tabularasa_rp | ( catchall ) and i traveled the country just to get to you

[ me: what if they just didn't meet until memshares,

but, no. who knows how long izumi's been looking with time the blob of everything it is... and really, is chasing the ghost of leo's bullshit really new at this point? fortunately (or unfortunately) for sena, if he ever makes his way back to those scores out in the void with their creepy siren song humming, there's...

... well, there's still a voice. this time, not a directionless and distant voice, no -- the source of it is certainly easy to spot in the nothingness. here's the familiar gremlin sena's been searching for, sitting down by his music scores, humming some weirdass duet with the sound out in the distance like it's a scene in disney's fr*zen.

he stops his accompaniment with the feeling and sound of someone nearby. leo leans back a little to see who's approaching, and-- ]

Hmmm? You here to hear the pretty voi--

[ --and speaking of frozen, that sure is what leo is when he spots who's actually there. uhh, what was he saying? it's one of those few times where leo's stupid mouth isn't running non-stop, muted as he is by the sudden unexpectedness of it all. relief, homesickness and some kind of happiness blended with confusion are running him through like a sword. what the heck. ]

... Sena?

[ also he's dead. maybe he'll get literally stabbed soon. ]

[ oh, leo's definitely going to be dead meat in a matter of seconds, though right now izumi's more shocked than angry to have spotted him. the signs that he's been here will inevitably lead back to him, after all.

one step, two steps, and he's running towards leo, stooping down in front of him and... touching him all over to check if he's really flesh and bone. ]

This is you, isn't it? Leo-kun? Leo-kun.

[ can you really blame him for sounding so panicky when they're in a world like this. now don't mind if he squishes his cheeks, pinches his arm, shakes his shoulders - this is retribution, if anything. ]

Oi, say something. Scream if you have to. Leo-kun! [ stop this! ]

[ ... it is sena.

sena absolutely mcfreaking out. he's basically forcing the words out of leo with the prodding and the shaking. ]

Stoooop it! You're mixing up what's in my head even more...!

[ there's stuff in his head?

anyway. the context surrounding the words themselves might hint at some exasperation, but leo honestly doesn't sound like he means it at all. it's a half-assed bite back as some kind of way to adjust, and, the next time sena reaches over to give him some bloody abuse, leo's raising his hands to catch his... to stop this?

or maybe just to do a check of his own. ]

Calm down, Sena. Okay? It's me, so... [ mmmm. ] When'd you get here?

[ bye king ]

[ leo grabbing his hands seems to snap izumi out of it, but it does little to mitigate the bitchfest that's coming up. oh boy. ]

How should I know?! One moment I was at Florence and then all of a sudden I'm here? Whatever the fuck this place is, I mean! How do you expect me of all people to calm the hell down if I don't even know what's going on? Huh?!

[ but... yeah, he just can't tell. izumi is usually not the type to forget dates either, so the fact that time is beginning to blend together in this strange world says a lot. ]

[ yeah, okay, there we go. there's so much there, expected and unexpected, and maybe it's proof that leo's been here a bit too long if he can't quite recall how he felt when he arrived........ not that leo's a good comparison for "appropriate first responses" anyway. has he been here long? he can't even tell?

either way, maybe that was a poor choice of words. no, definitely a poor choice-- ]

I didn't mean it like that! [ literally what "calm down" means, ] I get it. You're just gonna knock yourself out going Sena on everything that's unknown around here. [ it's actually everything ] Or, umm, maybe not? Since it's not like you needa sleep anyway--

[ nope, he's still a mess. he's unintelligible and armed with the worst explanations on a good day, and this is. this is a Complicated day, or whatever the hell equivalent of a day is in this place. moment of existence?

there's too many syllables needed to say what he needs to say. ]

--Ahh, no, that was bad. What I'm saying is... I've been here a while, I... think, so lemme answer your questions and help you relax.

[ even if he won't. because they're still here, will still be here, and leo can't answer much at all so this plan is bad too.

in what world has leo ever helped izumi relax ]

[ see, the fact that leo has yet to figure out how to thoroughly calm izumi down [ apart from merely starting to exist again after being AWOL for almost a damn year ] is enough to make him a bit more hysterical. what's more-- ]

Oh, you want questions? I've got a toooon of them. First off, what the hell do you mean I don't need sleep?!

[ because you can't survive in an ever-shifting world when you're not cute, apparently. glad that his priorities hasn't changed a bit. ]

And second --[ hold on, let him just catch his fucking breath, hand shifting to clutch on leo's wrist. ] Can we go sit somewhere? I just... I'm tired.

[ not enough to pass out, but just -- the emotional turmoil he's going through right now. ]

[ ... oh, sena.

leo can settle with that last statement, moving to stand and bring his old beauty-sleep obsessed friend gently up with him.

maybe he should save answering that stuff for when they're not in the middle of the void, and sena actually has a place to rest... as much as he even can in this place. ]

... Sure. D'you mind if it's still gonna be a little bit of a walk? Ren's place is closest after the bridge. [ ... ] I'll let you know about the other stuff when we get there, unless you wanna hear about it on the way.

[ he means heavenly blanc. he thinks it's closest?

thinks. space is funny here anyway, so maybe it's not just leo's shitty sense of direction to blame........ but it's also that. he'll avoid making his uncertainty on that obvious to avoid raising izumi's blood pressure even more. ]

[ he needs the mental respite, at least. seriously, he just can't wrap his head around the concept of sleep and rest not existing in this world??? then why have apartments with beds in them in the first place?!

he nods with a sigh, letting leo lead the way. it was already a little humiliating, relying on leo for various jobs during his stay in florence, but this time it's just downright embarrassing. his pride can never recover..... probably. ]

Just give me the rundown, then elaborate when we get there. I'm not that pathetic.

