[OPEN] Lost in paradise

[bowtography]

WHO: March 7th and anyone who wants to witness this
WHAT: Post-upgrade Problems...
WHERE: Around the base, around Japan
WHEN: April 12th and up to a week after that
WARNINGS: None so far!



A. Post-Surgery

[ Choices were made. March may or may not regret them a little, but upon remembering things like how badly injured so many of the Outsiders had been and Ishmael gritting her teeth while struggling to walk, she'd ultimately decided it was worth it.

Maybe not right now, though, not when she's kind of staggering around the base, looking very much Still In Pain and sheet-white. Of course, that's one thing. The other thing is that she looks completely disoriented and depending on where you find her, it's pretty obvious that it's not where she was trying to go. Maybe it's a non-Redemption wing. Maybe it's the cafeteria.

Maybe it's the rec room?? Maybe she's actually heading outside when she clearly shouldn't be??

If you're still not entirely sure what she's up to, she can be heard quietly muttering to herself in a shaky voice, definitely rattled-- ]

W-why is it so hard to find my room??

B. Compass Required

[ It's a day or so later! And she is.

... Not doing any better. Though at the very least, she's had some time to get the style upgrade implemented and is comfortably clothed in her much more familiar (to her) outfit from home.

But she hasn't actually been seen on the base all day, which probably isn't terribly strange, since March likes to go out and experience life, but at this point it's dark and if you're out at night, you might spot her. Talking to a few people who seem either amused or flummoxed by her current level of vexation. ]

No, sorry, I've definitely been to Shinjuku, and I know where it is on a map, I just--

I'm not drunk! Look, just tell me "this way" or "that way" and I'll figure it out from there!!

[ ... She has apparently been dealing with something similar for hours, given that she really does sound like she's on the verge of frustrated tears. ]

C. Bah Hummingbird

[ At this point, March has given up leaving the base on her own, so you can spot her in the greenhouse (though it's arguable whether she meant to be there or not), a cute little hummingbird perched on her shoulder. She's taking pictures of the plants, though she pauses to glance up when she realizes she's got company, offering a smile that is definitely a lot steadier than the mess she's been over the past few days. ]

These little guys are pretty cute, aren't they? I'm more of a dog person, but I gotta admit, they've got a lot of appeal!

[ OOC: Also fine with doing custom starters if nothing catches your interest! ]

Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzMewM6WmMQ&

[hitokiller]

( "anytime you want".

izou's chest swells as he holds his breath, as he tries to process everything she's saying that just about makes his head spin. he's the one who blurted out his wishes, but for her to return them in full and so blatantly... for him to struggle with a reckless need to pull her into that supposed warmth and taste the floral sake straight off her tongue as he turns in all his clumsiness to face her properly, is honestly, too much to handle right now.

he's about to lose it, the heat from his blood rising to his hands and toward her wrist, when something clatters behind them from the bar, jolting him back to reality.

colors rises to his cheeks, relentless, and shit. what is he...

he can hardly discern the intentions of others, and it was only recently that he had apologized for an outburst of his own. ruining this... budding friendship they had or whatever, is the last thing he wanted to do at the moment.

friendship... right. he holds his palm out for her, the grooves in his hand hardened by all that blade-wielding. )

O-Oh, yeah? Never had anyone tell me that before, what with these hands belongin' to a killer and all. But if you... if you say there's somethin' kind about 'em, I might just be able to believe it.

( he'd ordinarily offer to pour another glass for his companion, always eager to party, but maybe... that's not the best idea at the moment. )

STOP ATTACKING ME

[bowtography]

[ March peers at his hand for a minute, gaze hazy but pensive, as though wondering if it's truly fine to do this, when he'd been so uncomfortable with it before. But he's offering and her hand moves before she even quite realizes it, fingers lightly tracing over the lines in his palm before she lets her hand settle in his.

Something irrepressibly fond tinges her smile, just looking down at their hands. ]

You're being kind right now, you know. I think you've always had that in you, even when you didn't have the chance to show it. That's just...

[ Always. He'd been abrasive, but always, always, he'd let her come closer. Told her to worry more about herself. Told her to be careful. To not put herself down. To do what she wanted. Even his rougher motions had protected her.

March continues to gaze down at their joined hands, letting her eyes slip shut after a minute. The contrast is there, but even she has light calluses in her fingers. And this feels... safe. ]

... I like your hands.

[ It's a very simplistic statement and it's also the last one she'll be saying for a while, because after a few more seconds, her chin droops towards her chest and yes.

She has fallen asleep sitting up. ]

[hitokiller]

( a deep sense of relief settles between izou's shoulders as he realizes she's dozed off.

maybe the drink was too strong, or maybe march was simply just exhausted from all that running around. either way, it's good. it's good that she's relaxed enough to doze in front of him, and that, too, sinks deep into him as he plays lightly with her fingers. they're so much smaller and softer in comparison to his, but the calluses here and there remind him of how tightly she palms the grip of that bow.

little hands trying to hold what's beyond them in the past, and in comparison, he...

march says his hands are kind, and he says he might believe it while she's awake. ryouma, too, probably said something similar once, something about how grateful he was that the strongest man he knew was also the kindest, and the disbelief that someone could smile at him like that weighs heavy even now.

as he glances down at their hands again, the circles under his eyes are somehow darker.

their hands joined, but his, entirely red.

not for the first time, izou struggles with something fragile. maybe even afraid. )

You like 'em that much, huh.

( izou's gruff voice is little more than a murmur as he mulls on march's comment, leaning closer to where his forehead almost touches hers, slowly brushing an invisible red from his thumb across her hand.

... that said, he can't spend all night studying her at the back of the establishment like a weirdo, and so he stops. leans back and away and onto his sneakered feet, making sure his hips and knees are straight when he goes to lift her. this isn't his first time lifting a woman in neo tokyo onto his back since LILITH saw fit to give him a second life for their cause, and maybe it wouldn't be the last, but this time he's trying a good deal more to be gentle so as not to wake march. up on his back she goes, knees tucked over his arms, and his gut lurches warmly as fingers brush over her thighs.

after an unsteady breath, he's making his way out of the pub, head tilting forward and a bit more weight on his back. a chef from behind the bar starts to jeer in good fun, but only long enough for izou to regard him with the teeth-bared glare he can muster right now. shit. he might have to frequent a different joint at this rate.

with steam rising from the equipment of various street vendors setting up shop for the night, izou steps out and on towards headquarters, the sun taking no time at all to depart as the constellations start to flicker on and join their artificial brethren down in the city below. )