tabularasa_rp | [open] because i can only be me

[ If there was anyone Rinoa imagined spending time with the creatures that are-but-are-not Moombas, talking to them and decorating the walls of the cavern-encircled market... well, actually there are a few people in this place she wouldn't have guessed to be the type. Akechi comes to mind, with his not-quite-right smiles, dislike of small talk, and his apparent determination to keep the conversation on their situation. A solid conversation over drinks later and all she knows is that he's a detective from some place called Japan.

So... no. Definitely not the type.

Yet there he is, just a few short paces away, an uncharacteristic (she supposes, from what little she knows of him) gentleness in his tone as he speaks to the creatures. And so it's with a smile that Rinoa approaches, announcing herself with a call of his name as she draws near. She doesn't want to spook him and end up covered in paint. ]

Edited 2020-08-12 11:58 (UTC)

[The lighting might be dim, but he can hear the approaching footsteps. It keeps him from being too startled at the sound of his name being called, allowing him to turn and smile as if embarrassed to be caught.

One of the little paint-creatures slinks behind his legs to hide as the rest scatter a few paces away, warily watching.]

It's good to see you, Rinoa-san. For relative values of "see," I suppose.

[Upon closer look, he's absolutely got paint on his face, though miraculously it doesn't look like he's managed to get any on his shirt just yet.]

Did you have any trouble finding this place?

[ She smiles at the way the creatures dart backwards in their caution, and for a moment she addresses not the young man in front of her, but them, her voice gentle: ]

I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just talking to your friend here, okay?

[ Only then does she turn back to him, a quick shake of her head in answer to his question. ]

I ended up at the top of the mountain when we got here, remember? So I guess... once I heard about this, it wasn't hard to figure it out. [ A pause as her smile turns into a grin, the girl noticing - but not yet mentioning - the smudges of paint on the detective's face. ]

What are you painting?

[The creature behind his legs stays firmly there, much to Akechi's chagrin, even as a few others cautiously come back out, looking between the two humans as if searching for their proper cue. She sounds gentle, prompting a few of the braver ones to approach closer and stand on their hind legs to look at her curiously.]

If you've already seen the top, why not delve underneath? [he responds with a smile and a nod. It makes sense. Once one knows how to get through the caves, they aren't too terrible to navigate.]

Ah, this...? [He turns, careful to step around the creature that's glued itself to his legs, even as a few more emerge from their hiding places to pose in front of their collective art. He looks over it for a moment before glancing back over his shoulder with a wink.] Perhaps I could call it chaos?

Only joking. I'm no artist, so perhaps it's best to say it's just random splatters.

[ The way one of the creatures stays close behind him just makes her smile; it shows that it trusts him, which is a good sign in her eyes, especially when dealing with someone who clearly likes to play his cards close. She notices the creatures coming forward, but doesn't pay them too much attention just yet - unlike Felix, they're shy, and she doesn't want to spook them.

She smiles in response to Akechi's comment, something tinged with amusement and reminiscence both. ]

Apparently I'm not, either. [ Rinoa laughs, but there's some sadness there behind it, something she can't quite hide. ] I made a model train once... it didn't turn out that well though.

[ She doesn't want to dwell on feelings centered around people who aren't here. She squares her shoulders, smile finding her lips again as she steps forward to join him, movements slow so as to not disturb the things that seem like Moombas and yet are also so far removed from them. Then she reaches up a thumb to brush it across his cheek. ]

You made chaos of your face, too, you know!

[ Not that her action helps; rather than remove the paint, it simply smudges it further up his cheek. Rinoa stares, and then giggles. Whoops? ]

[He has his mouth open to reassure her that the ability to craft something with one's own hands isn't something to disparage -- but then she's breaching his personal space. His eyes go almost comically wide, his whole stance stiffening as she reaches out to touch his face.

It isn't as though he's unused to it; before going on television, he had to sit and let makeup artists do their work, multiple times a week at the height of his popularity. But beyond that professional context?

A beat too long, then he remembers to laugh, tilting his head away from the offending thumb and pulling off one of his gloves to reach up to try to take care of it himself.]

How clumsy of me. At least there are showers in that nearby bathhouse.

[ When he tilts his head away, Rinoa has to hide a chuckle behind the hand in question. He hid his expression after just a beat or two, but it was long enough for her to see and understand it, even in the dark. She doesn't comment on his reaction or the way he hides it, though, just drops her hand back to her side a few moments later, the too-obvious amusement still there in her smile, if he looks for long enough.

It's an expression that gives way a few minutes later for a look of surprise, though; she hasn't really explored the space down here that much, apart from first finding it and then watching the Moomba-like creatures in their actions. ]

The water in there works?

[ Not that it probably helps them that much when it's so dark in here, but... ]

[The amusement visible in her smile irks him, but he'd rather be laughed at than pitied. His own efforts to remove the paint don't do much at all -- in fact it just feels like he's managed to smear a solid line of green across his face -- so eventually he just sighs and tucks his glove into his pocket. This is just his style for the moment, apparently.]

This is your fault, I'm sure, [he tells the little creature still tucked behind his legs. It looks up at him, then hides its green-hued paintbrush tail behind it as if to say nope!

