open ❄️ i beg you, please don't throw the apples at me

[applehearted]

WHO: Mafuyu Asahina and you!
WHAT: Catch-all log for April.
WHEN: Throughout April.
WHERE: Various locations.
WARNINGS: Potential mentions of family abuse in threads.

---

"look at the mirror" someone whispers;
if it all works out, everybody wins
neither sweet words nor a a smile will work;
if i start to run, i've become a beast

prompts in the post proper.
pm me at my journal or tsundereban for a closed prompt of your own.

Comments

closed to kanade ( composalvation ) — bridge of the lost

[applehearted]

[ Mafuyu had seen the quests and while going to school was at least a stable source of income, given that she didn't exactly have a proper job as of yet. Not to mention that a lot of the quests looked pretty dangerous.

Which is why when she speaks up, it's with only a smidge of concern in her tone. ]

...Do you really want to do this?

[ She won't stop Kanade if she wants to really do it. ]

[composalvation]

[To be honest, Kanade isn't entirely sure. She hasn't quite got the hang of her new magic yet, and on a mundane note... she's nowhere near as competent as many of the others. She's not strong or fast, and she doesn't even have any practical skills that could help in a quest, like Mafuyu does with her archery. For someone like her, it's probably best to not get involved.

... But she can't just stay at home and do nothing. They were all brought here for a reason. And she has to contribute to their living expenses somehow; Mafuyu could coast by just on her school stipend, but Kanade... she needs to do this. To help somehow. And this quest hadn't seemed dangerous, from the description they were given. Just... intense.]

... I don't know.

[It's probably a little funny, the way their roles are reversed now. So often Kanade would ask Mafuyu what she thought or how she felt, and she'd get that very same answer in return. But... she can't lie to Mafuyu. She could try to pretend everything was fine, to brush her own feelings off like she usually does, but...

Meeting their lost loved ones one more time...]

But I have to. If this is some way I can help... I'll do it.

[applehearted]

Alright.

[ It's a quiet bit of a response as she nods in acknowledgement. If Kanade is going to go on the quest...

There's a part of her that says that perhaps she shouldn't go alone. ]

If things go wrong, we'll make a break for it.

[composalvation]

[Kanade nods. And just like that time that feels like so long ago now, during that surprise mystery tour, Kanade shuffles closer to her. Not enough to cling to Mafuyu, but enough to catch her sleeve between her thumb and forefinger. Just a small, steady bit of contact to lessen the weight pressing against her back.]

... And that goes for you too, okay? If there's anything you don't want to see... we'll go. Without question.

[Mafuyu had been so calm during the tour, even when they'd gone to the abandoned school, but still... she doesn't want Mafuyu to feel like she has to soldier on ahead.]

[applehearted]

... Got it.

[ It's two simple words, but they're ones that hold the most meaning. ]

Do you have everything that you want to bring with you?

[composalvation]

Mmm. I don't think I'll need anything...

[She has her phone. That's the only thing that could be of use to her. If this has something to do with spirits, it should be more to appease them than to confront them, right? Maybe their music can help with that...]

... Let's go.

[And if Mafuyu doesn't stop her, Kanade will step forward, out onto the bridge.]

[applehearted]

[ Mafuyu nods, following from behind quietly following her on the bridge while looking both left and right just to make sure that things are okay. And it looks like at least for the time being things seem to be fine-

But just in case, she grips onto her phone.

Worst comes to worse, she plans on carrying Kanade and bolting; she's the faster of the two, after all. ]

Is the bridge stable?

[composalvation]

[There's always a sort of heaviness that comes with the silence in winter, and the air in this Segment doesn't seem any different. Even with the rush of the river below them, the quiet seems to press on Kanade's ears as they step forward out onto the bridge. It seems strong and sturdy, without any of the wood creaking beneath Kanade's feet, so she lets out a relieved breath as she keeps walking, straight to the center of the bridge.]

Seems like it. It shouldn't be too bad if we have to wait a-

[Kanade turns as she speaks, the hint of a reassuring smile on her face. But when her eyes focus on Mafuyu, that smile-

It drops.]

A... ah....

[Everything around them is cold and still, nothing seems to have changed, and yet... Kanade is looking at Mafuyu as if she's seen a ghost.

But what else could that be in front of her? They'd been warned, and yet... and yet...

