13th Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Action (Fourth Wall Event)

[uccellodifuoco]

[Apparently, either the Malnosso have decided that around three hundred of people aren't enough for their experiments... Or someone has left open the front door and people thought that the enclosure was a commercial center with a sale going on. Ikki has never been a people person, he has problems already when half of the village gathers for parties, this sudden influx of not-New Feathers isn't something that pleases him.

Specially when his pet, an arctic wolf cub, little over one year old and named Hyoga, decides to start running around to play catch with his owner. Of course, like always, Ikki is the "it" that has to catch the animal. And of course, today the village is so full of people that running around isn't easy, or keep sight of the animal, good thing Hyoga knows how to get back home... Or he should, Ikki had been teaching him that recently. Still he tries to catch the animal, not because he's worried but because it would be troublesome to just let it go and bother people.]

Let me go through, dammit! Hyoga!! Stop right there this instant!! Come back, stupid wolf! I'm not going to chase you forever so come already!

[Of course, Hyoga will at most stop, turn to look at its owner and then keep running away happily. Or bother whoever is next to him if he thinks they smell nice or something. He's not afraid of the angry phoenix chasing him, not at all.]

Comments

[thegoldenram]

[ This Old Ram is more bothered by the sudden change in scenery and the presence of people that he senses, than the pup that decided to sniff at the hem of his robes.

However, the pup's energetic movement tugs a little at the robes that he cannot help but look down and try to sweep the bit away with the help of some psychokinesis. ]

... are you certain you want to play?

[uccellodifuoco]

[Hyoga doesn't know what "give up" means and he's quite excited by this person's scent. It's not one the animal recognizes, of course, but it has something he often smells on his owner, so the animal keeps trying to tug at the robes. He looks up when Shion speaks, though, looking at him for a second and then barking happily before trying to bit at the hem of his robes again to tug.

Meanwhile, not too far from them, Ikki's fighting to make his way through. Not literally but he is starting to consider the use of violence, now.]

Hyoga!! Come here or I'll pull out all your teeth, damn animal!

[Hyoga looks at Ikki's direction for a second but continues bothering Shion.]

[thegoldenram]

[ Shion certainly did not miss that voice nor that Cosmo as he takes a moment to zero in on the pup's owner with a fleeting impish smile. He looks back to the pup. ]

Named after a Saint, are you?

[ But no playing with the Holy Father's robes! Have some psychokinesis to gently lift you from the ground, little pup, only to deposit him just as gently -- halfway between him and Ikki. Will this Hyoga return to its master or to him? ]

[uccellodifuoco]

[Hyoga barks again, as if replying positively... Only to make a yelping sound when he finds himself lifted from the ground without anyone touching him. It's worth noting the animal isn't scared, just surprised and confused, and when placed in the ground he looks around searching for the cause of the magical movement.

Ikki had noticed the Cosmo as well, he's not enough of a fool to not notice it. But with so many people suddenly around and with his Cosmo partially sealed due the characteristics of Luceti, he hadn't been sure. And he's not one to make hope he feels is pointless. Of course, as he makes his way, he can't miss Shion's figure and robes. It makes him pause for a second before trying to first grab Hyoga.

The animal has none of that though and as soon as he notices Ikki right there, Hyoga dodges and sprints back towards Shion. This time he tries to dive under his robes to hide there. Or behind the man, before barking still happily. Ikki suddenly feels in the mood of strangling an animal.]

This isn't a game, Hyoga!

[Ikki groans in frustration when Hyoga just barks back. Then he turn s his attention to the man... To say that Ikki feels unsure would be an understatement. He eyes Shion for a long time before eying his clothes.]

I suppose I should call you Holy Father or something like that.

[He has never called anyone that way. It sounds strange in his mouth.]

[thegoldenram]

[ Shion smiles as he watches the pup look confused for a moment, only to have it bolt right back to him. He sighs, resigned, and let the pup do as it pleases. He decides to move and meet the Saint somewhere halfway. ]

I think all are games for such little creatures.

[ Slight incline of his head as he shrugs. ]

That works fine with me, Phoenix. Though truly, we are not in a place that requires much formality. I am called Shion as well.

[ He takes note of the wings and the somewhat diminished cosmo, but is currently quiet about it, preferring to see if he can pick up the pup. ]

[uccellodifuoco]

Must be fun, being little and have a life full of only games while the adults only chase you to make sure you don't get hurt or to give you food.

[He eyes the wolf, who peeps at him from behind Shion, with a sneer. It's stupid but some times he really feels like abandoning the animal or doing something horrible to him, a small part of him that still is childish enough and has enough anger and hate to be envious of a little pup. But as soon as he ever thinks that he remembers his own childhood and vows to not let that happen again so... It's a vicious cycle but one where the only one harmed is himself fortunately.

