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Who: Rin and Izumo
When: April 23rd
Where: The Island
Status: Closed.

[Izumo had just spoken to the station master, and was quite frankly, terrified as a result of it. Asking her to the meeting was one thing, but specifically asking her not to bring her SFC was what drove it over the line.

It wasn't just paranoia. That was what she told herself. Being pulled to this place against her will had been bad enough. Narrowly avoiding drowning, being told her health relied on some strange alien coral, and now being asked to attend a gathering without any means of calling for help if something bad happened?

She wasn't just paranoid, right? These strange circumstances weren't just making her frantic, were they? She needed to talk to someone, and not over the network.

They could be listening.

And it needed to be someone who felt safe. Someone who had never manipulated her before. Someone who was always honest, even when she had been antagonistic. Someone who, quite ironically, represented the one source of stability for her in this strange awful place.

She needed Rin Okumura. And she was rushing about the island, desperately trying to find him.]

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[Unfortunately the half-demon wouldn't be found at his normal station, handing out food to those who had no means or little means to do so themselves. His way of contributing, sure, but he had been running himself ragged even with help trying to keep up with the demand of feeding so many, and he had finally been shoved off for a proper break rather than just hovering around the area.

But there had been a decently sized encampment set up for the Villa, and if she eventually swung back around she would find him curled up on some of the bedding, snoring quietly with the fluffy mass that was Aurelio in a little ball in the crook of his folded arms.]

[when Izumo wasn't able to find him in his usual spot, she got even more worried and even more frantic. Eventually though... she found him laying down on the job.

To say that this made Izumo frustrated would be a profound understatement]

OKUMURA! RIN! [she all but shrieks as she tries to shake him awake... but not after gently picking up Aurelio and placing him to the side]

[Aurelio seemed to not take any issue with being moved, and merely stretched and yawned and attempted to curl up in this new spot, at least until Izumo yelled.

That got both owner and pet yowling. Aurelio tore off across the encampment to go hide in some one's bag, and Rin was jerked out of his sound sleep with a loud cry, flailing and flopping about like a fish out of water.]

WHOWAHT WHO DIED?!

No one died!

[caught up in the moment, Izumo nearly throttled him... only to stop, take a deep breath, and let go of him. She had to be calm.]

I'm sorry. [oh god that was really difficult to say] But there's something important...

Edited 2013-04-25 03:20 (UTC)

[Rin blinked at her, staring in such a way that indicated he was actually exhausted. Not just 'I took a nap on the roof and just woke up' tired, but actually exhausted.

But when she insisted there was something she needed to talk about, he sat up and slid his legs over, sitting on his knees. He even managed to keep from yawning, though he did rub the sleeve of his sweatshirt over his eyes.]

'kay, I'm listenin'.

[Izumo took a deep breath, and started to speak]

You know that old man, who runs the elevator up to the island? He tried to talk to me today... he told me about a meeting that he wanted me to come to on Sunday...

[and her expression grew unpleasant] He asked me not to bring my SFC with me...

[An eyebrow goes up rather high at that. The Station Master? Rin has never seen him leave his post, let alone have extended conversations with anyone. And asking her not to bring her SFC...

If this were anyone but Izumo, he would have been skeptical, but there's one thing she doesn't do and that's lie.]

What's the meetin' about?

... About the state of the bubble, and what can be done to fix it. He asked for "my aid", specifically.

[Izumo was slightly shaking now] Rin. Bringing us here against our will... making us dependent on the coral... now all of this... trying to get us to a place where we can't call for help...

... Rin, I think they're going to try and kill us...

Kill us?

[Rin shakes his head slowly at that, amazingly maintaining his serious composure and refraining from any sort of joke or remark about her being paranoid. He could understand it, honestly. He might have been inclined to believe it if he hadn't been there as long as he had.]

I ain't sayin' there aren't those that probably just wanna end this stupid experiment and be done with it, but I think there's enough the actually mean well and don't want us to die permanently.

Look, I know he's a little... shady or cagey or whatever but I'm pretty sure if anything he's one'a the good guys. And if he's askin' for help gettin' the bubble back to normal and tryin' to do it in secret, he's probably goin' against orders or somethin' like that. He actually gives a fuck about us, unlike that damn nurse.

[despite Rin's words, Izumo didn't appear to grow any calmer]

Then why did he ask us not to bring our SFCs? What if something goes wrong and we have no way of calling for help?

Well... uhm. ... okay think of it this way. What if - and I'm not sayin' this would really happen but -- what if the Order was doin' something you didn't agree with, and you wanted to fix somethin' they broke but you didn't want them to know what you were doin'. What's the best way to track some one in our world?

... you'd track their cell phones, I guess. Or any other thing they use for correspondence...

[she frowned]

Okay. I see your point... but still, it was... it was very suspicious, Rin...

No, I get it! I do! I ain't sayin' you shouldn't be worried, I'm just sayin' it's probably not as bad as you think it is.

