VIDEO - GRASSHOPPER DAY 16 (LATE)

[luckydragonsfoot]

[It appears that someone's making good use of the ICP for the Garden Carriage- at the very least it's easier than trying to use any communication off something from his wrist. As it stands- Katsuya grins, something silvery dangling around his neck quite obviously against the blue of his sweater.]

Hey! Turns out, I was able t' get another 'f my team here, [he cheers.] Order instruction's make me figure I won' be able t' get anyone else but...I figure tha's f'r th' best. Bit big f'r th' train, [he remarks with a shrug. Stepping slightly out of view so that the ICP can display the rest of the immediate area, he continues.]

But here she is! Amar!

['Amar' no doubt refers to the extremely round little sheep plodding around near the sand. Smaller than even Katsuya's relatively miniscule pony, who seems to be watching as well, the 13 pound ball of wool abruptly tucks her legs in to roll a bit down the path before stopping to bleat.]

Amar's m' wooloo- she's abou' 's friendly as Kaseri, so if y' see 'er around, don' feel shy, go on an' pet her! She's as soft as a pillow!

Comments

[blue_ice]

Under your own sword? What?

[ He just shakes his head. ]

He's the lunatic, not you.

[luckydragonsfoot]

...

[Hm. HM! Hmm.] Oh you're sayin'...it w's all Ra. Alrigh'.

[He'll just see about shoving that under a rug now...] Whatever- sounds like at th' very least, hell was a lil' less 'hell' f'r y', an' honestly? ...I'm glad t' hear it. Hell, I don' ev'n care if y demanded I take tha' match instead 'f tryin' t' make me drop out, sounds t' me like shit went way better!

[A pause, and a scowl.] ...Be great 'f it wasn' th' lifepoints tha' did it over there, but hey...

[blue_ice]

[ He listens, nods...and another piece falls into place. ]

'Just' Ra...

...you're deeply connected to the game, aren't you. They aren't just cards to you.

Yugi said things were happening beyond Blue Eyes' normal programming during the last mission, but he couldn't see it, only see the after effects.

[ He's reaching for his deck now. ]

[luckydragonsfoot]

[MmmMMMmmMMMm. MMMMM!! MMMMM-] ...Why th' hell does th's only happen w'th you I swear t' god, [He grumbles, narrowing his eyes immediately.]

Oiiiiii, oii, what're y' doin'...

[blue_ice]

[ He digs in his rucksack, straps on his duel disk, and summons Blue Eyes. And waits. ]

Testing a theory.

[luckydragonsfoot]

[Credit where it's due- Katsuya does a really good job of not reacting. There's a minute glance toward where Blue Eyes appears- fortunately where the hologram does as well- and he keeps his eyes around that spot, and around where Kaiba is.

Problem; Blue Eyes is absolutely not there. She recognizes the blond. She knows what happened in the cave. Which means that in a few seconds, his hair ruffles under her breath- the sweater he's wearing even seems to dent as something noses against it. And finally-]

AAAAH- ALRIGH' ALRIGH' I GET IT GEEZE!!

AAAOUUUUUNNNN!

[Only he hears it.] Y'know tha's cheatin'? Tha's cheatin', how come you can' see 'er th's good anyway, ain't you finished w'th the whole Egypt stuff!?

[While he's shouting, Katsuya relents- and while it looks a bit like he's petting through the hologram (which definitely moved a little, if at least when the proper spirit moved too far for it to make sense), he's definitely petting...something.]

Damn dragon, oversized cat's what y' are...

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba watches the scene curiously. His hair moved. There's something there. The hologram moves, but not to the same position, just closer. And then he's definitely petting something. The shape appears to roughly be his dragon's head. ]

My dragons are special...but apparently I lack the gift to give them the affection they deserve.

[ He's a wee bit envious. Just a bit. ]

Dueling...is more involved for you, isn't it.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Half a curse 'f y' ask me, [he mutters, letting it drop from there.]

....wasn' kiddin' abou' th' sword, [he relents, voice quiet. At his side, Kaseri nuzzles him.] ...Or th' tags.

....cl'nically dead f'r almos' half an' hour.

Tha' was after th' transfusion, [he admits, voice hoarse.]

[blue_ice]

Jonouchi...

[ Kaiba moves a little closer, nudging Amar back toward her trainer. Between the pony, the sheep, and the dragon, he should have enough comfort. ]

No wonder you didn't pick your deck.

Have you told the others?

[luckydragonsfoot]

....

Back home? [He snorts.] Yeah, kinda came out when they all saw me get stabbed on 'thin air', [he remarks bitterly.]

...Didn' tell anyone here though, nah. Jus'...

...'S already hard ev'n after explainin' back home. If it ain' 'why you still duelin!', it's jus' starin', or askin' abou' what I'm seein'. Y'know how many times they went an' asked tha' durin' Yugi's match? Like it wasn' obvious tha' it wasn' anythin' anyone would've wanted t' see!? [he shouts, both the dragon and the pokemon briefly looking at him at the outburst.]

...So no, I haven' said anythin'. ...'s easier. Ain' like I have my proper deck here as is, so 's not like avoidin' a duel's gonna be tha' weird righ'?

