asgardmeridiem | WELCOME TO ASGARD (part two) [OPEN]

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WELCOME TO ASGARD (part two) [OPEN]

Who: EVERYONE!
What: Getting introduced to the city
When: Day 1, around noon
Where: The castle plaza and the Welcome Halls
Rating: Worksafe -- If this changes, please inform the mods.

[Welcome to the city of Asgard. Now that you've woken up and been given your welcome instructions (as per the FAQ), what will you do? There are a good number of other new arrivals being shown to the gates, and for today the plaza that surrounds the castle is open for mingling. You could also head to your Welcome Hall (details here) and meet your Housemates if you'd like. Whatever you decide to do, have fun getting settled into your new home!]

(ooc note: there will be threads below for the plaza and each House. Mingle and get to know your fellow Travellers! This is a continuations post, but by all means feel free to start new threads.)

[thread links: CASTLE PLAZA | ODIN | THOR | LOKI | SIGYN | HEL | HEIMDALL | FREYR | FREYA | BALDR ]

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[ That's a relief. He wouldn't want any of them beating themselves up over the inevitable. The news about Aigis hurts a bit, but he'd kind of expected it. Of course she'd take it badly. Minato had been the one thing she wanted to protect most in the world, the one person she trusted more than anyone, and he'd just... fallen asleep.

If there's anyone he feels guiltiest over abandoning, it's Aigis. But Aigis isn't here. ]

That's good. [ He could say more, but he doesn't trust himself to. Maybe talking about how things were back home hadn't been such a good idea after all. ] Any questions about this place your maid didn't answer?

[She observes his reaction to that part narrowly. It's more than a little bit of jealousy, certainly. He'd already spent his last moment -- not counting now -- with Aigis; did he miss her the most now, too? Does he wish she was here instead of Yukari?

But those aren't thoughts she likes harboring at all. She really dislikes them, in fact. She briefly puts his other question on hold to go on.]

They were closing down the dorm in a week or so. We were all moving out.

[She pauses.] About this place... I don't know. I don't know if there's anything I can really do except take it at face value, huh?

Permanently? [ Even though he'd tried changing the subject, his curiosity's nearly endless, and that definitely draws his attention. It wasn't like most of them didn't have somewhere else to go... He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about it, especially if they were all moving out permanently. The seniors surely had to, but the juniors...? ]

Yeah. Since we didn't need it anymore, I guess... They wanted to use it for something else?

[ Stupid. Gekkoukan had other dorms, he knows that. But they weren't his. As much distance as he'd subconsciously kept, as unsentimental as he tended to be...

Those dorms were still home.

And no, it doesn't matter. He's never going back, so why should it? He feels even more tired than ever and allows himself to fall backwards on the bed, eyes shut while one hand rubs at them idly, not because he's crying or anything. He hasn't cried since he was a little kid. His eyes hurt a little, though, like maybe they want him to.

No need to say anything. His reaction is pretty clear - the walls are down, and so is he. ]

[That's as much of a reaction as anything has ever gotten out of their leader. Yukari has to admit she's surprised that the building's closure had had a more pronounced effect than seeing her, than hearing about Aigis... but when she thinks about it, it makes sense. That was home. That was reality. He didn't want the world to change without him...? Well, neither did she, for that matter.

This isn't the time to repeat herself, to tell him that she loves him and always will and damn meeting anyone else ever again, if she goes home she'll stay single forever... Especially since that's creepy and clingy, and she knows it.

Even all of that aside, though, he'd been there for her many times, but this was maybe the first or second time she could really be there for him. She could hardly have, if she wanted to, stopped herself from leaning back also and giving him another tight, wordless hug.]

[ Minato had nearly forgotten Yukari for a moment, but now that she's close again forgetting about her isn't an option. There's nothing worryingly dramatic about his behavior, he hopes. Yukari's had enough to deal with, he doesn't want to worry her any more than she's been worried already.

One hand flops down to his side, no longer rubbing at his eyes, and he shifts the other to wrap up around Yukari's back once again.

This could be worse. This isn't as horrible as it could be. At least he trusts Yukari. The hug may even have helped, even if its main effect was to snap Minato out of whatever funk he'd gotten himself into.

It's silent for a long while until he finally finds some words. ] Things change. They move on.

[ It had always been a rule of his life. It's the only thing that hasn't changed - the certainty that things do change and that nothing is permanent. ]

[It's nice, for her, anyway. Being worried about his living reaction is infinitely better than being sure of the alternative, and she really does want to take care of him as much as she can. If this is a second chance to do that better, she'll take it. She nestles quietly in that position during that long silence before he says that.

