soul_logs | [Open] I know it was closed before. It's open now.

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[Open] I know it was closed before. It's open now.

Characters: ~~Waka and Lily~~ Waka and anyone in the vicinity!

Location: Outside the Creeping Crypt

Rating: G to PG, most likely

Time: Evening of March 25

Description: A witch runs into a prophet, leading to... something.

Death City was rather ugly, Waka thought.

Perhaps he was being unfair. This was a desert city, after all, and hardly comparable to the beauty of even the most barren areas of Nippon. That didn't mean he cared much for the tall, grey buildings that blocked the view almost everywhere you went. It reminded him of his home, that was true, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. At least this place had some plants here and there, if you knew where to look.

Waka preferred to look at the sky instead. Admittedly finding the sun staring back was a little jarring, and he really had to wonder whether this moon, too, had anyone living on it. The sky itself was still lovely, however, which was why he was currently standing on the roof of a smaller building, right next to the Creeping Crypt.

It wasn't the most ideal place at all; finding the best star-gazing spots was much harder when you couldn't jump a hundred feet in the air anymore. It would have to do for now.

He raised his new flute to his lips and gave it a go. It wasn't the same as his old one, but the sound was nevertheless pleasant.

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Tonight, Lily was returning from work much later than usual. She’d found signs of someone other than herself digging at the park—she suspected a certain geeky-looking sorcerer was to blame—and had stayed late, making an inspection of the grounds to see if any other areas had been disturbed.

It had been past sunset by the time she left and as she walked back to Creeping Crypt, she also contemplated the moon. It never seemed to change from its crescent shape, which made figuring out the best times to cast tricky. Certain spells were best suited to a full moon, others to a dark moon. Could the blood that sometimes appeared be a macabre indication of phases of the moon here? If so, the witch didn’t know how to interpret it.

But as she neared the building, those thoughts were interrupted…

Music? Was that a flute? It sounded as if it were coming from above. She looked up and blinked.

“…What in tarnation?”

For a second, it had almost seemed like a giant bird on the roof of a nearby house. But as she stared, she realized the strangely garbed figure was actually a person and the source of the music.

Waka took his sweet time enjoying the moment even after he spotted someone from the corner of his eye. There was almost nothing he liked more than making an impression, after all, and such things shouldn't be rushed.

The final notes eventually faded into the cool air.

"Lo and behold, a paragon of loveliness appears! They do say the most fateful meetings always happen under the moonlight!"

His voice carried well even from high up. When you stood in trees as much as he did, you learned to control your volume.

Lily glanced down at her dirt-smudged jeans and gardening smock. Then, to both sides and behind her. No one else was in the street. Apparently, she was the “paragon of loveliness” he was referring to.

With an amused smile and a chuckle, she called back, “Thanks.” She could hear him fine but… “I reckon it would be easier to talk if you came down here.”

It wasn’t just that it would be less awkward to talk without shouting over the distance. As a vintage clothes dealer, Lily was interested in getting a closer look at the stranger’s costume.

If she wasn’t mistaken, there was some traditional Asian influence to it but why the odd headdress and flashy colors? Was he was a street performer?

Edited 2012-09-26 03:26 (UTC)

No powers meant no more floating down from great heights, but he would make it work. Rather than go find stairs as most people would, Waka jumped off the building and decided to land on a lamp post, of all things.

Ooop... whoa there... Balancing on a lamp post while wearing high-stilted geta wasn't the most sensible things to do, so he leaped off again as though he had meant to do that to begin with, and dropped on his feet in front of her. Didn't hurt his legs at all, nnnnope.

"Excusez-moi! That wasn't my most graceful landing."

Lily’s breath caught in her throat when he leaped from the rooftop and she stared in horror as he teetered on the lamppost. Was he nuts?! She jumped back as the wannabe acrobat landed in front of her.

Her interest in the clothes momentarily forgotten, she demanded with worry, "Are you okay?" It looked painful despite his casual comment. "That was a reckless stunt!”

When she suggested he come down, she meant for him to find some stairs, not jump off the roof!

"Haha, my bad! It's so easy to fall back on old habits," Waka laughed off her concern with a sweeping gesture. "Have you never found yourself trying to regain something you were once good at, in spite of all logic and common sense?"

