soul_logs | [OPEN]

Entry tags:

[OPEN]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Outskirts of Nevada
Rating: PG
Time: All day, Feb 27
Description: Shibusen offers a field trip to acclimate the guests to the Madness wavelength.

It's a perfectly pleasant day for the most part, if one is to look at the sky and maybe the horizon. For the attendees of the fieldtrip, however, things are naturally a lot more grim, if also lot more colorful. There are understandably no civilians in the area -- or any other signs of life apart from the group.

As promised, the location is extensively arranged to cordon off various areas of the place where Madness spikes have been identified. They are all properly labeled, both with text and visuals, and discreet agents kept an eye on all corners of the large field. The mirror by which the guest will come in is set in a corner, with some food provided next to it.

People are free to come and go, though the other end leads to the clinic instead of the Death Room. The rules are simple: venture into a level you think you can handle, and if you can't, someone will help.

In the afternoon, a light rain will come to add some variety to the endless desert. Make sure to take shelter in the open tents provided to protect you from the elements!

[ooc: Just put in open tags in the comments, [Character Name | Open/Close | Area/sort of madness targeted/whatever marker you want].

Plotting and information post was here.]

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A simple fine wasn't going to be good enough for him, and Ammy's comment about his temporary treatment for the wound only made him want to berate and fret over him more, but before he could get out another word he felt himself pushed, as if Ammy was trying to convince him to stop.

He'd wanted to explain himself, whine about how they were partners and this was just something he needed to do, that he could handle it on his own... except... he'd be arguing with Amaterasu. As terrible as Kotetsu was about knowing when not to argue when he was clearly in the wrong, he at least knew that you do not start trouble for the goddess of just about everything that exists, and so with a huff and a small pout, he finally backed off.

"Okay, I get it, I'll stop. ...just, make sure he doesn't make himself worse." He nodded his head over toward Barnaby. "This guy's a lot to deal with when he gets this stubborn."

Leaning over to read the line, Barnaby sighed and slowly pulled the cloth back. He honestly hadn't remembered the sand, and he hadn't even considered it would have gotten into the wound. That was careless of him. And with Kotetsu panicking next to him--Barnaby wasn't really sure why he was worrying so hard; they've been injured on the job before. This was nothing new, even for this world.

"I am not," he muttered, but it really did seem pointless at this point. He decided to just stop bothering with trying to do anything to his arm on his own; he'd need water or disinfectant to take care of it properly. But they honestly didn't need to bother a medic with it. He just leaned against Kotetsu, dropping his head on his shoulder. That woozy feeling was taking a bit of time to pass.

"Miss Amaterasu, Old man, I won't touch it. But I can make it to the mirror just fine. We don't need to force a medic over here; I can just go to where they're stationed."

... Pft, Old Man. No, no, she was going to stay mostly mature about this matter... but okay, it was still funny. At least she's not being called Old Woman or Old Wolf or something along those lines.

The wolf made no move to contact the medic she had already sent for and decidedly, sat closer to Barnaby, placing a paw on his leg. It was some form of contact without leaning against him, one that she could still pass some of her ability towards to help him out a little more.

Good thing it's hard to tell when a wolf is amused otherwise Kotetsu would have been a little huffy about it. Just a little. Again, not like he could complain at a goddess. And on the same line, good thing Barnaby never chose such a rude nickname for Ammy. He would have gotten a good talking to. Sure Ammy was older than time itself but you needed to have some respect for the lady!

Kotetsu shook his head at his partner's continued complaints. "See? I told you." He mumbled quietly, but didn't push the issue further when Barnaby leaned on him again. His heart clenched tight in worry once more but he just sat still and allowed himself to give Barnaby a some extra support while they waited.

After a while, he started to watch Ammy quietly, a little curiously, as she set a paw on him and somehow it was enough to make him remember something from earlier. "Oi, Bunny. What'd you mean when you said all that stuff before? 'About this once', somethin' else... opportunity?" He shrugged his shoulder, enough to get the other's attention. "What'd Ammy tell you about?"

