001 || Of Arrivals and Introductions

[crimsonmischief]

[The handwriting appearing across the page was a messy scrawl, one that you would perhaps see from a scientist, if said scientist was forced to take up calligraphy lessons because someone had gotten tired of trying to decipher his illegible scribbles. The lessons were perhaps not a success in the conventional sense as the handwriting was far from elegant, but at least people could now actually read what was being written.]

I must say that hatching out of a cocoon is not something I’ve ever experienced before, or at least, it’s not something I think I’ve ever experienced before~! I’m not sure if I would ever want to be born in such a way again. Once makes for an interesting experience, more than that makes for…

[Some ink splotches appeared on the page as the writer tapped the pen absent-mindedly while searching for the phrase he wanted.]

A bad habit! And one must be careful not to accumulate too many of them~

To the dearest Dash-kun who was there to greet the newborn me and explain this extraordinary world, you have Crimson’s thanks~♥! As for the rest of you... Won’t you come introduce yourself to your newest neighbor~?

Assuming of course, that this journal does really work as it's been said to work.

Comments

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

He did indeed quickly scramble back onto his feet to follow after her, somehow finding the scene both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Do I-- That is, do we, um... know each other?"

Because try as he might, he couldn't remember a cat in his dream, much less a talking cat that liked to headbutt people before giving them back their hats.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She looked over her shoulder as she led him through the residential area--they weren't very far from her house, so she'd just take him back there.

"We do. I'll explain what I can once we're inside." She'd be very sparing with the information she parted with--she wasn't taking any chances on giving him too much.

They reached her front door a few minutes later. "Go on and open it," she said. "I left it unlocked earlier."

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Catching the flash of golden eyes as the cat looked back at him, Crimson remembered the same eyes appearing in his dream. But they had belonged to a dark-skinned woman with purple hair and the cat's voice was definitely male...

He silently opened the indicated door, wondering if he should check.

Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She padded inside her living room, not speaking until he'd closed the door behind them. "Come in," she said. "This is my house, so no need to worry about anyone else showing up."

She rarely transformed in front of anyone these days, and very few people even knew she was capable--Kazahana, Toushi, Ghost...everyone else who'd known was either gone or had forgotten. So while she didn't hesitate in her decision, the rarity of it all did cross her mind.

Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

Stopping in the middle of the floor, she turned to face him. Without another word, she focused her energy, feeling her body lengthen and shift. Billows of mist surrounded her, and in moments, a naked woman stood where a cat had been before.

"So," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Does this voice sound like the right one?"

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Following after her curiously, Crimson came to a stop when she turned to face him, gray eyes widening slightly in shock as mist began to form around the cat only to finally dissipate and reveal a woman.

Or more precisely, the woman in his dreams-- The one who had released him from the too tight bonds, the one who had laughed in genuine amusement and happiness, the one who had seemed to be his best friend and perhaps something more. She was there, in front of him, long strands of purple hair running down her back as golden eyes studied him.

And naked. Very, very naked.

"I... It..." His brain didn't seem to want to work. "Where are your clothes?!"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

The look of shock on his face was rather gratifying, and she grinned, letting out a snicker. Deliberately, she lifted one foot, using it to scratch the back of her other leg.

"Did you see me wearing any a minute ago?" She tilted her head, still looking amused. "And you didn't answer my question." Her voice grew a touch more serious.

"Am I familiar to you, then?"

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"T-That's because you were a kitty!"

Yet even as he was verbally protesting her nakedness (or was he?), Crimson couldn't help it as his eyes drifted down her body, very obviously liking what he saw before he suddenly realized exactly what he was doing. Blushing slightly, he quickly fumbled with his shirt, voice slightly muffled by it before he managed to pull it off, stepping forward to tug it down over her head.

"Yes. You were in my dream." When she was at least partially clothed, his hands slid down to rest familiarly on her hips as he studied her intently. "I know you..."

The last statement, said more to himself than her, seemed to make the knot that had been in his stomach ever since he had arrived here loosen slightly, as if everything would be all right, so long as she was here.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She raised an eyebrow at the way his eyes ran over her, but a moment later he was yanking his shirt over her head; a far cry from his reaction the last time he'd seen her naked.

"Hey," she huffed, her voice muffled by all the fabric as she struggled to work her arms and head through even as she did her best to push his hands away. Finally, she managed, and the shirt fell over her body to hit just above her knee.

Her frown faded, though, at the way he inspected her face. His hands fit over her hips with an ease he obviously remembered, in some small, unconscious way.

"Yeah," she said, brushing her fingers over the back of his hand. "We knew each other before...I go by Bastet here." She knew her real name--and his, for that matter--but she doubted he would be able to hear either this early.

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"Bastet..." Cat goddess. He let out a chuckle. "It does seem to fit you, especially the goddess part."

For his dreams had depicted her as a goddess at first, but somehow, he knew that she wasn't one, even as she was. Her touch, smell and looks though... They were like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle he had solved many times before falling into place, beginning to form a picture that was still just as wonderful and beautiful despite its familiarity. Or perhaps because of it.

"We were friends." Another intent look as he remembered the dream, the sense of implicit trust between them, the knowledge that she was an important part of his life. "But far more than friends..."

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She looked down, huffing a soft laugh. He'd called her that in her first dream, although the tone had been clearly teasing and meant to poke at her.

The look in his eyes now, though, was serious and utterly focused. "I've remembered telling someone that we grew up together," she replied. "And I've been told that we were best friends."

But being told something wasn't the same as experiencing it for yourself, even when the knowledge was accompanied by a pull as strong as this. While she had dropped her guard fairly quickly with Kisuke before, it had been easier to do so knowing that it would only be temporary.

She'd had a month since then to rebuild her defenses, and it was going to take time to get used to being around someone who could get past them as well as he could.

"I recognized your writing over the journal," she said, squeezing his wrist before moving back a step. "You've been here before, even if you don't remember."

Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

He let her step back, but made no move to move back himself, merely watched her with his head tilted slightly to the side and a gentle smile on his face.

"For some reason, I have a feeling that 'best friends' is a phrase that's not strong enough to do us justice..."

At least that was the sense that he got from his dream, and he was quickly learning to trust his instincts.

"Have I~? Did I behave myself?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

The dynamic between them was odd; his dream was fresh in his mind, where she'd obviously played a strong role...while her own was faded by two years, and tempered by the experiences she'd had during that time.

"Well, now that you're here again, we'll hopefully get the chance to find out for ourselves."

She smiled up at him, her pleasure at seeing him clear in her eyes. It was still hard to believe he was back, and that she resonated so strongly with him.

Her smile widened, and she raised an eyebrow. "When it suited you. I don't doubt that will be the case this time around."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Grinning at the answer as it coincided with his natural instincts of hiding behind his openly happy smile and wide-eyed curiosity, Crimson merely pushed his hat back so as to better use said wide eyes as he pouted at her.

"Bastet-san would doubt my innocent intentions and assurances of good behavior?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She reached up with a grin, tugging at the lock of hair that hung between his eyes. "Apparently~" she replied.

Her smile faded a bit, and she let her hand briefly drop to his shoulder. "I saw people warning you over the journal, but I'll say it again--I know you're going to go looking for answers, so you have to be careful."

Even if her mind did tend to shut down at the thought of him dying, she knew all too well that it was a possibility. "People die from being too public with their efforts, or finding out too much too fast. And even if you're reborn...you risk losing all the information you've gained to that point."

Her smile was gone now, and her eyes were level and serious. It wasn't like her to be over-dramatic, but she couldn't stress this enough--especially since she suspected his investigations had been what led to his disappearance two years ago.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

The tug only caused him to deepen the pout, a hand rising up to pat it back into place before the silliness faded away in the face of her seriousness. Gently pulling her into a hug, he sighed into her hair, a small frown appearing on his own face.

"What happened to the me that was here before?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

Bastet stiffened a moment in surprise, then let him pull her against him, slipping her own arms around his waist as she leaned her head against his chest. It seemed that even without memories, he wouldn't let her get away with pretending nothing was wrong.

"There was an earthquake--about two years ago now. I went to check on you afterward, and you weren't there."

She paused. "I got confirmation later that you'd disappeared. I can't prove it, but I know you'd been poking into things beforehand, so," she shrugs, "I couldn't help but think that had something to do with it. Especially with everything I've seen since then."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

His arms automatically tightened slightly around her in response to the tone of her voice.

"Was I very public in my search or with my results?"

Because he knew himself well enough to know that despite everything, he'd probably still search for answers. His was a nature too curious for its own good and he needed to know what he had done wrong last time in order to prevent making the same mistakes again.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She shook her head. "Not very public, from what I remember--but certainly a few people knew." Most of whom were gone now, to her knowledge; Honest had only been here a few months.

A frown creased her brow as she thought. "Like I said, I could be wrong. I didn't see you much while you were here...we didn't really know each other well at all." In fact, her visit hadn't just been to check on him after the earthquake, but to tell him that she'd remembered him--that there really was a reason they felt so familiar to each other.

"I don't know what you discovered...if anything." Now that she'd said it out loud, it was almost embarrassing to admit to having been so worried based on so little information.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

There was a small huff of irritation from Crimson at how limited the amount of knowledge he was allowed to have seemed to be. What was the point of being dumped in a completely different world than the one one was probably more used to if one couldn't study it without dying or worrying about dying?

"Is there someone specific behind these deaths or disappearances?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She pulled away from him, running her hands through her hair as she blew out a sigh. "If anyone knows, they're not telling." Her voice was mild, and even, but her eyes were hard and fixed on his.

Not here. It's not safe.

Deliberately breaking the mood, she pulled his shirt over her head, tossing it back at him. "Here," she said, heading for her bedroom. "I'm going to put on some clothes. Have a seat; I'll be right back."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Somehow, he got the message loud and clear, and while he may not have understood why she didn't feel secure in her own home, he swiftly changed gears as he caught the shirt, eyes drifting over her body again.

"I don't get to watch~?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She threw a smirk over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "And why would I let you do that?"

She didn't pause on her way, but kept the bedroom door open so they could call back and forth to each other as she dressed.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"Why wouldn't you~?" He moved so that he could see through the open doorway, but didn't enter her room, not daring to violate that much of her privacy. Yet. "I assure you, I'd be very appreciative~♥!"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"You really want something you could get that easily?" she called, over by the window. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was just outside her door, but he hadn't tried to come in, or even catch sight of her...which were big points in his favor.

She pulled on a pair of shorts, then dug around for a tank top. Once dressed, she came back into view, looking up at him with that same faint smirk as she brushed past him on the way back to the living room.

"People appreciate things more when they have to work for them."