the aftermath of a lost "friend" (yuuki/leon/richard)

Yuuki had forced herself out of her room and was now wandering the corridors in a fog. she didn't know what to do anymore--her mind felt so empty and silent, and the absence of noise was deafening to her. her hair was a washed-out grey-ish blue, and her tear filled eyes looked empty as she walked.

anyone watching her might even assume she was sleepwalking. all of her tattoos were visible, and the strap of her shirt had shifted in such a way that the huge dragon tattoo on her back was slightly visible. an aura of freezing cold air surrounded her, frosting any windows that she happened to pass by. her pale skin looked more blue than usually, and her lips looked like those of a frozen corpse. and still, Yuuki walked on as though in a funeral procession.

at one point, the small figure stumbled, before finally slumping against the wall, her shoulders shaking with dry tears.


(yea, depressing.....i know)

Leon was beginning to hate the winter even more than he did normally. He hated the castle. It was still something he hadn't gotten over yet. His roommate wasn't particularly annoying, though his.. speech impediment did occasionally wear on his nerves. Leon just never liked the idea of having to share living quarters with another person. The space was too small for it. That, and he'd recently hit a patch of paranoia that seemed especially prominent whenever he was in the room.

Eventually, frustration took over and Leon ventured out into the halls. Though it was the middle of the night and probably cold outside, he armed himself only with his hoody, a new one he'd purchased that still hadn't been "broken", and a scarf.

Leon made his way down to the kitchen to grab an apple before stopping at one of the windows in the corridor. He put his hood up and was about to open the window before he noticed something blossoming across the glass. Frost? He looked over at a sound and his eyebrows creased when he saw Yuuki.

His guard went up slightly, seeing that she looked different than usual and thinking it may have something to do with Ketsuta. His voice was wary. "Yuuki?"

Yuuki nearly jumped a mile into the air at Leon's voice...she'd never been so jumpy in all of her life.
"l-leon." she hastily tried to clean herself up, wiping at her tear stained cheeks. she could feel her tattoos there--rather than liquidy, they were now more like the icy patterns that covered the glass. the crystaline patterns dotted the left side of her face and were grouped particularly densely near her temple. she sniffed slightly, trying to look less emotional, but it was basically pointless.

"i thought you hated being inside," she said lamely. she sat with her knees against her chest, basically completely hiding her upper body. even as she spoke, her eyes kept wanting to well up with tears again, leaving Yuuki to desperately wipe at her eyes every few seconds. she swore to herself grumpily

Leon raised an eyebrow, watching Yuuki jump. He turned to face her a bit more directly and gave a light shrug. "I don't. It's cold outside." He excused.

Leon ran a finger along the glass of the window, leaving a line through the frost in its wake. He held his finger up so Yuuki could see the bits of that had stuck to it. "Is this you?" Silently, he wished he hadn't run into Yuuki. She seemed upset, and he never really cared to deal with upset females. It was frustrating, but it came with the territory. He had Guns and Roses on the brain now.

Yuuki blinked at the frost covering leon's finger, and then turned her head to look at the other, similarily decorated windows. she raked her short hair back with her fingers, her eyes jutting to the side. "call it excess energy." she muttered, her other hand balling up into a fist in her lap as she once more attempted to push the tears back. God, her mind felt way too silent and empty...what was she supposed to do with the extra space? she looked back to the window pane. as she stared at it, more frost crept across the glass, forming intricate designs that were similar to her new tattoos. in fact, the glass was cold enough that it had even bugn to crack a little...

Yuuki shook her head, her eyes a little stormy

"i think you picked the coldest place in this whole damn castle"


(yea, i know...i need a build up. *huddles in corner*)

Leon pushed off the windowsill and took a few steps closer to Yuuki, pocketing his hands. He didn't particularly care for the science behind why the window had frosted over. He'd been asking why Yuuki was causing it to happen now at this exact moment. In other words, what was bothering her? But he was sure she knew that.

