hadriel_logs | December Catch-All (Semi-Closed)

[ She's already awake when she gets the message from Will that he's up, out, and about. Waking up isn't so much of an issue when you never sleep in the first place. She finally collapses from exhaustion about once a week but thankfully that wasn't today. Nah, she's on about day three so still spry and full of energy.

The blond doesn't have a scent to go off of so she relies on Confusion's handy-dandy GPS. For as snarky as the goddess can be, the woman has to admit she probably has one of the most handy contributions (besides the orchard) yet. It doesn't take her long to get to wherever Will is with a smile ready.

Rose is prepared, too, with her hair pulled up into a loose ponytail and the closest thing to a work-out outfit she has on. It's just shorts (that aren't jeans, for once!) and a loose fitting shirt, but it totally works. It does. Really. ]

Mornin', dude! And hello to you! [ Her smiles turns to a grin at the dog that she crouches down to greet. She extends a hand to the canine - just in case - and lets it come to her. Puppy, puppy, puppy. Gods, how she missed dogs. Haven didn't have any (and she wouldn't have wanted any there, of course) and she didn't think this place would either. ]

Edited 2016-12-15 13:55 (UTC)

[ Will didn't know what to expect but he sent the message to say he was out and about already. It was that moment of anxiety he always got after arranging to meet someone, that was one of the main reasons why he never really bothered. Still, it wasn't like it was a totally social outing, they were out jogging and walking Winston at the same time. Hopefully, they would be too out of breath to talk to each other too much.

It was Winston who noticed her first, dashing over, barking and jumping up in excitement at her greeting. ]

Ah! Sorry about that. Winston, down, c'mon now don't get carried away.

[ Awkwardly he shooed the dog down, taking a drink from his water bottle after and dabbing his forehead with the towel he wore around his neck. As for what they were wearing, Will didn't really mind, Rose looked fine, he, himself, was wearing nothing more than a t-shirt he sometimes used to sleep in and a pair of shorts. ]

[ That'd be fine with Rose, honestly. Not that she's about to be out of breath anytime soon... Her increased stamina definitely comes in handy when it comes to exercise. It may be cut down lately thanks to, uh, reasons but she's not about to make any indication that she's slowed down. ]

Hello, Winston! You're an energetic one. [ The blond seems endeared by the dog's excitement. Even after he shoos him away, she watches the canine with a smile. Then the same smile is directed at Will. ]

Ready to do this thing? [ The running thing. She's definitely feeling a lot more perky thanks to the pup accompanying them. Not that she isn't always chipper (on the outside, anyway). ]

[ Despite Will's shooing, Winston still sang to Rose, in that high-pitched, excited tone dogs liked to do when around someone or something they enjoyed playing with. His tail lashed about against Will's legs as it wagged fast and happy behind him. Will shook his head, scratching it in confusion as he smiled. ]

I've never seen him so excited like this. You must be special.

[ Gesturing to Rose. Will bent down, tightened his shoelaces and nodded on his way back up. Giving a stretch or two just for good measure. ]

Ready when you are.

[ He started jogging on the spot before setting off, hoping that she wasn't offended by his lack of conversation. It would come, it would just take some time. ]

[ Her grin can't grow any bigger, but she is obviously still endeared by the dog's excitement. She may have to find a reason to play with him some other time... Goodness knows she needs more dogs in her life. ]

What can I say? I'm a dog person. [ She means that a bit more literally than he probably realizes too. Than most people realize, actually. ]

Ready!

[ The blond chirps before following almost immediately after. Thankfully, the lack of conversation doesn't bother her. Rose is just as alright with silence even for as sociable as she seems. So she's fine with just running along in quiet for as long as he needs. ]

[ Winston ran a few circles around Rose when Will started to warm back up and set off, he was keen to race along side of her, any excuse to play with a new friend had Winston as happy as he was now. Will being Will, he took notes of the people his pet was fond of and would make an effort to see that they saw one another more often. A happy dog is the best kind of pet, and Rose sure does seem to make Winston happy! ]

Dog people are the best kind. And that's not just my opinion! It's an actual fact!

