[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

[hitokiller]

Same thing as here. Cut down everything and everyone I'm told to.

( he says so with a casual swish of his cup, as if it were as routine as putting away laundry or cooking dinner. )

Histories that aren't 'sposed to exist needed to be culled and all that. Some of 'em even felt similar to this.

( though he was a part of a group back in the day, enacting divine punishment on friends and traitors alike, not that that part of his history seems as pressing to bring up.

in the lull between answering her question and his next one, gaze lifting lazily from his hand towards the bentou boxes arranged neatly: )

Is there some sorta etiquette we gotta attend to, or can we just dig in?

[bowtography]

Histories that weren't supposed to exist, huh... I guess I should be glad they didn't ask you to take care of this one.

[ Like, this isn't March's historical point, exactly, but she might not have ever met this guy if circumstances hadn't occurred to have their paths cross here. And that... she'd said it before, hadn't she? That at least this was the timeline she'd met him in.

But she nods at the boxes, voice lilted in amusement. ]

You might know that better than I do! I was just figuring we dig in.

[ Case in point, she's picking up one of the boxes to offer it to him. ]

[hitokiller]

( oh, yeah. i am playing the japanese character here... )

Just wanted to check 'n make sure there wasn't somethin' you did, given you're the one who brought the food.

( he clumsily accepts the box when offered, undoing the string only disassemble it piece-by-piece.

there's far more packed in here than would ever be during meal-time at the okada household, and while he isn't too concerned about the fact that most of it was surely manufactured or artificially grown at this point, it doesn't stop him from taking a little moment to gawk over it all. )

Typically folks say their thanks before eatin', but I can't say I care whether anyone adheres to the usual tedium or not. Not in the year... 2277, was it? A meal's a meal whether you're grateful for it. Before that, though...

( before that. he's starting to feel the press of her presence again, or maybe just... an awkwardness that's beholden only to him as he isn't too used to stuff like this.

maybe it's a waste of time, and maybe he doesn't have a good eye for this sort of thing despite the advice, but his hand reach for his bag after deftly placing his cup down so as not to spill any sake, parting the plastic to expose a neatly wrapped package. so neat that it couldn't have possibly been done by him and his hands so stained by violence.

peeling back the cloth reveals a wooden frame fashioned with pressed flowers tucked primly in every corner, though it's a wonder as to whether they're truly authentic what with genuine vegetation being a scarce resource at this point.

his heart pulses in his throat and his hands feel clammy, but...

izou still manages to hold out the frame to her, glancing away. )

Don't know if you'll like it, but... I got ya something.

[bowtography]

[ March is in the process of tugging loose the string on her own box when Izou interrupts her current plans; although slightly puzzled when he pulls the package out, she doesn't immediately ask questions, instead waiting with the patience she's really only possessed when she knows the kind of person she's dealing with.

To say she expected any kind of present from him would be a flat-out lie and for a minute, she's so surprised by it, not the nature of it, but by the fact that Izou, guy who told her he wasn't really worth giving gifts to, went out of his way to get her something in return.

After a few more seconds, March rests the box in her lap and reaches out to take the frame from him, running her fingers very lightly and carefully over the corners. The fact that it's not just something like a cute plush or something pink doesn't escape her notice; this is something that alludes specifically to her love of photography, isn't it? And the flowers are such a cute touch and--

Her breath finally escapes her, belatedly, sounding a little hushed. He was thinking of her. ]

You don't know if I'll like it? Izou, it's perfect. [ Where does she put this? What does she put in it? It's such a cute frame?? It could go on her desk. It's just so thoughtful that it makes her throat close up slightly, even as she can't seem to stop smiling. Honestly, the only thing keeping her from hugging it closer to her chest is that it's a frame. ]

Thank you so much!! I'll definitely treasure it, but it means you're going to have to stop by again to see it once I know what sort of picture to put in this!

[hitokiller]

( against his better judgement, izou looks over as soon as he hears her enthusiasm, that "it's perfect" chipping away at the wall he fashions between them with greater expertise than a blade ever could to his flesh.

but it's that smile of hers that makes his chest tense up. a smile that might as well be brighter than any flower in their immediate vicinity, or at least from izou's perspective, the sight of it twisting something fond in him more than it did a month ago. every bit of her feels so accepting and as he keeps on stumbling into it, clumsily, wanting more, she gives it to him freely and with purpose. how can she be so... )

It's for what you got me the other day.