Leon released his wings slowly, directing them to leave clean holes in the back of his new hoody. When they were completely out, he pulled them in close around his shoulders and shrugged again. "I'm my own heat source." He gave Yuuki a brief and light smirk, before continuing. "So what's the problem?"

Yuuki watched leon's wings come out for a moment, before looking back down at her knees, her hair shading her eyes. "Ketsuta's gone. you'd think that would make me happy, but i just feel screwed up." her hand automatically reached up to touch the pendant, before she realized that it had basically melted after ketusta had left. desperate for something comforting, she suddenly summoned a pretty, white feather--it was from Lupine's wing--a gift from about a year ago. yuuki froze the feather to preserve it, then froze it to her hair. just like it did then, the feather matched the layers in her hair perfectly, as though it were made for it.

Leon's eyebrows creased in a feeling he couldn't really identify. She was freezing up the school because Ketsuta was gone? She was upset over that? What kind of twisted logic...?

Leon wasn't even entirely sure how to respond. Evidently Yuuki had forgotten. "You're upset because the girl that stabbed Rachael is gone?" He asked, slowly. That wasn't even the part that annoyed him though. What he wouldn't do to be rid of Saren... He paid no attention to the feather, not particularly caring about any meaning that may have been behind it.

Yuuki gritted her teeth. "i know, its messed up. but she didn't just leave me--she made me watch all of her memories from her whole life before she died. having those memories pushed on you...can really mess you up." the word "up" came out sounding a little less...normal than the rest. not quite a growl or snarl, just...odd. she stood then, using the wall for support. when her hands touched the wall, it began to froze the outer layer of the building. "with her gone, i have too much left over energy." she worked her jaw in agitation as she stood there.

Leon a shoulder on the wall opposite the one Yuuki was leaning against. His one wing was held an awkward-looking position to avoid both the wall and his clothes. He didn't want to think about this. His mind shifted to a new song that he didn't know as well, one that he'd have to concentrate on to hear correctly.

"Well, you'll get used to it. Count your blessings." He fought any feeling of aggression or indignation and was able to muster up a neutral tone.

"'get used to it?'" Yuuki snorted, and looked down at her hand. she could feel her body temperature dropping as unused energy began to build up. she felt a few tears sliding down her cheeks, freezing instantly as they did so. she shook her head, and very slowly, turned toward the wall behind her and drew her arm back. she threw her fist forward in a punch aimed at the wall, and when it connected, the building first froze, its weakness from the act causing it to give way to her fist. a crater was left in the wall, and cracks flew out from its center, leaving dust in the air, and shattering a few nearby windows. Yuuki stared at the crater for a moment before looking bad at leon. she bit her lip and shook her head sadly before walking to one of the now-open windows, and jumping out of it.

Yuuki's wings pushed out of her back, and she pumped them furiously, determined to burn off some steam for a while



(several hours later)

Yuuki flew in from another open window on a different floor--she was beat, but at least she wasn't freezing the school anymore. she leaned against the wall and brushed her bangs out of her face as she looked out the window at the moon.


((sorry about the really random-sounding exit. told you she'd run---but leon can still reply to what happened above.)

Leon remained impassive as Yuuki punched the wall. Okay, maybe she was a bit out of sense at the moment, but she would get over it. Otherwise, she'd curl into a ball and cry for the rest of her life, and Leon wouldn't have any respect for that, or pity.

After she flew out the window, Leon pulled the apple out of his hoody pocket, and cleaned it against jeans before taking a bite. Not wanting to leave through the same window Yuuki had left through, he walked down the hall until he found another. Then, he pulled his wings in close and jumped through it, flying off to he-didn't-even-know-where. He wouldn't think anything else about Yuuki and Ketsuta. Now he just concentrated on trying to remember the words to that song..

Richard was returning from yet another trip to the wine cellar. Some guilt lingered in the back of his mind - he sure managed to deplete its stock, taking into account how short he's been at the Academy for.
The next time he was on the mainland he'd make sure to get his own supplies.

