Do you remember the calm (Sharaku)

She smiled and nodded. He said there was no need, but she still felt like thanks were in order. It meant the world to her to know she had someone like Sharaku that would be there for her. It made her happy. Honestly happy. It was hard to explain, but this moment meant the world to her, “Therapy is expensive and brain bleach will rot your thinkpan.” She whispered back at him, mimicking his hushed tone, “I find the best cure is fantasy. Books, TV, anything to help me forget that reality is a thing until I’m ready to deal with it again. Plus, you get some interesting ideas from that world.” She did at least.

She laughed from deep inside, “Overrated or not, they are nice. They may not be the same as reality, but I think having something that always ends happily isn’t a bad thing either. It makes people happy to live vicariously through them, and that can be a good thing for them. Keeps them believing that things will get better.” She used to be like that. Or, she was when she was too young to know that reality and fiction were not the same thing. Then she got hatful and mean, “I know. It just requires cooperation between people that can actually get along. Small groups, but powerful ones. Diverse skills and people to work off one another. It’s a very tricky business.” Which was her way of saying she had no idea, “If our team falls apart we’ll just have to live with it. We can’t keep fighting each other instead of the enemies.” Although, she still didn’t want that. She wanted this to work. She looked him over once, “I don’t know. I imagine you’re one of those people that would actually look pretty good with silver hair.” She knew it was a joke, but she though he could pull it off. He seemed like the type. It was funny to her how they could go from serious to joking in a matter of seconds. Maybe this is just what people did. She cocked her head to the side, “By the sounds of it. I’ll start warming up my fist for the idiots and unbearables then.” How she described people she didn’t like.

She would give him a half smile, trying to look like she was some sort of planning villainous, “Teeth are overrated. Sugar is where it’s at.” She ate sweets all the time and her teeth were fine. Then again, she was also compulsive about brushing her teeth. Three times a day at least, with floss and mouthwash, “I’ll start throwing it together. We’ll make sure to keep it light. No business when we’re supposed to be relaxing.” Heck, she wouldn’t let the end of the world stand in the way. They could just reschedule that for another time. Maybe it would be fine with never. Yeah, that sounded like a good time. She raised an eyebrow, “Could you even run if I used it on you? Mummification sounds like a good way to use duct tape.” If she felt like it, that was, “Never on you though. You don’t deserve it.” She looked out over the ocean, “What was your old home like, if you don’t mind me asking?” She didn’t know anything about where he came from. What was his home like? Did he have good memories of the place? What was it like?

“Still, don’t use brain bleach. The stuff is evil.” Not that she had firsthand experience. She just assumed pouring bleach on your brain was a good way to stop living, “Think of it like reality, but with much cooler things like super powers.” She raised her eyes while she thought about that statement, “Nevermind. I guess we have those now. I guess fantasy really isn’t that exciting once you actually live in it…” That was a downer. She liked her stories of mystical heroes and fantastic powers. Now it was more like non-fiction. Boring, “I hope you’re proud that you just ruined fantasy for me forever.” She game an exaggerated pout that was obviously in jest.

She smirked, “Normal was lost a long time ago. I think we’re trying to get back there now. That’s its own issue though.” She didn’t remember what normal was anymore. She wanted to go back, but when she closed her eyes she couldn’t quite remember what it used to be like. Some parts she could recall clearly though. She remembered staying inside and being all alone. She rubbed her feet together nervously, “Yeah. I know you’re right.” Trying would only get them so far and arguing would be the death of them, “What? I think you could pull it off. I think it’s more of a confidence thing than a color thing. Be the cock of the walk and no one will comment on it. They may even say you look dapper.” She was pulling out all the weird words today. She shrugged, “Not going to break my wrists. Maybe a few noses, but not my wrists.” She knew how to punch.

