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 Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:09 pm
Kouyo stays on the sofa the next time he wakes up, not feeling particularly inspired to move. He keeps his eyes shut as well, trying not to think about just how big the room is that he is in. Still, his mounting anxiety gets to him after a few minutes anyway, and he slides off the chair into a standing position, waits a moment for the room to stop spinning, and starts to pace. It is something he really thought he would be able to stop doing once he was out of his tower....
He is not sure if Setsushi is back yet or not, but the High Priest is fairly certain that his friend will notice him for sure now that he is up and moving around. His head throbs a little again, too, but he is not sure he wants to ask for painkillers just yet. Here he is, compulsively pacing out the size of his friend's house like it's just another room in his birdcage, like he does not trust Setsushi somehow. Would Setsushi still want to be his friend after all he has done?
Kouyo crosses his arms and paces quicker.
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:14 pm
In a complete contrast to his friend's stormy mood, Setsushi strolls home along the suburban street, carrying groceries for the next day's udon and giving off a feeling of calm cheerfulness. The day is not that cold, and so he is taking his time, enjoying the colorful foliage and tasty smells coming out of the other shops.
He wades through the gate, climbs up the steps, pushes open the door with his shoulder, and greets Kouyo~~...
... Something's not right. Kouyo...?
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:03 pm
Kouyo finishes his walk to the wall, carefully counting his metered steps, but when he turns towards Setsushi, he keeps his eyes lowered. He was just measuring the room again, but he swears it's not because he does not trust Setsushi, not at all. He has to, that's all; if Kouyo does not, it bothers him. At least... there is only one room in the house, so it does not take him as long?
Kouyo desperately hopes that Setsushi will still let him stay here and will still be his friend anyway, though. He badly needs someone to talk to about... some of the things that happened right before he came to Gaia. But if Setsushi is upset with him, the High Priest understands.
Wringing his hands and giving off a feeling of being thoroughly upset, Kouyo settles down on the floor across the room from Setsushi and awaits his response.
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:39 pm
With his good mood draining away, replaced with a profound worry, Setsushi sets down his groceries and quickly moves to Kouyo's side, kneeling on the floor next to him. What happened? What's wrong?
And why would Setsushi be angry? Has Setsushi ever answered Kouyo with anger? There couldn't possibly be anything Kouyo has done for which Setsushi cannot forgive him.
He reaches out to touch the fabric of Kouyo's sleeve very gently. Kouyo should trust Setsushi; that's what he thinks.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:16 am
But- but- Setsushi must be angry at him for something. The High Priest shies away from his friend a little. He's never been cross with him before, true, but since Setsushi disappeared from the Golden World, Kouyo has... has done something that he has never done before. And Kouyo is not sure he can forgive himself. A lot of things happened in the months between when Setsushi missed coming to visit the tower and when Kouyo showed up here. He has also been nothing but trouble for Setsushi since coming to Gaia.
Starting to sob, he leans down to the floor from his kneeling position, as though kowtowing to the Dragon Knight, except Kouyo keeps his hands over his head as though his afraid he will be struck or shouted at. He then remains doubled over, face towards the floor, shaking a little as he sobs. If Setsushi hates him, he will leave, he promises.
A part of the High Priest also quietly wonders if this Gaia place is perhaps some sort of Hell, and if that means by extension that Setsushi arrived here the same way he himself did; this thought only makes Kouyo cry more.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:38 am
Kouyo hasn't been trouble, Setsushi reassures him. Setsushi was very glad to see him, in fact. The Gaians are all quite kind and friendly, but Setsushi felt very alone; he was overjoyed to see Kouyo again. Although...
He reaches out to very gently rub the High Priest's shoulders, sending him comforting and soothing feelings. ... Will he tell Setsushi what he did, how he got that injury? Setsushi doesn't understand, and he cannot forgive or help Kouyo until he does.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:32 am
Kouyo remains prone on the floor as he paints the picture for Setsushi like a poem: The small tree at the top of an unforgiving mountain has but a single leaf remaining. No birds come to rest upon it anymore, and the snow that visits it so often at the top of the mountain has been gone for months. And so, from the summit, the tree throws its final leaf to the ground. No tree is able to grow in such a place, and death seems a far finer choice than waiting eternally for spring to return....
And... well, somehow he managed to miss the ground at the foot of the tower entirely, seeing how he landed in Gaia.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:29 am
...Setsushi, ever the Fighter, takes a long time to puzzle over the imagery before an understanding slowly dawns on him:
Kouyo... threw himself out of his tower...!?
