caughtinanetwork | 30 ★ v o i c e;

Entry tags:

30 ★ v o i c e;

[ You can hear the sound of her whimpers quite clearly. Gracia is clutching the SFC quite close. In the background, the loud barks of Futon is heard. The dog is directing its growls towards something. Or maybe someone. ]

This is a curse, right? I-I don't like it...It isn't like one of those party curses Vatheon used to have during this time of year, no not at all! What about all the lovely costumes, and the dancing, and the fireworks?

[ Her breath hitches in her throat. Futon's barking becomes louder. ]

No, stay back! Hiyaa!

[ Gracia's steps over Futon's tail by accident, causing the dog to yelp in surprise. Some static passes over the feed. Gracia frowns. ]

You're not real, and you'll go away if I ignore you! Mm, I-I won't talk to you! No, I won't! So leave right now! You're not even --

[ She pauses. Whoever it is, it's speaking to Gracia, yet she absolutely panics at the sound of its voice. Futon barks even louder, and Gracia abandons talking to the SFC. She stuffs the communicator inside her pocket and begins to run away, somewhere, anywhere....

...Away from Him. Futon's barking chases after the recording, until Gracia frantically switches it off. ]

(OOC: Replies will be ICly delayed. The shape of her living nightmare? An Akechi Mitsuhide (

wavesoakedlegs) who does not know who Gracia is. MWAHAHAHAHA. But you won't know that until she spills, or you catch her running all over town xD So feel free to reply in ACTION, if you're up for it!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Gracia peeks from inside her hiding place to check if Gale was near. When she spots him - the lid slightly open, revealing a small portion of her forehead and eyes within the gap - Gracia whispers his name as loudly as she can without giving herself away to the nightmare following her.

Futon, her trusty dog, barks at Gale to grab his attention. However, the living nightmare that plagues Gracia is close by. As soon as Gale enters closer proximity to Gracia's box, he...might see what she is so afraid of. ]

[Looking for Gracia as he is, Gale is immediately aware of it when she calls out his name. It doesn't take him long to spot her and approach.

Once he does get close enough that he could see it, though, he won't pay it attention, at first. Not until he's right next to Gracia and the box she's hiding in.]

[ She glances around, and is at least glad to know that the nightmare is merely looking at them from behind instead of hovering beside Gale. Gracia whimpers, sitting up straighter to reveal more of herself from inside the box. ]

Gale...I guess we were wrong. The curse is...still there, isn't it? [ To say that she sounds incredibly disappointment, as well as frustrated, is an understatement. ]

It's not running away from you...

My presence was not likely to break the curse entirely.

[So he says, but he crouches next to the crate.]

What is the curse, exactly?

[ She reveals herself a little more, almost toppling over and out of the crate. ]

I...I'm not sure. [ The nightmare behind them - taking the shape of her father - is eavesdropping on their conversation as if he was real. It makes her shiver. ] All I know is that it isn't the same for everyone. I suppose the curse -

[ The nightmare speaks gently, yet eerily. "Miss? My lady?" Gracia shuts her eyes closed. ]

- it frightens people.

Why does this frighten you? It does not seem to want to harm you.

[That's what he assumes fear to be. It's the most common kind of fear he's seen, really. The only kind of fear that matters, in his world.

Nevertheless, he shifts, so that he is more directly between Gracia and the nightmare.]

[ She keeps her eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore of him, anymore of what it represents. ]

Because of the things he's saying! They're all lies, I won't believe him!

[ Gracia shakes her head multiple times before she dives back into the box.Her whimpers are loud and clear, nevertheless. ]

[... Huh. What to do.

Well, attempting a hug can't really hurt, can it?]

Of course they are lies. This curse is a malicious one.

[ She peeks from inside the box again, exposing a little bit more of herself since Gale is so kindly blocking her view of that monster. ~~Even if he looks exactly like him, no no they're not the same~~ Hugs would be awesome right now ;_; ]

See? You - you agree with me, right? He's a liar! And I...I wish I wasn't so scared but I can't help it! Even if everything he's saying isn't true...

[ Gracia sits upright even more and rubs her eyes. ]

I don't understand. If he's lying, then why am I so petrified? [ She sounds weak, and lost. ]

Perhaps because he is saying things you do not wish to hear. Are these things you would fear if any person said them, or is it specific to this person?

[If it's a hug she needs, then it's a hug she'll get. It's loose, to prevent her from being pressed uncomfortably against his armor, but it's there.]

[ She leans onto Gale as she bites her lip, imagining any other person saying these things to her. Undoubtedly, if it was Motochika, of anyone of her closest friends telling her they don't know her, Gracia would feel the same way. In fact, she's experienced it once or twice - when friends returned with a clean slate of memories. It hurt, but she was able to make amends with it. She befriends them again. Friendship need not be bound by time and space!

Yet when it comes to her Father, there was something different. There was something about those words coming out of his lips that pains her beyond belief.

So Gracia answers Gale in a whisper; ]

It's just him. It's just Father.

Then why him?

[Her father... the bond between a parent and their child is strong, he's seen. Greg still carried the memento from his father. He's learning more about that bond. But he still doesn't understand it.]

[ She answers him as simply and as earnestly as she can. She grips her hands together rather tightly, her eyes downcast. ]

Because I love him very much.

[If Gracia allows it, Gale will hug her more tightly now.]

I do not have a father. But I have known a man who was a father, and he cared very deeply for his son. With his last words, he asked me to tell his son to be proud. I believe your father can care for you as much as Lupa did for his son.

[ She leans in, because whatever warmth Gale has is comforting, and she is doing her best to drown out the words coming out of her Father's shadow. ]

[ She allows a moment to pass before Gracia looks up at Gale, pulling back slightly from her position in the box. ]

You don't...have a father?

[ She pauses again. Then, gently, she speaks again. She can remember vague hints of this before, in a previous conversation. ]

Because of...of the Tribe? Because of what you all are?

... We do not know. We existed in the Junkyard long before we gained our demons.

[ That....gains her sympathy. Pity, even. But never in the negative connotation, no. She feels for him, she does it out of a compassion that is true to the form of mercy. Gracia removes herself from the box and allows herself to ignore the shadow of her father completely, for the first time. She keeps her gaze on Gale, and eventually leans in to gently touch his arm. ]

Were you ever children? Did you grow up together, without anyone else?

We were never children. We were always the same way, until we gained the demons.

[Even if he's doing it with the bleak details of his world, Gale doesn't mind distracting her from the curse.]

[ She's not completely distracted from it, but somehow, in some strange way, imagining Gale's early life that was so different from hers made Gracia feel slightly better. Not because she felt better off, but because Gale was her friend, and she couldn't help but sympathize in her own unique way. She can't imagine her life without her Father, or her mother for that fact, but at least he had friends right?

As long as he had friends.

Gracia is silent for a bit, taking courageous yet small glances behind her, back towards the shadow of Mitsuhide who only spoke to her whenever it felt like she needed to hear his hurtful words. She closes her eyes momentarily, and chooses to finally remove herself completely from her box sanctuary. Gracia steps out none too gracefully and stands in front of Gale with a frown on her pale face. ]

Were you frightened? Were you...[ She hesitates. Gracia breaks eye-contact briefly. ] Were you alone?

[He shakes his head, and crosses his arms in front of him. Being alone... that is something that never exactly happened, in the Junkyard. Where would anyone go, alone? What could they do? A person's comrades were their strength, and numbers were an advantage.]

We were not frightened, because we did not know fear. But we were not alone, because even then, we had the tribe around us. And that has only become more true, even here, where any of us might leave.

[ She keeps that in mind, and has the courage to say something else besides what she actually tells him. Gracia offers him a weak sort of smile, unsure of herself, or the shadow that hovers behind her, no more than a foot away. ]

It must feel nice to not be afraid, huh?

Sometimes fear is necessary.

[Gale looks at the shadow still standing nearby.] But fear such as this curse has caused is not.

[ She shrugs weakly, pulling Gale aside with a gentle tug of her hand. She begins to walk again, but she's lacking the aggressiveness she had before. ]

Muu. I wonder...

[ Gracia trails off into silence. She is lost in her own thoughts, bumping into most civilians passing the pair by. But she doesn't really mind it.

"Fear is necessary," huh? ]

[Gale walks with her. He doesn't pull away from the grip on his hand, and, after the first few times she bumps into someone passing by, he starts subtly steering them through the crowd.]

Yes. Fear can help keep you alive in battle. It can also show you what is important.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

30 ★ v o i c e;

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

no subject

Ack, sorry about the delay!

It's fine.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject