tabularasa_rp | [Open] This Is What Happens After a Month of Sleeping...

[The girl’s comments sting - screw him for being a little shaken up, right? But he wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t care what they thought of him. He’s never been that guy. He waits until the commotion clears up a little, then makes his exit before he has to hear anymore from her, Kaiba, or anyone else.

[The second a clear (or mostly clear) path opens up to 209, he’s walking in, slamming the door shut, and locking the deadbolt.]

[Noticing how the other combatant has lost his fire gives Kaiba a small sense of enjoyment. Not enough to make up for what has transpired, but it's a start. Being able to maintain his composure better than his opponent is an advantage. He'll fully utilize that just as Iwa took advantage of the opportunities he was granted]

[Giving an exasperated huff from listening to the conversation between Ann and Legion, he presses his face into one palm, before removing said hand to stare at the robot]

Are you ever going to let that drop? The statement is inaccurate besides. At the time, Turing likely wasn't your ally, nor were you and I all that well acquainted. It wasn't as if I could take those later connections into consideration.

[It was day one. Kind of like today was Iwa's initiation to the void, but screw him.

He was prepared to let the matter drop entirely after saying his peace, and move on to another subject however a peculiar thing followed. Protecting someone I care about & He's important to you. Looking a little flustered for a brief interim, he coughed and looked aside. They could hash it out on their own without his input. The less he said the better.

A moment later he noticed that Ann was looking up at him waiting for an answer. What had the question been? OH... right]

I'm fine. [It was mostly his pride that was injured. ~~Or so he would have everyone believe.~~ He was well trained in donning whatever metaphorical mask he needed at the time] Show's over.

"Dragonite will let her go once she promises not to continue escalating this," Sam states to Ren, crossing his arms in annoyance. He shoots Kaiba a dirty look -- if he were a less polite or less peaceful man, it would be far, far more than just a dirty look.

"Seto. That commentary isn't necessary nor helpful." His fingers twitch against his arm as even he's tempted to pop Kaiba for such sheer mean-spiritedness. He wanted to just say 'shut up', but that wouldn't help anything either. "You're not the only one that matters. If you don't learn that, then someday you're going to pick a fight with someone or something much more dangerous than this young man, and when that day comes, we won't be able to help you."

He sighs as he finishes scolding Seto, shifting gears into the next topic.

"I've got some pens and paper in my room. I'd like to get a written account of what happened here from you two," gesturing to the two fighters, "once you've had a chance to sort out your feelings a bit. Preferably before too long, so the memory is still fresh." Putting their stories in the form of writing means that neither of them have to worry about getting interrupted, or their feelings interfering with their ability to communicate.

"Hold on, old man," Bowser says, now deciding once again to participate. "Who put you in charge of this?" Not that it's in anyone's best interest to stop Oak.

"Besides, what about what other people saw? You think these two are going to give you the full picture of what happened? There's about ten other people who were involved in this. Some of them might have some information that's useful."

"You think it's a bad idea?" Someone has to step up and take charge of the situation here, might as well be him.

"If they all want to give their accounts too, I won't stop them. But I doubt anybody saw the whole thing, so only these two know the whole story." He's sure that no one point of view can give them a clear idea of what happened, but Seto and Hajime together? Given how much they oppose each other at the moment, that's sure to get them the closest to a clear picture.

"Says you," Said with a roll of his eyes and a snort. Those weren't points that Kaiba had pressed previously, nor was he planning on harping on them now. They were no less valid in his opinion. The interference from Oak was starting to grate on his weary nerves. "It's Kaiba, to you. Don't get so familiar."

He really wanted to be extra snooty and argue his importance, but he didn't. "I've had enough lectures for one evening, thanks." With no real gratitude in his tone.

That suggestion garnered the blankest stare moments before he actually laughed. Not the pleasant mirthful kind. The laughter tapered off when a stab of pain reminded him that motion should be avoided. "Then after we write it all out, we can gather around a campfire and sing Kumbaya." Clearly, not being serious. Bowser supplied some necessary commentary. At least about whose in charge.

"There's nothing the others can provide you anyway... since to my knowledge the only thing they saw was at the end." He looked briefly to Ann, wondering if she was truly alright after having a dragon dropped on her, ... and an old man... and a robot... plus having her friend here to reprimand her. Why was the geezer insistent on delaying this?

