windbreak | asgardeventide IC contact

[At the same time Yosuke is posting his own, Souji message's his friend mailbox and...]

Yosuke, are you there?

[...Huh?]

Yo, Souji! I just texted you!

[In such a hurry that he hasn't checked anything in his inbox besides the name yet.]

Sorry, I would've called you back sooner, but... [Actually, no, that's enough about that.] What's up, man? Oh, how'd the bank thing go?

Yeah, I just saw.

[Maybe that's for the better, how many messages had he sent in total? ...Probably too much. And a tiny bit disappointed by that (or relieved? he wasn't sure) Yosuke is asking that question, since it means he hasn't listened to them yet.]

I got the loan. We could meet at the building right now, if you're feeling better.

[Then he notices he has one new message, and quickly switches while waiting for his response.]

Whoa, and a building already? How long was I even - huh? [Wait, was that a text?

Yep, it was. And now he's back on the other end of the audio call, not quite managing to sound as upbeat as he was a couple of minutes ago.]

Uh, when you say "gone"... Did something happen? [Okay, possibly not the clearest word choice ever, but dammit, cut him some slack! He knows what he's getting at!] I mean, when did you hear from her last...?

[It's okay, he understands. It's upsetting for him too.]

A day after you went missing. I was told it happens often...they go back home. [At least, he really hopes that's what happens. Woe be onto anyone if Souji finds out that in truth they are actually somewhere else, because there will be hell to pay.]

Sometimes they come back...but it might not be the same Rise as before. She might not remember being here.

[The tone of his voice is down to a whisper. He didn't like any part of this situation at all.]

Uh, dude, I know... People're always talking about this stuff just randomly breaking and sending their friends back. But what about before that? Did you hear anything weird? There can't be no clues...

[He trails off, having just caught an odd look from somebody passing by.]

S-Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you there.

No...it's fine. Sometimes I forget you were here before me.

We usually talked in the morning. When I tried to send Rise a message it just...[Could he have stopped it by going there himself? Sometimes it's hard not placing a bit of the guilt upon himself.]...she was gone.

Maybe we should talk about this in person.

[Yosuke's own voice softens a tiny bit.] Hey, c'mon... [He can just picture Souji's face on the other end of the line... The day right after he "went missing", huh? Talk about shitty timing, even by his standards.

But there's no need for any of them to beat themselves up. Souji's going to have enough to worry about without starting to wallow in the stuff he can't change. They all are. The only real option is to stop themselves heading down that road in the first place, he thinks - and makes a concerted effort to smile, hoping that some of it will come through. At any rate, it gets him to feel a little more like himself... for better and for worse, somehow.]

Yeah, I agree. Let's not drain those investigating batteries before we're all ready to go. Speaking of which! What's this about this building you got!? Dude, you gotta give me the tour! You're not just talking it up 'cause you added estate agent to your long list of jobs while I was out of it, are you!?

[He can feel it. Or at least he knows that Yosuke is making an effort and that there is much more unsaid through those words he could ask of him...Souji's really glad to have him around. So he also makes an effort to smile. They have to keep going. If only so that if Rise does come back, she'll see how much has changed.]

Nah. I don't think I could do that around here. [Actually maybe he could do that around here with those skills of his but but---no, no let's not think about that. Already way too much on his plate.]

Do you need the coordinates again? We can meet there in 10 minutes, it's a close walk to the hospital in the Sigyn district. It'll be hard to miss.

Oh, right, you sent those! Okay, I'll give you a shout when I find it. See ya there, partner!

[Man, he's such a sap sometimes. Well, never mind. Souji won't hold it against him.

Surprising himself and probably everybody who's ever known him, Yosuke doesn't take too long to meander into the right street. He pauses before calling Souji again, though - first, hands in his pockets, he stops on the pavement a little ways outside the door to look the building over. Is this the place? Maybe it's just the low light, but the outside seems a lot more old-school than what he'd pictured... at least, when he'd imagined a bunch of high-schoolers would end up landing their own self-proclaimed detective agency at all.]

