#healprayers

"Kris?"

His voice is soft. Even after a month he's cautious around them, simultaneously on edge and comforted at the same time. Kris... always creates more feelings in him than he knows how to deal with.

"Umm... It's your birthday today, isn't it? I... I made you something. I-I thought you might like it...!"

It's nothing extravagant. Just a scarf that he knitted. It's hefty. Not quite like their ascot, since it's built more for practicality and warmth, though it's got some flow to it. Most striking about it is the brilliant red color.

... he thought it matched their eyes.

"Th-though, if you don't want it, that's okay. I can make something else..."

Of course, he'd love to gift them something piano related -- something more meaningful, to them -- but he hasn't quite got the funds for that.

Ah... they can't even blame Tenna for this one (mostly because they don't know if Tenna even knows he's there). But they can still be a bit disturbed by Ralsei's knowledge. It isn't the first time he's shown that he knows more than he lets on, but... this is kind of the first time it's been so pointedly personal.

Only a couple people know what day it is, and... they were kind of hoping to keep it that way. Ralsei... doesn't need to worry so much about them. After everything the Soul - they made him do, and made him witness...

It's enough to make his throat tight.

You don't need to be nice to me.

Kris hesitates before accepting the bundle of knit material, holding it carefully in their hands as if they were afraid to hold it too tight.

"Oh- how did..." They trail off, clearing their throat a little. They hold the scarf closer, ducking their head and obscuring their view of him with their hair. It was so soft and warm, and while they appreciate being thought of...

There's so many feelings they can't sort out, and their throat feels too tight to get words out properly.

You're free, you know. You don't have to be nice to me.

Their vision blurs - fuck. Are they really tearing up about this?

They sniffle and wipe at their eyes with the back of their sleeve. There aren't a lot of tears, but there's a couple, and that's more than they wanted to shed over something like this. They don't even know if they should be crying about this.

Welcome!

You'll be staying in TOWNHOUSE 202!

You'll be able to use HEAL PRAYER to heal mild to moderate wounds!

You'll be given a LOVELY KNIT SCARF!

Enjoy your stay!

Suffering, all she was in was suffering.

This absolutely had to be some sort of sick (along with many other adjectives) prank that a Sea God pulled. Reinite only had that one thing to go off of as she held her head between her hands while she just sat on the ground in absolute defeat.

If she stood up, she could feel herself almost heave. And she didn't think that would go over spectacularly for... well she was absolutely not in her own home so it must be public. A light traffic point in time for the space possibly.

In any means or measure, Reinite was so preoccupied by her headache, she didn't seem to notice anyone approaching her. In fact when she spoke - it wasn't even directed at anyone in particular.

Carol had only intended to watch him from across the street. It was The Boy's appearance that had caught her attention. For a moment, she could have sworn she was looking at a young Asriel dressed in a Halloween costume. But. No. The pink horns and glasses suggested otherwise. With that being crossed off, she moved onto the next possibility of who this could be. The prophesied Prince of The Dark, perhaps?

Going off of what Kris had filled her in on this his could very well be the case. “Fluffy, similar to Asriel” and “too kind for his own good” were just a few descriptors, and this fatal kindness is about to be put on full display. Just at the mouth of an alley, a human peeks out and beckons him over with a finger. Although she cannot hear what is being said, the man is acting desperate, and far too innocent to actually be believable. “Please, I need help” is written all over his actions. The bag and metal bar he’s holding behind his back has not escaped Carol’s attention.

The stranger is about to do something heinous, and this idiot boy is too soft and naive to comprehend this.

"Naturally."

Behind her is a vendor of fruit. Shaking her head in disappointment, Carol reaches back and grabs a sizable grapefruit. Then, in one smooth motion she throws the fruit with deadly precision right past the boy’s face and smack dab between the eyes of the human. CRACK. He instantly falls backwards, blacked out. It happens so fast that not a single pedestrian notices that someone just got demolished.

Without making a scene, Carol walks across the street, hooves clacking, and approaches the suspected Prince.

Enough time had been spent in Spirale for Digital to finally get back to her own hobbies instead of worrying the little things here. Being trapped was one thing but if she let overcome her completely then the horse girl knew how much she'd be failing her favorites back at home.

...As if not every one of them were her favorite.

"And most important is that you can never paint them in the wrong light. Back home school gave me such great material but here there's so little of us I have to supplement my material. You understand right? If so I can tell you a little bit more about what I'm planning to write.~~"

Fur, horns, and long ears...while such traits were common on Aragami, perhaps, Rachel had yet to ever see them on a person: and yet, this child stands regardless, fuzzy and distinctly goatshaped (she thinks of her plush goat from when she was little -- the one with its missing eye).

"Your fur is so pretty...is it hard to maintain care for your coat?"

It's a question with the same air she might pose to Gilbert about his hair, or to Leah about her nails. Her own hair is...out of the question, as she's still learning how to get it as nice as her sister did for her.

Almost as though the thought of a nonhuman person speaking to her is just another Tuesday. (This island...holds all sorts. To Rachel, it's a form of free study, not cooped in her little metal fortress anymore.)

If she was back home, it'd be going to the cemetery every June 29th to visit her sisters grave, the 30th is spent with Leon and Hunnigan, and every October 13th is spent alone with the same dinner and cupcake she would make for Deborahs birthday.

Thank fuck Riku was such a nerd. Otherwise, Ikki would have no exposure to media.

Between the part of Riku's memories that Ikki had copies of (Riku's life basically from ages zero to fifteen, with some adjustments made by Naminé per Marluxia's instructions (threats)) and the time Ikki had spent on his ridealong as a disembodied spirit inside Riku's Heart, Ikki had a respectable bit of knowledge of popular shows, anime, and music. He was on the fence about most of Riku's anime tastes, honestly, but the music? If Ikki ever had a chance to reformat his memories (without losing his sense of self and/or dying, like Naminé had told him would happen if she tried to fix him), he'd choose to keep the music. All of it.

As Ikki wandered around the city snatching up job applications, he started humming to himself without realizing it. The first time he'd caught himself, he froze, looking around to see if anyone on the street had heard him, or was reacting--nothing. Either no one noticed or no one cared.

This emboldened him, quite a bit.

Ikki just let himself sing. Quietly, of course, but as he walked up and down the Wards, he did two things: he tested out his magic (why couldn't he cast so much as a Dark Shield? what the fuck??), and he sang to himself.

Apparently, he could still use Corridors, but only for relatively short distances--he could pop from one Ward to the next. That was fine. It still made his job search a hell of a lot easier; he'd take it. And even though he'd been robbed of both his Dark Suit and use of the Dark Shield spell, as long as he didn't stay long in Corridors, he'd be fine.

Ikki erupted out of a portal to the Corridors of Darkness mid-song.

"You give me something to think about, that's not the shit in my head…you're a miracle."