shiningworld | [ TRIBUTES TO THE SEXY GOD ]

[ They say where there is smoke, there is fire, and happily, despite the spat of unusual occurrences lately, this has not stopped being true; there is a large column of smoke rising from somewhere off in the trees, and should you pursue it, you will find a large clearing with a roaring fire. A makeshift altar has been built in front of it, and even the nearby animals seem drawn to the flame.

The altar is sacrificing a large wooden heart, crudely carved from wood, and slowly burning. The smoke is also thicker than it ought to be, and if you breathe it in, you may begin to feel a little lightheaded.

As you examine the altar, or even as you head back to the mansion, your thoughts may involuntarily begin to change. Anxiety and homesickness melt away, leaving you desiring company. What this means may be different for the individual, but it is more or less a unified sensation of craving a companion for the evening. Whether you just want to have someone there, or hold them, or perhaps more than that...

Any way you cut it, the sexy god should be appeased. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She'd only come here to see what was going on, but now that she stood in front of the fire .. she couldn't stop staring. It was as if she was entranced. And that heart - what was wrong with it? Why would someone burn something like that? Did it have some sort of symbolism? Rukia just didn't get it.

What she did know is that the smoke was making her dizzy, and she's forced to lean against a tree, one hand pressed against her chest. A-Ah.. this feeling..]

I-Is this .. another trick?

[Philip had still been wandering around. He'd then spotted Rukia and smiled. He knew this person! this was someone here he knew, who'd listened to him. He equated her with being a friend. And a friend meant he wasn't alone.

And in his excitement over this, he pretty much forgot the mental note he'd made about not touching her -- since it had upset her last time -- and set his book aside on a rock to hug her.]

It's you again!

[In the back of his mind he knew it was an odd thing to do. Maybe it was Akiko's influence. She hugged everyone a lot. Then a gain, other than Terui, all of his friends didn't seem to have hesitations about that sort of thing.]

[That's got to be a tribute to the smoke because she's not pushing him away though she is a little bit stiff. Not to mention he's so much bigger than her, it's more like being enveloped than being hugged! She's being tolerant however. Very tolerant. It wasn't his fault that he forgot, especially if this was a trick.]

A-Are you happy to see me?

[Maybe that was it. Maybe he'd just gotten lost and was happy to see her.]

[At least he's pretty scrawny, so he at least can't knock the wind out of her.]

A-Ah... I.. I guess so?

[And then he lets go of her, still not fully sure why he hugged her int he first place, giving a nervous laugh.]

You're the closest to a friend I have here...

[That's true. It could always be worse. And when he speaks, her eyes soften slightly. Ah. So that was what it was. No doubt this sort of person who was so open and easy to understand (for the most part) would have many friends back home. Missing something like that was .. not shameful, no matter how many hugs he gave her.]

.. We can be friends.

[She's not normally so forward, but there it is. Out in the open.]

I am lucky to have at least one friend here.

[Not many. But the friendships he does have are very close, and very deep. He thrives on them, especially after all he's seen. He's spent so long being dependent on at least Shotaro, and then more recently on Akiko and Terui, even Queen and Elizabeth, Watcherman and Santa... And briefly, his sister Wakana, before she'd gone mad.

And then he'd woken up alone. It had scared him. But Rukia had been nice to him. Let him talk, ramble on about his research and Shotaro and Fang even if she didn't understand it. And he knew she didn't. He knew that look. Shotaro was the same way sometimes. But it was part of what Philip liked about his partner.]

I want to be friends.

[He said it very quickly, firmly, as if she would change her mind if he didn't.]

...My name is Philip.

[Being alone didn't scare Rukia - perhaps that was why she was so different from Philip. She was used to being alone, though if she had a choice she would rather be with others. Perhaps it was ironic that she had been the one who'd woken and found Sode no Shirayuki with her and Philip had woken up all alone.]

Philip. I'm Rukia.

[Huh, he didn't seem Western, but he had that style name. Didn't Westerners just introduce themselves by their name rather than their family name first? Still, she could try and emulate that, for him.]

Where are you from, Philip?

Rukia.

[He nods, committing it to memory. He's a little surprised she just used her first name. He would have used his last name if he had one. Sometimes he wonders if he should just use Shotaro's, but he really hasn't had the chance to ask him about that.]

Fuuto, Japan. I'm pretty sure I was born there. I've never been this far away before.

[Thinking on it, he's almost sure he's never left Fuuto before now. But he seems much less worried than in their previous meetings. A normal conversation feels nice. Sort of like he's a regular person.]

[ TRIBUTES TO THE SEXY GOD ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject