Arrival; Backdated to 8/1 - OPEN

[not_that_sasuke]

[Castle]

[Hello there, castle friends. You're getting at least one new buddy today, and for some of you, he might even look familiar.

When Sasuke wakes up, his school uniform - a sailor shirt and black pants - are still dirtied by soil, along with his hands. A thin cord of rope remains loosely circled around his neck, though there's marks on his neck that suggest it was much more snug previously. Unsurprisingly, he looks pretty alarmed at all of this, although a completely black cat soon shoots to his side, investigating him and making sure he's okay.

The sight doesn't calm him entirely, but he does relax enough to pat it on its head, scritching behind the ears.]

Kurou? Where...?

[Hirajiro]

[And then some stuff happens. It's very upsetting. But it's fine. He'll be fine. He's just got to get out of the castle and find the town, which he is capable of, because even if he was terrible at it he still had training all his life in a mountainous forest. He can find his way.

There's just... other problems with that plan. Which is why people in town might find themselves looking at a black cat that, if approached, keeps walking just out of their reach - and yet, it will stop to make sure they keep following it nonetheless.

The reason for this becomes abundantly clear soon enough, because the cat is leading them to a teenager collapsed on the street. There's dirt on him from a forest, though not necessarily this one, and if they look closely enough they might even see a little rope burn on his neck, though he at least had the sense to remove the rope from his shoulders.

He. He probably needs some help. Please help him.]

Comments

[reveilation]

...Don't drink too fast, or you might throw up. [ And then she'll have to force him to clean it up himself. ]

Are you hungry at all?

[not_that_sasuke]

I'll be okay.

[He is not okay. But thankfully, at least as far as the juice goes, he's taking it bit by bit, because Kido has a powerful Judging presence.

Food, though...]

...You don't really have to...

[She already dragged him here for something to drink in the first place.]

[reveilation]

If you pass out the moment I let you loose onto the streets, it's going to worry people, okay? We've got some dangerous animals around here, so you're lucky I got to you first.

[ What's something easy to eat... Kido finishes off her juice and places the cup in the sink before looking through the fridge. ]

Are you able to drink milk?

[not_that_sasuke]

[Why you gotta give reasonable arguments like that. His head dips down as he drinks more of his juice.]

...Yeah. I can.

[reveilation]

[ Kido nods and doesn't say much else after that, getting out eggs and milk, and three microwavable cups. It's a very simple egg custard that she's making, adding sugar to two of the three and handing Sasuke the one without sugar. ]

Let it cool a bit before you eat it.

[ The other two cups go in the fridge and Kido remains leaning against the counter tapping her hand on crossed arms while occasionally glancing at the clock. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[He'll just sip at his juice awkwardly. By now, Kurou's had his fill of water, so he just moves to his master's side, watching Kido.]

...Do you need me to leave before a certain time?

[reveilation]

You still have some time, but before three... I have to pick up the children who live here from school, so I'll need to kick you out and lock the door by then.

[ But, seeing Kurou reminds her of that can of cat food she must have left on the road, whoops... some other stray cat would have eaten it, so she just hopes somebody picks up the litter to throw away after. That aside, she pushes off the counter to find that bag she was carrying, and takes three cans out of it to set on the table in front of Sasuke. The kinds with the tab that you pull to open, so you don't need a can opener. ]

Take these for your cat when you leave.

[ Sasuke could potentially eat it too and Kido won't know, but they're for his cat. They were actually for Terry's cats, but. Oh well. She'll buy more tomorrow morning. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[He nods in understanding, poking at the custard now that it's hopefully cool.]

I understand. I'll be out of here before then.

[-But now there's cans on the table, and...]

It's okay. Kurou knows how to hunt.

[reveilation]

[ Kido waves a hand, because it'll be a later conversation when she learns Kurou's been living in the forest and can take care of himself alright; she's just assuming he's a normal house cat. ]

That's good and all, but there's cats everywhere here, even in the forest. I dunno how territorial they are or what their hunting grounds are like, so at least take one can.

[not_that_sasuke]

[He looks extremely reluctant, but... rather than fight it (because he never does), he'll take a single can.]

