Characters involved are: Midori (RED), Billy (ORANGE),
Logged by Midori

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Billy (OOC) says, "I see. So she's been in the Orphanage..."
Midori (OOC) nods. Physically, at least ^^.
Billy (OOC) ^_^;
Billy (OOC) says, "So she'll have woken up for this log? Or..."
Midori (OOC) nods. She does wake up, but prefers sleeping. Move to another part of the orphanage?
Billy (OOC) nods. Perhaps to where Midori was sleeping.
Midori (OOC) nods. Lead the way?
Billy (OOC) O.o's and eyes the Orphanage, wondering where on earth in here a little girl would sleep. Wanders.
The Orphanage, Main Bedroom
This room holds bunk beds on every side, all neatly made and kept as clean as can be done in an Orphanage full of rowdy children. Several doors stand scattered about the edge of this room- leading to several different areas about this quaint, but tiny, Orphanage. One can enter the <m>ain room from here, <P>rimera's room, or <B>illy's Study.
Contents:
Billy
a large gander

Midori (OOC) thinks that here will do.
Billy (OOC) agrees.
Midori (OOC) lets Billy start? She will then wake up, I think.
Billy (OOC) okays.
Billy (OOC) wonders suddenly if Billy knows Midori has taken up residence here?
The Orphanage was unusually silent today. Most of the children had gone outside to play, and Billy suddenly felt almost out of place. How long had it been since he'd been here for any length of time? The undercurrent of intense guilt he'd managed to suppress for the time being suddenly breaks free of the dams he'd held it under, and he stares at the floor in mute silence. Walking moodily from the doorway of his study to a vacant little bunk bed, he sits idly, having been overwhelmed suddenly by a sense of *tiredness*. His thoughts unconsciously wander back to a certain little silver-haired girl, and he prods the thoughts of her around, the action like the idle, recurrent, masochistic picking of a painful scab. Why... why did he have to leave her so often, so much? He did have to support the other children at the Orphanage, and the only way was to work hard at the Ethos... but why so long, so often? He was tempted to blame the Ethos itself for giving him so many duties, but he refrained; he had to stop
blaming others for his own foolishness. In a fit of frustration, he slams a fist into the bedpost, and jumps guiltily when it complains loudly.
Midori (OOC) apologises, got dragged away for a minute. Poses.
It is so easy to favoour the familiar, when the alternative is stained with tears. Still, there even comes a time for Midori when it must be faced. When concealing herself ina veil of what this world calls sleep, in her won world, the nightmare that is not. A sudden jolt rocks the bed she had been sleeping on, leaving it for a moment swaying and rocking, an unnerving drawback to her real nightmare, to that night when she fell, and fell, and nothing was the same. She sits up abruptly, looking around, panicked. It is remarkably easy to forget where you are, when the very reality is forged from the mind. No. She would not wish, or imagine this. It is unfamiliar. She calms, still quiet, and stares blankly at Billy. No words. Nothing, yet.
Billy jumps yet again as Midori sits up, and feels even more guilty than he already is. Mentally taking note of the fact that he just seems to be something of a guilt-magnet these days, he rises slowly, having learned long ago that startled little children panic at sudden movements, and moves quietly to Midori's bedside, kneeling as not to tower over her. "I'm sorry... did I wake you up?" he asks softly, not really expecting an answer, for he recognizes her vaguely as That Quiet Kid Who Didn't Really Say Much. Slender fingers unconsciously straighten the sheets lightly, moving automatically over the reassuring roughened cloths, and Billy attempts to escape the grim reality that lurks in the back of his mind. /Rejected... by your own sister... what a failure you are... you weren't there for her when she needed you most. You have no one to blame but yourself./ Trying to block that voice from his mind, he focuses instead on Midori, affecting an attitude of concerned gentleness.
Midori sits up, regarding Billy closely. It had been a slight point of courtesy, thought to her by her father, that she not stare so. Still, it was an interesting person. The other lady was such a...nondescript. Erine's fuzzy mind not betraying anything. This person, however, seemed a little more interesting. So businesslike, so caring, and yet, so hurting inside. So much pain and regret, wrapped in a veil of care. Erine was prefereable to the noise emanating from Billy. She frowns a little more then her usual neutral expression, and her thoughts meet Billy's. >...Don't be sad...<, she thinks, and at the furthest reaches of Billy's consciousness, if he chooses to listen, he says it, too. It is hard to ignore that which is so apparent. And, Midori is awake now,concerned enough not to simply ignore the figure, and return to her own place.