[But she had been shaking earlier, and he couldn't just tell her to not worry and leave it at that.]

... look. I ain't gonna crash this party if I wasn't invited, but if it makes you feel better I can come hangout close by. That way if somethin' does happen [he points to his ears, indicating how he can hear better than most people] there's at least one person that's gonna be able to hear you callin' for help.

... That assumes I'm going to show up...

[... then she sighs]

Of course, I'll never learn anything about what's going on if I run away and hide, will I?

... y'know... I've been thinkin' a lot lately...

[Scary, isn't it?]

But... I had to sit on the sidelines for all of this crap. Mostly 'cause there really ain't much a demon like me can do in this sorta situation, but also 'cause... well...

[This is hard for him to admit, but he takes a breath and manages to say it anyway.]

I'm scared. I'm... actually scared. I saw what Kid did, how close he came to givin' his life just to try and save this place and it freaked me out. After what happened with Dad and the ocean a few weeks ago I just-- ... I'm startin' to see my limits. Finally. I don't wanna go down and try to play hero and not come back. I don't wanna do that to the people who care about me.

[He reached out then, putting a firm hand on her arm.]

It's okay to wanna run away and hide sometimes. I think you should go, but if you don't want to I ain't gonna force it, either.

[Izumo sat there listening, and by the time he was done speaking, she was wearing an expression that was somewhere between a frown and a grin]

... You say it like that, and... I feel like I almost have to go...

[... but all the same...]

... Thank you. Rin.

[He expected something like that. It's not every day you can get an Okumura to admit they're actually afraid of something.]

Hey, what're friends for?

... Heh... friends...

[she's looking down at the ground now, appearing somewhat said again. She's thinking about home again, and in particular... someone who isn't here.

But even at a time like this, she's not open enough to simply say it out loud.]

... did... did I say somethin' wrong?

... No, it's just...

[she takes a deep breath]

... You know that saying, "you never really appreciate something until it's gone?" Or someone?

I feel like life wants to keep making me learn that lesson.

Oh...

[Rin's own gaze looks away. He's taken it for granted, too. He has so many friends, so many people he cares for and loves that he forgets they're not... whole.]

We're... still missin' some of our weird little family, aren't we... ?

It's my fault, really. I always push people away. Even the ones that have been by my side this whole time...

... Rin?

[He was about to argue, because really there had been a time in his life when he had been just as bad, if not worse about pushing people away. But she stopped when she spoke his name.]

... yeah?

...

What do you think of me? Like... completely honestly.

[the fact that she asked him this surprised even herself]

... think of you? ... well you're my friend. Duh.

[Rin.

Point.]

...

I mean, what kind of person do you think I am?

[she had to fight the urge to tack "idiot" on to the end of that sentence]

[He wouldn't even have batted an eye if she did.]

Oh. That.

Uhmwell... I think you're a lot nicer than you let on. But you're kinda like me in that! I mean I'unno anything about what your life was like before cram school but you kinda strike me as the kinda person that had trouble with people like I did growin' up, so you keep yourself distant since it's just easier that way.

[He waved a hand a little here.]

But like me you do want friends you just have a hard time findin' the ones you can trust and who trust you back.

[And then he finally stops, and looks at her.]

... that... what you were lookin' for?

...

[forgive her, Rin, she's just going to be stunned for a moment]

I...

....

I... I was just wondering if you actually saw me as a friend or not...

... Izumo, why in the hell would you ever think that I didn't consider you a friend?

... Because I drive everyone away. I'm rude. I'm abrasive. I act high and mighty all the time. I can't... I can't be honest and so much as thank someone who helped me out a great deal...

... at one point I almost drove away the one person who stood by me since we were kids....

Yeah but that's you. You're you and if you suddenly started actin' like... not you I'd be really worried.

C'mon, you think my life was all sunshine and fuckin' roses growin' up? Izumo, you guys were the first friends I ever had. Ever. And I almost lost you guys by not bein' honest. I didn't want to lie but I was still hidin' who I really was.

But you guys forgave me... before that I never even had a chance for anyone to forgive me, let alone be my friend long enough to even make a mistake like that.

[Rin trailed off at that, blue eyes shifting to the bedroll he had been sleeping on. His fingers picked at some of the fuzz on it, and his voice became softer.]

I hated it. Bein' that alone. When I met you guys I didn't know what the fuck I was doin', but I knew I didn't want to drive you away like I'd done to everyone else...

...

[at this point, Izumo had no choice but to admit something. And it made her feel kind of sick to do so, all the same]

... you and I are a lot alike, aren't we Rin?

... yeah.

[It made him sad to realize that. Not because he didn't want to be like her at all, but because he hated that anyone else could have had a childhood like his.]

...

.... I'm thankful I... have someone who understands. Even if that means we both had to experience terrible things...

Well... it doesn't have to be all terrible, now that we've got friends. We gotta make new memories now.

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