[ Making light and cheerful conversation as he set off, glad that Rose was okay with his odd way of not saying very much at all. She seemed athletic and agile, maybe Will was out of his depth here, he wasn't as fit as he liked to think he was... Rose may end up showing him up! ]

See, you know what's up. Dog people are just The Best.

[ It must have been lonely, she imagines, being the only canine around. Well, now he's not! Sort of. Rose isn't completely wolf, obviously, but she's about as close as she can get to it. So she's happy that Winston is to have a new friend; she's also happy to give him a good chase if he wants it. ]

C'mon, buddy, let's go! [ And Will is right, she's off at a little faster pace than he is at that call to his dog. Not by overly much of course but she still laughs at Winston trying to keep up. This dog is definitely gonna be tuckered out, but that's probably not necessarily a bad thing.

She falls behind again before long back to Will's side. ]

Thanks again for letting me tag along, dude.

[ Will's mind works in a very unusual way, it makes him pick out certain traits and behaviors of the people he sees around him. So much so, that his is even able to assume what a person has been doing prior as well as what they may be about to do. It's not a magical power or anything and in fact, it's more like an illness- Anyway, Will being Will, he was already gathering silent information about Rose, the way she was with Winston, himself and his behavior towards her. He'd noticed he seemed more excited than normal in her presence and had a patient air around her... Much like he did with his pack back home.

Watching as the two ran off without him, Will laughed and smiled, comfortable in his slower pace and just as comfortable watching them chase each other. He was pleased that Winston was going to be tired, because truth be told, with his health the way it is now? He's not as fit and able to keep up with his dog all that well.

Once Rose drops back to his side, Winston slowing too, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, panting heavy. Will laughed. ]

You're more than welcome to join us, anytime, really.

[ She'd be interested in that sort of empathy; there's a lot that Rose doesn't say, but lies beneath the surface. Rose doesn't lie necessarily but there's a fair bit that she omits. It's a bad habit that she's still in the process of breaking but time will tell if she's ever truly rid of it. ]

Well, if you don't mind! I'd be happy to. I, uh. I promised a friend I'd keep up with exercising.

[ She's still upbeat but there's an obvious tinge of melancholy in her tone at the mention of this promise. The promise itself isn't what's sad, but the implication behind it is. ]

It's not, like, a big deal or anything! But a promise is a promise, y'know?

[ As helpful as his empathy is, it's also a curse. Even just looking at someone for too long makes Will overthink things, your eyes give away more about you than just your emotions. Will can pick up on things like jaundice or blood pressure problems... It becomes annoying.

As for promises? Will tries not to make them anymore, just in case he can't keep them, he knows how important they can be to other.

Feeling down and petting Winston before pouring some of his water bottle into his hand for the dog to drink. ]

You don't have to talk about anything tricky... I'm not gonna judge you either way... I'm just glad to have the company.

[ Okay, that sounded a bit rude... This is why he doesn't socialize. Hopefully, she'll be able to tell by the expression on his face that he didn't mean anything bad by that. ]

[ Rose didn't try to make them. In fact, she only made this one because it was important. Hiruma was someone that she wanted to make proud, to show that she valued his faith in her... He might not ever know, honestly, how much he meant to her those darkest days in Haven.

Hopefully someday she'll get the chance to tell him. ]

Nah, no worries. I get ya'!

[ Thankfully for Will, Rose doesn't actually do awkward. She's all about rolling with things - for better or worse - so though she might notice... she won't ever draw attention to it. ]

Sometimes it is just nice to have someone around.

Yea, I er, know what you mean. That's why I like my dogs... I'm just thankful I at least have Winston here with me... Miss the other, though, I tell ya, dog walking was far more fun when you have a whole pack with you. The more the merrier if you ask me.

