[OPEN] a departure, and an arrival

[afoolsgold]

Characters: The Fool, various starters + OPEN
Date: Early April.
Location: The Dreaming Bridge; throughout Aifaran; the turtle's head
Situation: The Fool makes some changes to his living arrangements, and checks in on the progress of a sensitive situation.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will update as needed.
Notes: Just one prompt for now, but I will add the others over time!


I. New Digs (closed to Devin)


The impending departure of the Bresilykians from Aifaran has injected anxiety into the city that can be felt at all levels; prescribed or not, the upheaval leaves people tense and on edge as they try to make space in their lives to accommodate the change. The Fool hadn't expected to benefit from it, but fate has always been peculiar in the hands she has dealt him in the past. In Aifaran, her mercurial temperament will be no different.

A Bresilykian has left the Fool with the keys (and the lease) to her apartment, in exchange for an elaborate bit of woodworking that she will take back with her to Evidet. Good fortune, it appears, has followed on the heels of his trauma the month before; a space to live located directly above the cafe where he is now sells his work. The Fool owns very few personal belongings, and so moving himself into his new space takes little time, and is accomplished without drawing much undue attention from the Bridge's other inhabitants. With that task now dealt with, it is easier to devote his attention to developing his craft; it is, it seems, going to be his primary means of making a living in Aifaran for the foreseeable future.

It is a drizzly, overcast day that finds the Fool leaning against a bit of outside beneath the cafe awning, slender arms folded over himself and his expression pulled into one of prim disapproval with the weather. He dislikes the cold--and the wet, but mostly the cold, and perhaps he expects sheer willpower to be force enough to coax the clouds aside and usher back in a bit of sunshine.



II. Dreaming Bridge (Gene, Bakura + OPEN)


It is inevitable with any move that one forgets things. Or, possibly, the Fool is just sentimental, and so finds himself back at the Dreaming Bridge in order to revisit the grounds that were his first home upon his arrival in Aifaran.

At present, he is waiting out the latest in a series of sudden downpours in the cafeteria, a small case packed full of his belongings at his feet and a cup of tea held between his palms. He's found an unoccupied window seat and has tucked himself into it, gazing out one of the open windows with a pensive, distant expression on his face.



III. The Turtle's Head (OPEN)


This is the place in Aifaran that brings him the most peace. Not even foul weather can keep him away from it.

Though by this point he has at least invested in one of the many colourful umbrellas and raincoats peddled by numerous vendors throughout the city, meaning that on this particularly drizzly day, he's able to perch in relative comfort atop a stone on the turtle's broad head. Here, he's able to reclaim some semblance of the peace that has evaded him since long before his arrival at Aslevjal; the nearness of the turtle's great mind helps his to grow still, and quiet. His demons lay dormant, at least for a time.

It's hard to know how long he's been sitting here with his eyes closed in meditation, but unless he's interrupted, he'll likely continue on in this fashion for quite some time.

 

Comments

II.

[denyamenti]

The downpour has likewise derailed Bakura's plans for the moment, not that they were of any particular importance or time-sensitive. The thief has been fairly unobtrusive around the hotel the last month, sticking mainly the kitchens or his room, or being out of the building completely and perusing the city.

Noting the Fool sitting near the window, he brings his cup of coffee with him, gaze resting on the packed case. "Found somewhere else to stay?" he says by way of greeting, though the answer seems obvious.

I

[annihilist]

Devin makes a point to know where the people he associates with can be found, whether that be their place of work or their home. Dreamfolk have started moving out of the Bridge, and along with the exodus of the Bresilykians, there's a lot of change afoot in the city. He's considering moving out himself, but he can probably stand having a roommate for another month or two until he finds somewhere to live.

The drizzle reminds him so much of England he almost finds himself missing his home country. As such, he's wearing only a weather-resistant coat when he wanders out on one of his days off, seeing no need for something like an umbrella or a hat. Minute water droplets hang off his hair.

It's Klaus' cafe he's locating when he spots the Fool. This is the first time they've seen each other one on one since the incident with his memory, and Devin pushes the image out of his mind. This is not how he wants to think of the Fool when he sees him, nor how the Fool would like to be seen, he's sure.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't like rain," Devin remarks wryly, stopping an appropriate distance away.

Turtle's Head!

[ursulamajor]

Ursula has been curious about the Turtle's Head ever since she came. The scholar in her just has to know more; to know if it's true that they are on the back of a massive turtle. On her way out there, she can see that it is true. She did not want to risk flying in a rainstorm, which is why she went with another means.

She hikes out, wearing her robes, but with the rubber boots one would expect of someone sloshing through the rain. Her umbrella is different: it is her magical wander, with an aquamarine energy projection that resembles an umbrella. Ursula has made little stars, of a bright blue color, appear all across it. She steps out onto the stone, and walks up it, before she draws in a gasp.

The professor stares, stunned. "Oh...! So, it's true, we really are--" And then she notices the Fool. Ursula turns her head, and flusters, laughing awkwardly. "Oh, ah. Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

II

[ilda]

Ilda stumbles into the vicinity of the Turtle’s Head out of curiosity more than anything. She’s not even derailed by the rain; on the contrary, she’s enjoying the downpour, letting herself get drenched and actually laughing.

She only realizes a moment later that the place is too quiet, and that her laughter has reverberated like a thunderclap. Embarrassed - most especially upon seeing the Fool sitting nearby in serious meditation - she ducks her head, mumbling a soft apology.

II

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene has been hustling back and forth, despite the rain. He actually likes the rain - it helps him think. The sound is soothing to him, calming to his nerves.

There are no unoccupied window seats left, and he wants to sit at one of them to write down his further notes about Aifaran. This person, however, has been someone he's seen around, and Gene's interested in getting to know him. So he walks up with a mug of tea of his own and a small smile on his face.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

II!

[psituational]

X has a lot on his mind by the time the rain starts, and so he barely notices the shift in weather. It’s not until his shirt’s soaked and clinging to his skin that he realises it’s raining a little harder today than it was the day before, and -- damn it, his white shirt has become translucent.

It’s strange, really. X never cared before what his body looks like. Maybe he’s gotten a little too used to having exactly what he wants every time he visits Earth.

He buys a long coat on his way home, something very obviously grabbed for its immediate practicality and not because it actually fits him, given that it hangs off his shoulders like a draped tent. But even the immediate practicality is dubious; the coat is useless at keeping the rain off and too thick to dry easily.

Still, X looks happy enough when he spots his friend through the cafeteria window and waves heartily, standing drenched in the middle of the street.