Yes, yes, I promise I'm not going to try and fight anyone... sorry, sir. [ She means that, too. Her brawling mood is over anyways, and now that there's such a large crowd? There's no point. Not to mention Iwa's already walked the hell away without shouting or provoking further, so that... is that.

She glances back at Legion at his comment and blinks a few times, her expression softening just the slightest bit. ]

Yeah, of course he is. He's very important to me. And no, the threat was just aimed at me. But that's because I threatened him first. [ Is she going to go into any further detail than that? Hell no. Enough's been said on the subject, as far as she's concerned. Other than Ren and her other friends from home, Seto Kaiba is the person she's grown closest to in this stupid place. ]

Hey... [ It may not be a good idea, but she reaches up to place a, hopefully, placating hand on Seto's arm. ] Come on, don't be mean to them, they didn't do anything... let's just get you back to your apartment so you can rest, okay?

[ The adrenaline from earlier has run its course, and she's visibly deflating by the second, at least. She can see the look on Seto's face, and she gives him a look that should translate to 'I'm fine' well enough, before she gives a gentle tug to his arm. ] Please? You should sit down for a while.

Edited (forgot to add... the threat thing) 2020-11-11 09:02 (UTC)

"There's no need to call me 'sir'. My name is Samuel Oak, and I'm a Professor of Pokeology." Yes, 'professor' is longer than 'sir', so that doesn't really help much. His face softens a bit now that it seems like the fight is over. Seto is still being a jerk, but Seto is always a jerk, so that's nothing new.

"Dragonite didn't hurt you, did they? That wasn't our intention." All he wanted was for the fighting to stop, so to find out he hurt someone in his attempt to achieve that... would be ironic and regrettable. Still, by the way he's treating her now, it's clear that his actions before weren't personal in the slightest -- since she apologized and has stopped fighting, he's not going to hold a grudge.

Honestly, Kaiba didn't see the point in rehashing the incident. He'd considered it initially, but there wasn't much he could have said to sway public opinion. Those gathered, if they chose a side ultimately would have went with the new kid overall. Besides, it was really none of their business anyway. Just something for idle gossipers to compare notes on. That's the last thing he needed.

The jock would get his later.

Mark his unspoken words.

At Ann's entreaties, he backed off, though he waved off the suggestion to depart immediately. Likely, because he didn't know if he was going to be able to depart gracefully... But he really did want to retreat to his apartment by this point.

Since Oak was addressing Takamaki, Kaiba stayed out of it, waiting for the crowd to disperse. There was still the matter of the footage too, looking briefly to the closed apartment door thoughtfully.

Edited (derpricorn) 2020-11-14 04:29 (UTC)

Right! Sorry, then, Professor Oak! [ Look at how easy and smooth that transition is from small, angry, feral honey badger back to her normal, fairly sweet personality. She swears she's not bipolar, okay. ]

Mm? Oh, no, not at all. It was my own fault, anyways... [ She takes to casually brushing herself off and trying to fix her hair, wanting very much to look as pristine as possible despite the little brawl just moments ago. ] I've got a really bad temper, and I saw Seto-kun on the floor, so... I acted.

[ Which is a little embarrassing, but, whatever, it's done and over with now, right? She's mostly grateful that Seto actually listens to her and backs off. At least, for now. ]

It's really nice to meet you, Professor. Uh, except I wish I hadn't totally bowled someone over in front of you.

[Currently, Seto preferred the honey badger- but he also understood that it was time to reign this in. He would have been content to let the pair of them converse among themselves but he had to chime in with something..]

We don't really need to keep reiterating that part about my being on the floor...

--Eh?

[ She blinks, turning to stare wide eyed up at Seto again... ]

Hey, what happened, anyways? What'd he do to you?

[ Because she's unaware of exactly what went down... other than Seto being on the floor.... ]

[She was so painfully innocent in regards to the nature of his discomfort. Still it wasn't something Kaiba wanted to rehash. Eyebrows angling downwards, he bit back what his initial response would have been]

Not here.

[On the vague hope that someone in this building hadn't already heard of his misfortune, he'd restrict this to a private conversation ~~about privates~~]

...

[ She blinks again, before she looks horrified. She still has absolutely NO idea what's happened, but she's worried. ]

Oh my God, is it that bad? He didn't like, stab you, did he?

[ She doesn't SEE any blood and Seto doesn't appear to be dying... ]

Right, right, let's get you back to your apartment...