[ He smiled, tossing a stick for Winston to fetch, watching happily as the dog ran off with a wagging tail.

Maybe some day he'll ask Rose to tell him more about her life prior to this cave? She seemed like a nice young lady, she was outgoing and friendly, something Will wasn't normally. Maybe she would be good for him. ]

[ Haven isn't something Rose likes talking about. Well. She doesn't like thinking back on the bad parts, anyway. Of which there were... far too many for any one person to be exposed to. Just like the ring though, she survived.

Well. Technically. Hadriel is a bit of a 'third chance' seeing as how she's permanently died in two other worlds now, but. Eh. Details. ]

Exactly! I miss my packmates sometimes, actually. I have a couple of them here, but... I hope the others are doing alright wherever they ended up.

[ She waffles between hope that they made it out like her or believing in the likely bitter reality that they're stuck in cold storage somewhere. It really depends on the day. ]

[ Will is brilliant at observing, he picks up right away that Rose said my packmates, either suggesting that she had a load of her own animals too, or was referring to friends and family as her pack. She didn't seem to have any animals with her so maybe it was her friends?

Giving her a smile as he thought about it more to himself, starting to jog a little faster now, he wanted to see how quickly she could go from lightly running to picking up the pace after that little chase her and Winston had going on. ]

Keep up and we can talk about it some more!

[ The people she loved, they were called her 'packmates.' No other word truly did how she felt about them justice. She used to be afraid of saying that, afraid of what people might think but Haven... Well, Haven taught her that there's so much more than just her out there. There's also a lot worse than her kind out there, so. She isn't as scared of letting what she is be known, however subtly. ]

Wha-

[ Oho! A challenge, is it? Well, he'll quickly learn that she's the competitive sort. So when he says to 'keep up,' she will definitely do that. ] You got it, dude! [ -is all she'll say before starting to run a little faster to catch (and keep) up with him. ]

Time to rise and shine!

[ -comes a rather impressively loud shout from outside Matt's house followed by a shrill whistle. Sorry, Matt's roommates, Rose doesn't understand the art of subtly. Besides, this was the best way to get his attention without breaking and entering. They probably wouldn't have appreciated that much more than this, honestly, so it's the lesser of two evils.

Calling? Texting? Who needs those when you've got a singer's voice that carries for miles? Okay, well, maybe not actual miles... But the point still stands! The blond is at the ready downstairs with arms crossed, hair pulled up, and work out clothes on. She's ready to learn Matt a thing or two about martial arts.

Or, at least, she hopes so. The blond definitely has the moxy and the drive but she's never actually... taught. She'd never wanted to, honestly. Passing on her skills always felt like something that was wrong until places like Haven and Hadriel. Now she knows these strengths of hers can be used for good instead of harm. She trusts Matt to keep it that way at the least. ]

( Well. That's one way to wake him up, although Matt had the sense to set an alarm when he agreed to this, so he's already awake, just-

Well, honestly? He's lying in bed, regretting this decision. Should have insisted on the evening, or something. But, with Rose outside, and his need to be anything but helpless here, Matt pushes himself out of bed, grabs the first set of clothes he finds - jogging bottoms and a t-shirt - and forces himself to get ready.

Five minutes and some cold water splashed on his face later, he's outside, looking as awake as any teenage boy can manage to at ass o'clock in the morning. )

Moooorning.

( That was the worst attempt at stifling a yawn. The worst. )

[ To be fair, Rose is only awake because she... doesn't sleep. Usually she'll crash from exhaustion about once a week for a few hours, but obviously today is not that day. No, today she is bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

Well. Maybe not bright-eyed but... definitely a bit more lively than usual. The fact that she has both hands could also have something to do with that. Also how incredibly sleepy Matt still is definitely amusing.