He sighs and looks at Shion, almost instinctively searching for wings on his back.]

I'll call you Shion then, I've never been much for formalities anyway. It doesn't seem as if you'll be stuck here for long either.

[It's hard to say if that's something that pleases him, annoys him or just makes him sad. His tone is as emotionless as it can get and his face is just a scowling mask. Hyoga makes a questioning sound in Ikki's direction but besides that won't do much, letting Shion pick him up if he wants to.]

[thegoldenram]

[ And upsadaisy, the wolf pup will be cradled in one arm and petted with the other. While he regards the pup, there is a fleeting bit of sadness in his eyes. ] A privilege some truly enjoy.

[ Smiling once more as he looks back up to Ikki. ] That is fine by me.

[ Doing the math -- the cosmo, the place, the wings he sees on Ikki and that he had seen on others. ] Would I be correct in assuming that the wings would be part of the reason why you are here?

[uccellodifuoco]

I'm not sure if it's part of the reason, but it's clearly a result. It's also the way we can know who will still be here next month and who may only be here for a few hours. I don't remember this happening, but I've the impression it's not the first time that it actually happens.

[He shrugs lightly and smiles a bit as Hyoga makes satisfied sounds. The animal sure loves attention, probably because Ikki has a very particular way of caring for something.]

Imagine Shion sitting on that Pope throne with stroking a puppy in his lap... :3c

[thegoldenram]

[ Shion looks briefly over his shoulder. ] Then I guess I should not worry about being trapped here for long.

How does this... place pull people in anyway? [ Ear scritches for the puppy~ ]

[theonlyflowerinhell]

((OOC: I'll apologize now for any inconsistencies; it's been years and I only know the early anime.

Also, sorry for the brainbreak. Mostly. ;) ))

[She probably won't notice the wolf cub at first. After all, she had just died, and now she was...somewhere else. With a lot of people around her, too. And someplace as cold as her home had been hot.

So maybe she can be forgiven if her first reaction isn't to bend down to pet the puppy, but to instead try and find someplace a little less crowded so that she can at least get her bearings. And a little more warmth.]

[uccellodifuoco]

((OOC: Anime is full of inconsistencies anyway. Ikki's manga based but regarding that arc the only difference is that Esmeralda wasn't Guilty's daughter... But it's not as if Ikki's going to mention him.))

[Hyoga doesn't mind if she doesn't pay him attention, his owner is Ikki, he's used to be ignored at times for other matters. Still, the animal will take its time in sniffing at her... And start barking like crazy because, lady, you have your own scent but his owner's scent is still clinging to your body. Hyoga may be an animal, but he's not stupid, he knows everyone Ikki knows -it's not hard, he doesn't know that many people-, so finding someone with his scent and that he doesn't know? It warrants the animal to start barking and howling to get his owner there immediately. Don't be scared, Esmeralda, Hyoga doesn't bark at you, but he won't let you get far.

Meanwhile... Ikki is still several people afar from them. Give him two minutes, his voice will probably carry on though, because he's hearing that little beast making noise like never before.]

You better not have gotten into trouble, damn wolf!

[theonlyflowerinhell]

[Well, the barking and carrying on will definitely get her attention. At first, she'll draw away just a little, startled by the sudden greeting. But it's easy to see within seconds that the pup is simply excited. Esmerelda will kneel down, smiling a little and offering a hand to sniff.]

Are you lost?

[And then she hears that familiar voice and stands.]

Ikki?

[She hears him, but she can't see him in this crowd. She starts to look around to see if she can figure out the direction he's in.]

[uccellodifuoco]

[Hyoga keeps barking and howling, stopping only to sniff at her hand and lick it, confirming that she has Ikki's scent still lingering in her person. When she calls Ikki's name the animal just gets even louder and more excited.

Ikki makes his way to where his noisy pet is, not knowing what has gotten into the animal, he doesn't sound scared but Ikki can't think of what would make him that excited. Unfortunately he misses Esmeralda's voice, drowned in the crowd and the wolf's barking and howling. Something in the back of his mind tingles as he gets closer, her Cosmo being noticeable, but it has been so long since he last felt it, close to six years or so, it doesn't ping him immediately.

He finally gets to where they are, stumbling a bit and glaring at the crowd, wishing they all would just vanish already. He must be taller than Esmeralda remembers, he's older, but he's still Ikki. Just as she's still Esmeralda when he turns and finally finds her. If there's ever a moment in which the world freezes and seems to vanish, it's this one.]