Well, Amaterasu is cool. And a goddess. And he got started on the right foot with her, and she was a nice and fascinating individual. As opposed to his interesting but bothersome partner over here. Speaking of which, Barnaby would have elbowed him if he was willing to move his arm. He honestly didn't see himself as being that bad, only that they didn't need the medic to head over. Not stubborn at all.

He smiled down at her as her paw touched his leg. She was still using it, he could tell, and it felt nice. He secretly wondered if she would have been alright if he pet her fur, or perhaps that would have been disrespectful.

"Her ability," Barnaby explained to his partner. He carefully lifted his head for a moment. "She has a calming wavelength. We spoke about it shortly after our second mission, and it sounded useful. That's what this is. It's why I can't get mad at you for fussing over me right now. It's... it truly is a useful ability." And with that, his head returned to Kotetsu's shoulder.

Apparently, she also has the best squishy paws according to some others, but a paw is a paw. She let her tail flop lazily while Barnaby and Kotetsu spoke, feeling pretty good right now. The two of them seemed to be relaxing - Barnaby more than Kotetsu - and that made her pretty good.

Her ears rotated soon and she turned, grinning as the medic approached. They seemed pretty chill about the situation, almost like this had happened several times. Probably did considering the number of people around. He even asked Barnaby about 'these two' blowing it out of proportion, gesturing between Kotetsu and Ammy. She let out a huff and barked; oh come ooooon. You know her!

She grinned when the medic gave her a scratch on the ear.

Relaxing wasn't something he could do until Barnaby was 100% better, but once Kotetsu caught sight of the medic he felt a lot more relived now that his partner's injuries would get looked at properly. When he was approached, he quickly waved the man off and simply pointed to Barnaby, saying that other than an old man's fatigue he was more than okay.

While Barnaby was quickly looked over, Kotetsu thought back on what he'd been told about Ammy's abilities and leaned in toward her, whispering enough for her to hopefully be the only one to hear. "I'm impressed, even I can't get Bunny to calm down this well sometimes! Oi, you stayin' anywhere lately? In case anything happens, you could always move in with us. All the bed and couch privileges you want."

At least the medic was nice. Barnaby was still rather sour about having to see one at all, but he made sure to keep his spirits up and cooperated to the fullest, definitely agreeing about the goddess and his partner turning this into a fuss.

Well, at least he knew it seemed okay to pet Amaterasu, or at least scratch her behind the ears. That was actually kind of adorable. And only a few minutes in, careful hands bandaged his arm told him to be careful. The scars would fade so long as he kept it from getting infected, and everything would be fine. He just needed to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon (which, in Barnaby speak, translated to "the next hour only"). And as long as he didn't move it around too much, he could avoid the need for a splint to keep it still. That worked for him. Once done, Barnaby turned to the two, who seemed to have occupied themselves with conversation in the meantime. A tiger and a wolf, how fitting.

...Well, he didn't want to interrupt that. So he just glanced away, back at their surroundings and the people around them.

All of the clinic medics tended to be nice. Of course, lots of work can stress them out. This wasn't like the invasion anymore so things could be a little more relaxed especially around the groups that were being seen to by a calming wavelength.

Her ear turned when Kotetsu began to speak with her, listening. Aru? Was she staying anywhere? Well, she kinda was because of the whole arrangement with Shibusen. Though, mainly Inukashi and the dogs used her dorm room, but there was no harm in visiting. She summarized this on her communicator.

During his whole conversation with Ammy, Kotetsu at least managed to keep an ear out for what was going on with Barnaby and the medic at his side, listening for whatever instructions he was given on how to take care of his injuries and just how he was doing. He made sure to remind himself not to get too carried away with his worrying once they were back home, as the last thing he wanted was another argument like the one they'd had rather recently, but he'd still at least make sure his partner took it a little easy.

When he caught sight of her trying to respond, he leaned forward, reading the words on the communicator and nodding. "Aah, I see. It's a shame we can't keep you all to ourselves though." Of course he was joking. Someone like Ammy needed to be around and available to anyone in the city, and keeping her holed up in one place wouldn't have been fair.

