At The Beginning Again (Open to 1)

The antique shop that used to reside on San Malarus Island had burnt down two years ago, leaving in its spot a charred patch of earth that was had not been rebuilt upon. With time, the lot had become overgrown and abandoned by its previous owner. The shrine out back was in disrepair and the foxes that typically lingered in the area had vanished to the woods from wince they came.

The people who had been used to the shop were at first perplexed about what happened to the owner, who they had come to know and enjoy being around. However, as time went on and peace returned back to the islands, the perplexity would cease and the people would begin to forget that there was ever a shop there or an odd owner that used to own it. Time and the world would go on, but there was one that could see the past clearly.

Two years ago, the empty lot had been a home and the islands of place of happiness. The being that stood before the lot dressed in strange clothing and wielding a travel bag upon its shoulder would analyze the plot with bright green eyes that did not seem to see what was before it, but something else. This figure did not smile or speak as it kept with it a cold air to the world it did not particularly care for anymore.

This place…it needed work, but perhaps in time, the being could rebuild something over the ashes of the past. Maybe not a business, but someplace to at least act like a home to give its weary body a more secure place rest. A necessity that needed to be completed in order for it to at least survive in this colorless world.

Why it wished to continue to exist in this dull world was beyond the creature’s knowledge. It honestly should disappear, but something within. Something unfulfilled kept it in the world and so falling apart or not it lingered, trying to find out what it was it was after that could finally put its wandering to rest for good.

Yes. Much work needed to be done, but how to accomplish the shadowy tasks? The creature had no idea, so for now it would focus on what needed to be done now. A home to be rebuilt…yes.

With a disinterested blink, the being shifted in its spot, drifting over debris and overgrowth with quiet steps. It would head down a familiar path to an old shrine that had become overgrown with weeds. Placing its bag down next to the shrine, the being would reach out with a gloved hand for the overgrowth nearest it. With a bit of stiffness in the fingers, the creature grabbed that vegetation and pulled it off the shrine unveiling the stone underneath. Not hesitating, its eyes would drift to the next patch and a hand would reach out to clear it away. Again and again the creature would perform this action starting with the cleaning of the shrine before settling on bigger things such as a home.
Apparently, the forgotten owner had returned to claim what was once its own again….

Information:

It was... Odd to say the least. As Jack watched a strange figure observing the old antique shop. Whatever it was it seemed rather out of place here in the city. Then again, it wasn't as out of place as the big green ball in the sky or the wreckage left behind by the war two years ago... Two years ago... That was the last time this store stood untouched. Huh... Had it really be that long sense Oki left? It all happened so fast it was hard to keep track of. After Hyde's passing... It all fell apart over here. Jack had come a few days after the final fight to try and give Oki the bad news but found nothing but cinders.

... Jack still remembers how black his hands were after he finished his frantic search through the wreckage... Trying desperately to not find a body. When none was found he called it in to the police and tryed to tell the whole truth. At first it was ruled as insurance fraud, but when the owner couldn't be found... the case was dropped.

Yet here he is... watching as what he could only assume was a stranger going through the wreckage of Oki's store...Though he was tasked with the holy duty of getting doughnuts for everyone back at the precinct... he still felt a need to intervene.

Slowly at first Jack would walk through the wreckage after the figure only stopping after reaching the entrance of the shrine proper and observing it for a moment"Excuse me... Mind if I ask what it is you are doing here?"

The being would continue the task of cleaning the shrine, its mind focus on the task, but its senses open to the world. It heard the familiar sounds of the city and smelled the scents; however, no feeling was associated with the familiarity. The things that should've brought comfort and safety were just there now. Impacting nothing.

The being would continue its work as a small sweat beginning to form on its brow. It had to fight with the more well rooted weeds on the shrine which did not wish to come from their home. It took much pulling and caution to not pull these section of the shrine down, but the creature would continue on unphased by the challenge.

