[Closed] One, two, three, not only you and me.

[whatagoodgirl]

Who: Nakama and Johan, Nakama and Nill, and Nakama and Gau
What: A whole lot of meetings involving sightseeing, typing, and note-sharing.
When: Day 24 (I think?), various times.
Where: Loki district and Heimdall district.
Rating: G, will edit if it changes.

[Comment headers will be placed in the entry for each character's log!]

Comments

[Johan]

[whatagoodgirl]

[At three o'clock, as promised, Nakama stands outside of Loki's House with a rolled-up map in her hands. She's a girl of five feet, tallish for her age but extremely skinny, dressed in an oversized sweater and jeans - over her shoulders, though, hangs an elaborate and old-fashioned cloak clasped at her chest. Fashion statement? Quirk of her world? It's not immediately clear. It's probably not hers originally, though, because it's far too big.

She's not watching the door for Johan's arrival, though, because she's curious about Loki's district. After having mapped it, she hasn't spent a lot of time here, and she can't think of many people she knows from here. Just what are Loki's residents like?]

[uglyinside]

[ Since arriving in this strange world, Johan's body had gone on autopilot, as had his mannerisms. This was a rather strong puncture in his plan for his story to come to an end, and a rather unfortunate time for such a detour to occur. Much of his life was spent inside of his mind, with the suffocating fog of images and memories that helped cultivate an attitude that there was no sense in worrying about distorted aspects of reality. No sense in pondering sanity as if it was something to be preserved, or something that equaled salvation. He sought out clarity in this place, of course, but it was not something he felt urgent. It was easy enough to figure out the rules of any place and the expectations.

The door slowly pulls open from the inside, and Johan emerges from the shade and out into the afternoon sunlight. A tall, slenderly built man, his eyes shone with kindness at Nakama as he softly greeted her with the words: ]

Have you been waiting long?

[whatagoodgirl]

[Nakama is really, really not the type of girl to be dazzled by a handsome man. In fact, she's usually more flustered with a pretty woman than a good-looking man. But for the second time, she's taken aback by just how attractive and - well, pretty Johan is. He's certainly not womanly - one could never mistake him for a woman in men's clothing - but there is something of the feminine about him. It's a blending of the genders that catches her eye and holds it for long enough to be considered extremely rude.]

Oh - um, no, not at all. Sorry, I just - [Man, she's bad at excuses.] - everyone looks a bit different when you meet them in person. It takes some getting used to.

[uglyinside]

[ Johan's eyes drift close and he bows his head for a moment, his smile becoming warmer. His eyes open to allow his gaze to drift over at the dimly-coloured scenery around them. ]

I can't thank you enough for your help, Nakama. [ His gaze fixes ahead on her, once again. ]

Would you mind waiting just one moment?

[whatagoodgirl]

Eh? Oh, no... it's okay. [She twists the map in her hand, having forgotten about it for a moment, and watches him curiously.]

[uglyinside]

[ Leaving the door wide open, Johan turns and steps a few feet, before seemingly disappearing around the corner for a bit less than a minute. He arrives once again at the threshold, this time with a bag slung over his shoulder. In his grip is a batch of cookies, wrapped in plastic. ]

I apologize for the wait. I kept thinking about what I could do to repay your unsolicited kindness, and so I made some cookies today.

[ He holds out the bag to her. ] They're fresh. Just out of the oven twenty minutes ago. I was almost hoping you'd be late, because I was cutting the timing so close.

[whatagoodgirl]

[...

... she has no idea what to say. It's just a map, one that she's giving out to everyone who needs it, and he baked her cookies in return. She's received quite a few kindnesses since arriving here, some small and some large, but this one really knocks her for a loop.]

Oh my gosh... thank you, Johan. [She extends and retracts her hand a couple of times, not sure whether to hand over the map or take the cookies first, then finally accepts the cookies before holding the map out to him.] Really, thank you. You didn't have to, at all.

[uglyinside]

[ Taking the map in one hand, he uses his other to hold it up, in a humble gesture that requests her to stop her expression of gratitude. ] No need for that. Besides, it gave me something to do with my time.

[ His head inclines a bit as he looks at her curiously. ]

I hope you're not too cold. We could always cancel the tour.

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh no, this is really warm. [She tugs at the cloak a bit with her free hand.] It's not like wearing a jacket, but you get used to it after awhile. It's like having a blanket around you all the time.

Is there anything in particular that you want to see in this district? Each one has a kind of feature, and Loki's is a bar, so of course I've never been there.

[Nill]

[whatagoodgirl]

[Since Nill was so nervous about finding Heimdall, Nakama keeps her eyes peeled as she sits on the steps of the House, never looking one way too long for fear that Nill might come from the other. She's dressed as in the comment above, holding her cloak around her for warmth, and she's trying to keep a gentle and kind expression on her face the entire time so as to set the skittish girl at ease.]

