[ Their first stop on the interuniverse extravaganze was Anon's homeworld; necessary provisions, supplies, and business to take care of before they could really go on vacation. It had been a short trip but a busy one, so taking a day or two to recover in the shop made sense.
There are a lot of new and old faces around, but Natsuno ignores most of them, as he's prone to do. Most people just didn't matter, and his selfishness has only gotten worse recently. But there are a few notable exceptions, so it's really a give and take here.
At some point when he extracts himself from the cuddle pile he inevitably finds himself in, Natsuno will seek Shadow out. Gotta report in like a good son and all. ]
Hey. How's business? [ That might be a joke, but it's hard to tell. Shadow is an employee of Watanuki's shop after all. ]
[Shadow is doing chores around the shop. It may be magic, but dust accumulates nevertheless, and Shadow isn't one to sit idly. Especially not after his own little... adventure back in "his" world.
He pauses in his sweeping when he sees Natsuno]
Back so soon, Koide? I figured you'd be spending a lot more time in Anon's world. [Shadow gestures vaguely] We've had a few customers, but Kimihiro is still mostly caught up in figuring out how he wants to help the Foundation agents.
[ Shadow sweeping is an odd sight and earns a few blinks. He'll take a step to the side, mindful not to step in any dust piles. ]
He's always slow to make up his mind, huh? Least he's not asleep this time. [ There's no real bite to his tone, which is pretty apparent. ]
Hmn, we weren't planning on staying there long anyway. But things were weird. I don't know if Kimihiro is still drowsy from everything that happened or what.
Mmm. The same thing happened to me. The world I went to... it wasn't quite mine. A few little details were off, like the apartment I lived in. I ended up running into the... well... the "me" of that world. As you might expect, it did not go well.
[Shadow rubs his chest a bit. The wound the other Shadow had inflicted had long since healed-- and was perhaps the only thing that kept this Shadow from being killed.]
[suspecting they may be speaking a bit longer, Shadow sets aside the broom and heads into the sitting area of the shop, casting a glance over his shoulder to ensure Natsuno follows. He talks as he walks, as well, and sits crosslegged at a short table]
'Took care of'? Not like you're thinking. Once I proved I was the real deal to him, he allowed me to visit that world's Tails so my inhibitor rings could be stripped of the Foundation's programming. He made me swear not to contact anyone else in that world, and for Watanuki and myself to leave as soon as my business was complete.
[Shadow is doing a pretty good job of hiding the hurt he felt of possibly never getting to see his own friends again, but if Natsuno listens carefully, it's there in his voice]
I do not blame him for being overprotective. After I explained my situation, he rightly did not want his world to get caught up in the Foundation's nonsense. I believe he even took the data Tails extracted from my inhibitors and destroyed it. [Shadow shakes his head] I would have done the same, to protect my world from the Foundation. That said... I think that SCP-6350 may be responsible for Watanuki's inability to access our true worlds.
[ Following along and sitting down, Natsuno easily slips back into Japanese mannerisms. ]
Hmn. [ Yeah he caught that subtle change in Shadow's voice and he'll address it in a moment. Better to get the logistical stuff out of the way first cause his propensity to get distracted has been pretty bad lately. ]
You mean on purpose because of the Foundation? Or that SCP-6350 is just messing with Kimihiro's abilities by existing?
This is how Kimihiro explained it to me; he was able to locate the world I came from fairly easily, by finding a fragment with only six emeralds instead of seven. But he said it was... stopped, or frozen, and inaccessible even to him. Thinking he must have made a mistake, he opened a portal to an adjacent world. [Shadow closes his eyes and folds his arms] 6450 is a rather blunt instrument when it comes to interdimensional travel, lacking the finesse that the Witch has. I think it's likely that when a soul is kidnapped by 6350, the world that soul came from goes into some sort of stasis -- perhaps as a way to ensure the stability of the fragment? [he shrugs and shakes his head] Without being able to access those frozen worlds, It's impossible to say. But one thing is for certain -- Kimihiro cannot bring us home.
[ Hm, this is all certainly....Natsuno's not really sure what to think of it, leaning forward onto his palm the more Shadow explains. ]
I don't want to go home, so it doesn't matter for me. And I don't think Anon really did either, he just needed to grab some stuff. [ He's aware though, that they're the outliers as far as this goes. ]
But for the rest of you, it looks like we're still tied up with the Foundation anyway, huh. What a pain...
[ He says that, but his inflection doesn't necessarily carry through as strongly as his words. ]
I was hoping to bring the emerald back and restore balance... but I suppose if the world is "frozen", then it will be fine. I just cannot let this emerald I have fall into the wrong hands.
[Shadow frowns]
I was hoping to be free of my ties to that insidious organization, but I guess I'm still stuck. Frustrating.
You can't just cut off the head, you have to burn the entire thing. But you can do it, and they probably can too.
[ It's the most he can offer because he's awful at platitudes and he doesn't think Shadow is the type to want to hear them anyway (he's also not including himself in this equation and that might very well change given the live watch but !future Natsuno problems). But he can offer something else. ]
Actually, I got you something that might help. You like guns, right?
Anon's the best, but Infernals are really good at fighting. And making weapons to fight with. [ Natsuno reaches into one of the inside pockets of his jacket to produce an ebony pistol with an otherworldly sheen. He holds it out to Shadow, handle first in a show of gun safety because sometimes he manages not to be a complete disaster when it comes to danger. ]
I'd say try it but, it would probably blow open a wall. Unless Kimihiro wants to renovate the place. This one- [ He pulls out a second pistol, somehow more jet black than the first. ] definitely would.