Long, silvery-white hair pulled into a low ponytail. Soft green eyes, the color of fresh spring grass. The gentlest smile Kanade's ever seen, a smile she's been so scared of forgetting. Everything about the being before her just screams love and warmth, but even so. Kanade feels like she's just been dunked into the icy river below.

She knows this should have been coming. The logical part of her brain understands this. And maybe she should have realized that there was something strange about how this spirit is standing exactly where Mafuyu was just seconds before. But seeing the form of her dearly departed mother like this... her heart is beating too loudly in her ears to hear her own thoughts.]

... M... mom...?

closed to ai ( winterblossom ) — who you gonna call

[applehearted]

Oh-

[ It's definitely under expectations that she would run into someone, whether it be a familiar face or not- and it wasn't- especially given that the quest was up and public. ]

Did you want to go in together? I heard there were ghosts here...

[ Not that she's scared, though.]

closed to jupiter ( idlehanded ) — catch the void

[applehearted]

Excuse me--

[ Mafuyu is polite as always when she speaks up. Might as well ask around to gather information. ]

You haven't seen any black cats around here, have you?

[idlehanded]

Oh! Yeah, I've been looking for them too.

[ She pulls a bag of cat treats from out of her coat pocket. ]

Well, sort of off and on while I've been doing other stuff. They're really good at hiding.

[applehearted]

They are... and it isn't as if I have any special abilities when it comes to trying to find them, either. Would you like to look for them together? Four eyes are better than two, after all.

[idlehanded]

Yeah, that'd be handy. [ She doesn't have hundreds of eyes like her girlfriend does. ] We can split the reward, right? I think I might be able to catch one if we find it.

[applehearted]

I certainly don't mind splitting the reward.

[ She's not so hard up on money that it's an issue, after all. ]

Oh - I'm sorry, I hadn't introduced myself... I'm Asahina Mafuyu. You?

[idlehanded]

Yeah, alright. I'm Jupiter, by the way. Nice meeting you, Mafuyu.

[ Money has gotten a little easier since she started taking more oddjobs around town, and she's not a huge spender. ]

I figure outside restaurants might be a good place to look? The smell of food and all.

[applehearted]

Same here, Jupiter-san-- ah, so maybe things like stalls as well? They're cats, so probably any place that's selling fish or sushi.

[idlehanded]

Yeah, good thinking. If it's open air, they'll be able to smell it better.

[applehearted]

Exactly. Well, cats already have a good sense of smell to begin with, after all.

[idlehanded]

Yeah. Anywhere they're selling meat should work, really.

[applehearted]

Do you happen to know where the closest one would be...? Or should we just start looking around?

[idlehanded]

I saw a grocery like a block back that way.

[ She jerks her thumb behind her. ]

That'd be a start. Then we could ask food stalls along the street if they've seen any cats around.

[applehearted]

Oh- yes, let's head that way, then!

[idlehanded]

[ She turns back around. She's not in a hurry, seeing as they're not really on the trail of anything to begin with yet. ]

I'm just glad they have quests in the city, too. I don't want to be camping out in the segments all the time.

[applehearted]

Ahaha. Same here. I live with a bunch of my friends, and I'm sure they'd be quite worried about me if I had to keep on camping out on my own...

[idlehanded]

Right? I'm here with my girlfriend, and we're both fucking sick to death of camping. They'd have to pay pretty good money for that stuff, and I think I'd still stay inside.

[applehearted]

I see... mm, I wonder if there's some way to potentially remedy that?

[idlehanded]

Hmm. Probably just time? We only got here like a month ago.

[applehearted]

...Oh.

I guess that's one way of solving it.

[idlehanded]

Maybe we could just. Try a picnic to start? I dunno.

Man, I just realized we don't even have anything like a cat carrier, huh.

[applehearted]

Unfortunately not... perhaps we should go and get some supplies in that case, then? We'd need it for a picnic, too.

fdgdgf sorry you don't have to keep this going

[idlehanded]

Oh! I mean, we could go on a picnic too, I just meant, getting used to the idea of getting outside when it's not creepy Jesus camp.

But yeah, I mean, I thiiink I could probably carry a cat for a while if it came to it, I'd just have to be careful. [ Quite abruptly several spectral hands appear in the air around her. ]

See?