[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!

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[ 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]

Y-you can do a lot with little things!

[ DON'T UNDERESTIMATE. ]

[coexistent]

Maybe you can show me one day, then...

[if she believes that strongly in it, then he wants to see how it's possible!]

[immobileyes]

If something else attacks us and I have one, anyway.

[ Yep. ]

[coexistent]

I'm gonna hold you to that.

[...he's joking, really.]

[immobileyes]

Don't worry! I'll show you its power!

[ IT DID NOTHING, MARY. EXCEPT HURT WHEN IT GOT STUCK IN YOUR HAIR. ]

[coexistent]

[but her enthusiasm is inspiring, at least?]

I guess we should take care of what's here first, though. [...he's not doing much good at helping her by encouraging her to beat people up with a coat hanger.]

[immobileyes]

Right! I'm ready!!

[ BACK TO DIGGING... ]

[coexistent]

[roxas will get to work too, looking around and moving debris as he sees fit in an attempt to help. he's finding a lot of other stuff that presumably belongs to other people. eventually though, he'll stumble across some kind of book—he doesn't open it, just in case it's a diary or something, but it doesn't look like one to him.]

What kind of books were you looking for? I found one over here...

[immobileyes]

My collection of fairy tales, but there's some manga too-- [ She's calling over from a little further away, dropping someone's gaudy lime-green bra to trot over. ] Does it have pictures on the front?

[coexistent]

I'm not sure...

[which kind of sounds silly, but the book is covered in dust and debris, making it hard for roxas to make out the cover clearly. he uses the sleeve of his coat to brush it away (yuck, he'll definitely have to wash it when he gets home tonight).

probably better he was focused on that than the bra, at least. oh boy.] Yeah, it looks like there's something on here.

[it's probably easier if he just holds it up for mary to see, so he does that instead.]

[immobileyes]

[ Mary peers closer-- and then brightens, reaching out her finger to clear off a little more dust. Yeah, she's already a mess. ]

Oh! It's one of my manga! See, look, these are the main characters--

[ This blond, wide-eyed boy and the taller dark-haired man holding him possessively and the lilies that were white but are now a lovely muddy brown-black... ]

[coexistent]

[now that he's got a bit of a clearer view, he's looking at the artwork—and looking at bit puzzled at it.]

What are they doing? [he doesn't understand what he's seeing at all. she seems to be happy about having found it, though. so that part's okay.]

[immobileyes]

They're in love. [ SAGE NOD. Yes, the two attractive young men with half-open shirts, this is some pure shit right here. ]

[coexistent]

Oh.

[he looks at it, tilting his head a bit. roxas is clearly still puzzled by the situation. is this what people do when they're in love? xaldin said love was a power... this doesn't look very powerful to him, though.]

I guess that's good then. Do you like stories like that? About... love. [yep, that's all he's taking away from this. your fujoshi ways are safe with roxas, mary.]

[immobileyes]

Yeah! [ Look at her sparkle, clutching the book close like a cherished friend. ] It's my favorite theme, and they say love conquers all [ including simple boundaries like BEING THE SAME GENDER ] and I think that's amazing.

[coexistent]

It conquers all?

[it does sound pretty amazing, but he's not sure how that works.] I heard it was a power, but not that it conquers anything.

[...though he guesses that kind of goes together in some way.]

[immobileyes]

It's super strong! Even though it doesn't seem like much...

[ She can admit that. ]

[coexistent]

The one who told me it was a power also said it never lasts.

[he frowns. of course, xaldin could be wrong, right? it's not like he has a heart, though he remembered having one. ugh, so confusing.]

[immobileyes]

... That's not true. If it's true love, it never dies.

[ Blushing Schoolboy A-kun might have had a few dalliances with Best Friend C-kun, but his true love had been the man who had brought him in from the rain, Troubled Heir B-san!!!! ]

[coexistent]

[now this is just getting confusing for him. once again, why are hearts so complicated? does she see it differently because she's a girl? these are things he doesn't get.]

What's the difference between love and "true love?"

[immobileyes]

... Mmmm. [ THIS IS COMPLICATED TO EXPLAIN. ] Like... you love ice cream, but you don't have true love with ice cream because it doesn't love you back?

[coexistent]

I'm not sure "love" is the word I'd use for ice cream, though.

[THIS IS SO CONFUSING.] So if you love something... it doesn't love you back, but if it's true love, then it does?

[immobileyes]

That... doesn't seem right, either. [ IF HE PUTS IT LIKE THAT, and now Mary's hair is apparently just as confused, because the tendrils are moving independently, quirked a bit like question marks. ]

[coexistent]

This is complicated... [well, at least they're confused together? okay, and maybe he's a little bit puzzled at her hair, but he somehow doesn't really think much of it quite yet. logic defying hair is enough of a thing where he comes from, after all.]

[immobileyes]

[ That's because he comes from the land of five hundred belts and it's awwwriiiight. ]

I think it's supposed to be. If true love was simple, then it wouldn't be as special.