He had no idea who the woman was or if his words would hit any nerves. That didn't mean he couldn't probe a bit.

She raised an eyebrow. “You make a habit of jumping off rooftops?” There certainly wasn’t much logic or common sense behind that action! “Are you a circus performer or something?” The costume was showy enough. Although when she glanced down at his feet, she wondered how anyone could even walk in those shoes, never mind doing acrobatics.

“Not exactly…” Lily stared, wondering if she could manage to read this strange character’s aura. But like whenever she tried in this city, she didn’t sense anything. Strange since she still felt the vibrations of clothes.

Edited 2012-09-27 05:41 (UTC)

"But of course! It is much faster than walking." His tone suggested it was the most obvious answer in the world and she was silly for questioning it. He left the other question unanswered; let her think what she liked.

"No? Perhaps I am the only one stuck in the past, then." The sigh that followed was a little too deep to be natural. "Everyone seems to adjust to our new home so quickly, I wonder if it's just the old man in me that keeps me complaining."

Nevermind the fact that he looked like he was in his 20s.

Lily looked at him uncertainly, wondering if he was joking. She decided to try giving him a small smile and a little jest of her own. "Maybe, for the birds but I doubt most folks would agree after adding in time for an emergency room visit."

Old man? "But you look younger than me." He couldn't be more than about 23, around Maya's age, even if the style of his clothes was antiquated.

"So, where are you from?" The garments looked kind of Japanese but the bit of hair she could see peeking out from under the strange headdress was blond. And didn't he say something in French earlier...?

Waka only smiled indulgently. Oh, you normal people and your walking.

"I have been told I age well! Must be all the fresh air in Nippon." An indirect answer to both of her questions... though it doesn't quite manage to answer either.

Lily wasn’t exactly a normal person… Still, she didn’t fly around on a broomstick like most people’s stereotypical image of a witch.

She studied his face, looking for any telltale wrinkles. Surely, he couldn’t be older than her...

Nippon? “You mean Japan? But those clothes… Did you come from the past?” Maybe, he was like Raidou and from an earlier time...

Chances were she wouldn't find a single wrinkle. Even for an apparently young man, Waka was on the prettier side.

"Japan? Oh, that is what they call it nowadays, isn't it?" He tapped his flute in thought. "Yes, I expect most people here would regard me as someone from the past."

But given how he aged, he might still be alive in the present too. Interesting thought.

Not even crow's feet. It makes her wonder if he was joking about being an old man. If not, she imagined Mike Perkins would have been interested in his secrets for his company's anti-aging research!

"Oh? What year did you come from then?" Her knowledge of clothes was mainly limited to Western fashions of the 20th Century. So, she couldn't even venture a guess from his garments that would have been more specific than hundreds of years ago. "Did a lot of folks dress this colorfully back then?"

And she should introduce herself, shouldn't she? "My name's Lily, by the way..."

Edited 2012-10-06 22:52 (UTC)

"What year? That would depend on how years are counted here, wouldn't it?" In all honesty, Waka could only make a rough estimate. The Western calendar was different, and what history books he had found weren't very clear on Nippon's place in it before the past few centuries.

And there we go, an excellent way to direct the conversation away from him. "Oh dear, I have been busy talking about myself. How rude of me! Tell me, Mademoiselle Lily, what brings you out at this time of night?"

"I guess." Some of the Asian cultures had their own calendars, didn't they? She supposed if he were from the past, it would have been difficult to give an answer a Westerner would understand.

Actually she was expecting a name in return. "Um, what should I call you?" Otherwise, she might have to resort to Mr. Flashy Clothes. And...

"Mademoiselle? But I thought you were from Japan..." But then there was the blond hair. Maybe, he was a Frenchman that emigrated to Japan? Did Japan even get French visitors that far back? She wasn't really sure.

"I was just on my way home from work." She glanced over at the entrance to the Creeping Crypt building.

Her ears wriggled and her head rose as a familiar sound reached her. No matter where she was or the sounds trying to drown it, she could always recognize that tune and its player. It wasn't a song just anyone could imitate anyway.

Rising to her paws, she shook out her luminescent fur and began trotting towards the source. Amaterasu's ears rotated this way and that as she proceeded while her eyes kept her on the look out for other night-goers. She darted this way and that, moving smoothly into the next district as it became louder. Nearly there...