It would be able to clear almost half of the vines out before something caused it to pause. A disturbance, like a ripple on a pond, breaking the dull hum of energy around it. Slowly coming to a stop, the creature would sense the presence of the other before words confirmed that perhaps the presence was real.

As the being heard the words, it would turn its head slightly towards the other, a bright green eye examining what was there…

Hm?!

The being stood a bit straighter as it took in the form. Could it really be…? No. Those people did not exist anymore. Lost were they two years ago, so there was no way it could be someone it once knew. A figment then? Mmm. Yes. A figment.

A brief moment of shock and surprise quickly followed by disappointment and a slump of the shoulders came before the creature smiled thinly behind the high collar of its jacket.

“Ah…now we have a Jack figment. How nice to have another to talk to,” the creature began before turning back to cleaning the shrine. “What be Oki doing, you ask? Well…Oki be trying to rebuild home,” the being said its voice calm as if speaking to figments was just an everyday occurrence for it. A sad, but true fact for the being currently.
________________________________________________________________________________

Information Box:

Note:

Time and age, along with intense disciplinary training, had imparted Jack with a new found patients. One that served the man well as he waited for whoever this was to finish desiccating Oki's inner sanctum and identify themselves.... though from the look of it, they weren't so much wrecking the place as trying to clean it up. The shrine had been in such disrepair sense Oki left, though how so much seemed to grow after only two years was beyond Jack... Bit of Green Mystic Power maybe? Regardless... Once the intruder stood, Jack felt both a wave of terror and relief flow over him."Oki?..."

Somewhere.... someone who truly loved sweets felt a disturbance... as if nearly two dozen doughnuts fell to their doom, clattering against the cold hard ground... screaming for help. Probably cus Jack dropped his doughnuts when he realized who was standing before him.

Wordlessly Jack would lunge for her, wrapping Oki in his embrace before he could even realize he had done it. If Oki cared to notice, they would feel their shoulder get a little wet as Jack sobbed gently into her shoulder, "Y-You... You came back..."

The being would keep its ears open for a response from the figment. Perhaps it would hold a conversation with itself or maybe the figment wouldn’t. It didn’t matter. In the end, the figment would just disappear leaving a hole where brief happiness had been achieved. Emptiness would settle once more. Just like it always did these days.

However, for the moment Oki would remain content as it kept working on the shrine. It would brush away some of the loser debris before pausing once more as it heard its name.

“Hm?” the creature would turn in figment Jack’s direction not exactly expecting anything. It would give the figment a blank look as it saw the look upon his face. Was the figment upset or something? Why such a strange face like he had seen a ghost? And what was so earth shattering that precious food had to be wasted on the ground?

Green eyes would drift down to the spilled pastries as the thoughts went through its head. The creature would blink a few times in confusion as a light frown came upon its face. It could not comprehend why this had to occ—neh?!

Oki’s eyes snapped upward to lock on the figment coming towards, but the unexpectedness and pace of the action was too fast for the being to form the correct response to the lunge that occurred. Before the being knew it was being swept up into the figment's arms. Arms that were strong and warm. Safe. Real.

For a few seconds, Oki would stiffen within the embrace as its mind went in a million and one directions. On one hand, the being wanted to get away from the embrace, the action so foreign and unsettling after such a long period of isolation that it left feelings of fear and confusion within it, but then again…the action was nice and familiar and quite frankly something the isolated creature needed - real human contact.

The side of the being that so desperately need this piece of life wanted to simply sink into the feeling and lose itself in the warmth of another. Oki wanted to do this and yet could not as fear amongst other things came into play.

With mixed signals throwing it for a loop, the being remained tense for a few seconds more before slowly relaxing as it felt something wet upon its shoulder. Tears…the final confirmation that this person hugging it was indeed real. Jack was really here...and what a relief that was. Finally, someone had found it, but was it too late?

Oki wasn't sure as it let itself relax in the other's arms.