[ says the guy who's clutching on his friend's wrist like a fuckin lifeline ]

[ yeah what a wuss

not that leo's judging him for that. actually, ]

Is that pathetic? I think it'd be pretty understandable to wanna hold off on that stuff when you get spirited away into a situation like this one. [ he wouldn't think less of anyone being too shaken up here. leo's a fcking weirdo so obviously he's an exception, and sena-- ] But Sena's Sena, and even a new world doesn't change that.

[ not that leo'd expect otherwise. it's horribly sappy, yes, but leo's missed him. that's just a gross, gross fact. he's gonna move on from that one real quick, his pace even as he makes his way towards the shrine bridge. ]

Now, where do I start, where do I start...? The sleep thing, I guess? What I mean by you don't need to sleep is, mm~mm, just that. Try closing your eyes and counting sheep sometime, you'll see what I mean!

[ call him a wuss mentally and he'll throttle you mentally too, moron. he's already kinda sensing it?? except not really, he's just that overly self-conscious. ]

Mm, still don't wanna try it. How am I going to pull off my twelve-step skincare routine while I'm here...

[ hopefully some products will wash up on the beach?? he's praying. he'll manifest the concept of beauty here if he has to.

anyway he matches leo's pace towards their destination, already forgetting that he's holding his wrist. it's harder for him to admit, but he does miss leo - even back home, where he'll have to go back to yumenosaki for that weird idol agency thing tenshouin was organizing or whatever. ]

But of course I wouldn't change for anything, even if this world wants me to. I'll even die trying.

[ LOOK, he would never... everyone knows the true wuss is leo........ at least izumi doesn't dip

now dramatic, on the other hand? especially when he's saying stuff like that? an entirely proper and fitting thing for leo to think, but in that good, poetic way.

nothing on the wrist holding (that's not an unpleasant thing). he looks over his shoulder to give izumi a mildly cryptic smile. ]

It's those tiiiny absolutes you don't really think about that are all messed up here! Time and space and twelve-step routines, and...

[ why is one of those even on the list. anyway, leo says this like it's not the most absurd thing in the world. he'll talk a little more, though, since that's probably a terrible place to end it. ]

... Death, too, maybe? Not that you're allowed to do that anyway. [ will knights ever stop dramatically talking about death? no? ok, ] You actually worded it pretty well there, though! Just... instead of saying the world wants us to change, it'd be better to say the world's changing for us. We got back being hungry a little bit ago, you know? That sucked!

[ yeah, THAT'S what sucks here. ]

[ gonna hand it to leo for not even flinching at the topic of death... mm, it's really because of him that izumi had become more vicious, after all. ]

You don't want to get hungry? You mean you haven't eaten at all since coming here?!

[ now you've gone and done it, leo-kun. you've activated his mom mode. izumi stops in his tracks, holds up leo's wrist and squinting to see if he's lost weight since he last saw him, then tugs at random corners of his shirt to see if it's become too baggy on him (not that he helps since leo likes wearing baggy anything -) ]

Then what the hell are we waiting for? We're heading to - wherever we're supposed to go now. Keep up with me or else.

[ because he's going to start marching towards heavenly blanc, which seems to be getting closer the more he focuses on it - all while pulling leo by the wrist. sorry king that he's like this but... you know what. don't ever be sorry. be thankful he's here for your sorry ass. ]

[ amazing. leo’s curiously concerned for a total of, like, 0.2 seconds when izumi stops… but then there’s no appropriate response to this that’s, like, not something split between amused, fond, and a little surprised?

leo expected that little pause to be on the absurdity of everything. obviously, mom’s gotta mom. and now, leo’s the one getting dragged.

what the hell. ]

Hey, hey! What’s with the role-reversal role-reversal, Sena? If you knew the name of… [ oh, fuck. actually, does he remember the name? it’s blanking on him now. he just thinks about it as “ren’s place”-- ] Heaven’s Whatchamacallit, it’d be like I was the one who crashed in suddenly…!

[ role-reversal role-reversal role-reversal, given florence…? or, whatever. leo does keep up regardless, of course, just a step or two behind. even as they’re just shortly away from the door, in a way that absolutely betrays how far away they actually were. maybe?

hmmm. but also, ]

Just getting back being hungry doesn’t mean I didn’t eat before then… I did when it was convenient and I remembered to!

[ leo tsukinaga functioning as intended

meaning: hardly ]

[ ah... leave it to him to forget the name of the place they're supposed to go. seriously, it boggles izumi's mind that leo was able to survive on his own for this long, especially in a world like this - granted that things like hunger and the need to go to the bathroom don't exist which is convenient, but izumi just can't! wrap his mind around it!! and it's driving him mad!!! ]

Hah! I'll believe it when I see it! If anything, you're lucky you came across me while you were out here vandalizing the whole place again!

[ oh, he has no idea, does he.

well, here they are in any case. heavenly blanc's name shouldn't be hard to remember, but little do they know that leo's lapse in memory is foreshadowing to what's about to come. izumi pushes leo inside the building and into a booth, grabbing a couple of menus while he's at it.

man, he's feeling pretty famished now, come to think of it. maybe he can get away with something fattier this time... hmm. ]

Quick, order something for us. You've been here before, right?

( catchall ) and i traveled the country just to get to you

iii.

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