iattractmushi | ❦ 29th Record

[He won't say anything on the journals, but he's dropping his dog off down there, and he'll find Ginko and ask him to just keep an eye on the mutt when he can.]

[Sounds good. Ginko has his cat down there, obviously, so as long as the dog doesn't bother Adashino he'll be happy to keep an eye on both animals, when he can.]

Edited 2011-10-22 04:40 (UTC)

It was stable for a while too when it was blank white, so it might change still. Though I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to sleep in the Tree.

True enough, but I think I'll take my chances. Better that blankness than being killed by a leaf.

That's reasonable. Please keep us updated, will you?

Sure--and I'll come to work as usual, of course.

[He doesn't bother responding on paper, but will come up for a while at least, equipped with a thermos of some hot beverage and a veritable pile of blankets. It's nice sitting under the open sky, anyway.]

[He'll welcome both the company and the drink.]

It does seem more stable. I wonder if it is stable enough to risk building structures there.

If you wanted to try, I don't see why not. But keep in mind that it could change at any time, and you might lose anything you build down here.

It could not hurt to try, especially if we use materials that do not matter much if they are lost.

Well if you wanted to, I won't stand in your way.

Might drop by to see whatever you're building, though.

[Pentaps] I did not think that you would. Why would anyone be in the way of that? It is meant to help.

[......pause]

Nevermind.

Though while we're on the subject, if you need a hand chances are I won't have much else to do in my free time.

I could of course use a hand, and I would welcome it!

Alright.

See you soon, then.

You shall!

How long has it been now? Almost twenty days. That's quite the stretch of time considering how swiftly it used to change.

Something like that.

We never got around to meeting up. Did you still want to try out those binoculars?

Of course. I'll head down there soon.

-----

[True to his word--this time, as their earlier meeting wound up not happening--Hawk steps out of the elevator not long afterward. Down in the Wilderness, one can almost forget the palpable signs of decay that permeate the levels above. The field of grass is not the most exciting of sights, but it is level and solid and real, and that counts for quite a bit right now.

Spotting Ginko, he raises a hand in a wave as he approaches.]

Hey. Moving down here, then? Can't say that thought hasn't crossed my mind, too.

[Ginko is cross-legged in the grass, his box beside him and no doubt his cat isn't far away. The animal is no where in sight now, though, and Ginko is looking upward, relaxed but a little tired-looking.

As Hawk approaches, he looks down to smile faintly at his friend.] Hey.

[He gets to his feet, dusting off his pants as he rises.] It seems safer than anywhere else, and more stable than most. Even if it changes... well, I'll just have to hope it won't.

There's an irony there. [Hawk returns the smile, and the gladness in it at seeing his friend is genuine, even though it is shaded with worry.]

The Wilderness used to be the one place here that never stayed still, and now it's likely our best refuge. Not that that hasn't been true before. [A small laugh at that.]

How is it for a campsite? Spotted any water sources? Far as I can see, that's the greatest issue with sheltering here.

[He grinned easily, slipping his hands into his pockets.] At least there isn't a hurricane this time.

Not yet, but I haven't had the chance to look around much. I was planning on going up to get supplies, as needed--I'm not sure there's any way to get food down here, either.

[And that was a serious concern, if the Tree continued to deteriorate. But for now this was a decent compromise, and hopefully they'd find something to let them exist here before too long.]

Careful. Someone might hear you. [Hawk's tone is fully light despite the ominous undertone--all too often in Edensphere, someone is listening. However, the place has never yet proven wholly malicious. There is always a way out. That is what he puts his dwindling faith in this time, too.]

It's... limited, but I think this Wilderness goes on for a while. I brought a horse down here, tried to map its borders, but I ended up just looping back to the... tree. [Hawk gestures at the trunk rising up behind them, then cants his head skyward.]

The view is pretty damn clear, though. I think that's Havoc's cave, up there.

[Ginko lets out a quiet snort.] Should I touch wood? [Not that he believes in that superstition.

He looks off to where the Wilderness actually disappears into the horizon, then tips his head back to look up at the bottom of the islands. A strange concept, one he's thought about before but has never managed to envision--what the islands look like from below.]

I only looked around enough to pick out a good camp site. It's warm enough yet, so I shouldn't need a fire, and I have food that doesn't need to be cooked.

[After a moment's pause, he leans down to pull open a certain drawer in his box, reaches in, and produces a pair of binoculars.] It's strange, looking at them from below after all this time.

Not that you could ever before. You couldn't even fly under the islands. Believe me, I tried, a time or a dozen.

[Hawk eyes the gadget with curiosity as Ginko handles it. It's a remarkable innovation, and perhaps one he should try to procure for his own use, too. Not that there are many distant sights to even see in Edensphere.]

Can't quite fathom what the point of this Wilderness is, though. Usually when some kind of disaster strikes, we can huddle down here until it's over, but there doesn't seem to be anything but grass as far as the eye can see.

[He lifts the binoculars up to his eye--the left eyepiece rests against his hair, but it's not like he was going to look through it anyway--and he fiddles with them a moment, until he can see through them clearly.]

Hoooooh... Yeah, that's Havoc's cave alright.

