okitactless | IC inbox; recolle

[what the heck THAT'S TOO CRUEL, TOO CRUEL...

Kashuu doesn't wait up, but that's probably not surprising considering the general complete lack of reaction he's given to anything else so far. It's a good thing no one big is in the halls right now or his stupid ass might get stepped on...

It'll be clear when Yamato turns the corner that he doesn't seem to be terribly aware of his surroundings right now in general. He walks quickly but somehow almost aimlessly, with a near-weave to his steps, as though he's paying attention to something else and not to where he's putting his feet down. Near the windows and doors, which he seems to be drawn toward, the sound of the rain pattering down and high strains of violin notes seem much louder than before. Maybe he'll catch a few whispers, some half-formed words.

That said, despite the general state of "not paying attention to shit" that he seems to be in, he's definitely making a beeline for the exit. The rain is still pouring down outside and Kashuu doesn't even have a makeshift umbrella with him, but he's nearing the door by the time Yamato rounds the final corner between them, hands already outstretched toward the glass. Whatever has his attention so thoroughly captured, it definitely seems to be out there.]

Edited 2017-05-04 07:25 (UTC)

[Nobody's out in the halls, but that doesn't mean it's safe outdoors, especially not when raindrops might as well be miniature oceans. The sense of alarm Yamato's been feeling spikes the minute he realizes where Kashuu is headed, and he pushes forward with a burst of speed, using up energy he doesn't really have right now. It's exhausting, being tiny...

But Kashuu's probably twenty seconds away from drowning, so he ignores the burning in his legs and keeps running, desperate to catch him before he gets through the door. It's only when Kashuu is within his line of sight again that he dares to slow down, just enough to cup his hands to his mouth and yell again.]

Kiyomitsu, don't! Stop!

[Maybe he'll get lucky and there won't be an opening big enough for Kashuu to slip through...]

[Where all of the other yelling seems to have fallen just a little shy, this shout actually gives Kashuu pause. It's like hearing someone call to you while sleeping, that sort of instinctive recognition of a familiar voice without the accompanying reaction. Likewise, he sounds like he's half-asleep when he actually speaks.]

Yasu...?

[But of course they both have shitty luck!! It's their collective destiny! So even though it seems like Kashuu might turn around for a second, a normal-sized person comes tromping up the sidewalk at just that moment, quickly opening the door and scuttling inside to escape the downpour.

His body is still more or less on autopilot and the sound of the rain and music, now coming through crisp and clear and loud, immediately pulls at him. He can still hear voices above the din, too - whispered somethings like don't you want to succeed, don't you want to be accepted, wouldn't it be nice to be loved by so many people? that Yamato may or may not hear. It's enough to push his legs into motion again.

At this rate, Yamato's probably going to have to tackle his ass to keep him from wandering to his rainy death.]

[OF COURSE THEY HAVE SHITTY LUCK!! Even from here, Yamato notices that pause, and his heart soars with hope--but then Giant McStomperson barges in, and they're right back to where they started.

He hears the voices, but he's too far away to make out any clear words just yet--for better or for worse. All he can do is grit his teeth and push forward, summoning all his strength to catch up before Kashuu gets crushed by the door, or worse--through to the outside just as the door closes, sealing them off from each other.

He may be physically fit, but he's still only human, and his body wears out just like anybody else's. With everything so far away in this state, he can't risk burning out too quickly, or he'll definitely lose track of Kashuu. So for once in his life, he shows restraint, and refrains from calling out again in favor of racing towards Kashuu with as much speed as he can muster.

The voices get louder as he gets closer, but if Yamato's good at anything, it's fixating. So for the moment, it isn't hard to ignore everything but Kashuu, and tackling his dumb ass is exactly what he's going to do the minute he's in range for it. Or, well, at the very least, he'll throw himself in Kashuu's direction and cling.

The good news: He makes it before the door closes.

The bad news: The door closes.

The one saving grace is the awning above the steps leading into their building. So while they may be trapped in a downpour of tempting whispers, they're at least not going to drown immediately. It's wet, but not dangerously so, and Yamato uses what strength he has left to keep his arms around Kashuu and stop him from tumbling down the giant stairs.]

