tabularasa_rp | open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

[it starts with Damien just needing to get away. between what he saw of other people and what they saw of him, the last however long has been a bit much, and he needs some time to get his head on straight, so he goes for a walk. best laid plans of mice and men being what they are and all, however, he doesn't get very far if only because, for the first time since it's been here, he notices the L]

[he stops, staring at it, and then like he did with the Merlaut, immediately makes a beeline for it, limping as far as he can in its direction. he has no real reason to try and beat everyone else there (never mind the fact that he hasn't, not by a longshot), but it's a piece of Chicago, of home, and that counts for a lot. as does the idea that maybe, if it's somehow working, he might be able to get somewhere in this godforsaken place without having to wait on Kaiba finishing up the ramps]

[and to no one in particular, as he stops at the top of the stairs, a little breathless, he notes:] My God. It's Husker Station. [kind of implies that this is from his world, doesn't it? feel free to ask him about it -- or anything else, while he pokes around the train and its platform]

[once the train itself has exhausted his attention, Damien ends up walking down the tracks, curious to see where they go, if anywhere. which means that, sooner or later, he ends up in Shibumenosaki. it's not Wall Market, which is where he wanted to be in the first place, but -- well, did you get roped into being a Greeter here by the flyers in Messiah Station? because if so, he has questions. namely:]

This is a mall, isn't it?

[he's not entirely sure]

[otherwise, feel free to find him shopping, for what little he's actually interest in here. at very least, he'll be taking some of the drinks, the honeyed lemons, and a plain, white button-down from one of the uniforms, in what he imagines to be Akechi's size]

[eventually, Damien remembers that he wanted some time alone, to get his head back on straight, and so he ends up heading for the caves in Mount Silver. sure there will probably be people working, but look, don't question his logic]

[(maybe he's not looking to be alone so much as looking to spend time with one of the people, here, he actually likes. namely Kaiba)]

[as it turns out, though, there doesn't seem to be anyone working, and as he meanders along the paths, definitely not looking for people doing his bidding, he gets further and further into the mountain until he's all the way in Wall Market. holy shit, the walkways are done]

[all at once excited and throwing his need to be an introvert to the wind for awhile, he's everywhere at once. shopping! Korean BBQ! drinks! eventually, though, he ends up in the bathhouse, which was probably the biggest draw, from what he'd heard of Wall Market. he's not sure how he feels about the 'no towels in the bathwater' rule, for all that there's not many people here he'd like to see him naked, but -- whatever. he'll play along, if only to soak his legs]

[it takes him some time to actually get to the water, once he's undressed, his movement speed even slower without his brace, his limp more pronounced, his bare legs a roadmap of surgical scars, but eventually he does make it. sinking into the water with a sigh, he closes his eyes and just relaxes. it's probably a good thing that 'sleep' isn't really something this place understands, yet]

['scaring the shit out of the guy who doesn't realize he's not alone' is absolutely a thing, however, and someone should do that]

[finally, mood renewed by his day's goings on, whether or not he actually got any alone time or not, in the end, Damien can be found sitting outside of Heavenly Blanc. while this isn't necessarily a new thing, however, the fact that there's a sign attached to the barrel sitting next to his table is]

[teach me something it says. preferably something that isn't too physically demanding since, regardless of how much better his leg feels from the soak, he's still a disabled man, but he might not be too picky, if you're willing to take it slow for him. he's a little desperate for something to engage himself with, mentally, after all, hungry for intellectual stimulation, so do like the sign says. offer to teach him something. he's eager to learn]

[he's also up for just idle conversation, if that's more your thing. either way]

(It's not a surprise to see Damien sitting on the tables outside the cafebar. It's a sight he's grown accustomed to, with the lack of options for lounging on this part of the Void.

What is interesting is the sign. Ren approaches, almost like a curious cat.)

Like what?

[The fact that this place doesn't seem to understand a concept of "tired" is probably most of the reason Noct's back hasn't been bothering him, considering Gladio would definitely be surprised by how active he's been. It's less fun just loafing around when he doesn't have King's Knight to play or stupid videos to watch, though, and so, he's been spending a fair bit of time wandering around and hauling furniture up to his apartment.]

