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

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

The silly grin didn't falter, but he did briefly cup her face with one hand, a silent form of comfort as he seemed to automatically pick up on her look and brief flash of worry and sadness.

"And I'll remind you of your generous invitation when you decide to kick me out for visiting one too many times~!"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

The brief touch was reassuring, and her smile steadied. "Try to give me at least a week or so before I regret it, hm?"

Once again he'd read her, effortlessly; this was really going to take some getting used to.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"A whole week?!" He looked aghast at the thought. "What a cruel mistress to deprive me of your company..."

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"Oh?" she grinned. "I didn't say you couldn't come over--just give me a week before I regret letting you."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

He heaved a sigh. "Still very cruel, for I would have to limit my visits to be able to reach your request of one week."

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"Actually, you'd just have to behave somewhat while you were here." She gave him an innocent look. "Which apparently didn't occur to you at all."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Crimson seemed to consider that idea for the first time before pouting. "But that takes so much effort!"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"So...you are saying I'm not worth the effort, then." She heaved a deep sigh, then flopped onto her couch, curling her legs beneath her.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"Ah!" His arms flailed slightly in exaggerated worry before he knelt down besides her. "Would you really want me to behave myself?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She tilted her head as he knelt next to the couch, looking amused. "So you're saying you wouldn't, then?"

Without thinking, she reached out and lightly pressed a finger to the tip of his nose, a small, affectionate gesture.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

He scrunched up his nose before grinning up at her, slightly cross-eyed because of her finger.

"Well... I'd try for you~♥!"

And still fail, within ten minutes. If she got lucky.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"Mm," she said, still smiling. She hadn't lost the smile for a while now, and she couldn't remember the last time that had been the case.

It wasn't like she never laughed or enjoyed herself, but knowing he was here--as an actual resident, despite the risk of disappearance--was enough to warm and reassure her beyond anything else she could remember.

"Haaah. I suppose we'll see then, hm?"

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

He continued to smile up at her, obviously content where he was, but his expression quickly made way for the beginnings of confusion as he focused more on the finger on his nose, definitely cross-eyed now.

"Ah, Bastet-san... Why do you feel like a warm summer breeze...?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She pulled back her finger, snickering at his crossed eyes. "Do I, now?"

While Blood and Kiba and Toushi seemed to have no concept of the idea of suppressing their energy, Bastet normally kept hers banked out of habit. But right now, anyone could track her if they were so inclined; she wasn't trying to remain hidden.

She released her control just a little, allowing her pressure to build in the room. The warmth he'd mentioned deepened and darkened, hinting at the greater power she kept in check.

"And now," she asked. "Do you feel the difference?"

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

Eyes slipping shut, Crimson leaned in towards her slightly, seeming to be drawn towards the energy emanating from her. This too, he recognized, though he distinctly remembered the energy he sensed in his dream to be much stronger, heavier, sharper. Then again, they had seemed to be sparring.

"Mhmm... It's warmer and stronger..." Gray eyes peered up at her. "What is it exactly?"

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

She watched him carefully, ready to stop talking at the first sign of discomfort from him. "It's called reiatsu," she said. "The physical pressure caused by someone's spiritual energy."

Crimson hadn't even been here a day yet; no need to rush into giving him too much information.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"Reiatsu..." Crimson repeated the word, testing it on his tongue, wondering if the word would trigger some kind of flashback, but none came and the word was just a word to label that familiar feeling with. "I have it too, right? Or else I wouldn't have been able to feel yours."

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"You can produce it, yeah," she replied, relieved when the word didn't cause him any harm. "Reiatsu is the pressure from the energy; the energy itself has a different term, but I haven't remembered it yet.

"Those of us from the same world can use it to track each other; it's how I found you tonight."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"What do I feel like?"

Because as much as he focused on himself, all he could sense was that energy coiled tightly inside him was essentially him. Only the smallest bit trickled out, as if he had made it a habit to constantly keep his reiatsu suppressed to the barest minimum as to make it hard for others to track him down.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"Hmm..." She paused, considering.

Associating reiatsu with another concept wasn't completely foreign to her; Toushi was like a blast furnace, Kiba felt like a huge, half-tamed animal, Kazahana felt bright and clean and sharp, and being near Koi was like curling up in a blanket.

"Like a forest, if that makes sense." Like when you stood at the edge of a forest, peering down a path; there was a sense of mystery and depth, broken only by the occasional patch of sunlight dappling the ground.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

"A forest?" He paused to consider it for a moment before smiling. "I like that!"

Curiously, he focused inwardly, loosening some of the control he held over his reiatsu and letting it flow out more strongly.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

"Then I suppose we're even--summer's my favorite season." His description of her reiatsu was surprising, but there were far worse things to be compared to.

She closed her eyes and sighed as the pressure from him increased, raising her own in response. Too great a display would bring Lin and God knew who else running, but for now, it was contained enough to stay beneath most people's notice. Which suited her just fine; the slide of her reiatsu against his own had the feel of something she'd experienced it countless times before, and it wasn't anything she wanted someone else to interrupt.

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

There was a quiet hum of contentment as he felt her reiatsu brush against his before gliding along it, a forgotten but quickly remembered sensation that imbued him with feelings of peace, belonging, closeness, warmth, stability and safety. He remembered the feeling of her reiatsu next to his, melding and merging into one as they faced opponents together, watching each other's backs as they darted with exhilaration into frays.

They were formidable when sparring with each other, but that was nothing in comparison to what they were like when fighting as one.

That, he knew for sure, though exactly how he knew, he could not say, just that the knowledge was there. He didn't have the memories to back the knowledge, but it was still there, strong and true as his reiatsu wound around hers.

Re: Quicklog

[treeleopardess]

For just a moment, she let her guard down all the way, twining her reiatsu about his in a playful, demanding way, like a half-tamed tiger. She'd only regained one memory of them fighting, and she hadn't been able to feel anything. But the unquestioning trust, the effortless way they'd complemented each other's fighting styles, absolutely knowing the other's intentions without speaking...she imagined it must have felt like this.

And that was something she'd been missing for the past two years. Something she'd trained herself to function without, so opening up this much was difficult, and the exhilaration was overshadowed by wariness. And so, just a few moments later, she withdrew, pulling her reiatsu back to its former low hum.

"We can also use our energy in various techniques," she said, inhaling silently as she rebuilt her defenses. "I'll show you sometime; I'm sure it'll come easily to you."

Re: Quicklog

[crimsonmischief]

His reiatsu responded in kind, rolling under hers and willingly submitting to her silent demand before reaching up to nudge at her gently, playfully. When she withdrew however, Crimson merely shifted to rest his back against the couch, head tilting back against the seat to look up at her as he let his reiatsu drape lightly around her, seemingly unwilling to let her withdraw all the way back into herself.

"Today?"

Someone, it seemed, wasn't the most patient of people when it came to learning new things.