“Yes. Oki is back,” the creature said softly as its own arms wrapped around the other returning the embrace and comforting at the same time. “It has been a long time. How be Jack?” it would ask in soft tones as it let the other cry on its shoulder.
________________________________________________________________________________

Information:

Jack had no idea how long he stood there gently sobbing, it could have been seconds or it could have been days. He just needed time, time to accept that this was happening and not some cruel prank by what ever god had decided today was the day to fuck with the mortals. To him, Oki was a memory, a figment of the past that would never come back... yet another friend he never got to say good bye to. Yet by some roll of the dice, here she was. It was to unreal... to... perfect to put into words. Jack's mind was brought back to the land of the living by Oki's grasp and words. Her voice was... off... and she was doing that weird third person talk thing she did some times but... That didn't matter. Oki was back and that's all that counted.

"I-...I'm good... Jack is good..." Jack smiled and pulled away from the hug suddenly concious of his sudden outburst of emotions. With an awkward chuckle he would look closely at Oki's hooded face and smile a wide toothy grin that was unmistakably Jack's brand of blind optimism and excitement, "It's just so good to see you again! Oh  my god you have been gone for so long I... So much has happened Oki..." Jacks smile softened as his eyes took a joyful sadness.

"You've been gone for so long Oki... I-I didn't think I would ever see you again... Where... did you go? I mean one day you where here and the next you where just... Gone." Ever the overly emotional train wreck, Jack's eyes once again began to well with tears "I didn't even get to say good bye..."

The being held Jack easily enough to close to itself. Its posture was relaxed suggesting it was not bothered by the invasion, the lingering hug, or the tears. Some part of it was truly happy for a few seconds before a dark web caught its heart once more and pulled it back into the darkness it threatened to break free of. Brief joy turned into nothingness and yet there was no sign of the change as the being let the guy stay where he was until he was ready to move away.

As the other spoke and pulled away, the being would give the emotional guy a lopsided grin as its eyes narrowed to look clearly upon the other as he continued to speak. While time had gone by changing them both in its own way, the Jack that Oki remembered still seemed to be there. The familiarity made it easy for the creature to act and hide the holes that it had within.

“I am glad Jack is well and sorry to make you worry,” the being said as it scratched its cheek sheepishly for a moment before looking off to the side, its smile fading as it sunk into more serious thoughts. “We think…Oki was lost for a bit,” the creature began before turning its eyes to Jack once more as it placed its hands on its hips and leaned towards the other with a frown.

“Everyone up and left Oki alone. We could not find any one, so Oki went hunting for everyone, but no one show up for real. Very frustrating. Drive Oki mad” the being said, its words honest and its stare icy; however, why this happened was uncertain and in the end would not matter. You see, just as suddenly as the mood swing had occurred it vanished as the grin came back to the pale face.

“However, things should be good now. Jack is really here, so catch up time yes? Urmm…Hope you not mind us cleaning up still. Home still in bad shape, so can't offer comfort or tea,” the creature said mimicking emotions such as embarrassment, but in the end feeling none of it under the well played act.

Regardless of this, the creature would put on a good show with nothing seeming to be wrong as it tilted its head at the familiar face before it. “Two years is a long time to catch up on. Hrmm…what has Jack been up to? I see you had food. Was that to welcome us back?” the being asked with a smirk and wink of one eye as it made a light poke at the spilled pastries.

Information:

A click went off in the back of Jack's head. Something... Something was off. Something was wrong about this whole situation... beyond the fact that Oki had magically come back after so long. Had he not been so naive and blindly optimistic, he may have picked up on the subtle cues that Oki had dropped. Though the event and the fallowing years hardened the young hero to death and loss, they had done nothing to his faith in humanity and his child like wonder. When Oki said they were ok and seemed like they meant it, Jack was inclined to believe them. "No need to be sorry for anything... You're back and that's all that matters..."