[It doesn't mean his back is great, though, and this wouldn't be the first time he's been up to the bathhouse to soak. He stops when he sees Damien there - and then heads for the opposite side of the bath, to give the other man room.]

[If he did startle him, he'll apologize in a second.]

[ Raihan hasn't done much exploring out in the world since the memory exchange - he'd managed to check out the underground mall... school... thing... but most of his time had been spent in Hammerlocke's ruins, looking for clues about why everyone might have had that strange vision. he hasn't found anything yet, but after what feels like days of searching, it's about time for a change in scenery.

Raihan and Duraludon have been here for a little while, investigating the station briefly before checking out the interior of the train. the sound of someone's voice catches both of their attentions, both of them peeking out of an open set of doors to see Damien poking around in front of them. ]

This place is yours, then? [ "yours" meaning "from your world", of course, but that probably goes without saying. ] It's pretty mundane... but I guess that's a good thing, with the way this place can muck things up.

[Before Damien can get to the bathhouses, Tifa spots him wandering through the streets of the tiny Sector, his face recognizable even in the wash of coloured lights that glow around them. She's manning the Korean barbecue stand alone today while Cloud is on the ground floor of the Void helping Aerith with her flowers, humming to herself while she wipes down the counters, looking just as at home as she did back at Heavenly Blanc.

Despite how lively Wall Market looks like it should be, it's quiet enough that Tifa's voice calling out to him could be heard several blocks down.]

You finally made it down here!

[Her head is poking out from behind the walls of the stand, hair draping over the counter while she waves him down.]

[Damien studies Ren for a moment, trying to come up with something, before ultimately shrugging]

If you hadn't already taught me shogi, I might have asked about that. [as it is, though, he's gotten pretty good at it, since Ren taught him however long ago. he likes the strategy of it] Otherwise, though ... [that's up to you, Ren. what'cha got?]

[someone getting into the water with him is a surprise, maybe, yes, but to his credit, he doesn't jump. he does, however, open his eyes, to see who's joined him]

[oh, it's that boy he gave the grand tour to]

So, are we still in the honeymoon period?

[do you still find this place charming, like he did when he first arrived, Noct? he might again, for however long, now that there are new things for him to do]

[Damien glances over, frowning as he tries to place Raihan (he's seen him around, but he's not sure they've actually spoken before now), and then nods]

It is. [a beat] And as far as I can tell, it hasn't been bastardized by something else. It's just Husker Station, just the L. [the Red Line is missing, as far as he can tell, but -- still. it's still the L as he remembers it] I keep expecting to be able to see May Stadium beyond the trees.

[he glances away, that said, as if he's checking to make sure it hasn't just appeared in the last however long. alas, it hasn't. ah, well]

[Damien head snaps in the direction of the sound of her voice, the suddenness of it in the quiet enough to be startling. he relaxes again the second that he registers who it is, though, the second that he sees her, and he changes direction then, limping in her direction]

Finally. [he's not going to blame Kaiba for taking as long as he did, because he did in the first place, but] It's nice to see something other than the bar and the beach, for once.

[Noct sits up a little when Damien speaks so he doesn't have to crane his neck.]

Uh... well. Maybe.

[Very decisive, Noct.]

Still need to figure out a way to get back home, but now I'm kinda trying to figure out what's going on.

[Because yeah, stuff just keeps appearing and changing and he would very much like to know who's doing all this, if it's not all a dream.]

(What can he teach Damien... There's so much he has learned this year, from fighting to public speaking and as Damien brought up himself, shogi... Ren hums, politely bowing before taking the seat in front of the other. He's not teaching him anything that requires physical training, so his options are a little limited.)

I can teach you about the coffee blends we have inside. (That's one.) Or some principles of cooking.

Public speaking... (More humming, Ren curling the tips of his hair while he thinks.) Basic Tarot principles... Perhaps Japanese? (He laughs, since there's not so much use for that last one when he is speaking it, and Damien comprehends it.)

I can teach you about Japanese society too, since you've asked me about it in the past.

[This little slice of the city was something that Lysandra from the past to the harpy girls, something that she might have seen in an old movie or book but it was at least a general place she knew.

