[ That's... not much of a secret, now is it? It's kind of just there in the open, hanging between them, and she, uh... she doesn't have a script for that. ]
Well, you're... important to me, so. I mean, is it that weird? I never claimed to be normal, you know, and how'm I supposed to rest when you're blaming yourself and beating yourself up?
You haven't really talked to anyone about it, have you?
[He talks to him about everything... though maybe not all of it, in this particular case. Even so, there's a lot of personal history bound up in his feelings that Nao just wouldn't understand, he thinks.]
Look, I... don't know what I did that makes me so important to ya, despite it all. But I don't want you strugglin' all on your own. Just can't guarantee that if you fall in with us for the long haul, we won't cause ya more grief.
[ It's probably odd, she thinks. A lot has happened in such a short period of time and she's done a lot of thinking, feeling, sorting in her waking moments. There are so many things she's unsure about, but she is sure about this. ]
I'd rather fall in with you guys than anybody else I've met here. Grief's part of life, but you know... I don't know if you remember, Bas, but you fought whatever it was you met in that fissure. You struggled against it then and you're struggling now. Regardless of how it felt, you wouldn't willingly cause your friends or family grief. It's like that, see? I don't want that for you either.
... [He's quiet, mulling that over. He does remember, but it does feel like a failure of strength of will to not be able to overcome it longer than giving Nao a running start. Louis would call it a failure, too, either for failing to resist his baser impulses, or for not finishing the job.
But time and again, the people he meets remind him that not everyone thinks like Louis. Nao, it seems, is one of those people, and that feels like an important thing to hold onto, not push away, like Fidelio has tried to.]
You're still at that healin' place, yeah? They still treatin' you right, or d'you need me to come get you?
Right. [That's good, at least, that she was well enough to head home. Better that than being at the mercy of townspeople with their new grudge, he thinks. Nasty things come when one person is used as a scapegoat for a whole group's frustrations.]
[ He can. Is she up for it? Well... yeah, actually, she thinks. She'd wanted to see him in person to begin with and while her reasons for settling for using the Oracle to start were sound, that hasn't changed. And she'd said it herself! They'll work through it. She can't tell him not to tuck tail and then do just that in the next breath and what's more is... she doesn't want to. ]
Yeah. Gimme a sec to see if I've got something around here that isn't a tent to wear.
[ And a place to stash her bag of bloodied clothes they won't possibly stumble upon it. She's getting up. ]
[Either out of courtesy, or nerves, or a little of both, it takes him half an hour to head over to her place in the end, offering a tentative knock at the door. Talking over those Oracles is one thing, but it won't really feel real until he sees her in person.]
[ In person is different than over the network. Nao has been getting more and more of a sense about that since finding herself in Visium and interacting with the people in it. It's especially true now, nibbling rapidly at her already gently vibrating nerves like a rabbit at a carrot as she quickly, quietly slides across the cold hardwood floor toward the front door. Stockings are great for that kind of thing and her black ones were mercifully spared the bloodshed.
It's a good thing, too, because she hadn't looked at socks or anything like that when she'd been in the market. (Had she even seen any?) She'd grabbed a few simple garments to get by. At least one of them fits alright and that's what she's wearing: a simple, long-sleeved green tunic-like thing better matched with some sort of thick jacket in weather like this, but here and now, that doesn't register as a concern.
A little hop and her feet find the rug in front of the door, atop which she settles in front of it. She takes a small breath, reaches for the handle, and -- oh, she knows exactly what she's going to say -- opens the door only to freeze. The breath she just took locks in her lungs at the sight of Basilio on her doorstep, but she doesn't move. Doesn't dart or slam the door in his face.
No, she peers into his face and meets those striking red eyes of his with her own. She's looking for something, his answer to her very important question. ]
[Basilio had taken a step back from the door after knocking, conscious that his large frame looming in the doorway might be a sight terrifying, or at least startling, to open up to. He's still not prepared for when she opens the door, though, ears pricked as his eyes give her a once-over, lingering to that arm under her jacket, then back to her face, almost desperate in its urgency until he has visual confirmation. She looks fine, just like she said. Physically, at least.
