( open. ) someone kneels and prays / amongst the wisteria / silence tells of pain.

[skirm]

WHO: Wanderer and YOU.
WHAT: Urban Legend number ▊▊▊ "The Ghost of a Kabuki Dancer", friendly but perhaps aggressive sparring, among others.
WHERE: Akasaka's Hikawa Shrine, Greenhouse, Simulation Arena, Brimstone Hallway.
WHEN: Throughout the month of December.
WARNINGS: None as of now!



000 — 『藤娘』 FUJIMUSUME
TAKES PLACE SOMETIME AT NIGHT BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 00:00 TO 6:00 AT AKASAKA'S HIKAWA SHRINE

( hearsay has it that between midnight and sunrise, the faint sound of shamisen can be heard coming from a shrine far, far from lilith's base. no one knows when it starts or when it ends, for the time always varies, as though a performance not meant to be heard or seen. if one catches sight of it —

for the month of december, hikawa shrine is decorated with artificial wisteria. the vocals, shamisen and percussion seem almost pre-recorded, for they are; there's no ensemble or choir to be seen, and the only attraction is a performer at the center of a worn-out stage. adorned in a purple kimono equally decorated with wisteria, their face is slightly obscured by a silky, and just as purple katsugi that sits atop their head. the performance itself is breathtaking, almost as though done by something inhuman. a doll, or even a puppet, with its delicate and precise movements, yet with unfocused eyes, as though this performance, too, is automated.

if he catches sight of you watching him dance, however, the performance will come to a halt, together with the music. maybe he recognizes you from lilith's base, maybe you're even in the same team — whatever the reason, the mysterious performer looks none too pleased, angry almost. as though his privacy had been infringed upon. )

You shouldn't be here. Leave.

( ... or, if he does not, in fact, catch you watching his performance, you'll be one of the lucky few to have watched it in full. the performer bows to no one in particular, and begins to collect the few props used to bring them inside the shrine's storehouse. you may help him, if you wish, or approach him to speak of his performance. you may even simply sit back and watch him from afar, but whatever you decide to do — he will notice, eventually, and be none too happy about your presence there. )

001 — Chorus of Desert and Wood
MAIN BASE: GREENHOUSE — VARYING TIMES OF THE DAY

( sumeru's rainforests became something ever-similar to home, if he were to have one. calming, soothing, comforting. inazuma's have always been too gloomy for his taste, the suffocating air of electro a reminder of his origins. snezhnaya's, too frigid, lacking in foliage most of the time. sumeru's have spoiled him, for when wanderer visits the greenhouse for the first time, he finds the air... unsatisfying.

as though it's not real, as man-made as he is. his eyes narrow in dissatisfaction.

there are many plants he does not recognize, and in spite of the warnings not to touch them, wanderer does hold the leaves between his fingers. it would be fine, probably, immune to poison as he is, artificial as they are. the texture, too, isn't half as soft and moist as the trees and plants of sumeru. the homesickness this all provides him is exhausting. what's the point of missing something that isn't his, anyways?

wanderer clicks his tongue at his own annoyance, making way for one of the caretaker robots to walk past him. he spots, then, you, visiting the greenhouse for whatever reason. though it is not like wanderer to make small talk — )

Being here is pointless. What's the point of a greenhouse if none of these are real? How meaningless.

( ... can you tell he's in a bad mood. )

002 — (shouki no kami voice) Bow before me, worm!
MAIN BASE: SIMULATION ARENA

( though not much interests wanderer around lilith's main base or neo-tokyo in general, the simulation arena, at the very least, had caught his eye. he had used it once, before, on their first briefing and simulation trial. it had felt real enough, and though he does not speak much of how he decided to approach the situation, it stayed in the back of his mind.

he could use it for training, probably. to kill time. the other recruits should have strengths, abilities, skills and powers of their own, from different places, different worlds. though wanderer is hardly as obsessed with fighting and challenging others as a certain someone he knows... he's not against it, the thrill of a fight well fought.

the hows, whys and whens aren't necessary. what matters is that seok had granted him and his sparring mate entry into the simulation arena, and standing ways before his opponent, wanderer couldn't help but wield a grin all familiar to times of old, when he had a rank within a certain group, and a name to call himself. though he has changed considerably in certain areas, he is, unfortunately, still as arrogant as they come. )

There's still time to turn back and give up, you know. It'd be understandable if you did, and foolish if not. No worries, I won't tell anyone.

