text; un: ruffestrabbit

[zunge]

Sleep is annoying.


Do the terms Sanguis, Cordis and Iris mean anything to anyone here?

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[scarredhorns]

I'm in my room too. Just got back, actually.

[zunge]

I'll meet you near the breakfast room.

[The breakfast room where continental breakfasts are served in the hotel room that houses new arrivals, that is.]

[scarredhorns]

Be right there.

[She comes down alone, having left her dogs in the room, and looks for him.]

[zunge]

[He's easy to spot, just inside the open entryway. It seems he was checking it out in an absent daze even though he's seen it before. Though he hasn't been here long, he didn't only just arrive today.

He glances over each time he hears approaching footsteps. A few stray others pass first. Then he spots her.]

Hey.

[No bandages cover his hands and wrists, much like around the very beginning of December.]

[scarredhorns]

[Her head snaps in the direction to the sound of his voice, eyes wide, but then she relaxes, even smiling at him.]

Hi.

[She wants to hug him, but should she wait a little longer before doing so? Would it be too much if she hugged him right now? For now, she steps to the side he's on, so she's not blocking the center of the path.]

[zunge]

[His hands reach for her shoulders, and he leans in to peck at a white, cat-ear-shaped horn within reach. Because he can, because it's within reach, and flustering her at a moment like this will help make that awkward feeling in his stomach go away.

What's the last that she remembers? The same as him? Further down the line? Earlier?

Nah son. Right now he'd rather not focus on that.]

[scarredhorns]

[The only thing on her mind right now is that he is here, and very much real. More importantly, he remembers her and Nyuu.

When he kisses her horn, she doesn't disappoint as her face lights up and she bashfully drops her gaze. The feeling of relief soon overwhelms Kaede with that action, so much so that her face scrunches up before she sniffles, feeling the slightest hint of tears in her eyes. Kaede allows herself to hug him at last, pressing her face against his shoulder. There's not as many tears as the time he revealed his unresolved feelings for his other love interest back home. It's more like a gentle trickle of happy tears.

And since this is supposed to be a happy moment, she chuckles and pulls back without breaking her embrace entirely.]

No more rabbit ears, I see.

[zunge]

[He pulls her tighter into that hug, relaxing after a moment.]

No more rabbit ears. It feels weird.

[He'd had them for so long that it's taking him a bit to get used to. Doubly so now that his sense of touch isn't dull like it used to be.]

[scarredhorns]

[She rubs the remains of her tears away. The way he says "it feels weird" makes her curious. She's familiar with how sensitive of a topic it is, so she leans forward to whisper.]

Do your senses still work then? Coming here didn't... undo everything, did it?

[zunge]

[He pats her on the head, taking care to casually rub along a horn. Nice texture.]

That change stuck. It's nearly all the others that are gone.

[Trust him, he'd be in a much, much fouler mood had he lost that change he'd finally attained. But no, for some reason or another he kept that and all the scars he'd racked up over there. The tattoo also stayed.]

[scarredhorns]

[If she could purr, she would from his patting her head. It feels nice, as does his rubbing along her horn. She can't feel much through the solid bone (unless it's pain), but she can feel the pressure.]

I'm glad.

[She knows how important that was for him. Her lips form a slight frown.]

I can't use my vectors here, and from what I've heard, anyone who had powers beforehand lost them upon arrival.

[zunge]

[That is one curious revelation she's spilled.]

Sounds strange. What, did they get reformatted like an incompatible hard drive?

[scarredhorns]

I don't know, but I can still hear my DNA Voice sometimes, so that didn't go away. It was especially pissed on the first day, yelling inside my head while I was trying to sleep. Thankfully, me and Nyuu have been able to keep it in line so far. At least, if I can't use my vectors, then neither can the Voice.

[And she doesn't have to worry about her or Nyuu literally melting from pushing their powers to the brink. Not that it makes her any less nervous. How was she supposed to protect her loved ones in her current state?]

I have animal magic now. What did you get?

[zunge]

[Ah, the DNA Voice. That disembodied voice that paired up with a pretty gruesome visual in her dreams when Dreameaters were rampant. Having experienced firsthand the sorts of things it would yell and accuse, Noiz doesn't require further elaboration on that matter.]

Right. It's now just an annoying voice for you to tune out.

