[OPEN] O soft embalmer of the still midnight...

[denyamenti]

Characters: Bakura & OPEN
Date: January catch-all log
Location: Midnight Hotel, various
Situation: Bakura's reappearance on Tu Vishan in a critical state and subsequent healing left him in a coma for a couple weeks, but now he's woken up and has some processing to do.
Warnings/Rating: Angry angst? POSSIBLE SUICIDE-ISH THEMED (SORT OF?) CONVERSATION IN CLOSED THREAD "A". Add specific warnings if needed in subject headers.


A. MIDNIGHT HOTEL - CLOSED TO SOLOMON;
Waking didn't feel like waking, and for several long moments he didn't even realize that his eyes had cracked open and flooded with light, unable to distinguish it from a fever dream. His temperature had developed shortly after he'd finished being healed, as his body sought to marshal whatever strength it could find from a depleted soul. Its efforts were apparently sufficient however, and after forcing a couple blinks to determine that the light was going to remain, he stirred beneath the blankets, seeing which limbs responded. Blankets..?

The room was unfamiliar, the twinge across one shoulder like an old wound he couldn't remember getting, and soreness told him he'd been reclined like this for a while. He felt like he could barely scrape together enough energy to do so, but he managed to get himself leveraged half upright in a vaguely muddled haze. The action was more on instinct than any conscious desire to be sitting upright, before he realized why his head was pounding so unbearably, and broke off his efforts with a strangled, aborted sob. No...!

B. MIDNIGHT HOTEL - OPEN
It had taken another few days after waking before Bakura was recovered enough to start moving around on his own, but he was chaffing to leave the room and be away from Solomon's smothering presence. He had no specific destination in mind, and so had started exploring the various hallways of the Hotel, just to give him something to concentrate on instead of the horrible empty ache that he couldn't get away from. Once or twice he's touched a door frame to illuminate the inscribed sigils there, anything, anything to focus on. His constitution was still lacking however, and several times he's had to stop with one hand pressed to the corridor's walls, bracing himself while he waits for his strength to return. He'd rather drop into another coma than ask for assistance, but he's also in no position to avoid anyone who wants to approach.

C. KEELIAI; FIRE SECTOR - OPEN
Eventually he does start feeling better physically, something he can't quite deem a relief but certainly a state that's preferable. He's still too drained on energy to muster any kind of access to his shadow magic, but a few simple reconnaissances shouldn't be a problem. Bakura's first stop is the old Foreigner housing, to his old suite in the Fire Sector. He heard what's happened to these buildings and thinks that is a perfectly logical thing that the kedan did, although it was vaguely irritating to lose what eclectic possessions he'd had accumulated. His suite is currently lived in by a kedan family with four children, and the thief thinks, at least the space is being put to decent use, having always thought the Foreigners were allotted a lot of housing for individuals themselves.

The family does at least agree to open the door and speak tersely with him, but the immediate denial of having found anything of his possessions comes so quickly that there's a 50/50 chance of being truth or just flat refusal to help him. Bakura gives consideration to the possibility of just pushing his way in and searching for his things himself, but discards it after a moment and lets the door shut. He's not sure what he'd have done with his notes on the various planes and the links between the Dreaming and the khajbit anyway, save feel some kind of vague satisfaction at getting something of his own back.

D. KEELIAI; VARIOUS - OPEN
It's almost startling how much the city has changed in the span of almost a year, but Bakura supposes that if anything's going to spur such an overhaul, it might as well be the removal of any semblance of law and order and the high that comes from surviving almost-annihilation. There's a very different ambiance to the city now, and in a lot of ways it's better, he thinks. He stops to read a large poster that a kedan has just finished nailing to a notice board, who gives the thief a dirty look before moving off, and Bakura slowly works through translating it with his rudimentary knowledge of the language.

A public... court...?

---

((OOC: Or tag in with your own!))

Comments

closed to Gene;

[denyamenti]

It had been well over a week since Bakura had awoken and he was starting to crave things to do. He'd never felt aimless, there had always been a drive, a goal, a plan to review, a strategy to develop, a weakness to exploit. Suddenly those habits were, while not useless, temporarily unneeded. More than that, he needed distraction and familiarity, and so he had found himself back at the kirin stables in the Earth Sector.

He'd offered to brush down the creatures, which had earned him suspicious glances from the kedan owners of the stables, but when he told them he wasn't interested in payment the service, they allowed it.