Billy flinches slightly, the action clearly visible, and lowers his gaze immediately. She was evidently a gifted child, to be able... or was he *that* transparent? Could it be he was finally falling apart? He shakes his head, and, with a faint undercurrent of self-hatred permeating his harsh comment half-laughs, half-whispers, "I try. But there is no use in it." Realizing that he's slipped- he's never really showed this much in front of a child before- he lowers his gaze even farther and idly toys with the sheets, from his position kneeling next to Midori's bedside. "Don't worry about anything," he says softly. /A child like you... should be playing... and laughing.../, he thinks, but he does not say it aloud; though part of him- a deep, subconscious sense- perceives that she will pick up on the thought anyway. Again there is that odd, sudden, evanescent feeling that he is at confession. Old habits die hard. Especially the ones you put so much time... so much *faith* into. Time wasted. Faith wasted. A
little sister... lost. Billy closes his eyes briefly, as crimson self-hatred coats the canvas of his emotions.
A child like me should be playing. Midori smiles a little, reminded of the girl in the dream that was not, of that orphan, who wanted nothing more then to play. But, Midori has never really been a child, has she? She knows, and processes, and has seen too much to ever be. She is not shielded from anything as normal children are. She more then any child, understands the ways of duty, honour, and how they break people's hearts. She smiles. >... I should be? That is, if I want to ...<. Defiant? Well, not exactly intentionally. For, it seems that Midori does not even want to be awake. >... Did your sister...go away?... <. Going away has so many meanings, differing from person to person. Midori's parents went away, and then came back. Sometimes, they do not come back. It draws a line between the two. I have had people go away. They came back. Perhaps Primera will come back, too. Perhaps.
He raises his eyes, to meet her gaze, and there is something, almost a question, in his gaze... /what sort of gift... is this...? that can read minds? or perhaps, I am just paranoid, or even more transparent... than usual.../ It is so evident that Billy is trying so hard to hide his emotions- and normally he has quite a talent for dissembling and hiding his emotions- but now... his emotions are painted as vividly as a stained glass window. His slim fingers, trained and skilled in both professional killing and child-raising- total polar opposites of each other- are gentle, almost fatherly, as they unconsciously smooth out creases in the sleeve on Midori's clothing- a reassuring automatic reaction that Billy seems to be using to calm himself. "Yes... she... she went away," Billy whispers, wondering at himself for confiding in a child, but somehow simultaneously feeling a certain rightness in the action. "But it was my fault she did. So..."
Midori closes her eyes lightly, and bows her head. She remembered how she had thought that of her own parents, for so long. Was it for her that they left her behind, that night where she fell from the ship, and everything was dark? No, Hyuga had said that was not. Perhaps Billy was being so naive. Perhaps she was overanalysing. Not a failing your average 5-year-old could be accused of. >... I...I'm sorry. Let's talk about something else. My name is Midori... <. She has an anchor, a mooring point to a similarity between herself and this nice, yet terribly troubled young man. This, for her, is very, very sociable. She smiles. > ... Midori ...<. A second name? Well, Midori will do, for now.
Midori (OOC) chooses between Uzuki and Ricdeau. Chooses Midori.
Billy (OOC) =)
It is a terrible relief, and a sense of having wanted to talk more, to get it off his chest, all wrapped into one neat package. For the moment, the relief wins out, and, the pressure in his chest having eased slightly, he realizes with a sudden feeling of faint disapproval with himself that he should *not* have to pile his own troubles on a little girl. No. He'd bear them himself. It was his fault he had these troubles- had to bear this cross- so it stood to reason that he should shoulder his own worries. Pushing them on another person was presumptuous, at the very least. He smiles faintly, though whether the expression is pure, or tainted by self-depreciation, remains to be seen. "My name is Billy... but somehow, I think you already knew that." Unconsciously, slim hands slip from the now-smoothed-out creases in her sleeves to the sheets once again. "I take care of the children here..." /Or at least you *should* be. But where is the little child most important to you now? Gone, because you *didn't* tak
...take care of her enough.../ taunts the voice in his mind.