"But you should definitely visit us some day! We can have dinner!" Kotetsu grinned and reached up a hand to pat at Ammy's head, fingers eventually scratching behind an ear, then he quickly looked over at Barnaby excitedly. "Bunny, she can come over for dinner right?"

As the two chattered on, Barnaby found himself zoning out a little. All fixed up and leaving Kotetsu and Amaterasu to talk alone, he figured it was alright to let his mind roam a little. His mind drifted back to the madness, back to what had recently happened, and he wondered if there was any way to make much sense of it.

Sad thing was, he couldn't. And he could already feel that relaxation rolling away the longer he tried to think of it. But before he could really lose himself trying to think, Kotetsu had called and he turned his head quickly. Having Amaterasu for dinner? He laughed softly, nodding. "Of course she can," he replied. "It'd be the least we could do to repay her for helping us today."

Yes. The poor wolf couldn't remained confined in one place forever. She had to have space to roam, shake out her fur in the wind, and smell the scents carried on the breeze. Amaterasu would travel farther from Death City, but she was now here for Kid and the other residents. She didn't want to stray too far. Besides, being here provided a convenient method to reach other troubled destinations very much like her daughter's warp mirror.

Looking between Kotetsu and Barnaby, she appeared excited at the idea of having dinner with the two of them. She enjoyed company at meal time! She let out a pleased woof and nuzzled her head in Barnaby's lap.

Kotetsu couldn't help but laugh at the sight, wishing he could take a picture of the far too cute moment... in fact, maybe he could? What with Barnaby all absent-minded and calm, there was no way he'd be able to protest much. However he just couldn't pry his attention away from Ammy long enough to attempt to take evidence of the sight next to him and simply decided to keep it very well memorized.

Then again, if she did come over, he'd certainly try to take a picture then. "Exactly! The both of us owe you a lot for this, so feel free to come over whenever you want. Free meals on me, and petting too!" His hand continued to rub and scratch away at Ammy's head, feeling just slightly odd about how he was treating a goddess of all people but, she certainly didn't seem to mind the attention.

"Does that mean dinner's on you, too?" Barnaby asked. He was fairly certain the answers were 'yes' and 'fried rice', but he didn't mind so much today.

And since his hand was somewhat cleaner, he found it easier to pet Amaterasu's back without risking much damage to her fur. Since she plopped her head over here, he figured that was a good enough sign that he could pet her. Which was a little odd, seeing as she wasn't any ordinary wolf, but fun nonetheless. Oddly enough, their little mishap earlier didn't seem to damper this growing new mood at all.

Now Amaterasu was content, feeling both their hands running through her fur. Her tail flopped, but then she chuckled as they bantered between each other. Dinner on Kotetsu, eh? Well, she could pay just not cook. No need for them to argue really, but that's how these two got along wasn't it?

"Of course! And you're gonna help me out. You did say 'we', right?" A knowing grin was directed Barnaby's way as he continued to scratch behind Ammy's ear. If this wasn't an obligation of any kind then he had a feeling Barnaby wouldn't want to say yes to joint cooking duty, but he was always the type of person to give back when some sort of repayment was required, and by now he had a feeling that he'd gotten along pretty well with Amaterasu. That definitely guaranteed he'd be willing to do something like cooking for her, fried rice or not. He had this deal in the bag before it was even agreed upon.

We? Way to turn his words against him, old man! But he just sent a smirk over at Kotetsu, gently stroking her fur. He was almost sure he could do this all day. "If you're making me help, we're not eating more fried rice," he said. "If we're having a guest over, we may as well prepare something else." Because there was only so much fried rice Barnaby was willing to take, and he didn't want to shove Kotetsu's horrible food addiction on to the wolf goddess.

Well, she would honestly prefer steamed rice over fried rice or maybe some rice balls. No matter what was decided between the two, she would be excited to have it. Her ear flicked when Kotetsu found a particularly sensitive spot and she sighed happily, rolling more into Barnaby's lap.