At the moment he's got one tethered just outside the main stable doors, the creature snorting occasionally but more interested in its food than in the person working a brush through its mane. Even with its fantastical features -- kirin were closer to the Japanese interpretation of creatures of the same name than the typical Western depiction of the beast -- it seemed to have the same demeanor of horses like he was familiar with. As such, a firm but calm hand was the best method of handling them, and in any case, this one seemed rather relaxed.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene had been around the stables a few times since mending fences with Bakura, such as their talk had gone. Not since they'd been brought back from the Dreaming, however, and the beasts are wary of his scent and the kedan are even more wary of his presence. He'd brought some root vegetables to feed to them, and the kedan running the stables had taken his bag and inspected each and every one for rot and poison. It irritates him, a little, but he doesn't blame them. He'd be suspicious, too. When his cargo has been approved, he heads into the stables to try and get the creatures used to him again.

One of the kirin nudges him, and he takes a tuber out to feed it. The root is gone in a few chomps. He's a little surprised to see Bakura brushing one of the kirin, and debates whether or not he should say hello. But it would probably be more awkward if they ignored each other. "Oh, hello," he says, feeling a little bit stupid. "I didn't expect to see you here."

[denyamenti]

"Hello hebnay," Bakura responded, glancing up without shifting his position at the kirin's side. "Here as in the stable, or in Keeliai?"

Not that it particularly mattered to him... indeed, the thief's question was more rote than curiosity. The kirin snorted when his brush ran over a snarl of fur, but it calmed again a moment later.

[wrathfulkhan]

There was that nickname again.

"Here in the stable," Gene said. He knew about Bakura's return to Keeliai - hell, he roomed with the guy who found him in the first place. And the small Foreigner contingent made gossip travel at the speed of light.

Gosh, what do you say to a guy you killed and have made amends with? "So, what do you think about everything that happened in our absence?" Current events! Great neutral conversation topic! The kirin seemed to agree, or at least it lipped his hand by way of asking for another root to eat. He took the root out and fed it. "Last one, got to save some for your friends," he told the beast quietly.

[denyamenti]

"I think as far as the kedan getting a better deal than what they had under their overlords, this is about as much as they could have hoped for," Bakura replied, and if he was amused or surprised by the conversation starter without premise, it didn't show. "But then, I'm not the biggest fan of monarchies by default, so I won't claim to be unbiased. I see you too, chose to stay. That seems to have been the decision most went with."

[wrathfulkhan]

It was kind of hard for Gene to try and be normal. Honestly, his time in the Dreaming had been formative, in a whole bunch of weird ways. Out with the old, in with the new, and all that.

"I didn't have much reason to return," he said simply. And one very good reason to stay, until the world spat him or Tony back where they came from.

[denyamenti]

"And one notable reason to stay," Bakura observed. It hadn't been hard to note how often Tony and Gene spent together, and he could confirm that the memories of the time spent in Keeliai didn't linger.

"That was probably the better choice," he added after a moment.

[wrathfulkhan]

Christ on a cracker, did everyone know?! Wait, oh my God, is Bakura a mind-reader? Obviously not, because he would have identified Gene as his murderer right away, but...wow, that was uncanny.

"Staying in Keeliai's better for my health," he said, hoping that Bakura wouldn't notice that his ears got a little redder.

[denyamenti]

Gene hasn't exactly been subtle, at least as far as the thief's observations know. Not that Bakura cares, but Gene's amusing reaction of trying to play it cool is almost guaranteeing that Bakura will be taking more interest.

"That sounds like advice I could have used. Any other pearls of wisdom to dispense?" he asked dryly.

[wrathfulkhan]

Bakura. Bakura pls.

Gene bites back on several sarcastic responses in the vein of 'look both ways before crossing the street' - clearly Tony's sense of humor is rubbing off on him - before going with: "Anyone trying to tell you about destiny or fate is definitely playing you for a sucker."

And that's a little too on the nose to be speaking in the abstract.

[denyamenti]

Let it all out, Gene.

At least Gene was getting more towards his normal attitude and less tripping over his words. The advice gets a raised eyebrow, but Bakura doesn't contest the validity of it. "Point taken," he answered.

But finding a way to change those fates when he had exhausted literally every option... better to keep that topic in reserve for now.

"And you were worried the kirin weren't getting enough food?" The sarcasm wasn't intended as mean... Bakura himself was here for the quiet and the calmness of it, not because he was concernec about the care the creatures were receiving.

[wrathfulkhan]

"Trying to prove to the kedan we can be trusted again," Gene said, moving on to the next kirin stall with a root. This kirin seemed as interested in the free food as its fellow, and that root soon met the same fate. "Even in such a small way as this."

