(open) where have you been? been searching all along 𝅘𝅥𝅮

[forethinking]

Who: renren and you!
What: a catch-all!
Where: bathhouse, hblanc, apartments, market place...
When: august-september
Content Warnings: none, but i promise nothing and will update this if needed! spoiler warnings will be on the top level or in the subject of the comment.

edit: remember when i said i promised nothing? there's people bathing in here

Comments

[bridge_princess]

[She reached out and flicked at his nose, narrowing her eyes.]

No burning bridges. If anyone's burning bridges around here, it's me, you. [She smirked.] I don't know. I guess maybe I'm liking the normalcy here, so maybe just have a normal life? I haven't had that in a long time.

[forethinking]

Eh-?

(Ren makes the decision to not dodge it, even though he easily could. It was only a flick and he wanted to show her some form of friendship? Anyhow.)

As much of one as we can have, I suppose.

(Not so normal without organizations, schools, money, concepts that just lack in the void for now due to the whole society building.)

Would you leave the bridge?

[bridge_princess]

I...

Haven't decided that yet. The bridge is a kind of comfort. I'm making a decent place to live, promise. But me in the apartment complex worries me. I'll start getting jealous.

And I'm not sure I get to be that normal, not yet anyway.

[forethinking]

How can I help?

(If he can. Maybe making her apartment feel like home would be a step...?)

[bridge_princess]

I'll let you help me get furniture and pound nails and the like. I mean it's making a house. It can't be that hard to make a decent place to live.

It just doesn't rain in hell, so who cares if I live under the bridge, right?

[Sorry, she's such a bum.]

[forethinking]

More than enough reason to make your place here nice.

(It's fine, Parsee. Ren lives in a doorless attic, sleeps on a mattress atop milk crates and there's chatter that leaks from the cafe. He gets it trying to make a new place be home and not knowing how.

At least he found his way - he keeps his door open when he's at his apartment, so surely she would have noticed how much effort he put on his own - many plants and flowers decorate it!)

[bridge_princess]

I wouldn't mind that. If it was nice, but not as nice as the apartments I wouldn't feel any urge to leave. It's not like this isn't a tiny little place overall. We'll see each other plenty.

[She wasn't hiding away, that much at least she wanted to be clear. It would be futile with people like Ren around, so she was accepting that she was apparently part of these people's lives for good or ill.]

Just avoids risking things getting nasty. If my powers come back properly you wouldn't want me in the apartment. Hah, that could get ugly fast.

[forethinking]

How so?

(Half of it is concern, surely, but the other half is preparing for what is to come, possibily.)

[bridge_princess]

I'd get jealous of every happy moment all of you had. Then I'd get more jealous and I'd start spreading the jealousy around, and all of you would get more jealous, and either we'd drink ourselves into a stupor, make bad life choices and get over it...

Or more likely something bad would happen. Bad things happen when I live too close to too many people. Measured doses.

[forethinking]

... We should have a contingency plan should your powers come back.

(There's no way he's just letting this happen to Parsee or the world around them. So, with that resolve, he asks:)

Can you turn them off somehow?

[bridge_princess]

[Well, that was a tiny bit unexpected. Not THAT unexpected, but his solution was more 'how do we help if it happens' not prepping ways of dealing with her personally. Her cheeks colored a little and she blinked at him.]

Uhhh... well, first of all I don't have the range to hit the whole island unless I'm getting one hell of a boost. So, me having my own place will help. I might get a sign, put it on the shrine to warn people if I know they're back. To keep distance at first.

Ok, so that's a start. [Ahem] Marisa wrote up a thing on a bunch of youkai once. I snuck a peek when nobody was looking. People who are better at focusing, controlling themselves and who are strong willed are better off. Alcohol helps. Meditation helps. Watch for floating, glowing green lights. If I'm doing it actively, you'll probably see that or cherry blossoms and ashes floating where they shouldn't.

I can turn off all but the most passive stuff if you're close to me, but ... let's just say? I'm jealous of you right now, but it sort of feeds off itself with the powers, so it's harder the more I get pissed off.

[forethinking]

If it happens, I think I should be ok to watch you.

(Considering he's focused, absurdly strong-willed and meditates ever so often. He listens, though, before coming to a conclusion and pointing at her.)

Maybe we should find a way to calm you down.

[bridge_princess]

I'm actually less concerned about that with you. I'm more concerned about the people around you that aren't Akechi. He's pretty strong willed too.

[She bit her lip a little and shrugged. How did she put it? She felt jealous sometimes when she saw him talking to other people. There was a possibility that could go really badly one of these days.]

The tea idea wasn't a terrible one. It's something to focus on. I've been sort of obsessing over the water clock to keep my mind busy. Arguing with the world's weirdly soothing.

[forethinking]

(Funnily enough, Akechi is his number one concern should her powers get out of hand. He is incredibly and admirably strong-willed, but also naturally jealous, as Ren himself has witnessed.)

Would that be enough if you have a breakdown?

[bridge_princess]

... I don't know. The obsessions I've given myself are something to focus on, but I haven't had anything set me off quite yet, and my powers aren't active so ... how about we just say "I can't be sure?"

I mean, I could be worrying too much. This has been good so far, right? [The look on her face said everything. She did NOT believe that.]

[forethinking]

I think it has.

(Ren gave her a smile, it's genuine and bright. She has been doing good, he thinks. There's nothing he'd like to see change in, some things are just of her nature, but alas, it wasn't as bad as she wanted to put it as.)

You're doing very well.

[bridge_princess]

That's open to debate... but I do know that I could be doing a lot worse. So, it's helping for the moment. And if it's helping, I'll keep doing it even if it weirds people out a little bit. [Gruuuuunt]

You really think so do you?

[forethinking]

I wouldn't say something like this it I didn't think it to be true, anyways.

(He just gestured with his hand, as to highlight his words.)

It's fine to be a little weird. We all are.

[bridge_princess]

Yeah, I guess the only person you really seem good at lying to is yourself. You're not the type to give false promises like that, aren't you? A little too endearing, though Deku's more honest than you are.

[forethinking]

(What is that supposed to mean... But he doesn't ask, just squints his eyes in glaring.)

Izuku-kun?

[bridge_princess]

It means that I have a hard time thinking you'd lie to me. Especially about something like this. Doesn't feel like it's in your nature.

Izuku I have an even harder time believing he'd lie. He'd be terrible at it.

[forethinking]

I don't like to.

(He hasn't seen Deku lie, so there's not much he can say about that!)

[bridge_princess]

It shows. Some people say they don't like to. It's sort of obvious with you. You wear it on your sleeve. You don't like to deceive people.

I know I can trust that you believe what you say. Not necessarily that you're right, but you aren't lying to me. It's... refreshing. [And annoying at times]

[forethinking]

Why would I lie to you in the first place?

(Actually, he's curious. He's not being terribly upfront, but she knows this already.

Lying, on the other hand...)

[bridge_princess]

That's not the question you should be asking right now, Ren. You wouldn't. Because you're Ren. And, while you're a human and subject to the weaknesses that entails? You remind me a tiny bit of a spirit sometimes. You're very driven by your nature. You and Akechi both.

So you wouldn't.

So, you should be asking "Why would someone lie to me?" And there's a lot of answers to that.