"Oh right! Of course I'd love to help clean this place up... But uh..." Jack took one quick look around at the tattered and broken grounds and with a frown decided to break the bad news to Oki"I don't think you should stay here... At least for now, there's not much in the way of housing here... I'll tell you what, We'll get this place cleaned up, then we can head on over to the station and find you a place to stay for a bit. At worst you can always stay with me and Charles for a bit, you remember Charles right? I'm sure he won't mind the extra company." Jack flashed his smile before a chill ran up his spine at the mention of the food... Yeah those doughnuts were ruined.... Great now he'd have to foot the bill for a new box...

"They're a little dirty now but... I mean if you really want them I won't stop you heh. Technically they're for the day shift but as they are now... I think I'll just have to buy a new box," Jack chuckled as he rolled up his sleeves and began to pull at the vines and weeds that had overtaken the shrine. "Which kinda leads me to what I've been up to the last two years heh... I uh... I became a cop! See?" Jack struck a pose he had seen in a fashion mag. "What do you think? Heh."

Oki would keep its real looking fake smile plastered on its face before rubbing the back of its head sheepishly.

“You are very kind to say that. Although..Oki still feels bad for the error,” the being told the other as it gave him a small smile that looked more like a small wince of pain than anything else. Yeah…what happened two years ago was still a sore subject for the creature, but it could bare the past as long as the subject stayed brief.

In any case, the being would begin to work on the shrine again. It would move to the opposite side of the shrine so that it could see Jack and at least not be rude by keeping its back to him. As it listened, it would begin to tug at a vine that had merged with a rope.

“Oki is happy for the help,” the being grunted as it continued to tug at the stubborn tangle. It would stick its tongue out slightly as it gave one last tug. With a snap, the rope and vine came loose causing the being to stumble back and pin wheel for balance. As it was doing this, the spot where the rope and vine had been cracked slightly before with a light sigh it crumbled under its own weight.

Oki regained its blance as the corner of the shrine collapsed.

“Hmph!” the creature let out the agitated sound as it looked at the damages. This meant more work, but in the end that too would be fixed with time. The being would toss the rope to the side as it moved back to the shrine to inspect the damages closer. As it did this, it would address the issue of a place to stay.

“Oki has lived outside for a long time now, we don’t know if the places around here would allow us to stay. Might be to wild for them to handle,” the being said with a light chuckle. A chuckle that hide so much of the truth…

“As for staying with Jack, we are not sure. Last time we met Charles we pushed him in water no?” the being said remembering the day well. “You think he be happy to see us again?”

The words were light and seemed playful enough; however, Oki had to wonder…could it actually live with others in its current state? Would they accept what it had become when the veil was lifted? The dark thoughts lingered within being hidden by smiles and words on the outside.

In any case, the being would grin as the subject turned to food and Jack came over to help with the remaining vines.

“Oki will admit it is very tempting to eat them; however, we think we’ll collect them for the birds. At least they won’t go to waste that way,” the being said in easy tones before leaning against the shrine to look over at Jack.

“A cop, huh? Let Oki see then,” the being said as it came from around the shrine and began to circle Jack as he took a pose. The being would look him up and down with a nod of approval here and there before it settled in front of the taller guy.

“The look suits you even better than the last even if you are still insane underneath it all,” the being said with a soft smile, the first sign of an emotion that was not being faked. It would stay where it was for a moment longer before giving Jack a light nod and turning away to look back at the shrine…only to take a step back as it saw a cat.

Yeah…cats…It still had some issues with them, but at least it could hold its ground against the critters instead of running.

It would move to gather its bag its eyes taking note that more cats were coming in. What the hell…? Had this place become a cat club over the two years? Not liking the amount of cats that were gathering, Oki would retreat with its bag to Jack’s side as hid slightly behind him.

