[OPEN]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

Characters: Iceland (cashnotash ) and you.
Location: Around the Shopping District; near Death By Pastry or near the Northern Lights would work, too!
Rating: Should be G unless anyone's acting up.
Time: November 14; Lunchtime/afternoon-ish
Description: It's a boring Sunday and Iceland is going out for lunch. Hopefully something (or someone) interesting would alleviate the boredom.


[ It's just another day in Death City for Iceland. Morning comes, he skipped training because he still doesn't feel like it, he tried to avoid thinking anything that's related to his partner, he had breakfast with Alice, the usual. There's nothing of significance except that he felt bored, more so than usual. Perhaps it's because he's been trapped here for three months now, or perhaps it's because he doesn't really have anything to do ever since BREW decided to make him partnerless. Well, he doesn't really have anything to do either aside from going to class and work when Nura was still with him, but at least he could go on a mission anytime. He's been considering trying to resonate with someone else just for the sake of going on a mission and get out of the city for a while, but decided against it in the end (as usual). He's not ready to replace his lost partner yet, it's still too soon.

Well, you know what? Screw everything. It's Sunday, there's no work or class, and he's going out for lunch. Normally, he'd take Alice with him, but right now, he's in the mood for going solo. Even crushes are no exception when it comes to precious alone time. That's how he ended up strolling in the Shopping District, with either the Northern Lights or Death By Pastry in mind, secretly hoping that something interesting would happen. Or even someone, for that matter. ]


[[ooc; either action or prose works. please state the location in the subject line! tags will most likely come in the morning or WHEN I AM AWAKE because I need to sleep now, hnnnngh. ]]

Comments

that's okay! /tags you at some of those memes, guilty...

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

[ It's amazing how the entirety of the store has become something familiar now. It has become a part of his routine, something that couldn't be separated from his life in Death City. He idly wondered if he'd missed this place once BREW sent him home. He would missed Maka and everyone else he'd grown close to, for sure... ]

A danish and two chocolate eclairs, I think. How about you?

[ Not in the mood for anything unconventional today. And he's right beside her, peering into the glass case as well, making his decision carefully. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Maka doesn't know what it would be like to be a guest; to have been pulled from her home into a strange world where all the rules were different. But she does know that there are a lot of guests that had left that she missed, and more that she would miss once the war was over (and she refused to believe that it wouldn't end, someday). She can only hope that some of them like being here enough to feel the same.

She doesn't want to think that all of them are fighting against their will, even if she does get angry when people complain but never help.]

I already have eclairs, so I think a danish and one of those tarts.

[She points to each in turn, looking thoughtful. Clearly, this is an important decision.]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

[ On the contrary, Iceland can only imagine what's it like to be a native of Death City, or this world in general. Living under constant threat of attack from the so-called enemies, supernatural creatures (and not the pleasant ones - well, he's pretty sure that the pleasant ones exists somewhere out there, but the unpleasant ones still outnumbers them, at least from what he'd heard and read), a war in the backdrop... To be honest, it all sounded like stuff you would seen in movies and fiction books, and certainly not in real life. But if seeing is believing, then living it must be beyond believing. For this reason, he'd come to respect the girl beside him to some degree. She's incredibly strong and resilient for someone her age. And of course, he'd come to take a liking in her, even goes so far as considering her as a friend. Normally, it'd take him a long, long time to put someone in that category. Especially since he's trying not to get close to anyone. It's too painful to watch them die - clichéd but true.

As for fighting, well, he's currently taking his time to decide whether or not he wanted to continue fighting or not. He'd declared his neutrality in the network some time ago, but he's actually still kind of unsure about that decision. He wanted to make himself useful, after all, and get stronger, since there's no one who would save his ass. In fact, he had to save some people's ass (read: Alice). But on the other hand, he doesn't want to champion a cause that is not his own. ]

Nice choice. Maybe you should take the chocolate one?

[ Pointed to the tart in question, looking equally serious and thoughtful. This is the most important decision of their lives. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Growing stronger and working with a partner doesn't necessarily mean he would have to give up his neutrality and fight actively in the war, and she would tell him so if he asked. Many of the students at Shibusen don't fight, and each of them plays an important role. Leading civilians to safety and protecting people are roles that are just as important as those fighting on the front lines.

Maka's skills just fall in line with the latter.]

Hm...

[She thinks about it only briefly before she nods her head with purpose.]

I think that will be perfect. Excuse me!

[She calls to the lady working behind the counter, who scurries over to help. Maka begins to point out each of her choices, looking to Iceland with a smile so that he can do the same.]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

[ Unfortunately, Iceland is too bull-headed to ask for input. He's the kind of person who's preoccupied with the "I know what's best for me" notion, and this is multiplied tenfold by the fact that he's a Nation. Besides, half of the "fun" in making an important decision is discovering and figuring things out. It wouldn't be long before he discovered that taking another partner does not equal fighting actively in the war. But not wanting to fight in the war is not the sole reason behind his current decision. He's not sure if he can resonate with another Weapon, either, and...he's not really ready to replace Nura. Still, sooner or later, he had to move on and leave the past behind.

