Oona "Ariel" (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mermaiding) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
estoria2015-01-07 05:50 pm
mermaiding) wrote in estoria2015-01-07 05:50 pm
Open!
Who: mermaiding & you!
When: Like ICly 10/29ish. After the event
Where: Various
What: After becoming visible again, Oona 'celebrates' by touching everyone to reconfirm that she's solid
Rating/Warning: Random touching?
[Being invisible had been one thing-- she could deal with that. Sure it made everything a little difficult, but it could have helped her in the long run; you know, if she could have touched people.
She hadn't thought about how much she'd miss it until it was gone. It was...lonely. Cold. She'd felt more bitter and angry than she had in months, trying desperately to get the attention of others to no avail. It hadn't taken long for the anger to change to despair, and it had taken all she had not to cry when she found herself 'cured'.
It was a cautious optimism, but it had quickly grown to an almost mania as she ran around the streets, mostly looking or familiar faces, but strangers weren't immune either as she suddenly grabbed onto people with open delight]
Ah! Touch! Can touch you! You can feel, yes? Touching you! [She grabs at arms and hands, pressing at the skin and squeezing hands (lightly, she's mindful of her inhuman strength thankyouverymuch), even going so far as rubbing her cheek against shoulders if the person isn't too tall or doesn't throw her off right away.]
[Closed for Tenka]
[There is one specific person she's looking for though, and she's quick to track him down to his house again. She debates a moment on how best to go about contacting him, and while she knows deep down that calling him first would be best... Yeah she's not doing that.
She raises her fists and knocks. Insistently. No pausing until he answers eeeyyy.]
mermaiding & you!When: Like ICly 10/29ish. After the event
Where: Various
What: After becoming visible again, Oona 'celebrates' by touching everyone to reconfirm that she's solid
Rating/Warning: Random touching?
[Being invisible had been one thing-- she could deal with that. Sure it made everything a little difficult, but it could have helped her in the long run; you know, if she could have touched people.
She hadn't thought about how much she'd miss it until it was gone. It was...lonely. Cold. She'd felt more bitter and angry than she had in months, trying desperately to get the attention of others to no avail. It hadn't taken long for the anger to change to despair, and it had taken all she had not to cry when she found herself 'cured'.
It was a cautious optimism, but it had quickly grown to an almost mania as she ran around the streets, mostly looking or familiar faces, but strangers weren't immune either as she suddenly grabbed onto people with open delight]
Ah! Touch! Can touch you! You can feel, yes? Touching you! [She grabs at arms and hands, pressing at the skin and squeezing hands (lightly, she's mindful of her inhuman strength thankyouverymuch), even going so far as rubbing her cheek against shoulders if the person isn't too tall or doesn't throw her off right away.]
[Closed for Tenka]
[There is one specific person she's looking for though, and she's quick to track him down to his house again. She debates a moment on how best to go about contacting him, and while she knows deep down that calling him first would be best... Yeah she's not doing that.
She raises her fists and knocks. Insistently. No pausing until he answers eeeyyy.]
no subject
...There is nothing wrong with it, no. [expressing happiness, that is. Invading personal space, yes.]
Did something happen?
no subject
Was... what is word? Could not be seen, could not be touched. Like, eh...ghost? But, could be heard. But could not touch, so hearing did not matter. Touch is important.
Ah, but! [She brightens.] Can touch now. Can hug people, and touch them. Am very happy. Would you not be?
no subject
It bothered Tenka and Oona. So Tenka and Oona had to suffer.
It irritates him.]
I see... Yes, that is understandable.
[...]
If there is trouble like that again, come to me. I am able to deal with ghosts.
no subject
After a moment she decided to go on one line of questioning first.] Deal with ghosts? How? Normal weapons do not work, do they?
no subject
My sword is capable of cutting the mystical and incorporeal. It was intended for the purpose of sealing away monstrous creatures.
no subject
Ah... Impressive, then. So long as blade is pointed away from me. [She's not sure if she counts as "monstrous," but she's not eager to find out through a hands-on lesson anytime soon.]
no subject
You are not a monster. [Quite frankly.
... okay he'll acknowledge that that might require some elaboration.] The creature it was originally intended to seal away exists only as a malevolent creature. It is the enemy of those who laugh, love and live. It exists in greed, avarice and destruction, and nothing else. The ghosts, too, had no purpose but to cause harm and revel in pain and suffering.
[...And thus.]
You are not like that, though you are not human. Not all that aren't human are monsters, just as humans, too, can be monstrous.
no subject
The creature he describes sounds plenty like humans to her, but she doesn't voice that since he's made a comparison already. She swallows hard, feeling irrationally touched by the remarks and annoyed at herself for being so.]
...Thank you. I-- [A small moment of hesitation, before she plows on ahead. When has she ever cared for saving face or playing nice before? She didn't believe in lying.] Have met many creatures before, traveling. Humans... Still believe humans are the worst monsters of all. Will not change that, but... It is... nice to see humans who are not so terrible.