“Urmm…Let’s come back to fix when they are gone. We don’t like the stares they give us,” Oki said as it glanced nervously at the cats. Where did they all come from? And did there presence mean something bad? It sure hoped not. Things were going so well...
_______________________________________

Information Box:

"Whoa Oki are you ok-oh... I guess you are." Jack reacted quickly to Oki's little stumble by rushing to her ready to dive for the catch if need be. Luckily for Oki and for Jack's newly washed uniform, she was able to regain her balance and stay on her feet. Darn... Darn? Why darn?... Not like Jack wanted to catch Oki or anyth-oh Zordon damn it... Fine guess we have to deal with this crap again! Sigh... Get your shit together Jack."Whoa! Watch it! Heh, you don't want to get hurt so soon after getting back."

"Charles will be delighted to have you, and so will the kids, trust me!" Jack called returning to his work. A full three seconds passed before he realized what he just said could have implied"H-he raises possums! Baby, Kid, Possums. And we're roommate! Ehehehe... heh... Wow I gotta start filtering myself..." Jack chuckled happily to himself as he continued his tidying up and listened to Oki's response. She still had a good sense about her, frankly Jack was just gunna up and toss the doughnuts out...

"You think it looks good on me? Heh... Thanks... It sure is more usefull then my old suit, not quite as fun though." Jack repaid Oki's warm smile with one of his own. He couldn't put his finger on it but for some reason this one felt a lot more... something then the others. Like the Oki he had been talking to for the last five minutes wasn't the real deal, and he caught a glimpse of the real deal for the first time sense coming across her again. It felt nice...

"Hehe... Still not a fan of the felines huh? Some things never change... Come on," Jack said with a wink as he turned to the steps "How bout I treat you to some lunch and tea... for old times sake. We still have so much to catch up on."

When Oki went off balance and began to pin wheel for balance, it saw Jack come towards itself as if he were about to help, but when it caught its balance again shortly after the guy seemed disappointed? Oki wasn’t sure as it looked over at him with a tilt of its head.

“Oki get hurt? Nope. Oki be graceful always,” the being said as it closed its eyes and nod in a sage like fashion, The behavior seemed like one trying to play off something embarrassing, but one had to wonder…was the act real or not. Sure the being pulled off the action well enough, but there was a certain something missing from the act that would’ve made it genuine. Regardless of this, Oki would eventually open its eyes again as it looked over at Jack with a small smile as he mentioned Charles and the kids. Ah that was  nice….

Wait. What?

Oki tilted its head to the left as it raised an eyebrow at Jack’s words truly perplexed until he explained what he meant by kids. As the explanation sunk in, Oki would nod a bit before speaking.

“First, why would Jack need filter for self? He has nothing impure to clean out of him like water or other things that require filters,”  Oki would begin with a serious expression clearly not understanding the figure of speech and therefore had taken it literally. From there, the creature would continue on . “Secondly, we thought for two seconds Jack be married or somefink when you said kids. Did not know people called pets kids. Interesting....However, baby possums be cute, but Oki is surprised Charles likes them. Guess he more different than we thought,” the being said  as it considered the strange guy it had met before. He had high curiosity and was easily impressed last it recalled, but baby possums? It never pegged him for someone to love such a misunderstood creature. “Interesting. Perhaps…it will be…okay,” Oki muttered to itself thinking if it was really wise or not to move into a place with the pair. On one hand it wanted to take the offer due to the fact it wouldn’t be alone anymore, but on the other it was terrified it might do something…unpleasant if brushed the wrong way…

Oki would move to help Jack finish clearing the weeds off the shrine as it ponder this for a bit more. The creature would continue to work along side Jack until the guy made his pose and asked what the being thought about the outfit. When Oki gave its verdict, Jack seem to be pleased as he responded back.

“Mhmm. It be a nice change. Yes, your ranger suit is nice, but at least this way we can see who is working so hard to help us. Makes Oki proud,” the being said easily enough as it stayed for just a moment in the truly happy lull that had come between them. Things might’ve continued to be nice if they hadn’t arrived. The cats that is.