[When he sees her expression dramatically alter, he also looks horrified but for an entirely different reason. Stop making this into a bigger scene!]

Later-!

[He snapped tersely]

.. Fine, let's just.. get out of here.

[Already dreading the stairs. Still, he made the attempt to walk unhindered. It was a painful experience]

Hey! Don't get mad at me for being concerned!

[ She huffs at him and looks away sharply, at least his attitude means that he can't be that seriously injured. ]

Yeah, okay...

[ ...She stares at him for a moment, though. ]

...Do you need me to carry you?

[ She's being serious here, Seto. She is fully willing and able to carry him... ]

...

[He backed off in as much as he didn't audibly respond. It wasn't his intention to seem ungrateful for her attentions but she was making a scene]

No.

[Responding without hesitation, even if it would have made his life easier. Pride demanded that he leave the area upright, and with dignity.

Could she really carry him....? Sideeying her briefly, he made his way slowly to the stairs. Once they were a little farther off he offered some reassurance.]

... I'll be fine, Takamaki. I just got careless.

[ In hindsight, she probably should have just dragged him into her apartment, but it's more or less likely that he'd have been more comfortable in his own familiar surroundings, anyways. At least he's not snip snapping at her again right now. ]

Mm, if you're sure...

[ She eyes him a little skeptically, because he sure is gimpy -- and yes she could carry him. She's a LOT stronger than she looks, thank you very much! ]

That's not like you... what happened? I wish I would have gotten to you sooner.

[That would have been closer and a lot easier, but it was never brought up and he wouldn't have suggested it. Who knows if he would have accepted the offer anyway]

I'm sure.

[It's obvious that there is a problem with his gait despite his efforts to insist that there isn't. One way or another he'll make it to this damn apartment under his own power]

If you keep asking questions before we get there I'm just going to go silent... fair warning.

[Was he being too harsh... maybe. With a sigh.]

If I had reacted sooner I wouldn't be in this mess and that idiot would be the one sprawled on the floor. [Taking each step one at a time, he looked around before utilizing the railing. It felt like such and arduous climb, as if it was a mountain instead of one flight]

[ She frowns at his limpy gimpy self, trailing just behind him as she keeps an eye on him whilst he walks. Did that guy punch him in the stomach or something? She's had that happen before, she knows how painful it is, and it would make sense... ]

...

[ If this were any other time, she'd snap at him for that comment. But she doesn't, because she's genuinely concerned, and she doesn't want him to go quiet on her. ]

Take it easy... [ He grabs onto the rail, and she moves to his side, wrapping an arm around him to better stabilize him just in case he goes down again. ] We'll take our time up the stairs, one at a time, okay? When we get you back up to your place, what do you want me to go get for you?

[ Because she doesn't want him to even have to think about leaving again, and she is more than willing to run around getting things for him should he need them. ]

[Continue to think that. Yes, it was totally a blow to the stomach]

...

[To be honest, he half-expected her to do just that but apparently Ann could tell that he was in no mood to play 20 questions and she mercifully took the hint]

I don't need the encouragement, I have climbed stairs before.. [Definitely extra prickly with a side of snark. Kaiba paused only briefly when he felt her arm around him. It was such a bizarre thing to do. Normally he would have pulled himself away but a jerky movement would have wrecked him.. again.] ... Sorry. I'm not used to ...this. [There, she got an apology. He knew how he was being, and he didn't really want to direct his negative emotions to her]

Ice, and plenty of it.

[If it's even acquirable. The trip up the stairs gave him plenty of time to fixate on her proximity to him. Why was she going to all this trouble? He had full use of his legs, he would get there eventually. That actually seemed to make the task go faster with his mind otherwise occupied. They reached the next floor before he expected to]

[ Yeah, she... is actually leaning towards that, honestly. Which might be very fortunate for him.... for now.

She hums as he snarks at her, but she ignores it. It's just how he is, and he's hurt, so, she's expecting it. What she's not expecting is that apology, though, and she quickly shakes her head. ] It's okay, I get it. You don't need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry that you're hurt. [ She sighs and slowly continues up the stairs with him, glancing off to the side with a small frown. ] That guy's lucky that people showed up when they did...

[ Because she may be small, but she's got fists of fury and she was ready to strike that young man down with the might of fucking Zeus himself. She's going to need to... reign her nasty temper in instead of jumping on people in the future, probably, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. ]

Of course. Anything else?