( the tone of his voice is clearly mocking. does wanderer look like he's any trustworthy like this? )

note: since fighting threads aren't everyone's cup of tea, we can try and handwave most if not all of it. i don't mind writing it out, and mind even less having wan-chan's ass be kicked!

003 — JUST MEOW MEOW
MAIN BASE: BRIMSTONE HALLWAY — VARYING TIMES OF THE DAY

( it hasn't taken too long for wanderer to adapt to the abrupt change from his daily life to... this. whatever this is. it's an overall different atmosphere, from the green life that embraced sumeru to a technology-packed city that reeked, for the most part, of something ever-similar to inazuma.

it has, however, been taking him a considerate amount of time to adapt to this: a room filled with cats that have been following him for what feels like days now. he has tried to scare them off - it didn't work. he has tried to give them bowls of food somewhere far - they found him, still. he has even flown high and far, to no avail. over and over the cats find him, and it'd be fine, really, it would. if they didn't yell so much. therefore, cue the situation:

wanderer, annoyed at their incessant yapping, locks them outside of his door. they scratch at it, five cats trying to fit next to each other as they meow meow meow. eventually he opens it, throws some cat food at the middle of the hallway, and closes his door. a couple of minutes later they return, and resume their yelling.

he only has so much patience for this much noise - cue, again, the way his door is thrown open. )

I'm not going to let you back in until you all shut up with your crying! Go elsewhere and leave me alone, dammit!

( ... yes, the 500ish years old puppet is arguing with five cats. what about it. )

004 — WILDCARD

feel free to write me a prompt if we've discussed anything, or even if not! this will be a general catch-all for december shenanigans, so anything goes!

Comments

two gremlins oblivious to the future (blocking and getting blocked)

[skirm]

( ... whatever that means. bold words from someone who looks twenty-five at best. he has met his fair share of... fake bitches, yes. just take a look at the fatui. not one of them is sincere and honest.

childe not included, but every group of friends needs its token idiot. )

Does it not? Then what does it make of it?

( the pessimist would think that there's no point, if every person they'll come across will likely be out to use them, backstab them, or manipulate them in some way. how would one find meaning in life, and how would it not drive them to isolate themselves from society, to nurture a suffocating amount of trust issues? )

knowing what's going to happen in the future is hilarious ngl

[plagiarists]

I'm not here to babysit you or give you all the answers, you know. Fuck around and find out yourself.

[ Sooyoung stretches her arms and yawns as if she wasn't interested in deep conversations about the meaning of life despite taking Wanderer's bait earlier. ]

For example, you just meet another fake bitch. [ At least she's self-aware... yes, she serves as the example here. ] How does this affect your life? You don't know anything about the person. There's no connection. Why would you care about her? Just let the bitch be. It's your life and you can do anything you want.

[skirm]

( that... does annoy him a little, but wanderer will simply ignore it. why engage in conversation if you're not willing to answer a simple question? geez.

(guy who doesn't realize he does the exact same thing, anyway.)

but at the very least, sooyoung does keep talking, and though he does see what point she's trying to make... if only life was ever that easy. )

And if said bitch forces themselves into my life? That's already a connection. You really think these kind of people know how to leave others be?

( dishonest people never know how to mind their business, and just want to make others around them comfortable. striving in watching misfortunate befall others... this conversation is just bound to annoy him more than anything. )

Life isn't hardly as simple as you make it sound. Though I suppose that's the viewpoint of a bitch?

[plagiarists]

You think bitches are so desperate to cling to you? [ Spoken like a true bitch. Sooyoung sprawls herself on the bench just in case Wanderer wanted to sit down or something. Maybe there's no risk at all but better safe than sorry. ] You want me to leave you be now?

[ This action will have consequences. ]

Who said that life's simple? I didn't.

[ Does she really need to confirm that she's a bitch here. ]