[And what great sense of timing (WHAT IS GOING ON IS THIS WORLD GOING TO END--OH WAIT NEVER MIND) as he arrives just as Souji steps outside of the building. That now serves as confirmation Yosuke's looking at the right one, and for Souji, that his partner really is back from being one of the grey.

His face breaks into a large, wide grin. It's almost pathetically hilarious really. Here he had been leaving on the train out of Inaba right before appearing in Asgard, knowing he wouldn't be seeing his friends for a while and perfectly accepting it, and now he was worried sick the few days Yosuke had gone missing and Rise had left completely. Or maybe Rise's disappearances had made him panic that everyone else would suddenly disappear too.

As he walks closer, Souji sports the face of a teenager that hasn't been sleeping all that well the last few days. Lots of work divided calling for his attention into time spent searching for his friend's bracelet. Then again, when had he ever allow himself a good sleeping schedule that lasted more than a few hours in Asgard? He stops right next to him.]

Hey. Welcome back.

[When Souji thinks about it, as much as he knows he'd be able to go on his own, Yosuke's always been by his side when it came to crazy adventures and investigations. Doing things by yourself is fine and good, but in certain situations it's nice to have a second voice. Someone ready to either agree and back you up or argue against you and not be afraid to do so, helping you realize other potential answers. He thinks of everyone equally in the Investigation Team, but Yosuke's the one who's really got his back through thick and thin. Even if the ropes sometimes get cut off when they cross a TV.

And while he does try to hold back at first, in the end he can't help himself. The past few days have been surprisingly emotionally draining.

He'll apologize for doing it right in a public street later. Maybe. Not like anyone passing by seems to care.]

[...Wow, Souji looks terrible. Yosuke had expected something like that after flicking through those missed calls, but seeing him in person... it kind of hurts. The look on his face alone paints an entire picture of how he's been spending the week. And he's not the kind of person to get rattled by just anything...

But even if the first thought to half-involuntarily pop into Yosuke's head isn't quite a charitable one, that doesn't mean he isn't relieved. Then again, it doesn't mean he's about to say any of that out loud, either. He just raises a hand to give Souji a wave - there's a little sluggishness to the movement, a little lingering tiredness in his usual grin, but he's as casual as ever.] Hey! Good to see y-

[And then he promptly gets all but engulfed around the shoulders. That? That's the part he wasn't expecting.]

- whoa! Souji!? W-What're you...!?

[Still, for all of that squeaking, he's not actively pushing himself away.

...Not that he could if he tried, probably.]

[It was good idea not to try moving away, as Souji later realized he might have been holding on too hard. Taking a deep breath, he eventually relents after what might seem like forever for Yosuke. He just needed that hug to make sure that the other was really there, and a simple handshake wouldn't have quite cut it. Or maybe it was just that he'd been overcome with emotions. Wither way he did feel marginally better. He gives the other a small smile.]

S-sorry. It's just...[been hell for the most part] had a rough few days [WAY TO PUT IT LIGHTLY LIKE IT'S NOT BIG DEAL AS USUAL.]

Sheesh, what's "rough" look like to the rest of us? [Aw, come on, he's not falling for that. (In any sense of the idiom, thank you. When Yosuke is freed from that vicegrip and finds himself without a dislocated shoulder, he's genuinely surprised.) But he's not going to push it, either. Times like this are when guys don't need a lot of words, right? Souji's going to be fine, and he's going to be fine... eventually. So they might as well move on.]

What were you doing in there this late, anyways? Trying to get the place all set up single-handed? What's the rush? [He's teasing, as ever. More or less. But he's also pretty sure that if the others were around, Souji wouldn't let himself look like quite as much of a wreck.]

[The image of Yosuke having a truly rough night is pretty amusing, although it does suddenly remind Souji of the night passed in the tent. He keeps that part to himself.]

