vatheon | The Little Things

Entry tags:

The Little Things

Who: Hajime Saitou, OPEN!
When: Time is relative.
Where: Anywhere within and between the lower and middle district
Style: Prose to start, will follow as to preference!
Status: Open, ongoing.

     While naturally he had been leery about the idea of having to become so dependent upon a giant growth of coral, there was no denying that it definitely had some affect. If anything was able to keep him from feeling that painful desire for blood and allow him to function normally, then Saitou saw little reason to question it. Ever since he had come here, he had not experienced any of the side effects of his becoming a Rasetsu, and such memories seemed so far removed from this place that they may as well have been a dream- or rather some twisted nightmare.

     ...or perhaps in some way, it still was a twisted nightmare. True, the city for the most part exuded a semblance of peace, but then there were things, little things that happened, yet were enough to make you wonder.

     This inexplicable chill, for one.

     Though he couldn't tell if the weather had truly anything to do with it, he doubted it for how bright the days were (or as bright as days got when you lived in a bubble under the sea). Normally one tended to warm up after walking around and doing general activities, not gradually feel like you were freezing! What was supposed to be a quick trip to the market was turning out to take longer than intended. For all that he reasoned he should feel warmer continuing to move along, it was difficult to do so.

     He had stopped walking again, trying to gather his bearings. As cold as he was feeling, his breath wasn't crystallizing before his eyes as he would have expected. Flexing numb fingers, Saitou closed his eyes for a moment. Just don't think about it. Keep on walking. It was all in his mind, wasn't it? Lifting his head, he stubbornly started forward again. It was ridiculous to allow yourself to freeze from some phantom cold.

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Saitou would be able to hear approaching footsteps as a cheerful Chizuru approached him.

"Saitou-san!" she called gently, loud enough to be heard by him.. but not loud enough to be an annoyance to others. For how cold he was feeling, the girl showed no signs of it. Truth be told, she had helped out another that same day with the on-going "cold" and he warmth hadn't wore off yet.

Chizuru had seen Saitou stop and collect himself, and it was somewhat easy to assume he was feeling the effects of the curse. She also didn't know how up to date he kept himself on the network..

"You.. feel cold, right?"

He only turned once he heard his name, blinking once before he gave a small nod towards the girl. He stopped again so she wouldn't have to trail after him. It was still something to see Chizuru almost always in such high spirits. Things seemed to be much better for her here, but then given what she had briefly mentioned of her time back in their world, perhaps such was fact.

Brow knitting slightly, Saitou otherwise saw no reason to deny the obvious. He nodded again. "It makes no sense, and it is so. ...you have not felt it?"

"I have, ah.." she started, realizing perhaps Saitou didn't know it was a curse yet. "It's a curse. Everyone in Vatheon feels cold, and the fix is to have physical contact!"

If this had been anyone else, Chizuru would have likely set her hand onto his arm. Saitou was more reserved, and she respected that. She'd wait until he asked or she'd offer if it came up in the conversation. He might not even want it at all.

It was miserable to be cold, though.

He frowned, Chizuru's words confirming his own suspicions. "...I had thought as much. These curses so far as I have seen do not seem to have much point to them..." It was quite the frustrating thing to realize.

"...physical contact?" Was it common to provide a way to cope with such curses? Thoughtful as it might be, it also felt like it was taunting, in a way. Saitou tilted his head at Chizuru. "Any sort of physical contact? It seems like such a simple remedy." And he doubted it could be such.

"Yep! It has to be wanted by the person receiving it, and it works better when you haven't had much contact with that person. I set my hand on someone's shoulder and it warmed him up."

Chizuru raises a hand to her chin, thinking about his statement about the point of the curses.

"I have been doing some poking around for information, and it seems that we're been brought to Vatheon so a group called the scientists can use our emotions for experiences? So the curses are maybe linked to that.."

     "...." Saitou considered this, still not sure that he could believe it. Things around here were very often bordering the unbelievable, however. Slowly, he lifted a hand, extending it to her. If it was true, then he wanted to see how it worked.

     Such a bizarre circumstance, but then given what Chizuru further explained, it seemed to make a little more sense. Of course, that made it no less disturbing to be considered as test subjects of a sort. It was like the development for Rasetsu, but at least no one here was made some bloodthirsty monster.

     "...if that has been discovered, then has no one attempted to do anything about it?"

"I think people have tried, but there hasn't been much progress.. I know lately a very important lady.. known as the Head Nurse, had posted to the network and invited a few people to some.. facilities?"

