nysalogs | a girl, a cat, and a detective walk into a bar

Entry tags:

a girl, a cat, and a detective walk into a bar

Who: Haru Okumura (

monya) & Goro Akechi (

fabrications)
What: A meeting to get everyone on the same page
When: Early September
Where: Nadril
Warning(s): Nothing in particular!

[Haru has to admit - when she sent out a few messages, asking if they could meet up, she hadn't really expected Akechi to reply. But he has, and so she takes the train up to Nadril - it's only fair that she come to him, considering that she's the one asking him to take time out of his day to meet up with her.

She makes a point of getting there early and makes drinks at the bar to pass the time while she waits - one for her, one for Morgana, and one for Akechi.]

Akechi-kun, there you are! [She waves and calls him over when she sees him walk in, then gestures to the drink sitting in front of an empty chair. It's a faint, dusty pink in color, and it's glowing faintly. Haru has an identical drink in front of her, which she takes a sip from.] Mona-chan and I were waiting for you.

[Go ahead, drink it, Akechi! It's... probably not poisoned.]

How have you been?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Akechi is as surprised to get a message as Haru is to get a response, but respond he does. He's increasingly unsure what to expect from the (rest of?) the Phantom Thieves, but casual invitations like this aren't it.Maybe they're plotting to kill him.

... Probably not, actually. So he shows up a bit ahead of the agreed upon time, though he doesn't try to beat the rest of them there. He's sure they already showed up plenty early; no need to try to show them up.

So he's surprised once again when he arrives and only Haru and Morgana are waiting for him. He doesn't remark on it, however, instead accepting the offered drink with a pleasant smile and a cheery enough thanks. It's probably not poisoned. ]

I've been doing well. There's all manner of helpful people here. And yourself?

[ Though regardless of the answer, Akechi doesn't hesitate to follow up with his most important question. ]

Are we waiting on the others?

[ Or are they off tinkering with the (admittedly really cool) drink bar? ]

[ the only person who truly knew about his nightmares has left him alone in bed, and yet everything now seems like a nightmare. but the smallest blessings came in the form of a text message that he could answer, then a brief trip to confirm his biggest fears.

five of them, to be precise. raw and burning, it's a good thing that cats (for the most part) can't cry, but he's not a cat.

shaking himself out of deep thoughts at the second question, Morgana hesitates to answer--- his voice caught in his throat causing him to have to clear it, as he keeps both paws on his glass. his drink, a bright and sparkling blue to match those eyes of his, seems much more alive in comparison to those that are looking around anxiously. ]

Noir... he doesn't know yet.

[ an observation, because there's always going to be some kind of lurking suspicion no matter what, and despite the fact Akechi seemed to be mostly playing the part of a good egg, Morgana can't really let his guard down. but he doesn't really address Akechi out of this, instead keeping his eyes low. ]

[...ah.

The smile freezes on Haru's face when he asks that, mainly because she knows if she lets it drop she won't get it back. Her fingers tighten around her glass, and she looks down at it.

Take a deep breath. One, two, three...]

The others... fell back to sleep, recently. [Highly, highly unfortunate.] From what I've been able to gather, it seems it's just the three of us left.

[She keeps hoping that maybe some of the others are just somewhere without reception and that they'd be responding back to the messages any moment now. Checking on the pods up at the station had dashed any hopes of that, though.]

[ Morgana's reaction gives him an idea of what to expect, but still... hearing Haru say it out loud is a surprise, and Akechi doesn't try to hide it. ]

Just us left?

[ He probably includes himself in 'us' a little too easily there, but he's too distracted to think about that in much detail. Besides, Haru did it first. ]

That's... a lot to take in.

[ Not to mention something he has no idea how to react to. After the chilly reception he'd gotten upon arriving he'd tried to emotionally distance himself from all of them, but hearing that they're all gone, even Akira, is a little...

He's not sure what to make of it. ]

Is it normal for groups to disappear all at once like that....?