Kiyo... mitsu... [HE JUST RAN A MARATHON, GIVE HIM A MINUTE TO CATCH HIS BREATH OKAY]

[Yamato does so much for his undeserving ass...

There's a split-second where Yamato might feel some resistance as he locks his arms in place to keep Kashuu from falling to his stupid stairs death, but fortunately, the physical shock seems to be enough to snap him out of a majority of the haze he'd been in. The rain continues pounding down and the song rings out prettily around them, but Kashuu is blinking, trying to rope his focus back.]

Eh— What're we doing out here...?

[The soft, nearly sleepy quality is still sounding through clearly in his voice, and he has the dazed look of someone startled awake from an impromptu afternoon nap when he glances over his shoulder.

Well, at least it's Yasusada. If it were anyone else, he'd probably be snapping into alertness much more quickly (and probably a little more violently). But he feels safe even now, and his mind sure is taking its time to register everything...]

Edited 2017-05-07 19:09 (UTC)

[Yes he does, but then he turns around and tramples over boundaries that most rational people would respect, so eh...

For now, though, none of that is on his mind. All that matters is maneuvering the both of them over to a safe corner, hopefully far enough away from the door that they won't get squashed flat if it swings open. It'd be nice to take a moment to just pause, to slump against Kashuu and give his legs a rest. But now, with no walls to protect them, Yamato can hear the song clearly, and although the echoes are still just indecipherable whispers for him, every fibre of his extremely superstitious being is ringing with alarm bells.]

I don't know... I think, the voices, maybe...? [He pauses, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath--luckily, he's always recovered from fatigue fairly quickly.] One minute you were at home, and the next you were halfway down the hall.

[He should probably let go, now that Kashuu seems to be more-or-less in his right mind. But he doesn't. Not just yet.]

[True, this weirdass give-and-take...

Kashuu, to his credit, doesn't seem in a huge rush to get free anyway. Not just yet, at least. His head still feels a little fuzzy, and when he tries to think back to actually walking down the hall, the memories come piece-y and strange, like something from a bout of sleepwalking.

He raises one of his hands, though, fingertips briefly tapping against his temple.]

Seriously? Ugh... Geez, I can barely even remember walking out here. I dunno what I was doing.

[Or, more specifically, where the heck he was going?? He frowns at the door, realizing the stupid predicament he's stuck them both into.]

Mm. You really scared me.

[If Kashuu couldn't tell by just how hard he had to push himself to catch up, when he can only run 0.05 miles an hour...

He's mostly caught his breath by now, though, and even though his legs are still sort of burning, he's probably not in danger of collapse.]

Are you okay? Are you still hearing weird things? [Because if Kashuu doesn't hear the voices anymore, then Yamato's sure not going to bring them up again, no matter how alluring their promises are.]

[Probably. Probably.

His brow furrows as he glances back out into the rain, straining to hear what he'd apparently been hearing before. There's the music, but the whispers that had pulled him into that trance are barely audible over it and the ambient sounds of nature now. He shakes his head.]

I just hear that song. [So that means he's okay, right?? TOTALLY OKAY. Totally okay.

Now he's shifting, not trying to squirm away but still backing up a bit and turning to face Yamato more fully.]

—Sorry for scaring you.

[These are the things that are easy to apologize for.]

[PROBABLY!! Have faith in him... or his legs, whatever.

More importantly, if Kashuu doesn't hear the voices anymore, then they're probably safe. His grip slackens a little with relief, allowing Kashuu to turn comfortably; it's too hard to resist leaning his head on Kashuu's shoulder, so he doesn't bother trying.]

It's not your fault. [Unless Kashuu was secretly using a Luigi board to provoke the ghostly voices, of course] I'm just glad I caught you in time.

[Maybe later, he'll take a moment to think about just what the voices must've been saying, to lure someone as sensible as Kashuu out into danger. But for right now, he's simply focused on ignoring them himself, and on taking the luxury to relax a little when it's clear they're Totally Okay.]

I guess we'll just have to wait for someone else to go inside, huh?

[Don't you judge his Luigi board usage...

But he'll reach up and pat Yamato's pompom ponytail once his head is resting on his shoulder, still feeling pretty guilty about apparently just temporarily diving off the deep end into Possessionville.]

Me, too.

[Glad that Yamato caught him in time, that is... The rain is heavy enough to be a serious hazard. He tucks himself a little closer automatically when he thinks of how badly slipping just once or falling into even the smallest puddle could have gone, especially when he wasn't even fully in control of his own movements.]

Someone'll probably show up sooner rather than later. No one wants to stick around outside for long when the weather's like this, yeah?

Edited 2017-05-09 06:26 (UTC)

[Maybe it's childish, but that single gesture puts him at ease now just as easily as it did years ago. He sighs quietly, and suddenly it seems that much easier to ignore that alluring melody, if only for a little while.]

It's hard to say... people might want to just stay where they are until it dies down a little. [He'd like to glance out towards the street, but that would involve lifting his head, and he's in no hurry to do that. So he just frowns at Kashuu's collarbone instead, thinking.]

Do you think... this is happening to everybody else? Hearing weird things. [Besides the song. Or... are the voices coming from the same source?]

Edited 2017-05-10 06:30 (UTC)

Ugh, that'd be a real pain...

[He squints down the portion of sidewalk he can see, and indeed, no one seems to be coming their way... The struggle.

But that's fine enough since he has a pompom ponytail to pat and it's not like he's cold or miserable here. The music still pulls at some parts of his subconscious thought, but it's easier to focus on Yamato, honestly. Things could definitely be worse.]

Mm... Maybe? I think that might be it. Now that I think of it, I've kinda wandered over toward the forest a few times without really thinking about it, too. [WHY DIDN'T HE FIND THIS WEIRD AT THE TIME spirit voodoo, probably.] Some other people were always out there, but we'd end up just chatting or whatever.

[It would indeed be a pain... but he's more-or-less conditioned to chill out when his pompom ponytail is being patted, so it doesn't seem quite as dire as it might have.]

We'll figure something out. [Even Yamato's not sure if he's trying to reassure himself or Kashuu more, but it doesn't really matter, at this point. All he knows is that it was a lucky thing they were both at home, and he doesn't want to think about what would've happened otherwise. Maybe this kind of thing is the reason they've always been together; it's all too easy to imagine one of them getting seriously hurt on their own.]

Do you think that's where you were going this time? [He isn't going to ask what Kashuu heard. Even Yamato is smart enough to realize how that conversation would probably end up.] This is seriously just like some of those stories I read... it's scary.

[Granted, in the stories, it's usually children being lured into dangerous places. But not always.]

[He's thinking something kind of similar in that moment. It's really scary, isn't it? That he could have walked away and just been lost if Yamato wasn't around, or that maybe their positions could have been reversed. The thought of Yamato wandering off and getting injured somewhere without having any way to alert him, or without him having any way to know, makes his stomach twist up into an anxious knot.

The answer to Yamato's question is a little distracted, accordingly, since he has to shake himself out of that concern.]

...It might've been, yeah. I can't really remember, but I think I wanted to go that way. [A nod down the sidewalk in the direction that the forest indeed sits, WAITING FOR ITS PREY...

But he sighs a little at that, tugging on some of Yamato's pompom hair.]

What, d'you think I was about to be spirited away or something? You can't get rid of me that easy.

[It's meant as a joke, but he can't really bring himself to be lighthearted about it.]

[It may be a joke, but Yamato's arms tighten around him a little just to think of it. He's perfectly aware that most of his friends just wave off his worries, probably thinking he needs to stop staying up late and reading spooky wikipedia articles. But he's always taken this kind of stuff seriously--and now, when all they're missing are will-o'-the-wisp lights, it seems far too plausible to be funny.]

Even if you made it there safely, you'd die in those woods long before the spirits got to you. [That might've been a joke once, too. But now he's completely serious, lifting his head enough to look at Kashuu.] I can't imagine what they'd want with us when we're this size, though.

[If it's spirits at all... but judging by what he remembers hearing, he figures that's what it has to be. Your typical forest monster wouldn't be able to make appealing promises.]

[Well, with the size of him versus the size of the rain, that's a possibility he can't even deny... Not even counting the crazyass bugs and enormous birds and squirrels running around. He's seen glimpses of those flowers, too - who knows? Maybe even those are poisonous or something. He doesn't really want to think about his potential near-brush with death, in any case, so he just... focuses on the latter part there.]

