[open] coping mechanisms

[shacklebreaker]

Who: Simon Blackquill (shacklebreaker), Taka, and you!
When: 21st December/early hours of 22nd
Where: Various
What: The Twisted Samurai spends the day alone for some personal reflection.
Rating/Warning: AA5 spoilers. Mentions of death/implied suicide. Drankin.

---

i. AFTERNOON - CERES GARDENS

[Blackquill's brought his hawk to the gardens to give him some exercise. At the moment he's throwing scraps of meat for Taka to snatch out of midair, making the bird work for his food. If Taka catches it successfully -- which he does without fail, every time -- the hawk is whistled back and rewarded with another treat.

It's not a training session, but rather, a way to get Taka to stretch his wings. The hawk is already well-trained enough that Blackquill doesn't even need a hood or jesses for his bird. The last thing he's interested in is tying his faithful companion down when Taka can fly free, and it gives him a calming sense of peace to watch him soar and dive through the air.

Once Taka has eaten his fill, Blackquill can be found strolling through the gardens. His hawk is hidden in the trees, although anyone observant might notice the bird never strays too far away.]

ii. LATE EVENING THROUGH TO 1AM - NOVUS/REPLEA

[Given today's date, there's morbid appropriateness in stowing away for the evening in what the locals knew as the 'entrance to the underworld'. The bar might be considered seedy to some, filled with criminals and rebel activity as it was, but after seven years on death row, Blackquill is more comfortable with this brand of drinking company than anything else.

Not that he's interested in socialising. He's too wrapped up in his own thoughts for that, nursing a drink at the bar and trying to numb the dull pain that has hung over him all day.

He'd spent seven years in a cell. Seven years, waiting for his own willing demise. For seven years of sleepless nights, confinement and isolation, the past replaying over and over in his mind, he'd marched, slowly but resolutely, towards the end.

Then, at the very last moment, she'd reached out and snatched him from the jaws of death.

Were all those years worth it? Yes, if it was to serve the one more important to him than life itself. But now after all that pain, here they were, in Cerealia. Their world had been destroyed, and they owed their existences here to data. The more he thinks about it, the more he feels he'd failed her. And that her struggles, too, had been for nothing...

But such thoughts are enough to drive a man to madness. Better not to think on it. He downs the last of his beer, and slams down a hand on the bartop for another.

Tonight is going to be a long night.]

iii. EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING - APARTMENTS

[It's almost 2am when Blackquill returns to the apartment complex. He'd hoped to slip in unnoticed, but as he fumbles to find his room key, the plastic snowman Athena had put outside her room a few days prior bursts into song. Yet again.]

Curse you, you noisy thing-- [He mutters under his breath, rifling through his pockets with more urgency. He'll try and get into his room before anyone on the floor is woken up...]

Comments

II

[sunshrouded]

[Say hello to your bartender for the night, Blackquill. A remarkably jovial guy working in an otherwise kinda dark environment. Still though, can't say he's not good at his job. The rush has died down enough that Tenka can fill up another glass of beer for the man and wander over, setting it down in front of him.

Then he comments mildly as he tilts his head.]

My friend, you look like you've seen a world of troubles.

[Not really pushing him to talk about it, but at least here's someone willing to listen if he feels like he's drowning in his own thoughts.]

[shacklebreaker]

[Blackquill takes a draught of the beer, eyeing the bartender.]

Hmph... I'm sure that can be said of many of your customers.

[While normally gruff, alcohol only makes him moreso. It's not a total dismissal of conversation, but he's certainly deflecting conversation from himself. Perhaps a distraction is what he needs.]

pardon the late!

[sunshrouded]

Oh, without a doubt.

[Tenka concedes that part easily, but he just rests his arms on the bar then as he idly shrugs his shoulders.]

Though the alcohol is likely meant to help them escape, not dwell.

iii

[psycholawgy]

[ It's not like she sleep early, even in Cerealia. Now that she has some free time what with not handling any legal cases, Athena has taken it upon herself to further her studies in psychology. It's why she still stays up late. Old habits die hard! Or something.

