#ir proxy

There’s a massive crowd of people at the pit today. There’s no sign of the population changing according to his phone, and in scanning the crowd, he sees many familiar faces standing around in varying states of alarm and confusion. Has... something happened? 

He takes a few cautious steps closer to try and peer over the edge; he’s never liked being near the pit, but if something is going on, he can at least fly away from it.

Nothing. It’s as vast and nauseatingly empty as it’s always been. Yuan frowns, backing away -- only to bump squarely into someone’s back.

He turns, muttering an “excuse me” as he does so, but stops short the second he realizes he recognizes that shade of purple hair.

that human called them cookie. they’re still trying to get their attention, even though they’ve made it clear they have no interest. 

well, that’s not entirely true anymore. their persistence and apparent upset that they’re being ignored is... curious. most humans who try to call them will give up once they remember what they’re capable of. is this one just stubborn, or do they think something else?

mew finally looks away from the fascinating bluebird perched on a fence and turns to examine the human.

hm. entirely unremarkable. that just makes this even stranger.

they project a voice to them -- youthful and curious, but a little exasperated.

He’s come to terms with the fact that he’s been kidnapped from his world. He’d always suspected there were more dimensions than the ones they were aware of, and the fact that there are more powerful beings that can affect his reality on a whim? Terrifying, but easy enough to accept as true.

The gaping pit he had woken up in front of? The lack of ambient mana? The strange carts that seem like magitech that rush past so fast it ruffles his hair and cape? That’s a little harder to grasp, for some reason.

He should probably get out of here. So he does that. His wings unfurl, and he flies away from that wretched abyss that seems to pull him in the longer he stares at it.

People of all sorts appear to be waking up and spreading out from the pit. They must be in similar situations, he thinks -- he’s still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but nobody seems to notice a half-elf in broad daylight, even one with wings. That gives him some room to figure out what to do next.

This isn’t the first time he’s ended up in uncharted territory with no allies. He’ll make it out of this okay. Though... he’ll admit, getting some allies might help. 

He lands carefully on a patch of grass, then looks around -- ah. Maybe helping someone else out should come first. 

He spots the girl’s ears first -- an elf, then -- and then the bruises. She looks... angry? Scared? 

He furrows his brow. Elf or not, he doesn’t like seeing kids in states like that. He glances around, but nobody else is either close enough to see her or paying her much attention. With a sigh, he tucks his hair behind his ear and approaches with a wave to catch her eye.

Just ask the man for help figuring out the route home. 

He’s already been noticed, considering they’re the only two people sitting at the bench (bus... station?) and he wasn’t able to hide his staring well enough. The man seemed polite enough in his acknowledgement, and Yuan knows that it’s extremely unlikely his request will be turned down, but.

He still sits upright, hands still in his lap, eyes locked stubbornly on the vehicles rushing by.

He isn’t anxious, he thinks with a frustrated purse of his lips. He knows what anxiety is like, and he’s dealt with enough strangers to know how to talk to them --

... except that’s just it. He’s never initiated the conversation before. His companions have always been there to start things off, and he’s just jumped off that. Before them... well, he didn’t really have much experience in that department before they came along either. 

He’s not anxious. Annoyed, more like it, as he realizes the problem; he can’t find the words to get the man’s attention properly. 

Should he just... try to do what Kratos would do? No, not unless he wants the man to think he’s angry with him. Mithos--?

The bus arriving catches him off guard. It’s loud and it smells and the doors swing open faster than he’s expecting, but the man is already getting to his feet to step on. 

Yuan jumps up and grabs at the man’s sleeve as he stumbles up the stairs after him. “Ah, wait--”

His thoughts descend into mortified, frustrated screams as he quickly releases the man’s sleeve. Of all the things he could’ve done! All of them! Every possibility in multiple universes and he did that!

The bus jerks to life, sending him tumbling down the aisle with a startled cry and grabbing onto the nearest support -- which is, of course, the man’s arm.

they’re not too concerned about what’s going on. they can probably get themselves out of this if they really want to, and everything going on around them is way too interesting to be focused on trying to leave.

there are people bustling about, most attempting to get away from the strange hole in the ground. it sounds like they’re all confused. how funny! but they have more to see than a bunch of confused humans. they drift along, admiring the strange wheeled shapes that rush by and the towering buildings around them. 

ah -- hm. that’s not a human.

they cock their head, humming a curious note as they swoop up in front of the stranger without warning.

ALL OF ASH’S DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE BAYBEEEEEE

this is yuan. before he, y’know, got old. he experiences positive emotions sometimes. he might even have fun

he’s still an angel but he sleeps and eats and does people things, usually! he’s the closest to emotionally healthy he’s gonna get

that said he still feels massively insecure about how others perceive him and if you look at him badly he WILL either try to fight you or cry

he’s been bullied a lot by his friends :( but they’re not here right now so he doesn’t have to be all defensive and pretending to be a bigger jerk than he really is

(he’s still kind of a jerk but one who really really tries to be good)

This island must be some sort of experiment on utopias. Or... something like it. He hasn’t encountered a single instance of irrational hatred (though he’ll admit, he has had a few sour encounters due to his attitude). For the most part, his experience on Spirale has been almost unrealistically positive.

He doesn’t trust that easily. So when a man with a sour expression attempts to flag him down, he’s instantly on the defensive.

oh, they don’t like this feeling.

there’s something else here. it feels... wrong. like a distorted reflection of themselves. 

their powers are limited here. they found that out quickly, not long after their awakening, when they had suddenly dropped from the sky to just a little bit above the ground. they could still turn invisible and summon a barrier, but that was it. everything else was just... gone.

but the weird feeling of otherness isn’t related to their powers being gone. or is it? could this other force be the reason they’ve been left so weakened?

they can’t even pinpoint the source of the disturbance. with a huff, they crouch in the grass, tail whipping back and forth in agitation as they try to focus their senses. a tiny bug crawls across a blade of grass before their eyes -- in frustration at the distraction, they smack their paw down on the blade a few times. serves it right.

the strange not-mew thing is behind them now.

they bolt upright, glancing over their shoulder at the strange creature.

they whirl just as quickly to face them, crouched low to the ground as the fur on the back of their neck rises. they don’t like this feeling -- they’re on the defensive, uncertain whether or not this creature poses a threat when they should be in control of the situation.

even if they’re not a danger, the power they radiate is enough of an annoyance that they want the other gone.