Not like any other rice options would have been difficult for him, but fried rice was his specialty! What else was he expected to make? Kotetsu gave Ammy a quick little break from his own petting seeing as Barnaby seemed to be doing a good enough job of it and pouted at his partner, poking him in the shoulder. "Why not? She's never even tried it before, it'd be a first!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kotetsu sighed and leaned against Barnaby a little, thinking the whole thing over more than he really needed to. "Hmmm... oh fine, something else. But I'm still including a special plate just for her. There's no way I'm gonna give up the chance to give my grade A special fried rice to Amaterasu of all people." He nodded, assured of his answer before peeking open an eye and staring down at the bundle of wolf now in Barnaby's lap.

"...at this rate, we're gonna have to bring her along with us, it's like she's stuck to you now." Have another head ruffle and ear rub Ammy, you cutie.

"Because you cook it every day you cook," Barnaby protested. He just smiled at that poke, shaking his head. "Alright, a truce. We cook something else and you don't force me to eat the fried rice, and I'll let you cook it." He had a feeling he'd end up eating some anyway, but no reason to tell Kotetsu that.

He had no problem just bickering with him and petting the wolf... who had seemed to make herself quite comfortable in his lap. Barnaby laughed, ruffling her fur a little. "It seems so! You wouldn't terribly mind if we just borrowed you for the rest of the evening, would you, Miss Amaterasu?"

Oh these two. So ridiculous together, but they're having a friendly banter so it's all good. She closed her eyes, huffing happily at Kotetsu's ear rub, but then looked up at Barnaby. She grinned widely and shook her head. Nope, she can be borrowed for the rest of the evening!

"That's settled then! Three for dinner tonight again." He chuckled and stared down at Ammy fondly for a while, already trying to decide what exactly to prepare for dinner, then his eyes trailed over to the bandages on Barnaby's injured arm. Though he continued to smile, it was more of a pained smile while he remembered the actual pain he'd put his partner through, accident or not. He had no idea how well the injury would heal but if it scarred...

This time Kotetsu was the one to drop his head on Barnaby's shoulder, letting out a heavy sigh before groaning in an exaggerated way, trying to cover up his feelings with dramatic whining. "We'll make it late evening. I don't know about you two but I'm looking forward to sleeping for a looong while once we're back home, and I doubt Ammy wants to sit around and wait for an old man to wake up from a nap. You too." Kotetsu poked at Barnaby's side, lifting his head enough to peer up at him. "Even if you don't sleep, just take it easy, alright?"

More company for dinner. That had a nice ring to it, and Barnaby smiled. Although Barnaby still wasn't a company sort of person, having a guest over every once in a while for dinner was actually rather pleasant. It worked for him, especially since their guest was also a nice person to speak with and pleasant company. He wasn't sure what they would do until dinner, though.

Or what they would do during Kotetsu's naptime, it seemed like. Or... both of their naptimes? That smile disappeared as Barnaby fought off the urge to frown. For as exhausting as their moments during the madness had been, Barnaby didn't want to try sleeping anytime soon. He wasn't even that tired! (Well, actually, he was a little fatigued again but he was sure a nice cup of coffee would get rid of that.) "I'm not tired in the least," he argued smoothly. "I think it's your age catching up to you. If you'd like, we can take you home and just reconvene for dinner."

A hearty chuckle came from the wolf as the two continued to banter. Whatever they finally decided, she wouldn't mind in the least bit. It might be a while before either of them could properly sleep, but she didn't mind being there and taking a small nap herself. It wasn't going to hurt anyone. Then again, she should probably check up on Inukashi and the other dogs before coming over. They would probably be fine, but after today, you never know with them. All just a precaution.

And of course, Kotetsu was hardly going to take no for an answer. He knew how injured his partner was, remembered clearly the trouble they'd both been in just a few minutes ago and the last thing he expected was for Barnaby to just be up and walking about as if none of it had ever happened. Sure he'd told himself he'd cut down on the fretting but that sure as heck wasn't what he was thinking now.

Kotetsu lifted up his head from Barnaby's shoulders and frowned right back before looking down at Amaterasu. "Listen to him, telling me he's not tired. Insulting me too! I didn't even do anything! Ammy, help me out here!" He obviously just needs cute furry enforcement on convincing Barnaby to rest a little.

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sentiments - 2012-07-04 05:07 (UTC) - Expand

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