He died--and it's kind of funny, that he's alive to think about it. That he's here again, with the sound of snapped metal and the tang of blood in his mouth. But he'd known what he was doing. He'd made his decision, and made peace with it, more or less. He'd done what he'd done to save a friend, and whatever regrets he may have had, that wasn't one of them.
He'd known, very vaguely, that death in Cerealia wasn't the same as death at home. He'd been ready for that too, as much as he could have been. The strange place he'd seen was frightening, but it was too brief and confusing to make much of it.
Right now he's just as much of a mess as he was, bloodied and tattered and aching, but suddenly, he's a mess in the middle of a crowded street, and he was not at all prepared for that.
Apparently, neither was anyone else. It's only a minute before someone notices the blood all over him and screams--and then, of course, it's only a matter of seconds before other people start to notice too. There are screams and shouts and hands reaching for him, demands to know if he's alright, if he'd hurt himself, if he'd hurt someone else-- it's too much, too much, too much.
So he runs.
He runs until it's safe to stop, then he ducks into a shop with lots of fluffy fabric and bright colors and flashing lights. It's easy to hide in here, but it'll only be a matter of time before someone sees the state he's in, and it's not like he can stay in here forever. So he grabs the first outfit he sees and sneaks out to change in the dark alley, mentally apologizing to whoever's store he'd just robbed. He'll come back and pay later.
It's-- not an outfit he would've chosen on a normal day, that's for sure. Bows and straps and way too many complicated pieces... was this meant for a girl? What kind of store was that? But it's not like he has much of a choice, and this outfit, if totally bizarre, is at least free from claw tears and blood. He's still a mess, but this is the best he can do for now.
Anyway, it's fine. Worrying about his clothes means he doesn't have to think about what he did. How he failed.
He tries his best to sneak back home, too, his ruined outfit balled up and held protectively against his chest. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this, least of all Haru. If he can get inside, he can throw these clothes away, and take a shower, and then... maybe then he'll be ready to face other people. Maybe then he'll have figured out what to say.
But first, he needs to get inside.]
OTA-- 5/30 to 5/31
[Of course, he doesn't succeed. Haru catches him, and Namazuo can't even bring himself to be all that surprised about it. He doesn't have the energy for that kind of emotion right now. But after Haru, there's no sense in bothering to sneak around and hide.
So once he gets cleaned up, he'll be curled up on the couch in a bathrobe that's far too big, engulfing him in white fluff. For the first time since they'd gotten these bodies, he looks... old. Old, and very, very tired.
But he's awake, and if anyone comes looking for him, he won't send them away.
He won't be leaving the apartment for a while, anyway. It'll be easy to find him.]
IC 5/30-5/31; post-event
[So.
He died.
He died--and it's kind of funny, that he's alive to think about it. That he's here again, with the sound of snapped metal and the tang of blood in his mouth. But he'd known what he was doing. He'd made his decision, and made peace with it, more or less. He'd done what he'd done to save a friend, and whatever regrets he may have had, that wasn't one of them.
He'd known, very vaguely, that death in Cerealia wasn't the same as death at home. He'd been ready for that too, as much as he could have been. The strange place he'd seen was frightening, but it was too brief and confusing to make much of it.
Right now he's just as much of a mess as he was, bloodied and tattered and aching, but suddenly, he's a mess in the middle of a crowded street, and he was not at all prepared for that.
Apparently, neither was anyone else. It's only a minute before someone notices the blood all over him and screams--and then, of course, it's only a matter of seconds before other people start to notice too. There are screams and shouts and hands reaching for him, demands to know if he's alright, if he'd hurt himself, if he'd hurt someone else-- it's too much, too much, too much.
So he runs.
He runs until it's safe to stop, then he ducks into a shop with lots of fluffy fabric and bright colors and flashing lights. It's easy to hide in here, but it'll only be a matter of time before someone sees the state he's in, and it's not like he can stay in here forever. So he grabs the first outfit he sees and sneaks out to change in the dark alley, mentally apologizing to whoever's store he'd just robbed. He'll come back and pay later.
It's-- not an outfit he would've chosen on a normal day, that's for sure. Bows and straps and way too many complicated pieces... was this meant for a girl? What kind of store was that? But it's not like he has much of a choice, and this outfit, if totally bizarre, is at least free from claw tears and blood. He's still a mess, but this is the best he can do for now.
Anyway, it's fine. Worrying about his clothes means he doesn't have to think about what he did. How he failed.
He tries his best to sneak back home, too, his ruined outfit balled up and held protectively against his chest. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this, least of all Haru. If he can get inside, he can throw these clothes away, and take a shower, and then... maybe then he'll be ready to face other people. Maybe then he'll have figured out what to say.
But first, he needs to get inside.]
OTA-- 5/30 to 5/31
[Of course, he doesn't succeed. Haru catches him, and Namazuo can't even bring himself to be all that surprised about it. He doesn't have the energy for that kind of emotion right now. But after Haru, there's no sense in bothering to sneak around and hide.
So once he gets cleaned up, he'll be curled up on the couch in a bathrobe that's far too big, engulfing him in white fluff. For the first time since they'd gotten these bodies, he looks... old. Old, and very, very tired.
But he's awake, and if anyone comes looking for him, he won't send them away.
He won't be leaving the apartment for a while, anyway. It'll be easy to find him.]