Re: (Blue, Luca, and Twin) New House, New Friends

[TwinTigerPaw]

Gau let go of the shiniko's hand after a moment and the blinked before shaking his head. That was pain.... He would never have expected something like that in his life. "Oh, that was unexpected.... I didn't see anything... I know that you were taken in and I heard everything- Oh?" He said softly before tilting his head.

"Wait they never named you? Well, why don't we fix that? Got anything you'd like in mind?" Gau asked the shiniko, deciding not to dwell on what he didn't see in the shiniko's memories.

[BluePawProductions]

The shiniko boy waited in silence, listening closely to Gau's uneven immediate reaction. His breath sounded unsettled. This was usual, though usually followed by a slew of disgruntled curses. Instead, it was followed by an uncertain and confused response. He smiled reassuringly but tentatively and replied, "Yeah, I get that a lot. Sorry. I know it's not pleasant."

He titled his head ever so slightly when the dema asked him what he'd like to be named. "I've never thought about it, really..." He hadn't felt much like he deserved one... "I suppose I don't know what I'd want to be called. Probably something simple so it's not a bother to remember for anyone." He felt...strange....Giddy? Was he excited to be named? Scared? He didn't know. "Just uh... I guess, name me whenever something comes to you that fits, something you like. Or whatever someone suggests. Anything will be fine, I'm sure." Not like he'd need it when he went back, he figured. Yet...it'd be nice.

[TwinTigerPaw]

The dema rested his chin on his hand and thought about it. "Something simple..." He hummed. Gau was close enough to see a few features on the shiniko. And then a name came to mind.

"What about Kovu." He said. "Another child of mine named Taddle watches all the cartoons and says there's a character named 'Kovu' in one. He says the name mean's 'scar'. What do you think?" He asked. It was a bit of a dark meaning name but... When not translated, it sounded cute and happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours had passed, and Yoko had resigned himself to sitting on the steps that led into the overhang of Gau's house living quarters. He had a bowl of ramen in his lap and was watching for his dema to return with hopefully the shiniko friend with him. Dinner time had just hit, and they made ramen. Something Yoko had never tried before. He liked it.

[BluePawProductions]

When Gau started to think out loud, another wave of giddy feeling ran over the boy and he almost felt like fidgeting impatiently. He remained politely still and quiet in demeanor, but inside he was egging on the dema. He hadn't thought about naming himself, but the chance of having one was enthralling. He wanted to be somebody to someone, if even just for a little while. So when the dema then opened his mouth and gave an offer, it felt like a great gift had been afforded to him.

"Kovu," he mimicked the word back quietly, feeling it on his breath. "Ko...vu...." A bittersweet smile parted his lips that soon turned to a childlike excitement in his face. He still managed to restrain himself to stay still. "I Like it," he agreed in a subdued way."

The explanation behind the name went on. He thought it was cute that he was a cartoon character. That was cool. He hoped it was one people were fond of. Maybe someone would think it was neat to meet them in person. What if-

Scar.

His hands wanted to reach up and finger that all to familiar, mangled patch of skin, but they just twitched lightly once or twice by his sides. Scar... That was fitting. Unassuming name, friendly, simple, but with a meaning like that. With what marked him as he was...

"I think that fits," he replied brightly, giving no indication whatsoever as to what he was thinking.

~~~

After returning briefly to his cavern and retrieving a very select few things that he dare not ever part with, Kovu came back to Gau and went with his temporary dema back to his home. They traveled out the woods, found their way to the bus stop, a place he was unfamiliar with personally, rode all the way into what seemed to be a large city, traveled by foot to the coastline in that same city, then up into Gau's large estate. The sound of solid wood under his feet and the smells of real, natural materials told him it was an organic place. The smoothness of the grain and cleanness of the railing that he grazed his hand on briefly told him it was a wealthy place, as did the echo of his steps and the quietness of the city noise by the time they got up the path. He had a lot of land, this dema.

The boy navigated his way around at an easy pace, but seemed to get where he needed to go just fine, only curiously reaching out to tap something here or there. Mostly he kept his hands on the hilts of his blades comfortably or held them together politely. He seemed very aware or proper manners, despite his long isolation.

Stepping inside the main hall that he was first led into, the eating area, the smell of seasoned food hit him full force, punching through the mixture of things outside. His stomach rended inside of him and immediately made his mouth water. He wondered what he'd have to do to get a taste of that. The boy didn't immediately rush over, though, and instead held the door open for the dema to pass through,not seeming to immediately notice anyone in particular inside. Perhaps he was distracted or overwhelmed and had just missed them.

[TwinTigerPaw]

After a long trip, they finally made it back. Gau could tell that the new arrival was very curious and in awe. He only hoped that he would like it here. "Oh, thank you." He said Kovu who opened the door for him. "Ah, smells like the kids made ramen, come on in and help yourself to some, I'll show you rooms when you're done eating." The dema added.

Taddle's chimed from the upstairs dining area. "Gau's home! He's home, Aderyn, look look look!"

"Okay Taddle, enough with the barking!" Clockwork said, trying to calm the child's excitement so the Welshman wouldn't implode. Yoko was sitting on the steps, leaning and watching. He heard Gau speaking to someone! Did the shiniko come after all? He hoped so!

[BluePawProductions]

He could just.... walk up and take it? Whenever he wanted??? Insane. This was absolutely insane. If he was back home, he'd have to go hunt down a convex stone or pot, go to the river, boil the water, boil poultry bones to make stock, get herbs and other seasonings that he could find, somehow get a hold of noodles- Okay, so, this was probably something impossible to get a hold of. Right. He'd enjoy it while he could.

When voices sprung up from within the kitchen, it surprised the boy. He trained his focus on them and offered a small, welcoming smile, but suddenly felt extremely nervous with wondering how many shiniko were there. Would anyone else be there? Did anyone know him?.... Would they have a problem with that?

"Hello," He greeted quietly and politely, calmly giving a bow of his head despite his nerves tingling inside him, telling him to get out before it was too late.

"Will all of you just chill?!" Aderyn's voice cut through, sharp and forceful, agitated, "I can feel your giddiness and nervousness and everyone needs to just- shhhh! Numb! Go smoke some pot or something. Empty your brains, geez. It's just a new face."

He was busying himself in the kitchen and only looked up to glance at Gau, checking out what he was thinking. He then leaned back and called, "YOKO! Your ginger is here!"

[TwinTigerPaw]

Gau smiled and nodded. "Yes, don't worry about the others, they don't bite. Well, Aderyn might cause he's a cranky old crow." The dema said with a snicker. "Go ahead and load up a bowl as much as you like." He added before walking in and removing his shoes.

Yoko blushed. "Eh- wha-what?!" He squeaked as he quickly slurped down the rest of his ramen's broth and took the bowl to the sink. He came where he could see and sure enough, there was his friend. "Oh- you actually came!" He said.

"Ah, Yoko. When Kovu's done eating could you show him to the boy's sleeping quarters?" Gau asked. "I need to get dinner and then go do check book stuff. Might need Aderyn's help with that too." He added in.

"Sure thing Gau." Yoko replied.

[BluePawProductions]

"Thank you again, sir," he graciously replied to the dema's offer, buzzing with the feeling of getting some real food in his stomach. The boy, -Kovu, he reminded himself- nodded again to the dema and slowly padded in with his quiet steps and rested his arms agains the high counter near where everyone was talking. It was then that he heard the familiar voice of Yoko and lifted his face up towards him with a kind smile.

"Hey," he quietly greeted. A subtler expression passed his face as he replied, "for now at least, yeah. I'm here for the week to see how things go." He immediately didn't want to be talking about himself, though, and asked, "How are you? We didn't really get to talk when last we saw each other."

Of course. Of course he'd be social now. Aderyn rolled his eyes emphatically and moved over to the pot. He felt how excited the boy was when he saw the food, yet immediately he lost sight of the mission at hand. Serving him up a large bowl, he slid it to him with chopsticks set on top and stated, "Here. Take this. Tell me if you want more."

It actually startled Kovu for a moment and he got a light blush to his face as he embarrassedly apologized, "Ah- I'm sorry. Th-thank you."

[TwinTigerPaw]

Yoko smiled at him brightly. "Well, I'm happy you decided to give it a shot! And I'm sure if you do go back to the forest you'll be welcome to come back whenever you wanted. Gau's a very understanding dema." He said as he got himself some juice.

Gau had grabbed out himself some food before heading to his own room to work on things he should have in the morning. Yoko watched before looking back.

"A large group of the shiniko living here are out on missions, so it will be at least a little relaxed your first few days. So it won't be as stressful or in your face." He told Kovu.

Taddle had pulled up a chair so he could sit there with them. "Hi, I'm Taddle! I hope you find that you love it here!" He said. Silly little Taddle.

[BluePawProductions]

Cave's sweet, politely soft smile persisted as he listened to Yoko and replied, "Thank you. I'm sure he would. He seems the type." He didn't really know if he believed that. Yes, Gau seemed the type to let him come and go as he pleased, but he didn't honestly believe it would remain as such, especially if there was an incident. For now, though, he'd let himself believe it, at least for the day. He also wasn't going to explain his likelihood of staying out there in the woods after the week was up, but instead commented, "I think my favorite thing about this trial is going to be the food, followed quickly by the showers. Been a while since I've had heated water." Giving a slightly playful quirk to his smile, he added, "Winters get a little nippy, as you can imagine."

He gave another simple nod when it was explained to him that many shiniko weren't home. He was grateful for that. Too many people at once stressed him out, honestly.

Taddle sliding up to join, he offered a welcoming expression. "Thank you as well, sir." Little kids liked being called sir, as he recalled. They found it fun. "Your dema has elected to call me Kovu, so that is now my name," he introduced in response to the child.

[TwinTigerPaw]

Yoko smiled. "Yes, the food is great. We can also show you how to cook too. It's kind of hard but its really fun. Oh, we have bath houses that get fresh spring water. There's lots of showers and one big bath." He explained but cut off as the little Taddle came in.

The little one beamed a little. "Oh you don't have to call me sir~ I'm not as anel about my age as Aderyn is." He teased before he gave an excited hop in his chair. "He named you Kovu! Kovu is the name of my favorite Lion King character! He's brave a sweet!" Taddle commented. "Well Kovu, you're going to fit in, just you wait and see, okay?" He added in before jumping down and running off to go and do his chores for the house.

Clockwork stayed away for the time being. Their new friend didn't need to be invaded all at once and decided he would give his proper greetings in the morning. He also had work of his own to do and headed out for the night.

This relieved Yoko a little, this made it so that Kovu wouldn't feel bombarded, and could have to chance to eat, relax and meet everyone one at a time. "I hope you like the ramen. I think its pork stock broth and the toppings are fat slices of pork belly, chives, a hard boiled egg, narutomaki, and mushrooms."

[BluePawProductions]

The ginger giant seemed to brighten at the thought of a good shower, but did mention, "I'm afraid I'm not that good of a cook. You might be safer off avoiding anything these hands make." He wasn't all that great at anything to do with precision and heat. it was kind of nearly impossible, it seemed, for him to consistently cook anything on his own.

After Taddle had popped up and spoken, he started to grin and tried to think of an answer, but Aderyn cut in, "I'm a crotchety old man and can be as anal about it as I like, you little twerp." That got a genuine, if not tentative laugh from Kovu. He wasn't sure how serious the boy was being or not, but played along. Fortunately, he had enough of a sweet air about him that it'd be easy to buy into.

He was a bit surprised when the little one got so excited about his name, but answered back, "I'm glad it pleases you." He didn't have much of a chance to say anything before the little one scurried off again. So much energy. He could hear the footsteps disappear down the hallway, followed soon by Aderyn's light steps meandering into the deeper part of the kitchen to clean up the dishes. At least that left him with less of a crowd and he relaxed a bit.

"Haha, after having just plain pine needle tea for three days straight last winter, I don't think i could dislike anything that's real food," He replied to Yoko with a little more ease than he spoke around the crowd, warmly chuckling, "You learn not to be picky, but I'm sure it's delicious even so."

[TwinTigerPaw]

The young shiniko smiled and nodded. That night, Yoko made sure to give Kovu a tour at least around the men's dorm rooms. and the bath house area. He grabbed out bedding for Kovu's chosen room and made sure all was just right. He hoped that Kovu would enjoy a well-earned shower and warm bed.

~~~

The week that followed was long, but in terms of Gau's house, at least calm. Gau had gotten a training uniform for Kovu and had Yoko, as well as the others, helped show him the ropes. For now, they all had agreed, that working the host stand would be pretty easy.

Kovu's trial week was coming to and end soon, and Yoko hoped that he would have loved it enough, he'd want to stay. They had the day off since Gau's house had a busy week and they all needed some down time. Little Yoko was taking time off to play in the zen garden. So relaxing, he loved it!

[BluePawProductions]

Kovu's days within the house were defined by leisure. He was only expected to practice work here and there, then sit around, wander, relax... It was nice. It was far different from normal. His routine back in the woods required intense work all day every day just to survive, not to mention the extra effort of guarding his life against external threats. It was, honestly, hard to relax, even in such a secure situation, but it did his body and soul some good being there. His body rested and his soul got to spend time with actual human beings once in a while- or, well, shiniko beings. Same thing. He did spend most of his time in quiet solitude or just silently being present, though. He seemed to be out of practice with people in general.

The morning of the sixth day, he'd traveled out nearby the woods to check on his home and make sure it was okay for returning after the final day. He needed to make preparations but didn't want to tell the house, so he'd made an excuse about having to go out and enjoy the sites locally.

~~~

Approaching the house, that same shiniko from the market before, Shiloh, was traveling with Rat. He'd been delivering a package to the questionable medic and mentioned the restaurant, but ended up getting to tag along under the guise of body-guarding.

"You sure this is a good idea?" he muttered quietly, "They don't look open."

[TwinTigerPaw]

Rat smiled from under his hood. "Yea, I do this all the time. After my pal Asher got taken in by the war god, Crota and Tartarus assigned me to be Asher's medic, having me check in on him every week. Gau knew about it and allowed me to stop by here and get lunch whenever I was out." He explained. The shady doctor looked up at the restaurant that was for sure closed.

"Don't worry, I got this." Rat said as he turned and jogged over to the house it's self. He took off his boots by the steps and walked into where he could knock on the stained white windows of Gau's room. Not long after the window turned open, and Gau was there. The dema could tell who it was from the strong smell of herbs and smoke.

"Hello, Rat. Did you come for some food? You're right on time, I was about to make lunch for the house." The dema asked. The Rat nodded. "Yes, and I have a body guard with me too. I was hoping he could get something too?" Rat inquired. Gau gave a soft smile and nodded. "I see no problem in that. Go ahead and go over to the dining lounge, I'll round up everyone that wants food." The dema replied as he closed the window and got up.

Gau walked out the door to his room and over to the railing that led into the center garden to his home. He grabbed onto a small rope and gave it a small tug, which in turn lead to a soft chiming sound ringing through the house. It was like the dinner but, but instead alerted the residence that he was going to cook.

Rat popped back down and slipped his boots back on. "Never fails. Follow me." He told Shiloh before leading the way to the dining lounge.

[Luca]

The forest was always peaceful in the morning, Luca liked that. She liked to take in the warm light that filtered between the tree tops, especially while she laid on the ground underneath a beautiful opening in the trees. The small grove was a place she had found a few days ago, and despite trying to leave it, kept finding her way back. The shiniko didn't have anywhere else to go, anyway, and figured she should enjoy this place as much as possible.

Besides, she had already decided to let herself slip away, there was nothing more for her here. Even in death, she could not find happiness outside of the fleeting moments of the dawn. Moving her arms from behind her head, she pulled the pins out of her hair, letting the length flow into the grass. She twiddled with the glass flowers on the ends of the pins with her thumbs, pushing down harshly on the sharp edges. The shiniko did not react when the glass edges cut into her fingers, or when she felt the small droplets of blood trail down the side of her hand. Slowly, she placed the pins into the pouch secured to her belt.

A heavy sigh left her lungs when she felt her stomach contort and twist with hunger, and she pushed herself into a sitting position. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the small piece of ripped cloth out, tearing it into two smaller pieces. Carefully, she poured water from her bota bag onto the pieces of cloth and wrapped each piece around her two thumbs. She silently cursed herself now for having to waste her water on her silly injuries. When she knew the cloth was secure, she reached to her side, picking up her white-limbed bow. The wood of the recurve was smooth, Luca enjoyed running her palms along it. The riser had partial steel plating, just around where her hand and the arrow would rest, a protective measure she added. The wood was already coated in heat-protector, and the string made out of fire-resistant material, but the bow was her prized possession, other than the small glass windchime she kept attached to her belt. Her hand mindlessly grazed at the chime before she forced herself to stand. Once on her feet, she attached the bow sling to her bow, and put it back on, feeling complete when the weight of the bow was pulling at her back again. Well, as complete as she could feel nowadays.

Luca turned to her left, and headed off into the more thick part of the woods, hoping she'd be able to come across something she could eat soon.

[BluePawProductions]

Shiloh wasn’t entirely sure of this plan, but he was rolling with it anyway. It didn’t /sound/ like a good idea to go up and expect food from a closed restaurant, BUT who was he to judge? He hardly was ever off market grounds, so he was like a fish out of water. He had only taken a few, small excursions here and there, so this area itself was entirely novel and new. His big, amber eyes were shining like glittering jewels as he absorbed the world around him. Compared to the ramshackle market and its make-shift buildings galore, this place was pris-freakin’-stine!

When Rat announced that he had it covered, he made a slightly uncertain face, but just casually adjusted the burgundy cloak over his shoulders and nodded. “A’ight. If you say so,” he mumbled, letting the rat scramble up onto the property and apparently exchange some mystical, unspoken code of a message to the dema inside, which SOMEHOW resulted in food. Absolutely, totally, and completely witchcraft.

“That was awesome,” He glowed as Rat came back, staring at the shiniko as if he were some form of god incarnate. He brought FOOD from a closed place and somehow approached a dema without issue. Intense.

He followed Rat around back without question now. Clearly he was the master of this place.

~~~

Kovu’s feet pounded against the earth and soared over the pitfalls and tangles of roots and briars that he’d come to know like the back of his own hand. Heart racing, he could feel the pulse thrumming in his ears, feel the breath rasping from his nose and mouth. He kept a steady, quick pace, even and pushed. Every time his feet left the ground, he would temporarily hold his breath to listen. With a rushed but precise vault over a fallen log, he went into silence for a moment. . .

A mass of footsteps thundering the forest floor and the snapping of branches followed not far behind. That told him they were still on his trail, still in pursuit. They were a little further off than they had been before, but he was completely certain it wouldn’t stay that way for long if he so much as tripped up for a split second. . . Blast it all, why had they been there?

Sneaking into his maze, he’d noticed slight shifts in the atmosphere. The birds were quiet, as were the other woodland creatures. The rustle of the trees was the only sound… and of course, then there was breathing down his neck as he entered his home. A trap of sorts, he supposed. They must have hidden at the tops of the maze walls and waited for him, because there wasn’t a sound of movement nor of their presence nearby. It was a terrifying ordeal to try and escape with them filling in his narrow passages, but he’d managed, by the skin of his teeth, and now quite literally blindly ran through the forest. He had to get enough distance before he could even stop and think about anything else, anything of where he would go now, whether or not they’ d be waiting for him two days from now…

The ringing of the bells around his neck refocused him, giving a bright chime every time his feet hit the earth and the string of them was rocked to one side with the sway of his weight. The tug of his swords at his hips and heavy patting of them against his sides with the motion reassured him that he would not be defenseless, but the sheer number of them was staggering. He knew he could not easily stand and fight them with hopes to get out alive. So he-

Racing through the woods in a straight line, he could have sworn to all that was true and right in the world that he had just passed dangerously close to a very large figure by the warmth he felt briefly, the subtle scent of skin, and the way his sensory ability reacted to the space being different than before. It immediately had his mind distracted and he almost turned back to investigate, but shook his head briefly, ridding his mind of the thought and making a racket with his bells as he pushed past. It was probably another of the attackers, a lookout. He had to keep moving and leave them behind as well.

[TwinTigerPaw]

Rat simply grinned and rested his arms behind his head. "I've been doing this for a while, now. I can always sneak you out here again sometime too." He said. Shiloh needed more time outside of the hell hole, and this was a great way of getting that.

Gau would meet them at the dining lounge not long after and smiled at the two. "Hello Rat, and friend- oh. Aren't you that little friend that was talking to Yoko last week. It's good to see you." The dema said.

The bell for lunch had drawn out a few of Gau's kiddos, Yoko and Taddle both appeared one after the other, ready to help cook. Clockwork must have been very busy with his trinkets, and Ichigo would have been napping.

"Ah-!" Yoko yipped as he came into view of the group. "Yo!" Rat said as he waved at his former housemate. "H-hi Rat! H-hi Shiloh!" He said.

[Luca]

Luca had just started her quest for food when she heard a jingling noise to the side of her. She tilted her head, focusing on the noise, taking it in. It reminded her of gentler times, of peace she never once grasped. Before she could think fully, or even pull a weapon to defend herself, a flash of a being ran by her, almost running her over completely. Her eyes followed him, and she could swear that her heart would explode.

"..Gabriel..?" Luca couldn't help the words from falling from her mouth. It had been a very long time since she thought she saw him. There would always be glimpses of people that resembled him, mostly during her time in the market, but it turned out there was never a person there at all. But this.. this seemed so real. Too real. Before she could think it through, and before she realized that this person was being followed, her feet were moving, and she was going after him. Whoever he was.

A part of her mind told her that this was not Gabriel, that there was no way they both could've become these.. things. That they could both be in the same area at the same time, after everything that has separated them. Would he even remember her? She doubted he would have his memories too. If it was even him, this would all be a waste, she would know the past and he wouldn't. Luca shook her head, angry at herself, and focused on running, on keeping up with him.

She felt the weight of her pouches, strapped tightly to her thighs, as she pounded after the other, and when she took a glimpse behind her, she saw glimpses of whoever, or whatever, this mysterious person was running from. Luca wanted to shout out to him, to tell him she would help, but she didn't know if it was safe or not. Instead, she came up with a plan to slow the attackers down, at least.

Keeping up her pace, she pulled out her bow, took a deep breath, and quickly whipped behind her. Pulling back on the string, an arrow, as bright as the early morning on the horizon, formed in the trail behind her hand. Once her hand was in it's docked position, the arrow had finished forming, though she already felt the blazing heat radiating off of it, as if a hundred ovens were blasting in her face at once. Closing her eyes once she took aim, she released the arrow. Luca watched it fly, hit the ground, and burst into flames, causing a wall of fire to separate her and the others. She quickly turned and continued to run.

[BluePawProductions]

“You are truly a wizard,” Shiloh half joked with Rat as he returned, triumphant, “You gotta show me how you pulled that off sometime!” He was absolutely, one hundred and ten percent down to learn how to get off the market when he wanted to, slip away without being known, and end up at some magical place like this.

The magic continued when the doors opened and a flood of wonderful smells hit his nose. It overwhelmed his senses and he found himself lost in some recollection of what those smells meant. He couldn’t recall a time of eating something that smelled like that, but he must have had something similarly delicious in life, because his mouth was immediately watering and he could feel his stomach hungrily twist around. The boy’s bright eyes surveyed the space with a childlike awe at the arrangement, imagining every little table filled up with hungry, happy people. It must have ben quite the sight!

When addressed by Gau, he gave a small bow of his head politely, remembering his manners around demas and said, “Yes sir. I did some deliveries to his station here and there back on the market when he used to be a guard. My name’s Shiloh, sir.” He met the dema in the eyes, so there was clearly some sort of bravery in there that the market hadn’t expunged from him, but he kept any defiance or suspicion at bay, seeming instead to be a generally bright, happy kid. Despite this, after he spoke, he did remember, as taught, to lower his gaze and instead let it trail the room if he wanted to lift it.

Things lightened a bit more when Yoko entered. His eyes went up to greet the smaller boy and a welcoming smile spread his lips. “Hey there!” he called to him, posture shifting from a stiff formality to a more relaxed, almost slouching stance. “Rat thought it’d be a nice trip to come out here and visit ya’. So, wassup buttercup?”

~~~

Kovu could hear the shift of the person he’d run past turning and following after him. Someone tall and built based on the gait and weight of their step. Dangit! He didn’t want to deal with that bowling into his back right now. He knew he was going to be slowing down sooner or later and this person was just now having a fresh start. They’d probably outlast him and he’d have to deal with this. Should he turn around? Should he face them? He was really hooping to avoid a confrontation, to just get out with his life and avoid the overwhelming mob situation altogether, but it could be this or death. If he waited til he was worn out before he faced them all…

Before he could get a firm decision in mind the person behind him, unbeknownst to him, took a look at what they were facing. A veritable hoard of shiniko was chasing after this one man, most armed, some with their bare fists clutched. A good number of them seemed serious and set on a mission at hand, but about an equal amount whooped and hollered, sickeningly excited smiles on their faces like it was some sort of sport or victory they’d already won. Whatever the case, they clearly and quite vastly outnumbered this one, lone man and were on the hunt. Their intentions could easily be assumed to do harm. Correctly so.

Up ahead, Kovu was moving through the thick forest as if it were a part of him, nimbly and confidently planting each step and movement. He ducked under branches, skittering his feet over stone and root, zig-zagging through winding environments. Left, right, then left, over stone, leaping over a small trench, he seemed to be able to be keenly aware of each detail coming his way, his fit form reacting with fluid motion. That was all brought to an abrupt halt when the figure behind him launched an attack.

In the midst of trying to formulate some sort of plan, he heard a change in the pacing of the figure behind him, then the sound of an arrow being loosed. A bowstring snapped forward and he immediately ducked sharply. He fully expected to feel blooming pain across his body in that instant, but was already preparing to fight back. He planted a heel firmly against the earth, leaves flying out from around him as his body spun around, hands going to his blades. He had each bare metal sword drawn and out, black surface gleaming in the new fire’s light as he whipped them out. Just as he turned to face his pursuer, fire’s light gleaming in his amber eyes, the heat washed over his face and he flinched back, eyes going wide as he expected to be awash with fire or some electrical shock or- or something of the like. Something he’d felt similar heat from before.

His sharp motion threw off his confident reflexes, causing him to catch his other heel on the back of a root. He stumbled back, knuckles going white with tension as he tried to hold onto his blades. He staggered a step, struck a shoulder against the side of a tree, and got turned partly off course, barely managing to keep upright as he managed to grind to a stumbling stop. He held his swords out, moving them at unseen threats as his face turned back and forth, eyes darting over the figure that had followed him but seeing nothing. He was trying to listen and hear movement but was completely disoriented.

The young man, strong as he seemed in body, had a gentle face, one tensed with not anger or aggression but a deep fear and anticipation in that moment, like a cornered animal that was too timid to snap back. “Stay back,” His smooth voice quaked for a moment, confusion mixing into his dappled face as no attack made contact immediately. His tone was nervous, but with a forced calm, lacking in force but obviously meant as a warning. “I don’t want to fight. Just-“ His blind eyes vacantly wandered in vain as a few pants rocked his frame, trying to catch his breath. He’d obviously been either in great distress or running for quite some time.

“I’m not hurting anyone, I promise,” He finally settled on words, hands shifting on his blades as he swallowed nervously and turned his face as if speaking to all around him, wherever his words may fall. His voice gave the sense of an honest plea, reaching out to someone’s humanity who he clearly completely expected to intend him great harm, “I won’t go back, if that’s the issue. I can find somewhere else- or stay there if that’s it just-“ His tone cut off as he seemed to lose his words and his shoulders bunched, shrugging before defeatedly slumping down.  He finally just reiterated, “I don’t want to fight.”

He left that in the air, a resolute decree to what he thought was soon to be a vicious, bloodthirsty mob. He didn’t expect it to be accepted, as shown in the quiver on his breath and look in his desperate eye that stared out into nothing, but he lowered his blades anyway, slowly, carefully setting one and then the other back into their place at his sides. He wasn’t going to win a fight, but maybe he could reach their humanity…if they had some to offer to him this time. His final act was to lift his bare hands, palms forward, to show he was unarmed and given over to his choice of nonviolence, asking silently for them to do the same.

[TwinTigerPaw]

Gau smiled and went to get started on cooking. "Well, I'm glad you came around. I think that it's good for Yoko to have familiar friends around." He said as he got the grill going. "So what do we want to eat?" He asked.

Rat grinned. "Pork cutlet bowls! Ramen, and sushi!" He said. Yoko smiled at Shiloh and Rat and then showed them to a large open table to sit at. Other members of the house would soon show up to join them. Gau took down Rat's request and started cooking. He was also preparing one of his house specials, a meal pot. A massive bowl, filled to the brim with rice, vegetables, and meat. Lots of meat.

"Wow, I didn't know you'd be able to come around so soon," Yoko said happily. Rat grinned and beamed. "All thanks to me, I hooked him up with a bodyguard gig since I had to leave the market to restock my goods. Crota doesn't like me going alone anyways so we took this option. Its a win-win situation for all of us." He said with a victorious smile.

[Luca]

Luca, having finally caught back up with the one she was following, almost skidded to a halt when she saw they had stopped. Carefully, she put her bow away, and though she didn't know at that moment, it was a good idea.

When the shiniko she was following turned around, almost stumbled, and corrected himself, Luca had gone completely speechless. "G-Gabriel?" She sputtered out the word without realizing it had been waiting on the tip of her tongue. Granted, she followed him because that was who she thought it was, but she was expecting the figure to disappear, or to not look so much like him. Just as she remembered.

Luca, so lost in thought, didn't realize that he was talking blindly, weapons drawn, begging to not have to fight. The shiniko tried to piece her words together, tried to get over this insane shock of who she just happened across in the middle of the woods, and before she could, he had put away his swords. "I'm not here to hurt you, if you weren't as blind as always you would've been able to see that I actually tried to give us some time." She mindlessly motioned to behind her, referring to the forest fire she started, before realizing that he would not be able to see her.

It's been too long. She shook her head and lowered herself to the floor of the forest, trying to appear less threatening. Though, if he was who she thought he was, she was pretty sure that he would be just as gullible as he always was, and this was an unnecessary step. "I-uh-was just, trying to find something to eat, you ran by and seemed like you needed help. I don't want to fight you either." She paused, trying to breathe normally and calm herself. Luca was very out of her element. "We should have some time before they make it through the fire, you should rest while you can. I doubt they will choose not to fight." There was a semblance of a smile on her face, though why it was there, fear of this being an illusion or fear that it isn't, she wasn't sure.

"Oh-!" Luca piped, reaching to her side to free her bota bag, "I have water if you want some?" There was a part of her that said this offering was a waste of time, that he wouldn't accept it, but there was another part of her, one long since buried in the depths of her mind, that burned with the same fire as her arrows, one that wanted to help him in any way.

[BluePawProductions]

Shiloh happily went with whatever Rat was ordering. He didn’t know anything about ordering from there. The places he went were usually just off the shelf or some hole in the wall operation. Lots of day-old bread places. Discounts were his kind of jam. He’d gotten sick a lot at first, but quickly learned which places were safer and which ones would likely have you married to the bathroom for the next few days. Rocky but effective method.

The boy joined the seating arrangement where he was directed and settled down, making himself comfortable and propping his elbows up on the table. He obviously didn’t have table manners, but he didn’t mean any harm by it.

“Yeah, it’s all thanks to Rat,” He agreed readily, not at all bothered by passing over the glory. “I hardly ever get out here and I probably wouldn’t have seen ya for a long while, but he hired me out as a body guard. Change in my pocket and a day out. Seems like a win to me.” His wide smile flashed again as he leaned forward on the table. “Gotta tell ya, it’s pretty neat out here. Nothin’ like the market. Everything’s so….like…clean?”

~~~

There was a serious moment of pause when the pursuer both didn’t attack and also breathed out a name he could swear he barely remembered. ‘Gabriel.’ The name played n his ears like a lure, pulling his mind and thoughts to race back through old memories, flipping through every time he could have mentioned it or possibly heard it. As far as he could recall and scouring through his head, he couldn’t place ever saying it to anyone. He’d never spoken that name aloud, to his knowledge. Yet, he knew it was his name. He remembered that name on an angry voice, bellowing out over and over in a long slew of curses and lectures. He could recall a gruff, gravely voice that sounded like it was a few packs too far gone just belting out that name with the fury of hellfire at him. It was just before his death. He’d done something and gotten himself killed. That was the only time he could remember that name, but it was definitely him. He knew that much. How did- How did this person even know it? He supposed it was possible that he’d told someone and forgotten. With everything he’d been through, some memory loss wasn’t completely out of the question, he guessed.

When the voice spoke again, something else struck him, but this was far more vexing. He couldn’t place it, but the voice was so incredibly familiar. The feeling of relief that flooded over him could have just about bowled him over, he swore. Yet, he was absolutely sure he had not spoken with a voice like that. He’d have remembered it. That voice, this voice right in front of him as he turned to face it, forced such a deep reaction from his soul that he knew he would have remembered it. The feeling was so strong that it took him a moment to piece together what was being spoken and catch up.

The moment the other stopped speaking and he got it all together, he breathed out an exhausted, “Oh thank goodness,” as he leaned forward, resting his palms against this knees and thus letting down his guarded position entirely to catch his breath. The person had said they weren’t there to hurt him. He knew they still might, but he was more inclined to give people a chance than to expect the worst. “Thank you,” he added as he recalled that they claimed to have helped.

The young man felt extremely validated in his trust when his former pursuer settled down to the ground nonaggressive. His golden eyes shined as bright as his tired smile as he moved to come closer. His movements were still a bit hesitant and careful, but he didn’t give any outward sign of being prepared to lash out or guard. There were just subtle hints here and there that he wasn’t’ exactly sold on the fact he was out of danger or could rest, the shift of his weight on the balls of his feet, the tip of his head to listen behind him for a moment, the rubbing of his fingertips together. Little things that could easily go missed.

As he settled down to the ground carefully, feeling with outstretched fingers to make sure he didn’t sit on anything sharp or rough beforehand, he listened to the explanation he received for why the person was there. “Well, lucky for me you showed up when you did so I could get a breather here, but uh,” His soft face lifted into a worrisome expression as he mentioned with genuine concern, “It’s really not so lucky for you. Now that you lent me a hand like you did, you’re in a bit of a pickle here. You better be on your way before they get here. They won’t take kindly to anyone around me, I’m afraid.” He could tell there was something wrong with the breathing of the figure that sat directly in front of him and he immediately wanted to reach out to lay a comforting hand on them, but refrained and force himself to finger the bells hanging around his neck instead to occupy himself.

“Yeah, they usually aren’t,” He agreed easily to the statement that the mob likely wouldn’t be so forgiving, but he didn’t seem too upset about it, just a slight quirk of his brow and a worried twinge to his resting smile. He left it at that, simply accepting that his kindness would likely be thrown back in his face as if it were a fact.

He had just settled his hands to rest on his ankles, like he always did when he was cross-legged, when he was offered water. He gave a grateful nod and his smile shifted his cheeks as he reached forward to feel where the offered water was. “Thank you very much,” He beamed. This was a rare moment for him, that someone would be so kind. It almost let him forget the inevitable chaos that was just around the corner. His fingers brushed the bag and he felt over the surface until he found where to grip and carefully took it so it wouldn’t spill. He only drank a little, not wanting to be greedy, before he handed the bag back with a dip of his head. There was something incredibly pressing on his mind though, and anyone could see it in the working of those golden eyes. It took him a while, but he eventually worked up the courage and parted his lips softly to speak.

“So... how did you know my human name?” He didn’t seem defensive or forceful, but confusion pursed his brow, despite his pleasant expression. He was always easy to read like that, open as a book. “It’s just.. I don’t remember telling anyone before is all. I’m sorry if we’ve met and I just forgot. I’m uh… It’s not super important. I’m just curious is all.”

[TwinTigerPaw]

Yoko smiled brightly. "Well, I'm glad you were able to work that out. Rat comes here a lot, so you should just sneak out with him when you can." the small shiniko said with a smile. He and Rat had the same manners at the table as Shiloh. Gau didn't seem to mind at all.

Gau smiled as he listened to them. and got out some small bowls. He had whipped up som miso soup real fast as an appetizer for the kids and brought the bowls to them, giving them spoons. "Here you are. This is miso soup to start you off. Be careful, its still very hot." He told them before returning to cook.

[Luca]

Luca watched carefully, taking in the motions of Gabriel as he lowered himself to the ground. She was impressed. Really, really impressed with how well he got around. Though he always impressed her with how he got around, he just was so much better at it now. She swore that if she didn't know he was blind she wouldn't be able to tell from the way he moved about the world. Staring at him like this was hard on her, she still couldn't believe that this was him. He was here, right in front of her, after all this time. It was unbelievable, and she didn't know if she was relieved he was here or upset by that fact. "It wouldn't be the first time I got myself into trouble. I can handle myself." She paused, not knowing how far she should go," Besides, I knew what I was getting into when I ran after a guy being chased in the woods."

Luca made sure to keep her hand still, holding the bota near Gabriel so it would be easy for him to grab ahold of. She nodded, then realized, "Of course." There was a gentle smile on her face, even if she took note of how little he took. A pang in her chest sprung from that, but she had to remind herself that there was no way he knew who she was, she wouldn't be lucky enough to meet him and for him to have his memories too. Taking the bag back from him, she turned her head to attach it back in its place, giving it a few small tugs to make sure it was secure.

Before Luca had the chance to turn her attentions back to Gabriel, he had started speaking. It caught her off guard, even if she should've expected him to ask, though it just made the truth that more real. He didn't remember who she was. There was a pause, both physically and in her mind, as she tried to piece the words together in a way that wouldn't sound like a lie. Luca has learned not to tell people about her memories so quickly, but she knew him, she had to. "We have met, but it's been a very long time." Looking down, she thumbed at the wind chime she kept close. "I knew your human self. We were friends-uh- more than that I suppose." Biting her tongue, she kept her gaze down, even if he couldn't see, his eyes were burning into her very soul. Luca had to keep herself from spilling everything she knew, everything she felt. How his death ripped apart her being, how she would bring his favorite flowers to his grave, the windchime she made him. Everything. But she couldn't. Luca knew he was gullible, but she didn't know if he was gullible enough to believe her so easily, or if he ever would.

A part of her still didn't want to believe this was Gabriel. She didn't want to know what he possibly went through, but at the same time, she did. Luca wanted to know it all and she declared that this made her selfish.

She never even tried looking for him, why would she deserve to know, to have him back after all this time? Luca gave up on him when he died.

"I-I understand if you won't believe that. Hah, I don't know if I would either, truthfully." She blabbered, not being able to hold her tongue any longer and the pressure of what she said started to choke at her. "I just.. I didn't think I would ever see you again." Luca's voice trailed off, the honey in it turning rough as she almost choked on the words. She wasn't going to cry! He's alive, why is she almost crying? How do you think Gabe feels? Don't cry.

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