But he agreed to this. So she's going to do her best to provide. ]

Ready for a morning jog? Gotta' get some cardio in before I teach ya' anything, y'know. [ She doesn't but warming up with help. ]

( He did agree to it, so - like with early morning football practice - he's gonna grin and bear it. Remember that this is just another step in getting somewhere. In surviving this place, in remaining fit and moving forward with his life.

He can't keep hoping that they'll go back home, back to something normal.

A smile manages to grace his face, once the yawn's finally worn off and he's shook out his limbs. )

Sure. How far? ( How many laps isn't exactly an option here. But this seems pretty on course with how his training sessions for football went, so Matt doesn't seem put off or surprised by it. )

[ It probably helps that Rose never had that hope to begin with. Her presence in her world was already erased before she ended up in Haven and Hadriel after. Sometimes it's a sad realization. Other times, she's thankful for the time it's given her.

Right now? It's the latter. ]

Uhm. That's a good question. What do you feel up to?

[ 'Nothing,' probably, but she's never been a teacher before. So. Hey. Testing the waters here. ]

( Probably. He wonders if it is easier to come here from somewhere so bad that this seems like a break.

But that isn't his world, his life. So he can't say. )

A mile? ( In practice, in can vary, depend on what else they're doing, stretches, other exercises, but that's a reasonable amount for their first session, he thinks. )

[ Hadriel is definitely easier than Haven. In some regards. In others, it's like torture in ways Haven couldn't be. Which might be hard to believe and yet... ]

Alright! A mile. To start. [ Meaning there might be more. ]

What's your fastest time? [ Surprisingly, that's a thing that yokai and humans have in common. They're always trying to outdo each other. Things like speed and kill counts (less human) said a lot. Rose was proud of the former but the latter... Well, she didn't ever want to have a high amount.

But people don't always get what they want, huh? ]

( And yet possible. But we won't dwell too long when there's exercise to be done, when there are other things to distract and occupy them.

He hums thoughtfully and eventually says; ) A little under 9 minutes. ( Could be better, faster, his coach says, but it's good and he's got something to aim towards. Having a goal has always helped him out, given him something to strive for. Motivation. )

[ Distractions are great, aren't they? Rose is rather fond of them herself. ]

Nine minutes! Not bad, dude. I've never timed myself, actually. I'll have to see how I do running at human speed.

[ Does Matt know she isn't anything but human? Well, he does now. What an anti-climatic reveal. ]

( He's never had that much cause to need them before, but now they seem pretty great. )

Uh... human?

( Nope. He knew nothing. )

[ Oh.

It's not a secret as it used to be. It took two years in Haven before she broke the news willingly. Once she did, it was almost like the floodgates opened and nearly everyone knew who she was. Well. Jo helped with that, too. ]

Yeah, I'm what's called a yokai. We're, uh, like... spirits of animals. Ghosts. Apparitions. Whatever. But with humanoid bodies. [ Her kind are complicated, okay. ] We used to just be animals but as people grew and changed so did we. I look a little different but right now I got a glamour on to look more human since, well, it's just easier that way.

[ There's more to it than that but she'll leave it there unless he decides to pry. ]

But basically! I'm made of tougher stuff than regular people. Can run faster, too.

( He's never even heard of such things before. Such things, back home, wouldn't have even crossed his mind as a possibility.

But a lot of things here seem impossible until they happen. Matt's... trying to deal with that. To accept that monsters are real, that he's come back to life, that he needs to be able to defend himself and others against them.

He stops, for a minute, just to process it. )

That sounds pretty cool.

( Well. Tough stuff and being fast? Yeah. That sounds cool to the teenager who recently came back from the dead. )

[ Every time someone says that, she can't help that it feels a little bittersweet. It sounds fun on the surface, doesn't it? But peel away the cool superhero-esque powers and you find a monster with fangs, claws, and an unorthodox appetite. It sounds cool, sure, but the reality is anything but.