She raised a curious eyebrow, “I didn’t know you wanted to be a bird. Though, I should warn you that I think the only ones that eat ice cream are seagulls. Then again, those guys will eat anything.” Seriously, they were garbage disposals. It was almost terrifying. When he asked if she was inviting other people, she would tilt her head, “Do you want me to?” She hadn’t thought about it yet. She was throwing this for him, so she supposed if there was a guest list it would be his call. She pulled her tablet out of her purse and went to write a memo, “Who should I invite then? We probably want to keep it to people that won’t start fights with one another.” So no Hyde. Kurosawa was debatable. He was Sharaku’s boyfriend, but he and Naomi still weren’t on the best terms with one another. Then there may have been people she didn’t know about that Sharaku may want to invite. She was the queen of planning parties. Mostly because she lived her daily life like it was a party. In a way. She shrugged at the mummification, “Well, you have to cover their mouth for the mummification to work. It’s just one step further than I originally planned. Not a big deal.” Not to her at least. She went back to look out over the ocean with him, “Do you ever miss it?” He didn’t talk about it a lot, so she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know his home at all. It made her wonder…

She nervously scooted back away from him, “Okay, you caught me. I don’t know any better options.” She wasn’t that clever, “Just stay away from the powerful chemicals. They are toxic… literally.” She would stick her tongue out at him as a joke, “You get the honor of knowing that you have destroyed some tiny part of me that still took pleasure in superpowers.” She would shrug as she continued, “The prize was originally going to be a brand new car, but this isn’t a game show.” Of which she was a fan and really disliked. It was strange.

“My best estimation is that normal is the path with the least interaction and chance for adventure. In other words, yes, normal is boring.” She embraced the idea of not being normal for so long that she doubted she could change. Besides, wasn’t being normal kind of impossible. It meant you couldn’t have any quirks at all. She cheered one finger in the air as a mock cheer, “Time may be able to tell us, but I wish it would let us know in advance. I could start planning then.” She was actually a really avid planner. It gave her some comfort. She would nod, “Confidence is something you radiate. May just need a geiger counter to make sure it’s not off the charts. That stuff could be dangerous to the ignorant masses, you know.” She didn’t know where that came from, but extended metaphors were sort of her thing, “And, as much as I’m sure you’d look wonderful with some dark blue hair, I think black is a much better color for you.” She couldn’t see him with dark blue hair. It was too weird. And, yes. Noses were something she could break.

Flaying was a nice thought, “Personally, I want to be a fish. Maybe a seahorse or a jellyfish. Though, those aren’t fish…” She just liked the idea of being free in the water, “Butterflies are pretty. I can see why you would prefer them over gulls.” Those things were loud. She liked all of the ideas, personally. It said something about a person when they wanted to be a different animal. At least, she assumed it did. She nodded, “The you now seems like a good you. Keep him around for a bit longer, if you don’t mind.” She did get along with this him, after all. She tapped her cheek in thought, “Well, I guess that means Rita and Alphonse will probably be coming. Hyde is definitely out. What about Kurosawa?” She wasn’t on the best terms with him, but he wasn’t awful. Plus, the two of them were dating. It was a strange situation.

Eight? He hadn’t been there since he was eight? He really had been away for a long time. Could he even really consider it home anymore? That memory must have been so far away by now. She continued to stare out, “Do you like it here?” She would follow up.

Her eyes went wide, “I don’t know if that would do anything. Are they made of blood or something?” That was the only thing she knew that chemical was used for. She would mock curtsey in return, “Sir Sharaku, the honor is mine.” She had to. If superpowers were overrated now, then she would stick to medieval fiction. She shrugged, “Insanity is a form of normal. Just don’t think about it and it all becomes much easier. Plus, I like planning in advance. It gives me a rough idea of what I’m playing with rather than running blind. Though, I do also tend to change my mind along the way. I just change it to fit what’s happening, but stick to my original plan. It tends to work for me.” She nodded at herself, confirming what she already knew. She laughed, “We’ll keep your hair black then. No funny colors. Unless you get adventurous one day. Then I’ll be there to talk you out of it… or laugh when you suddenly have streaks of orange in there.” She could go either way. In the end, it would be entertaining either way.

