generalflirt | ~♥TWENTY-NINE♥~

~♥TWENTY-NINE♥~

[Masaomi has been dreadfully ill since, well... since about Nagisa's party and going to look for a starfish the night before. Since then, well... he passed out there, barely made it home, and had been nursed ever since. He was slightly delirious though all this, and he relied on Saki to get him through things while working on autopilot. He wasn't able to really move much himself until about the 29th or so. After that you might have seen him going in and out of the kitchen. But had he not seen Saki as much somehow...?

This pattern lasts until he wakes up about three PM on the 3rd. He's finally feeling better, and is able to pick up the journal, flip through things, and then go check on Saki and... she's not there. He searches the apartment, is it just him or is it more empty. Finally, he goes to make a filtered message to her to see if she's around...

And. She's not. The filter breaks.

She's gone.

Gone.

He got back his cell phone a while ago - he hasn't opened it, really, but after Fray gave it back to him the only thing he used it for was that thing with the texts and "Tanaka Taro." But. He flips it open to see Saki's picture in there. His grip tightens. They never even talked and she's gone.. completely gone. He begins to shake. The rage lasts a while and he tries to calm down enough to make a little post saying she's gone. and finally... two hours later, he thinks he is]

[Voice]

Everyone. Ah, I - I... [...No, he can't do it. He can't be calm]

Son of bitch! No! [And then he throws the cell phone clean across the room. It hits the wall with a loud sound - it's not broke, not quite, but the battery pops out of the back and the screen cracks. But who cares. Now, now? His voice is pained beyond anything people have heard in Luceti since about when Mikado was sent home, but this pain is different - Mikado's was cold fury, this one is erratic fury and sorrow and... well yeah]

Why now?! [Voice break] Why- dammit, [He grits his teeth] Dammit!

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[...]

But you don't need to watch anything, right? If a time comes, no doubt you'll be on my side.

[He's taking a bit of a leap here, yes. But including her?]

[More than a bit of a leap if he thought - what, that he could go and make decisions that could possibly start a war and drag a lot of people into it - because if she gets involved, the chances are good that people she cares about will be involved too - and all without bringing her into the decision-making process? Just - oh, if I happen to chose to do something that will put a bunch of people into a fight, of course you'll fight with me? That is not the way she works.

And it's only the awareness of how he must be feeling right now that prevents her from pointing that out to him. In detail.

I don't need to ask if I can trust you, right?

He needs people he can count on right now. Well. He's going to get that from her. But maybe not in the way he would expect, or want, or even appreciate. But she isn't going to be anything other than herself.]

I don't think I could ever just stand on the sidelines and watch you - or any of my friends - get hurt. But I'm not going to promise to fight in something that I don't fully understand.

[Jet. The drafts. Hama. She doesn't think Masaomi's trying to use her, but... past experience speaks loudly. She'll still charge in blindly to help someone, but she won't just volunteer her powers to be used for any purpose.]

[He's taken aback, for just a moment... but then he nods. That's also a Katara-like answer. Something which isn't absolute - something that's fair, something that's rational and filled with emotions at the same time. Compassionate but powerful, maybe?

Either way, it's an answer he couldn't given.]

Fine, that's fine. [A sigh. He wonder if he knows - knows the only reason that she's not invited to be with Shikamaru and Gold is because of the fact if he sees he right now he'll break. His voice is so surprisingly stable right now... probably not.]

That's the answer I would expect, after all.

[It is? Huh.]

All right. Then I'll see you later.

Ah, I'll see you at nine.

[So she's there around nine. The Rec Center is far and away from her home, after all. At least she doesn't really mind walking in the cold. And, hey, she's got a flashlight for the darker parts, so it's actually a lot easier than getting around would be in her home, although the temperatures seem somewhat similar.

She sheds the parka when she enters the rec room and glances around as she reslings her waterskin. She's only been in this place a few times, and it's still fairly unfamiliar to her.]

