see_wolf_run | 1st Full Moon [Action/Voice]

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1st Full Moon [Action/Voice]

[When Tito awakes, he finds that he not only has his head in a sink, but he is also covered in several small slips of paper. And, being that he clearly remembers falling asleep in his bed last night, covered in blankets, the shock of this rude awakening is definitely pretty significant.

And so, a yowl and a crash sound throughout this here bathroom as he scrambles to try to figure out what in the world is going on and he only succeeds in tripping over a toilet. And then there is a pretty major pain shooting through what he is thinking is his shoulder blade but shoulder blades should not hurt that much and where is his shirt and where did these pants come from and what is going on oh god.

This is not a good start to his day.]

[Eventually, Tito finds his way into the village proper and makes his way around to try to find where everything is. The entire time, he looks like he's expecting someone or something to jump out and attack him. Because, hey, let's face it, maybe something will. This is some weird place where strange people stick wings on your back and then set you running around loose in only pants.

Which is the most major problem here. No shirt just means it's way too obvious how skinny and scarred he is, and that's making him entirely too self-conscious. Need a shirt, need a shirt. After that, time to find a clinic to see if there's any kind of wing pain killer. Wings have no business hurting so badly, in his opinion.

It's fairly late in the evening before he's retreated into the Welcome Center, finding a nice corner to flip through the Beginner's Guide. And once he's read through it, he tentatively starts a message over the journal.]

[Voice]

Uh... hello? Am I doing this right? Can anyone hear me? I... [Pause. He clears his throat.] My name's Tito. I, uh. I guess I'm new here? I mean, if this isn't all some kind of really weird dream.

[Because he would really be relieved if he woke up in his own bed right about now.]

Uh. This's gonna sound a little weird, I know, but I didn't see one earlier... Is there a pet shop around here anywhere? Or somewhere that would have stuff for, y'know. For dogs? [Crap, that's saying too much. Abort, abort!] I mean, uh, I saw that pets from back home can show up here and if the family dog's gonna show up, I. I'd prefer not to just... y'know... Not have anything ready for him.

[Lame, Rodriguez. So lame. Like people won't look at you weird for that. Small cough.]

Thanks ahead of time.

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[Rei stopped and blinked in surprise, reaching over to flip a light switch. Light flooded the little bathroom and she let out a sigh of relief. With a snap of her fingers, she pulled the will out of the ofuda and let it drift back to her, guided by some of Helios' magic.

Then she took stock of the stranger, her violet eyes peered at him. He wasn't evil, and he looked scared, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She offered him a hand]

Come on, get up. It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you.

[Tito, for his part, pressed further back against the far wall at first, until there was a sudden and very piercing pain shooting through his left shoulderblade. A quick glance back at the wall confirmed nothing sharp there, but the pain kept going, and he ended up turning back to stare, wide-eyed, at this girl holding a hand out for him.

I hurt and I don't know why, I'm apparently in Japan, and I'm missing my clothes. He opened his mouth a couple of times, unable to straighten out what to ask first, before he managed to get his voice to work. It just so happened to be about the same time he accepted that offered hand.]

W-where am I? What's... what's going on?

[Rei pulls him up and beckons for him to follow her, reaching down to pick up a journal off the top of the toilet. She walks briskly into the living room and gestures for him to sit down.]

It's alright, sit down and I'll explain everything as best I can. But I want you to take deep breaths and relax first. Everything's alright, you don't need to worry.

[Boy, this guy is really, really jumpy!]

[Deep breaths. Right. Those weren't helping too tremendously, what with each deep breath bringing in a range of alien scents. Trying to focus on the familiar - there's wood, there's the smell of autumn trees faintly clinging to the floor - he followed after her. About halfway through the living room, he realized belatedly that he still had no shirt and had therefore had his ribs and scars showing. The wave of self-consciousness managed to stifle the worst of his jumpiness. He hugged his arms to himself, trying to make it look like it was for warmth rather than trying to cover up being so damned skinny and also having a jagged scar running from his shoulder down over his chest.

Slowly, he sat down. Took another deep breath. Nodded.]

