Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did

[inblood]

[It's been a few days since the...incident with Kumagawa. Thanks to Sei things turned out better than they could have, but it still isn't something Touya could just recover from. He's spent these last few days in his room, avoiding contact with others as much as possible, not eating or talking, barely even responding to anything. Today, Audi finally kicked him out of the room to  eat something.

Flatmates can find him poking about for food and making a small and simple snack. He still isn't very hungry, but health is important.

Later on, he ventures out to the streets. With the seal back in its proper place, Bouffalant wasn't really conscious enough to follow Touya, so now Touya's out looking for the buffafro that's been meandering through the streets for days. They'll find eachother eventually, they always do.

Finally, after he's found his buffalo, Touya can be found in a park or other relatively peaceful part of London. He's sitting with his eyes closed, back against the large Pokemon, just listening to everything around him. His head's been ringing ever since that event, maybe if he focuses and listens he can find the cause. He's still too jittery for this to look like meditation though.]

Comments

[inblood]

[Now he's registering the face as well as the size and yeah, you are kind of familiar... He still has no idea what a Christian is but "head inquisitor" was enough.

...Except you aren't nearly as immediately threatening as he'd thought, and that silence is still there and really nice. It's really helping to clear his head, in multiple ways. He doesn't relax, but he does calm down a bit.]

I...I'll be alright. There've been worse days. [Wait...spare room...? Oh, he thinks he gets it...] Oh, I...I'm not that new...I got here about two months ago, I think. I have somewhere I've been staying, I just...don't want to go there right now. Too noisy. [And he isn't entirely certain how welcome he is now that Sei's seen what he is, but he won't say that aloud. He will take the hand up, though. He's still shaky and uncomfortable, it shows in his body language all too clearly.]

[alethiological]

That's what I meant. You live in an idiot's apartment that I pay for.

[If he already knows who he is, or what he is, or even cares, the answer is that it doesn't matter. Once he's upright, a hand still stays on his shoulder. At any other time, it could belong to cops about to shove a criminal somewhere. With him, it's reassurance.

It'll be fine. Maybe not now, but soon.]

I'll say it openly. It's still winter, you're outside, and you're a friend of the family. Stay in my office until you get your thoughts together.

[inblood]

[Oh so you...know Sei? But how did you know he meant Sei? And..family. Oh... Touya would probably be panicking more, but that's really hard with the quiet reassurance. He isn't sure if you're aware of that, or if you're doing it intentionally, or if you're even the source. In any case, it's doing more good for him than anything else today has been.]

...Thank you, sir. [Please don't mind the buffafro and not!rabbit getting up to follow as well. They come as a package deal.]

[alethiological]

[Touya doesn't need to be told that Sei's flat is creeped on by spies. He also doesn't need to be told that the reason he's helping is only because of Sei. Or how that reassuring feeling really does have him as the source.

Instead, the two ... pet-things following him don't even glance. Just keeping the kid close and leading him off the premises of People Who Make Everything Worse and a bunch of trees.] You're welcome. You've had a bad enough week to deserve a break.

[inblood]

[He may have heard your spies a couple times, but never realized what they were. He may have good ears, but his brain doesn't always match up.

At that, he does start to panic a bit again, despite the reassuring silence. How much do you know? Do you know what he is? Are you going to kick him out of Sei's flat for it? He wouldn't be surprised. He's used to it, and you did say "family".] Y-You know? D-Did Sei tell you?

[alethiological]

[Yeah, a lot of his spies suck, but he's already professionally trained two inquisitors and that's more than enough. Let the urchins and ex-cons have a decent job. But either way--]

Calm down.

[A command. It's said in the rudest tone ever, but somehow it works. That silence at the edges is probably why.] Sei told me nothing. He probably won't.

[inblood]

[It does work, even if Touya doesn't relax fully. Even with the silence, if he pays attention he can hear the damage to his own soul. He knows it's there anyway, weakening the seal, so it still makes him jittery.]

Then...How do you know? A-And how much do you know? [How much will it spread that he's a Berserker? He's been happy knowing no one here can even guess at it, but now...]

[alethiological]

I keep an eye on Sei. I know enough to say the knowledge dies with me. Is that good enough?

[Keeps an eye on Sei. Which means it's less Touya he cares about and more about the reality abusing that happened. Knowledge dies with him means he knows and won't pass it around. With an undertone that he accepts the kid anyway, considering Touya hasn't been murdered in the name of God or whatever.

