sheepinwolfclothing

From:

[The voice is male, but sounds very young, and very shaky. He's using voice instead of text because his hands are too shaky to type properly, and he doesn't want to try talking to Shizuo of all people, embarrassed to fall apart before the man from home.

So here he is, calling a woman he doesn't even know, who he's only spoken to once, kneeling on a bathroom floor at Shizuo's, the taste of vomit in his mouth and his head aching and his entire body in pain from a combination of old injuries and a tension that's been going on so long he feels like he'll never be free of it.

His throat is scratchy, he coughs before he manages to speak, and overall the beginning of the transmission sounds like someone who can't quite seem to muster up the ability to speak, rustling and making little awkward noises before he manages to get it out.]

Please, I know we only spoke once, but I need to speak to someone and-

[And what? What can he say? What is he supposed to say, in this moment, the images from the video seared into his brain and refusing to leave, his mouth full of bile and his head fuzzy, his small body shuddering as he kneels on the floor? What all is there to say? But he has to say something, doesn't he?

Can he really lock this away with everything else and still move?]

My friend. My friend is- no, was - in the mall.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[Okay, she didn't recognize the voice on the other end of the device, but he said they had talked before. She shakes her head and answers anyway. Whoever the poor kid was, he sounds like he's not doing well. And that message...his friend's in the mall.

She tries to sound reassuring, even if she has no idea what to do.]

Hey, hey, hey, easy easy. It's okay. I'm here. What happened? Are you okay?

From:

totallysane

I'm fine. I'm out here, and I'm fine, and I just got here and I didn't even get to see him and-

[It spills out of him, just like that. It's not what he wants. He'd rather take himself away somewhere and curl up and hide under blankets and pretend nothing is happening. He'd rather act. He'd rather raze what's left of this forsaken city and let everyone burn together. That's what he wants.

But his knees are weak and he can't seem to move. That's not right, that's not him, that's now how things should be. He has to get up and keep moving.

But for what? For whom?]

It was all blurry and I couldn't hear everything, and I didn't know any of those people, and I couldn't understand what was happening, and I-

[He doesn't know, ultimately, doesn't understand anything that's happening. He's tried to keep track of what's going on through the phone, but he just doesn't have the context yet, and he doesn't know.

There's a retching sound, and he holds the phone away, his hand over it, for just a few seconds.]

S-sorry.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[It doesn't take much for Ruby to put two and two together. The kid had a friend who had died in the mall. And he had watched it happen. He never got a chance to even say hi when he was brought in.

Oh, poor kid...]

Hey, don't worry about apologizing. It's...it really is a lot to take in. But why would you--

[She cuts herself off with a shake of her head. That's not important. Not now.]

Are you alone? Do you need someone to sit with you?

[No one should have to sit alone when something like this happens, but she's not sure if the kid on the other end would be receptive to a stranger showing up on their doorstep. She'll wait for him to answer and decide what to do from there.]

From:

totallysane

No.

[His voice is firm for that part. There's a sound in the background, a sort of cloth-rustling noise and then a slight drag, as he slides himself back across the floor. Then he's speaking again, soft and low.]

I can't. I'm at someone's house, and I needed someone to talk to but-

[How does he even explain Shizuo? He knows the man well enough to stay with him, but not well enough to talk to him? Or rather, he doesn't want to lose face in front of him anymore than he already has, really.]

I-uh- can you just talk to me for a little while? I can't ask the person I'm staying with, he's... not really the type.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

He's the strong, silent type, huh? Don't worry about it. I'll stay on the line as long as you need me to, okay?

[She cautious, though. If this kid is anything like Henry, he might try to do something stupid just to prove a point. She would rather be there with this poor guy, but if he doesn't want her there, then she has to be content with sitting and waiting.]

How long have you known the guy you're staying with?

[Trying to get his mind off the death he saw...]

From:

totallysane

[Of course, he knows what she's doing. Even upset, Mikado's aware of it, understands what's happening in the conversation. Or at least, he thinks he does.

That's all right though. It's better, right? He can talk about something else, and not imagine it all over again, not have his closest friend's brains swimming before his eyes, the blood on the rock, the the way the body moved and then was still and...

There's silence on the line for a moment, as he swallows down more bile.]

I-uh- I knew of him before I knew him. I mean, I heard about him, and then... over a year now. He doesn't really remember me all that well, but I know him.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[Take all the time you need, Kid. She's not going anywhere.]