Who knows? Who knows why any of this stuff is happening? I mean, assuming this is related to Retrospec again...

[Which he's guessing it is because every shitty thing that's happened since January is because of Retrospec!! Damn! He doesn't remember what life was like before it was wild literally all of the time.]

Somebody knows. There's got to be a reason.

[so sayeth Yasusada "there's no such thing as spooky coincidences" Yamato. But Retrospec has definitely picked on Kashuu far more than Yamato, and he knows Kashuu's about 5 seconds away from getting worked up about it all over again, so this time it's his turn to lift a hand, brushing Kashuu's bangs out of his face in a reassuring gesture even if they weren't out of place.]

You said other people were wandering towards the forest too? Did you hear about anything else, besides that? [Ghosts popping out of mirrors, black cats crossing people's paths, the number 4 popping up everywhere... that sort of thing.]

[HE'S STILL CRANKY because he does feel very picked on?! But Yamato's hand against his hair is enough to keep him from losing his shit, at least. He sighs, and even though it's more of a "get me out of this situation immediately" sigh of exasperation, he's still comforted by the familiarity behind the gesture.]

Not really, no... I mean, nothing like that, anyway.

[People have been having Struggles but they're less supernatural and more buggy, as far as he's aware...]

I don't think anyone else has figured out what's going on with that forest, either. I don't really wanna look around for myself.

[Don't lose your shit, Kashuu! Though in all fairness, Yamato wouldn't blame him if he did. On the bright side, if there is one in a situation like this, it's much easier to ignore those tempting whispers when he's got Kashuu to focus on. Maybe they'll get through this after all.]

Mm... I don't want you to either. [Somebody probably should investigate, he knows that much... but he'd rather it not be anybody he knows and cares about. Especially not when they're helpless like this.] If we can just get back inside, then we should be-- do you hear that?

[HARK, IS THAT THE DISTANT SOUND OF WET, HURRIED FOOTSTEPS?!]

["Maybe", such a strong vote of confidence...

Well, with both of them apparently deciding they're Not It re: being on the investigation squad, this is probably the best they can do, anyway. BUT THOSE SURE ARE FOOTSTEPS and Kashuu immediately perks up, leaning around Yamato to find their source.]

Oh—! Someone's coming from the left!

[And so over to the right he'll scurry, tugging Yamato along with him, so they don't get smashed or stomped on...]

[LOOK... no need to get carried away.

BUT LO, THEIR SAVIOR ARRIVES!! Yamato wastes no time stumbling after him, barely dodging a stray raindrop with a yelp. NOW HE'S WET and it's not even the fun kind of "jumping in puddles" wet, ugh.

And yes, here they come with their big ol' legs--everything is good, they're ready to bolt inside as soon as Giant McLegs opens the--

--there's a dog behind them.

WELP.]

[Yeah he sure does a stupid little fancy footwork thing here where he makes a move for the door, super excited and READY TO BE FREE, and then nearly jumps back and probably into Yamato as soon as he spots The Enemy.]

There's a dog—!!

[Pointing out the obvious. The dog seems very excited once it spots them! You know, in that "dog just saw a squirrel" kind of way.

Kashuu screams helpfully when it lunges, fortunately not coming anywhere near them (YET) because of the leash of mercy.]

[THERE'S A DOG and there's a Kashuu backpedaling into him, it's a wonder they don't go tumbling down the stairs to their deaths. As it is, Yamato scrambles backwards too, tugging Kashuu with him lest the leash of mercy fail them in their time of need.]

It's okay, it's okay! We'll just... wait for them to go through first! It can't reach us from here. [Says Yamato, in a tone that means he's trying to convince himself more than Kashuu. Thanks, yams, that's helpful.]

[Don't mind him just helpfully clinging onto Yamato like a bur, probably making it more difficult for the both of them to escape if they really needed to. GOOD WORK.]

At least try to sound like you believe yourself before you try feeding it to me!

[The dog, meanwhile, is getting Alarmingly Close...]

IC inbox; recolle

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how many times can i say think in one sentence

kashuu's got lots of peanut stuff to think about

honestly true, he's a very busy nut

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