Yeah, should be more than good enough.]

[inblood]

[Right, family...

...] ...Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[He'll walk in silence now, enjoying your quiet and trying to ignore the sound of the rip in his soul. It keeps nagging at him, even like this. It's making him wish he hadn't learned to hear, but of course that's dumb because it goes along with being a Healer.]

[alethiological]

Good. Now stop worrying.

[The silence doesn't really drown out his own soul's issues, or make Their presence any less nightmarish, or suddenly makes everything better. But it's comforting and he's walking next to someone that's making local Victorians immediately back the hell off.

It's that silence, mixed with the silence of a person not starting conversations, but at least the walk is short?]

[inblood]

[It's definitely better than anything he's heard since coming here. He likes it a lot. Especially right now.

...He feels the need to ask eventually, though.] Um...are you doing that? Somehow? [...well that was specific.]

[alethiological]

[That was incredibly specific. And completely helpful. That's why he gets the look of complete, fathomless understanding.]

Huh?

[Which is to say none at all.]

[inblood]

[...well. uh.]

Te, uh...quiet. It's been quieter since you approached me. It doesn't drown everything else out, and that's why it's peaceful instead of empty, and... It's nice. [Now is he making sense or is he going to have to explain this, too... He's heard stranger things rolling off people (mostly N and the other Plasma people) than this, though, so it isn't without reason.]

[alethiological]

[He's perfectly apathetic for the explanation and a few beats after. Followed with an exhale of a laugh and a hand resting on his head and the silence rings.

It's not a bad ringing. Quiet, like a weak tuning fork, and in only that respect is it like being near Sei. But the rest is... pure. A light breeze and bright, infinitely open spaces, like nontoxic air and archived books. Touya has never heard of Christians or their God, but something deep and primal at the very roots of his soul resonates with what it can only call 'divinity'.

It's the nicest thing he's ever encountered in his life, probably ever will again, and it ends the moment his hand leaves from contact. It was just a headpat. Nothing more.]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[inblood]

[Oh, that is heavenly. For a moment, Touya can't breathe - it's cleansing, in a way, wiping the other events of this terrible day away. It doesn't fix anything, or repair his soul, but it's a moment of pure bliss and comfort and it does wonders for his mental and emotional state.

Of course, that's only what he's aware of. Deep, deep down in his soul, so far buried he's never known it was there, something stirs. It's ancient, immensely powerful, inhuman, and above all else, hot. Something almost godlike has its eye on this boy and it's burning quietly below his perception. It isn't hostile, only watching and waiting for the right moment to make its presence known.

Then the moment ends and everything's as it was before, except that Touya looks and feels uplifted. It was slightly dizzying, but he can manage a smile now. That confirmed it.]

Y-Yeah, it's...definitely you. I don't know how, but...it doesn't really matter, does it?

[alethiological]

[Touya's smile still earns that ghost of one mirrored. Yeah, he'll be fine. Then it's right back to the apathy of a person thinking an infinite amount of things at once.

A few beats after is when the answer is settled on.] It doesn't matter, but if you're curious... Ask Sei. I think you'll both profit from sharing your secrets.

[Talking to old detectives is a trying situation.]

[inblood]

Right...

[That deflates him slightly. No matter how hard he tries to distract himself, there's always that nagging doubt that he'll get thrown out for being what he is. He's used to it, of course, but that doesn't mean he wants to be homeless again. He doesn't think Sei would, but well...stranger things have happened.]

[alethiological]

[For a moment, that feeling from a beat ago comes back. Not a strong ring like before, but quiet and reassuring. It's all in your head. Relax. It'll be fine.

It dies off about the time he's led into a building, past two really hot chicks in matching uniforms of azure, and into an arm chair in an office that's the place where paperwork goes to die and then get promptly organized.

He disappears. The blonde brings him some tea, sugar and creme and warm enough to make your hands stop shaking. The black-haired girl comes back in with Will, stays long enough to deposit a stack of papers on the desk and smile at Touya like life is totally wonderful.]

Take as long as you need. [Gwen gives a wave as she exits and Touya gets his silence in the sounds of paperwork and two retired prostitutes in the other room discussing how much they'd charge to bang the newcomer.

The three official inquisitors. So very, very professional.]