He's not prepared for the searching look she's giving him when their eyes meet, but he refuses to give into shame and look away. He's many things, but a coward isn't one of them. He came here to face up her -- to all of it. So he stands, holding his nerve against any remaining twinges of fear, as he gives her the time to find what she's looking for.]
[ Nao searches his eyes for what would seem to her like a long moment were she focused on the matter of time. Too long, and by more than a couple of excusable beats. She's normally quicker than a snap or a blink and quicker than that to recover in instances where she lingers one or two beats. If anything, she should be much, much quicker because as open and exposed as he is in her eyes in this moment, so is she, but she doesn't snap back. She doesn't play it off.
She looks and she searches and it doesn't take her long to find what she's looking for, to feel it. She does. It's louder than the pang at her left arm, a hammer she takes to fear's grubby, grasping claws. The tension visibly melts from her shoulders and she reaches to take his hand, tug him inside and out of that cold, bleak darkness. ]
You know Fidelio'll never let me hear the end of it if you catch a cold on my door.
[ She says it so seriously despite a teasing lilt. Was that what she meant to say? Well, she said it, so... ]
Eh?! [She's already taking his hand and tugging him in before he can process what happened, what she'd even found. He follows after her and into the house obediently, albeit with a token protestation:] I'm not some shiverin' pup, y'know! I can handle a bit of chill!
[He'd blurted it out without thinking, but quickly bites his tongue before he says anything else, looking a little mortified as he mentally fumbles through what to say instead. He had been hoping to be a little more -- deferential? Respectful? And here he was, trying to squabble with her like nothing was amiss between them.]
I mean-- ah, dammit--
[Help. This definitely wasn't how he had planned for this to go.]
[ In, in, in they go to the living area after the door is audibly shut behind them. Nevermind soundly. Basilio may not be shivering, but Nao has re-realized what "cold" and "chill" are and that the two like to hang out and assault warm bodies near doors and windows. That is exactly why she is making a beeline for her blanket fort, a new and permanent fixture situated a safe, but comfortable distance by the fireplace in the living room.
There's chairs here and there if he'd prefer. There's still some construction to do before it's done-done and decorating before she's happy with, it but Nao is planning on taking advantage of the many, many blankets inside the fort proper in short order. ]
Wouldn't surprise me if we had blisterin' sunshine tomorrow, the way the weather's goin'... [He takes off his shoes on the way in before he trails melting snow across the house, then follows her inside, looking around. No surprise she hasn't had a chance to finish up the house yet, but he's relieved to see she's living in relative comfort, all the same.]
--'Ey, me an' Del used to make those when we were younger! [Basilio says, tail wagging a little in recognition when he spots the blanket fort. Though in their case, calling it a fort might have been a little generous, when it was more built from the scraps and rags they could scrounge up. He feels like he's a little too big to squeeze in there with her and would take up way too much room, so he settles for a chair closest to the fire.] Felt like a right proper den, when we managed a good 'un.
[ A den is what she's going for kinda sorta. This blanket fort is a little different than the sort she'd build for herself at her place in Tokyo. For one thing, it's her first blanket fort in a space that's hers where she'll entertain company and she'd decided almost immediately that having the option to entertain company in her blanket fort was a necessity. That it's a work in progress seems that much clearer to Nao as she drops onto her hands and knees and scurries back inside, considering Basilio's frame along the way.
As it is, the fort is much too small to fit Bas and Fidelio and Will and C4 and herself, not to mention some of the things she'd like to keep or might leave inside it sometimes.
There's actually a few things visible here and there. A few books she'd checked out from the library, a couple of the golden cuff bracelets the visitors had left behind, a flask she'd picked up in the market before things went to hell, some parchment. There's even a glass jar filled with water and baubles resting atop one of the chairs next to Basilio.
