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 Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 8:50 am
Shanyume Backdated to September 28, 2021
Janggunite had trudged back from the Hall of Shadows with a vacant expression on his face. It could've been so easy to just- Do something. Do something to just get all of this over with. But he didn't know what that something would be, and he couldn't say with any certainty what consequences would come from it. Death, maybe, if he was lucky. But immortality as an undying youma seemed like a distinct and unwanted possibility. The uncertainty was what frightened him, gave him pause.
Such a disgusting, worthless ******** coward. Didn't even have the mental fortitude to do what he kept claiming he so desperately wanted...
Instead, he was just going to go back to his room, hide in his bed, pretend that he didn't exist, hope the ground just swallowed him up, or maybe he'd starve to death if he at least had the willpower for that. ...Which he obviously didn't, because a muffin from the cafeteria didn't sound terrible- if it didn't cost so much energy to get there. Bed it was.
He'd made his way back to the barracks, somehow feeling wore useless and irritable on the trek there than he had when he'd walked away earlier. And it was only movement off to the side, in the small training area behind the building that gave him pause. It wasn't his business, and he really didn't care what anyone else was doing right now, so there was absolutely no reason for him to expend even a moment's thought on anything that was going on back there.
But it was that girl. Lavendulan. From the Rift mission. He'd been abducted by a youma during it, and he hadn't seen her again at all afterwards. Maybe he should've reached out. It wasn't as if their ilk were very difficult to find, particularly since they all lived trapped here...
But he never had. She never had, either. Too much work, he supposed. It was almost too much work now, except that she was standing not twenty feet away from him, and he doubted there would be a better opportunity to return the bead she'd given him...
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 9:18 am
“Damn it!” Lavendulan hissed from her spot on the ground. Vibrant glacial-blue colored eyes glared pointedly at the kirin youma she’d been trying to ride. “Can’t you just go straight until I get used to this before making such tight turns.” She let out a frustrated growl sounding grunt as she stood up, brushed the debris off her uniform and walked over to Tallulah to give ze a scolding slap on their scaled shoulder. It wasn’t enough to actually harm the beast, but surely emphasized how irritated she was starting to get. Laven was a swimmer, not a rider, and yet here she was trying to learn to how to properly mount the Kirin and hold on without the use of a saddle; not an easy task when her head barely cleared its shoulder but they were neither here nor there. Not as if she could carry a stool around with her at all times. “I think we’re done for today.” She moved to stand in front of Tallulah and held onto a fistful of her personal youma’s soft beard. Ze nudged her in the shoulder for it and she let go. Such a playful ornery little s**t. The same youma that saved her from the Rift was giving her so much grief. “You can go back, we can pick this up again later.” Tallulah let out a loud whine, one that sounded almost pleased with itself; like a mustang that would not be broken and was finally sent out into the field to roam. It left, and she was alone save for the eyes upon her back. Laven turned and suddenly felt a wash of embarrassment turn the skin around her scales from a pale blue to an almost light lavender. “Uh- sorry you had to see that.” “Janggunite, right?” A lot transpired after the venture into the Rift and yet when she returned Laven did look up information on the current status of the half-youma’s currently serving the Negaverse in the Directory on her tablet. “I’m glad to see you made it out safely. I apologize for not coming to find you,” and truly she felt much remorse. “But I did not return with everyone, I stayed behind for a while.” Against her better judgment, but she did find herself a willing personal youma even if Tallulah was an a*****e at times. “How are you?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 9:46 am
Janggunite watched her with the creature with an impassive look on his face. He thought he'd be wary of youma. His first meeting with one had been a cackling, condescending witch who now stalked him, and the second he'd ever met had caused... all of this. There'd been an explosive hoard of unfriendly youma in the Rift. Not a lot of good experiences to base his feelings toward the Chaos monsters on. But he just didn't feel anything about them, even one as spirited and lively as Lavendulan's. It was lovely, and if she were to go off into a fight, of course an obedient companion would be a wonderful asset, but...
He gave a dismissive shrug as she walked over. "You've nothing to apologize for."
If anyone should be sorry to be looked at, it was surely him, with his dirty, tangled, lank hair, dry skin, cracking frills, and peeling tail. Personal maintenance was a lot of effort. And to achieve what? All he did- all he wanted to do was sit in his room. He was as guilty of whatever perceived crimes existed as she was.