As the cats came, Oki shelled up as the creatures made its hair stand on in as they gathered at the now clean shrine. Shuddering, Oki would look away from the sight lest it truly loose it. “No. Oki still no like them. Don’t think we ever will,” the being admitted as it looked up at Jack with a small frown of distress. It honestly did not know what to do here….and actually kind of forgot about cats when the offer of food came.  

“Food? Yes. Oki come for food and chat,” the being said as a bit more of old self surfaced even if it was just for a little while. As Jack turned and began to leave, Oki would fall into step with him as they began to walk to the next destination.

Mood Box:

"Nope, no perhaps, it WILL be ok!" Jack's smile tried it's damndest to be contagious as the pair descended the steps"Don't worry Oki, I'll take care of you untill you can get back on your feet. It's the least I can do for an old friend."  He briefly wondered how Charles would actually react to the sudden invitation... He and Oki only hung out once, and it wasn't like their apartment was all that large, though the couch was always free. Plus taco night would be so much more fun with three! More people to watch the possums... keep them from getting into everything and mucken it all up..."Though yeah... This new suit dose come with a few more perks then the old one. For one no one's chased me with torches and pitchforks for at least a year and a half... It's a good feeling heh."

"Now that's the spirit! Haha, bout lunch time anyway." Jack chuckled to himself and thought for a moment "What are ya feeling like Oks? Most of the same places are still around, I think Mark's Meatloaf Megamart closed down, turns out they were useing local squirrels in the loafs... Tasted alright to me... Though one thing we've all been missing is your Tea shop. Just can't get a good cup of ZyuGreen anywhere." The rancid, oily, chunky and thick flavors of ZyuGreen were gone... but not forgotten...

"Speaking of which..." Jack cringed slightly as they passed through the charred wreckage of the teashop "What are you planning on doing now that you're back?..."

Oki would look up at Jack as he seemed to be quite certain that things would be alright if Oki decided to take him up on his offer. While the creature was quite amazed at his bright outlook on things, it had to wonder if it could really trust the words. It didn’t exactly know, Charles like it knew Jack, so it wasn’t too sure if it would be welcomed. Still…having a more stable place to stay would be nice and if all else failed it could always go back to sleeping outside.

The being would consider the option a moment longer and then deciding to take a chance, it would finally nod at Jack as it gave him a small smile of awkwardness. “Alright. If you think it will be okay, then Oki will trust you and give it a whirl,” the creature would say to the other trying to sound hopeful even when it saw the situation as more than likely hopeless. A result of being alone with dark thoughts for far too long. Maybe being around others would help improve its…unique state of mind. Maybe, but it doubted it.

In any case, the somewhat odd moment would pass as Oki gave Jack a grin as he mentioned his old suit. “Hehe. Well, that is always good to hear. Oki would be sad to learn that still occurred. You work so hard and got nothing in return before, but now we are glad to see it all paid off in the end.”

The creature would say the words as some part of it was truly happily for the guy, but the ice over its heart did not want to budge much to let the true joy escape, so for the time being small smiles or grins was all it could managed. Even when it came to food, Oki’s old self remained buried and yet it at least tried to act happier for Jack’s sake. No need to bring everything down with it.

“What does Oki want to eat? Jack ask such difficult question. Oki eat everything, but never have we tried squirrel. Never knew that a meal could be made out of such small things and here we thought the cats kept squirrels away from Oki’s trees,” the being said as it shook its head lightly with an amused chuckle. To think it had missed out on an old store like. Well, maybe now the squirrels would come back. In any case what to, eat?

“Hmm…Oki remembers an old sushi bar tucked away in one of the alleys. It served good sushi and teas. We can go there if Jack likes simple, but real question be: What does Jack want to eat?” the being would ask as it continued to walk next to him. It would be silent for a bit before it gave a light frown of thought as it heard its next question.