Dust said it was healing magic. I haven't tried any out yet.

[He hasn't had a situation yet that would warrant someone needing healing yet. Sure, he could create one if he felt like it, but he hadn't developed that motivation yet.]

[scarredhorns]

[She gives him a playful smirk.]

Healing, huh? Good. You're so damn reckless at times.

[Her expression becomes more serious.]

But on a more serious note, I really am relieved. As you saw, my vectors were capable of healing, but with them gone, I can't patch either of us up if something happens anymore.

By the way, who's Dust?

[zunge]

That's Dust down there.

[He points downward, implying Dust has been with them this whole time. There is in fact a small rabbit near Noiz's feet who hops on over to start pawing and chewing at Lucy's sock, pant leg, skirt hem, whatever.]

[scarredhorns]

[Lucy's eyes alight when they land on the rabbit, not at all annoyed by how it chews at her warm, winter pant's leg.]

Hello there, little one.

[She kneels down to pet it.]

Are they your familiar?

[zunge]

[The rabbit puts its paws on her knee, sniffing as its ears go back at the pets. It lets out a sneeze.]

That's right. Said he's a 'milk rabbit.' Never heard of those before him.

[scarredhorns]

Can't say I've ever heard of them either.

[She doesn't stop petting Dust, continuing to indulge the rabbit.]

What about Pork and Beef? Did they come through with you? Milly and Tobias did with me.

[And by Pork and Beef, she means the two pet rabbits Noiz had adopted in Lunatia.]

[zunge]

[Dust continues to let out little rabbit sounds, nudging into her fingers. Noiz presses his lips together into a thin line, then sinks into a crouch to pick up the rabbit and cradle it in his arms..]

No. It's best that they didn't. Winding up in that lake could have killed them. Putting rabbits in water is dangerous enough that you're not even supposed to bathe them.

[Something something slow drying fur and hypothermia even on warm days.]

[scarredhorns]

[Kaede stops petting Dust once Noiz picks him up, and her expression falls. She doesn't say anything at first, only scooting closer to wrap her arms around him in a comforting hug, careful not to squish Dust.]

I'm sorry...

[She decides not to say anything other than that. If time was truly frozen in all the other realms, then Pork and Beef were likely still safe wherever Noiz had left them last time, and since they were frozen in time, they wouldn't starve. Kaede likes to think they will see the two rabbits again once they're allowed to return to Lunatia, and she, or someone else, would look after them until Noiz returned from his world.]

[zunge]

[With his arms full of bunny, there isn't much he can do while she has hers around him. So he just lets out a sigh.]

There's nothing to apologize for.

[All she did was ask whether his bunnies were here. And as long as that world is frozen like others, he won't need to worry about who's caring for them. They're dependent on his survival, over in his old apartment there.]

[scarredhorns]

[She just kisses him on the cheek before releasing him and Dust. Moving on to a different subject seems to be the best option now.]

My familiar is what we call a hainu in Japan, a winged dog. Setsuko, come.

[Kaede's familiar materializes beside her in a small flurry of feathers from its wings. Setsuko shakes herself before barking once at Noiz and Dust in greeting, but then speaking with a human-like voice and bowing her head.]

Hello.

[zunge]

[Even after spending more than a year on Furry World Noiz still finds something disorienting about an animal in a non-humanoid form speaking with a human-like voice. He steps back so that they all have room with the new arrival there.]

Hi.

[He holds his gaze on the winged dog a long moment before glancing back up at Lucy.]

It figures yours would be a dog.

[scarredhorns]

[Kaede smiles and runs her hand down Setsuko's head and back.]

But of course, and don't worry. Setsuko's not as hyper as Milly.

[The hainu nods and makes an exasperated expression, ears drooping slightly and tail pausing its wagging.]

I tried to tell Milly to act more dignified, but she said I was being stuffy.

[Kaede chuckles and pats Setsuko's head before turning her attention back to Noiz.]

Listen, if you're okay with it, I was thinking we could give each other copies of the keys to our rooms? That way we can visit or stay the night as we please while still giving each other some space. Me and Nyuu would appreciate a heads up, but we definitely wouldn't turn you away if you just showed up suddenly in the middle of the night.

[The girls would just want the heads up so they can organize the room and adjust their schedule, but really, they'd receive him at any time.]