tvklogs | our dried voices when we whisper together [OPEN]

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our dried voices when we whisper together [OPEN]

WHO: Ainosuke Tanaka (

hidari_me) and whoever shows up.
WHAT: Investigating the town and his surroundings.
WHEN: June 21st, late afternoon - evening
WHERE: Bayview Hotel, Lobby (likely to extend to other places around town)
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: None yet.

It had only taken a few minutes after Lancer had left his room the night before for Ainosuke to fall asleep. To Ainosuke's surprise, he had ended up sleeping for a great deal of the day. Until an hour or so before now, he had been staying in his room ever since his arrival. He wasn't sure why. Was he waiting for something to happen? Maybe... Maybe he was waiting, hoping his brother would show up and admit that he was the one behind everything. Then he could have an excuse as to why all of this was happening, but it wouldn't explain why everyone else was there.

But there had to be a reason.

That was why he was leaving the hotel now. He'd gained a few hints from his talks with other arrivals, though nothing seemed to come together yet. Ainosuke's first goal was to go out and buy a sketchbook. Putting all his thoughts down on paper instead of having them in his head would be the first step towards looking at the big picture.

Ainosuke stepped off the elevator and into the lobby, patting the pockets of his pants and his jacket to make sure he had everything with him. Cell phone, card key, cards for... wherever those restaurants were, so he could get something to eat. It looked like he was ready to go.

He stopped only for a few minutes, taking the time to look around the lobby and making sure there wasn't anything of interest he had overlooked the night before.

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[Ainosuke continued to stare at Lancer, then brought his hand up and lightly punched the other's shoulder.]

I just don't want you to think I'm trying to boss you around. I'm not really used to having anyone else with me, so it's a little weird to be going around like this. ... though I really want you here. So it's not that I'm not enjoying it.

[He scrunched up his face, looking at the menu again.]

[Well, this was a new situation. Lancer had been something of an amiable and perhaps even charismatic individual in life, but he could honestly not think of when he'd ever been in a situation quite like this. There was an awkward but sincere smile on his face as he spoke, silently trying to figure out how a human would react to this situation.]

I'm flattered, Ainosuke. [Although a bit caught off guard.] This is admittedly an enjoyable experience, one I've not had in quite some time. [Or ever.]

Aside from everything that's happened and how confusing it is, it... really does have its good points, I guess.

[He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually just sat around with someone, or joked around, or had any sort of fun when his mind wasn't on a case. It still was now, and even though he knew very little about his companion, Lancer was still enjoyable to be around and Ainosuke trusted him enough. Part of him wished he could say everything and get it out, so that he could know what it was like to have the weight off his shoulders... but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when there was the ever present fear that his brother was nearby and would do anything to hurt the people closest to him.]

Just get your food and we'll take it back with us. ... I don't like being out for very long.

[There was still the sneaking suspicion that he was being watched, or that something was waiting in the shadows. The hotel at least made him feel safe.

Giving Lancer another smile, Ainosuke made his way up to the counter, ordering what he felt was the safest and most familiar option.]

Very well. I have to confess I'm not so sure it's safe to be outside for any extended period of time. Not while we aren't sure how this place functions, at least.

[Lancer did the same, following Ainosuke's example and doing his best to seem a little more natural. Blending in with humans stopped being simple when it went past basic appearances.]

That's what I was thinking. I'm not sure it'll be any better if we're inside, but chances are that's the way it works.

[He shoved his hands into his pockets, standing within a few feet even though he'd already placed his order.]

I don't think there's anything else we need to do before heading back, is there?

I don't believe there is, no. And even if the environment changes again, it would at least be marginally better with the advantage of some kind of shelter.

Mm. You're right.

[Ainosuke waited in silence for the next few minutes, grabbing his order once it was up and stepping away from the counter a bit. As soon as Lancer was ready, he would start the trek back. He just needed to think about what to do first.]

[Lancer followed suit a few moments later, standing at Ainosuke's side as if waiting for him to do something first.]

[Old habits really did die hard.]

Shall we, then?

[If Ainosuke had realized exactly why the other was acting this way, things might have made a little more sense. Now, he was a little amused and still a little confused over why the other kept seeming to stumble through things and was letting Ainosuke lead. He'd never saw himself as much of a leader, especially with someone like this.

The walk back to the hotel didn't take very long, considered that they had pretty much already circled back from their furthest destination. Ainosuke continued leading the way, holding on to the strap of his bag the entire way out of nervous habit. He liked having something he could hold on to when he didn't feel secure. After all, if he were home, he would have hugged Rin many times over by now. It was always hard to get used to being 'alone' again, even if he technically wasn't.

When they reached the room, Ainosuke opened it as usual, pushing it open with his shoulder and heading in. He promptly dropped everything on the side of his bed, climbing up and taking a seat near the top of it.]

