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]

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?

[luckydragonsfoot]

'S long as I ain' touchin it while I'm havin' a nightmare, yer good, [he snorts, the tired vagueness of it no doubt leaving unfortunate implications on the air.

Ah...]

....'Course she does. Yer her favorite, y'know?

[blue_ice]

Then all I ask is a minute, and then I'll let you go.

[ He reaches over to brush the hologram's leg, aware that the strange shimmer of light isn't really her. Just an approximation. ]

I've spent my whole dueling career trying to become worthy of you three. But it's taken me all this time to start to understand what that means. My priorities have shifted since we met, but you're still my wings to the future, and my most trusted ally.

[ He leans over to brush the light, careful not to get too close to Jou. ]

I won't ask for much more of your time. He tells me you want to rest. But...thank you, for protecting Jonouchi and Yugi. And for guiding me all these years. And since you seem to like your new friend, I'll look out for him too. Will that please you?

[ He mimes a fond pat and settles back down, turning back to Jou. ]

Ready for me to call her back?

[luckydragonsfoot]

[Huh. He's trying not to laugh. He's trying really hard not to laugh, because, dude, she knew all that. She absolutely knew that.

But it's important. It's not like he's ever said this outright to the dragon, after all.

The dragon huffs, and Katsuya finds himself unable to not laugh this time.] PFhg- uh-

...Sorry, she jus' tried t' lick y', [he mutters, rolling off and to his feet before giving the dragon a final head-scritch.]

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba's ears turn slightly pink, and he raises fingers to his cheek as if imagining it, like she was some over-eager puppy. He closes his eyes in thought, then flicks the disk off and lets her rest.

He climbs to his feet, giving Amar and Kaseri one last pat each. ]

Hm. So I guess I'll see you next when they're hungry? I have to get back to kitchen duty.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Yeah, or somethin' like tha'. Maybe I'll see y' in th' game car or somethin', ain' like th' train's tha' big. Big enough, but not huge.

Lookin' forward t' th' carrots though, former carrot~!

[blue_ice]

You're the worst.

[ He sighs and shakes his head as he leaves. ]

See you around, Jonouchi.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Heheeee, later!

[Perhaps the Rest will come up some other time.]