[Lowering them, he holds them out to the other man in a silent offer.]

Maybe we haven't discovered it yet. I don't know... this place is definitely different than any other Wilderness. That alone proves it. ['That' meaning the clear sight of the islands from below, the three floors connected, no longer separated by a barrier.]

[This isn't the first time Hawk has held this invention in his hand, but the sense of wonder has not diminished yet. The distant forms of the islands are suddenly drawn sharp and clear before his eyes. Shifting his focus, he can even make out the individual planks of the rope bridge that swims into view.]

When I'm feeling hopeful, I... [He lowers the binoculars to be able to look at Ginko properly.] As said, the Wilderness has been a safe haven before.

So... I hold hope it can shelter us this time, too. Not everyone I know is that optimistic.

Edited 2011-10-28 14:56 (UTC)

Mmmm. Better to be optimistic than to give up.

[A tiny pause.]

Though while we're on the subject... I spoke with Huo recently.

[He didn't know how much Hawk knew about what Huo had done, but he would tread lightly around this subject, just in case.]

[There was much hidden in those few words, and likely as not none of it good. Hawk tensed, the ease of the moment tightening into expectation.]

I have a guess as to what about. So go ahead.

[He didn't miss the sudden tension in Hawk's frame, and that told him a lot about what his friend knew. Still, he wanted to hear Hawk say it.

His own body language remaining relaxed, he murmured,] I was mostly wondering how much you knew about the situation. [A slight pause.] And to let you know I knew.

Edited 2011-11-01 16:02 (UTC)

[This was how Ginko wished to play it, then. Hawk could not fault him, but neither would he shy away from the truth.]

Huo caused Sniper's death. I know. And good. A man deserves to know his brother's fate, and the reasons for it, if they're to be found.

[The careful circling around the issue... it put a bad taste in his mouth. So he was just as pleased when Hawk went right to the heart of the matter.

He shook his head.]

I can't hold him responsible for Sniper's death. Maybe for putting the idea into his head, but... [He scrubbed a hand through his hair.] In the end, it was Sniper's choice. That's all.

[He looked away slightly, gaze fixing on some point in the distance.] I still don't think his idea was very well thought out, and that he didn't know Sniper as well as he apparently thought he did, but... well. Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I hate him.

[Hawk let out a thin, relieved sigh as Ginko began to speak. By the best of his understanding, his friend was not a violent or vengeful man, but even so, there was a kind of raw relief to hearing his words. Hawk had never accepted what Huo had done, despite having forgiven his brother. Understand his motives? Yes, to a degree. Condone his methods? No, plain and simple.]

Yes. Saying that Sniper died because of him would be saying Sniper had no will of his own in the matter. But... my brother is clever, and that makes him arrogant. He believes he sees much farther than he does.

[Hawk crouched, staring ahead at the endless expanse of green grass.] But he is my brother.

Mmm. [That, and putting the responsibility on anyone else would feel like a betrayal. Like Sniper had died for nothing.

He let out a quick huff of not-quite-laughter, his lips quirking up into something like a smile.] Bonds are funny things, aren't they. [He didn't blame Hawk for sticking by Huo, in fact might have thought less of him if he hadn't. Someone needed to keep the man out of trouble, obviously, and it might as well be Hawk.] It seems like one day you turn around, and there they are. People you wouldn't want to do without have somehow crept into your life, despite all your efforts.

[And really, for all the pain that occasionally caused... he wouldn't want it any other way, now.]

[While Hawk couldn't join in Ginko's laughter, his shoulders eased a notch as the tension bled from him.]

Well, I'm not a stranger to companions beside me. But... lingering in one place like this, getting caught up in its life, that's a new thing.

You choose to hold someone as your family, you don't cast them aside when they err. [He huffed.] Otherwise, who's there to return the favour when you need it?

It's strange to me. [The words are spoken softly, quickly, with a warmth to the tone. He hopes that the feelings he can't say out loud are expressed in those few tiny words--that Hawk is one of those bonds that he wouldn't, couldn't do without, now.

His smile gets a little broader, turns a little more real. Now that the hard topic is out of the way, they can relax a little--their words turning to idle chatter between friends.]

Mmmm. I've learned that, here.

[That is better. The air is cleared between them, and they may settle, by degrees, into something more closely resembling their usual camaraderie.]

It's a good lesson, [Hawk says quietly, in a tone of soft finality. Perhaps one that has to be repeated over and over, but one that he does not regret learning.]

It is not necessary for the Adventurers to patrol the Wilderness anymore and that is a little sad. But that it feels safe enough for you to live down there then it is a good thing!

Oh! Can I come and spend the night with you sometime then, Ginko-san? I have plenty of blankets!

Everything's changing.

Of course, there's plenty of space.

It is! But that is how things really should be! Though in the Sphere, perhaps things change a little too quickly?

Then I will come! And maybe we could make that special popcorn that fell from the sky that one time! Chibiusa showed me how to melt the chocolate and caramel right for it! It will be just like a sleep over!

Could be. The changes that happen here aren't very good ones, most of the time.

Great, I'll look forward to it. That stuff wasn't bad, if a little sticky.

❦ 29th Record

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He asked someone what they were called.

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Quicklog /wraps up

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