Midori smiles. > ... Hello, Billy. I haven't met you before. It was Erine that was here before... <. No, pushing your problems on a little girl may seem terrible, but it can be simply denied, declared a mere bagatelle and pushed to the place where information goes for Midori. She is not easily upset by other poeple's problems. Like background noise, minro problems leaping at her frm the heads of passers-by are things she has learned to ignore. It was the white static of Erine's mind, and the great anguish leaping from Billy, that attracted her, if only because it was a distraction, something to concern herself with while she had to spend these few hours awake. And now, she was awake. She sits upright, regarding Billy, still. > ... Are you new? ... <. What? She knows he is not. But, this might be Midori making conversation. Stranger things have happened, indeed.
Anguish does indeed leap from Billy, like blazing wildfire from a pool of oil, but for now he has managed to contain and conceal the burning, acerbic agony of self-hatred and guilt beneath a thin veneer of self-control, and beneath the persona of the familiar dealing-with-little-children Billy the orphanage kids are so accustomed to. Billy draws a blank for a moment at the name Erine, before connecting it to the new Bishopess of Ethos, or whatever they called the female Bishop these days. Billy cannot recall if he's ever met her, but has heard a few snippets about her. "No, I'm not new, Midori," he replies softly, keenly and suddenly aware that it could only have been his long absence that would cause her to think that. Bad thoughts again. Billy shoves the unpleasant thoughts into the back of his mind, and sticks a cover over them for now. "I set up this place, this orphanage... to help little children who... who have no one else. No parents..."
Billy (OOC) asks, "D'you think you could close pose right now, Midori, or should we continue later?"
Hm. it had been presumed to be the case for a long time, even after she had found it to not be the case. Hm. Perhaps he...should know this, if it is omportant. Perhaps it might help them prepare for when an Omnigear swoops down from the sky to collect her. Still, it is no more then a formality, so let Billy know, at least. > ...My parents...are still alive... <.
Midori (OOC) nods. We can continue later.
Billy (OOC) nods Okay. So we'll catch each other online sometime later and finish, then?
Midori (OOC) nods.
(BREAK)
Billy (OOC) wonders if Billy would know Midori is Shitan's daughter..
Midori (OOC) thinks he might recognise the name Uzuki. Might not recognise her by sight.
Billy (OOC) thinks so too. But since Midori hasn't mentioned Uzuki, Billy assumes a "faint sense of familiarity, by resemblance to Shitan" attitude.
Midori (OOC) does not think she resembles him. But, that is her opinion ^^.
Billy (OOC) thinks the resemblance is in the aura and presence.
Midori (OOC) nods.
Billy cocks his silvered head slightly, watching her with a faint edge of curiosity. She seemed familiar, somehow; something in her features- especially the sensation he derived from her presence and aura- reminded him of someone, but he didn't know who. "Alive?" He thinks a bit on this- at least thinking dulled the pain within- and ventures, "Will they come for you? Or..." He realizes after he says it that it might not be the most tactful thing to say, and mentally kicks himself. Sometimes, his case of foot-in-mouth disease approached the severity of Bart's case. But of course, it never drew equal. Billy wasn't *that* blunt.
Billy (OOC) thinks that a rather short pose.
Midori (OOC) does not mind ^^.
Midori remains pensive for a pause, breaking off her stare at Billy. They...said they would. But, well, they said a lot of things. It is easy to blindly believe a parental figure, when they say they will always be there for you, that you will always be this happy, and the innocence of childhood will never leave you. Duty, and honour are strange, bedevilling things, and might just as well negate even the most sincere of promises. Still, it has not defeated the lost one just yet, and she still has the capacity to believe. She looks back up, resuming her stare, and gently nod her head. > ...I think so... <.
Billy tries to smile reassuringly, but the lack of any emotional stability deep within his own self makes the expression come across rather hollow. He compensates for that by gently taking Midori's hand in his own, while not moving it laterally from its initial position. Remarkable paternal instinct, for a boy of sixteen. Perhaps it was the loss of his own parents, and the resolve afterward never to let anything similar happen to other children if he could help it, that lighted the flame of that strong instinct to protect. The touch is the touch of a boy who, despite being little more than a child himself, is paradoxically capable of soothing away a score of little colds and a thousand little heartaches with hands trained and skilled in the slaughter. Billy himself is completely aware of that little paradox couched in his slender, unassuming hands, and a brief sense of discomfort at that sparks behind his eyes before he reminds himself that he is no longer with an Etone. "I am sure they will," are the
five words that finally leave his lips. /And if they don't... you can be sure that you will be taken care of.../ A thought he realizes suddenly that he should not have broadcasted- for evidently this child can sense thoughts to some degree- and he guiltily kicks his thoughts for moving so quickly.