( izou nods slowly, reaching over both their boxes to fill his cup out of habit.

the invitation into her room again takes him aback, and before he can stop himself or make sense of everything running through his head, it spills from his mouth: )

I don't mind comin' by again, but... you sure you're okay with a man like me bein' in your room so often?

[bowtography]

I told you, you didn't have to repay me or anything...

[ Well, but if his stubbornness is anything like hers, you can say something so many times and someone will still decide to do what they want, without feeling obligated to. Which isn't to say she thinks he did this just because he wanted to, maybe actually that he did feel like he ought to return the favor... it's difficult to say, really. But there's not really a point in dwelling on his reasons now, especially when he'd said it himself: that this was in exchange for the scarf. ]

But yeah, of course I don't mind. As long as it's not, like, three in the morning, you're welcome to come visit whenever. If it's you, I've got no problem with it. [ So often, he says, when it's only been once and he'd stood there as though he'd deeply desired to be anywhere else at that moment. If he says he doesn't mind dropping by, isn't that also positive development? ]

--Oh, actually!

[ The thought occurs to her, a kind of oh, duh moment, and March bends her wrist to beckon him closer with quick, fluttering gestures. The frame is placed down beside her with the utmost of care and she picks up her camera, one-handed. ]

Lean in for just a few seconds, okay? I don't have any pictures with you, so this is the perfect opportunity! [ And then she can just stick that one in the frame, an extra reminder of the person who'd given it to her. ]

[hitokiller]

Another photograph?

( no. he wouldn't show up at three in the morning. something like that would mean, he...

—time for a generous sip of sake to dash the thought of what the sheets on her bed must feel like. smell like, even. something nice, like fresh linen and sunshine and whatever else came to mind when he recalled the landscape of her room in rose-colored trinkets and fairy lights scattered along the wall like fireflies in summer.

if it's you.

izou downs the rest of that cup so quick that it goes burning down his throat. )

G... Guess I could take another.

( he says while stifling a cough, the lean-in towards her smaller frame somewhat stiff. regardless of the time they've spent together and acclimating izou when it came to hand-holding, this sort of closeness... this casual intimacy—he still isn't completely used to it yet.

his free hand feels awkward just sitting on his knee, though. what did oryou do during... right. izou raises it in a crumpled sort of peace sign, too sheepish over the act to raise each finger properly. a photo of them together, where everyone else can see it. )

[bowtography]

If I can't have multiple photographs of my friends, then I'm slacking and not in the fun way.

[ And March says this with a laugh, head tipped towards his. It's definitely close proximity right now, so she'll try to keep it brief. He'll have to get used to it, but for now, him agreeing to another one is a far cry from the amount of pestering she'd had to put him through to get him to come out and pose for one the first time.

It feels like... a lot's changed since then, in ways she can and can't quite define.

There are other things to think about, though, and March moves her free hand to gently nudge at Izou's bent fingers, bumps them a little straighter before she flashes a wink at the camera. Two peace signs! ]

And there we go!

[hitokiller]

( and nudged they are, making for the perfect picture.

he thinks, in the moment, of how many people are going to see it. tries to recall the faces on the ones that'd already been pinned up next to the picture she'd badgered him into taking nearly two months ago, that already feeling like an eternity from now. would they be the only two in a pair? no... no, not when her profile on the network frequently featured a cute selfie of her and malkuth, but malkuth wasn't someone he needed to worry about. malkuth, who commented on march's confidence and how... how soft her skin was, stating they were just friends.

but then it settles, the fact that he's puzzling over who might be closer to march on that wall than him.

that he wants to be one of the closest, and then he fidgets slightly. protecting people was easy. killing, even easier. but this... )

You're real tenacious about this wall of yers. But, ... even I'm lookin' forward to this one.

( a bentou tray is back on his lap after regaining some distance, and he playfully clacks his chopsticks in her direction before gently separating portions of artificial meat and plopping them unceremoniously in his mouth. clouds move across the sky above them at a reasonable clip, making for a right fine picnic. )