Otono-Tachibana Makie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
therewerefifty) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
driftfleet2017-04-23 02:33 pm
therewerefifty) wrote in driftfleet2017-04-23 02:33 pm
Entry tags:
It's One of Those Weeks
Who: Makie and you
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Planetside / Iskaulit / Twin Roses
When: 16 April - early May, most likely.
A - Business as Usual
[Makie finds this new, skyless world daunting, but given it's not underwater like the last one, she'll take it. She can be found plying her shamisen music in the crowds and taverns, sometimes on her own but often with company, though she's more likely to move swiftly to avoid crowds afterward than stay and talk to them, so you might find her lurking just inside a small cafe or down an alleyway taking a breather. She makes a nominal search for saplings or seeds which might work well for a memorial tree, but she doesn't really have the gardening experience to know which of these will flourish on the Iskaulit. Their care system is entirely different, after all.
As the week wears on, she becomes more relaxed and lets herself enjoy this place a little more. Misty is popular, and that's partly Makie's teaching, and that means she's passed on something worthwhile... and it's a good feeling all round. Later in the week she forgoes wearing her kimono entirely, indulging in the peasant dresses she picked up so many planets ago, and spends more times just basking in the musical environment down here. Even being vaguely sociable.
Blink and you'll miss it.]
B - Another Perspective
[On 23 April, Makie takes a shortcut between two buildings and promptly disappears. But a small child shuffles out soon afterward, trying very hard not to trip over the hem of an overlong and unfamiliar dress, shamisen still wrapped carefully in both arms and hugged to her chest. It's the only familiar thing here and it looks expensive, so she clings to it like a lifeline and blinks owlishly around the strange world she finds herself in.
There's no sky. The lights and the crowds are the conflicting sounds are overwhelming, and she soon retreats, clinging close to walls like a ghost until she finds a place to hide. If the last year has taught her anything, it's how not to get noticed in a dirty street, but the shamisen and the tent of a dress she's wearing do kind of tend to stand out.
There's no sky. And she remembers a field, and an angry old man, and what happened after, and she's not hurt now, but this place is a miserable cacophony of alien impressions... She shouldn't eat the food here, just in case it means she can't ever go home. She remembers that part. (Though honestly, would it really matter? There's nothing really to go back to--)
If you run into her here, she will eventually leave again.]
C - And Then There Were Assholes
[By the time she's singled out as an easy pickup by a handful of drunken traffickers, Makie is too tired and hungry and miserable to put up a fight. This is what happens to outcasts, anyway. She just doesn't care, as long as they don't take the shamisen from her, and so she stumbles along behind one as he pulls her along by the wrist roughly, joking with his friends, heading for their ship.
"Gorgeous skin, right? So pale--"
"And that hair--"
"She'll make a fortune, sell her to the right place--"
Oh. The more things change... she's not stupid. But she just follows, eyes dark. Frankly at this point, she doesn't give a damn. It's not like anything different would have happened at home.
...so intervention would be welcome.]
D - Catch-all
[For any time after the events of the 23rd. One can assume she's exploring, and probably pretty taken with the fox park and all the sneaky quiet places she can poke her nose into on the Iskaulit. She'll be very polite and try not to get in your way. I can roll with whatever!]
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Planetside / Iskaulit / Twin Roses
When: 16 April - early May, most likely.
A - Business as Usual
[Makie finds this new, skyless world daunting, but given it's not underwater like the last one, she'll take it. She can be found plying her shamisen music in the crowds and taverns, sometimes on her own but often with company, though she's more likely to move swiftly to avoid crowds afterward than stay and talk to them, so you might find her lurking just inside a small cafe or down an alleyway taking a breather. She makes a nominal search for saplings or seeds which might work well for a memorial tree, but she doesn't really have the gardening experience to know which of these will flourish on the Iskaulit. Their care system is entirely different, after all.
