sotobas_lot | [Real Life with DM and BRS]

[Real Life with DM and BRS]

[He's re-watched the tapes. Their interruption is a moment now permanently on video. His wife's actual death is, too, but he doesn't have the technology to merge VHS with some digital video format into one place.

In the end doesn't this black and white mess look like some college film student's horror project? That's what he thought of even the technicolor displays on the community at first.

It probably wouldn't convince anyone without physically present, tangible proof, like a cold, moving body.

Then again, his wife's disappearance, without a funeral, might turn them on him; they could think he was the mastermind behind everything. He was very good at failing to save them. If they had wanted to control the doctor of the town, they would have puppetted him exactly as he'd acted; concerned, desperate, but ineffective. The difference was that if he did it himself, he could do it in the day time.

But he's not suicidal, and he's not that ready to throw away everything, even if he seems ready to throw in the towel. Making himself a mastermind and revealing a false plan to get the town into a flurry that would probably only get them all killed isn't appealing beyond a self indulgent fantasy of ruining things for everybody.

That's... an unsettlingly Kefka-like thought. Disgusting.

He needs get get out. He can still walk in the sunlight for a little longer. Dead Master is here. So he, at least, will probably always be safe. The question is in what kind of world. Even going out into the village, there won't be much of anybody left to meet, and the mood won't be cheerful.

Still, he can't bring himself to talk to anybody in the house. His mother's a difficult woman even without her rants about supposing his wife ran away back home at a time like this, just because she was feeling ill. It was his own cover story, so he had to live with it, but... It was going to be found out eventually.

Everything felt like a ticking time bomb.

Then there was Dead Master.

She stopped him. He'd look like the villain here, he had said. He's hesitated too much; now she could take the blame as part of that party.

No. That wasn't what was uncomfortable.

She...

Never mind.

Just walk. Just get out for a little while.]

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[ Dead Master must remind herself that she is not here to judge or to tell Ozaki what do to; at the most, she can attempt to give advice. Her purpose here is to offer some help of whatever amount she is capable. It does not matter- or rather, it should not matter- what he does or what he uses as his methods. Only, she stopped him from killing his wife. He can claim it's for science, it to save his village, but to her she saw killing in a much more black and white sense. A murderer is one thing she considers herself, and that is certainly not one thing she wants him to become. She hasn't really spoken with him since that event, and she hasn't been planning to talking to him about it, either.

Of course, this new development with Shooter provides somewhat of a welcomed distraction from the happenings in Sotoba, despite the emergency circumstances of her appearance. The only other world Shooter has been to is Yuri's afterlife; it is about time the girl is shown a world filled with the living. Minus the shiki. While not roaming the forests or on some specific interest to observe shiki activity, walking Sotoba's streets is something she has done quite often. For better or for worse, Dead Master has grown fond of this village, and she would like to show Shooter this town during the day. ] The population may have beenjust over a thousand when I

first arrived.

[ That number is much less now. It's almost an embarrassment to say this to Shooter, when she knows she could have done better. The village is almost as bleak and empty as some of the towns the souls in the Otherworld construct. ]

[she's still tired. not physically- her body could've taken much worse damage. it's the emotional and mental exhaustion, something she'd never had to deal with before.

despite the circumstances that brought her here, she's genuinely glad to finally be able to visit the human world. admittedly she'd been expecting crowds and high buildings- things she had seen in Mato's memories. this is fine too, though.

Shooter just nods in response to Dead Master's note of the population. it's something she can ask more about later. for now, she just wants to relax and sightsee.]

[With a plastic bag in hand, toting too many cartons of cigarettes under the curse of common sense and convenience--he'd really do better to have an excuse to head out to town every time he needed a new carton--he steps out of the small sundries shop, feeling bleak even with the blinding winter sun doing its best to paint the village a sunny, charming country hue. It feels as unreal as the half-assed conversation with the store clerk; too bad about what's going on, ah, but that's just the way things go, it only seems mysterious until you step back and realize the world is a large, mysterious place, and if nothing unusual happened anywhere it'd surely be strangest of all, but regardless surely nothing too strange is going on, but surely everything will be fine, I hope your wife recovers well at home, have a nice day.

It's gotten more difficult to talk to people.

There's still Seishin. It's been... a few weeks, at least.

Usually it's Seishin who comes over; or rather, when they fight, it's always he who has to come over first, forgiving without himself ever having to go through asking for an apology first.

Seishin probably would have helped him. Seishin thought of big pictures. Right? He's not sure if that's better or worse.

That's when he spotted them; they stand out in the village, stark black and white, monochrome girls against a sepia town, like a modern work of art.]

Ah... [He'll approach hesitantly; as easy as it's been to ignore each other in the same house, the same way it's easy to ignore the neighbor's business even in a small town, this is probably something he shouldn't ignore. There's a visitor to the town, after all.

He'll address Dead Master first before shifting his gaze to the unfamiliar girl; he doesn't really have it in him to think to force a social smile these days, so it's a look more analytical than anything. It'd be easy to lump in with the judging, untrusting stares of the more conservative villagers.] ...Somebody from your home?

[ The surprise is obvious when she first spots him exiting the store. If it's one place she hasn't expected to seem him midday, it's somewhere in the town. She had a rather childish image of him as someone who is only social when necessary, or when his duty calls it, but stays indoors as much as he can. That he's out may be a good thing. Currently, she only has half a mind to invite him along, but...

Her expression settles from surprise to acknowledgement to nothing. how easily it is for her smile to disapper when she sees him. amazing how they got this far. she wonders if he's noticed. ] Yes. [ ...or maybe she shouldn't keep the conversation short. ] A day ago, she arrived.[ she's not asking for permission for her to stay, even if this is his world. she thinks she's earned that much- not that there is anything he owes her. it's possible that she likes this place more than he does, anyways. ]

[she offers a nod to Ozaki, unsure what else to do.]

Shooter.

Ah... Ozaki.... Toshio. [He's as awkward with her as he was with Dead Master in the beginning. Has that gotten better or worse? It must be better, because his gaze goes back to her, decidedly more comfortable with her; his eyes go over her form, flawless, unscathed as usual, before going back to the other girl's more briefly. He doesn't expect to see anything on her if it's been a day already.]

Did something happen in your world?

[ she looks back to the doctor. happenings in their world should be kept separate from all other worlds. only the humans to which they are tied should know. however, the community showed enough of what happened to Shooter. she can't tell if Ozaki is simply holding an academic interest about their world or genuinely caring about why Shooter is here.

more likely he's trying to make conversation. strange how he's going through the effort now of all times. maybe he really was not up for working today? ] More fighting, that is all.[ a failed fight. one they'd have to clean up later, true to their 'janitor' work of the stagnated souls and the completely souless monsters. ] This world issafe. A refuge

for us,
at the moment.

[just for the moment...

she'll be facing the soul with Dead Master this time, at least. and they'll know what to expect from it. but it doesn't stop that unfamiliar feeling- is it fear?- from worrying at her.

she doesn't say anything else, eyes wandering to take in the sights around her.]

Ah, is that all... [It's a sarcastic reply; he's only seen one confrontation, involving someone called Black Gold Saw or something equally ridiculous, but a fight to someone like her isn't something that can be summed up with 'that's all.' He looks to the girl identified as Shooter again with a hapless expression, wondering if she can share with him the sentiment of how ridiculous such a summary is.

But of course she can't. She's from there. That kind of thing must be normal; after all, she's here now, completely uninjured.

He sighs, running a hand through his hair.]

Listen. I know that fighting's something that people do for reasons... [But how to put this; he's not close enough to her to say he doesn't see anything she has to fight for. He's been safely avoiding her like the plague--or rather, he's gone after plagues more ambitiously than he's been able to approach her.] ... but are you going to go back home because there's something you have to fight for or because you haven't considered making "home" someplace safe instead of making a safe place a temporary refuge?

[That still seems like such a vague way of putting it.]

You do know that you can stay here, don't you? With whoever you want, as long as they're not dangerous.

There is something we must fight, yes.[ It's strange, calling her world a 'home'. A more appropriate term would be something much more detached. Simply a lifeless world that only is built up from nothing by the minds of the souls that happen to reside there. yet calling this place her home is just as strange. her kind doesn't belong her- their own appearance is enough of that. Her gaze never leaves Ozaki. ] Stay here in this world...with you?[ she's doubtful, but it's a nice thought. she's the type to laugh at someone when someone says they care for her or her safety, including Shooter's, but Ozaki's much more practical than that. no doubt, this is for his own protection. she has no problem with it. ] I already said I would, until this is over.[ she hopes she sounds reassuring, if he had any doubts. but she had intended to let Shooter stay here until they took care of this particular soul. ]

[already she feels out of place, awkward. as much as she wants to believe she can fit in- and she possibly could, if she did something about her deathly complexion and dark clothes- she'd never be able to. she could pass off as a human, maybe, but she could never think like one.

this sort of thing happened all the time. the girls fought each other, or the souls, and somebody would always be destroyed in the end. it's just what they're meant to do. be.

still, as much as she wants to live in the human world and leave behind the violent reality she came from, she can't abandon her duty of handling the stagnated souls. it's really the only thing that keeps her bound to the Otherworld.]

Even when this world's safe, your world's still going to be dangerous. Especially once it's safe here, you should think about staying here. [His tone is condescending, as if explaining something elementary to a student who just refuses to listen.] I won't say not to go back to fight when you need to fight, but when you don't need to be fighting, you should be able to rest.

Well... [Time for another cigarette, a defeatist tone. Maybe there's a good reason she's refusing after all. Things aren't necessarily relaxing here, and for reasons that may have nothing to do with the Shiki.

Communication is awkward between them. He's not really pleasant company, is he? Even if they avoid each other, that's another form of stress, the constant awareness without contact.] ...I guess you probably don't feel like you can really rest here, either.

But you brought her here for refuge you said. So it must be at least a little better for now.

[ she has to pause at that. really- she could have chosen any other world to worldhop to, or simply leave that soul's domain and move to some other part of their world. it shouldn't have mattered where they ended up as long as they could heal without interruption. so then why did she choose to come back to this world?

it's a question puzzling enough to let his condescending tone slide right by her. any other time it would have bothered her. the only reason she must have come here is because she felt safe her. she could relax. so she may like the world of the living better than her world. is that being selfish, when she should be tending her duty back in her world? there must be something more. it was a place for her to rest- even if they did not need to for anything other than recovery. she almost sighs.] No, no...your hospitality is

most welcome.

[Shooter is still silent, observing nothing in particular off to the side.]

[ she looks at shooter, noticing her silence. try to be social. talking is necessary between people not of their kind! also, this is the man who's graciously allowing you to stay. ]

[ahhh sorry, sorry, jeez]

... The village is, uh, pretty. [what is smalltalk]

[ she agrees completely. then again, anything in the world of the living is multiple times more beautiful than their world. that earns a small smile, although it quickly fades as she turns back to a more serious conversation. ] To the both of you- I would not advise

eating the golden apple.

[ she knows Shooter's been watching the community; but Ozaki hasn't- or at least she doesn't think he has. he'd need a warning.

also, Shooter, if you don't want yours, she'll take it away. ]

[He's not sure he'd call it hospitality, given why he had asked her to come in the first place. It was incredibly self serving, even if he tries to belatedly make the offer more general as an afterthought. Given who it is, given his own nature, and the tensions between them, he supposes he should have thought to make it clear that she was, despite his demeanor, welcome even outside of some self-bound promise to help him.

Caught up in those thoughts, he watches what he can only deem as Dead Master silently pressuring the other girl to talk.

Somebody more reclusive and difficult to speak to than her.

Just what sort of company is he trying to keep, here?]

Ah.... Is it? [His voice seems to rise almost submissively in pitch, trying just as hard as she is for small talk.] It doesn't really suit the tastes of most girls your two's age, so that's surprising to hear... Ha... ha....

[Ohthankgod, apple talk. Whatever it is and however dangerous it is, it's geared towards a specific topic.] The one with the parting note? I don't think most people would take a bite of something as cryptic as that even without knowing the community...

....Or rather, only those in the community would not give a

second thought to eating it.

[ girls their age. she doesn't even know her own age. for how she appears, all she can say is that she seems to look older than Yomi by a few years. ] Although I do wonder- I cannot remember the last time

I have ever seen you under

a virus.[ or at all, really. if she could pin one person that the community seems to bother the least, it's Ozaki. anyways, there's plenty of smart people at DDD. but still they bite things they really shouldn't. Dead Master didn't think Ozaki would, but she had to make sure. wouldn't want him to turn into some serial killer slash sexual deviant. ] If you do notwant yours,
Ozaki Toshio,

I will take it.

Mm? Ah, the last was mild enough. The worst that happened was that a young girl found out I thought that she was a pervert. Worse for her than for me, at any rate... [Which, if he remembers it, he still must feel a little guilty over; making a teenage girl feel bad for what was an accidental post of her private hobby, from the privacy of her own room, wasn't exactly a crowning moment of sensitivity and decency on his part.]

It seems the community's been pretty quiet with them for a while. It's embarassing to say as a former part of what was once the research team, but the dead girl may be doing better fighting it off with cookies and costume parties than months of our data collecting had been able to manage... But, by all means, if you have a use for it...

[ cookies and costume parties-- oh. Yuri. speaking of that party... ] Mm, did you happento speak with

Kefka at all?

[ she probably shouldn't be bringing up that situation. but she hardly speaks with him, so she may as well ask now before he disappears into his clinic for who knows how long. ]

[ ooc: she'll certainly be taking that apple then wherever he placed it. she'll be using it, too. for research purposes. ]

The hostess wasn't appreciative of my less than festive mood. [A little girl shouldn't have stood in the way given how angry he was, but it was only of questionable worth to try to use physical force against her just to yell at Kefka. Without knowing his then human, and thus perhaps even defeatable status, it was easy to think that that girl, however unintentionally, saved him from some suicide rush, even without knowing her own battle prowess.]

At any rate, it seems that I'm the villain in the people's eyes, now...

[The apple is right on his desk; he's not exactly worried about any nursing staff or such taking it. They're not stupid enough to pick up and eat any old strange object.]

Nonsense, nonsense- you are not

a villain at all,

if you wish to protect others. [ not that he ever wished to protect his own wife. but that's beside the point, right? besides- ] You did not killanyone.[ she did. and she would take the blame for it too; that, at least, is something to which she has committed herself, to be the killer, that 'villain' instead of him. ]

[she's just met Ozaki. no opinion of him yet. just a stranger who... Dead Master apparently cares for. so maybe there is some opinion there.]

[if you were trying to protect him, you're not a villain, Dead Master.]

[Shooter still doesn't say anything, though it's more out of how she usually is than unfamiliar awkwardness now.]

[ and that's what matters, the opinions of those for whom she actually cares, isn't it? whether others think her a villain is something else she'll accept, but will not try to defend herself. as long as the judgement went to her, that's fine. not that she could justify herself either way. but of those that have become close to her...no, she could never be impartial.

Shooter, your words are reassuring. ]

Edited (<3) 2012-02-24 03:36 (UTC)

[hmmmm.

what else are we going to do here in the meantime?]

[ What a thoughtful question. For how long Dead Master has been here, even she did not know what to do in the village when she wasn't looking around for the Shiki. Most of the time, the community itself served as its own distraction. She turns to Ozaki. ] Tell me, do you haveany recommendations as to what

I may show Shooter, or

what we may doin Sotoba? [ she doesn't know if he's lived here all his life or not; but even he should have some suggestions as to what was fun or worthwhile to see. ]

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[Real Life with DM and BRS]

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