[ Once they reach the top of the stairs and she knows he can probably make it the rest of the way (and you know, not end up falling backwards back DOWN the stairs), she slowly removes her arm from around him, allowing him his freedom and space again all while being very grateful that he even allowed her to help him. ]

I'll help you into bed, and go get that ice, okay? And whatever else you decide you may need. I wish that our phones worked right now, you could just text me...

[ She is genuinely concerned for his well being right now, but she doesn't see blood and she can at least breathe a sigh of relief for that. ]

[As long as it buys him time to get behind closed doors, then fine

Seto was essentially like a wounded animal right now, and lashing out with his verbal claws. She was being very understanding about the whole thing.] Heh- you can say that without knowing the whole story? You don't know for sure- I could have been the instigator. [Although he would later insist to the contrary.] ... [When her statement about being sorry rolled off her lips, he went suddenly silent. It felt peculiar some how to hear. Granted, Ann was in the habit of apologizing needlessly but somehow this seemed more genuine and it stunned him.] You would have destroyed that coward. He's below your level.

[Was that the hint of a smile? Just envisioning her wailing on Iwa was a pleasant thought]

Nothing else. What, are you thinking about fetching takeout and coming over for a few hours to make sure I wasn't lying about my condition?

[He's kidding. Feeling her slip free, he resumes moving under his own power. Missing the warmth of her embrac- it wasn't an embrace! It was just.... some.. assistance.]

You don't need to go that far, I can get into bed myself. [If he so chose to do so.] You and me both. It would be endlessly useful.. not just for this, but in general.

[When they reached his apartment, he got the door open and walked inside.]

[ Yes, of course....

She sighs, smiling slightly. ] Yeah, I can. Because even if you instigated, he shouldn't have kept it going. Somehow, I can't see you going into attack mode right away. Not physically, at least. [ At least, not enough to throw the first physical punch, either. Verbal beat down? Absolutely. But since Seto's not willing to come clean with what happened yet, she can't really tell for sure. His words at least have her laughing quietly, looking almost a little embarrassed. ] Truthfully? Nothing would have made me happier in that moment. Seeing you like that... it scared me.

[ Seto's a big, strong man, and seeing him downed like that was horrifying, honestly. It made her heart drop to her stomach, it stole her breath in the worst way possible, and she just... snapped. ]

...Yeah, kind of, actually. I'm worried about you, Seto.

[ It's easy enough to admit, at least, how worried she really is for him. She doesn't like how he's limping, or that he's in pain at all. Just knowing that he's hurting, and there's little she can do for him? It bothers her. A lot. He walks into his apartment, and she walks in just far enough to lean against the door frame. ]

Okay. I'll be back in a little bit, just try and get some rest. It shouldn't take me long, I'm sure that there's some ice in the cafe. If not, we'll figure something else out. [ She keeps an eye on him for a few more moments, before she pushes herself to stand straight. ] Agreed. But we'll make do for now. I'll be back.

I notice you're not denying the possibility that I set the wheels in motion. [Sounding amused] ... No? You have that much confidence in me? [He didn't really know why he was pressing the issue but it did help to get his mind temporarily off his other troubles. This was the one time he wanted to keep the conversation rolling. The assessment was accurate- from his perspective.] He's just some dork with a volleyball, you engage in semi-regular combat all the time. No question... it.... what? [Not meaning to ask for clarification, it slipped out. This was getting a little too close to the feelings department and he was starting to be able to tell. She was scared? Why? I was the one writhing in pain, not her...]

[What was this sensation he was feeling, as the words wouldn't form immediately and his throat felt like it was drying out]

... I won't try to stop you.

[Making sure he was not looking at her when he uttered those words]

.. I literally couldn't right now. [Said with a bit more volume and less uneasiness. It seemed like a suitable cover.. for.. whatever that was]

Yes mother. [Having hit some limit to the coddling. Not that he knew what it was really like to have an actual mother in his life. What he could vaguely remember about his biological one was positive but even his memory had failed to fully capture an imprint of just what sort of person she was. It was likely even harder for Mokuba to recall...] Mm... [He used the available furniture to lean on as he moved over to the bed. He was planning on reclining there, but not just because she told him to. ~~Sure, Seto~~]

[Open] This Is What Happens After a Month of Sleeping...

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