Besides, Gene likes animals. They should be rewarded for not being people.

[denyamenti]

"Would you?" Bakura inquired, moving around to the other side of the kirin he was brushing so he could watch Gene, and continued to curry the beast uninterrupted aside from the occasional deft twist to untangle its mane.

"If the situations were reversed, and we were the kedan, would you trust the intruders?"

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene smiled, and it was a self-deprecating look. "I'm maybe not the best person to ask, being naturally paranoid as I am."

Well...it's not really paranoia if they are in fact out to get you, right?

[denyamenti]

"I suppose I could ask someone whose brain is filled with clouds of naivete," the thief retorted. "Because it would be so difficult to predict what they'd say about it."

[wrathfulkhan]

"Tell me, are there even any of those left, after what we went through beneath the shell?" Gene asks, trying to sound casual and joking about it, but largely failing (because fuckin' jokes, how do they work).

[denyamenti]

"I think there are," Bakura answered, and from anyone else, that could almost have been taken as optimistic. From the thief, however, it was pretty cynical. But then the sarcasm softens. "I suppose that's balance, of a sort."

[wrathfulkhan]

"Hm." Yeah, someone had to keep all of these brooding sorts from slipping into a depressive slump from which they'd never recover.

The kirin nudged his hand again, and he fed it, somewhat grateful for the distraction. "Few enough of them, it seems."

He used to consider Tony as part of that group, years ago. Now...now he wasn't sure.

[denyamenti]

They could do with a little stepping up of their efforts, Bakura thought. There seemed to be more brooding than ever, even if he was contributing to it himself.

He finished brushing out the kirin's mane and dropped the brush into the bucket at his feet, appearing to grasp for words of something. "I don't know why I chose to come here."

[wrathfulkhan]

"Solitude?" Gene asked, somewhat wryly. Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure why he'd come to the stables himself, aside from feeling lost and vaguely upset about the changes in Keeliai. That, and the fact that animals were better than people.

[denyamenti]

"That might be it," Bakura answered. "I hate the feeling of eyes on me all the time, like they were at the Hotel."

Which was partly ironic, considering that many of his clashes with his opponents drew a great deal of attention to himself. He liked commanding the spotlight when it suited him, when it benefited him, but then just as often he'd do things behind the scenes. Like with Malik in Battle City, and with Mokuba in Duelist Kingdom. But between such sweeping statements, he tended to be obscure, and since returning to Keeliai, he'd felt too nettled by people's silent observation to achieve that. It was part of why he'd stopped staying at the Hotel as soon as he'd been in a condition to leave (and also do he didn't rip Solomon's throat out in the hallway) and found his own place to stay.

[wrathfulkhan]

(Not ripping out Solomon's throat in the hallway would be a good thing, so kudos, Bakura.)

"It isn't the ideal living situation, you're right," Gene said, sounding a little bit resigned about it. He and Tony weren't in any position to move out yet, and waiting to hear back from the family heads about the palace was putting a serious damper on his plans, or at least forcing him to cool his heels. "I hate being so close in to everybody like that. It's an excuse for everyone to be in everyone else's business."

Like Bakura, Gene would opt to command the spotlight only when it served him, preferring to deal in shadows.

[denyamenti]

(Yes, he is very proud of himself.)

There is the minor point that Bakura was hardly financially stable to supply the housing he was currently using either, but he was still a thief, and kedanese pockets weren't any harder to pick than human pockets, and the place he was renting from wasn't exactly a respectable establishment that wanted references.

He understood that didn't work for everyone though. He also understood why Gene would feel like that.

"Some of us are more used to space than others," he said, in a way that included both of them in the same category. "Some days I think it must be proportional to the number of secrets we tend to keep."

[wrathfulkhan]

Truth be told, Bakura's method of making a living would have appealed to Gene, if he'd cultivated the particular light-fingered skillset necessary. Either way - no judgment here. He knew what it was, to get by on your wits alone.

"Hm. Secrets do tend to fill up a room like a crowd, don't they?" And they hang in the air like a bad smell, he doesn't say. He's done keeping secrets. Well. Most secrets, anyway. He stroked the kirin, and it leaned its head into his hand, trying to beg more treats.

[denyamenti]

Say things like that, Gene, and Bakura will offer to teach you. It isn't like he doesn't have the mindset for it.

"You ever ridden one?" Bakura asks, changing topics and nodding at the kirin.