Inside those baubles, there are memories at play. Right now, there's a girl with one amber-gold eye, one onyx-colored eye, and a slightly higher bob complementary a clean princess cut and much, much longer, free-flowing hair hair peeking over a counter at what appears to be some sort of fish-shaped pastry. ]
You're never too old for a good blanket fort. You guys should build one sometime! Or you can help me with this one. It's too small for company right now, see.
[As Basilio settles to sit down, he's distracted by the baubles, so much so that when he's spoken to, he's not especially subtle when he looks up with an absent--] Help ya?
[Ah, he gets it. He drags his attention away from the memory (what is that pastry?) and fully to her.]
You mean making it bigger? You got enough blankets for all that?
There's a couple of rooms here I haven't taken anything from yet. I think there's three? Four??
[ It's a big cottage. The number of blankets assembled for the fort's construction alone is way greater than what four rooms could offer. ]
I miiight've liberated some from some of the other unoccupied places. There's probably more nobody's using for the taking.
[ She's setting about getting situated in some of the blankets inside the fort. Gotta get comfy.
Should Basilio glance back at the baubles, the girl has managed to get her hands on the one of the little fish pastries and is positively glowing before she even takes a bite. ]
Just make sure you wash 'em before you use 'em too much. Dunno how long some of these places been empty.
[Then again, his own experiences probably aren't representative of most housing here, since he and Fidelio probably picked the most abandoned-looking hovel in the area to hide away in when they first arrived.
He's still distracted by the baubles, intrigued.]
That fish-lookin' thing -- what's that called? [As if she has any idea what he's talking about with no context??? So he remembers to add:] Looks like some kinda pastry.
[ She was about to say she at least knows to do that much (but not how, that's for a thought for her only) when he asks that question and she pauses everything she's doing altogether. Fish lookin' pastry...? She follows his gaze only to freeze when her eyes find the jar full of baubles on the chair beside him.
Within them, a familiar girl is opening her mouth entirely too wide -- really, she can see her fangs and she's obviously making a big "aaaaa" sound -- to bite down into the pleasantly shaped pastry.
[ The left corner of Nao's mouth curls upward as the girl starts to chew. It's almost as though she herself might be remembering something fondly, but then, she and that girl aren't the same person. Breaking from the figurative ice, she begins to untangle herself from the blankets so she can crawl over and retrieve the jar before it goes showing anything else compromising. To think she left it out in the first place...
Ah, but Bas asked a question, didn't he? And answering that one should be okay. It's not like that's a secret. ]
It's called taiyaki. It's... okay, [ she's just going to grab that jar to bring inside the blanket fort ] it's a kind of sweet cake that has this really chewy batter, right? But the outside is crispy and it's got this filling that's... do you know what anko is, Bas?
[ Because if he doesn't, she can describe it to him. In fact, despite her concerns about what he's seen, she's kind of excited just talking about the dish. The bubbly animation attempting to burst through her movements is clearly present as she speaks. ]
[His ears flatten a little in disappointment as she takes the jar away, and it hadn't even occured to him that he might be looking at something he shouldn't have. Something from home, then...? His eyes move from the jar to her face, leaning forward in his seat.]
You've gotta try it! If I was any good in the kitchen, I'd make you some. I'm pretty sure I saw some in the market. It looked like it, anyway.
[ She's pretty sure, but anyway!! ]
Anko is a sweet red bean paste used in a lot of sweets and candies. It's made by boiling and mashing adzuki -- er, red beans-- and adding sugar to it. Simple, right? It's a super popular filling. It's even used as a base for certain desserts!
I'd say it's better than chocolate, but... I don't really think you can compare the two. Ehe. It's that kinda thing, y'know?
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no subject
...I really don't get it. You should just focus on restin' up and healin, but you really give that much of a damn.
no subject
Well, you're... important to me, so. I mean, is it that weird? I never claimed to be normal, you know, and how'm I supposed to rest when you're blaming yourself and beating yourself up?
You haven't really talked to anyone about it, have you?
no subject
[He talks to him about everything... though maybe not all of it, in this particular case. Even so, there's a lot of personal history bound up in his feelings that Nao just wouldn't understand, he thinks.]
Look, I... don't know what I did that makes me so important to ya, despite it all. But I don't want you strugglin' all on your own. Just can't guarantee that if you fall in with us for the long haul, we won't cause ya more grief.
no subject
[ It's probably odd, she thinks. A lot has happened in such a short period of time and she's done a lot of thinking, feeling, sorting in her waking moments. There are so many things she's unsure about, but she is sure about this. ]
I'd rather fall in with you guys than anybody else I've met here. Grief's part of life, but you know... I don't know if you remember, Bas, but you fought whatever it was you met in that fissure. You struggled against it then and you're struggling now. Regardless of how it felt, you wouldn't willingly cause your friends or family grief. It's like that, see? I don't want that for you either.
no subject
But time and again, the people he meets remind him that not everyone thinks like Louis. Nao, it seems, is one of those people, and that feels like an important thing to hold onto, not push away, like Fidelio has tried to.]
You're still at that healin' place, yeah? They still treatin' you right, or d'you need me to come get you?
no subject
[ -- and finally allowing herself to sink back into her nest of pillows and blankets. ]
The work was done and I figured they might need the bed for someone who needed more than a little sleep, y'know?
no subject
Can I come see ya?
no subject
Yeah. Gimme a sec to see if I've got something around here that isn't a tent to wear.
[ And a place to stash her bag of bloodied clothes they won't possibly stumble upon it. She's getting up. ]
no subject
[Either out of courtesy, or nerves, or a little of both, it takes him half an hour to head over to her place in the end, offering a tentative knock at the door. Talking over those Oracles is one thing, but it won't really feel real until he sees her in person.]
no subject
It's a good thing, too, because she hadn't looked at socks or anything like that when she'd been in the market. (Had she even seen any?) She'd grabbed a few simple garments to get by. At least one of them fits alright and that's what she's wearing: a simple, long-sleeved green tunic-like thing better matched with some sort of thick jacket in weather like this, but here and now, that doesn't register as a concern.
A little hop and her feet find the rug in front of the door, atop which she settles in front of it. She takes a small breath, reaches for the handle, and -- oh, she knows exactly what she's going to say -- opens the door only to freeze. The breath she just took locks in her lungs at the sight of Basilio on her doorstep, but she doesn't move. Doesn't dart or slam the door in his face.
No, she peers into his face and meets those striking red eyes of his with her own. She's looking for something, his answer to her very important question. ]
no subject
He's not prepared for the searching look she's giving him when their eyes meet, but he refuses to give into shame and look away. He's many things, but a coward isn't one of them. He came here to face up her -- to all of it. So he stands, holding his nerve against any remaining twinges of fear, as he gives her the time to find what she's looking for.]
no subject
She looks and she searches and it doesn't take her long to find what she's looking for, to feel it. She does. It's louder than the pang at her left arm, a hammer she takes to fear's grubby, grasping claws. The tension visibly melts from her shoulders and she reaches to take his hand, tug him inside and out of that cold, bleak darkness. ]
You know Fidelio'll never let me hear the end of it if you catch a cold on my door.
[ She says it so seriously despite a teasing lilt. Was that what she meant to say? Well, she said it, so... ]
no subject
[He'd blurted it out without thinking, but quickly bites his tongue before he says anything else, looking a little mortified as he mentally fumbles through what to say instead. He had been hoping to be a little more -- deferential? Respectful? And here he was, trying to squabble with her like nothing was amiss between them.]
I mean-- ah, dammit--
[Help. This definitely wasn't how he had planned for this to go.]
no subject
[ In, in, in they go to the living area after the door is audibly shut behind them. Nevermind soundly. Basilio may not be shivering, but Nao has re-realized what "cold" and "chill" are and that the two like to hang out and assault warm bodies near doors and windows. That is exactly why she is making a beeline for her blanket fort, a new and permanent fixture situated a safe, but comfortable distance by the fireplace in the living room.
