that he's thankful. ]

Were's Daath again?

[ Apparently, he's not great with details ]

[Liger rolls his head up against Rin's hand, murring softly. But for her part, Arietta keeps her gaze locked forward. She can't exactly fault him for not knowing -- it's not like she talks about Auldrant very often. She can really only recall mentioning it once or twice in any great detail.]

That's... the name of the country I'm from. It's run by the Order of Lorelei, so everything there surrounds the Order and... the Score.

[...]

I... don't think I ever mentioned it, but. Ion is someone really important back home! He's the leader of the Order, and he did a lot of really great things for the world. Even though he's... [Deep breath.] He was younger than me.

[Another deep breath, this one a bit shaky. It might sound a little unlike her, trying so hard to keep herself from sounding as sad as she is.] The last time I came here, was... after he disappeared. I wanted to leave something for him here in case I... I-I disappeared too.

[ Rin is dimly aware of the fact that he's never really heard about any of these things. The Order was that military she was a part of, right? Or something like that. He doesn't know what the Score is, but from context, it sounds like it might be a religion, but she's not happy with said religion. But if Ion was the leader of the military?

... He ... ]

Y'know, I think I met that Ion guy once, kinda briefly.

[ He seems to only be remembering it now. But it comes to him as he watches her, not sure how he should handle this moment other than to walk beside her and brush at Liger a little ]

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