Midori flinches a little at the touch, but welcomes the affirmation of being in this world, of being a sentient entity in this reality. She looks down at her hand, and nods slightly, barely picking up on the thought, dismissing it as it comes as something that may come up, but...perhaps not. Perhaps they will come. And it will be as it was before. Except...not. She does not avert her gaze. > ...I...hope your sister comes back, too... <.
Midori (OOC) shortposes.
Billy (OOC) perceives that his poses are all different lengths today.
Billy (OOC) thinks he is going to turn out a longposer in general. ^^;;
Midori (OOC) cheers.
Billy (OOC) gets the general impression that longposers are favoured in the MUCK world...?
Midori (OOC) thinks that in general. It is rarely important to do it for the sake of longposing, though.
Midori (OOC) used to pose longer. Is slipping these days ^^.
Billy (OOC) sighs and poses.
Billy (OOC) stabs himself repeatedly with the Angst Dagger.
Midori (OOC) grins. That's the spirit.
He removes his hand from hers, having perceived the flinch. His hands remain on the sheets, as they were before, and he looks down at them, the soft mindspeech of Midori reminding him all too keenly of Primera. He closes his eyes, swallowing hard, and welcomes the pain in his throat as a possible diversion from the thoughts in his mind. /Hmmm. You're just full of paradoxes, aren't you?/ comes a patronizing voice in his mind, and his eyelids flicker slightly, long black lashes flitting. He felt he had to think about it, to punish himself for his errors, by going over and over and over his agony, by plunging that jagged blade again and again into his heart, but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to simply collect all those thoughts, weight them with a rock, and drop them into the ocean. But in the midst of all these muddled thoughts, a single sentence- the shred of Hope at the bottom of Pandora's box- manages to make itself clear: "I hope so too..."
This...again. Like some sort of inevitable ice-cream headache, it creeps. The pain, the suffering of the children around her, and even the Etone who runs this house of tears. Midori is..at best, tired of the constant barrage of sheer emotion, like a white noise fading to black in the stream of consciousness, washing about her mind like a stream, or torrent. It was enough to make one...well, that was rhater impossible here. But, Billy might not make as sweet-looking a rabbit, even if this were the existence made of clay to her shaping that the nightmare is. Midori only smiles, a tired smile, as if hinting at something. Is it so selfish to want to remove yourself from this? Well, if all it involves is sleeping again, then...
Billy (OOC) sees this RP drawing to a slow close. =)
Billy (OOC) apologizes for Billy's angstyness.
Midori (OOC) does not think you need to apologise. She _is_ an Uzuki, after all ^^.
Billy (OOC) cannot argue with that point.
Billy (OOC) asks if we shall close pose? Midori seems worn out.
Midori (OOC) nods. If you wish.
Billy (OOC) proceeds.
He perceives her tiredness with a discerning eye born of four years of childraising- two years spent with a single child, and two spent raising multiple children- and smiles, a touch of weariness staining his own expression. "I won't bother you further, if you are tired," he murmurs quietly, rising slowly. Taking up the edges of the sheets- which are rather rumpled save for the spot he had been compulsively smoothing during their odd interaction- he picks the trailing edges off the floor and tucks them around Midori, smoothing the whole assortment back onto the bed into a semblance of neatness. The movements are efficient, the movements of one who has done this many times before. He raises his gaze to meet hers again, his eyes- not precisely blue, but with a green cast, like blue water in a green glass- glossed over with a veneer of false serenity. "Yes. You look tired. Maybe you should rest a little."
Midori smiles at this, the sheer perception of another toward her. She is more accustomed to knowing this of others herself, the sheer tiredness of people at times leaping out at her like some great weakened force, mind gone fuzzy from distractedness. She lies back down on the bed, adjusting the sheets to her own specifications, and smiles and nods up to Billy. > ...Thank...you... <. And, there is nothin more, save the shallow breathing, and silence.
Midori (OOC) shortposes! Yay!
Billy (OOC) sticks in a last closing pose for the heck of it.
Midori (OOC) replaces that with 'nothing'.
Midori (OOC) nods.
Billy (OOC) decides upon further reflection not to, and just ends the RP there. *cannot think anymore* Does not think he could write anything better than "Billy regreso a la casa." =)
Billy (OOC) thanks Midori for the RP session.
Midori (OOC) smiles. No problem. Thank you.