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[skiouros]

If I had good judgment, I wouldn't be where I am in the first place.

— Motivational Eizen (@motivationeizen) February 24, 2018

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Day 163

[inspiteful]

[ After a few days of getting his bearings in Shehui and some asking around, Skylark has figured out Eizen is staying...in the floor right above him, which Skylark finds a little funny. He also feels a little silly, since this isn't really like home where there were literally dozens upon dozens of apartments in one building, he should have found this out sooner, damn it.

But here he is. He knocks on the door politely. ]

Excuse me?

[skiouros]

[ Skylark's done a good job—Eizen will attest to that, even though he doesn't emerge from the other side of the door.

He'd been out. By a stroke of luck (for once), he'd happened to be on his way back when he notices the familiar face by his shared apartment door. Eizen's footsteps are deliberate and somewhat heavy, announcing his arrival before he speaks. ]

Looks like you've found me.

[inspiteful]

[ Skylark turns around, only a little startled. He appreciates that Eizen basically announced himself, or he probably would have jumped in surprise instead. ]

Sorry it took a while.

[skiouros]

What are you talking about? Adventures are about the journey. It doesn't matter if they take a while; in fact, you might consider that desirable.

[ Although this is a stretched example, his point stands as a whole. He closes the distance between them and gestures to the door. ]

We can talk inside or go elsewhere.

[inspiteful]

[...Oh. Skylark realises Eizen has a point, he just hadn't really thought of this that way.]

Let's go inside, then.

[ There isn't anywhere in particular he wants to go right now, and even a shared room has a little more privacy than going outside.]

[skiouros]

[ Fair enough. After running the ID card through the reader, Eizen motions for Skylark to enter the living room.

From the looks of it, either nobody is home or they're all in their private rooms. As soon as they're settled, Eizen will ask Skylark: ]

So what interests you about traveling?

[inspiteful]

[ Even now the fact they they are living rooms, as in actual rooms that you can entertain guests in, still feels weird to Skylark. It was more the fact that there was even space for it to be a thing -- he's been in apartments that were only as big as this living room, even.

Still, he answers instantly when he hears Eizen's question. ]

I want to see other places.

[ Which is true, if not exactly the whole story. ]

[skiouros]

[ It's up to Skylark to sit or stand, but Eizen leans against the wall with his hands in his pant pockets. ]

That's as good an answer as any. Do you do see those places often?

[inspiteful]

[ Skylark takes this opportunity to sit on the couch, then. ]

Well, uhm...I haven't at all, actually. I never left the island before this.

[ As in, the island he lived on, not the one that's home base. ]

[skiouros]

Ah, so you're just starting out. In that case, what do you think about being in Shehui?

[ Aside from the fact that the arrival came as too much of a surprise, given that they've discussed this before. ]

[inspiteful]

[ Skylark has to pause to think for a moment. ]

...It seems like a nice place to live. There's way more space here than I'm used to and my home is nowhere as advanced as this. Everything's a lot more...neat and tidy, I guess. There's even snow.

[ Although he's of the opinion that snow is the devil, after having snow dumped on him twice in a single day ]

From what I can see, life here is easy and it's not too hard to make a living. Honestly, it kind of sounds like it's too good to be true? It feels weird.

[skiouros]

[ All in all, it's an apt summary of Shehui. Eizen finds himself nodding at Skylark's last statement. ]

I agree. This city feels too convenient. The way it richly rewards its citizens—it's almost bereft of stimulation.

But I suppose the overwhelming difference in culture would make it a worthy place to start journeying. There's a lot to take in as a foreigner.

what is time... but ( voice )

[tepidity]

[ so. this isn't really something nisaka does? but he figures it had been good practice for his new craft, as well as an opportunity to get a better idea of who else he's sharing this strange fate with.

unfortunately, he has no real idea who this person is, if it even is a person, let alone where they live. and so he will be attempting to reach out to this "eizen" telepathically. ]

Ah. Hello. Is this Eizen..?

