soul_logs | [Open] Hit the Slopes

Entry tags:

[Open] Hit the Slopes

Characters: Everyone!
Location: Mount Hood, Oregon
Rating: Varies
Time: July 28th - 29th
Description: Skiing! Hot chocolate! Snowball fights! Hiking! Folks of Death City say 'screw the heat' and decide to take a frosty vacation a few states away. COMMENCE MISCHIEF.

The discounted price came at a surprisingly good time. With the temperatures in Nevada climbing and no end in sight, it seems the owners of a Pacific Northwestern lodge took pity on the Meisters and Weapons of Shibusen and offered them a break from the heat. Despite it being July, the snow was still plentiful for skiing, snowboarding, sledding and innertubing! Dress warm, rent some gear or bring your own and have at it, they say!

From dawn to dusk, the mountain is lively on all sides, boarders and ski nuts to ski newbies enjoying a mid-week break while nature buffs take hikes over the trails on the greener side of the mountain, reachable by a short bus ride from the main lodge. Whether you're more into the powdery white or the vivid green, there's a spot for you to take a breather on Mount Hood.

The question is, where do you even start?

[I volunteered to put up the log for the Oregon trip, and here it is! Tag in to one, two, or all three of the areas noted and start your own open or closed threads within. Tag yourselves in (you guys know the drill), mingle, and enjoy!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, that was an unexpected answer!]

A wish-granting fox? Then, it was really some kind of magical creature and not a normal fox? I don't think I've heard of one like that before. [But then she recalled how Ginny had believed the art school demon to be a genie at first.] ...Um, it didn't cause other things to happen, too, did it? You know how they say to be careful what you wish for...

Nah... nothin' like that. People'd wish to find their lost dogs or wish for happiness, wish for love, and suddenly the dogs'd come home and people'd get a little perkier. I dunno about the last one, but I think it's more that they feel more confident or somethin'.

When ya make a wish at a shrine, y'don't ask for somethin' huge like bringin' someone back. That kinda shit brings bad luck, and it ain't gonna be granted anyway. We ain't raised to get greedy like that.

So, it's more the type of wish folks might make if they tossed a coin into a fountain or well. [That was the analogy that came to mind anyway. With her powers back home, such things hadn't really been necessary for her.]

Did you ever ask this fox for something then? And did it work?

[He paused at that, looking down as he smoothed down a snow pig's ears.]

I... I wished that people would try n' understand me better, see past how hard I was fighting to push everybody away 'cause of my own anger n' fear.

Then Senpai moved into Inaba a few months later, and he reminded me to be myself.

So... yeah. It was granted. I wouldn't'a met most've the others were it not for him. I also- [Would've been dead. He'd have been kidnapped and then left to die in the TV world, hung up on a telephone pole.]

Point is, I owe a lot to the guy.

I guess you know what it's like to be misunderstood and a loner too, huh? [She could kind of relate with how most folks had been scared of her.] I reckon you must miss this friend of yours if he helped you out like that.

But being yourself... Was it really that simple? [Even if her friends back home had come to accept that she was a witch, it still seemed unwise to admit that to many here. It seemed safer to try to deny that about herself, keep people from getting too close.]

S'a long story. ...But I miss the hell outta the guy. He was here once or twice, but he ain't here long. I guess he's safer back home. More than I can ask for. All I gotta do is worry about Naoto, Chie-senpai and all of you guys, and watch out for all of you all the same.

[He looked down, forming snow pig ears.]

Simple...? Nah. I almost died, man. There were parts of me I couldn't stand up to, that I was scared of. If I didn't face 'em, they would'a welled up n' killed me. That's how Shadows worked in my world. If ya had somethin' to hide, somethin' ya weren't ready to face yet... it'd bubble right up and taunt you. Denying it makes it stronger, turns it into a monster.

[He hesitated. Kishin Adachi had the power to make Shadows.]

I know it's weird to hear from a dude that's almost too young to be givin' out advice, and I ain't all too good at it, but... don't deny what you are. We all got doubts n' bad shit livin' in ourselves, shit we don't like to admit to or think about, but nobody's perfect. Nobody's a damn saint.

If it comes down to facin' yourself... accept every part.

That don't make any sense, but I just wanted to let that out, especially after learning about the you-know-what stuff.

[Chie? That was an unfamiliar name, presumably another of his friends from home. But she didn't interrupt to ask.]

So, your fears could literally kill you where you're from. [She frowned remembering he had mentioned shadows before, that they were like personal demons.]

[But even if she herself had come to accept that she was a witch long ago, that didn't mean she was confident in admitting it to others. Not here anyway. She sighed.]

It'd be easier if I actually thought folks would accept me. A lot of people back in my hometown were scared of me. It was better in San Francisco and I guess it's ironic what you said. There was a man I liked back home who couldn't accept what I was and I broke up with him because I couldn't deny that. But I guess things have moved backwards here.