/LATEST

[respite]

[ she's actually a little late, on account of getting lost and then being chased by a stray dog. therefore, when she gets there, she's a little out of breath and kind of all sorts of unsure. wandering the streets and looking very, very bewildered, she finally finds someone who points her to the right place.

it's with great nervousness that she advances with Heimdall in sight. her steps seem to drag. she's late! she's really late! what if it makes the other girl mad? what if she's busy? what if she doesn't want to talk to her any more? it almost makes her stop-- but by then, she's within view of the building. it's only then that she notices the figure huddled at the steps of the House, wrapped in a cloak and looking fairly cold and--

she nearly bursts into tears right there and then. running up! looking frantic! have all the frantic bowing, nakama. ]

[whatagoodgirl]

Nill, h -

[She stands up quickly, reaching out as though to grab her by the shoulders, but her hands just linger in midair a few inches away.]

Nill? Are you okay? Did something happen?

[respite]

[ at the sudden motion from nakama, she flinches, drawing away also reflexively. however, it seems like the motion was merely on a subconscious level, for she's still bowing and making frantic gestures, sob sob sob. she's not very coherent right now, give her a sec.

but she manages to shake her head at nakama's question. still looking as though she's ready to burst into tears, she reaches for nakama's hands. taking them into her warm and rubbing them! your hands must be so cold-- ]

[whatagoodgirl]

You're worried about me? [She slips a hand out to touch one of Nill's gently, reassuring.] Nill, I'm fine! I haven't been waiting too long at all.

[See that smile? That's her most placating smile.]

[respite]

[ ah, a look of relief. she presses nakama's hands up to her forehead, before letting them go. still, though, she's not entirely convinced-- it's very cold outside! being cold is not good!

her wings flutter as she glances from nakama to the door to the hall and back again. then, pointing insistently-- they should get inside! you need to go inside and warm up! ]

[whatagoodgirl]

Alright, let's go. [With a gentle smile, she leads the way up the steps and inside. Instead of heading for the living room or her room, though, she starts toward the kitchen. If it is the cold she's worried about...]

Would you like some hot cocoa or tea?

[respite]

[ and she follows, perhaps a little gratefully-- despite her tardiness, the girl still wishes to talk to her. mentally noting to thank her properly later, she trails after the other girl like a lost puppy, eyes gazing around the hall in wonder.

at the other's question, she tilts her head. she knows what tea is, but-- she nods, anyway, though, because it really would be nice to have some tea-- though she does give the other girl a quizzical glance. hot cocoa? ]

[Gau]

[whatagoodgirl]

[At the time they arranged, Nakama waits in Heimdall's living room for Gau to arrive. It's nice not to have to worry about whether or not he can find the place, since he's got such a close friend here. She's also got a map out, since they're comparing notes, not just going over his. The cloak has been left in her room, but he might notice that she's in the same sweater and jeans she was wearing the first time they met - she hasn't spared a single rune on clothing since she arrived, and doesn't really plan to.]

Re: [Gau]

[teacuptarget]

[He's wearing the same outfit too, actually: sweater vest, tie, dress shirt and pants, messenger bag. He's smiling, as usual, and actually comes into the room from upstairs, having stopped in to say hello to his partner first. He's carrying a small white cardboard box in his hands, and holds it very steadily and carefully as he enters the room.]

I wasn't sure what you'd like, but I have cookies and muffins!

[Not exactly a formal greeting, but they are friends now, after all!]

[Gau]

[whatagoodgirl]

{She looks up, surprised, and leaps to her feet in alarm.]

You didn't have to bring anything...! Did you buy those?

Re: [Gau]

[teacuptarget]

Well, yes, but it's no big deal. It's not as if I use the money I get from working for housing or anything.

[He laughs and steps over to set the box down on the nearest table.]

I really only work because I'd go crazy if I didn't.

[whatagoodgirl]

Still, that's... [She forces herself not to keep objecting and to accept this gift. It's a daily struggle, not rejecting help and kindness from her friends.] ... that's really nice, thanks. I'll pay you back somehow.

[teacuptarget]

Weren't you going to provide the tea? That was our deal.

[He grins as he sets his messenger bag down, settles himself on the floor, his legs crossed.]

I think that's a very fair trade.

[whatagoodgirl]

But the tea doesn't - oh, alright. That's okay for now. [She stands up and heads for the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder.] I'll be right out with the tea!

[teacuptarget]

[He can't help but be a little amused with how reluctantly she gives in.

She really is like him, from a few years ago.

In fact, as he waits for her there, he considers whether he should tell her that, should share that with her. He brings out his notebooks, setting them out before him on the floor, and waits quietly, lost in his thoughts.]