[skiouros]

[ upon hearing the voice, eizen instinctively raises a hand to his ear. he's never had to communicate this way before, and he finds it rather strange; however, the experience isn't an unwelcome one. ]

It is. Who's talking?

[tepidity]

[ nisaka startles temporarily. he hadn't been sure what to expect on the other end, but the deep voice of a man is still a surprise despite how plain it feels in comparison to what it could have been. ]

Nisaka. I'm part of Qri's coven. [ which seems... redundant. he doesn't imagine those outside of the coven had this ability. smh.

anyway, might as well get down to it. ]

Do you know anything about Secret Santa?

[skiouros]

[ nisaka. the name is unfamiliar, but the drop about secret santa tells all the story eizen needs to hear. ]

Is this about that government-issued list? If so, I'm not participating.

[tepidity]

That's unfortunate. [ for whoever he got, that is. as it is, it's not really any of nisaka's business. literally all eizen has to do here is accept something. ]

I received you for mine. Please let me know when you're available, or where you would like me to drop your gift off.

[skiouros]

[ there's only one thing eizen wants, and he's pretty sure that nisaka can't give it to him. still, he supposes that it wouldn't hurt to at least meet the person on the opposite end of the telepathic link.

it'd be beneficial for the other party, too. giving comes with rewards, after all. ]

. . . I'll meet you. Anytime is fine.

[tepidity]

[ he's quietly relieved the man isn't making this any more difficult for him. nisaka had been nervous about it on the simple fact that blind gifting can be pretty nerve-wracking to begin with. but that's not even counting the fact that this is way out of his wheelhouse in the first place. this kind of effort... socializing... urgh. ]

My shift ends in twenty minutes. Would you be alright to meet at the apartment lobby in thirty?

[skiouros]

Thirty is plenty. I'll be there. Look for a man in a black coat.

[ never mind that most of his attire is black. the coat is what tends to grab passersby's attention.

fortunately, he's not too far away. the last thing he wants is to be tardy. eizen returns to the lobby within twenty minutes, where he settles onto a comfortable seat with his legs crossed. ]

[tepidity]

[ at around the thirty-minute mark, the doors to the lobby opens to reveal a young boy pulling off a multi-patterned quilted apron. he's a little out of breath, clearly having rushed there a bit. when his eyes land on eizen, he pauses, looking mildly startled...

mentally, nisaka is thankful he opted for the gray fabric in the end.

he approaches him on slower steps. ]

Eizen?

[skiouros]

[ eizen passes the time watching the people who come and go through the doors, his attention drawn to the diversity of the population. once he catches sight of a youth with a peculiar reaction, he straightens his back and uncrosses his legs.

what a colorful apron. ]

You must be Nisaka.

[tepidity]

[ you got that right.

anyway, nisaka comes to a stop a few paces in front of the older man. he nods his head in affirmation, and doesn't waste time pulling something out of his bag...

it appears to be a handmade grey fish pouch.

(eizen might notice a few band-aids on his fingers.) ]

I didn't really know anything about you, so I went with something a little generic. I hope you can find some use for it anyway.

[skiouros]

[ crazy mom quilts, huh.

it's hard to miss the band-aids when the grey pouch is in nisaka's grasp. he only chooses not to say anything about them as he pushes onto his feet to accept the gift. ]

Heh. For not knowing anything, you've done a good job at guessing. I'm a man of the sea, see.

[ with his gloves on, he can't quite discern the quality of the material—but in these such cases, the sentiment is what matters, isn't it? ]

I don't know how yet, but I'll find an use for it.

Day 174

[rebells]

[A delivery!

We'll assume someone let him in: whenever Eizen gets back to the apartment, there is a bundle of fancy soaps (think old-fashioned, clean-scented) wrapped in a thick fleece blanket on the kitchen counter, addressed to him, with a note attached:]

Eizen--

This isn't the most personal of gifts, I'm aware, but I hope it will be of use when we leave Shehui.

My name is Jay. I've been with the coven for several months now, so please do feel free to call on me if you have need of anything, or if you have any questions about this endeavor we've found ourselves on..