I guess the first thing is to figure out what I should be keeping track of, but we can eat while we talk about it.

Of course. Among other things, I feel it would first be advisable to determine what those black creatures were. If we can figure that out, then we can figure out how best to fight them.

They were like shadows, weren't they?

[Ainosuke unwrapped his food as he spoke, pausing momentarily to take a few bites. He settled back against the headboard, making a content noise at finally being able to eat something. The panic and discomfort over the previous day had left him in a strange state where he hadn't been aware of how hungry he was until he started eating. At this point, he didn't care how bad the food might taste, though it wasn't all that horrible.]

I didn't see them come out from anywhere, but they were solid, too.

[He tilted his head back, pouting as he thought.]

... I wonder if they only come out when it's dark.

If they are some kind of shadow, then one could make the logical conclusion that they would only come out in the darkness.

[Likewise, Lancer hadn't quite realized how hungry he actually was. It wasn't necessary for Servants to eat, and the concept had completely slipped Lancer's mind until that moment.]

If we have a light source, like... flashlights or candles, do you think that would scare them off? Everything stopped working when they were around... [He paused, eating while he thought over how to word the rest of what he wanted to say. Why did all of this still sound so crazy?]

They could be the ones extinguishing the lights, or maybe it's something bigger than that. Even the cell phones wouldn't work during that time, but it might be worth trying to carry a light source around and seeing if it makes a difference.

Truthfully, I don't yet know. I doubt it would be too effective, but perhaps the idea is worth attempting just to see if it would work.

I've heard stories about lighting candles to keep ghosts away, but those aren't really ghosts.

[Now that he wasn't starving, Ainosuke set the rest of his food aside and opened the sketchbook, taking out one of the pencils and sharpening it.]

I really don't know where to start with fighting those things.

They are solid enough to strike regardless of their origins. I feel it's safe to assume they are alive in some respect, and in my experience anything living can be defeated and die once it's been killed.

As for how one would go about it...I assume they can be fought the same as anything or anyone else could be.

That's what it seemed like. We were able to hit them and they backed off, though I'm not sure you can say they died.

[He was sketching out the shadow they'd seen (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/ArcanePhoenix/shadowmaya.png) first. It was clear that his art skills were quite a bit above average for someone his age. Ainosuke studied the drawing as he went, looking for any sign of something that would give them hints as to what it was or how to defeat it.]

We'll just have to try a few different things and see what works, if we run into them again. I wonder if they're just territorial or if they'll go out of their way to attack us.

Many would choose retreat over death when the situation becomes dire enough for them.

[He watched for a moment as Ainosuke worked, having committed the creature's appearance carefully to memory already.]

It's hard to say anything for certain as things are at the moment. Trial and error may indeed be the best course of action for now.

Mm. What else do you think we should focus on?

[When Ainosuke finished drawing the shadow, he flipped to the next page, starting to sketch out the coffins. Though he hadn't gotten a good look at them, he was trying to draw what he could remember. He at least wanted it down before he forgot.]

I believe that we should try to determine why such an extreme change to the city takes place at all. That is hardly an ordinary occurrence for most places as far as I know.

What are the possibilities? At least the ones we can try to come up with. Those shadows could be causing it, but I think it has to be something bigger.

[He paused to rub at the side of his head, scrunching up his face.]

But it's hard to even try coming up with ideas when I've never seen anything like this before.

...I have.

[Lancer wasn't sure why his mind kept going back to a Reality Marble when there was no possible way that was the case. Not even a skilled magi could sustain something of that magnitude for that amount of time. It would take dozens, maybe hundreds of them for something like this.]

It resembles a form of magecraft, but something beyond the capabilities of what should be humanly possible or even conceivable.

[And now he'd wait for the expected response along the lines of 'are you crazy, magic isn't real'.]

[Ainosuke set the sketchbook aside for now, his latest drawing (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/ArcanePhoenix/coffins.jpg) complete. He picked up his food once more, watching Lancer as he spoke. Of course these concepts were rather difficult to grasp. That magic could exist, that creatures like this could exist, that an entire world could shift, but... he'd seen so many different things that he was sure he had seen. Maybe there was a lot more to the world than he'd ever known.]

So even with what you've seen before, this is... stronger?

That's correct.

[...Considering the kind of insane things they'd already seen, Lancer shouldn't have been so surprised that he wasn't immediately met with disbelief.]

It takes a large amount of power to change the landscape in such a way. Even more than that to keep it like that for any extended period of time.

Can you think of anyone that would be capable of anything even close to this? ... Maybe a group of people?

[Ainosuke still didn't understand it, but maybe the more he would talk about it, the easier it would become to comprehend something like this.]

Or... why someone would want to grab all of us and bring us here.

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