As the week wears on, she becomes more relaxed and lets herself enjoy this place a little more. Misty is popular, and that's partly Makie's teaching, and that means she's passed on something worthwhile... and it's a good feeling all round. Later in the week she forgoes wearing her kimono entirely, indulging in the peasant dresses she picked up so many planets ago, and spends more times just basking in the musical environment down here. Even being vaguely sociable.
Blink and you'll miss it.]
B - Another Perspective
[On 23 April, Makie takes a shortcut between two buildings and promptly disappears. But a small child shuffles out soon afterward, trying very hard not to trip over the hem of an overlong and unfamiliar dress, shamisen still wrapped carefully in both arms and hugged to her chest. It's the only familiar thing here and it looks expensive, so she clings to it like a lifeline and blinks owlishly around the strange world she finds herself in.
There's no sky. The lights and the crowds are the conflicting sounds are overwhelming, and she soon retreats, clinging close to walls like a ghost until she finds a place to hide. If the last year has taught her anything, it's how not to get noticed in a dirty street, but the shamisen and the tent of a dress she's wearing do kind of tend to stand out.
There's no sky. And she remembers a field, and an angry old man, and what happened after, and she's not hurt now, but this place is a miserable cacophony of alien impressions... She shouldn't eat the food here, just in case it means she can't ever go home. She remembers that part. (Though honestly, would it really matter? There's nothing really to go back to--)
If you run into her here, she will eventually leave again.]
C - And Then There Were Assholes
[By the time she's singled out as an easy pickup by a handful of drunken traffickers, Makie is too tired and hungry and miserable to put up a fight. This is what happens to outcasts, anyway. She just doesn't care, as long as they don't take the shamisen from her, and so she stumbles along behind one as he pulls her along by the wrist roughly, joking with his friends, heading for their ship.
"Gorgeous skin, right? So pale--"
"And that hair--"
"She'll make a fortune, sell her to the right place--"
Oh. The more things change... she's not stupid. But she just follows, eyes dark. Frankly at this point, she doesn't give a damn. It's not like anything different would have happened at home.
...so intervention would be welcome.]
D - Catch-all
[For any time after the events of the 23rd. One can assume she's exploring, and probably pretty taken with the fox park and all the sneaky quiet places she can poke her nose into on the Iskaulit. She'll be very polite and try not to get in your way. I can roll with whatever!]
IT'S ALL HE KNOWS
[He knows it's bravado at this point. He was able to sneak up on them and even at a size and number disadvantage, he knows he could probably take them. This isn't a situation he's unfamiliar with, after all.
But he smiles and nods, and once the girl is behind him and safe, he lets his hostage go and spins the knife in his fingers. He gives the man a quick but strong push forward at the small of his back and then slides the knife back into its hiding place.]
Although if you're going to threaten me, I suppose I should do the same.
[The smile dies completely and he gives all of the men a hard, icy stare.]
If I see you around her or anyone else from the Fleet, there won't be enough left of any of you to identify.
[Then he smiles again and waves.]
Goodbye now.
no subject
Who has decided that there's a large difference between picking up an isolated child in an alleyway and a fully armed adult in close enough proximity that it's just. Not worth it, even if they could do it without casualties. (A lot of casualties.) So he smiles too wide instead, slapping the shoulders of those closest to him. It's a signal to move out.
"Enjoy the music."
Give them another fifteen seconds and they're gone, vanishing up into their ship.
Makie honestly briefly considered whether to try sneaking off in the meantime, but... that doesn't seem polite, in the wake of such a threat delivered on her behalf. There's also familiarity. There's also... just plain being too tired for this.
So when Soujiro turns, she'll be watching him with those dark eyes, back to the closest wall.
She totally marked where he put that blade.]
no subject
But now for the child.
She's obviously still frightened and so he holds his hands up, palms out so she can see, as he slowly sinks down to his knees.]
