[open]

[umurice]

WHO: Hiiro Amagi & You
WHAT: Exploring as a new arrival
WHEN: During the celebration period
WHERE: Alenroux
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary


[The celebration in the city was overwhelming, and he felt uneasy with both factions that were heavy-handed in their recruitment. Their leaders gave him an eerie vibe, and Hiiro hadn't been too certain about trusting either one. It was not that he wasn't tempted, especially when his interests leaned closer towards one over the other. However, he didn't want to make a mistake in his choice. Didn't want to be hasty, lest he regrets it.

After all, his choice is not for his own, but for his people.

It's been a few days, and although it had hurt to think of, he had carefully analyzed the information that was presented to him and pondered over it. To be told that the world he had known is completely gone was so much of a shock that he had blanked out on it at first, but when he had time to ponder it alone, he allowed the despair to sink in. It took him a few days, appetite lost and heart heavy, before the promises were whispered into his ears. No, it was always where, but it had only sunk then, that perhaps things were not as hopeless as they seemed.

So he had to become stronger, because lying in bed all day would only hinder him from completing his mission. Although he had no reason to believe that either faction was telling the truth, he had no other lead. However, the celebration is too loud, and he needed time to really decide on things. Since he did not have someone trusted to discuss it with, he decided to ponder on it on his own, far from the celebration.

That was how he ended up in Alenroux.]

I. ALENROUX (day)

[Not having a faction seems to help at least in keeping the people at ease. Hiiro finds himself wandering around the place, the greenery unfamiliar but much more soothing than anything else. He's wearing his hometown clothes, the same one he arrived in, but seems to have a better complexion now that his initial troubles at least had some sort of direction he can pursue solutions for.

At least, that was the goal. Instead, someone passing by the farms may notice the boy sleeping under a tree, seemingly without care, tired out from all the worries he's had. In fact, one might even think it's dangerous that he's so defenseless lying down there. Whether you approach him by choice, or if you did not notice him in the area and are about to trip over him though, the results are quite the same.

That is, anyone who approaches within grabbing distance might suddenly find their ankle yanked, with Hiiro jerking up from his restful sleep with stern eyes, as though he was ready to throw this person over his shoulder.

When he sees what he's done though, he lets go immediately, the intensity slacking into surprise.]

--- Mu? What are you doing?



II. ALENROUX (night)

[The night gives way to monsters, people having abandoned the outside now that it's dangerous. Someone a lot less foolish would heed the warnings and stay indoors, but Hiiro finds himself sneaking outside of the inn now that he's slept half the day away. It wasn't like he was going to easily shift from 12 hours to 24 hours so easily. He's unfortunately too awake to stay still, and there wasn't much he can learn in the inn while he waits.

So anyone out there at night, just as foolish as he is, might find him running away from a large monster, less out of fear and more like he was doing it intentionally. Training even, judging by the way he dodges its attacks and never attacks back. Or maybe, he's just an idiot with no weapon and really needs the help.

Or they can catch him when he's being more foolish, looking like a lost puppy following a dangerous shadow that whispers to him, walking towards the darkness. In any case, he might need some help snapping out of it.]



III. Wildcard

[For now, Hiiro is planning to stick around Alenroux, but feel free to ping me for other kinds of threads in PM or @ marchingon]

Comments

II.

[wolfish]

[ It's during one of those nighttime lunatic runs that a gloved hand snaps out from the bushes, catching hold of Hiiro's shirt. In the next instant he's hauled out of the monster's path, leaving it to barrel along with a terrible, keening wail.

Yuri has been here long enough to know that particular sort of beast has poor eyesight. The fragrant bushes around them effectively mask their scent... The tradeoff being a less than uncomfortable hiding space.

He gestures Hiiro to be quiet as the monster lumbers to a halt and begins whiffing loudly at the air, searching for its lost prey. ]

[umurice]

Oof!

[Excuse you, he was handling this!! Except you know, he doesn't actually fight him despite being grabbed. Something about the man is off, but he didn't seem hostile, so Hiiro actually obeys without question. Isn't it nice to have an obedient child?

He doesn't seem to be scared, at least. Sweaty and breathless, but his eyes are clear even at night and he knows better than to make a fuss when a predator was nearby.

So he waits, watching the man curiously for his signal, even as he keeps the position he was grabbed in just because moving might alert the creature to the bushes.

Be very, veeery quiet.]

[wolfish]

[ The boy's staying quiet and that's good enough for Yuri. He doesn't doubt that he can fell that monster if necessary, but it's deep enough in the woods that he'd rather leave it alone if he's got any say in the matter. When they're not at risk of attacking locals, it isn't necessary to kill the beasts.

...Maybe Byleth's rubbing off on him.

