01

[votively]

Who: Calcedny and you
Where: Plaza
When: 9th, early morning
Style: Either
Status: Open

[A boy clad in armor (sans the wings and sword) prowls the plaza. His hair is slightly damp, dried from his initial plunge, and he holds a towel in his left hand. He wanders aimlessly about the Lamufao, eyes searching with pursed lips. He checks every nook and cranny, eventually returning to visited spots for a second, third, fourth attempt, all of which clearly prove fruitless.

A native strides up and plants a calendar in Calcedny's hands. He studies the calendar, bemused.]

Wait, this isn't—

[With a toothy grin and a boisterous "you're welcome," the native leaves.

Calcedny straightens, then exhales deeply through his nose. His shoulders are squared, tense. Though he takes cares not to disturb the passersby, his frustration is obvious, underlined by a scowl as he looks around for the umpteenth time.]

Where is it?

Comments

on hiatus, but I will absolutely break for this ~ will be really slow though.

[spiria]

[ It had just seemed like a normal day for Kohaku. Really. She was wandering through the Plaza, minding her own business, when suddenly, she felt something ... frightening.

No, really. It was terrifying. And she didn't know why.

Kohaku wasn't one to let that get her down, though. So, she continued on her (now not so) merry way. And then! And then ... and then she saw him.

Calcedny.

Something within her knew she should have been ridiculously happy to see someone else from her world, but instead, what filled her was ... more fear.

Okay, this is weird. But surely, it couldn't have been caused by Cal, right?

Right. Let's go say hello!

Kohaku started to make her way over to bug the ever so disgruntled Cal, but as she started getting near, she started feeling more of a sense of dread. For whatever reason, she didn't want to get near him ... finally, it got to be so suffocating that she started backing off, finding a place to hide behind for the time being.

Kohaku bit her lip. This was so weird! Calcedny was a friend, right? Why would she be reacting like this?

So, with the idea in mind that something was terribly, horribly wrong ... Kohaku did the only thing she really could do in such a situation.

Call her heroic derp of a boyfriend. ]

[livingvessel]

[Ilya's back in the Plaza again, searching for more things to populate her apartment with, when she sees someone walking around the coral. She doesn't pay it much mind, but as she reappears in front of the coral while weaving through the stores, she sees him still there and still walking around the Plaza. And even after she finishes her shopping for the day, the boy is still there. He seems like he's looking around in the same places - maybe he's searching for something?

In any case, he's amusing to watch. She continues to watch him for a little while until she decides to go up to him, because maybe she should help him for being entertaining to watch.]

Are you looking for something?

[votively]

[He feels dirty. Dirty in the sense that a knight of the church should be pristine, composed, and knowing; and he's none of those things right now, with his wetness and anxiety. Calcedny looks at the girl in the middle of his inspection of the ground beside the Lamufao, the calendar and towel still in his left grasp.

He has been here for a rather long time. His pride falters and he unbends his knees slightly to gain height, before there's a pause and he stands entirely.]

. . . not anymore. It doesn't seem to be here.

♥ no problem

[votively]

[ Something in him stirs. There's the distinct feeling of being watched (but of course he is, he's roaming around aimlessly in the same spots like a fool). Calcedny snaps his head up. A quick look around doesn't give him worthwhile eye contact with a possible suspect.

But he's sure of it.

Standing tall, he now wanders to find the culprit. Either his intuition or sheer luck proves well, since he's headed right toward the area Kohaku has hid herself away. Not directly to her, though close enough. ]

[livingvessel]

Hm, that's too bad...

[She gives a small frown and a shrug. It must be something rather important, if he's been spending so long looking for it. But since he's holding his towel, maybe he's new and it got lost in transit?]

What is it that's not here?

[votively]

[He's not entirely up for sharing, especially on something so personal. So he'll be vague.]

A certain piece of ornament. It must have been misplaced elsewhere.

[livingvessel]

[Well, that's not very descriptive. She frowns; it must be something special, but she can't really help him if he's not willing to give details... so much for being charitable.

Although that doesn't stop her from asking more questions!]

You mean, like when you got brought here?

[votively]

[He nods.]

That seems to be the case. Unless . . . [it was during the fight? That's even worse. Everything about his encounter with Meteoryte is infuriating; and thinking about it shows, with the way his brows furrow.]

Well, I have no way of knowing until it's actually found.

[spiria]

[ Kohaku could feel her breathing become ragged and heavy, the closer that Calcedny moves toward her. Soon, it came to a point where she couldn't even think clearly; every bit of her told her she needed to just get farther away from him. And yet, she couldn't seem to make herself move.

What was this? Was she sick? It was Calcedny. Calcedny shouldn't be giving her this sort of reaction. He was a friend. Someone who she and Shing eventually came to trust, back home. There was no reason for her to be so afraid of him!

And yet, she was. So much, in fact, that she couldn't move from the place she was in, despite knowing that she wanted to run as far away from him as she possibly could. ]

[votively]

[ He knows for truth that there's another presence, now, with the slightest breath he hears when he quiets his step. And something in him flares, just a little, at how there is another one deliberately concealing oneself. Spying and then running. What manner is there in that?

Calcedny plants a firm booted foot forward (he's still a fair distance from Kohaku's spot), and speaks sternly: ]

You there—show yourself. What business do you have hiding?

[spiria]

[ Even if she wanted to stand up (which, some small part of her that was still coherent did), Kohaku was far too paralyzed in her sudden and odd fear of Calcedny to even move. She hugs herself tightly, curling up and withdrawing into herself as much as she possibly could while somehow managing to miraculously stay standing.

She could hear him. And while some part of her was glad that he was there, something within her was screaming that the fact that he was here was very, very wrong.