Thanks.

[reveilation]

[ She should have pushed harder to make him take all three cans, but seeing him accept just the one is enough. ]

Yeah, you're welcome. It's always a bit tough when people first come here, so...

[ So it's why she at least wants to make sure he's fed, if not unhurt. Somehow, it looks like he got out of the forest alright, but that seems to have taken everything out of him, and she doesn't want him to have to scavenge for... water basin algae or wild mushrooms or something... ]

You can come here if you need help, but I won't always be here. I better not find you collapsed on the ground again, either.

[not_that_sasuke]

You won't.

[If there's a next time, hopefully he'll have enough presence of mind to collapse quietly where no one will find him.]

When people first come here...? Do people usually just show up?

[reveilation]

[ screams, if nobody can find him, he's going to die!! Kido should've taken it back. ]

Hm? Well, obviously there's the people who live here normally. But you were able to see my cat, weren't you? Everybody who could do that, who has one of those charms on them, they just sort of showed up. Wasn't it the same for you? Waking up in that broken stone building?

[not_that_sasuke]

[He'll be fine?? He's fine.]

Yeah. There were some... others already there.

[That was a bad time!! Let's not talk about that.]

So the people who come here can see spirits?

[reveilation]

I dunno if they're spirits... Somebody I know can summon a dragon. Another can summon a... thing...

[ Leon's Persona. She's not sure how to describe it. ]

You can probably do it too, but it's better to not try until you get some rest first, or you'll be passed out in the middle of the street again.

[not_that_sasuke]

[...Um. He's still exhausted, and maybe that contributes to the way he just kind of gives her an odd look.]

I definitely don't have a power like that.

[And yet he can accept the existence of spirits to begin with.]

[reveilation]

[ Yeah, what's up with that? Kido returns the odd look, but after a moment, she shrugs. It's easier to summon in a dungeon, but it's also probably a better idea to not mention that to this guy, because she doubts he would last long in a dungeon if on his own. ]

There's only a few of us, so maybe it's just a majority and not all. Lots of them stand out by just how they look, so you can probably tell some of them apart...

[not_that_sasuke]

[Wow, you don't know him, maybe he's secretly a combat expert.]

How they look?

[reveilation]

[ He can prove it by not ending up in the hospital within a month LIKE SOME PEOPLE SHE KNOWS

But hmm, people to look out for... Hibiki and Terry and Red all sort of blend in with the crowd as long as they keep their heads down and shut up, so they're not very helpful for picking out in a glance. She's not even going to entertain the thought of sending Sasuke to Kokichi. ]

...There's a guy who's got his hair up in a pompadour, and looks like a gang boss. Another has brightly dyed hair, with large purple headphones— sort of what you'd expect from a city kid, which stands out in a place like this. Those sorts of people.

[not_that_sasuke]

[.........He will try his best.]

Okay, I'll keep an eye out. [Makes sense that the city types would stand out, that was true even where he's from.]

I don't think I ever got your name...? I'm Sasuke.

[reveilation]

Kido.

[ She figures it's just easier to continue using her last name like she has been with everybody else, since it's what's written on her omamori and she'd gotten used to it anyways. ]

What's your cat's name?

[ Honestly the name she's more interested in, sorry Sasuke ]

[not_that_sasuke]

Kurou.

[Said cat is still sitting patiently. He's well trained, it seems.]

[reveilation]

Kurou. Alright.

[ Unfortunately, Kurou has the same deal as Sasuke in that Kido won't be able to tell him apart from any other black cat, so she'll just have to rely on them as a pair in order to differentiate them. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

You can pet him if you want.

[Sasuke meanwhile will make sure to finish off the food and drink, glancing up to the clock to make sure he doesn't overstay his welcome.]

[reveilation]

Can- can I really?

[ She didn't mean for that to come out so eager, and it's really embarrassing when she catches herself sounding so excited about a cat that will actually stay still and let her pet it. House cats who are used to pets are so much different than the strays on the street...

Still, she just crouches on the ground with her hand extended, letting Kurou come up to her instead of her reaching out to pet him. ]