[OPEN] Everyone is king...

[denyamenti]

Characters: Yato, Bakura + YOU
Date: Month of May
Location: All over Aifaran
Situation: Various open prompts. Closed starters in the comments.
Warnings/Rating: TBD


A. YATO ► Dreaming Bridge

Around the Dreaming Bridge and other people, Yato's fairly upbeat, if a shameless mooch -- he can often be found swiping food from the cafeteria kitchen, and making full use of the fact that people don't always notice him to load up pockets with extra sweets.

Other times, he can be found sitting on one of the Bridge's many public balconies, sometimes with a few bottles of what locally passes for beer. If approached during the latter, he'll grin and offer one to those of age. "Not sure what's in it, but it tastes pretty good."

B. YATO ► City Jobs

In no small part to his liberal amounts of self-promotion (read: graffiti and hitting the streets) and Ilda's efforts of advertising, jobs had started to trickle in from across the city. As befitting such an unusual assortment of citizenry in Aifaran, the jobs were as eclectic as he'd ever had, but he didn't mind. He threw himself into each task, determined to make a good impression and earn himself some repeat clientele.

Convincing them that he was a god, that wasn't going quite as smoothly. The actual money aspect was only a part of it -- if it were solely about the money, then he would have chosen to ask for more than a single copper rhinn for these jobs. The Ioduese natives seemed to humour him for the most part (except for the Castians, who apparently took offense at the claim), but he could tell none of them were giving him the benefit of the doubt.

A lot of the recent jobs he'd gotten were for household chores, which suited him fine. In the wake of the rainy season coming to a close, a lot of older folk in the city wanted their houses aired and cleaned. That's where Yato can be found today, in someone's yard, hanging sheets and beating blankets and rugs, dust flying everywhere right to the street.

C. YATO ► Talent Discovery

Being transient is a hard habit to break, and coupled with the fact that he could remain unnoticed unless he chose to draw attention to himself means he gets away with having cat naps all over the place in public areas, even though he has a perfectly good bed at the Dreaming Bridge.

Presently, he's sound asleep on a bench and daydreaming happily about his someday colossal shrine, but what's new today is the sight of an illusory red wooden torrii splashed up on the stone wall behind him. It's drifting in and out of sight, decidedly not solid, but it's hard to mistake what it's supposed to be.

D. BAKURA ► Dreaming Bridge

They haven't been in Aifaran long enough to accumulate too many things, but there are some items that Bakura has bought -- or come across by other means -- that he wants to take with him when he and Pepper's new housing comes available to move into. As such, he's poking around some of the public areas for empty boxes and other containers to use, when he finds some that aren't labeled, but aren't empty either. "Hey," he asks the nearest person. "These yours?"

E. BAKURA ► Shops and Stores

After deciding what his course of action was going to be, Bakura's next step was to try and acquire information he could use to work toward obtaining the Items here in Konryu. The most logical place to start was in the bevy of shops that collected and curated Dreamfolk-oriented objects which had appeared in Aifaran throughout the years. If he could find a common thread or theme to them, perhaps he'd have a better chance at understanding why the Dreaming chose some objects to bring through.

"This one as well," Bakura said absently, adding a third book to the pile he'd started, while the shopkeeper looked on and was clearly evaluating the thief's interest level in the stock before naming a price. "What else have you got that relates to the Dreaming?"

F. BAKURA ► Ghost Argument

Not everyone is happy about the studious approach he's elected to take, and that discontent bubbles over one day while Bakura's walking down by the harbour docks, checking on some of the properties for potentially illegal purposes in the future. The feeling in the air surrounding him is stormy, like static before a lightning strike, and he looks thoroughly displeased while he addresses what to most people, appears as empty air. To those who have extrasensory abilities however, he's actually speaking to the twisted mass of fragmented phantoms that are drifting around the area, though centered near him.

"If it were something which could be done quickly, I'd have done it already," he snaps, waving an irritable hand as if to steer away their wisps surrounding him. "The Dreaming does not come with instructions, abithahty-i sedjau!"

G. WILDCARD

Poke me at sojourney if you'd like something specific for a starter!

Comments

closed to Klaus;

[denyamenti]

Klaus' offer to show him the locations around Aifaran that he'd found interesting was unexpected, and yet welcome. Bakura had the sometimes unfortunate habit of simply avoiding interacting with people when there was not an express need to, and that translated to him spending a good deal of time on his own. That didn't bother him per se; he was used to it, and more than occasionally preferred it, but it was good to break that trend once in a while. Besides, he had nothing against the former Hotel owner, even if he didn't know him exceptionally well.

He shows up at Die Rosa Tulpe, raising a hand in greeting and looking around with interest at the new establishment.