By then the moon was already peeking over the rooftops. He wondered whether it could hear the music too.

Hmm. Did he just see white spot coming towards him from the distance? Waka continued to play unhurriedly as he waited.

If it had her hearing, it most likely could.

Said white spot soon stopped and sat before the building, staring up at him with her maw opening and closing as she grinned.

After a while he lowered the flute and considered jumping down to where she was, but his feet still ached from the last time he did that. What is it with this world and not being able to fall from infinite heights without breaking your legs...

"Lovely evening, ma chérie! Did you miss me?" He had disappeared for a while, but it had been worth it. So many things you could find out just by dedicating some time for a little snooping~

She notably winced at his jump. He really should stop doing that while he's here or at least jump from a shorter distance.

"Arf!" Yes she did! In fact, she ran straight up to him and jumped.

Walking was boring and slow. Maybe he could find some way to fly...

He staggered back, laughing. "Hey now! One of these days you'll end up flattening me, and who is going to give you your prophecies then?"

Some day, some way.

After a few licks, she hopped down and trotted around him, her tail still wagging. Her? Flatten him? Oh come oooon~

Maybe you wouldn't flatten him if you didn't eat so much, you lazy, lazy wolf.

"They don't overfeed you at work, do they? I don't quite trust your self-discipline when it comes to food, you know!" Teasing, what teasing? He's just looking out for your health, clearly.

Oh hush! Most of that is fur and you know you're jealous.

She huffed and rolled her eyes as best she could and gave him a small, nudging shove.

Ooh, did he hit a nerve?

"Ah, I forgot. One must never bring up a lady's weight. Je le comprends."

She nodded. It was the same thing with age old friend. Amaterasu continued circling him and rubbing against his legs in a almost cat-like manner. Come on, calling her fat and refusing to pet her? She should nip you lightly!

Pshaw, like she didn't already get hundreds of ear scratches from everyone in the city. He knew how popular she was!

...Oh, fine. Have your pets, you greedy little goddess, you.

So... what's his point? She likes his scratches.

Happily, she gave him the usual lick back, her tail flopping.

He knows she does, Ammy. He knows.

"So have you been busy working for our good hosts, then? It seems they need all the help they can get."

Why yes, he has been researching the war. They weren't exactly winning, were they?

"Ruuu ruf..."

That she has and that they do. Have you decided what to do yet, Waka?

"Hmm... I suppose I could join in on the fun every now and then, too." While he didn't sound annoyed, he wasn't all that enthusiastic either. If anything, he sounded almost bored as he scratched her behind the ears.

Oh you... then again, he always enjoys having another agenda, doesn't he? Right behind her ear; her tail wagged harder and she leaned further against him.

Being the chess-master was tricky when you didn't have enough pieces. Picking some up could take a while -- and he didn't feel like rushing headfirst into other people's wars, however heroic it might be. That was more up her alley.

Oh yes. That's why she was already fighting. But now, he's thinking too much. She stood up on her hind legs and pressed her fore paws on his chest as she stared. Have you been sleeping?

Hey, thinking was what he did. Someone needs to think before they leap, you know!

Even without words, he knew her well enough to guess what she was trying to say. "You worry too much, ma chérie! I wouldn't have lived this long if I didn't know how to keep myself spry for all these years."

Don't make her laugh. You had a worse habit than her of getting into trouble. Putting more weight behind her paws, she pushed him while making a face.

"What, don't you trust me? When have I ever got myself in trouble?"

It's not like he ever did anything without taking everything into account. What were the odds that anything bad would happen?

She was still making that face. Oh forget it; let's not go dredging up history.

Still, planning here is going to be different. They couldn't be their usual flighty selves.

No seeing the future, either. He was starting to feel more sympathy towards people who couldn't normally do it.

"That is no face for a goddess, ma chérie. A bit of optimism never hurt anyone!" Cue pulling her cheeks. Smiiiiiile.

Optimism? You're the one who stopped the petting getting lost in his thoughts.

She leaned in and licked him again despite tugged face, tail swinging. No more plotting for the evening!

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[Open] I know it was closed before. It's open now.

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...it just occurred to me I could have made this an open log. Oh well.

Yeah, it would have worked since he was outside...

/edits...

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