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(no subject)

Who: Severus Snape and OPEN
Location: Near the coral reef
Time: February 1, early evening
Style: Prose
Status: OPEN

Severus Snape would be loath to admit it but he was curious - curious about the strange reef that he had come to realize he had to touch once in awhile or else he would suffer the side effects he had seen in others. The Potions Master had no desire to pass out or something of that sort so he dutifully made trips to the reef.

On this occasion, though, he was feeling restless. Examining the organism in the past had not revealed it to be anything more to him than a simple coral reef. Of course, he knew his senses were deceiving him on this front.

Adding to his sense of unrest was how little contact he had had with others. As much as he liked to pretend he was able to live without human contact it was something that all humans needed from time to time and he was no exception. He had found himself a comfortable loft to reside at but no real companions or associates. So now he found himself at the reef, his critical gaze mulling over it and his present situation.

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It was also James' day to touch the coral. He was feeling happier today especially since he'd managed to make his wife very happy on her birthday. He'd half expected to see Snape around more so when he saw he, he walked over to greet him with a smile.

"Hey!"

Knowledge of James making Lily happy would not brighten Severus's day. He knew that it was Lily's birthday - how could he not remember something like that? Still, that was not at the forefront of his mind right then - James's approach and his cheerful demeanor made Severus suspicious. The smile on the other's face was met with a wary look.

"Hello."

"I thought I would have seen you around more. Especially last week. Where have you been?" James reached out to touch the coral, sighing in relief. "That's better."

Severus fixed James with a deadpan look. "Potter, when have I been one to be around for no reason?"

He turned his head back to the reef. "I have been doing as I wish and being where I wish. And you?"

"No reason yes. But last week there was reason, unless you forgot it was Lily's birthday." James shrugged. "I haven't been doing much. Shopping, flying, trying to occupy my time. I even went looking for you at one point."

He gave James a half shrug. To be honest he hadn't known what to do with regard to Lily's birthday - he hadn't seen her or talked to her since he had arrived.

"Looking for me? Why?"

"I got bored and thought maybe we could talk or something." James shrugged back, sitting down by the coral. "We're both dead, why should we still be enemies?"

"About?"

Your notions of 'friendship' and 'talking' are not really anything Severus is interested in - yet - James. With no reason to trust James or to care one way or the other about him he doesn't feel much motivation to be chummy.

"We might be dead, Potter, but I really don't see much of a reason for us to associate with each other."

Severus Snape did not do anything without a reason - idle talk and aimless activity did not entice him or his logical mind. Even dead, Severus had little desire to stray from the way of thinking he had had in life.

More shrugging. "I don't know. But to me, it's living here or being dead at home. And if I'm living here, I want to get along with the people I've living with. That includes you."

"I thought we were getting along just fine. We haven't hexed each other yet. What else do you want? Do you wish to start picking out China patterns or curtains?"

Severus could not understand James's obsession with him. They were getting along as far as he was concerned - they weren't attempting to kill or even maim each other. That was getting along in the older wizard's book.

"I guess." Maybe he was just taking this a little fast. After all, their relationship at home was very strained. He couldn't expect it to change overnight.

"Okay then. I guess you'll want me to go then."

He rolled his eyes. "Whether you stay or go is entirely your own decision. However, I will not ask you to do either."

After a moment, Severus turned his gaze again to the coral. "You're happy being here - living in ignorance of why you have been pulled here or by what or even how. I cannot rest so easily."

James sighed and was about to leave when Snape spoke again. The words stirred something in him and felt he had respond.

"I am happy. I have my wife and my friends. If I go looking for a way home I might find it. And then I'll just be dead. At least here I can have a life." He paused, wanting to extent his hand to Snape again but not finding the right words. "Maybe I can fix whatever was broken between us too. Seems to me we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying."

Then he turned to leave again, letting Snape do and think what he wanted.

"You have a life here but is it real? Is this a real life? I went to my death believing I would find peace. Instead I found myself here." He sighed and then shrugged. "I was ready to face my end. Waking up here and being reliant on a choral isn't something I thought I would be encountering in the afterlife."

James stopped again. And he thought Snape didn't want to talk to him. Turning, he walked back to answer and continue.

"It's real to me. And really, Snape, do you think about the afterlife so much that this doesn't please you? Wouldn't you want to have a second chance with the people you've wronged? Like Lily for example?" Shrugging, he also sighed. "If you want to find a way home, you do that. But let me live in ignorance."

"Unlike most, I have not been blessed with the ability to just 'go along' with things. As for Lily - I am happy she is happy here. I'm glad to be able to see her again. But what is my purpose here? Why was I brought here? Why do I remain? Is this supposed to be Heaven or is this just a place in between the world of the living and the world of the dead? Or is this all just an illusion? In this place my life is being governed by forces and rules I don't understand. I want to understand."