Regardless, Yuri keeps his eyes trained on the creature as it tries to locate its missing prey. It stalks around the area taking deep, heavy breaths of the cool night air as it seeks the boy's scent, but it finds nothing.

With another loud, unnatural cry it dashes off into the woods, off to find itself some other meal. Only when its form vanishes from view does the tension drain from Yuri's frame with a sharp exhale. ]

...You shouldn't be out here on your own, unarmed.

[ The words come quietly, more friendly advice than criticism. ]

[umurice]

Sorry.

[He says quickly, looking apologetic before he looked towards the direction that the beast went. Seeing as the aura it was emitting was starting to fade, it meant it was at least getting further away. He can handle that.]

I thought I heard a familiar voice, so I went out to check. However, I was ambushed by that beast, so before I knew it, I was already far from the inn...

Thank you for your assistance. I had not been certain what to do since I could not shake it off my trail.

ii

[lockedon]

[ Hello?? HIS ANKLE....

Go figure that he try and do one (1) nice thing (making sure this kid isn't dead) while he's in Alenroux and he gets assaulted for his efforts. It's not really anything new and his own response is to stiffen, his hands curling into fists at his sides in case of an incoming altercation, but it would have been nice if they could have avoided all this in the first place!

He looks down at the hand around his leg, then shifts his gaze to the boy. ]

I should be the one asking you that. [ Seeing as how it's his ankle in a chokehold. ] Why are you sleeping out here?

[ And attacking people in his sleep?? ]

[umurice]

Oh!

[He lets go of him as soon as he notices he's not attacking him, as though this was a completely normal reaction to someone coming into his range. Even in sleep, he's guarded. He hasn't really slept well for months, but he doesn't seem to be at all tired as he is asked. Well.]

Hmm... I did not intend to, but it feels like the day has been going on for a long time, and before I knew it, I was much more tired than I realized.

[It's 24 hours of daylight and his body is only used to 12, but it doesn't occur to him yet because he doesn't have a watch or anything like that. Instead, he smiles brightly at him when he detects no hostility. Hopefully, he doesn't have some sort of killing record or scent of blood on him, since Hiiro might pick up on those.]

I apologize. I felt an unfamiliar presence approach, so I instinctively tried to defend myself. Back home, it is common for us to train against sneak attacks, so I try to be aware of my surroundings even in my sleep. Now...

[He stares up, just a little more, to his ears. Blinking.]

Ah...! Are you perhaps a hunter?

[lockedon]

[ Eustace hasn't killed anyone recently! .......Keyword being recently. But there's a visible slouch to his shoulders when the ankle grab doesn't lead to any further hostility, and he lets his heels sink a little deeper into the ground. There's curiosity in his gaze, both at the training this young man has done as well as the question directed towards him.

He blinks, caught off-guard. Said ears twitch a little in surprise. ]

A hunter?

[ Do mercenaries count as hunters if they hunt people...? Though it's been awhile since he'd engaged in that type of work. He hasn't hunted anything in a long time now, wild game or people.

He shakes his head. ]

I was a soldier. [ Sort of still is, if you count fighting in a war an automatic enlistment into the army. ] I work in a bookstore now.

[umurice]

[His eyes widen when they twitch, and he starts to push himself up, curiosity making him want to get closer. Still, he has learned from the time he was with Chronos that not everyone will be okay with him doing so, so he just stares at those ears curiously.]

Ah! So those ears were not from a hunt? They-- are they yours?

[He looks like his eyes are about to sparkle, if they aren't already.]

I have never seen anyone with ears like that!

i.

[kaientai]

[ after a lot of time spent in kowloon lately, now seemed like a good time to take a break. he hadn't been out to see alenroux yet either, so it feels nice to relax and enjoy the scenery.

the shock of red hair against all the greens and browns stands out and draws his eye first, and he can't help but head over to investigate. that's how he ends up under the same tree, looking down as his ankle is grabbed. this doesn't particularly bother him, so he keeps his arm right where it is, tucked casually into the front of his kimono and smiles. ]

Well, this spot looked pretty comfortable, so I came over here to kick you out and take it for myself...

[ the look on his face suggests he's not being serious, and the fact that he squats down and sits on his heels probably adds to that. ]

Actually, it's just getting kinda late, and it's probably not safe out here all by yourself.

[umurice]

Ah.

[Well, he thinks that's a joke, so he lets go of him. Still, there's an odd look on Hiiro's face, like he's trying to figure out what he is looking at. After all, something about this person doesn't fit well, like he knows that he's stronger than he looks, but he has no proof of it with his clothes. He's heard that people have 'powers' here, but he isn't sure if that's what he's feeling or something else.

His senses aren't very reliable here, when everything feels different from what is used to.]

Has it finally reached night...? It feels like it has taken so long, so I looked for a comfortable spot to sleep.

