01 - a cassock would probably be very heavy if it were drenched like this

[paladaddy]

Who: Shiro Fujimoto, plus anyone who happens to come across him
When: Very shortly after his arrival
Where: The plaza
Style: setup is prose, but I am open to prose or action
Status: Open to everyone!

In the plaza that afternoon, there was a man. He appeared to be middle-aged, around fifty or so, though his hair had gone almost completely grey already. He was also very obviously a priest of some sort, what with his priestly garb and the rosary hanging around his neck and all.

Said old man also happens to be drenched from head-to-toe, and he doesn't look too happy about that fact.

He was very obviously confused, and he took a moment to look around and take in his surroundings, following the trails of coral to the huge piece right in the middle of the plaza. There he stopped and stared at it in disbelief. Then he took a cloth out of one of his pockets, removed his glasses, and attempted to clean the water droplets from the lenses. Of course, the cloth was wet too, so it just smeared around the water and did little to help. The man frowned at this, but he still put his glasses back on.

Finally he looked back at the big coral in the middle, and he said, "Well. This sure is...something." He was talking more to himself than anyone around him, but he could easily be heard.

He has a lot of questions, and once he's done staring in disbelief at the coral, he'll be looking for friendly faces in the crowd to bug for answers. He's still convinced this is the afterlife, though this isn't what he expected to find in heaven (or hell).

Comments

[paladaddy]

[Of course not, Rin's never been good with his words. But Rin also has no reason to lie about this, which is why Shiro is willing to believe him.]

A year, huh? No wonder you look older.

[keepsthefire]

[That's basically it.]

Yeah I'm seventeen now...

[That's two birthdays you gotta make up for, pops.]

... look, you're soaked, and standin' here explainin' shit ain't gonna be any different than goin' home and doin' it. C'mon.

[You're not gonna get a chance to argue, either, Shiro. Rin just starts walking, motioning with a hand for his father to follow him.]

[paladaddy]

[Rin has a point there too, so Shiro will just follow after him. But they can still talk while they walk!]

Who else is here? Yukio?

[He doesn't mention any other names for now though because he doesn't know just who Rin has and hasn't met.]

[keepsthefire]

Yukio was--... he might come back, I'unno. I ain't holdin' my breath. Some of my classmates... Ryuuji Suguro and Shiemi Moriyama. Mephisto...

[He says the name with quite a lot of disdain, but with a tone that indicates he's been dealing with the other demon long enough to know to just put up with him rather than be angry about it.]

Amaimon, but he's been pretty tame since he got here...

Uh, another exorcist named Night. Oh and uhm... Yuri.

[As in his mother.]

[paladaddy]

[The names Shiemi and Mephisto he recognizes, the name Suguro sounds familia but he can't quite remember why, and Amaimon just gets a nod from him. Even if Rin says Amaimon is being tame here, he's still a demon king, so Shiro is going to keep a close eye on him. Maybe his presence will be beneficial after all, it should be enough to stop a demon from trying anything.

The name Yuri, though, doesn't get much of a reaction. Mostly because Yuri is a common name and Shiro doesn't immediately connect it to Rin's mother.]

Yuri? What's their last name?

[Damn you gender-neutral names!]

[keepsthefire]

[Keeping a close eye on him isn't something Rin is going to argue with. He's even told people to send Amaimon his way if he gets too difficult. He'd rather not have his uh... older brother causing problems, if he can help it.

At the question, he clears his throat a bit.]

... Egin.

[paladaddy]

[Oh.

Oh dear.

Shiro actually stops for a moment when he hears that, because wow that's someone he hasn't seen in ages. That brings back a wave of memories and emotions Shiro wasn't expecting to have to deal with right away.]

...Ah. So you've met her, then.

[This is awkward.]

[keepsthefire]

[Rin catches him stopping over his shoulder and stops as well, giving a nod. As usual, his expression is written on his face and difficult to hide. It's still awkward for him, even after a month of her being there.]

I uh... gave her my old apartment... so she'd have a place to stay. She's been here since last month.

[He pauses, then adds:]

I didn't know, until one of my friends figured it out.

[And Kid is horridly tactless in these situations.]

[paladaddy]

...I guess she wouldn't have had any way of knowing.

[He starts walking again, trying not to betray his feelings too much there. This is a really complicated situation, and awkward doesn't even begin to touch on it.

It could possibly be even more awkward, depending on one key thing.]

Did you tell her about me? How I adopted you and Yukio, I mean.

[keepsthefire]

[Oh she knew. Rin still doesn't know how, but she knew.

But he doesn't bring that up.]

Yeah. We talked about it. She seemed happy that you'd done that.

