[open] because i can only be me

[simulatio]

Who: Goro Akechi and YOU
What: catch-all for august
Where: heavenly blanc, wall market; others tbd
When: yes
Content Warnings: threads with p5r spoilers will be tagged as such! please toss a comment on my spoiler opt-out post if you'd like me to avoid mentioning any p5/p5r spoilers in tags with your character.

Comments

[pinwheels]

[ 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... ]

[simulatio]

[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...

[pinwheels]

[ 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.

[simulatio]

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?

[pinwheels]

[ 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. ]

[simulatio]

[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.

[pinwheels]

[ 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?

[simulatio]

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.

[pinwheels]

[ 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.