whiterosefoes | ☄ ATTACK OF THE FILLER

[Hmph. At least she's not trying to leave. He casually flops down on the ground beside the mattress, linking his hands behind his head and relaxing. The gods are probably laughing at him right now. How often do you expect a tornado intervening in something like this? He's going to have to make Ryou work even harder to get everything ready in time.

He stays silent, just closing his eyes and pushing aside all of this. It's all too easy for him. Things drift, like debris on the surface of the ocean. Even without his efforts, they drift away, out of his reach. It doesn't bother him. The important things are held tightly, but those things are merely unnecessary garbage. Past lives, past people, past problems. He's never had problems letting go. A mere tornado isn't going to be more than a flicker in his life... as long as it doesn't destroy his host. It's merely an inconvenience. But that also means that he can't understand her pain... and nor does he want to. That she can't rest isn't a thought that crosses his mind. That it might even be worse for her to rest, with her mind full of these thoughts, doesn't cross it either.

The night air is uncomfortably cool against his skin, sending a chill through him. It's easy enough to ignore it, he's ignored worse sensations while in control of Ryou, but it still irritates him a little. He almost drifts off himself, but jerks himself back to awareness after a couple of moments. His foot rocks idly back and forth against the ground. Maybe he should let Ryou out to help with this crap... then again, all he cares about is recovering what he can from their dorm-room, and he can do that under daylight. It's too dark for that right now anyway.

Though not for long.

Above them, the sky is brightening. A kaleidoscope of iridescent light spreads steadily across the clouds, splitting the sky into two parts on either side of it. It ripples and shimmers brilliantly to illuminate everything beneath them. As it reaches out, the roar of countless monsters fills the air, echoing across the sky in a harsh cacophony. There's something in the sound that's both fearful and respectful. In some, it even sounds pained.

Bakura doesn't open his eyes. The light piercing through his closed eyes only draws one thought. Dawn's come pretty fast, huh? He didn't think he'd been resting that long. Maybe he dozed off again.

As the glow brightens, the Ring starts to chime slowly, softly. It can sense what he can't. This light... sure as hell isn't natural.]

[Her eyes are closed, but no matter how many times she rolls over, it doesn't stop. Wanting to do more, as if that would bring people back. Wanting to go further away, as if she could escape her feelings. The future won't go as planned - that tournament in her schedule, for example, was how she'd initially meant to show Oliver how strong she had become. To explain with dueling, and to have fun doing it. Instead, now everyone knew about her magic, but she showed that she was still powerless to save them. Then it's okay if she sleeps, isn't it? After all, it's over... whether she likes it or not.

And Bakura is still there with her. She can hear him breathing, relaxed - all these men around her are so calm, like oil on top of the deep water she's sinking in. ...She never thought she'd be jealous of him, of all people. She had never been impressed with his boastful emptiness and fleeting attachments. Especially not when he seemed to be plenty attached to Malik and to an extent, her. But letting go, though she'd called it depressing, would be better than feeling like death now. Well, wouldn't it? All she's ever done was destroy the things in her path, like Jack all that time ago. All in the name of freedom to live her life, but in the end, what she chose is becoming the anchor that's pulling her down. She can feel her body growing heavy at last. At the same time, though, her soul stirs...

The sky is aglow, but if that were not enough, the emotional roars invite whispering from her deck and her Oricalchos heats up from within. Opening her tear-laced eyes wide, a magnificent aurora spreads out in front of her. She jumps to her feet, as though afraid the sky itself had also become her enemy to face. It's beautiful, of course, but the timing is eerie, and the monsters' reaction to it doubly so. She's shaking, feeling tiny against the heavens.]

What? What is it now?

[Jeez. Maybe one hug wasn't enough.]

Edited (the icon was too chill ) 2016-08-09 21:10 (UTC)

[Bakura's eyes flash open all at once, without the slow stirring of a normal person. It's as if he's a doll, and someone just pressed the button to activate him. He sits up, staring up at the sky with a baleful sort of interest. What the hell...? He can see the creatures in the sky, flying away somewhere, as if answering a call... or running away from something. He casts a glance in the opposite direction and sees nothing. Flying to something, then... and something too far away to see.

It takes him a minute before he can tear his eyes away to look at her, noticing that trembling and the aghast look on her face. He wonders why she's so affected by it. It's as if it's horrifying her. He shifts to sit closer to her as he peers up at the sky.]

I don't have a clue, but it sure is interesting!

[It stirs the part of him that this idleness has left to lie. At the Campus, much of that chaos had been restrained by necessity, by the strength of those around him and the power of that annoying Voice. Here, he had nothing to fear... and the sight of this only excites him as a result. He wonders what it means. Abruptly, he turns his head towards her, interest glittering in his eyes.]