"I'm not telling you what to do. If you need to understand, then go forth and understand. But leave me and Lily out of it. Please."

He turned to go one last time, but had one last thing to say. "It was nice to have a civil conversation with you."

"Did I ever say that I wanted to bring you or Lily into it? I'm just explaining to you why I am not so laid back and at ease as you are here."

Severus gave a slight shrug at James's words before turning back to the coral. "You and I are very different. We are from very different worlds and families. I will not be your 'buddy' overnight here but I am more than willing to be civil and, perhaps, with time, we can be something approaching... friends."

James nodded.

"I look forward to that day."

And then he walked off before Snape could call him back yet again.

Severus just shook his head and went back to studying the coral. Severus would never understand James and he was happy to keep it that way.

Snape wasn't alone in mulling over the coral, not too far away was a man with steel blue hair, wearing a hooded black leather coat which currently was open all the way so as to allow the man to sit down on his heels while studying the glowing creation before him.

Despite all Zexion had learned about what the coral was capable of, just what it was beyond coral, and how it got here and how it became to be capable of it's abilities... those answers remained out of reach and still very much a mystery to him.

It didn't take long for Severus to catch sight of Zexion out of the corner of his eye. The other man certainly did stand out with that blue hair - made him hard to miss. Another thing that made Zexion stand out was that he was looking at the coral in much the same way Severus had been. A like-minded inhabitant of this underwater prison? Perhaps.

"It is rather... perplexing, isn't it?" he commented, motioning to the reef in front of them.

"Quite." Zexion replied lifting his gaze up away from the coral before him to the man who'd spoken to him. "I've learned a little more about what it's capable of recently, but not how it's capable of doing it or... more importantly how it's capable of doing what it does." And really it was that last thing that he was most interested in, if he was going to attempt to reproduce a specific curse affect upon specific people.

Standing up properly, he crossed his arms loosely over his chest as he turned to actually face the man properly. "My name is Zexion. Might I ask yours?"

Manners, he has them.

"Severus Snape," the wizard clad in black replied. "It sounds as though our thoughts are the same. How and why? How does it do what it does and why? Why is it even here?"

Unlike most here, Severus could not leave well enough alone. He had to know the truth - living a lie or accepting the unbelievable were not things he could go along with.

Amaterasu was a frequent visitor of Lamufao, having developed a fondness for it and feeling it to be one of her own kin, in a way. A spirit, though this one took form of coral. It gave them safety.

So on Ammy's regular visit, she notices someone else examining it. Though he probably wasn't visiting the coral for the sake of visiting the coral, his interest was something she was happy to see. She trotted right up to Snape, panting and wagging her tail in happiness.

It took a moment for Severus to notice what he perceived as a large dog at his side. When he did he took a few steps back, scowling. "I don't have any food for you. Go away."

There was something about the animal which put him on guard - something spiritual or magical about it. Severus had never been fond of magical creatures or plants unless they were dead and being used for potions. He didn't trust their fickle minds and whims.

Ammy tilted her head a bit. Was he afraid of animals? Either way, she didn't do much to pressure him. Instead, she tried to give him a show of friendliness by making a flower bloom at his feet.

Severus looked to his feet and let out a soft gasp. The sight was something he had seen only one other do - Lily. It was enough to cause him to take a few steps back.

"What are you?"

In response, she seems to smile, and looks down at the ground. Ink appears, slowly drawing a circle. Then, lines radiating from it... a sun?

Now, dry Denzel was wandering around still with Atomic Fairy Incacertor still on his back. However, the man found himself growing oddly tired. Which he was positive was age. Actually, Crocker was going to stand and take a breather from all of his walking before he saw that glowing coral. His natural curiosity with magic brought him right over to the glowing coral, like a moth to a flame as he began to circle the glowing coral, "I wonder how this works."

For some reason beyond any sanity way of thinking touches the glowing coral only to find his strenght restored, Denzel's eyes widen and he jolts back before slowly inching his way back to the glowing coral, touching that again, however this time nothing seems to have changed, "Oh, fiddle sticks!"

If anyone was to look beyond his glasses lenses and into his eyes, you could see the mechanics of his insanity at work. He knew this was magic but what kind was another thing altogether, his eyebrows lift, "Mmm. I have a feeling I'm being watched..."

Edited 2012-02-05 20:52 (UTC)

Severus raised an eyebrow as the other man approached. He was an odd looking sort - not that Severus had much room to talk. His company was so preoccupied by the coral in front of him that he did not seem to notice the wizard who was also standing there. That was until Severus heard him speak.

"A feeling one becomes accustomed to in this place."

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