I... I'm sorry, I just. Didn't really expect to wake up. Wherever this is. N-no offense, of course.

[Rei steps into the kitchen and pours him a glass of water, bringing it over and offering it.]

It's fine. No need to apologize. Sorry I tried to bind you. I wasn't sure what was going on either, and it's a reflex.

[Rei sits down across from him and shakes her head, offering an apologetic smile.]

Now, let me start at the beginning. My name is Rei, Rei Hino and this is my house. You are not in your world anymore. I can't really think of another way to say it, but this is a bit like a different reality.

And before you ask, no, I'm not crazy and you aren't dreaming.

"Bind me"?

[He accepts the water, but he ends up staring at it blankly more than making any attempt to drink it. "Rei Hino" is ringing a bell somehow, but he can't place it. And the whole different reality thing is a little more attention-demanding.

He peers up from the water and gives her an odd look.]

This isn't like the Matrix or something is it?

I thought you might be an evil spirit, or a vampire. So I tried to seal you with ofuda. But you aren't, so it didn't work.

[She shakes her head, but her eyes remain soft and relaxed. She didn't really know what the Matrix was. ~~She's from 1993~~.]

I'm sorry, I don't know what the Matrix is. Um...it's a little like something out of a comic book though. We're pulled into this world, against our will, and kept here. It isn't the same universe as the one you're from, or I. It's likely you and I aren't even from the same reality.

And would you mind sharing your name?

[He tenses up at the words "evil spirit" and "vampire." That's. A little too close for comfort. Especially the second one. Absently, he hugs the arm not occupied by holding the glass of water a little closer against himself to try to cover up the scar a little better.

At the mention of his name, though, he jumps.]

Oh! Sorry. I'm Franci-- I mean, uh, Tito. Everybody calls me Tito. It's nice to meet you, Miss Hino. I mean, aside from this whole. Comic book world or. Whatever it is.

[Clearing throat. Actually, hey, he has water. He'll just take a sip of that now. It's a little bit soothing, and something of a distraction from the pain still jabbing through his back.]

So, wait, how'd we get here if it's a different universe or reality?

Well, it's nice to meet you, Tito-san.

[Rei keeps smiling, watching him as he sits there and noting the tension and body language. She knows he's nervous, and probably more than a little afraid.]

Honestly? Nobody knows how we get here, or how we get home. People just come and go, and there isn't really any information on how that happens. Some people only stay for a few days, other people have been here for four or five years.

[Rei smooths out her haori and leans back in the chair, flexing her wings out so he can see their dusky grey tips.]

But there have been small changes to your body too. Please, don't panic. Gently reach up and feel between your shoulder-blades and you'll see what I mean. Don't pull on them. If you do, it'll hurt. And removing them is fatal.

Years...?

[That comes out as barely more than a squeak. But really, years? To be trapped in some kind of comic book prison? How does this kind of thing even happen?

And changes to his body? Tito stares blankly for a moment before, slowly, he puts his glass of water down and reaches one hand back as instructed. His fingertips prod into feathers and another jolt of pain jabs through him.

Oh. Wings. So that's what hurts.

Wait a minute, wings? Twisting in his chair, temporarily forgetting that he's trying to cover bony skinniness and a scar, he looks over his shoulder and catches sight of tawny, feathery wings attached to his back.]

W-what the... How did... I'm not dead, am I?

No, no, you're not dead.

[She shakes her head]

This isn't any sort of afterlife, but if you pull out the wings, you'll die. So please be careful.

[She keeps watching him, giving him a moment to settle down a bit.]

[He eyeballs the wings as best he can once more before he settles back down into his chair, sinking down into it. After a moment, he remembers to pick up his glass of water again.]

I'll, uh. Definitely be careful. [And hope and pray that he doesn't end up biting one off if they stay in place when he goes wolf-shaped in a few weeks. He runs his spare hand through his hair as that particular possibility weighs in on him.] Or. Try, at least.

That would be wise, Tito-san.

[She shifts her legs with a rustle of fabric and gives him a pensive look. He seemed to be understanding, so she turns around and pulls her hair back to show him her barcode.]

We've also all been given barcodes. You've got one as well.

