ic inbox (kenos)

[gravings]

I will definitely put something here this time

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[gravings]

[ Immediately sharpens her hearing with magic so that she can catch every nuance of Dokja's embarrassing admission. Though actually, it makes her quite genuinely happy. She'd been expecting something more serious and stuffy. ]

Really? I like them too! Though mystery is probably my favorite... I used to read about Sherlock Holmes all the time when I was small.

[ Anything to escape, really... ]

[salvageable]

[ It's probably comical how wide Dokja's eyes get at the realization that Gray is a kindred spirit. All this time living under the same roof and he had no idea!! And mystery isn't too far from fantasy... "Anything to escape" is such a fucking mood. ]

I would have never guessed. [ Mostly because he sucks at reading people. ] Sherlock Holmes, huh? I've only read a few stories, but the reveals always took me by surprise.

[ Some of that awkwardness finally bleeds out of Dokja as they shift into a conversation he is far too happy to be having. ]

What draws you to that particular genre?

[gravings]

[ She thinks as she swallows a mouthful of cake. ]

Probably... it's because I grew up in a place where nothing changed and no one asked questions. I thought Holmes and Watson going on adventures and cracking all of those cases was very romantic. [ Not in the BL way. The quaint old-timey way. ] At the time, I didn't think anyone like Holmes could really exist. He was always so smart and certain, and he never let anyone dissuade him even if he looked mad.

[ Always believing herself to be stupid, how could she resist living in the world of someone so aggressively clever? ]

... But also, the selection of books in my village was quite small, so I didn't have much else to read. If you have any recommendations, I'd be happy to listen.

action, i'm back again

[lockedon]

[ Maybe a communion first would have been in better order, but between fending off monsters on the way to the Alenroux cornerstone, refamiliarizing himself with the busy streets of Springstar, and then consoling a grown man crying into his shoulder, it's been a long day. (Not to mention lugging a (different) grown man around like some sort of packmule while fighting off said monsters.)

His brain is worming along at half-speed by the time the door opens and Gray returns from her work in Alenroux (or wherever I'm godmodding her to be), and it takes a few seconds for him to blink in her general direction before smiling tiredly. ]

Welcome back.

[ Would it be more appropriate for Gray to say that to him? Probably, but there'll be time for that later. ]

[salvageable]

[ Oh, he's learned something about Gray in this way, hasn't he? He thinks he can understand her desire for mystery if the village she described is the sort of place she'd come from. Stories are kind in that way, leading to paths that normally can't be walked on. ]

I'm not too familiar with mystery books, but... I recently took over a business that had been left behind. It's a book cafe in the Akadimaïkós District. It's well-stocked.

[ Because Han Sooyoung had kept it that way, organizing it so that the shelves were easy to navigate. It's plain to tell that Dokja thinks fondly of the store, even if his expression grows sadder at the mention of it. ]

You should come visit and we can find more books for you.

[gravings]

A book cafe? Really?

[ Immediately she's delighted... A place where she can read and have tea at the same time!! Technically she could still do that anywhere, but it'll be nice to do it among like minds. At the same time, she notices that he's a bit glum about something... She's developed a sense for not poking too much at sensitive matters, and she doesn't Dokja very well yet, so she tactfully allows him his private sadness. ]

I'd love to come by. And, ah, if you ever need hands around the store, I'll be happy to help too!

[ Getting paid to tidy things up is her actual dream job... ]

[salvageable]

[ Whatever gloominess that had afflicted Dokja moments before seems to vanish now at Gray's enthusiastic response. While things at the cafe won't be the same now that certain people are gone, it'll still need all the help it can get... And all the help Dokja can get, especially since his job had just been to laze around back when Sooyoung and Eustace had been hard at work. ]

Yeah? Consider yourself hired, then.

[ He leans back in his seat, smile on his face as the day draws to a close. It's been largely successful, despite his misgivings at the start. ]

Maybe we can pay a visit in the morning. Get you familiar with the place.

who dis

[gravings]

[ Gray pauses with her hand on the front doorknob, because I'm told they live in a house with an open floor plan. Her neutral expression rapidly melts into one that may be alarmingly familiar to Eustace — the one that usually precedes a good old cry. One might think that Gray has had to welcome Eustace back from his absences enough times by now that it would feel like a rote experience, but she manages to feel it right in the heart every time. So many people come and go from her life now; it's a far greater miracle whenever someone returns from the abyss.

So anyway. Gray gently closes the door behind her before trotting straight over to Eustace. She wordlessly baby blankets him into a hug, as is custom. If he's standing, then she'll hop up to get her arms around his neck for maximum coverage and hope he isn't too tired to catch her. ]

[lockedon]

[ For the sake of everyone's safety, we'll say that he's sitting so Gray can do a nice open sweep hug with her arms instead of having to bridge the foot wide gap in their heights.