There wasn't any advice he could offer her, but he doubted she expected any. She'd been at this Negaverse thing- this youma thing- longer than he had. She could surely figure out her own problems, and Janggunite was pretty firmly of the belief that since he couldn't even get himself in order, there was no reason to offer his opinions to anyone else. He'd never been an animal lover.
It was at the tip of his tongue to retort that he wished something worse had happened and he hadn't made it back, that he didn't feel like he should be here, that everything was just dark and sad and suffocating and how could she willingly exist in this state, but even like this, he could at least judge what was appropriate to say to another person, and none of that was it. So he settled for the blanket, "Oh, I'm fine," as he shifted to open his little pocket of space.
"Since you're here, I wanted to make sure this got back to you." He produced the little bead she'd handed him before they'd split up and offered it to her in an open palm. "I think there are people who'd make better use of it than me."
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 3:33 pm
She looked down at the pearlescent bead, head canting to the side so slightly it was obvious that Lavendulan was thinking. When finally she moved to accept the item back, she instead put her hand under his and closed his fingers around it. “I don’t care if someone else can make better use of it.” Her tone was calm and kind. “It was a gift and it is up to you to use or hold onto; either way it’s for you to decide. But I won’t be taking it back.” She offered a small smile as reassurance that her words were sincere. However, it was difficult to hide the concern that had her looking at Janggunite with a more critical eye. He appeared disheveled, though that might not be the right word. Wilted perhaps was a better way to describe his demeanor; like a plant left in the shade as if someone somehow thought that lower light could compensate for needed water and necessary interactions. Neglected… In him, she saw echoes of herself when she was a Lieutenant. A prisoner of the Dark Kingdom, the Negaverse’s shame or secret. A tool to be used but otherwise kept away from the sight of others. Unable to live a normal life while relying on the generosity of Captains or Generals to grant her a reprieve from this dreary place. The Janggunite before her was a shadow of the half-youma she’d met before entering the Rift and even that version of him seemed distant, if not wary of approach. “I have some errands to run. If you’re not busy, would you like to accompany me to Destiny City. Or at the very least, can I offer you an escape from this prison we find ourselves in?” It was a cinderella story and they’d only have three hours. But any time away from the purplish light here in the Dark Kingdom was a blessing. Natural light, warmth from the sun. Things that were often taken for granted as a human until they were taken away. “Might be nice to get some fresh air and perhaps a meal that wasn’t cooked in the cafeteria?” Lavendulan added as an incentive.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 5:59 pm
She reached for the bead, and he expected her to take it. That was why he'd stopped here at all, to make sure the little object was returned to the young woman who'd been concerned enough for him that she thought he might need whatever assistance could be offered. Her fingers curled around his, and a sharp chill swept up the length of Janggunite's spine, momentarily freezing him to the spot.
He'd never liked others handling him. People were disgusting and lecherous. When he'd been human, he'd braced himself for every such interaction, aware that part of being charming and confident meant not letting himself be stalled by menial interactions. He thought he'd always done a good job of being friendly enough, if a little distant to strangers. But he didn't like people touching him without at least a moment to prepare himself. Didn't like thinking about where their disgusting hands had been before they made contact with him-
That was still true, to some extent. But more potent than that was how disgusted he was with himself and how he could now barely even fathom a reality where everyone else wasn't as well. They put their hands on him now, and all Janggunite could think of was how revolted he would be if he were in their shoes. How they absolutely must feel the same and were just hiding it out of politeness.
He'd been classically pretty. Tall and manicured. Clean, prim, well-dressed. Better than most anyone he may have crossed paths with.
Now he was this thing with various slimes and spores oozing out of his orifices. Disgusting. The feeling, like dread and fear and revulsion bubbled up in his throat and felt like it was going to choke him. Over such a small touch. Over such a sweet gesture. Laven was being nice, and he just felt horrible and hideous and gross and repulsed.
He drew his hand back to himself with no further argument over proper possession of the bead. "Thank you." His tone was strained, but that was a better outcome than outright attacking her, like he had done to his general, when he'd put hands on Janggunite...
When he glanced back toward the barracks, it was almost like he was looking for an excuse to refuse, but the few seconds were necessary to recompose himself. To breathe, and be at peace, like he'd been told when he was a panic-riddled child. It was a lot of effort to be out and about, and there was something like... intimidation at being around Laven for more than the handful of moments they'd ever shared at a time before. ...But he wasn't busy. His heart longed for something even slightly like normalcy.