I haven't touched much yet. [He knows Yosuke is teasing, but Souji will still play it like the straight man he tends to do.] There's a lot of dust. I'm not sure when this place was last used, probably a few years. [It could explain why they were fine with him claiming it. He pauses to open his bag slung over his shoulder and then hands him a key. Granted, in a place where Visitors have powers, having a lock isn't the greatest way to keep things intact, but it's the symbolism of it.]

This is yours. Wanna come take a look inside?

Yeah! This I gotta - wait, you haven't touched anything, but you've been hanging around with spare keys anyway?

[Well, that's Souji all right. He shoves the little key into a pocket without looking twice at it and heads through the door.]

Whoa, it's pretty dark...

I got some made for all of us. [In between searching for him, he needed distractions, things to do to keep his mind off of it.]

Yeah. I managed to get some of the lights working...

[He turns to the right and flicks a switch on. After a few seconds the lights at the very top snap on to life, humming loudly. This place looks more like a warehouse with rooms than anything else right now. Just finding the general electrical outlets for the building was an adventure in itself. He takes out a small flashlight, and hands it to him.]

I haven't looked in all the rooms yet. The heating isn't on either.

[SOUNDS LIKE ADVENTURE TO BE HAD!!]

Brrr, you could've said that sooner! [Yosuke's already shivering too much to hold the flashlight still as he flicks it on...

He hasn't completely frozen up yet, though - and in fact, as he looks around, you can practically hear something at the back of his mind revving into life.]

But it's bigger than I thought, too... And we seriously get the run of the whole place? Man, the stuff you could fit in here...

[He pauses.] Well, first we better check nothing's about to just collapse on us, huh? C'mon, partner.

[Let's go! Nothing bad can happen right?]

It's all ours. And there's a second level too. [He may have sent you an excited post about that a while ago when you were still grey comatose.] There's items scattered around too...but I just took a quick look before identifying anything. [Well, more like he wanted to look around with someone else cause being here alone with a flashlight in the near-cold would be boring. And lonely. Boring and lonely.

When they come to the first room, he pushes it open before walking in.]

[Which means that Yosuke is the second person to get smacked in the face by the disturbed dust cloud that promptly billows out.]

Urgh...! [Through his sudden attack of coughing, he hurriedly fans at the air in front of him with his flashlight, until it occurs to him that using his free hand instead would be a) more efficient and b) less likely to brain Souji on the side of the head. It might be a bit late for the latter, but he switches hands anyway.] Shit, you weren't kidding... That's why they're letting us have it, isn't it? Because no-one else would go poking around in this deathtrap!

[He says that, but he nevertheless follows Souji straight in. Can't see what's underneath all this dust from the outside, right?]

[A bit late for that, yeah. He rubs his head where the flashlight hit the side of his head, but it's just one of those bumps that hurt for a second due to the surprise of receiving it, but is gone the next.]

It's structurally sound...just unused. I think.

[He hopes. But he won't say that out loud. Once they get a better look, they can see items covered in thick layers of dust. Papers with nothing written on them but obviously pretty old. A desk that's seen better days, some chairs that definitely need cleaning. They squeak loudly when Souji pushes one of them with his foot.]

It looks like a work room.

[And a really large one at that...]

There are wooden panels covering the windows. Should we try prying one off?

[He tries to experimentally poke at the closest one, but the wood barely budges. They've been bolted shut pretty tightly by narrow nails, which he's unable to grab. They may need a hammer.]

[Yosuke groans, mostly to himself. He knows what that last "I think" means. It means Souji has absolutely no idea either, doesn't it?

He gingerly picks his way over to the same window, for once in his life minding his step, and runs his flashlight over the panel.]

Mm, but it looks like it's on pretty tight. I'm guessing you didn't bring a toolbox out here? Maybe we should come back with one.

[But as he's about to reach out to the side of the panel, a lightbulb moment hits - bright enough that he can see it even in this gloomy old room.]