[ one deep and cleansing breath, and Morgana swallows down whatever growing insecurities back down into the pit of his stomach. ]

Honestly, I'm not too sure. I think Noir would know more, but from what I could find out this isn't uncommon. It has to do something with the Storm and how some of its residual effects can cause people to get sick enough to require being put back into stasis.

[ he's finally able to look at Crow, trying his best to muster up something less depressed looking. the detective's shocked expression does tell him that he did... care in some way and for now? that's good enough for Mona. ]

But what is unusual, is that it's affected more than half of us.

[ and that the remaining are now drinking creative beverages. ]

I've seen many people come and go since I first woke up here.

[She wishes she had a better answer for them, but... Facts don't change just because of what she wishes. With a sigh, she takes another sip of her drink.]

It's rare for it just to be one person at a time. But... This is the first time it's happened to so many I know personally. [The fact that it's decimated more than half their number is definitely concerning. She glances at Morgana - he has it right.] The Storm has something to do with it, I'm sure, but because of the sheer numbers I can't help but worry there may be something else at play here. That's why I wanted to see how the two of you were doing.

[And she probably could have done that over the messaging systems just as well, but there's something comforting about being able to see someone face to face... Even if it's someone like Akechi, with whom relations are complicated at best.]

[ Morgana finally looks at him, but Akechi isn't looking at anything in particular, gaze focused somewhere between the two of them while he frowns thoughtfully. 'Uncommon, but not impossible' is the impression he's getting and it lines up with what he knows. ]

I haven't been in contact with anyone since I arrived, so I couldn't say if anything seemed off.

[ Which isn't a problem, exactly - he's used to being alone - but it does somewhat limit his ability to speculate about the situation. ]

I've been told it's not uncommon for their to be no indicators that someone is about to fall asleep again, but... [ He taps his fingers against the table, finally looking first to Haru, then to Morgana. ] I think we should be prepared for the possibility that it won't be limited to just the six that have already been affected.

[ Which is one hell of a depressing theory to bring to the table, but Akechi is nothing if not relentlessly pessimistic. ]

[ depressing? very. but realistic? equally so. it's been something rolling around in Morgana's head; the very possibility of one or more of the remaining people sitting here could very well be next and at any time. it's sobering and makes his stomach feel like it's in a vacuum, no weight to keep it down. ]

We should. [ he can't disagree with Akechi. there's actually no argument to be had; they have to worry about who's left and that they could be next. sobering. ] There's only three of us, so it makes sense that we all be nearby. Even though we've got a rail system, it's not instant.

[ and there's something to be said, much like Haru, about being physically together. something that Morgana could never take for granted when he took his own detour, only to pick up one very good Beauty Thief. ]

Or at the very least, someone needs to be able to travel around if we should stay apart.

...well...

[They both have a point, as much as Haru wishes that they didn't. Any one of them could fall back to sleep without warning, and if they stick close together, it will be easier to get in contact if something does happen. Still, she doesn't want to totally uproot Akechi and Morgana from the lives they've been building for themselves.

She drums her fingertips on the tabletop, thinking.]

Everyone that I was living with has fallen asleep. [DEPRESSING.] But... that means there is space, if you would like somewhere to stay should you spend much time in Olympia. [She glances between the two of them.] You're not required to, of course, but if it might make coordinating things a little easier... you're welcome to come and stay.

[ ... He's seriously being invited to live with them again, isn't he? Akechi smiles but it's not exactly a happy expression, more of a mix of amusement and disbelief than anything. But unlike when Morgana had offered he doesn't think there's an ulterior motive here. It's not like he considers Haru guileless or anything like that, but definitely more straightforward than most of them. If she wanted nothing to do with him, she probably wouldn't be inviting him over to stay.

Still... he's not sure he's ready to accept. Akechi sits back in his seat, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands on the table. ]

I can't say I'm ready to leave Nadril for good, but I am planning on making a habit of traveling between the two regularly. [ He pauses, then: ] But if you truly wouldn't mind the company, having a concrete base of operations will be useful.

[ if one has to choose two uncomfortable options, the easiest solution is the one that causes the least amount of pain. it helps that they're not back home, where every route more than likely ended with something extremely unsavory. being room or housemates with Akechi? definitely less tasty than pancakes, but better than being alone and that loneliness is the real fear that has, more or less, made him a very tired not-cat. ]

I know that I want to stay with at least one of you at all times. [ because a Mona can only be solo for so long. ] So... yes. A place we can all settle down together would be smart. Not to mention, who knows what else might try to destroy any of these places at any time?

[ because they now have a precedent in the shape of a giant stone statue. ]

Olympia's been my home since I woke up, too.

I wouldn't mind it.

[Keep your friends close, and enemies closer - that's good strategy, isn't it? Although... all things told, Haru isn't sure how much reason Akechi really has to be anyone's enemy, here. What made them enemies in Tokyo...

...well, it's less of a factor here than it was back there.]

If nothing else, I'll at least make sure there's a guest room waiting for you when you come to Olympia, Akechi-kun. And... Mona-chan, you're welcome to stay with me for as long as you like.

[It'll be like old times again.]

I haven't picked up any new roommates since you've left.

[ It's not exactly an invitation, but the offer is there anyway: if Morgana wants to crash with him, then the offer is there. Look at him, being all nice and friendly. Though as for the rest of what Morgana says...

Well, that's a persistent worry, isn't it? Like is hardly permanent in this place, and who knows when they'll be unseated next. So rather than just temporary living arrangements... ]

We should discuss what to do in the event of an emergency, too. Somewhere we can meet if we lose touch with one another, and backup locations if the first is unavailable.

That's a good idea.

[Akechi habitually has good ideas. Haru knows this well, just as she knows that his good ideas are mainly for his own benefit - but if she can benefit from it too, it's fine, isn't it?

(Maybe she's more like her father than she wants to admit.)]

Provided the dragon stays as it is, it's not a bad landmark to start from. I think most people would try to avoid it, so we likely wouldn't run into many distractions along the way... And a day's travel in any direction from it would be an easy backup, wouldn't you say?

[ She... wants to meet in front of the apocalypse dragon?

That's not a terrible idea, actually. Akechi looks puzzled by the suggestion, but it only takes a moment for understanding to overtake his expression. ]

That's good thinking.

[ Look at him, playing nice like this. Akira would be proud (or just deeply suspicious). ]

If we can't reach the dragon then we probably won't be traveling far no matter the circumstances, but...

[ He thinks for a long moment, then nods. ]

But just in case, lets make this our secondary meeting place. It's easy to find, and there's plenty of lodging to spare in the town itself.

[ You know, just in case Olympia suddenly stops being an option. ]

[Meeting here in the event there's another emergency?

Haru considers that for a moment, then nods. Whatever might happen in or around Olympia or Wyver - well, Nadril had been safe even while the dragon rampaged and the surrounding area had been frozen in time. It stands to reason that if something of that scale happened again - if they couldn't meet by the dragon itself - this would be somewhere they could feasibly come to.]

That would work. However - if one of us is to arrive first, how long should we wait before moving on?

[Waiting a few days or even a week in Nadril wouldn't be too terrible. A weeklong campout in the shadow of the apocalypse dragon, though...]

[ This time Akechi's response is a little slower, a thoughtful look overtaking his expression for a few moments. ]

At least 24 hours in front of the dragon, but no more than 48.

[ Unless more danger that forces them to move pops up, of course, but he's sure he doesn't need to say that. ]

As for Nadril - well, I live here at the moment, so I'm fine with waiting indefinitely. So I'd say... give me at least a full day to show up, but if I'm not back within a three days I'm not likely to make it anytime soon.

[ Which is probably easiest to deal with, anyway; anything that takes out their ability to communicate will probably impact their travel capabilities similarly. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a girl, a cat, and a detective walk into a bar

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject