[Day 282] I'm covering my ears like kid... [OPEN]

[hellpyre]

Who: Rin, Oshawott, Kintaro (the Tepig)
Open: Open
When: Day 282, evening
Where: The Monument
What: The loss of a brother
Format: Will match!
Warnings: Rin's temper. :|

[Speaking to Otoha had taken up a decent chunk of Rin's afternoon. Not that she minded, it had been a nice conversation about the things he had planted via shards among other things, and the company was enjoyable. But she did have other things to do, like bringing dinner to the hospital once evening rolled around. After all, it wasn't like Yukio was going to drag himself away from his work to get food on his own.

With a happy hum and a tail wag, Rin headed to the hospital with Kintaro at her heels. She had no idea anything was even remotely off until she stepped through the entrance doors.

And that's when she saw Oshawott sitting on the floor in the lobby area, making distressed noises that almost sounded like crying. Rin entering got his attention, causing him to run over to her. He was chattering so fast she could barely catch what he was trying to tel her, but soon enough he had her hand in his tiny paw and was tugging her to Yukio's office.

... which was frighteningly empty.

His books, files, notepads were all still there, but her brother was nonexistent.

Feeling a tightness in her chest that she didn't want to feel, she tried to justify his absence, saying aloud that maybe he was with a patient, or had stepped out for a moment.

But Oshawott shook his head, and a word was understood that made her heart sink completely to her feet.

"Skyway."

Grabbing both Oshawott and Kintaro up she bolted from the hospital, calling Yukio's name frantically as tears burned painfully in the corners of her eyes. He couldn't, he wouldn't--

There was no reply. No chastising voice telling her calm down, keep her voice down. Not even a distant glint of light off familiar glasses.

As night came across the Bastion that evening, Rin wouldn't return to the kitchen nor to her apartment. Curled up with a still-crying Oshawott in her lap and Kintaro at her side, she sat in front of the Monument, face blotched red but tears no longer falling.

Just a blank stare out to the space far beyond the edge of the floating land that was their current home.]

Comments

[scary_music]

Yukio-chan...?

[Ibuki flinched a little at that. She hadn't known him that well but, still, she knew very well what it was like to lose people]

[... granted, back then, on the island, she still hadn't known her classmates that well... she'd even cracked stupid jokes in an attempt to keep everybody's spirits up when things got dark, but clearly that wasn't what she should be doing here]

You... you don't know that for sure, do you, Rin-chan? Right? I mean...

...

Um... can... can Ibuki do anything? Maybe a hug?

[Ibuki stepped closer, gingerly reaching for Rin and her pokemon. A group hug would probably help a little, right?]

[hellpyre]

[Yukio wasn't even the right twin, but he was still a part of Rin's life, Rin's family, and Oshawott's trainer at that.

It was upset all around for that reason.

Rin rubbed the sleeve of her hoodie across her eyes, shaking her head.]

Oshawott... said he went out to the Skyway alone. And didn't come back. He... he wouldn't not come back, that's just not like him! And I just...

[I just know some how, that he's gone.

She's not really sure what she wants or needs right now, but Kintaro is certainly urging Ibuki to help some how. He doesn't know how to make them stop crying!]

[scary_music]

[Ibuki sat next to Rin, fidgeting a bit]

Maybe... maybe he got lost or something? Or... you just can't know what happened for sure, right?

...

[She fell silent for a moment, before reaching over to pull Rin into a hug]

[hellpyre]

[She won't deny that hug, nor will Oshawott. He snuggles in between them, whimpering sadly.]

When people go out there alone, they just--... they don't come back...

[Most of the time. Sometimes they do, but it's so rare, and it often takes weeks.

But more often than not... they don't.]

[scary_music]

[Ibuki wasn't really sure what to say to that. She really hadn't been at the Bastion for terribly long to know whether she could argue against that or not.]

[For once, the musician had nothing to say. She just kept her hold on Rin, gently patting her on the back]

[Tears started to sting her eyes as she can't help but reflect on all the lives lost... even before the calamity, when she saw the bodies of murdered and executed class mates...]

[hellpyre]

[Rin was not one to give up easily, but time beat everyone down sooner or later and she had been there longer than most of them. She had seen people come and go, return themselves or return as some one else. She had seen death and held the cold body of her friends in her arms.

To her, these were the facts, and though a part of her did want to search for him... she couldn't bring herself to move from that spot to try.

Losing Night had been painful, but losing Yukio had made her feel numb, crying only because that was her body's reaction to it more than the actual physical ache in her heart that should have been there.]

Everyone leaves...

[scary_music]

[Ibuki stiffened at those words, as they were intensely uncomfortable and... familiar to her.]

That...

[She felt a lump in her throat, finding it even more difficult to speak than before. A small feeling of despair was growing in the pit of her stomach, because... it could happen again.]