... E-Esmeralda?

[theonlyflowerinhell]

[Esmeralda is, of course, looking in the wrong direction at first as well, but at the sound of her name, she'll turn to Ikki. She will pause, of course. He is taller, and older. And...perhaps there is something ever so slightly different about him.

But it is him. And he's alive.]

Ikki.

[And she'll smile.]

You're all right.

[uccellodifuoco]

[No, he's not all right. He's frozen, paralyzed, almost... Scared. Luceti is a strange place, it's a place where those who are dead can appear and live on a second life. It's both a gift and a curse, because as sad and terrible as dead is, it has a meaning, there's a reason it exists. Even if he knew it was possible, he never considered that those who had died as he kept on living would appear here. Because he wasn't sure if he would be capable of accepting death a second time, as inevitable as it was. So he even preferred if it didn't happen, let those who died rest, let their deaths still have meaning and be something to draw strength from and not just sadness.]

Esmeralda... It's you... It's really you.

[She's here, in Luceti. At his reach and smiling like she always did. Alive and smiling. He should be happy, yet all he can do is wonder for how long will this be possible, as anger coils inside of him at what he knows will come at some moment. It's like being dead all over again, those brief times in which he can try to reach for her, hear her voice and see her face before he's pushed back to life. Except that this time he's still alive.]

[theonlyflowerinhell]

Umhmm...

[And that smile gets a little brighter as she nods. Still, she can sense the hesitancy, just as she can still feel the pain that had sent her on past her own mortal coil.

Or so she had thought. She will glance ever so briefly at herself, looking for the wound that should have been there before meeting his eyes once more.]

I've...been gone for a while, haven't I?

[Might as well try and make the best of this situation, yes?]

[uccellodifuoco]

[For a while... For some reason that just strikes him and then, he starts to chuckle and then laugh, closing his eyes and shaking his head before he looks at her again. She's still there.]

For a while...

[He nods as the brief funny-but-not-really moment passes and finally, finally his feet answer his will and he approaches her. He does so carefully though, almost as if still not convinced that she's really here... It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to trick him to lower his defenses, he can't even be sure of Hyoga isn't being fooled even as the wolf tries to tug as his pants to make him go faster.

When he finally stands in front of her... For the first time ever it really strikes to him. "For a while", six years. Six whole years in which he has been alive and fighting and she has... Been gone. Six years in which her death felt fresh in his mind and heart, in which he still could feel the weight of her body in her arms as she died. It hadn't felt long until now that he has to look down to look at her, because she's thirteen, a teenager, and he's twenty one, an adult. When did that much time pass by.]

Just for a little while.

[souhi]

[There's a partly grumpy, partly confused looking Ninja wandering about in Hyoga's path. Whatever happens next.]

[uccellodifuoco]

[What happens next is that there's a wolf cub stopping and sniffing at the man, looking at his face and laughing. Okay, no, the animal doesn't laugh but he keeps sniffing and eventually tries to gather attention. Play with him? Or wait until his owner finally gets there, it will only take a bit.]

[souhi]

[Kurogane looks down at the wolf cub and a ghost of a smile might emerge on his face before disappearing. He opens his hand, palm up to let the cub sniff at his hand.]

[uccellodifuoco]

[Hyoga barks again as he notices the man paying him attention. He sniffs at his hand and tries to lick it, sitting on his hindquarters.

Meanwhile, Ikki is trying to find his pet. Stupid animal being so small, and stupid crowd of people filling the streets.]

[souhi]

Heh.

[He crouches down next to the pup and pats it on the back while looking at Hyoga with a thoughtful look.

Who do you belong to little guy?]

[uccellodifuoco]

[Hyoga revels in the patting, he's not an attention whore but Ikki really should work a bit more on paying attention to him. Or in showing the animal that he pays attention, either way. Who is tsun even with his own pet?

While Hyoga is busy making a new friend, Ikki reaches them. Briefly sighing in relief on seeing that the animal is unharmed, and that apparently he's not bothering someone too much, at least this guy is just patting him.]

You're warned, next time the village is this full, you stay home.

[He talks as he approaches them, looking pointedly at the wolf cub before looking at the man.]

Has he bothered you much?

[souhi]

No. Sounds like he has a good master.

[And then he rises to his full height and nods curtly.]

Where am I?

[uccellodifuoco]

In a world called Luceti, or rather, a village called Luceti. We have no idea how the world is called, neither we really care.

[He eyes the man's back, no wings, huh.]

You probably won't be here for long, though. Should return to wherever you were in a matter of days, I suppose.