Janggunite exhaled slowly, eyes closing, and then looked back at her. "What kind of errands?" He asked warily. "Negaverse errands, or something else?" He didn't think he'd left Negaspace for anything besides 'Negaverse errands' for the past several months.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 7:37 pm
The way he pulled his hand back and took a moment to compose himself gave Lavendulan more than enough reason to be mindful of how she approached him. Was she not similar in that regard? At least when it came to her scales. They were a sore topic to discuss especially with all the fish comments she’d received over the years, and was the reason only two had ever touched them. “Personal errands,” she confirmed. “I need to get replacement heads for my Dremel tool since most of mine have become overused by my stone carving that they’re no longer useful. I was also considering stopping by the farmers market; there’s an indoor one open on the weekends.” She was running low on fresh produce and unfortunately couldn’t grow her own garden in the Dark Kingdom. However, there was an idea she considered previously. One that involved purchasing a lot at a community garden, something that could be checked on and harvested throughout the year. Lavendulan wasn’t known to have a green thumb but might be something worth revisiting once Spring came back around.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 1:53 pm
'Personal errands.'
So probably not like this, then. Janggunite's serpentine-like tail made a large plop of sound as the tip smacked almost curiously against the stony earth of the training grounds. He knew he could take on a fully humanoid form for a very limited window, but he hadn't ever bothered to even try. It was too much effort, and for what? So that people would think "January" wasn't dead and gone?
How could he justify being available for just a few hours and still keep his job and his home and his connections? He couldn't. Better to not be that person, anymore. Better for January to be gone.
But if they were just going into random hardware and craft stores or farmer's markets, what were the chances anyone would actually recognize him? Probably low. Those weren't the types of places he'd frequented as a human. Maybe it would be good for him (he hated when people told him that)- Maybe it would be something to pass the time instead of laying in his room. And pears were in season. A farmer's market was as good a place as any to get something fresh and sweet. He did like pears...
"I... I'd like that, to be able to go with you," Janggunite eventually agreed, though his tone still sounded wary and a little tired. If she cared to take note, though, there was a very slightly more animated sway and twitch to the flowered tip of his tail.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:29 pm
Lavendulan’s smile grew and for a moment she found herself thankful that she didn’t have a tail like Wolframite; otherwise, she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to keep it from betraying the joy she felt when he agreed to accompany her. “I can be ready to leave whenever you are!” It seemed as if he was on his way back to the barracks and wanted to give him the chance to grab anything he might want to bring along. Having a uniform without pockets meant that she often kept her wallet stowed away in her subspace pocket along with a couple of bottles of water just in case.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:51 pm
For one singular second, Janggunite thought he was as ready then as he would ever be. A lot of the personal maintenance things that he would've previously cared about before leaving his house were extremely low on his priority list, at the moment. He couldn't even think of where any of his hair care products or concealer might be. He didn't have to collect phone or keys, anymore. Those things wouldn't do him any good like they might have if he was leaving his civilian house. He couldn't change clothes, didn't have a bag to bring. What was he even supposed to do to prepare...?
Find his long-forgotten wallet so he could acquire those pears he was so interested in. Wash his face and probably his hair. Just generally not look like a hobo if Lavendulan was willing to be seen with him. Even if he doubted he'd run into anyone he knew from his civilian life, this poor girl was still standing with him right now.
And he'd cared so, so much about his reputation, previously. No reason to tarnish hers, for whatever it was.
"Let's meet out front there," he gestured to entrance to the barracks. "In twenty minutes?" He expected his glamor would select attire for him, so he wouldn't worry about that, but it probably wouldn't do much to change his hair or generally sodden appearance. "I won't take very long," he promised as he headed off in the direction of the entryway.
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:38 pm
Lavendulan watched as Jan retreated towards the barracks, a place that housed her for a little over a year before Wolframite submitted a request for them to rebuild one of the houses in the ruins and turn that into a home. The location left much to be desired but since they were both half-youma their options were severely limited. Still, it was a place to call her own and for the next twenty minutes, she sought to clean herself up a bit; get the dust off her face and grab a hair tie in case it was windy outside. The weather said it should be decent out; partially sunny and in the highs of 61 degrees. But it was still early April and the weather was prone to sudden changes. Might as well make sure she was prepared with an umbrella too, not that the water bothered her, but just in case Janggunite might want one.
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