Not to mention, she had something planned today, but wasn't able to do it since she couldn't find Simon. Hey, it's his... day, or something. If he had his day all laid out, then she thought of just catching him when he's free. So, when she hears the snowman start singing, she gets up from the small pillow fort she's made in the living room to take a peek at what's going on outside.

Athena says nothing, but just opens the door slightly enough that she's able to poke her head out like a terrible stalker. ]

[shacklebreaker]

[He still hasn't managed to get into his room yet; even with the walk back from the bar helping him sober up, remembering where he put his room card is still proving a trial in and of itself.

It's not long before he realises he's being watched, though.]

...You should be asleep.

[Turning to look at the head poking out of her doorway, he says it calmly enough, but there's no disguising the discord in his voice as he says it. He just hoped she'd go back to bed without asking any questions.]

[psycholawgy]

[ Athena takes a step back when she's noticed, but stays right by her door. There were things she wanted to say, especially regarding the date, but now that it's time to say it, she can't seem to find the words. It doesn't seem like Simon's interested in a cheery conversation at the moment, too. ]

I've been reading.

[ Somehow, she feels that talking some more would make the situation a lot similar to what it was like when she had just gotten back to LA. And here she thought everything was going to be fine now, but it looks like she's been wrong the whole time. Of course it wouldn't. Especially not right away.

It takes a bit more from her to continue, but she does. ]

Can you wait here? There's something— [ ... ] Just ten seconds.

i;

[flaredo]

[ Yang's been subdued with the losses among her team, desperate to distract herself even as she searches for answers. But even the gardens and the soothing scents do little to help her focus on something else.

Which is why she doesn't actually notice the hawk zooming around until it flies RIGHT PAST HER. ]

Whoa--!!

[ Wait, doesn't she know that blur-- ]

[shacklebreaker]

[There's a sharp whistle, and Taka flies back to alight on Blackquill's shoulder, where he was waiting by the water nearby. The hawk is rewarded with another treat and some headrubs for his trouble.]

Now, Taka, you shouldn't startle people like that...

[...The mischievous smirk on his face says he doesn't really care, though.]

[flaredo]

... Yeah, I'm sure he feels properly scolded.

[ You're not even trying, bro. ]

III

[aerialassault]

[It's late at night when Cliff finds himself trudging through the halls leading to his apartment, heavy boots echoing on the linoleum with a satisfying clack as he mentally prepared himself to settle in for the night. The shop had kept him late into the night, and his mind had been turning so hard when he clocked out that he decided to hit the gym before going to bed. Kicking and punching at the weighted bags always provided a kind of catharsis for him, and it always felt good to work up that kind of sweat.

He was prepared to ignore dark, broody looking man in the halls as he drew near. People this late at night liked their privacy-- until a certain snowman started to sing.

Cliff paused mid-step, staring at both man and plastic decoration with equal degree of dismay.]

..I don't think yelling at it's gonna get it to shut up.

[But punching it might. Cliff was tempted to go over and start messing with the mechanisms to quiet the noise.]

[shacklebreaker]

[Blackquill stops trying to find his keycard long enough to turn and level the stranger with a doleful expression. Really, a lecture, at this time of night?]

... I wasn't yelling.

[And now that a second person has come along, the snowman has started singing all over again. Wonderful.]

[aerialassault]

[Cliff sighed heavily and shook his head. This wasn't worth arguing now, especially with the snowman singing all over again. He held out a hand toward him.]

Mind letting me see that thing?

1/2

[journaler]

[The gardens have become one of Leia's favorite places to be here in this majestic city. It's peaceful in the afternoons, before most people get off work, and today, she's even got her camera. If she could get a few clear, undisturbed shots of how beautiful everything is, she'd consider her venture a success... but even if she doesn't, she knows she's got the next day, and the next.

She loves living so close to it.

Her lucky day, too, she realizes, when she sees the elegant Taka flap his beautiful wings from out of nowhere. She gasps--]

Oh, wow--!

[journaler]

[...He's big!

She scrambles to take a picture (how could she miss this?), but only manages one as he's diving back down to Blackquill's side. She moves quickly and tries to stay quiet. Maybe she can snap a few more before he disappears for good, if she can catch up to him. "Wait, please come back!" she whispers loudly to no one in particular who can understand her. She closes the distance between them, searching until...