[Shadow's eyes go wide in surprise for a brief moment before he contains himself, carefully taking the gun and inspecting it with an experienced eye]
The craftsmanship is remarkable. And this alloy... [he lightly scratches one of his claws across it, and they don't leave a mark] it's light, but durable. [he looks for the magazine] What sort of ammunition does it take?
[he peers at the second gun. That one almost seemed to suck in light. They were really something else]
The infernal kind. [ Rummaging around in his pockets again—ah there it was. He pulls out a box of bullets that look like typical ammo except for the fact that they're blood red. ]
Each shot is like a mini explosion, handy if you wanna set things on fire or just blow stuff up. I knew they were a culture that thrived off of battle and war, but I didn't realize it meant they were master craftsmen too. And just wait 'till you see the claymore we brought back as our payment for the next world we're going to.
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(no subject)
10/6/19 17:50 (UTC)There are a lot of new and old faces around, but Natsuno ignores most of them, as he's prone to do. Most people just didn't matter, and his selfishness has only gotten worse recently. But there are a few notable exceptions, so it's really a give and take here.
At some point when he extracts himself from the cuddle pile he inevitably finds himself in, Natsuno will seek Shadow out. Gotta report in like a good son and all. ]
Hey. How's business? [ That might be a joke, but it's hard to tell. Shadow is an employee of Watanuki's shop after all. ]
(no subject)
11/6/19 03:37 (UTC)He pauses in his sweeping when he sees Natsuno]
Back so soon, Koide? I figured you'd be spending a lot more time in Anon's world. [Shadow gestures vaguely] We've had a few customers, but Kimihiro is still mostly caught up in figuring out how he wants to help the Foundation agents.
(no subject)
11/6/19 03:55 (UTC)He's always slow to make up his mind, huh? Least he's not asleep this time. [ There's no real bite to his tone, which is pretty apparent. ]
Hmn, we weren't planning on staying there long anyway. But things were weird. I don't know if Kimihiro is still drowsy from everything that happened or what.
(no subject)
11/6/19 04:06 (UTC)(no subject)
11/6/19 04:42 (UTC)[ One Anon is enough, even for him. And his Anon is the best anyway. ]
(no subject)
12/6/19 02:33 (UTC)[Shadow rubs his chest a bit. The wound the other Shadow had inflicted had long since healed-- and was perhaps the only thing that kept this Shadow from being killed.]
(no subject)
12/6/19 15:23 (UTC)Yeah, same thing with us. Kimihiro really is off his game then, or something's messing with his Witch business.
[ ... ]
You took care of the other you?
(no subject)
12/6/19 23:19 (UTC)'Took care of'? Not like you're thinking. Once I proved I was the real deal to him, he allowed me to visit that world's Tails so my inhibitor rings could be stripped of the Foundation's programming. He made me swear not to contact anyone else in that world, and for Watanuki and myself to leave as soon as my business was complete.
[Shadow is doing a pretty good job of hiding the hurt he felt of possibly never getting to see his own friends again, but if Natsuno listens carefully, it's there in his voice]
I do not blame him for being overprotective. After I explained my situation, he rightly did not want his world to get caught up in the Foundation's nonsense. I believe he even took the data Tails extracted from my inhibitors and destroyed it. [Shadow shakes his head] I would have done the same, to protect my world from the Foundation. That said... I think that SCP-6350 may be responsible for Watanuki's inability to access our true worlds.
(no subject)
13/6/19 15:15 (UTC)Hmn. [ Yeah he caught that subtle change in Shadow's voice and he'll address it in a moment. Better to get the logistical stuff out of the way first cause his propensity to get distracted has been pretty bad lately. ]
You mean on purpose because of the Foundation? Or that SCP-6350 is just messing with Kimihiro's abilities by existing?
(no subject)
13/6/19 20:35 (UTC)(no subject)
14/6/19 19:42 (UTC)I don't want to go home, so it doesn't matter for me. And I don't think Anon really did either, he just needed to grab some stuff. [ He's aware though, that they're the outliers as far as this goes. ]
But for the rest of you, it looks like we're still tied up with the Foundation anyway, huh. What a pain...
[ He says that, but his inflection doesn't necessarily carry through as strongly as his words. ]
(no subject)
26/6/19 03:08 (UTC)[Shadow frowns]
I was hoping to be free of my ties to that insidious organization, but I guess I'm still stuck. Frustrating.
(no subject)
2/7/19 02:01 (UTC)[ It's the most he can offer because he's awful at platitudes and he doesn't think Shadow is the type to want to hear them anyway (he's also not including himself in this equation and that might very well change given the live watch but !future Natsuno problems). But he can offer something else. ]
Actually, I got you something that might help. You like guns, right?
(no subject)
2/7/19 03:03 (UTC)Oh? I do like guns, yes.
(no subject)
2/7/19 05:23 (UTC)I'd say try it but, it would probably blow open a wall. Unless Kimihiro wants to renovate the place. This one- [ He pulls out a second pistol, somehow more jet black than the first. ] definitely would.
(no subject)
2/7/19 17:36 (UTC)The craftsmanship is remarkable. And this alloy... [he lightly scratches one of his claws across it, and they don't leave a mark] it's light, but durable. [he looks for the magazine] What sort of ammunition does it take?
[he peers at the second gun. That one almost seemed to suck in light. They were really something else]
(no subject)
3/7/19 01:15 (UTC)Each shot is like a mini explosion, handy if you wanna set things on fire or just blow stuff up. I knew they were a culture that thrived off of battle and war, but I didn't realize it meant they were master craftsmen too. And just wait 'till you see the claymore we brought back as our payment for the next world we're going to.