[purered]

It was a little after business hours when Bakura showed up, and Klaus was kept late because he was physically incapable of not helping a little elderly woman from picking out a bouquet for her grandson. He spotted Bakura from the corner of his eye, and gave a small wave, before finally ringing her up and helping her to the door.

He shut it and checked the 'closed' sign.

"My apologies - I left the door unlocked, so she hadn't realized we were closed," he explained, unstrapping the apron. There was a little yellow chick on the breast pocket.

"Would you like something to drink before we head out?" He asked, setting the folded apron down by the door to the upstairs apartments, to be laundered when he got back.

[denyamenti]

Bakura doesn't mind the wait, giving him a chance to poke around the store, acknowledging Klaus' wave with an incline of his head. "It's fine," he replied when Klaus apologized, thinking that the apron was both absurdly out of place on the massive man and yet oddly fitting.

"Sure," he answered. "What do you suggest?"

[purered]

Klaus tapped his chin thoughtfully. Nothing too caffeinated - it was getting later into the evening after all. But maybe Bakura was a night owl? Klaus didn't know.

"Of course we have coffee - iced or hot. And the standard teas - Black, green and white."

The usual drinks most from earth would expect at a cafe.

"We also do a floral tea that's lovely when iced - it tastes a bit like hibiscus and rose hips," he explained stepping behind the counter. "It's very popular for those headed to the beach."

F

[iseeall]

Leo was on a very important mission right now, and while he was still getting used to seeing sights that are classically horrifying, he didn't always expect to see a mass of twisted souls following a white haired guy around. Leo stopped abruptly, contemplating whether it was really a good idea to approach but he was on a time limit. And if the mass of terrifying souls had a problem with him, he'd just have to run away and pray.

"Hey, um. Hi. I'm not sure if we've met or not already, but have either of you seen a munga pass by here? A really angry looking one carrying a camera." Leo was glancing under his eyelids at the soul amalgam, but right now he needed his camera back, stat.

[denyamenti]

Bakura tips Leo a briefly annoyed look at the interruption before the wording registers, and then with a glance at the mass before back at Leo, the thief shakes his head. "I did not," he answered. The mass shifts, cumulus and stormy, and then he relays, "Nor did they. Why, did you lose your pet?"

Ffffff

[spiralpatterns]

Extrasensory perceptions aren't really Zephyr's thing. He knows magic, though, and he'll swear there's a line between the two.

In this case, it means he has the feeling of static and pressure in the air, but can't quite place what's generating it; only that the man talking to the air a little further down the docks feels like storms, not quite a magic Zephyr could reach into and unpluck the threads of.

It means something to be wary of.

Zephyr ambles that way with his best non-threatening attitude. "Something wrong?" he asks, not at all idly. "Need a hand?"

Arguing with entities other people can't see is definitely a good sign, right?

[denyamenti]

Despite Zephyr's intentional congeniality in the approach, the fact that his conversation - if it can be called that - is interrupted is less than well-received when Bakura is already irritable at his ghosts.

"Do you always stick your nose into others' business without invitation?"

[spiralpatterns]

"Basically all the time," Zephyr says affably. He does not, at least, intrude on the man's personal space, instead linking his hands behind his head where it hopefully doesn't look like he's reaching for a weapon. "I get hauled around by a real bunch of do-gooders."

Neglecting to mention that he's one of them himself, and can't really leave well enough alone. "Seriously, need a hand?"

[denyamenti]

"Do you now? Sounds like punishment to me."

The unrepentant agreement is enough to momentarily pull him up short, and then Bakura startles out something of a laugh. He can appreciate that kind of candor, and it's actually successful in derailing what could have been a much sharper ire.

"No, we are fine," Bakura said, flicking a dismissive hand at the miasmic throe of souls that Zephyr can't see, but that reacts the air around them regardless. "A difference of opinion on approaching a problem, that's all."

D

[ilda]

Ilda's busy sorting things in various boxes, her back toward the stuff in question, so she only briefly glances at Bakura when he calls out to her. "Yeah, those are mine--" she starts to say, turning back to the task at hand, but then she does a double-take and turns around to really look at him. Recognition dawns on her face. "Oh!"

Suddenly, she's shy. "H-Hi. Bakura, right?"

It's the good-looking prince and he's even more attractive in person OH GODDESS WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY???

[denyamenti]

It's actually somewhat rare that people recognize him in that manner, so there's an extra beat before he answers, as though trying to determine exactly why she's done so.

"That's right."

[ilda]

Well, would you look at that. He's got her tongue-tied.

"Uh..." Say something! "I-It's me. Annoying selfie girl! Ha ha!"