Sorry for grabbing you. I thought you were a dangerous individual.

[kaientai]

Been spending a lot of time in Springstar? The sun never really sets, so it always messes with my sense of time.

[ he waves a hand at the apology because there's nothing to apologise for in his opinion. ]

Nah, it's nothing! I'm probably the lucky one anyway. [ who knows? hiiro could be hiding his true power! ] Whether or not I'm a dangerous individual probably depends on who you ask, but right now, I'm just enjoying the scenery.

[ whether he realises it or not, hiiro's senses aren't wrong. ryouma is a confident person by nature, but he's felt much more at ease since he's Harmonised and had his powers restored. ]

[umurice]

Umu! It is unusual. I thought it was long during summers back home, but the days here are even longer than I anticipated.

[He wonders what he means by that, tilting his head to the side as he looks at him. Depends on who he asks?]

What do you mean?

II.

[furibund]

[ Nebula knows what Alenroux is stated to play home to, but it's the first time she's seen it. With so much happening in Springstar it's difficult to make time to go somewhere else - But she does not fear the dark even if she should. Especially when she catches sight of a young man starting to wander off into the depths of it. ]

[ Let him suffer, a part of her says. It's immediately outweighed by the other who grunts and moves from where she is to grab him by the arm. ]

Where do you think you're going?

[umurice]

[His senses had dulled when he had been lured by the voice, frazzled as he thought about his brother who he had been looking for. Never mind that the voice was too young, reminiscent of his brother when he was his age and not much older. Never mind that he would never lure him from the shadows, at least not in his memories.

It was why he had not noticed her approaching, despite his usual alertness making sure no one could get a drop on him. It was a testament of how out of it he is, that it takes him a moment to realize that he had been grabbed until he sees her.

He reacts before he thinks, blue skin and dark eyes so otherworldly that his brain immediately tells him Danger danger like an alarm.

Hopefully her reflexes are fast, because his first instinct is to throw her over his shoulder to the ground, or attempt to. He certainly has the moves of someone who has done this hundreds of times.]

Let go of me!

[furibund]

[ "Hopefully". She is a trained alien assassin. He doesn't even get the chance to lay a hand on her before she's out of the way - steeling only just in time to prevent retaliation. Mouth wry as she comments, dryly: ]

Sure.

I'll just let you keep walking to your death.

[umurice]

What...?

[The sarcasm just confuses him, and with the way he hunches, it's clear he's wary of her. Still, he looks particularly confused at the statement, blinking owlishly before he notices his surroundings.]

Where...? Who are you?

i

[clockpunk]

[ having only just harmonised, chrono was somewhat surprised at the immediate change in attitude from some of the alexroux residents. they were still overall courteous, but often curt, unfriendly - some, on the other hand, were overly so. he didn't like either form of attention at all.

so on a quest to find a quieter spot to relax, what should he spot but a bright head of hair that looks awfully familiar.

sure enough, as he crouches down to inspect the sleeping shardbearer... yeah, that's hiiro alright. chrono hesitates, unsure whether to wake him and tell him to get out of the encroaching sunlight at the very least, but his contemplation is shortlived as he's thrown off-balance by the yanking at his ankle and he ends up flat on his back. ]

Whoa-! Amagi, it's just me!

[umurice]

[Despite the fierceness in the way he had grabbed him, Hiiro himself seems to wake up slowly, blinking in surprise when he comes faced with Chrono's... waist? He thinks. He lets go, sitting up to look at him, still groggy and confused.]

Chrono?

[No one thought him how to use honorifics.]

Ah, did I grab you? Sorry, I dreamt that there was a rabbit approaching and thought to catch it. I must have moved on instinct.

... Are you all right?

[clockpunk]

[ yeah, that's his waist, because he's currently staring directly up at the foliage overhead. he sighs exasperatedly at the casual use of his given name, but he's used to that. it's fine. ]

I'm fine. [ pushing himself up on his elbows, he raises an eyebrow at hiiro. ] A rabbit? You lose a pet?

@warmare

[umurice]

[A few days in Alenroux really did make him feel better, despite the whole monster situation at night. Once he figured out how that worked out, he stayed indoors at that time. A difficult feat when one wasn't used to being up and about for 24 hours at a time, especially for one who liked to move around in the open when he could.

It was a time for him to get to know the people here at least, helping out with the little chores in a farming village while he had no other place to stay in. It would be easier when (not if, when, because he knows he has to make a decision eventually) he harmonizes, but something felt off in the cities, so he had decided to hold back. Besides, he wanted to know other opinions first before he could decide.

Though, both sides seemed absolutely passionate about their faction, so it was not easy anyway.

It was during one of those errands, helping to carry a crate full of vegetables, when he sees an unusual sight. Specifically, what he deemed to be a monster, speaking to the woman who was supposed to receive the delivery.