... Setsushi is stunned for a few seconds, rocking back on his heels and staring at Kouyo, not with any sort of emotion other than shock. Then, he shakes his head as if to clear it of his stupor, and, gentle but distraught, begs to know why. Kouyo had endured before, hadn't he? Was there something horrible that happened!?
Setsushi isn't angry. He's just a little bit horrified, and... really, quite relieved and happy that Kouyo fell practically into his arms, with only a little scrape.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:46 am
Kouyo slowly raises his head from the floor, and wipes his eyes a little with one hand though he has definitely not stopped crying yet. His make-up is already streaked down his face, so rubbing at it only makes the thin red trails on his cheeks a little more interesting. Still sobbing, but without looking at Setsushi, Kouyo reaches for his friend's hand.
Everything had just started to come crashing in on him at once, and that was when Kouyo began to hear voices and imagine the tower itself was trying to kill him. And then the rumors reached his tower about Setsushi's mysterious disappearance....
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:56 am
Setsushi wraps his hands around Kouyo's, sending him kind and soothing thoughts. Setsushi is fine, and Kouyo, too, is safe now. He's free of the tower, free of everything, a free maiden like Setsushi. And this land, Gaia, is for the most part peaceful, and no one enforces the rules; with Setsushi to protect him, he is sure that Kouyo will be able to grasp anything he desires.
Though... ... Setsushi does wonder if this peaceful land... accessed by Kouyo when he leapt from his tower, and by Setsushi when he was pulled into a whirlpool underwater, might be... part of the Silver World after all.
They need to find that small one, Jilan, as well as the others from the Golden World, and find out more of...
... Might not Kouyo be able to do his High Priestly thing and pray to the Name for an explanation of this situation? -- But then, almost as soon as Setsushi suggests it, he retracts it. No, no, that would be a strain on tired Kouyo, and besides... for Setsushi to ask that would almost be putting him back in his birdcage.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:33 am
The younger Porcelain pulls himself closer to Setsushi and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths as he finally starts to calm down. He is no longer caged, as Setsushi said, but Kouyo is also not nearly as free as his friend says. There are pieces of himself that are missing, which he knows he will never get back.
Kouyo then considers Setsushi's request, and finally manages to look him in the eye. No, he will do whatever Setsushi wants of him because he owes his dear friend his life. He would have thrown himself from the tower top two years ago were it not for the Dragon Knight's friendship. As soon as he has recovered his strength, and his wound is closer to healed, Kouyo will pray and ask.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:54 am
Setsushi had no idea Kouyo was suffering so much... Has he always hidden his pain so well?
Well, there's no need to do it anymore! Setsushi declares forcefully. He will be Kouyo's ally no matter what happens to them. Kouyo will ask for Setsushi's help whenever he needs it, won't he? He will let Setsushi walk beside him on the journey to recover those pieces of him, won't he?
Setsushi pats Kouyo's hand before releasing it. He hopes Kouyo will not push himself too hard. They are all safe, happy, and well-fed in this land, so there is no need to hurry... Kouyo should nourish his heart and body first.
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:27 pm
Kouyo nods, and rests his head- ow, okay, the part of his head without the bruise - very carefully on Setsushi's shoulder. Some pieces are irrevocably lost, but Kouyo is pleased that his friend will still help. Also, he did not want Setsushi to know the extent of his suffering before, because the snow flies more freely without the burden of the tears of the clouds.
He clings at his friend's clothes, and settles into a silence that is still sad, but at least it is not as hysterical or upset as before. The silence is only broken by a sudden rather loud grumble of the High Priest's stomach redface
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:35 pm
Setsushi manages a smile and pats his friend's back awkwardly. Emotionally intimate though Setsushi and Kouyo may be, such shows of physical affection will never quite be comfortable for the Dragon Knight...
...The stomach growl is a perfect opportunity to get out of the situation. Sh-shall Setsushi fix a meal!? Setsushi is rather hungry himself, as well... He pulls away from Kouyo, fixing his clothes.
... And some wholesome food will help restore Kouyo's strength, so they can begin searching together. 3nodding
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:46 pm
Kouyo lets himself tip over sideways as his friend gets up, and stretches out on the floor. Sure, he would love some food, especially something Setsushi cooked. The attendants at the tower were not all bad people, but everything Kouyo ate from them tasted like sand.
... Can Setsushi cook him some of whatever it was he ate to grow up so tall? The High Priest raises his head from the floor and glances over at the Dragon Knight, and smiles ever-so-slightly.
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