Ilda's face turns a shade darker as she fights the urge to hide behind the boxes.

[denyamenti]

"If you wanted me to call you that, you should have introduced yourself that way instead of giving me your name," Bakura returned, amused. "Busy becoming royalty, I assume?"

E

[corundrum]

Padparadscha ends up browsing through the little Dreamfolk trinket stores every so often - they have an interesting variety of objects, and it tells them a little more about the kinds of worlds people are coming from. It's usually a bit quieter when they're around, though.

At the sound of someone else quizzing the shopowner on Dreamfolk-related items, though, Padparadscha's attention turns, their hair generating the faint sound of what sounds almost like glass on glass. While they could just eavesdrop and not draw attention, they decide it might be more productive to actually watch the exchange, and even the slightest footfall of solid gemstone on wood is one that's very difficult to miss.

Even harder to miss is the sight of a head and a mass of crystalline hair emerging from behind a bookshelf. Bakura may recognise them from their network contact a while ago - his white hair certainly looks a little familiar to Padparadscha.

[denyamenti]

Bakura does indeed recognize them; he's always thought they were one of the more notably recognizable Dreamfolk, and whenever he'd seen them on the network, they certainly seemed to be intelligent and well-spoken... someone to keep an eye on. That, and he couldn't help but compare their appearance to a few crystalline Duel Monsters.

"Looking for some as well?"

[corundrum]

Padparadscha offers a somewhat amused smile, and comes out from behind the shelf properly. As ever, their shirt is open, revealing holes in their torso filled in with gemstone. "I can't say I'm not curious about the Dreaming, with the responsibility it has in bringing us here. But I would have thought someone like you would know a bit about that already."

They recall him saying he'd been one of the ones who came to this world once before, whereas Padparadscha has no more experience than the few months they've been here.

"Have you had much luck?"

[denyamenti]

"There's more to be learned about the three Planes than a lifetime of study can allow," Bakura shrugged.

"But I am resuming research I'd started, then left off." A sardonic smile, hardly humourous. "Other events intervened, what with the world attempting to end again."

C

[bestofthevein]

...Is it supposed to be art? Kit doesn't have a good eye for this stuff, but then again, it's not like he had much time to hone those skills while he was down in the Deep Roads swinging axes at ravaging darkspawn.

"Huh," comes his intelligent observation. He's standing a little way's back from the bench and the kid (looks to be a kid anyway) napping on it, smoking a cigarette while holding onto the end of his bibiru's leash so that it doesn't do something incredibly dumb like hop directly into traffic (again). Taking a slow drag and blowing the smoke off to the side, he scratches at the side of his neck--then lurches backward several steps once the torrii starts to flicker in and out of existence. Oh great, more magical weird shit--

--and there goes the leash, and the bibiru attached to it. "No, wait, come back--"

With a (very small, mostly fluff) mind of its own, the bibiru has hopped right over to where the kid is napping on the bench and, standing up on its hindquarters, gives his hand an inquisitive whuffle. hello are these food?--nip.

Re: C

[minorgod]

The reaction to the nip is comically delayed for a moment, as though it was taking several seconds to work its way into Yato's shrine dream, but when it does he pops upright on the bench like he's spring loaded, ready to face off with--

That's definitely not a Phantom.

Behind him, the illusory torrii flickers out of sight.

"Hey! That was a good dream you interrupted!"

[bestofthevein]

The little bibiru's prey instincts kick into over-drive, and when Yato bolts upright, it springs away from him, little vestigial wings flapping uselessly. Kit lunges to catch the end of the leash before it can bolt for the street again, and manages to catch it as he hits the ground with a grunt.

"Hey! That was a good dream you interrupted!"

"Yeah," Kit grumbles, winded and wincing as he heaves himself back up to his feet, "he's got a habit of sticking his nose right into trouble. C'mere," he adds more gently, this ostensibly to the bibiru that is now quivering frightfully at the end of its leash, "no one's going to hurt you."

[minorgod]

Seeing the bibiru's terrified reaction is enough to make Yato look at least a little sheepish and he scratches the back of his neck. "Skittish things, aren't they?"

F

[eyeinfusion]

...If Bakura's talking to them, that means he can definitely see them, and it isn't just Judai.

"Who are you talking to?"

[denyamenti]

The amorphous mass fluctuates at Judai's arrival, a few wisps drifting closer to the younger one.

"You again," Bakura said by way of greeting. "Looks like those eyes of yours weren't just for show, that time."

[eyeinfusion]

"That's what eyes do!"

Does he really think Bakura's talking about normal eyes or is he being willfully obtuse? Who knows! He doesn't take his gaze off the mass, though.

"So what is it?"