This is the second time today someone's hugged him without warning, and the second time today that someone's cried onto his shirt, and it would be heartwarming to know that people do in fact care about him if only it didn't always result in him making said people cry.

But now that he's gotten some practice under his belt, it's with greater ease that his arms slide around Gray's smaller form to return the hug, his chin coming to a rest on her shoulder. ]

Sorry for taking so long.

[ It's with greater ease too that the apology comes forth, after how many times he's had to apologize in the past. ]

[gravings]

[ Rarity of rarities: someone accepting Gray's offer of help. She breaks into a smile. Assisting with the Alenroux effort is important and all, but they can do without her for a few hours a day so that she can exist in a cute cafe. Gray will be absolutely no help on the cerebral side of things, and it may take her a minute to learn the menu, but at least she'll make up for it in gumption. ]

Thank you! [ As if she's the one hurting for this job she just learned about. ] I've done cleaning work before... and I've worked in a bakery. So please use me however you can.

[gravings]

[ As punishment for his transgressions, his shirt shall be the receptacle for her tears she buries her face into his shoulder. What a relief that he's opaque and solid and warm. ]

You're here sooner than I expected... Welcome back.

[ She'd given up hope, shameful as that thought is. This is the longest he's been away; what could she assume but that he was gone for good?

A bit reluctantly, she lets go of him and straightens back up, taking his appearance in. Has he lost an ear again, aged up, changed colors somewhere? There's no telling what might happen to people around here after they've disappeared for a while. ]

So, um... what happened?

[ If there's even an answer to that question. ]

[lockedon]

[ Unfortunately for me but fortunately for everyone else, he looks about the same as he always does, if a bit more tired. No appendages missing, no sudden change in hair or eye color. Nothing at all out of place about him, which maybe is the strangest thing of all after a disappearance of multiple months.

Even his mannerisms have stayed largely the same, his mood quickly turning serious at that cautious question. ]

I don't know. I don't have any memory of what happened and neither did Johnny. [ Oh, right. ] Johnny's back too. I arrived alongside him.

[ Now Gray can have two whole friends back...three if Abel gets lumped into the group too. ]

[salvageable]

[ After careful consideration of their former staff, Gray might be overqualified. A bakery?? That's way more than instant ramen and instant rice and instant everything else. Anyway, there's a slight pause at her response before he gives a quick shake of his head. ]

How about a team effort? Let's both count on each other from now on.

[ He says this, but he will be doing everything on his own as usual! She is more than welcome to use him, though!! ]

[gravings]

Mr. Johnny too?!

[ She jumps to attention, her eyes going to the window as she immediately thinks of Slow Dancer. As soon as Gray is satisfied that Eustace isn't going to immediately vanish on her again, she'll hop right off with Slow Dancer to find Johnny. She wipes her eyes on her sleeve, mind turning with all these new developments. ]

Does Mr. Dokja know you're back?

[lockedon]

[ Can't wait until their most troublesome animal is finally off the premises (sorry Johnny). ]

I spoke to him earlier.

[ Dokja, not Johnny, though he did also speak to Johnny for quite some time earlier. They hugged, cried it out, and then went immediately back to squabbling like a pair of children. The usual. He neglects to mention any of that, mostly because it's vaguely embarrassing and not really relevant to the conversation, and also because he has more pressing matters to address.

Though clearly he's a little uncomfortable talking about this too, the neutral frown on his face growing deeper with worry as he looks at Gray, a lengthy pause filling the air before he finally speaks up again. ]

Did something happen to him while I was gone?

[gravings]

[ Oh... right. Gray pauses, a frown buttoning her expression. With how much Dokja tried to conceal things from Gray, she wonders how much she should say. It sounds like he's hiding things from Eustace too. But keeping things from Eustace isn't in Gray's nature, so in the end she crumbles. ]

He tried not to make me worry by saying he'd be away for a while. He didn't say why, and when he came back he didn't explain why one of his eyes looked a little different.

[ It was a very slight change, but Gray's eyesight is sharp enough that she's noticed it since. ]

I found out from someone else that Aetos experimented on him. With the timing of things, he may have died too.

[ Rin died, after all. She and Dokja went through that together, and they returned at the same time. ]

[lockedon]

[ Thanks Gray for being the only valid person in Kenos. It's just unfortunate that the information she's passing along is so serious in nature. This really wasn't the kind of news he wanted to get, even if it's exactly the kind he should have expected.

Experimented on? Possibly died? The more he hears, the stonier his expression becomes, his gaze turning unfocused as he rolls these new (and alarming) pieces of information around in his head. ]

That [ asshole, he's about to say, before cutting himself off with a sigh, one hand lifting up to rub tiredly at his face. He probably shouldn't swear so much in front of Gray. ] He always does this.

[ Always running off trying to bear everything by himself. Always shrugging off his problems and making them out to be less troubling than they actually are.