[blue_ice]

[ He can certainly understand that. He never wanted anything to do with the ancient shadow stuff, yet Jonouchi had it so much worse. He finds himself drawing closer too, awkwardly...awkwardly reaching out to brush his arm. ]

Then I won't tell them, not even Yugi. But if you ever want a card to take on a mission, ask me.

[luckydragonsfoot]

[He pauses- freezes even, before relaxing again and focusing on the dragon insisting on a better spot to be scratched.]

...y' mean tha'? ...Not tellin' I mean, I...

...'m gonna be honest, I've never made it work th' other way aroun' on my own. ...Don' think I wanna, either, [he says quietly.]

They're all cool, they're cool guys but... ...'s not meant f'r tha', man. They ain' weapons.

[blue_ice]

I'm serious. I know the value a secret holds...maybe you'll be ready to tell him someday, but I can wait.

[ He shifts, nudges Jonouchi, and can't believe he's saying this... ]

What about friends, then? Aren't you all constantly talking about friends who protect each other?

She certainly seems friendly with you.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Say th' same thing if y' saw her bite through someone's arm? Their torso? [he asks bluntly, glancing back.]

Y' don' know, what it looks like. 'S bad 'nough when th' other end doesn' feel it either. When they do, both sides change it up too- they don' want to do tha' t' things tha' don' come back.

Maybe 'f they change their tune I'll try.

But not 'till then man.

[blue_ice]

Right. Power...is rarely pretty.

[ He doesn't know what else to say to that. Jonouchi must feel lonely, even surrounded by people who look like his friends. He takes a deep breath when considering what to say next. ]

I can't imagine how isolating that feels. But...maybe you're not alone in being alone. Could be why your Seto likes you so much.

[ He thinks about it a moment more, then shakes his head. ]

[luckydragonsfoot]

Pfffffhhfhfhf y' keep sayin' tha', an' I'm pretty sure she's gonna break through reality jus' t' come here an' deck y'! [he laughs.]

Anyway 's fine. No weirder than anythin' else righ'? Sides, 's like I said, ain' dealin' w'th it much here. Not like everyone on th' train 's a duelist.

[blue_ice]

Just calling it as I see it.

[ He rolls his shoulder and shrugs. ]

And if any spirit nonsense starts to hound you, you can call me. I'll use discretion.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Ehhhh, that shit's always houndin' me, jus' look!

[To that, he decides it's a great time to lay right on Blue Eyes. She doesn't mind, but it definitely looks like he's just floating in the hologram.] Don' worry abou' it.

[blue_ice]

...really. You're stealing my dragon for a nap.

[ Kaiba sighs and crouches near them, squinting at the hologram and Jou within it. He tries to sense her, to reach into the light...nope. He slips his coat off and stretches it out, laying it on the gravel so he can flop down nearby. Not exactly comfortable, but his coat is thick enough to block most sharp corners. ]

Can't believe I let you do this.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Hey, 'f she ain't int' it, I'll get off.

An' y' can take th' others f'r now, Amar's a great pillow!

[There's a happy bleat in reply.] ...Prob'bly shouldn' fall asleep here though, unless I wan' someone t' come in an'...act'lly I got no idea what yer seein' righ' now, probably ain' me on th' dragon's front though.

[blue_ice]

Hm?

[ Kaiba sits up a little, and Amar nudges him with a bleat. He pets her once more, and she settles behind him...is that really safe for her? He lowers himself once more, head pillowed by the soft wool. So soft....]

You look like she swallowed you and you're floating in her belly.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Oh yeah? Cool, I'm 'clippin'! [he laughs, throwing his head back in amusement.] I was wonderin' what was goin' on w'th the way you guys talked abou' th' fight in th' tunnels!

I was jus' clingin' t' her leg back then by th' way- she was pr'tty surprised, which figures I guess, but it worked out. [There is an assuring pat to the dragon's head as she bends it over- it looks rather like he's swatting at air.] Kinda wild, [he mutters casually,] Guess it's b'cause you used a disk, any other time I get th's chance w'th someone, they're all ticked off since they can't do anythin'...

[blue_ice]

So...if I hadn't summoned her, she'd still be present, but entirely invisible? Are the other dragons with you?

[ Just how far of a range does he have on this ability? What? He rolls over a little to watch him, curiosity taking over. ]

[luckydragonsfoot]

Nah, not like tha'...I mean I've seen 'er floatin' around b'fore back home but I think they like bein' in th' deck, or wherever they normally live more...heard one of th' Amazoness's talk abou' a dayjob, tha' was weird...

[what]

Nah 's more like...I guess I summon'd someone in m' sleep a few times? But like I said, tha's only on my end, not any other end, so uhhhh...I guess they were stuck? Since they can't really in'eract w'th anythin' except...me I guess...

[There's a lazy shrug. Like he has a clue.]

[blue_ice]

Hm. Maybe I shouldn't have summoned an entire card case.

[ He looks over sympathetically, but before he drops this...he has one more question. ]

I know I can't see or feel her...but do you think she can hear me?