Not that she's going to ever to admit as such to Matt. She wants to spare him from the truth of what she is if she can. So far, she's been doing well in Hadriel. Hungry, sure, but her kind can go centuries without feeding before it becomes any sort of problem. ]

It is pretty cool! I don't like using any of it unless I have to though so don't worry. I'm not gonna, like, show you up or anything.

[ Seeing as how she made plans for running with Will too, Rose might have to end up alternating jogging days between the two. While she's just happy to get out and make Hiruma proud by keeping up with the exercise he'd prescribed, Rose has also been looking forward to this for her own reasons. It's been a while since she's gotten the chance to stretch her actual legs (so to speak). And this is a safe way to do it.

Rose had seen how things ended with the dragons. She also wasn't too keen on fighting so called 'demons.' After Haven, she's a bit more smart about putting herself in life threatening situations but the last thing she wants to do is get rusty either. Besides, it's again the least she could do to honor Hiruma. What would he think, if he could see her now? Both hands back intact, doing her best...

It's still day by day at the moment. Some days are better than others, but that's okay. She'll get there. For the first time in a long while, she actually believes she will.

Kate doesn't need to message Rose now that she's got the woman's scent. Instead, the blond comes to her all ready and raring to go. She's fairly chipper for this early. Hadriel hasn't seen too much of the 'peppy' Rose yet though hopefully that'll be changing soon. ]

Morning! Hope you don't mind me dropping in.

Nah. ( Kate's a morning person.

Well. Not peppy by any stretch of the imagination, but alert and unbothered by the early hour, already sipping coffee with her clothes on and hair styled - well, thrown into a set of plaits that fall over her shoulders and drop to her waist. Same thing.

She drains the rest of the cup - the one with an elephant on it, given to her for painting or cleaning or killing those weird eyeball things, she doesn't know, months ago - into the sink and stretches. )

Ready to go, or d'ya need a drink? ( Or breakfast, but that would involve Kate making food, which is not a thing most people want. Ever. )

[ Compared to Rose's barely put together ponytail and clothes she probably (totally) slept in, Kate is looking mighty fine this morning. Not that Kate doesn't already look mighty fine all the time.

Ahem. ]

Nah, I'm ready to go! [ A stretch, to reaffirm her point.

Besides, Rose isn't... about the food thing. Not that she doubts Kate's cooking. Though it sounds like their skills might be on par there (abysmal?) so it's probably for the best she can't actually eat right now. ]

( Well, the only reason Kate tries to keep reasonably put together is because of work, and the only reason she's wearing clothes that weren't slept in is because she actually slept in her own bed, for once.

(Also, let us take this moment to imagine a murdercave in which all the beautiful people can groom themselves properly.)

It doesn't seem to bother Kate - who would rather do many, many things before starting to make food - and she shrugs one shoulder and nods. )

Reet. Where d'ya feel like going?

( Because honestly she changes things up pretty frequently. )

[ (Rose would KO immediately. Not that she isn't a knock out herself at top form but good luck getting her to see it.) ]

I'm happy to follow you! You're probably more familiar with the cave than I am being here longer and all.

[ So feel free to change it up, Kate, because Rose is nothing is not adaptable. It helps that she has four worlds under her belt now, after all. ]

( (Let us all dream of a Hadriel ball, tbh.)

With a smirk, Kate gestures to the stairs with a cock of her head and starts in that direction. The balcony upstairs is a nice launching point, really. ) C'mon, then.

( Best show off that adaptability, Rosie, because Kate isn't waiting to jog upstairs and towards the balcony. )

[ (If only, if only... )

Oh, gosh, are they starting already? There's about a couple seconds delay before she's dashing up the stairs after the woman. She doesn't doubt that the balcony will be a nice launching point; the blond has actually scaled the spire that she lives in before. It was kind of cool. ]

( Kate doesn't really do that "waiting around" stuff. Not when there's actual running to be done. She's at the balcony and hopping off it onto the next rooftop without waiting, only stopping once she lands, checking behind her.