Belatedly his mind processes part of what she's said, and he turns his attention back to Gray. ]

Were you okay? While he was gone.

[gravings]

[ Dokja doesn't want to be worried about, but he's worth worrying about... so in the end, Gray decides bringing Eustace into the loop is for Dokja's own good. ]

He isn't the only person who stays vague so that other people won't worry about him.

[ She is looking DIRECTLY AT Eustace. But she could also look directly at a lot of people around here.

The pivot from Dokja to herself is unexpected, but she smiles a little at his concern. ]

I ended up looking after someone else while Mr. Dokja was away, so I kept busy. His name is Dark... I, um, don't think he's the type of person you'd normally talk to.

[ She doesn't dislike Dark herself, and gets along with him in a way... But. ]

[lockedon]

[ Birds of a secretive feather flock together....this is why he and Dokja are perfect for each other.

Eustace at least has the decency to look vaguely embarrassed at Gray's indirect call-out, even if he pointedly chooses not to say anything about it. He knows what he's done wrong and is doing his best to reflect and improve on his actions, but it's just so much easier to fuss over other people than it is to change his old (terrible) habits.

He breathes a silent sigh of relief at her reassurances, though it's short-lived at what comes after. Good to know that she had company, but what sort of company was she keeping that she has to hedge so much about it around him? ]

What do you mean by that? [ Wait. ] He didn't do anything to you, did he?

[ He may have just gotten back but he will turn right back around and walk out that door to shank someone if necessary. ]

[gravings]

Oh... no. Not like that.

[ Like what?? She really has to think about how to describe Dark and his intentions... in large part because she isn't completely sure herself.

But she does feel she has to warn Eustace about Dark so that he doesn't have a max-voltage shock experience like Dokja did. It says a bit that Gray has to consider a full warning about Dark when she hasn't had to do that about Gen, or Mordred, or really anyone else in the long line of rough personalities she's accepted into her orbit. ]

He can be... a bit startling to speak with.

[ To put it lightly. She pauses, struggling again with how to choose her words. ]

But he's very affectionate toward the people he likes. In a way that might seem overwhelming... but I don't think he means any harm.

[lockedon]

[ On the one hand, good that this Dark character hasn't done anything weird to Gray (that he knows of). On the other hand, these warnings are all so vague that he still can't begin to form an image of what the guy might be like in his head.

He really is going to have to meet Dark for himself to find out, isn't he? ]

I see.

[ He doesn't see, not really, mild confusion plastered still on his face. But Gray doesn't seem perturbed by Dark's everything. If she says everything's fine with him, then he will simply have to trust her on that. ]

I'm glad you had company while Dokja was gone. [ Even if it was startling and overwhelming company. ] Everything else was fine? Nothing else happened?

[gravings]

[ There is so much she didn't mention about Dark, but she forgets about all that as Eustace moves the conversation along. One can only hope that Dark and Eustace will have a peaceful and fortuitous meeting and that Gray's worries will have been unjustified. ]

Um... We did get a paid vacation on a beach island.

[ She isn't sure how the ocean fits on a floating island, but she won't think too hard about it. ]

That's really all I know about. It's been quiet while you were away.

[ And things will surely stay quiet and not immediately descend into madness again now that Eustace is finally back. ]

[lockedon]

[ thinks about gbf and their plentiful number of islands also with oceans

But it does sound like things have been nice and quiet otherwise while he's been gone, and his shoulders sag a little in relief. Unlike Dokja, Gray is not a well-practiced liar and secret-keeper with decades of practice under her belt, so if she says that things were fine he's inclined to trust her on that. ]

That's good to hear.

[ Now he doesn't have to spend the next week stressing out over both the people in the house. (He will only be stressing over one person.)

With all that taken care of, it's his turn for his gaze to go towards the window. ]

If you have somewhere you need to be, you can head over there. I'm not going anywhere.

[ Don't think he missed the way her eyes shot to the window when he mentioned Johnny. Be free, Gray....and also Boba for your pen show. ]

[gravings]

[ Gray hesitates, loathe to leave him so soon after reuniting with him. He probably won't vanish again so soon, but she can't be blamed for developing abandonment issues. She's eager to deliver Slow Dancer to Johnny, though...

She's gotta do what she's gotta do. She moves suddenly to give Eustace another quick hug, hardly a second long, before turning to hurry back out of the house. ]

I'll be back soon!

[ And then she'll make him some tea and otherwise pamper him into oblivion. Bye until then... ]

communion; early september

[lockedon]

[ after the events of this thread

He doesn't know how long he spends sitting at the base of the Tree, staring at the spot on the ground where Dokja's shard lies nestled under layers of dirt. Five minutes, an hour, hard to say. Eventually he rouses himself from his listless staring, pulling his thoughts together enough so that he can send out a brief message. ]

Dokja's dead. [ Again.

No 'hi', no 'how are you'. He's not in the mood for such banalities right now. ]