...Ah. That's... definitely a person, and said hawk is definitely eating out of his hand. Now that she thinks about it, they do look a little familiar? She's not sure where this odd feeling of being caught red-handed is coming from.

She lowers the camera, smiling regardless.]

So, you've got a friend.

[shacklebreaker]

[The hawk is perched on Blackquill's outstretched forearm as she approaches, swallowing large scraps of meat whole. When Blackquill notices they've been joined by a third party, however, he pauses in feeding his companion to look at the girl clutching a camera. Had she been following Taka this whole time?]

He does indeed... Taka is none other than my trusty cohort. [As Blackquill speaks, the hawk finishes wolfing down the last strip of meat, then fixes Leia with a fierce stare.] Were you looking to get a picture of him?

I

[swordboning]

[Speaking of good eyes....]

How is his accuracy?

[Archer's eyes were far better than a hawk's surprisingly but he was still curious. Having seen the lot, he was simply curious in testing its limits. Who didn't need the practice?]

[shacklebreaker]

He rarely misses a target... Just ask Athena.

[Taka may or may not have attacked her and her colleagues in court. ...On numerous occasions.]

[swordboning]

True but a courtroom isn't exactly large. Even a dog could catch a frisbee across that distance.

[The only place he figures he would be in a position to strike her, at this point.]

iii

[invoker]

[ What was all that ruckus and shouting? Was something happening? Mitsuru is all too used to sudden emergencies to not mobilise herself in a moment's notice, so she runs out wrapped in her bathrobe with a sword and one hand and gun shaped Evoker pointed to her head.

She's ready for combat and then -- ]

Ah.

[ Mitsuru exclaims, almost surprised that it was just a singing robot and nothing more. ]

[shacklebreaker]

[To add to the misunderstandings, Blackquill turns just in time to see what appears to be a distressed girl emerging from her room, ready to fire a bullet through her skull. He freezes, reluctant to move, or to do anything that might drive her to pull the trigger.]

...Put the weapon down... There is no need to do anything rash.

[invoker]

[ Mitsuru's finger was already pulling the trigger by the time the words left Blackquill's mouth. There was a sound of shattering glass and a tall statuesque woman like figure emerged to stand behind Mitsuru.

She turns around, gives Artemesia a nod and the Persona disappears. Then she turns to Blackquill, sheathing her sword. ]

I apologise. There have been incidents in the past where malfunctioning robots were quite sinister.

A bit late, but i

[faithfulflame]

[It's hard not to notice the cries of a hawk, especially here, given that there seems to be no natural wildlife. Her eyes flicker after Taka, following his descent towards the falconer. And...she blinks. It's the man that Athena had pointed out. A curious thing, that, and to have such a companion.

So, a young woman in a Japanese priest's outfit approaches, smiling gently, eyes shining with interest.]

I haven't seen falconry like that in a long, long time.

never too late!

[shacklebreaker]

[Taka wheels around and lands on Blackquill's outstretched arm, and he turns to Rei. The hawk seems to generate a lot of interest, particularly in a robotics-filled city like this where animals are scarce, but it's less surprising that someone in traditional Japanese clothing should take an interest in a sport traditional to her country.]

Nor have I been able to practice it freely for a long time. Taka is rather relishing the opportunity, I think.

[...Yes, he named his hawk the Japanese word for hawk. Points for creativity right there.]

I

[zombiedude]

[Since Will disappeared, Nico's mostly become a hermit and sequestered himself away in his room. Today's the first time he's actually ventured outside since his friend went... where ever people went when they vanished from this place. He's discovered the gardens before and he goes to them now because they remind him in a way of his stepmother's garden and he'll take anything that's even a little close to home right now.

He comes across a man interacting with a hawk and he watches curiously from afar for awhile as he leans against a tree trunk, not wanting to get too close and scare the bird with his unnatural aura that always disturbed animals.]

[shacklebreaker]

[Blackquill can feel eyes on him, but he chooses to ignore it for a time, keeping his attention focused on Taka as he dives down to get another treat, then swoops away again. It's only after some time passes, that he finally pauses to look over to Nico, raising his voice to carry over.]

A picture would last longer, boy.

[...Although that said, he's already encountered one girl who did want to take pictures.]