That guilt caused him to jump back a bit and hide the two bottles he was carrying behind his back as the girl flopped in through the window right in front of him. The glass jingled quietly.

He sighed with relief, set the wine on the ground carefully, then made a few steps towards Yuuki. Clearing his throat to alert her to his presence, he frowned at her visible upset.
"Good Lord, my dear," he said. "you look like the seven plagues."

Yuuki head the slight tink of glass nearby, and when Richard spoke, she pushed her bangs out of her face in order to see him better--though his voice mostly gave away who it was. she blinked, not really sure how to address him. councilor? this place could be a bit more formal at times. when he made his exclamation however, she dropped all pretenses of formality, and ended up laughing lightly instead, though it sounded a bit rigid.

"i think that would be a pretty avid description, yes." her fingers reached up to brush at Lupine's feather in her hair. she knew her body temperature still wasn't back to normal, but she was relieved that she wasn't freezing the windows anymore...or at least, as much, she realized as she turned her head slightly.

Following her glance towards the window, Richard noted the icy patterns on the glass. The night was chilly, yes, the wind blowing in through the open window reassured him in that; but surely not to that extent? He returned his gaze to her with increased interest.

As he walked over to the girl, he pondered over a few possible approaches. But seeing she wasn't immediately opposed to his company, he decided on a straightforward one.
"Would you... like to talk about it?" he suggested, putting on his best comforting voice.

Yuuki sighed and leaned back against the wall again. the truth was, she did want to talk about it. even though she shouldn't, she always wanted to talk about it. that's what set her apart from her family--she looked withdrawn, but she did horribly when she was on her own. the issue was that she never knew how to, and here was the perfect chance...and she still felt like she didn't know what to do. she was just so inexperienced with social interactions, and yet she yearned for it....ah, a place to start

yuuki let out a sad chuckle. "you know, the last time i spoke to a councilor, i think she was a sociopath and histrionic. she wasn't even there to help...she just sat there like a statue, really. so i learned to keep from talking...."

Yuuki frowned, and then looked to Richard. she had no idea why she felt she could actually trust him--that he would listen and care--and actually help. before, Zigg would always know what was wrong, but she hadn't seen him for months now...

He grinned. "I assure you - whatever psychological disorders I may or may not have shall have no consequence on my opinion of you. And I'm certainly far from a statue."

At first, he naturally assumed her hair was dyed, but as he got closer, he realized the bright cyan was actually her natural tone. Well, that's not too implausible, seeing she was in possession of an impressive pair of wings in a similar color as well...

Richard returned her look with an encouraging smile. "So, care to tell me what's eating you?"
He leaned on the cold wall next to her, glancing to the n-ice-ly decorated window again.

(pun! lol)

Yuuki was silent for a few seconds, trying to arrange her thoughts a bit. "you probably didn't know this, but along with my abilities, i have...or had...a bit of an issue. her name was ketsuta." Yuuki almost felt like giggling there. Luppa was a dilemma, and now Ketsuta was an issue...it was rather fitting.

"she was, when she had her own body, a dragon of some sorts....she was worse than having a split personality, and she's taken over my body on multiple occasions. she even stabbed one of my freinds....i hated her, and thought i always would." Yuuki frowned again, her voice breaking off. but she was determined to finish her explanation, so she pushed herself through the last few sentences.

"she died a few hours ago. but before she did, she had me watch memories of her old life. and now, after all those years of hating her and wishing that she was gone, she finally is, but after watching her memories...i dont'...see her...like i used to." she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. it had been a horrible explanation really, but she wasn't a very good speaker, anyway.


(bright cyan--you hit the nail on the head again. i always describe her hair as cyan or cobalt, depending on her mood...her hair changes colors teehee.)

Richard's eyes widened slightly as he listened in silence - a spirit of a dragon taking over somebody's body was a new idea to him. But the rest of the situation... was not alien in the least.