“Well, cute so long as you don’t try and touch.” Most jellyfish were vicious little things, “I can see why you’d like butterflies. They are surprisingly adept at getting around, despite their size. They are also clever little things. Well, most of them. Although, they are very short lived.” Most only made it a week or two. There were rare exceptions, but even then they only lived a month or so. Short live beauty. How haunting and amazing. She rolled her eyes, “That’s okay, as long as you remember to leave the change of address so I can find the old you. The old you, the new you, and I can all have tea together.” Yes, she drank tea. Rarely, but she did. Earl Grey mostly. She checked off the names on her mental guest list. She had some ideas, but nothing hardest yet, “Hey, don’t leave it up to me. Kurosawa and I don’t get along all that well. Plus, how would he feel if we didn’t invite him? Then again, he probably wouldn’t enjoy and ice cream party, would he?” She suddenly had mixed feelings on the matter, “We’ll put him as a maybe.” That was all she had for now.

Her face would noticeably frown, “I don’t want to think about that. This is the only home I’ve ever known. I’m terrified about what’s happening and what it means. What will become of it all…” She didn’t want to lose her home. She was trying so hard, but she was afraid of messing up and making things worse. Maybe finding the angels was the only way. Still, she didn’t know much about them. She didn’t trust blind orders from some woman that showed up suddenly.

((Sorry I haven’t been posting. I’ve been busy. Maybe we could wrap this up soon?))

Ehm. ''Frankly, I have no idea what the substance is, and whether something would affect it. I never tried before.'' Blood was kind of unlikely, but Sharaku had no idea nevetheless. It was usually some sort of black goo, but who knew what was it made of for real. Dissecting Shadows was definitely not among his hobbies, that was for sure. That would be all kinds of weird. ''So it is.'', he would chuckle at the little play pretend of her own. ''Makes sense. Though, I don't really go in blind either. I do take note as to what I'm playing with, but I prefer to decide as to how will I play once I actually start. I don't enjoy planning ahead, and then finding out I have to adjust right away, because things did not even start off as expected. Might as well spare myself the headache of devising an early plan, and make one based on the current situation on hand.'' Well, depending on circumstance. But in regards to what they were dealing with now, detailed plans were sort of moot. You couldn't know what would get pulled against you before you got there, and saw it. So what was there to plan? At most you could decide as to what to take with you as safety measure in case things go to hell. Yóu could try planning when you knew the enemy more than a little...but they could always change strategy. ''Agreed. Besides, with how long my hair is, it'd take ages to dye. Not even worth it, probably.'' Well, wouldn't it?

He would roll his eyes jokingly. ''I can handle a little squishy animal. I've touched worse than that already.'' Yes, jellyfish could sting, but it wasn't the end of the world. And he sure wouldn't approach a huge one. ''Hmm. Jellyfish and butterflies. Would make for interesting pets. If that was even viable.'' Eh, probably not. He would laugh. ''You sure you would want to handle two of me at once? I'd probably clog up too much of your RAM.'' Hopefully he was right there. He wasn't exactly a computer expert. Though he knew enough to operate one. Not that he even used his much. He would shrug. ''I think the only one he gets along with well all the time is Hyde. And he would probably be upset in some way. Then again he almost always is due to something, so that's that. And I have no idea about him and ice cream. Maybe if you made him a chilli flavored one.'' To be honest, he didn't know whether it was a good idea or not. Shun would probably attempt to hog him most of the time if he were there...or something similar at least. And he wasn't particularly looking forwards to that. ''Frankly put, I don't really care, though I have a feeling it might not go too well.'' It was just a feeling, however.

''Well, you don't have to think about it...but that's kind of hard to do when it's happening around you..'', he would sigh a bit. He didn't really know how he felt. He didn't want the place to get destroyed, but neither was he attached to it that much. Surely not as much as someone who spent their entire life here, like Naomi.

