action and text; @bacura

[mellowyellow]

[It's late on the seventh when Masaomi wakes up on a church pew. At first, he can't bring himself to do anything other than stare at his hands. Slowly he raises them above his head, takes in the palms, flips them over, hesitantly touches the backs, slides his fingers down his own arms.

He's whole.

Suddenly, he digs his nails in. It hurts, and he pulls back, leaving harsh red marks. Masaomi sits up then, still staring like he can't believe his own senses.

He's not crying. You're crying.]


[It's not until the eighth that he sends out another text. No ominous snapshots this time.]

Didn't cut it as a carny.

Comments

action

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora's been creaking open the door and staring into the church blankly once a day since he dropped off the lantern. He doesn't really know what he's hoping for. Jason was the guy's actual friend, he shouldn't be this invested. If he had to guess, he'd say he's just scared, vaguely, of not being able to do anything at all. None of the dead he's seen in the obituaries have ever come back. That one in three statistic is harsh.

Today he pulls open the door to see... Nothing again. He doesn't know what he was expecting. Time's almost up. He's about to pull it shut when he feels more than hears the air move in there.

He pushes the door in again, and a silhouette's sitting up in a pew. ]

Hello?

[ He'll walk in, lantern raised. He's caught a few other people here before by accident, has had to apologize before retreating. He's prepared to do the same thing here. ]

[mellowyellow]

[Masaomi is so lost in his stupor that he doesn't notice the door opening. When Sora calls out though? The very sudden and overwhelming realization that another person is here with him scares his saliva right back down his throat. He jumps, flailing as he slips off the pew and slams to the floor in a tangled mess of limbs.

Hi, Sora. Meet Masaomi.]

Audio @ Stone

[scarsolderthanyou]

[It took Stone a while to work out what exactly had happened to Masaomi, given all the damn text messages, and nothing really showing up on the network confirming or denying... but the not-ever-showing-up-again-for-days made it more obvious. So here he is, squinting at the text message, not knowing what a carnie is, but knowing who this is.]

Hey. Kid. Where are you at?

[Masaomi might be getting another hug if he spills where he's hanging out right now. Sorry, Masaomi.]

text forever and ever times infinity;

[mellowyellow]

In my room.

Dreaming of libraries and librarians!

@lonk; audio

[sublimebeast]

[Ah, this fellow again... Link can't help but feel a little annoyed with this person for being reckless but his heart is also breaking with concern over his well being.

A voice, low with a bit of a steely edge but also heavy with worry speaks.]

Where are you? Are you okay?

...All things considered, I mean.

teeeeeext eternally;

[mellowyellow]

Peachy keen! Plum brilliant! Fresh and fragrant!

All in one piece even.

text | @kol

[unpredict]

[ well. thank god this kid's back. press f for masaomi's carny dreams going down in flames. ]

Glad to have you back, mate. I take it you won't be chasing after any circuses for a while?

[mellowyellow]

Definitely sticking to skirts from now on.

Those actually get better once you talk your way into them!

@elvira

[vampirella]

better luck next time. maybe practice your juggling

[mellowyellow]

I'm more of an acrobat than a juggler.

I'm just here to sweep the best looking babes off their feet!

@cherylbombshell

[sweetwater]

Too many limbs? Not enough limbs?

[mellowyellow]

Too many, if you'll believe it!

I guess I was just more than they could handle.

@darkness

[evulsed]

Well looks like you got lucky.

Did you have fun?

[mellowyellow]

More fun than anyone's ever had with you.

text; un: mollymauk

[mollymocked]

Nonsense. You just need a carnival that won't kill you.

[mellowyellow]

That sounds imaginary.

@Grandmaster

[paletteswap]

My assumption is that it did not go well.

How bad was it?

[mellowyellow]

Ever seen a meat grinder?

@action

[notthatjason]

[Jason is no good at waiting, never had been. So, he does stop by the church on an almost hourly basis...but he never sticks around for long. He can't, he thinks of others out there that might fall into the same kind of trouble and not being there to help. Or he realizes the hour and that he's needed at combat training.

He wants to be there for Masaomi, the way he was there for him when his legs were all wrong, but it's hard to sit still. It's hard to wait for your friend to come back. He remembers all that time searching for Leo, waiting for him to pop up and show them that his plan had worked after all.

It's his fourth or fifth trip back to the Church, probably just as Masaomi is coming out. As soon as he sees him, Jason is rushing over. He grips his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. It's not quite a hug, he's not sure if Masaomi would appreciate that, but it's definitely a sign of affection and relief. Quite possibly also validation that this is real and not a hallucination -- after all in this place you can't be too sure.]

You're back! I was so worried!

[mellowyellow]

[Honestly, that firm grip on his shoulders is probably the only thing that keeps Masaomi's jelly legs from dropping at the sight of his friend. To step out of the church and see the same dark sky and the same cold woodland frame that familiarly attentive face... It's both a let down and an instant relief. He's still here in this godforsaken abandoned town, but more importantly, he's still here.

Masaomi clasps his palms around Jason's outstretched arms, squeezes tightly. He has no idea what face he's making, but he hopes it at least resembles the smile it's meant to be.]

...Fashionably late, I guess?

[mindofathief]

Please tell me your back
Are you okay
Where are you

[mellowyellow]

I'm not back.

I'm front and center!!!

[That means he's totally okay. For realsies.]

@lingering-will

[really_sketchy]

I am glad you're alright.
You don't know me, I am one of Sora's friends, but we were all worried about you.

[mellowyellow]

Sora's the spiky guy with lockable eyes, right?

I didn't realize I had so many fun stalkers!

I'll have to pay more attention to you guys from now on.

@cuttingedge; text

[knifecollecting]

You're the one that went after the Parade, aren't you?

What happened? If you can talk about it.

[mellowyellow]

Turns out, I didn't fit in. Who'd have thought?