[OPEN] I'm in here

[immobileyes]

Who: Mary Kozakura (immobileyes) and YOU
When: IC 2/27-3/01
Where: Residential District, right by the not-so-standing apartments
What: Mary tries to dig up things from her fallen apartment over the course of a few days, success is varied
Rating/Warning: None!

---

[ It was hard enough, waiting for the water level to go down enough so that Mary could return to where her apartment was (had been) without risk of drowning. Seto's hoodie, the jacket Hiro had given her... they were the only things she'd been able to find at the time, but now she can search for anything remaining from their apartment.

So feel free to come across a tiny teenager over the afore-mentioned days, getting drizzled on and trying to pry up pieces of the smaller rubble - and HNNNNNGHing at the bigger pieces of debris that she can't budge at all - as she hunts about. The stuffed animal she'd received from Lily is gone, the headband from Kaoru and Shiho has been twisted and bent beyond repair when she miraculously finds that... the dried flowers, from the bouquet Elza had given her... no sign of them. All of her tea...

Mary almost wants to cry, but not yet. She just keeps looking.

And don't be alarmed if she seems worn-out when you see her. It's not some weird elemental effect, she's just terrible at stamina. ]

Comments

[immobileyes]

Mm... do you know who they were? One of my friends was trying to figure out if there was something they had in common...

[ Mary was definitely worried, yes. ]

[reprizesal]

Oh.

[Sayo's quiet for a moment, before he crouches down and look under the debris. Things from her friends. Either gifts or their belongings if this girl live with them.]

Can I help look for them?

[theshiningone]

No idea! [...] Buuut I've got a better idea. He could form a Sleeping Club with them.

[babermetrics]

Ah . . . yeah. That really does suck . . . I didn't even think about stuff like that.

[After all, he'd been lucky, and he's also new enough here that he didn't have much in the way of material goods to worry about. The most he'd have had to fret over is entertainment goods, nothing with any sentimental value.

He frowns down at the ground, watching her pick at the petals. It's been a depressing situation since it all started, this flood bullshit, but this is the first time it's been illustrated to him on this kind of level, and he feels the twinge of pity and sadness in his heart.

Briefly.

It's weird, though; he's been having trouble hanging onto those feelings lately. He's not complaining about it, especially after what feels like months of constant upset, and it makes sense in a way, too. It's like the worst has happened here, and it can't go downhill, so it's hard to be upset about it. That's probably it.

And he hates cleaning! He hates it so much, but he can't even hold onto that right now. Wouldn't it be better to actually do something about it? Maybe he could make her smile! That'd be awesome! So his expression lifts, and he crouches next to her:]

Hey, c'mon, don't look like that. I'll help you out! You and me, we've gotta find at least something!

[immobileyes]

... He didn't fall asleep, though.

[ Hiro... ]

[theshiningone]

[Erk. Time to avert the conversation in a direction where he doesn't feel awkward!

AND SUDDENLY RAISING HIS VOICE.]

LOOK OUT! A MAN EATING ALIEN IS STANDING RIGHT BEHIND YOU!

[immobileyes]

[ One of these days, Mary is going to get accustomed to people volunteering to help her (in some way, shape, or form). One day, this won't surprise her.

But after years of being left alone, her only interaction with people having resulted in her mother being taken away from her for good, it still takes a few minutes for her to accept it. This world had kind people, like Seto and Kido and the others. Not everyone was scary-- even if there were some who were. This thought keeps her from asking, flat out, "Why?"

It's still a good few seconds before she speaks, though. ]

... If you want to...

[immobileyes]

Huh? [ Baffled by the sudden offer, Mary blinks rapidly. All this time spent among nice people, and this still catches her off-guard... ] You really want to?

[sewayaku]

If you want to think of it that way, I'd be flattered.

[ but family is pretty serious for him, so he's not going to call her that so easily. For the moment, he's glad to see her speaking a little bit mroe lightly. ]

Have you had any luck finding your tea set?

[reprizesal]

Yeah. [He nods. He have a lot of restless energy, and after his brother's disappearance... he want distractions.] If you don't mind me.

[prosecutory]

[Edgeworth nods slowly and looks at the pile of rubble she had been digging through.]

I see. Some tools might be helpful; this won't be an easy job. [Could they borrow a robot or something?]

[harepiece]

[A FAILED MISSION... He'll carefully start to ease it back down, though.]

What is it that you're looking for, if you don't mind me asking? Maybe I can help. [He'll use his FALCON VISION--]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Well, she's certainly... easily frightened. Jade smiles lightly.]

Many piles of rubble can be much less stable than they appear. If you're willing to be patient, I can try to arrange for qualified people to search this area in due time.

[immobileyes]

I... don't really mind, but things are going to be just as heavy.

[ Granted, he's still stronger than she is... ]

[immobileyes]

There were things from my friends... gifts, and when everything fell, I couldn't grab them. [ It might seem a little shallow, worrying so much about materialistic things, but presents from her friends are incredibly special to her. ] I know a lot of them could be broken, but--

[immobileyes]

Not all of it... [ She glances back over the sea of DESTRUCTION, biting her lip. ] I found a cup, but it was completely smashed.

[immobileyes]

...

[ JUST. THIS LOOK.

And maybe she flinched a bit, but she knows better. ]

[immobileyes]

I'm not very good with shovels or anything, though.

[ She dug a grave once, does that count-- ]

[immobileyes]

Arrange...? You can do that?

[ Is he a boss? ]

[reprizesal]

... It would be fine if we start moving the smaller pieces. For the bigger ones...

[He looks at the debris he failed at moving away.]

... We can ask someone else to help with them.

[yourfononsarewhack]

I can do many things. I happen to have a number of connections, after all.

[He does work with the police department and has ties Natalia, who is organizing a lot of the efforts. And maybe he can just press people into his service on his own.

Of course, rather than voice any of that, he will leave it all to Mary's imagination.]

[scenting]

[ THIS ENTHUSIASM...... malia's actually pretty flattered and grins a little sheepishly. ]

It is, isn't it? I can lift a lot of stuff way, way bigger than me.

[ a pause ]

Like an ant!

[ she's read about ants recently, okay ]

[immobileyes]

Amazing... um, but I don't really want to stop looking, in case no one else wants to help...

[ JUST IN CASE. ]

[immobileyes]

I guess moving the little ones could take a long time, anyway.

[ She'll concede this. At least with him, things should be easier. ]

[immobileyes]

Are you part-ant?

[ Well, Elza had been a lion, Zara was a bunny... ]