Oi, Harriet. Can you fly?

[Hey, it's a valid question. He's yet to understand the limits of either her deck or her magic. Though he doesn't know if having her go anywhere near that thing is a good idea.]

Edited 2016-08-11 09:52 (UTC)

[Why it's affecting her so much? There probably isn't a reason. Just grains of sand tipping the scales between her anger and depression stages of grief, and no different from jumping at shadows. Her shoulders sag when it registers that the monsters are flying away.

But of course, Bakura wants to chase them. He's so fickle... she rubs her eyes before turning to look back at him with a wry look.]

Fly? I thought you wanted me to nap.

[But despite that, she does reach for her extra deck. She clearly has something that would allow her to fly.]

Edited 2016-08-11 18:37 (UTC)

Are you telling me you don't want to see what the hell they're so afraid of?

[He hops to his feet, stretching, as he waits. Nothing in his deck is remotely capable of dealing with this sort of thing... all of his monsters walk, except one or two which are too small to carry them. He vaguely muses on the idea that he should add a flying monster to his deck just for this, then decides against it. It's actually tiring for him to summon stronger monsters after all. It's easier to just rely on her.]

Fine, then...

[With the card in her hand (white bordered, a card she obtained from the Campus) she concentrates, but... that rest wasn't enough. Her summoning energy hasn't recovered. She'll hold onto it for now, but she needs to pull another card before she can use this - there it is. She holds it up.]

But if we're to catch them, I'll need to "borrow" something from you.

[It's said matter of factly, but she activates it before he can argue.]

Magic Drain!

[A translucent being bursts out from the card and embraces him, before returning with his summoning energy. The figure disappears into her hand, leaving the magic dancing across her palms.]

Hm! That'll be plenty.

[He observes the card with distant interest, wondering what it is she plans to do. When she doesn't do anything, though, that confuses him. Her words? They do even more than that.]

Borr- OI!

[His question is cut off by a sudden hug from her card and the unpleasant feeling of something being pulled out of him. He recoils too late, shuddering with a wounded expression. Ugh, dammit, did she have to pick such a disgusting way to drain his power?!]

Didn't anyone ever tell you to ask before you borrow things?!

[Pot, meet the depths of outer space.]

[She huffs as though he's being ridiculous. Though, truthfully, she was looking forward to this reaction.]

You're the one that's asking for a ride. Just consider it your bus fare!

[...It is entirely possible that he's rubbing off on her.

Anyway, she'll raise the monster that's still in her hand.]

Now, come forth! Ancient Sacred Wyvern!

[It bursts forth from her summoning radius and soars into the air - a gorgeous fairy of silver and white, it would probably be long enough to qualify as a bus.]

[Clearly, she is spending far too much time around him! He should be proud of her, but he can't help but pout. Jeez...

Also could she find a more conspicuous monster to fly them? ...well, at least it wasn't Happy Lover. They should be able to ride that nicely. He hops up onto it, still pouting.]

Since when do friends charge for things like that? Besides, you didn't ask me to pay, you just took it!

[It can't be helped! This is the only monster she has that can fly... anyway, he has a (hypocritical) point, but... she looks back at him thoughtfully after she's gotten onto the wyvern's back.]

... But I think this is the first time you've called me your friend to my face.

[Didn't he prefer to pretend that he owned her? It figures he'd only say it to complain. She reaches up to weave her hands into the monster's mane.]

Hold on!

[Oh shit. Oh shit. No, nonononono, he did not mean to say that!]

Why are you making it into a big deal?! It's not like it's important!

[Without thinking, he grabs onto it tightly, feeling a jolt in his stomach when it starts to move. Flight is not something he's got much experience with. On the whole, he feels like he preferred it with Karasu. There was more mass, more of a spread to sit comfortably on. It felt less like he was going to go splat if he relaxed for a moment.

Oh well. She'd catch him.

For Ryou's sake, if not his own.]

Don't backpedal after you used it as leverage! Even if it was important, I don't see why you would mind!

[Bakura may hate it when she points it out... but even with his boastful pretenses, he's always been the one that's more forthcoming with his thoughts toward her, while she has remained coy. Teasing him about it was how she showed she cared, and it never occurred to her to treat it seriously anyway. After all, it wouldn't last. Her goals came first. But what were they now? What could they be, after things were falling apart beneath her? ... For now, she would let them stay beneath her. There were beautiful, terrible skies to pursue.