Or... wait. If it's wood, it's from a plant, right? [He turns his head, trying to catch Souji's eye.] You think...?

[... So close, and yet so far.]

[He hadn't, what with most of his thoughts having been trying to find him and then waiting to see him and...wow the lack of sleep was really making Souji forget little details like bringing tools for a trip like this one.]

Good idea.

[At least until Yosuke mentions his suggestion. Hey may just work and save them some time.]

I'll try it.

[The wood itself is too cracked and old for him to revive, but he knows they can grow seeds on rotting wood. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a seed, placing it between the crack behind the wood. As he presses down on it, a vine begins to grow but just a few seconds later, Souji suddenly stops, frowning...]

No, this isn't good. The wood is barely moving due to the nails, and I'm afraid of what it might do to the wall if I make this grow too thick...[He looks at Yosuke again.] That was a pretty good idea, using my power...

[Wait! Process of elimination might just give them what they are looking for. Now it's Souji's turn to have a lightbulb moment, as he slowly looks at Yosuke, grinning.]

...so let's give yours a try.

Wh-

[There's a whump from behind Yosuke that sends another plume of dust curling into the air, and more annoyingly up his nose. He coughs again, leaning heavily back against the desk despite its treachery; the flashlight casts odd, undulating shadows across the dilapidated room as he rubs at his eyes.] Oww...

[At least he manages to straighten up before long.] I-I mean, can it even do that? This thing looks kinda...

[Well, he's not sure what he wanted to make a point of there. He does know that the panel looks a lot more solid than his confidence right now. Maybe Souji's vine hadn't been what he had in mind (seriously, seeds but not a toolbox!?), but...

... Then again, if it's just the nails...]

Well... if you say so! I guess it's worth a shot.

[It's hard to see whether any of the nails look like they might be more cooperative than the others by this relatively feeble light. In the end, he just picks one hammered into the nearest bottom corner to squint at. With some trepidation, he starts to reach over to it with his free hand - but hesitates, feeling like an idiot. He's not Souji!]

Uh, so what am I doing here...?

[He furrows his brow, concentrating. The individual nails aren't heavy, so if he gives one of them a little tug, it'll squeak free of the board and drop out on its own -

- or he could give it too much of a tug and have it ping straight past his outstretched hand, sailing clean over his shoulder and, by the sound of it, rolling away across the desk. Whoops.

Yosuke flinches back for the second time in about a minute like he's been stung, which was honestly less than an inch away from being the case. Whoa, yeah, that must have been overdoing it; he's seeing a few stars here...] Crap, that wasn't - h-hey, are you okay!?

[He didn't end up flinging it fast enough to give anyone more than a rude surprise, but it's not like either of them is wearing safety goggles...]

[Souji watches in silence, letting Yosuke figure it out himself. They don't have much light to work with, so he raies his own flashlight in an attempt to aid his partner see better. The quality of their instruments is pretty pathetic. Note to self; get better ones, or repair the lights as quickly as possible.

Just as the first nail is pulled out, Souji can feel irritation in his nose, and lets out a sneeze, sending more dust flying. Damn, this place is--

He barely has any time to react before the nail disappears into the darkness of the room, zooming past his hairline, nearly touching the skin of his cheek before landing on the nearby desk. The last thing he needs is tetanus from a rusted nail, not that he has time to realize that it wouldn't have been able to do that anyway.]

...

Edited 2014-01-23 22:07 (UTC)

asgardeventide IC contact

And finally DAWN OF A NEW DAY 384

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--> To action? Do we want to continue here or log it?

-> ACTION unless you really want a log?

--> ACTION! Nah it's all good we can have a team log in there later .

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time to use those powers Yosuke 8Dc

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LMao I was tagging the other but this is too beautiful not to tag before bed a+

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1/2

Good thing no one's listening in on their conversation and assuming things.

and slowly, from behind the desk, Ryoji rises up with a bwoooooooong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4a3y7xetJY

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