He murmured comfortingly. "Poor honey, you must feel so confused. But there's nothing strange about your grief. This Ketsuta has been very close to you all that time, and no matter how she acted, it's natural to feel sad after she's gone."
He nodded. "Do you know even the wives of abusive, alcoholic husbands often cry at their funerals? They hated the person, but still have a feeling of loss. And I dare say that somebody who's inside your head all the time is, in some ways, even closer than a husband."
Richard smiled lightly. "But now, you have her memories, and the memories of her... You can understand why she acted the way she did, and maybe even some day forgive her." He reached to place his hand on her shoulder in a caring gesture. "For now, let the feelings flow freely... don't feel bad for having them."


((Does it? xD Well I'm glad I wrote the right color then haha))

Yuuki hung her head slightly. "I feeel kind of bad for hating her after seeing her past...our roles could easily have been switched." Her eyes flickered to his hand on her shoulder. It surprised her slightly--feel people had ever comforted her in such a way-- bit she was grateful for it..andother things.

"I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't found this place....when ketsuta was around, I was afraid to be alone. And our whole famy had to split up..."

She felt a little odd, giving him so mjch of her life story, but it was kind of a relief too

"But she gave you plenty of reasons to hate her, didn't she? While not explaining herself at all." He smiled wryly. "It's in bad manners to speak ill of the dead, but allow me to make an exception here - it was her own fault."

Funny for him of all people to be saying that about the dead.

"You're not alone now." Richard tightened his grip on her shoulder slightly to emphasize that. "You've got friends, you've got the teachers who, I'm certain, can help you with those-" he waved his other hand in a dismissive gesture. "-magic shenanigans."
He grinned.
"Last but not least, you've got me."
Putting a serious face on again, he spoke in a soft tone. "What happened to your family?"

"what she did after she began a parasite may have been her own fault, but what happened before it wasn't...things were different for her, way back then. still, i'm pretty sure there were moments where she could have changed her mind."

Yuuki was slightly embarrassed at his way of comforting her that she had companions here...though, she was once again thankful for it too. that seemed to be the pattern here.

"none of us are like this naturally...it was all the cause of some scientists that decided to mess with the original order of things. and now they're trying to hunt us down and kill us...which wouldn't be such an issue if we weren't outfitted with tracking beacons that are activated when any of us are close to each other for a certain period of time. it took us a bit to figure that out, but when we did...we decided to...split up."

ahh, short versions...


"if any of the beacons went off, i'm not sure if they'd find me, but all of the others would....." she shook her head. there had to be some way to get rid of them, but she couldn't think of any ideas.

"Mhm..." With the amount of information she gave him, it was hard to keep up with who exactly was the 'they' and the 'us', but Richard was far from expecting clarity of speech from somebody in emotional distress.

Yuuki seemed to feel a bit better after his comforting; that pleased him. For a change, a situation where he could provide immediate assistance...

"Well, you have found a safe harbor, haven't you? I'm sure they did as well." He paused for a second, thinking. "Those beacons you speak of... Are they something physical? Mechanical, perhaps? Or are they something more magic-based?"

yuuki frowned. "i'm not really sure how they work...the...scientists never seem to use magic themselves, but they could have one of their creations do it. we're still trying to work it out so that we can see each other again." she twirled her finger around the feather in her hair. "i'm sure they found a place before, but when terri was here for so long, the beacons were activated, and they all had to move." she gave a more teenagery huff. "Zigg wont even talk to me." she looked a tad grumpy at this.

"considering the circumstances, i think i'm worried about them now more than myself."

He nodded slowly, scouring his brain for any possible solutions.
"First of all... How about contacting them via technological means?" He glanced around quickly. "I know this castle is stuck in the eighteenth century, but cell phones have been invented since..."
Richard shook his head. It was too late for that; they should have thought of that before they left. If only he had been there at the time...
"Zigg is one of your friends, I assume?" he smiled. "The favorite one, perhaps?"

He shifted a bit, then removed his hand from her shoulder to cross his arms across his chest.
"And how about running an X-ray test to see if the 'beacon' is something that could be removed?" He looked to her curiously. "I'm sure it could be organized."