[It wasn't a long walk to the Villa, and soon enough Rin was motioning to a house that was much bigger than the church.]

That's it.

[paladaddy]

[Someday he'll explain what happened that night, Rin. Someday.

Today is not that day.

When Shiro sees the villa, he lets out a low whistle.]

It looks like you've been doing just fine here!

[keepsthefire]

Heh... well, yeah. Kinda had to make my own life here. Wasn't that easy, but havin' stuff be free helped at first.

[He says this as he goes digging for his keys in his pockets, pulling out a small set with a couple of keychains dangling off of it.]

Ain't just me here, though. And we can probably find a room for you, too!

Oh, yeah... I got a job here. I was actually comin' home from work. You don't need a job here but it passes the time and tokens get you some better stuff.

[paladaddy]

Well I'd hope you would work, even if it's not required. Idle hands are the devil's playthings and all.

[He doesn't say yay or nay to living at the villa, though. He wants to check out the situation before he decides to take Rin up on the offer or not. On the one hand, it would feel weird to not live with his kids. On the other, Rin is clearly older and independent and might be better off living separate from his old man.]

So what do you do?

[keepsthefire]

[Giving Yuri his old place was a sign that he still wasn't all that comfortable with her yet, but it was obvious by the way he cheerfully suggested finding room for him that Rin wouldn't mind having his dad around again.

Plus after everything that happened, he's going to be pretty protective of Shiro.]

I'm a chef! Place called Golden Victory.

[paladaddy]

[This reminds him of the conversation they had that morning. Or at least it's "that morning" for him, even though it's been over a year for Rin.]

Good, good. You better watch out though, the ladies go crazy for a guy who can cook.

[keepsthefire]

Well... my girlfriend seems to like it...

[Rin looks over his shoulder just as he gets to the door, giving Shiro a dopey grin. If actually holding down a job doesn't surprise him, that probably will.

But he doesn't wait long for a reaction, unlocking the door and pushing it open as he calls out.]

I'm home!

[darkasnight]

Oi, Rin! Somethin' in the kitchen is makin' a funny sound, but I can't figure out what it is--

[Suddenly! One (1) Night appears, his tail safely tucked away as per the norm. He halts in both sentence and step when he notices the man behind Rin.]

Oh hey you brought home dinner. [TEASING...]

[paladaddy]

[This day just keeps getting better and better.

Shiro just stares at Night for a moment, trying to figure out how the hell he looks exactly like Rin. Maybe another one of Rin's half-brothers? Shiro doubts that this is Amaimon, Rin sounded uneasy when he mentioned him.

He's going to get an explanation in a second anyway, so he'll take this moment to have a bit of fun.]

When you said you had a girlfriend, I wasn't expecting this. You're more self-adsorbed than I thought.

[keepsthefire]

Damn it, Night, don't joke like that! And what'd you break this--

[Wait what did Shiro just say?

Rin sputters and wheels on his father.]

DAD! C'mon, that ain't funny!

[darkasnight]

[Shirou's comment doesn't even phase him. If anything he just grins.] Hey now, you could hurt my feelings sayin' something like that, old man. [A snicker]

[Oh, 'dad'? Night looks over at Rin and crosses his arms over his chest.] Too bad his sense of humor didn't rub off on you, kid.

[paladaddy]

And you could hurt my feelings by saying you're going to eat me.

[But it's okay, Night. Shiro already likes you.]

Are either of you going to explain just what's going on here? More time bullshit?

[keepsthefire]

[Rin just huffs, motioning at Night first.]

Dad, this is Night. Night, this is Fujimoto Shiro, my adoptive dad. Night's the other exorcist I mentioned, so no, it's not "time bullshit".

[And another huff, just to show how irritated he is at the two of you. Really...]

I'm gonna go find Maka...

[darkasnight]

Alright, that's fair.

[Ah, so he was right in his suspicions.] Paladin Fujimoto. [It was impossible to be an exorcist and not know of this guy.] It's an honor to finally meet you. I heard great things about you. [From before your death and from Rin. At least he's being somewhat more polite now.]

I think she's in the library, Rin.

[paladaddy]

[It doesn't really explain how Night and Rin have the same face, but he'll accept that for now. He's kind of overwhelmed with information as it is.

But he is sizing up Night now.]

If this house is full of kids, then you're probably the closest in size to me. I need a change of clothes until mine dry.

[Because he's not going to stand around in wet clothes all day.]

[darkasnight]

[It's forever a mystery.]

Fine by me. [He starts to turn away.] You can follow me back to my room if you want. Or you can stand at the front door and drip everywhere. Your choice.