((It's fine ^^ And if you want to. I can go on for as long as needed, so I don't mind either. x3))

“Fire, earth, bashing, slashing, and poking seem to hurt, but it’s not an instant kill. Do you think soap and water would work on them better? It’s how we get stains out of the carpet and I don’t think anyone has tried it yet.” She obviously didn’t think it would, but it would be something new at least. She would chuckle in response to his own. It was nice to see him having some fun, “See, I can’t do that on the fly thing. I have to plan some things ahead of time or I won’t be able to do anything. I’m really bad at planning things in the spur of the moment, because my head and my gut have two different reactions. Then I get stuck and just don’t know what to do.” She knew herself, which was an advantage and a disadvantage. She knew how she would react and would be able to keep herself in line, but she would also question herself constantly.

She would shake her head, “I think they can be pets, but they aren't very friendly. They’re kind of passive and would can’t really interact with them. I will stick to cats. At least they will cuddle up to me if I want.” She loved her cats very much. She would laugh under her breath at his statement, “I’m sure I can handle you. My computers are much better than you would think.” She took some pride in that. She was still making mentals notes for the party, “Well… I guess I’ll keep him on the maybe list and decide when the invitations go out. Until then, if the only person he gets along with consistently is Hyde… It’s going to be hard to say.” She wanted to invite more people over, but Kurosawa was unpredictable, “If you change your mind, just let me know.” It was his call in the end, after all.

She would smile sadly, “I wish I didn’t have to think about it, but that’s not an option for me anymore.” She sighed, “Sharaku, will you… Ummm…. Will you support me, even if it’s just in spirit?” She needed to think someone was on her side, even if it was just in name only, “You don’t have to, I just want to think someone thinks I’m doing the right thing. If you think I’m not, you don’t have to. I just… I want to save this world, and I want to try and save some of the others, if I can. It’s hard though.” She wasn’t sure about herself.

She shrugged, “Well, they look like sludge, so I was thinking they acted the same way as an oil spill.” Okay, she didn’t really think that. She was just wondering what they were, “Actually, couldn’t you just as Violet Soul what they’re made of? He was- is?- a Shadow.” She completely forgot about that until Sharaku brought it up. She gave him a cocky look, “You wound my pride, Sharaku. I would not say I’m completely useless. I’m just slow without a solid foundation for a plan.” She was better than that. She just wanted to know what she was doing beforehand so she didn’t delay.

She rolled her eyes, “I would rather have the cats. I wanted a tortoise too, but my mom doesn’t like any kind of reptiles. I may hate snakes, to put it lightly, but at least my excuse is that those things are evil. I’m perfectly fine with the harmless variety.” She actually loved some reptiles. A lot of them were very friendly and great to be around, “Not a fan of fish though. They don’t do much. Personally, I only think they are interesting when they’re in sushi. Of course, I like other aquatic creatures. Just not fish.” She was the type of person that liked more interactive animals. She would raise an eyebrow, “A few months ago I would have made a joke about being a living computer, but now that we know an actual robot that feels insensitive. Also, I am smarter than I let on most of the time.” She took pride in that. Most people underestimated her, which was her gift, “No pressure. Just tell me if you ever make a decision.” She wasn’t exactly sure what to do herself. Maybe Kurosawa would just catch wind of it and show up on his own? Actually, that may be worse. Then they’d have to probably deal with a rant about how he should have been invited.

She would nod, “I want to save everything about the worlds. The people, the culture, the history, and the world itself. That is everything that makes up a world. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose all of that. Could you even call it a world anymore?” If any of that was lost, what would it mean? It was hard to tell, “I guess I have to keep going to find out.” She wanted to keep going. She had to. She needed to save those that mattered to her.

She giggled slightly, “Violet Soul is a smart ass, isn’t he?” She could tell from the few conversations they had and the way Sharaku spoke about him, “Okay, I’ll retract the idea that they’re made of oil, but I still wish I knew what they were. It’s driving me crazy not knowing. I mean, they look like slime until we start fighting. Then they magically turn into something else.” She knew bringing logic into magic was not a good call, but she was curious. She would puff up her cheeks as if to pout, “Okay, now you’re messing with me.” Not that she minded. He was just good at using her own words against her and it drove her crazy.