Chizuru doesn't know about it all, either, and is piecing it together herself. Seeing Saitou put out his hand, she smiles again and puts her hands out towards it. Her hands are clasped around his and she holds gently onto it.

Even though Chizuru hadn't began to feel chilled yet, she can immediately feel the warmth generated from the contact and continues to smile gently.

That sounded most curious, and Saitou decided that perhaps trying to find out more about that nugget of information would probably be beneficial. It was something, at least. He nodded at Chizuru.

The shift in temperature was almost instant, impossibly so. He had to remind himself he was thinking in normal terms, and here things were hardly normal. Yet the warmth that came from such simple contact made so much of a difference from how cold he had been feeling only seconds before. Saitou couldn't help but stare at the hands that clasped his own.

Since Saitou is looking so closely at their hands, Chizuru wonders if something is amiss.

"Is it.. not working? Do you not feel warmer?"

Had she misunderstood how this worked? That shouldn't be the case, but.. Chizuru frowns at the idea. She'd be quite disappointed with herself, even if she wasn't at fault, if she wasn't able to help her friend with such an easy task.

Blinking, his blue-eyed gaze shifted to the girl who looked inquiringly at him.

"It is. I was just surprised..." he admitted, starting to hesitantly pull his hand away then, partially wondering if the cold would readily creep back in as soon as he did so.

Pulling her hands apart from his own, Chizuru withdrew them as she nodded. She's glad he feels better.

"I.. usually start feeling cold about five hours after.. I think it's different for everyone, though?"

Her head tilts to the side as she smiles, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Let me know if you feel cold again, okay? I'll do what I can.."

The situation is already a bit awkward, so she doesn't pry any farther. She doesn't mind holding Saitou's hands to warm him up, not in the least. She'd hug him, too, but that wouldn't be something she'd suggest onto him.

"So it does not last..." he murmured thoughtfully, giving a nod as though he expected as much. His brows arching slightly at the offer, Saitou once again tipped his head in a small nod.

"...if...if you also might need assistance, please do the same," he replied. It only made sense to offer as well.

"I will," Chizuru agrees and nods. With that, her expression becomes more thoughtful. "I've been doing some looking around in the stores, but I haven't found much to begin to start our dojo with. Maybe I'm looking for the wrong materials.. what do you think we need?"

Folding her hands in her lap, Chizuru looks at him attentively.

He thought about the dojos they had often made use of. "Wood for the floors would be the ideal surface. That would be the first thing to get completed." But where did they get wood around here? Perhaps from the island?

Chizuru wasn't worried so much about where to get the wood for the floors, but about the wood itself.

"So.. I look for wooden floors, right..? I don't think I could turn wood into floors.. can you do that, Saitou-san?"

The girl wasn't a carpenter, and unless Saitou had some large hidden skill sets she was totally unaware of.. she didn't think she was, either. Or was he up for the challenge of teaching himself?

"We could always find the supplies and then find someone in the city to do the services for us. There are many locally ran businesses here.. I bet we could find one!"

Saitou nodded. "Wood planks or panels would be preferable. I have neither the tools nor the experience to do such myself, and it would take more time. The locals seem to be eager to assist in such matters, so perhaps they will know or provide." The locals also tended to be a little more than one would think normal when it came to being happy but so long as they gave no trouble...

"But if you find someone that might be willing to help in general, I would not be against it."

Chizuru nods, clasping her hands together.

"I think I will try to find a local who has the materials we need and can help us begin to build the dojo. I bet we can ask for it to be how we want.."

Yes, that sounded good. She liked Saitou's idea of using someone else's assistance.

"I'm going to go look for help. I'll let you know if I find anyone through a message!"

"Mn. Very well. I shall see about making a list of what else we might need, later."

For now, Saitou thought it would be better to make use of the time he would remain unhindered by the phantom chill to do his other tasks. "I was on my way to get some things from the market. Is there anything specific that you would like me to get?"

"..Maybe you can find meat other than fish?" Chizuru wonders out loud, a very hopeful tone in her voice. "I mean, I like seafood, but.. it's all I've had for meat since I've arrived. I don't think we need anything.."

She raises a hand to her chin in thought.

"If I think of something I will let you know. The communicators are convenient like that, aren't they?"

     He almost smiled at that, and frankly could not blame her. "I will see what I can find. With access to an island above, perhaps other sorts of food is possible to procure."

     Speaking of which, Saitou meant to have a look up there, some time.

     Nodding again at Chizuru, Saitou began to turn. "They are quite convenient," he agreed. "I'll be on my way, then."

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The Little Things

( wednesday late afternoon)

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