(He's never seen anyone like that before.)

He quickly rushes over, cutting in between them and looking ready to throw the crate at her if he has to, his glare intense.]

Get away from him!

[Sorry, he knows nothing.]

crawls back from tokyo

[warmare]

[Not many shard-bearers dwell in Alenroux. It is a far more dangerous place to live than Springstar or Highstorm, and simply by spending time away from those base cities shardbearers Harmonized with either faction accrued Discord that needed then to be cleansed. It was not until recent days that the island had even grown all that friendly towards shard-bearers, either, having resented their presence as interference in the past.

But one does.

The woman this new arrival has mistaken for a monster, who looks at his sudden outburst and warning as one might look at a child that suddenly began stomping a foot and demanding candy. Admittedly, she is a bit over seven feet tall, so perhaps it is just the fact that she is looking down so sharply at him through one eye not covered by an eyepatch? Though the movement had made her hand move to what looks to be a short polearm shaft piece hanging from her belt, she... does not grab it once she realizes the thing yapping at her is...

A human man. (She'd think "young man", but... Boys became men at thirteen, and this one is decidedly older than that.)

The woman she had been speaking to... Also looks confused, glancing between her would-be hero and the centaur she had been speaking with, her voice frozen in her throat. The "monster", however... is not nearly as tongue-tied.]

Do you brook issue with my market purchases, boy, or something else?

[Apparently, knowing he was definitely an adult did not preclude her from using "boy" as an insult...]

welcome back!!

[umurice]

... Market purchase?

[The hostility on his face quickly morphs into confusion, narrowed eyes shifting to a wider stare, blinking rapidly for a few seconds. Although he had been in a stance ready to pounce should she have attacked him with the pole, his mind already thinking about what to attack to have her fall quickly (legs, perhaps? throw the crate forward to buy time? But she might react faster than---) before she spoke.

And that's when he glances away and sees... the confused look of the vendor, who has to tell him that she's actually one of them. You know, a Shardbearer.]

She is?

[He then turns to her, repeating what he's been told to confirm.]

You're also a Shardbearer?

@settingup

[umurice]

[Why was Hiiro in Highstorm after deciding to stay in Alenroux? Well, his talks with others had gotten him thinking, and he had decided that perhaps he could go to the leaders one more time to really take in their positions. There was merit in both sides, and if Hiiro was allowed not to choose, he would rather not. However, as this was something he had to do eventually, Hiiro had decided that he'll get to it as soon as possible.

He just needed to smooth out the last of his doubts.

So that's exactly why he was here, scoping out the place, determined to make a decision. There was just one problem.

He was, unfortunately, hopelessly lost.]

What do I do now...?

[Yes, he is saying this out loud. Look, he thinks he's alone, and he's kind of worried? The last time he got lost in this place, he nearly got attacked. Should he try another alley? But he feels like he's been going around in circles already. Will he die like this? He can't believe this happened a second time now. No, what would his brother do? Rinne would know how to solve this. First, he'd try to make the situation lighter. No need for doom and gloom. All right, he can do it. He can do it.

And now he just. Cackles. You know, like a madman. Surely laughter will make things better? Except he's too loud.]

Fufu... Fuha... FuHAHAHAHAHAHA---ack--!

[And then he chokes on his own spit and just kind of... yeah, someone please save him.]

[settingup]

[ When you're a known face in Highstorm, you rarely have to worry about finding yourself in trouble. It helps that at this point past broadcasted scrapes had shown the general populace what Atsumu was capable of, as well as made it clear he was solidly on the side of the Zenites. It made people who hadn't been slowly building up their own little stock of powers wary to pick fights with him, and the majority of the populace happy to see his face.

He rarely runs into anyone in Highstorm that he feels uncomfortable around at this point with the exception of his fellow shard-bearers.

Speaking of which, as Atsumu starts to round a corner to shortcut his way back to Yima's manor from the market he freezes at the sight of a kid a little younger than him just cackling manically to himself until--

... Until whatever the hell just happened that caused him to stop? Sounds kind of like he choked, and Atsumu's left standing there in mild confusion, wondering if he should turn around and go the long way while just pretending he never saw this, or what...

He does what he usually does in situations like this though, which is to open his big, loud mouth, and speak before thinking. ]

What the hell was that?

[umurice]

[Give him a second, he's still hacking out a lung from how hard he laughed. It was so forced it made his throat hurt. Still, when he realizes there was another person around, he quickly turns to him, jumping in surprise.]

Whoa! Were you there this whole time?

[Did he not noticed because he was worrying so much? He does know he sometimes gets tunnel vision, but to think even this can happen to him.]

Ah! Wait, don't leave.

[He immediately follows up before Atsumu can react, heading towards him with a determined look on his face.]