A sigh, then he returns his attention to Rinoa with a nod.]

Surprisingly enough, it does. At a guess, I'd say it relies on water pressure rather than electricity. The bath itself may be warmed from underground. I'll confess, without light, it's difficult to investigate further...

[ There's another giggle at the way the paint ends up smeared in a solid line over almost the whole of his face; she feels almost bad for her obvious amusement at his expense - it's never anything mocking from her, never intended to be cruel. And so when he tucks his glove away, she peels off the blue knit arm-warmer that covers her right forearm, offering it up to him. It's probably a better material to fix his problem, and it's not like the paint won't wash off later, right?

(Even if it doesn't, her clothes have taken a pretty significant beating at this point; they can probably handle a little bit of paint.)

The idea of having a proper bathhouse is interesting, but there's not a lot they can do without light, right? She frowns, pursing her lips. ]

It's tiring, isn't it? Being in a place where nothing wants to work right.

Hm? Oh... thank you.

[He stares at the offer of her arm-warmer, almost taken-aback by the small kindness. He certainly wouldn't offer a piece of clothing to anyone without expecting something in return, after all, even if it's just good will. He almost doesn't know what to do with it, though he does end up taking it rather than leave her arm outstretched.]

Ah, yes. [Back to the task at hand, though he doesn't do much with the arm-warmer just yet other than hold it. The little creature at his legs comes around and stands up a little taller, reaching to try to give it a sniff.] If there were just some logic I could find in this world, perhaps it would be the key to solving it. For now, everything simply seems to be random.

It's strange, isn't it? How our eyes seem to adjust without any visible light to adjust to?

[ Of course, Akechi just standing there and holding the arm warmer is not exactly what Rinoa had in mind, but she does think it's cute, the way one of the Moomba-like creatures comes around to try and sniff at it. For a moment, she almost gets distracted watching it; his voice catches her attention though and her eyes lift back to him, a thoughtful nod after his words.

He's right - it feels like every new place that appears introduces more mysteries to the world. Even Rinoa, who's never really been one to spend too much time thinking about the intricacies of the universe and how things work, has been wondering about it. ]

Yeah. I was down here before and... it doesn't make any sense, you know? Nothing here does.

[ She's not sure she'll ever get used to it, especially at the rate that things seem to keep changing. ]

[He folds the cloth over to let the creature have at, and while it reaches with gentle paws to bring it closer for a sniff, Akechi doesn't let go to let it have it. Instead, tentatively, he brings his other hand to gently pat the top of its head, as if expecting it to dart away if he moves too quickly.]

I can't even say it's a product of our cognition, because changes aren't instantaneous -- if we initially assumed that we were unable to see due to the darkness, I would expect that to persist without the addition of light.

[Finally, he does fold over the arm warmer, but hesitates before bringing it to his cheek.]

My apologies, I know you offered, but I would hate to stain your clothing. It isn't as though things are easy to replace, here.

[ She watches with a small smile as Akechi pats the top of the creature's head. It looks like she's not the only one trying to bond with the local wildlife. And honestly, even with how walled-off the young man may seem, she can't help but think he seems nice enough.

Even if she really doesn't understand what he's talking about with cognition. And she's not stupid - she reads a lot!

Rinoa shakes her head, waves a hand at him. ]

Really, it's okay. It's knit, so even if it won't just wash out, I can just fold it over and wear it the other way, right? It's thick enough that no one will see it.

[ Then, after a pause: ]

What do you mean, though? About "cognition" and stuff?

You're very kind.

[And he isn't just saying it to be polite, he actually means it as he finally does try to rub the paint off his cheek. He doesn't like to owe anyone anything, but she doesn't seem the type to collect with anything malicious. In a way, she seems like Ren in that respect.

The question about cognition sparks a thoughtful hum and an appraising glance, as if he's gauging how much he wants to tell her.]

It's a theory, where Ren and I come from, [he says finally.] Top secret, of course, not known to the general public, but there are some who believe a world could exist that's formed from the collective unconscious. From how people perceive the world around them, from their expectations and desires.

[Ren had seen fit to tell Tifa about it, so Akechi gauges it's only fair to tell Rinoa if she's smart enough to ask.]

That's what the two of us had initially suspected this to be, but the evidence thus far suggests otherwise. A distant cousin of that theory, perhaps, ruled by a god who has only observational knowledge of how a world could be, without any real knowledge of physics, chemistry, or biology.

[ Her brows raise as Akechi talks. Like he said, it's a theory from his world, and as far as she knows, there's no similar theory on her own. Still, it makes a lot of sense, especially considering the strangeness that makes up this world. On one hand, like he said, there's the complete lack of the usual rules that would make a world make sense; on the other, there's the strange combinations of things from the inhabitants' various home worlds... like the exact kind of creature standing by his side, and all around them.

At least... she's pretty sure that's what he means. She puts her hands on her hips, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. There's no harm in asking, right? ]

Would that theory explain why there's all these things here that... kinda... belong to different people? With everything mixed up because whatever brought us here doesn't understand anything past, you know, observational knowledge?

[ She indicates one of the painter-like creatures standing by him, a fond smile forming on her lips. ]

Like these. They're kinda similar to something from my home, something called a Moomba.

[open] because i can only be me

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