It's a little jarring to hear. She can't help but take it, rightly or wrongly, as partially a comment on the big subject they're avoiding. Not everything moves on, she wants to say; not everyone can move on, even if they really, really want to. Even if that was their job and their promise.]

But not everything has to, right? Some things can stay the same?

[She wants them to, badly.]

[ He's not entirely aware of how she's misinterpreting him. Minato is sure of their bond, as sure as he can be about anything. He does sense that she's looking for a particular answer, here, though. That's a leading question if there ever was one.

There's nothing particularly romantic about his answer. He doesn't take her hand, or hug her tighter. He just rolls his head to the side and meets her eyes. ] Not everything, no.

[But that's good enough for her. She doesn't recognize that she made it obvious what she wanted to hear. That's just what people do, anyway... Hearing him say it is what she wanted, and he has that way of sounding earnest about it and looking into her eyes and...

She swallows, and lifts a quick smile.] I'm glad....

[If she were more eloquent, and less tongue-tied, and if it felt necessary -- she would go on more, but that feels like enough said about that, for now.]

We're all going to be friends anyway and everything, dorm or not.

[Though that a touch guiltily, since she's been pushing them away.]

[ It's clear enough that he'd chosen the right words, though there had never been any doubt about that. They're still sort of curled together, but that's okay. Yukari needs this, and he doesn't mind it either. If anything, it's nice. Comforting. Just like what she tells him next.

There's a definite warmth to his gaze, now. ] Good. I'd hate to see you fall apart with me.

[ A general "you". But it applies to her specifically, too. ]

[That's confirmation, if nothing else is, of how wrong she was in some ways, to practically disconnect from her friends afterwards. But she couldn't handle it, she really couldn't... It would've been temporary, she tells herself. Things would've gone back to normal.

That individual meaning of 'you' is what she seizes on.]

I won't. I... I wouldn't ever forget, but I promised. I won't run away and I won't lose.

[ That attitude has always made him really... proud of her. For lack of a better word. That kind of determination is really admirable, and he knows she really means it and how hard it was for Yukari to get to that point.

He nods twice and finally pulls her closer, rubbing her back with his palm. ] I believed it then and I believe it now.

Yeah, you better...!

[It's kind of surprising to her that she can even adopt that teasing tone, but she's fallen into normality again so quickly. She closes her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy this. She can't deny that at this point, this could very well be some kind of twisted dream, because, well, it's just what she wanted... along with the surreal new world component. But she can't bring herself to care about that. Her fingers press against his back, too, verifying its tactility once more, and she lets out a little sigh, half-content and half-exhausted.

After a moment, though, she opens her eyes again.]

Uh, Minato-kun, I guess that means... am I the first person from Port Island you've seen here?

[ He gives her a small smile, recognizing the teasing for what it really is. She's not the only one to think this is kind of nice, though he's long past thinking it's a dream. This is very much real, and it's a relief having someone here he knows and trusts.

Well, other than... ]

I already mentioned Ryoji. But other than him, that's it. [ His expression is perfectly relaxed but also frank - he either hadn't seen any of the others or they hadn't shown up yet. ]

[She doesn't really think of him the same way, as someone from Port Island, that is. But -- fair enough, then. She nods.]

I guess we can't do anything about that... If we're stuck here all alone, or I mean, without the others...

...! I-I mean, don't take that the wrong way or anything...!

[Oooops.]

[ Which "here" does she mean? In Asgard, or in his room? This is awfully familiar... ]

Too late.

[ Not that he minds her clumsy phrasing. It's just that, clumsy phrasing. Maybe a little suggestive if you read into it too much, but other than the hint of amusement he finds in Yukari's wording sometimes, he definitely would never judge her for it.

Just tease her, a bit. ] We are all alone.

Edited 2011-12-19 03:33 (UTC)

[Yukari's face is all red... to say the least.]

H-Hey! Don't... [She doesn't finish that thought, though. That echo raises some strong memories, and she ends up smiling, albeit in a flustered way. Her fingers curl slightly, stroking across his back where she's still holding him loosely.]

...Don't you think I know that?

[She lets out a little laugh, while still blushing at the same time. ...She's quickly deciding she could get used to this place.]

[ You spend a special evening with Yukari... ]

Edited 2011-12-20 04:19 (UTC)

[ He sees that. But despite the awkward phrasing, Minato gets the sense that there was something she wanted to say. Them being alone here... it wasn't the worst outcome, but neither was it the best, as far as he's concerned. ]

You were saying?

R-Right.

[Calming down.]

If it's just the two of us... do you think this is really just a separate world? There's no going back for us from here, and we can't get out together?

[Because she's kind of liking (well, not liking but) the idea that she was chosen to rescue him from Purgatory or something.]

[ Unaware of exactly what she's thinking, Minato can only ponder upon her suggestion. ]

Yes, it's separate. But even if it's just the two of us from our group, we're not alone. There are others too, from different words than ours.

[ As for not being able to leave... Minato tears his eyes from hers and abruptly pulls away and up into a sitting position. How to explain this...? ]

I can't go back. [ It's said quietly. He's still not looking at her. ] You know why. And if they force me to somehow... [ A deep breath and a shrug. ] I don't mind it here. I hope they don't.

[ It's the most he's shared of his feelings on the matter to date. The sharing itself makes him a little uncomfortable, though, thus the pulling away and general awkwardness compared to before. ] You might be able to leave, though. If you wanted to.

[She shifts and sits up, too, because it's awkward to talk to him from that position now, and because she's suddenly a little nervous. That nervousness is borne out when she hears what he has to say.

No, she wants to say; don't give up. That's just giving up...! How can he be sure about that? But she doesn't say it, and the words die in her throat in the face of his certainty.

She's not giving up, that's for sure. If she can find a way that he can return with her, alive and well, then she'd want to take it. But... one thing's for sure.]

If you're here, I'm staying, Minato-kun.

...I mean, I know you wouldn't leave if it were me... so if you're here, I don't want to go back.

[ It's not that he's giving up. He's just facing the facts. If he'd really died, and if Yukari is from the future, she knew that was what had happened. There'd been a body probably. Maybe a funeral. How that works when he has a body here, he doesn't know. That's an inconsistency that has been nagging at him for a while, now.

Still, it's logical to think that at least to that world, he's gone forever.

Yukari's promise to stay doesn't surprise him, but in a way it's disappointing. She has her whole life ahead of her back there. Other friends, her mother, a future she can look forward to. If he could go back and have these things, he'd do it in a heartbeat. What exactly is so appealing about sticking by the side of a sorta-dead guy in the mythical city of Asgard?

When Minato glances back at her, he's more confused than anything. Ultimately, though, he doesn't get it and doesn't try to get it. How is it possible that she could love him more than everything else waiting for her back home? And would he really not leave her behind if it were her? At the very least, it would be tempting. Now that he'd sort of figured out how to live his life, he really does want to. Choosing between keeping Yukari company and going to live his life again with everyone else back home would suck.

He can't say which he'd choose. It makes him feel strangely like he's betrayed her. She thinks too highly of him. Minato tears his eyes away and remains silent for now, though he does give a rather final nod of his head, trying to appear as if he understands. ]

[She thinks it's possible that instead of dying, he came here... and maybe something happened that pulled her, Yukari, into here later on. She came here after Minato and Ryoji, right? So that could make sense. And Ryoji had disappeared before either of them, so it wasn't as if that disproved anything. They could all have been taken away from home, and if so, they might all be able to go back...

And at any rate, whether or not it's a realistic hope, it's one she wants to hang on to.

There's no doubt in Yukari's mind about staying, anyway. If this world was colorless, so too was theirs, after his death. She'd had happy plans, plans of moving forward and reconciling and -- they'd saved the world, right? Didn't they deserve that? -- And there were the others, too. Except that his death had changed all that, poisoned it and drained it. Even as she hadn't wanted to, she'd simply felt herself snapping and being sullen. Most of all, friends or not, it feels like none of them are truly in the same position... Or maybe she just can't tell. Except maybe Aigis, and she'd withdrawn too, and anyway, how do you seek solace from the robot girl who openly made it her life's mission to protect him?

At any rate, she's gone over that a hundred times already. His reaction is strangely muted there, and she doesn't quite know what to make of it. She gives it a smile, then.]

Alright, so it's settled... We'll figure this place out.

[Maybe she'll even be able to have a life here... That's all that the gods had said they wanted them to do, right? If there really wasn't any more to it than that, Yukari is finding it hard to say no. They've given her, more or less, what she wanted, and sure, she'd rather have it in other circumstances, with the others around, and with other hopes alive, but who is she to say no (especially when she'd have to go out of her way and try to say no)?]

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whoa typo alert withOUT that is kind of key, oops.

Haha yeah, I figured...

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2/2 j/k....

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