Where they're going? Who knows. Kate's probably just gonna pick a few random rooftops and see where she ends up. )

[ So Rose is learning! It's kind of refreshing, actually, to have someone get up and go. The last person she'd known like that was Hiruma, which...

The thought of him causes a bittersweet pang in her heart. It's for him that she's doing this, actually, and she had figured that this would be a way to keep herself in check without him around. A way for him to be proud of her when she saw him again (she would see him again, of course) though... It stings in unexpected ways, honestly, to think about how he isn't here. Jesse, Peter, Dylas, and all the others. Only a handful of them managed to escape Haven.

The blond stays silent, however, not wanting to dampen the mood any even if she is decidedly more contemplative than cheery. All that probably matters is that she's following, huh? Which, hey, she is doing. The woman doesn't even so much as blink when Kate hops off the balcony. She wastes no time in following suite. ]

( It's not until a few rooftops have been hop-skipped in a manner that's almost lazy for Kate that she says anything, slowing to a halt on one. )

How fast can you go?

( She glances over the horizon, over the mass of buildings, mentally picking a course, a destination. )

A blur to the human eye at my fastest.

[ Which is said a lot more casually than it has any right to be. Though, considering they're hopping along rooftops... ]

( Now she'd actually really like to see that. Of all the things Superhumanity grants its people - the stamina, the powers, the super-physical skills - eyesight was not among them, no better than human eyes, with years of training and practice all Kate has to rely on when she sprints at full speed. )

Gonna back that up?

( Call it a challenge, as Kate picks out a rooftop near one of the spires and points to it. ) Think you can get to that one?

[ Oho! A challenge. Rose accepts it, honestly, because it's been too long since she's gotten to test her skills. They're rusty, likely, but what better time to brush that off. ]

Am I ever! [ Admittedly, she does have a bit of competitive flair. One of the not so bad things that transferred over from the ring.

The woman positions herself into a sprinting start position, crouched down and hands firmly planted on the ground. She gives a quiet countdown before a mental gunshot pops off in her head and she's off.

True to her word, she's a veritable blur streaked across the rooftops before she hits the one Kate had pointed at. The woman turns and waves, smiling wide. ]

( Well.

She wasn't kidding.

Kate lets out a low whistle from the starting point, pushing a loose bit of hair back out of her face.

The run she makes might not be quite as fast, but her jumps are easy, almost acrobatic at points with how she springs from one roof to another, balancing on narrow edges with superhuman grace and finally landing beside Rose.

... Okay, no one said she didn't have her own show-off, competitive streak. She did want to go into athletics before everything fell apart in her life. )

Nice one. Couldn't even see you.

Thanks! Not bad yourself, actually.

[ Now here comes a probably expected question. ]

What are you, anyway? [ 'Cause until the glowing eyes and now this, Rose would have said 'human.' Kate, for all intents and purposes, smells, sounds, and looks like a human. But there's an underlying hum to her energy now that Rose notices and, well, this. So. Human she obviously ain't. ]

You don't have to answer, I just. Wondered.

( It's not like it's a big secret. Back home, it's more complicated, where humans and superhumans don't really interact, keeping to themselves even if their existence is well known. They have their own societies, and segregation prevents anything more complicated in your daily life. She doesn't need to know how many humans envy their abilities, just concentrates on helping those people in trouble, no matter what they might be. )

Superhuman. That's what they call us back home.

( Honestly, she's never sure how to feel about that. Spending your life told you're not human makes it hard to accept that simple designation, but they're not that different at the end of it. They have enough disadvantages that it really shouldn't matter. Sure, she has ~powers, but does it matter if she won't live as long? Or - for those who care about it - if child bearing is a more difficult task? )

December Catch-All (Semi-Closed)

♪ Will

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♪ Matt

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♪ Kate

latest tag-in ever

fashionably late*

the most fashionable

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