[By the time Katara arrives, Masaomi is already there. He showered, but none of his rings or bracelets anything (not even earrings) are on. He sits there in a black T-shirt (his wings exposed, actually) with a coat next to him... and a yellow scarf on his neck. Unlike with Shikamaru and Gold, he showered before coming here, so he doesn't look unkempt aside from his roots showing more than ever.

He didn't turn on more lights, but he's sitting here on the couch looking pensive]

Katara, yo.

Hey. [She smiles when she sees him and glances around once more before heading over to him. Ah, general light-switches, there we go. She hits them on her way over, laying her parka on top of a foosball table before coming to sit on the other end of the couch.

It's still. Kind of awkward, judging distance and how close is too close and what everything says, but Katara tries not to think about it too much. It's silly, she shouldn't be, there's nothing she can do about it anyway, so... she just turns to face him.

And notes the yellow scarf around his neck. Oh. Will he be wearing that from now on?

The lack of jewelry hardly makes an impression on her, but her gaze does snag on his roots. She's never seen hair quite like that before, and it'll be obvious that she's staring before she drags her gaze back down again.]

I heard that you were sick. How are you feeling?

I'm good. [Not 100%, but not at this worst. Not to mention the gaping other feeling of loss and emptiness is overwhelming any urge to feel sick or something. He keeps an even gaze at her. Should he begin, or will she?]

[If this were any other day, she'd probably ask about his hair. As it is... she's not even sure if he'd tell her if he wasn't feeling well anyway.]

All right.

[She shifts a little so that she can face him, using one hand to support herself behind her.] So. I'm here. What did you want to talk about?

[Because she'll leave him room, initially, if he wants to talk about that afternoon, or Saki, or something else completely.]

[...] Actually, I'm not good at this sort of thing - why don't you decide what the first topic is?

[with a little smile. One that does not meet his eyes at all]

[What does she want to talk about? She wants to find out what he and Shikamaru and Gold talked about. She wants to do something that would make things better.

He's not smiling at all, not really.]

Why does your hair look like that?

[Here. Have a dose of normal.]

[Blink. ...Pffthahaha So really he's so surprised he honestly laughs.]

You didn't know? I haven't dyed my hair lately!

Edited 2012-01-04 21:10 (UTC)

[An actual laugh? Score! Her smile in return is a quick flash of genuine appreciation.]

Oh, is that what it is? Does that mean the hair on top is your real color?

[The laughter dies down quick enough, but he keeps a smile on his lips] Aha, you got it. I dyed it when I went to live in Ikebukuro. [He pulls on one of the blonde strands. His actual hair color is a dark brown color - not gray or black, but definitely much darker]

[She leans forward.]

Bend down, I want to see.

[She can't help it that you're taller than her usually.]

[He's only grown a little! 5'8.... sob... oh well, he bends down a bit so she can see.]

[And she topped out between 5.4 and 5.5. So. /Peeeeeeeeering.]

Huh.

[She wants to reach out and touch it and see if it feels any different, but figures that would be crossing a line.]

I've never seen anything like that before.

You've not seen dyed hair before?

[He keeps his head down for her. In case she wants it...]

[Dude. Stop tempting her with your hair like that. She is a very curious person and might not be able to resist.]

I'd never seen a lot of hair colors before I came to Luceti.

[Her hand gives a little involuntary twitch forward.]

We always saved our dye for clothes back home and I never saw anyone with hair like that when we were traveling.

[He looks up, just a bit, so he can see her face. He smirks a bit] Well, it's a different type of dye than on clothes, I think. Actually, no, I'm sure. At least in part.

[...twitch. Oh, fine. FINE.]

I wonder if it feels different...

[But she is ASKING FIRST because LINES. Yes. Clearly.

She reaches out her hand part of the way.]

Do you mind if I...?

H-ah- oh! Uh... No!

[He does shift a little, but go for it. Yeeeah]

[She reaches out her hand and gently takes hold of a strand, then runs her thumb over the different colors.]

Huh. It doesn't feel different at all.

[And she drops her hand after smoothing the strand back in place.]

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