Kohaku couldn't understand. She couldn't even begin to understand; her entire being was completely incoherent and muddled with her absolute terror of the fact that Calcedny was here, and headed toward her, even if he had stopped for the time being.

Shing, get here quick. Please!

It was the only prominent thought in her mind at the moment. ]

[oursomalink]

--Kohaku? Kohakuuuu--!

[ so this is a Shing arriving at the plaza, like he'd promised her. Though he frowns; where was she? Did she disappear somewhere...?

That wasn't like her at all... his brows crease worriedly as he looks some more, before he spots Chalcedny and stops a distance away from him. ]

--! Cal! So you are here, after all...

[votively]

[ The voice, coupled with the unwelcome usage of his nickname, snap Calcedny out of his stern front. He whirls on his feet, scowling; tense. ]

Meteoryte . . . !?

[ While he doesn't forget that there's someone hiding from him, for the time being, Shing has the most of his attention. ]

[spiria]

[ The moment she hears Shing, it's enough incentive for her to get up from her hiding spot and run over to him. ]

Shing!

[ And she does just that; with that call of her name, she's suddenly running over toward him and clinging to him tightly, her entire body trembling as though she had experienced something truly terrifying.

And as far as she was concerned, she had. She just didn't know what that was, exactly. ]

[oursomalink]

Kohaku--?!

[ DERF. Between having Cal's attention and suddenly having his lover clinging to him, Shing was more or less incredibly confused as to what was going on here, and it shows. ]

Hey--? What happened? Cal, what did you do--?

[ He may be shifting into a defensive position in the occasion that Cal decides to attack them both... ]

[votively]

What—

[ That girl is . . . He only saw her a handful of times, but to think she would sound and look so energetic—

He turns his impending scorn to Shing, his expression still severe. ]

I should be asking the same of you. That girl . . . Something about her is different.

Moreover, who gave you permission to use that name?

[spiria]

[ Having Shing around and being a little farther away from Cal helped a bit with the clarity of her current mindset. While she was still obviously terrified, being able to cling to Shing right now was helping her to be able to think at least somewhat clearly. ]

H-He did nothing, Shing ...

[ She takes a deep, shuddering breath. ]

I don't know ... why I'm so scared. I-It happens when Calcedny is near, though ...

[ She looks up at Shing, tears in her eyes. ]

Something's wrong. I-I don't know what, but It's really scary ...

[ She wants to say something to Cal, too, but she can't seem to bring herself to do it. Not when he's inadvertently causing her so much terror. ]

[oursomalink]

Really? That...

[ Shing frowns, looking between her and Cal; this was just getting more confusing by the minute. Brushing away some of the tears in her eyes, he pauses as he glances at Cal, trying to answer his questions.

Somehow, he got the feeling that this was gonna be a long day. ]

How is she different? Kohaku's still herself, right?

And... you didn't seem to mind when I called you that...

[votively]

[ That is far, far more personality from the girl than he has ever seen or even heard, and that sparks a great deal of suspicion in him. But she has done no wrong, so Calcedny keeps his cross gaze on Shing; his glances at Kohaku are more tender, if distant. ]

Hmph, and now you resort to lying? You really are a child.

[ But his name is hardly the main concern here. ]

As for her, even you should realize the difference from before. Unless—[ and his scowl deepens as something from the welcoming guide suddenly jumps out at him. He falls quiet. ] . . . That . . .

[oursomalink]

I'm not lying, Cal! It's not like you--

[ ... hey, wait a minute. Wasn't there something that he'd learned about this place when he first arrived--? ]

... Cal? What's the last thing you remember before you arrived here?

[votively]

[ . . . He elected to ignore it earlier, but with how frequently he's hearing it, he can't help snapping: ] Calcedny.

And while you're in no position to be asking questions of me, I suppose it's for the best. We battled for that girl's Spirune.

[ A deliberate pause. ]

But you're from after, aren't you? She, as well.

[oursomalink]

[ ... well. THAT explained a lot.

So this Cal's from that far back, huh? Shing slowly nods in response, unconsciously holding Kohaku's hand tighter. ]

Y-yeah. That was a long time ago for the both of us...

[votively]

[ But if anything, this revelation causes Calcedny to further showcase his obvious disapproval. Or at least, scorn, and his words carry more force—and a smidgen of something accusatory. ]

Then let me ask you . . . Why is she in that condition?

[ It's obvious Shing had gone against advised and tried to do more for Kohaku. Yet now she cowers and trembles. She had said that something about himself caused this, but nonetheless—what does the childish Shing have to say? ]

[spiria]

[ Kohaku was merely listening, but it hit her all of a sudden. Oh, well ... that ... might be it. She still can't say a word to Calcedny, but she can talk to Shing, and maybe he'd understand, too. After all, he got this information pretty easily ... ]

S-Shing ...

[ She looked up to him. Tears are still in her eyes, despite his best efforts to wipe them away. ]

Shing, he .. he still has the shards ..

[ And her spirune was reacting to the duplicates that he had of shards that were already inside of her. Her spiria was going all out of whack. In a way, she was experiencing a form of Despir.

That had to be it. ]

[oursomalink]

The shards...?

[ Shing frowns, trying to soothe her; what was she talking about? He had enough of a mind to just drag her home and help soothe away her fears--

... and then it hits him. Cal said they were fighting over her Spirune, right? Which Spirune shard did they fight with him over--

Did he still--? ]

... her Spirune's completed. Then...

[ Now that's he's done talking to himself-ish, he turns to Cal. ]

... do you still have her Shyness Spirune shard? It would explain everything; it's messing with her Spiria!