There's chairs here and there if he'd prefer. There's still some construction to do before it's done-done and decorating before she's happy with, it but Nao is planning on taking advantage of the many, many blankets inside the fort proper in short order. ]
It's not even s'pposed to snow in December!!
no subject
--'Ey, me an' Del used to make those when we were younger! [Basilio says, tail wagging a little in recognition when he spots the blanket fort. Though in their case, calling it a fort might have been a little generous, when it was more built from the scraps and rags they could scrounge up. He feels like he's a little too big to squeeze in there with her and would take up way too much room, so he settles for a chair closest to the fire.] Felt like a right proper den, when we managed a good 'un.
no subject
[ A den is what she's going for kinda sorta. This blanket fort is a little different than the sort she'd build for herself at her place in Tokyo. For one thing, it's her first blanket fort in a space that's hers where she'll entertain company and she'd decided almost immediately that having the option to entertain company in her blanket fort was a necessity. That it's a work in progress seems that much clearer to Nao as she drops onto her hands and knees and scurries back inside, considering Basilio's frame along the way.
As it is, the fort is much too small to fit Bas and Fidelio and Will and C4 and herself, not to mention some of the things she'd like to keep or might leave inside it sometimes.
There's actually a few things visible here and there. A few books she'd checked out from the library, a couple of the golden cuff bracelets the visitors had left behind, a flask she'd picked up in the market before things went to hell, some parchment. There's even a glass jar filled with water and baubles resting atop one of the chairs next to Basilio.
Inside those baubles, there are memories at play. Right now, there's a girl with one amber-gold eye, one onyx-colored eye, and a slightly higher bob complementary a clean princess cut and much, much longer, free-flowing hair hair peeking over a counter at what appears to be some sort of fish-shaped pastry. ]
You're never too old for a good blanket fort. You guys should build one sometime! Or you can help me with this one. It's too small for company right now, see.
no subject
[Ah, he gets it. He drags his attention away from the memory (what is that pastry?) and fully to her.]
You mean making it bigger? You got enough blankets for all that?
no subject
[ It's a big cottage. The number of blankets assembled for the fort's construction alone is way greater than what four rooms could offer. ]
I miiight've liberated some from some of the other unoccupied places. There's probably more nobody's using for the taking.
[ She's setting about getting situated in some of the blankets inside the fort. Gotta get comfy.
Should Basilio glance back at the baubles, the girl has managed to get her hands on the one of the little fish pastries and is positively glowing before she even takes a bite. ]
no subject
[Then again, his own experiences probably aren't representative of most housing here, since he and Fidelio probably picked the most abandoned-looking hovel in the area to hide away in when they first arrived.
He's still distracted by the baubles, intrigued.]
That fish-lookin' thing -- what's that called? [As if she has any idea what he's talking about with no context??? So he remembers to add:] Looks like some kinda pastry.
1/2
Within them, a familiar girl is opening her mouth entirely too wide -- really, she can see her fangs and she's obviously making a big "aaaaa" sound -- to bite down into the pleasantly shaped pastry.
Oh, the faces they make. ]
2/2
Ah, but Bas asked a question, didn't he? And answering that one should be okay. It's not like that's a secret. ]
It's called taiyaki. It's... okay, [ she's just going to grab that jar to bring inside the blanket fort ] it's a kind of sweet cake that has this really chewy batter, right? But the outside is crispy and it's got this filling that's... do you know what anko is, Bas?
[ Because if he doesn't, she can describe it to him. In fact, despite her concerns about what he's seen, she's kind of excited just talking about the dish. The bubbly animation attempting to burst through her movements is clearly present as she speaks. ]
no subject
Anko? Nah, never heard of it.
no subject
[ She's pretty sure, but anyway!! ]
Anko is a sweet red bean paste used in a lot of sweets and candies. It's made by boiling and mashing adzuki -- er, red beans-- and adding sugar to it. Simple, right? It's a super popular filling. It's even used as a base for certain desserts!
I'd say it's better than chocolate, but... I don't really think you can compare the two. Ehe. It's that kinda thing, y'know?