They didn't harm you, did they? I'm sorry I had to show you something so ugly.
no subject
It wasn't ugly. [Her voice is quiet, barely there, and she draws back even more just in case it annoys him to be contradicted.
But. Even with her recent experiences, both here and back in the field, she thinks he's not going to hurt her. So after a moment, she swallows and bows her head. It's kind of all she can manage with a giant dress on and the precious shamisen in her arms.]
...thank you.
no subject
Her voice and face are familiar, but he can't quite place why. She's certainly afraid, a little uncertain about her clothes right now, and extremely protective of the shamisen.]
Of course. I couldn't just leave you be like that.
[Then slowly he reaches into his kimono top, pausing so she can track his movements before bringing out a long sparkly hair tie. He got quite a few of these from Nami awhile back and they're probably long enough for her.]
You seem to be having trouble with your clothes. Would you like me to help you tie it back?
no subject
I don't know why it's so big. [It's a small and guilty admission.] I don't think it's mine.
no subject
[He moves forward a bit and holds the tie out to her so she can put it around her waist.]
no subject
I woke up and I was wearing it. I don't... think I would steal such a dress. Or-- I don't steal. But I don't know. I don't remember.
no subject
You just woke up wearing this?
[With a shamisen.
In space.]
...You're not from this asteroid system, are you?
no subject
[Headtilt. He's Japanese too, isn't he?] Do you know... Monzen-Nakacho?
no subject
His eyes widen at the mention of Monzen-Nakacho, but he manages to tamp down on most of his surprise.]
Near Edo, yes?
[And now he's starting to pull things together. A Japanese girl, scared and alone, familiar features, from the Edo area, carrying a shamisen - could this be Makie? She doesn't remember him or anything about this place though, so suddenly recognizing her would likely only frighten her. If it's true that people can deage and age up and change memories or whatever else the augment "malfunctions" can do, then it's entirely possible that his suspicion is correct.]
I do know of it, although I did not live near there. I am also of Edo, but now live in the capital.
no subject
Do you know who this belongs to? [She shouldn't take it if someone is looking for it.]
no subject
No, I thought perhaps it was yours? You clung to it so tightly, after all.
[It's a beautiful piece, though, and it does make him wonder if he's right about the girl's true identity.]
Shall we can look for the owner together?
no subject
It was just in the alley with me. I thought someone threw it away, but it's the only thing that makes any sense here. [Everything is VERY WEIRD. Which brings to mind her other, earlier fear, but events have happened enough she's pretty sure she was wrong. Nevertheless.] Where are all the stars?
[Kind of the problem of technically being in a hollowed out asteroid or some such.]
no subject
[How to explain this to someone of his era in a way that won't utterly terrify them? He remembers the panic and fear when he first woke up, the information about space pouring into his conscious mind from the augment, and how unpleasant it was. He was able to remain calm through training, but how would a child react?
He reaches out a hand for her to take if she likes.]
They are out there, but we cannot see them where we are now. The sky is blocked.
[Please assume it is by clouds or some such, Makie.]
no subject
But they're still up there somewhere?
no subject
Yes, they're up there somewhere - don't worry.
Did you often watch the stars at home?
no subject
no subject
Like little gems in the sky, so far away. Is it often that you can't go home?
no subject
...Mother works late. I need to keep out of her way.
no subject
Well, since we're out and you have an escort for the evening. What would you like to do while we search for the shamisen's owner? It might take us awhile. Are you hungry?
no subject
Is eating okay? We won't have to stay here if we do, right?
[It feels like such a silly question, and she flushes almost immediately.]
no subject
How about I taste test it first? If nothing happens to me, you'll know it's safe.
no subject
But we won't get trapped here if we do? [Old legends about not eating in the land of the dead, man. She's a little paranoid.]
no subject
[Give him a second until it clicks.]
Oh! Oh no no, you'll be safe.
[And he does give a small laugh here, mostly good-naturedly.]
You're not on the other side. Just in a place that is confusing, but not very dangerous at all.
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