But, still do not understand when humans are nice to me. Do not know why you are bothering to care. [She gives him a careful look, frowning.] There is little could give you. Did not have time to learn the various magic of my people. So, why do you offer protection? Because Aniki? Has he asked you?
no subject
Yes, he knows that human beings can be the worst monsters of all. And she acts tentative, as if she has seen for herself what humans can be.
There's a lot that can be said to that, but--her questions throws him before he can. He blinks.]
Ani-- [Your brother is here?
... And then he realizes.] Ah, you mean Tenka. [He hadn't realized Tenka was caring for her so closely, but it makes sense. She's just Tenka's type to adopt.]
No, he has not asked me to. I offer you my protection because it is the right things to do. [It's really as simple as that.] Humans may be the worst monsters of all, as you say. In such a case, it is my duty to protect the innocent from them--as my duty has always been to protect the innocent from monsters.
no subject
But, am not inn-- ['Innocent' she wants to say. She's killed people, many people. She used ragged glass to stab and slice her way to freedom, lashed out against any who would stand in her way. Did the fact hey deserved it make it any better?
But Oona just pauses and sort of laughs and shakes her head.] You are very... What is the word? Straight-forward? I like that. Mm. Then, I will not argue. Will accept that.
[She tilts her head and smiles slightly.] But, am not helpless. Will help you, too of course. Even if you are human, you are good to me. It is least I can do.
no subject
[At least Sousei seems more amused than anything by that. Of course Tenka would have. That's what Tenka does--he acts as a big brother to everyone. Sousei can't act as a big brother; he doesn't know how. But a guard dog? He can do that.
he knows what she wants to say. She wants to claim she's not an 'innocent'--it's not a hard jump to make. But she doesn't, and he respects that, leaving it be, just as she accepts his argument as well.]
Understood. [He's not going to ask her to hide behind him while he protects her; if she says she can protect herself, then she can protect herself.] Then we will work together on this.
[A pause, and he thinks. There are things he only suspects about her, but he knows...very little. It bothers him, not to know anything for certain, though he doesn't intend to drag it out of her either. He'll just lay all of his cards out on the table.]
This goes for humans as well, here. I suspect you have been treated poorly by humans before, perhaps in ways I cannot even imagine. That will not be allowed to happen here.
no subject
[She touches at her neck, her chest; the scars feel ugly beneath her fingers.] Humans gave me these. They ripped me apart, to see how I worked. 'Does she bleed? is it the same color? Do her lung work? Does she need her gills, let us force them closed and see. Is her heart in the same place, does she have all the same parts? Does she scream, does she cry? Heard mermaid tears become pearls, let us make her cry and see. Her fangs get in the way of understanding her, rip them out.'
[The last is said on a snarl and Oona's fingers clutch into fists, shaking as she goes silent to reign herself in.] The first words I learned of this language were 'hurt' and 'pain.' It did not stop them. Hate humans. Stole everything from me. Can not even return home because of them, ever. Over twenty years was there.
Here, how is it so different? The games, making people blind or deaf or invisible on whim. It is not the same hurt, but it is still hurt. [Her voice had been steadily rising in her anger, which she seems to realize as she goes quiet, still shaking]
no subject
He is not a proper onmyouji, but he is aware enough of Ashiya's respect and care for his Shikigami to know that things don't have to be that way.
He can't make promises, and he won't. But his tone is firm nonetheless, because--]
We will work together to prevent it from happening again. [There will be hurts. There will be cruelty. This place is good at that.
But sometimes what you need is determination and certainty that the best will be done to prevent it.]
I am not satisfied with allowing such crimes. I intend to begin preventing them from this moment onward.
[So no...he can't make any promises. Nothing but that he will work his hardest to protect her--and that, since they agreed to work together, he will expect her to try her hardest as well. Maybe that will be enough. Maybe it won't. But it is a start.]
no subject
[She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, exhaling in a rush. When she opens her eyes again, she seems more or less back to normal.] Yes. It is a good goal. If you will work towards it, I will as well. Someone needs to keep you and Aniki from straying. [Well, Tenka, at least.]
no subject
He doesn't think so.
Sousei's lips quirk a bit at that as well--"straying", is it? Tenka, more than him, probably, but he hardly feels the need to correct her. Who knows. He might need someone to keep him from straying at some point.]
That sounds acceptable. [After all, he's a man who functions in "gains and losses" (what a joke that is, really, at this point).] Then we shall both do our part.
[He'll depend on Oona for that--except he doesn't like admitting he depends on people TOTALLY NOT DEPENDING ON OONA HERE NOPE.]
Are you all right now?
no subject
Is she alright? Another deep breath and a slow exhale.]
No. [She doesn't lie, after all.] But... is becoming so. Bits and pieces. One day, maybe I can answer 'yes'.
no subject
But that gets a nod. Logical. She wouldn't be okay right away, but...the best he can do on his own is make sure that she doesn't have to face so much torment again in the future. It's a big job, in a place like this. But he'll try. And if he tries, he knows he can do it. (After all, there's no place for uncertainty here, not when someone is depending on him.)]
Yes. Then that is day worth working towards.
[... not that he's particularly good with heartfelt moments, and he has no curtains to throw over Oona's head to hide that fact, so a moment later, he glances away.]
If you require Tenka, I believe he is home. [he's better at emotions go deal with him]