A wyvern is not an easy ride. It's a flying noodle, rushing joyously through the sky like a roller coaster. Fitting with that simile, it's at least twice as fast. It may be sort of difficult to take in one's surroundings like that! Only at first, though. Once they're high enough, it evens out, allowing Harriet to scan the sky for retreating monsters.

Or falling Bakuras, if that were the case.]

It's embarrassing when you say things like that!

[Bakura retorts irritably, but he soon has other things on his mind. Like not falling off. He has to shut his eyes against the dizziness for a moment, feeling that eerie sensation of displacement in his stomach, as if it's been left behind by how fast they're going. He doesn't mind speed normally.

This isn't normal. This is an unsafe, twisting, wiggling creature that he's having to hold onto tightly to prevent falling. Without thinking, once it events out, he hauls himself higher to reach out and grab onto her leg for support.]

You need better flying monsters.

Hm? This kind of flying suits me, though. It's like surfing.

[She says it a bit distantly. Maybe someone among the deceased was a surfing buddy. Maybe she realizes it's not that much like surfing. Maybe she's thinking about standing up on its back, though.

Well, she can't with him hanging on to her leg like that, anyway. And that's kind of awkward. She turns her eyes back at him.]

Erm. This is...

[He can't be planning to hang off her from her leg if he slips, surely? That would just pull them both off!]

[He sighs in annoyance.]

Hold still.

[This is going to be a pain... but he has no choice. Keeping a death-grip on the beast with one arm, he uses the other one to haul himself up her body, so that he can grab onto her much more carefully. His fingers dig into her waist as he presses uncomfortably close to her.]

Next time, I'm picking the flying monster.

[Aah... it is too close for comfort. But it does feel more stable. Warmer, too. She won't say anything, just blinking her eyes shut to accept it as it comes with an echoing sigh. Her grip on the mane is tight, but her fingers curl in just a little tighter around it.]

You're welcome to if you have one. I must say, I didn't know that you hated risk.

[A slight smirk, and she raises her eyes again. Can they see what's really going on, now?]

[...Not really. The aurora stretches across the sky, and the only thing in sight is the monsters, flying in a haphazard formation, all seeking something beyond the horizon. With Bakura's complaining, she doubts he'll want to ride her wyvern for that far out.]

But it's not actually much different up here, is it... it might be better to get an airplane to go where they're going.

Edited 2016-08-28 03:02 (UTC)

I don't, yet.

[His eyes narrow at that. Hmph... who on earth does she think she's talking to? As if he's such a coward as all that!]

I love risks... and I loved flying. But I don't love this. This thing is too awkward to hold onto properly!

[Crap... they really can't see anything all that interesting up here. Her guess is pretty accurate, really.]

Unless you went to pilot school, we're out of luck then. Come on, let's land this flying deathtrap.

Well, this is the only one I've got!

[He seems like one right now!! Though... she's not spoiled on smoother means of flying, as he can tell. And she certainly didn't go to pilot school, but if it'll get him to complain less, she'll get the wyvern to simply glide down... instead of another roller coaster drop. It's slower than before, but probably easier on the stomach.]

Fine, then. For now they'll just stay as pretty lights....

[It begins its descent, dipping back below the clouds.]

It isn't too bad a sight, is it? I just hope they stay away.

[He relaxes at the slower descent, loosening his grip and looking around with interest. The world looks so small from up here... Like a toy he could kick over or crush beneath his boot. It's like it's made just to be played with... or destroyed, if he desires.

It may be just an illusion now, but some day... This longing of his will be satisfied.]

No, all it's a bit like a dream, really. Well, that would make the next steps easier on us...

[It's not bad to be this far away from the world and the problems waiting, either. Now that she doesn't have to hold on quite so tightly for dear life, she's giving the monster idle pets... but after a moment, cold prickles up her spine, and she shivers ... timed as if it were directly caused by the person behind her having evil thoughts.]

A-ah, chilly all of a sudden.

We are pretty high up. I'd offer Ryou's shirt, but it's too thin to be of any use.

[That timing was... eerie. He half-wonders if she didn't sense something there. He hopes not. If she's developing psychic powers, he might be screwed, and not in the way he likes. Casually, he presses closer again.]

I'm already dressed warmer, but...

[Her level of ESP is normal for a person. Which is to say, the sixth sense goes unnoticed. Though perhaps it wouldn't, if this were an earlier Harriet, one who trusted him less (or not at all.) But with him cozying up and giving thoughts-that-count, it's enough to mask the ice. Before, she would tell herself that he is deceiving her with that - true or not, to keep her boundaries in tact. Right now, she's lost too much to care. It's a small show of vulnerability when she just responds with,]

Mm... well, this is fine.

☄ ATTACK OF THE FILLER

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