[He nodded to confirm. Yeah, how weird was that, your fears killing you? But he frowns when she brings up Max.]

...Good. I learned that relationships are about accepting each other, or makin' a compromise on stuff ya butt heads over. People always ask how the hell Naoto n' I work out, and... I know she's serious, she's super smart n' all, but we got a lot in common and I feel like we balance, y'know? I--

[He paused, cleared his throat.]

A'right, so maybe y'don't wanna hear about all that. ...So, can I ask about the weird dude that comes in a lot? Brown hair, glasses, dresses like he's come fresh outta some renn faire?

What's his deal?

[So, he and Naoto were dating... She'd somewhat suspected although she hadn't wanted to pry.]

He's... [She almost tried to make an excuse, brush off the question, say it was just her neighbor. But it was probably time she admitted more, wasn't it? After what she'd confessed to Lezard while they had been switched. And that admission he was attracted. She was still a tad uncertain how to feel about that but there might have been a bit of pink creeping into her cheeks.]

...he's my partner. Turns into something kind of like what I was when I was a Weapon.

[He chalked it up to the cold coloring her face, because the guy was just -weird-. Charming, but weird. And he needed to dress a little closer to this freakin' century. Part of him always felt compelled to walk up, shove a rack of clothes at him and tell him to stop cosplaying already.]

Ohhh. ...So he's some kinda, what was it, a book?

Dude looks a bit nerdy, so I guess I ain't surprised. What's he do?

Yes, a book.

[And she turned her head from side to side, making sure there was no one else about and lowering her voice. She'd been hesitant to admit Lezard was her partner, partly because of the abilities he gave her. That they made her look like a witch.]

A spellbook to be exact. He lets me cast fire magic.

[Rather than be shocked, he was instead curious, scratching his head. She never talked about this guy, weirdly enough. Partners were supposed to be, you know, partners. Maybe he needed to keep an eye on this Lezard dude.]

...So it fits, right? I mean, was it stuff you could do back home?

[She shook her head.] Not really. I could light candles and things like that but it's not even close to what I can do with him. [There was a huge difference between concentrating on a candle and causing it to light and conjuring a huge exploding fireball!] Back home, I could influence a lot of things but my abilities leaned more towards protection and healing.

So one'a the ones you hear about in all those new age books, but... real.

Either way, protection or not, y'know magic and so does the wizard dude. That's gotta count for something.

I guess. ...I found him annoying at first but I seem to resonate better with him than anyone else I've tried with. [Well, she still found him irritating once in a while, just not nearly as often.]

What's that phrase... opposites attract? But there's always somethin' to connect on, even if you're two way different people.

And partners are supposed to piss each other off sometimes. It's almost a rule- y'gotta butt heads somewhere.

Um, I don't think it's really like that! [Didn't people generally say that about romance? It would be embarrassing if Kanji started speculating about her love life!]

You and Naoto get mad at each other? [She blinked. Somehow, she'd never really imagined that...]

Hell yeah! She got on my damn case about my eating habits, cuttin' down on the snacks I take down, so we kinda piss n' moan about it.

The other day, she wasn't too happy when Watson pissed on the carpet. I spaced on takin' him for a walk once.

Oh. [They seemed like ordinary everyday things to get annoyed about.] I guess I just hadn't thought of things like that since y'all seem to get along well.

Couples bicker. S'no such thing as people who never get on each others' nerves, y'know? Impossible.

I think I read somewhere that arguments are healthy, since it helps communications or... somethin'. I dunno how bitchin' at each other does it, but whatever.

[She shrugged.] I wouldn't know either. I didn't exactly have much experience with relationships back home. It was... difficult because of what I am.

...Sorry.

If it helps, I mean, you're... one'a the nicest people I've met here. People're gonna look past that n' see you for you.

Thanks, Kanji. I was finally able to make some friends back home so I hope you're right.

[But she still seems to be thinking about something as she goes back to the snow pigs...]

Were you and Naoto also such good friends back home? I guess you can stay together even if you finally get to go back, huh?

We were part'a the same team back home. We all hung out a lot. I don't see anything changing after we all go back, but... Naoto's part of a family of world-famous detectives. She'll hafta globe-trot a bunch.

But y'know what? I promised myself that, wherever anybody goes, Inaba's gonna be home for 'em. I'll make it that way. Plus there's cellphones, Skype n' such. It ain't like y'can't just call up a pal n' chat, y'know?

[She blinked in surprise.] Naoto's famous back in your world? I didn't realize that.

That works out easily since y'all are from the same world. But do you ever think you'll miss all the people you met here? I reckon I wouldn't have the chance to ever hear from you or anyone else again after we can go back. [She'd probably even miss that sorcerer!]

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