The woman in question shoots both of them a knowing glance, before doing her job. It doesn't took him long to point out each of his choices, doing the same thing that Maka do. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Maka can appreciate that, since she does the same most of the time. She isn't the kind to ask for advice, unless it's educational in nature. Then she either finds it in a book herself or will ask the teacher. Since, you know, teachers love it when you ask questions.

She heard that Nura went home, but Maka is reluctant to bring that up. It's another situation where she has no idea how to sympathize; the only way Soul was ever going to leave her was if he was killed in battle, and Maka simply wouldn't let that happen. This other world business just messes things like partnerships up. It's lucky that they seem to be naturally good at resonance, since otherwise they would never progress.

Moving to a nearby table, Maka scooted into a chair with her newly acquired sweets, looking at them with hungry eyes.]

This is totally going to spoil me for dinner.

[She doesn't look upset by this at all.]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

[ It's a good thing that she's reluctant to bring it up, because he really doesn't want to talk about it. He couldn't ever understand people who talked to other people when something is upsetting them. If something is upsetting him, he just bottled it up, sulk, and pretended that everything's fine. It would ruin the lighthearted mood between them, anyway, and it's the last thing he wanted. Even melancholic people like him need a break every now and then.

And he probably wouldn't feel this miserable if only they didn't resonate very well. Also getting along well, despite all their silly fights. Still, he'd probably feel even worse than now if he lose her because she was killed in a battle.

After the lady behind the counter handed him his pastries, he strolled to the cashier to pay for both of them, and proceeded to sit down in front of her. Her expression made him laugh, and he eyed his newly acquired sweets, too. Not in a hungry way, however, unlike Maka. ]

Dinner is boring. This is way better than dinner.

[ Of course, Alice is probably going to scold him if he skipped dinner because of this, but, you know, he could always soothe her with a couple of words and a smile. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Maka's been dealing with issues involving her own roommate. He's been acting odd, staying quiet about a lot of things and heading out on walks by himself. She tries not to be concerned, and she certainly doesn't talk about it, but she's pretty good at hiding her current worries.

As far as dinner being boring:]

A sound soul resides within a sound body and sound mind.

[She recites the words verbatim; it's basically her mantra.]

We have to take care of our bodies in order to strengthen our souls. That means watching what we eat, too. [She grins, though.] But it's okay every once in awhile!

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

[ Her words managed to make him look up from his food and stared at her in wonder. He might have heard the phrase before. After he arrived in Death City, of course. ]

And watching what we crammed into our minds, as well? [ In correlation with the "sound mind" one. But it's relatively easy, comparing to the "sound body" part. Not that he often eat things that's bad for him, more like...sometimes he forgot to eat. If not because of Alice, and Nura before she went home, he might have died of starvation or something along that line. ] And yeah, it's okay every once in a while.

[ A small smile, and he started to "attack" the sweets, starting from the danish. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Maka nods, pleased that he seems to understand.]

Yup! The soul can't grow if it doesn't have the room.

[It was a slightly metaphorical way of putting it, but it's hard to describe, anyway.

Maka does the same, taking a big bite out of the chocolate pastry, wiping away the bit that stuck to the corner of her mouth.]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

I see. [ Thoughtful pause, stopping to eat for a short while. ] It can grow literally or is it just a metaphor?

[ Unfortunately for Maka, Iceland is going to ask about it since he doesn't really get it. Not yet, anyway. And he resumed eating his danish shortly afterwards. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

[Maka nods, chewing and then swallowing before she replies.]

It doesn't grow in the same way, but yes. I gets stronger and more powerful, and when I view it with Soul Perception, souls vary in size. [She thinks for a moment.] Before Shinigami was killed, his soul was larger than the entirely of Death City.

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

How long does it take for a soul to grow? [ That makes him wonder if his soul had grown ever since he landed in Death City, but tough luck. He haven't trained as much as he should. He took another bite before continuing. ] How can a soul so large be contained in a single body?

[ He's thinking out loud, leaning back on his seat, but she's more than welcome to answer it. ]

[grigoriwings.livejournal.com]

Depends on the person and how hard you're working. It can change size and shape during resonance, as well. It's not really and exact science, even if Professor Stein tries to make it so.

[She smiles.] That's just it, the soul isn't contained by the body. It can reach out, touch others. Shinigami's soul used to protect the city. It's a part of us, but the body can't contain the soul. It's...more like the other way around, really.

[At least, that's how she feels about it. It was the soul the made them powerful, so why couldn't it be true?]

[cashnotash.livejournal.com]

Well, souls itself is a...inexplicable phenomenon, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear that. At least in my world.

[ Done with the danish, and is now wolfing down another. ]

Frankly, I still don't really get this entire thing. [ He admitted sheepishly. ] I'd like to think that it's because that kind of thing is probably exclusive to this world. Sort of like a culture shock.