You knew of him before you actually got to know him. Still, a year is a long time. How could he not remember you if you two have known each other for a year?

From:

totallysane

[Mikado's warming to the topic a little now. He pauses, then draws in a breath, considering how to state it.]

Um... well, the man I'm staying with. He's something of an urban legend where I'm from. Special. A big deal. And I'm... a very small, very normal. Boy. That's all.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

Urban legend, huh? What is he? World's most eligible bachelor? [Okay, now she's just trying to get the kid to laugh.] He can't be that bad of a guy to take in a little normal boy like you. I bet he doesn't even mind.

From:

totallysane

I wouldn't like to say anything about him people here don't already know. But he's a really nice guy. I respect him a lot. He just... didn't really remember me. Because he'd only seen me a couple of times, to actually speak to me.

[He paused.]

Where I'm from, it's kind of like... I'm not someone anyone notices. But as soon as he did, he took really good care of me!

From:

From:

mellowyellow

[Directly following his failed conversation with Kenpachi, Masaomi finds himself sprawled out on the rocky ground, too drained to say anything more to the man who made him so angry and too pathetic to trudge back to Fallingwater. His life has been spiraling out of control since long before his arrival in Adstringendum, but it's these acute reminders that leave him feeling so undeniably helpless and alone.

Mikado is here. He's here in Adstring, and Masaomi is such an overflowing mess that he can't even properly greet his best friend. Mikado saw him die before he even knew he was here. How is he supposed to deal with that?

He can't.

His PCD beeps, some new message on the network that he doesn't care about. He doesn't look. But remembering he still has his PCD reminds him of an offer he received not too long ago. Slowly, carefully, Masaomi dials for Ruby.

-And doesn't say anything.]

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[The PCD in her pocket goes off, and she pulls it free to answer the call. Not paying attention to who is on the other line, it's almost like she's back in Storybrooke, answering the phones in the police station for Emma.]

Hello, this is Ruby.

From:

mellowyellow

...hi.

[Good job, Masaomi. You managed a whole syllable.]

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

...Kida? [Ho boy, he doesn't sound too good. Her tone instantly softens.] Hey, are you--Please tell me you're at least somewhere safe because I can tell you're not doing okay.

From:

mellowyellow

I'm safe.

[He's outside, but not far from where he's been staying.

His curt answers are far from the norm, however, and seem to lack any semblance of his former energetic self. Despite that he's the one who called her, he seems to be doing everything in his minimal power not to engage. Frankly, he just needs to know someone is on the other end of the line. He's in no mood to chat, and his flat tone makes this clear. Above all, he sounds ungodly tired.]

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[There's a soft sigh on the other end of the line. Whether it's relief or exasperation is hard to tell. She is glad though you're in one piece at least, Kida.]

Where are you? Do you need someone to come out there?

[Because she will. All he has to do is ask...]

From:

mellowyellow

[He doesn’t answer at first, and even when he answers, it isn’t a real answer.]

...Got any decent snacks on you?

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

There's a few things here at the house. Some dried meat. You want some?

[Well, not the answer she's expecting, but there's no point in bringing that up.]

From:

mellowyellow

[A few quiet seconds later, Masaomi sends her his coordinates.]

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

[She keeps the line open as she gathers several pieces of dried meat (rabbit, mostly likely with how small the strips are), as well as her cloak. It's at least a small comfort to her, making sure she didn't change out of no where thanks to the TWO moons in this place...

It takes her a while before she manages to find Masaomi sitting down on the ground. A small sigh passes her lips as she tucks away her PCD and settles down next to him. From a bag, she pulls about three pieces of the dried meat and holds them out for him to take.]

It's not quite like the beef jerky you can buy in the stores, but it's the next best thing in a place like this.

From:

mellowyellow

[Masaomi listens to the muffled noises on the other end, but he doesn't say anything more. He doesn't even follow her approach, only looking up when she offers the dry strips of meat. He accepts one. He doesn't eat it.]

If it doesn't taste like puke, it's perfect.

From:

sheepinwolfclothing

I don't think it does, but then again, I think I'm a little biased.

[A small joke at her expense before she bites down on one of the pieces in her hand. She remains silent after that, planning on letting Masaomi break it on his own time. She'll just reach up to push the hook of her cloak back, and shake her head to let her hair free itself of the material holding it back.]

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