And though she hailed from a city to the south of Chicago that was less than a two decades old, but had been there several times in all her 19 years of life. It certainly didn't look like this in the year 2100, but the style was close enough to ping a slight tinge of sadness in her heart.]

Hello there![she waved with one her wing/arms] Do you know anything about this place?

Edited 2020-10-07 12:56 (UTC)

I can imagine! Well, welcome to Wall Market!

[She gestures wide with her arms as she slides over the counter to the other side, and meets Damien halfway, and to urge him back to the stand with her.]

It's definitely a... different sight from the bar and the beach. [It isn't much, considering it's stuck down here in the caves, but maybe that's for the best. It always did look better at night... it's harder to see all the dirt and garbage when it's dark.] And welcome to Sector Six of Midgar, too! Not sure if anyone told you that.

They hadn't. [he glances up at the lights again, as Tifa leads him back to the stand, taking them in again, that in mind] Someone -- Ren, I think -- mentioned you had some new pet project, taking up most of your time, but ...

[but he didn't realize it was this. he didn't realize it was another piece of home and, potentially, one that hurts less, for what he knows happened to Sector Seven, how]

[rather than bring that up, however, when he returns his attentions to her, he leads with:] It sort of reminds me of Navy Pier, at night.

A shame the logistics of teaching me Japanese are -- difficult, at best.

[it's the one that interests him the most, but how would that even work when, while he knows Ren is probably still speaking Japanese, that's not what he hears? he supposes he could try writing down the romaji for different words for him, so he can sound it out, but how would they know when he actually succeeded, since Ren would be able to understand him either way?]

[what a shame]

I wouldn't mind learning more about your society, though. [that's a close second] Maybe you can keep me from screaming 'tourist', if and when I ever get to visit Tokyo in my world. [if and when he doesn't end up dead, whenever he goes home]

[he turns in the direction of the sound of her voice, and -- well, you'll have to forgive him for taking a moment, for staring. he's seen a lot of weird shit, around here, true, and it's all sort of becoming par for the course, but it's a little jarring right now, butting up against the mundanity of the L station here]

[that girl is a bird-harpy-thing]

[to his credit, however, he doesn't stare for long, forcing himself to look away after a beat, back to the train itself. after another, he hums to the affirmative] It's a train station, from my world. And for once, it doesn't seem to be bastardized by something else.

[not like the Merlaut, which was just a hotel, not an apartment building]

[he snorts, mood souring a little]

I wouldn't spend too much time on that. So far, I've got nothing. No one does. [it's fucking frustrating. it won't be long, he thinks, before he goes back to wishing this place would throw him a clue to this puzzle it's put in front of him]

[Lysandra took the staring in stride and merely smiled back at Dameien. She was used to looks like that by now. Being the only harpy in this strange place, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Especially against the rather normal backdrop of the railstation.]

That's what I thought.

[She took a short look around before speaking again]

You know, this looks a lot like a place I know pretty well!

[And that gave her an idea.]

Um...You wouldn't happen to be from the Chicago-land area would you?

Edited 2020-10-08 16:09 (UTC)

[immediately, his attentions snap back to her, shock written on his face. delight follows, along with a bark of a laugh. he touches a hand to his chest]

The Loop.

[which is one of the main neighborhoods of Downtown Chicago, so yes. he's from Chicago-land. he's from Chicago, full stop]

I take it you are, too?

I can teach you to write, I think.

(He will be able to read, but surely he would be able to see the alphabet as it is, won't he?

He smiles a little, only because he pictured Damien absolutely lost.)

Sticklers. We have several rules for several situations that are followed through generations.

(And finally, he tells Damien something about himself, look!)

You'd think Tokyo is different because it's modern. I come from the country and culturally, it's the same.

[Well this was exciting! Lysandra almost instantly perked up at the news.]

I am actually! Well not the city itself, my family's apartment is about an hour south down the highway. But I've visited quite a few times over the years.

[Which brought up another question.]

What year is it where you are from?

Edited 2020-10-08 16:24 (UTC)

We'll come back to the writing. [because that might be more doable, and yep, still interested] For now, though -- where do we start? [with all the tradition and all. he is, as always, an eager student]

open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

the chicago l station

shibumenosaki underground academy

wall market / bathhouse

heavenly blanc

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