[After giving him a long look at the back of her neck, she turns back around]

There is an organization called the Malnosso. They keep us here, inside a fairly large enclosure called Luceti. It's not quite a prison, but it's certainly a gilded cage. For the moment, there is no way out. But, it's not all bad.

[He gives a weak laugh.]

I'd sure hope it's not all bad news. There's... there's got to be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, right?

[Because saying "silver lining" just. Would really count as more bad news in his book.]

Of course there is.

There are many kind, caring, and interesting people here. I'm sure you'll be able to make friends, and that helps a lot. There is no need for money here, and within the enclosure we're fairly free. There's a beach, a forest, mountains to explore, and an onsen. All in all, aside from various Shifting experiments, we are rather well treated by our keepers.

[Her nose wrinkles a bit and she continues]

Not to mention that one day? We're going to escape. We'll find a way somehow, and that's the hope that keeps everyone going.

[Okay, that conviction there was infinitely reassuring. It draws a small smile out of him, a little shaky, but a smile nonetheless. If people who have been here a while still have faith they can get out, that helps.]

Well, that's a relief. That people here are pretty nice, that is. I mean, you seem to have kind of. Gotten used to all this. It must balance out fairly well, right?

[Maybe this is doable. At least, if everyone else is as hospitable as Rei here.]

[Rei shrugs, her eyes flickering over towards the journal she'd brought out with him and she nods at it. His name on the cover, hopefully, would be enough indication that it was his]

It does, I think. I've been here for about seven months now. You get used to it after your first New Feather cycle. New Feathers are what people call newcomers, like yourself. Once you've seen someone having the same reaction you're having, you understand the reality of it I think.

Are you hungry, Tito-san?

[He nods along with the explanation. It makes perfect sense, really. After a while, just about anything must seem normal in a place like this. He's breathing a little easier now, and starting to relax visibly.

But that question catches him a little off-guard. His look goes blank.]

Um. I might be? Kinda hard to tell yet. [He grins sheepishly.] It's really nice of you to ask, but I don't want to put you out of your way or anything.

It's polite, and I'd be incredibly rude to not offer to feed you. I was cooking rice and curry already when I heard you in the bathroom. It will be ready soon.

[She's the picture perfect Japanese hostess, what do you expect, Tito? You just got lucky and caught her in a good mood.]

Now, do you have any questions I didn't answer? I know it's a little complicated, so if you need time to think, I'm in no hurry. Though, I have just one question for you.

[She sniffs, a silent smile playing across her lips]

What are you? I know you aren't evil, so don't worry, I won't hurt you.

Edited 2012-11-08 02:51 (UTC)

[He's just about to answer that he can't think of anything for the time being that she might have missed when that last question hits him like an arrow. He goes perfectly still in shock for a moment before he bursts into nervous laughter.]

W-what d'you mean? I-I'm... just a guy... Of course... N-Nothing special!

[Oh god he's left the scar uncovered all this time why did he leave it uncovered?!]

I'm a priestess. I can sense these sorts of things. I've got a sort of spiritual sense, and I can tell when people are more than they seem.

[She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms]

Look, I'm not going to hurt you. But I don't appreciate being lied to. I won't tell anyone, and I won't pry farther than this.

[Oh, great, someone who could spot the lie. Feeling perfectly wretched, Tito fidgeted in his seat, absently messing with a stray string on the knee of his pants.

He really, really didn't want to get into this, but. Well. She'd been true to her word so far. And he didn't see any silver around. But he also couldn't quite bring himself to meet her eyes.]

I-I'm sorry, it's just... [He can do this. She already knows something is off. Surely she knows he isn't here to wreck the house or bite anyone.] ...I'm a werewolf.

Oh. Is that all?

[She blinked, and nodded.]

Don't apologize, I'm not angry, Tito-san.

[This is a very blank stare for a moment. "Is that all?"]

[Shaking his head to clear a twinge of exasperation that his big secret just got brushed off so easily, he tilted his head a little to one side and gave her a calculating look.]

You aren't? I mean, most people kinda go running for the silver crosses and such once they figure out I'm not joking.

1st Full Moon [Action/Voice]

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