[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

[coexistent]

We'll find it though. Whatever we can find, we'll find it.

[he's trying to be encouraging here. roxas isn't sure if he's succeeding, but he's trying.] It has to be here, right? Even if it's a mess.

[cutebutexpendable]

[ Styx scratches an ear, flicking away a piece of debris. ]

Right. If you ask me, I'd say you've got a good chance of finding your death down there. You look like hell, kid.

[theshiningone]

[And finally noticing all of that rubble, Hiro shifts his attention and looks a little downcast.]

So how much were you able to save?

[harepiece]

[POOR MARY...]

If it's still in one piece, it can probably be fixed! Oh, but... [Since the front cover's bleeding and all--] You might want to open it and make sure the words haven't bled, too.

[deontology]

No, it does not.

[He's not going to sugarcoat that, even as he quietly moves another piece of rubble away as well.]

What are we searching for?

[The non-answer explains enough. They're looking for Mary's belongings--that's enough of a reason to keep working at it.]

[babermetrics]

Hey, it's cool, not scary! Maybe it's cool in a way that's a little scary . . . that's what punk's all about! I mean, I think. That makes sense, anyway.

[Probably. Who knows what punk's really all about?

His mind isn't on that right now, anyway, not that it ever really is; he stoops to pick up a fragment of saucer and hold it in his palm. That's the moment it occurs to him the sheer enormity of what's been lost here: it's one fragment of one saucer. How many saucers are in the set? How many cups go with them? How many other dishes does she own? Silverware? The table they go on? The chairs you sit in to drink tea? How many pieces is every one of those things smashed into, and that's just the kitchen?

He holds it out to her, rubbing the back of his neck. Shit, that's depressing to think about. He can't think on this too long . . . ]

This one probably ain't gonna do you much good, huh . . .

[sewayaku]

No, that's not what I meant, [ he replies gently, shaking his head with a small smile. ] The reason you treasure that headband and the tea set isn't because of what they are - it's because of who they remind you of.

[ Zara strokes her hair once or twice in a comforting manner - one he's used many times on Fiona. ]

When I was a kit, I ended up losing my home quite a few times. You might need to replace a cup or two, but there's never any need to replace your memories. If they're important, they'll stay with you.

[yourfononsarewhack]

To others, yes. [He pushes at his glasses.] Of course, that does not make it a service that should not be performed.

[thatdamnknight]

[he takes that offered closer look, eyeing the cover momentarily. hmm fairy tales. it sounds like a book that estellise would enjoy.]

I will, I don't plan on overexerting it.

[granted, his definition of overexertion is different than most people's. mary doesn't need to know that, however. after a moment, his gaze shifts from the book and onto the one holding it.]

What sorts of fairy tales are these?

[apologetically]

[MARY PLS.... thankfully Julian's pretty physically strong so he has no trouble with lifting pieces of rubble, so he'll spend those next two minutes determinedly going about his work. He's not too sure on what to look for, but he figures that anything that's not rock and rubble and indistinguishable smashed furniture is a go.]

Mary? I found something, but I'm not sure...

[trails off at the same time he actually looks around for her... MARY ARE YOU PASSED OUT ON CONCRETE...]

[immobileyes]

[ NOT PASSED OUT.

SIMPLY... SLUMPED.... A BIT. ]

[immobileyes]

Oh! Um-- it's a collection all about the poor young men, or the youngest brothers going on adventures and fighting monsters and saving princesses--

[ GOOD STUFF, and she's very fond of all of it. ]

1/2

[apologetically]

-- M-Mary?!? [oh my god SHE'S DEAD ISN'T SHE???? this is what happens when julian's around THIS IS WHY THEY NEED BUNMOM....]

[Julian scrambles to his feet, still zen, but also 70% in n panic mode and so he rushes to her side!!!]

[apologetically]

[and the combination of rain and gravity and just clumsy footing interferes with Julian's attempts to be a real hero, because his foot slips and he falls on his bUTT AND SLIDES DOWN like a moron until he's like two steps away from sleeping Mary's rock]

Ow... [he's here to help.....] Uh -- no, more importantly -- !!

[did mary see him wipe out like a loser... nevertheless he scrambles to her side and like helplessly wrings his hands. sHE'S BREATHING?? OKAY GOOD] What's wrong? Are you feeling dizzy?!

[immobileyes]

Ah...

[ It's easy enough to recognize what he's offering to her; Mary had spent a great deal of time carefully cleaning that set after each and every use, justifiably cautious with her track record of stumbling. Seeing that little bit of porcelain, she reaches out to cup it in her palms. ]

I didn't think they'd... be okay, anyway. I already knew...

[ But she says it in a morose little murmur. ]

[immobileyes]

I was! It was just taking awhile!

[ S-so there. ]

[immobileyes]

If you want. It's really heavy...

[ Then again, he's probably stronger than she is. ]

[immobileyes]

Oh--

[ She's looking alarmed now, gently prying the pages apart. And, well.

... Yep, that ink's definitely bled. ]

... Oh.

[immobileyes]

It's because everything's so heavy! And it's cold!

[ HMPH. ] But I'm not gonna die!

[immobileyes]

People aren't always nice.

[ Yes. Sometimes they try to shove you in bags. ]

And there's a lot they probably have to do, too.

[immobileyes]

That's... true, I guess.

[ BUT SHE CAN'T IMAGINE WHY ANYONE WOULD WANT TO. ]

[immobileyes]

Teacups... the books you gave me to study.

... Everything?

[ Well. She doesn't quite mean that. ]

[immobileyes]

... My jacket. And the one you gave me.

[ Thanks to Miyako. ]

[immobileyes]

Yeah. Somehow... we'll just have to look through everything.

[ S-shoves up sleeves, yep. ]

[immobileyes]

They're... [ Mary swallows, hard. No, he's right. Of course they're important. There were some things she'd kept close, like her mother's keys, safe around her neck. Seto's jacket. The things she'd lost had been reminders of her friends, those who were still here, and those who had... disappeared. She manages a nod, doing her best not to bite down on her lip as his palm passes over her hair. Her mother had used to do that... ]

... You lost your home more than once?

[ Yes, focus on that. ]