[... she might end up alone]

People... leave all the time-

[she choked off at that a bit. What was she even saying? Saying that wasn't helping anything, but what Rin said just struck her so hard.]

But... but we're still here. I'm still here, and...

I... I don't really know what it's like to have... to lose family but we still have each other, and everybody else here, right?

[hellpyre]

[God, she doesn't want to put this on someone else. Especially not some one like Ibuki. Ibuki hadn't been worn down like her, put through the trials of horrible scarring injuries, loss of friends and too many close calls to recall. She didn't want to see her go that way.

But she was just so numb. It was like being in the prison in Kyoto all over again, lacking the confidence to fight back let alone take her sword up, ready to give in and end her life if that would have made it easier for everyone involved.

Granted this was nothing like that time - the loss of her brother was hardly the kick to her ego that the Kyoto incident had been, yet she still felt that horrible numbness all the same.

"We're still here..."]

... I don't want anyone else to leave.

[scary_music]

[If only Rin knew just what sort of trials Ibuki had gone through, before even showing up at the Bastion, but she certainly didn't act like anything of that sort had ever happened to her a good deal of the time]

[Ibuki wanted to tell Rin that it'd be okay, that she'd never leave... but then she thought about what Colin had told her earlier. There were no guarantees... who knew what could happen in this place?]

I don't want anybody to leave, either, Rin-chan.

We just... have to keep doing our best, and watch out for each other, right?

[hellpyre]

[Maybe they should talk about it some time when Rin isn't an emotional mess. Rin can tell her about the Kyoto incident, and some of the other things she's gone through thanks to being the half breed child of Satan. And Ibuki can tell her about murder school.

And then maybe they can laugh. If only because it will keep them from crying.]

Y... yeah...

[She's just going to sniffle pathetically with Oshawott.]

[scary_music]

[Yeah good luck getting Ibuki to talk in length about murder school, really]

... Hey, Rin-chan, did you want anything? Need something? Maybe some... jerky or tissues or something???

Or should Ibuki just stay here with you for now, Rin-chan?

[hellpyre]

[c'mon Ibuki, open up to your local demon child. It'll be like confession! Just without the priest.

And with the kid raised by a priest]

... we can go back to the kitchen.

[Bon will probably come looking for her eventually, better to be somewhere that he knows she would be.]

[scary_music]

[M-maybe later but she barely talks to anybody about murder school, she'd rather just not think about it]

Okay, okay... let's go, then. It's not healthy to sit around on your tushie all day, after all, so, so, good idea.

[She'll stand up, before gently tugging Rin to stand up with her]

[hellpyre]

[Understandable. But Rin is there to listen, should it ever come out.]

'kay...

[Rin gets up, shifting Oshawott in her arms. Kintaro is more than happy to walk on the ground, though, being the less upset of the three.]

[scary_music]

Was there anything you wanted to nom on, Rin-chan? Ibuki's been getting a lot better at cooking, so, so, lay it on Ibuki! Any request! She'll even make cake if you want!

[Ibuki leads Rin toward the kitchen as she talks]

[hellpyre]

I think there's some pastries left over. You don't have to cook...

[It's not that she doesn't trust Ibuki. She does! But she's already going to so much trouble for her...]

[scary_music]

But Ibuki feels like cooking! So, so, lay it on Ibuki! A thing you want to see cooked! Cooking is going to happen!

[hellpyre]

... okay.

[Even Rin has to smile at that a tiny bit.]

I'unno, somethin' light I guess?

[scary_music]

Sure thing, Rin-chan! Some lightweight division cooking, just for you!

[hellpyre]

Thank you, Ibuki.

[Rin will just quietly sit down and continue hugging Oshawott. He needs it just as much as she does.]

[scary_music]

No need to thank me, Rin-chan. Helping each other when the feels are bad, and getting through all the bad times together so we can rise up towards good ones... that's what friends are for!

[hellpyre]

I know...

[Sort of.]

I mean... kinda. I didn't really have any friends until recently...

[scary_music]

It's kind of weird, Ibuki seems to only really make friends whenever she's put in bad situations...

First the island before she showed up at the Bastion, and now...

[And now on a piece of land after so much has been blown up. Anyway, Ibuki starts grabbing some ingredients to make something light because I'm too lazy to google something light that she can make right now I'm sorry]

[hellpyre]

[Rin watches her, mostly quiet as she pets Oshawott and tries to get him to calm down some. Ibuki's comment does warrant a wan smile, though.]

You're lucky then...

[scary_music]

Am I...?

It'd be nice if I could've made some friends before everything started going all bad and wrong, though.

Well, there was Ibuki's old band, but...

[But it was pretty much her fault that had fallen apart]

A-anyway, don't you have a bunch of friends here, too, Rin-chan?