“Unfortunately Oki will take much time to rebuild tea shop. It might be hard, but Oki can find more of Jack’s tea he likes so. For now though, we are simply trying to reorient ourselves with life again. It be a bit odd after being away so long, but we try,” the being said to the other not seeming to be phased by the remains of a past life they went through or the cringe Jack made. After a moment, it would tilt its head slightly at Jack. “What be your plans?”
_______________________________________________________

Mood Box:

"Why would you even bring up squirrels when...This raises a lot ow questions on what you HAVE eaten Oki... You been doing the whole "Living off the land" thing for a while?" To be honest, Jack felt a little off put by the thought of eating a squirrel... They were just so small, defenseless, cute, fuzzy, lean... probably good in stews... Not to fatty... Ya know maybe there's something to this whole eating rodents things... A thought for another day.

"Hmm, Oh wait yeah! I know the place you're talking about. They have great eel rolls. Sounds great!" The prospect of Sushi sounded rather nice, better then Squirrel anyway.

Jack felt a cold jolt shoot up his spine almost immediately after asking his question... Perhaps it was a bit to soon to ask that... after all Oki had JUST gotten back and probably didn't want to think about things like that right now... Though... she didn't seem TOO taken aback by his brashness... so maybe it was all good."My plans?... Heh... Well aside from continuing my never ending war on crime,I suppose I plan on helping you rebuild wherever I can heh. It's the least I can do for an old friend who's been gone for so long." Jack let a silence fall over the two of them for a moment before letting out a light chuckle "Don't worry, It doesn't matter how long you've been gone, all hat matters is that you're back now."

Oki would tilt its head at Jack a bit confused at first. Had he not brought up the squirrel subject with the meatloaf bit? Did he forget that or had the being missed something? Heh. It wouldn’t be the first for the latter of the choices. Despite the confusion the creature would blink a bit as it pondered what Jack had asked.

“Hmmm…we haven’t eaten squirrel. Mostly fish, rabbits, and occasionally deer or other game meat if we could catch them. Might sound strange or boring to some, but nature has many good things to eat…along with some really bad things. Never trust shrooms or berries. They be tricky. So tricky,” Oki would tell the other as it recalled some near brushes with death and illnesses alike thanks to nature’s ways. It truly was a killed or be killed sort of world out there and yet…it was a lot simpler than living in a city or around people. Maybe that was why it was so easy to fall into that life style, even if the work was harder.

In any case, Oki would shift its thoughts away from that part of life as Jack mentioned the little sushi bar it had remembered from before. As it found common ground with the other once more the creature would beam slightly.

“Oho. Jack likes eel? Have you tried Octpus too? That is quite delicious too, but then again the owner always made best sushi. I wonder if he still works there or if his son took over,” the creature would say before it was falling silent as a bit of sadness washed over it. Hyde…Hyde had made it sushi at one point didn’t he…? The being was quiet for a moment as it struggled to put the thought back into its proper place. While it struggled, it would only wince slightly at the thought, but then getting the emotion under control, it would relax again as its smile returned. Honestly, the wince could’ve been a result of anything if its smile could be trusted.

“Hehe,” the creature would chuckle lightly at Jack’s course of action. “Well, I am glad that you are sure of your path,” it would say gently before it would look over at the guy sheepishly. “Mmm. Jack is welcome to help if he wishes, but don’t feel obligated to help. You take care of people. It is enough for Oki to see you happy,” the being said, its smile hiding much pain. The same form of promise had been made by Hyde in the past, but the being had lost him. It didn’t want a repeat of the past, so the creature left the offer lose a bit too scared to give a solid yes to anything on fear it would all disappear again.

It…didn’t want to be alone..Not again.

Still the smile remained and hid all the pain as it nodded at Jack's comment.

“Oki is glad to be back amongst friends,” the creature would state in calm tones as it closed its eyes for a second and took a deep breath of the fresh air before releasing it slowly as it reopened its eyes as it calmed again…Yes it was indeed good to be back.

Mood Box::