She would shake her head in disgust, “I should hope you know my reaction to snakes by now. I can’t stand the things. They are gross and scary and, and, and- I just don’t want to be near them.” She literally paralyzed with fear when she was around them, “At least cats warn me before they attack. Well, mine do at least. Haven’t been attacked by them since they were kittens. They’re good girls.” She loved her cats very much. She loved most animals, “Fish just bore me. They don’t do anything besides swim. I guess you could try and train them, but they usually aren’t for a reason.” In other words, fish were a boring pet idea, “Well, I wouldn’t mind being compared to a computer. I mean, I work with them, so I know what they can do. I even have a few computer-esque friends now. I have to say, being a computer isn’t a bad analogy.” She smiled thinking about how much she actually valued computers and the friends she had that could be counted as some type of computer. When he mentioned pigs flying, she would raise an eyebrow, “I haven’t run into that Shadow yet, but I’m sure it’s out there.” There were Shadows for everything. Why not a flying pig?

She didn’t usually care to let people know she She nodded, “I guess you’re right. I’m just stressed because I don’t know if I’ll be able to help contain the problem, let alone stop it. I may act cheerful all the time, but I’m a realist, boarding pessimist. It would be one thing if we could save all the people, but if we can’t protect their worlds, where will they all go. They’re starting to completely leak over to our side, and what happens to the world then? What happens to the people? I’m scared that we may already be too late.” She was letting all her fear and worries show. She didn’t usually care to let people know she wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but she trusted Sharaku to understand that she was only human. She had concerns and fears and was doing the best she could, “I want to stop it, I just don’t know how or if we even can anymore.” She wanted to save the people and the world so much, but… How?

“How big are we talking here? Like, Semi-Truck or whale? Because those are two very different bigs.” She didn’t know Violet Soul that well. She only had about two conversations with him before, “All I know is that he’s a sucker for praise.” She remembered that much, “Okay, the magic bit can remain a secret for now, but I really am curious. I can’t help it. I like knowing things. Knowing things is how I survive. It’s how I keep myself going.” She played up the melodrama on that one. She did like knowing things, but it wasn’t that important. She gave him her most exaggerated look of shock and feigned to faint, without moving her legs, “Sharaku, you wound me. I would not have expected a gentleman like yourself to be so callous towards a maiden in peril.” Not that she was a maiden, but it was obviously a joke.

She shrugged, “It’s a long story. Basically the whole of my life. Short version is that they always freaked me out and no one fixed it, so I guess I ut always kept it. Except, it got worse over time.” Not that she could diagnose that. She just had a feeling, “They have little signals. Wagging tails, a different kind of purring, flat ears, readying their hind legs. Those are the signs my cats give. I think it’s pretty universal if you learn to read them. They also tend to have little unique things they do. Midnight shows her belly and stares at you. Yuki, well, she runs first. Just don’t chase her. The trick is figuring out your cat.” She didn’t know if she agreed, but he was entitled to his opinion, “I think we can all learn to get along. I mean, two of my friends are computers, so I want to learn to get along even more. If I can that is.” She wanted to. She was getting there. They were basically human already, “Yeah… No flying pig Shadows, please. I can do without that. Then again, we could always just end them if need be.” That was a good option.

It wasn’t a bright and happy conversation, but it made her smile anyway. Somehow, Sharaku made her smile, despite what was happening, “A chance? Yeah, there’s a chance.” It wasn’t hopeless and it wasn’t blind faith. A chance is what she needed right now, “Thank you…” That was all she could say. She was ready to do what needed to be done. She had to find a way to save what worlds they could. She was ready, “We need to do what we can. That’s all I can think of. You said it yourself, our team may be better off not being a team. It may be too late for all of us. Still… Some of us can work together and then we can try.” She was trying to reassure herself more than speak to him. Well, she was doing both in a way. She stretched and looked at the time on her phone, “Need to catch a train back home? I’m heading that way and I wouldn’t mind paying for your trip.” He did help her, after all. It was the least she could do. Sharaku was a good friend. She may even call him her best friend. That was something she never would have thought when they first met, but now… It made so much sense. Even if he didn’t use the word friend or didn’t trust that way so readily, she could feel it.