火 Video | Action for Gefion Park - Horse Corral

[burningcreator]

[The feed begins with the redhead sitting with his back up against the wall of the horse barn at Gefion Park. From the looks of things, he's sitting inside. Some horse tack is visible hanging on the wall over his shoulders. A partially eaten apple sits in his visible hand, and he's looking off at something in the distance.]

[He takes a bite of the apple, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing and finally addressing the feed.]

Was there... somethin'... wrong people did where y'all come from?

[The sound of a horse nickering is heard in the background. His lips move awkwardly, like he's trying to say something that won't let itself be said.]

I don' mean like... murder or nothin'. I know tha's wrong. I mean like... somethin' some people did that lotsa people thought was... [He pauses, the word finally coming with a touch of bitterness and fear.] ...shameful.

[He set the apple down to scratch the side of his nose, not once having made eye-contact with the feed.]

An'... did you uh... did y' think that th' thing people were doin' was uhm.. immoral or disgustin'? Or were y' confused why so many people didn' like it?

[He sighed gently, finally casting a brief look at the feed before shutting it off.]

Comments

[action]

[whatagoodgirl]

[Nakama is walking through the park, idly flipping through the network as she does so, when a new post pops up. The words shock her right to the core, and she hurries over to the source of the call, seeking out the redhead who asked.]

What is it you're talking about? [Earnestly. Maybe in person, he won't be so evasive.]

Action

[burningcreator]

[No sooner had he finished his lunch and was getting back to work, than a young girl was running up to him in the field. He stopped scattering the hay, sticking the pitchfork in the ground and leaning some on the handle.]

H-huh..?

[Oh, she must mean that post...]

[He scratched his head nervously, avoiding her eyes. He assumed her too young to really get what was on his mind, but she'd run all the way here and cornered him.]

Uhm... I don' really think 's anyone's business what people do b'hind closed doors. But uh... a lot o' people like t' concern themselves with it.

It's jus'... Some people love a certain kind o' people, an' uh... Then some people think tha's wrong.

[He was being intentionally vague, she'd have to press the subject to get a solid answer. He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, using the handle of the pitchfork to steady himself.]

Y' seem awful worked up... I hope I didn' offend ya, missy.

Action

[whatagoodgirl]

[Oh. This doesn't sound like what she was thinking of. This sounds more like...]

Do you mean gay people?

Re: Action

[burningcreator]

[Oh wow. That did it. The color drained out of his face faster than the word left her mouth. He was struck speechless for a moment and he felt his palms getting sweaty. What a reaction.]

U-uh.. I uhm...

[He sputtered a bit, looking down at some grass off to the side of him, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.]

[How the hell..?]

[Finally, he cleared his throat, trying really hard to look composed. However, he couldn't help feeling incredibly exposed. Oh how he wished this were on the network so he could pretend he'd never heard it.]

Uhm... Y-yeah. Somethin' like tha'...

[His hands felt clammy, he rubbed them together to warm them, they were shaking some.]

Izzat uh... Izzat shameful? I'm jus' wonderin' fer uh... [He shifted his eyes around.] ...a friend o' mine wants t' know. [Yeah right.]

[He might have been a lot of things, but he was no actor. It was painfully obvious how hard her comment had struck him.]

Action 1/2

[whatagoodgirl]

[For the record, she looked completely calm and composed until he started sputtering. Now she's fumbling for a way to correct what she's done, stepping a bit closer and trying to smile.]

Hey... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to make sure I knew what you were talking about.

Action

[whatagoodgirl]

[Then she changes tack, deciding she can't jolly her way through this, and looks at him seriously.]

There's nothing shameful about that. I don't really get it, but I mean, love is love. If you love somebody, that's the best thing in the world, and it doesn't matter who it is or what gender they are. People are just judgmental and cruel about some things, and anything involving the bedroom seems to make it even worse.

[Now there's another smile, but this one is more soft and genuine.]

Okay?

Audio

[samantha_grey]

Shame's bullshit people put on others. I've got enough of that just being born. If it isn't something that hurts someone else, there's no point being ashamed of it, and there's no point judging them. There's all sorts of real issues for that crap.

[In truth, she was being a little hypocritical as she said this, but regardless she felt most shame was a waste of effort. She had more than enough of it just being half-demon.]

Audio

[burningcreator]

Tha's all fine an' dandy, but bein' a certain way gits y' killed where I'm from. An' I didn' have no freaky powers t' keep my ass alive.

[He tried to keep his tone playful when he spoke of freaky powers. He wasn't trying to insult her, just stating the facts. He'd always been a boring old human, and boring old humans generally didn't survive a group of pissed off hicks stomping them to death.]

[He paused for a moment.]

I'm no' sayin' I like feelin' like shit fer how I am. Hell, I'd rather e'erybody fuckin' held hands an' sang songs and got along an' all that fruity rainbow bullshit.

[Thankfully this was Audio, because the idea of her singing and holding hands with flowers in her hair was enough to make him smirk in amusement, stifling a laugh.]

I jus' wanna know how mos' people feel 'bout it before I go bein' weird all o'er th' place. 'm no' real in'ersted in gettin' m' head stomped in.

Audio

[samantha_grey]

Freaky powers don't always keep you alive. Trust me. But, call this a hunch when I say most of these people give two figs about how you behave, as long as nobody's getting hurt. There's probably a few judgmental ones, but you have freaky powers now, though so do they.

But, for the sake of argument, what sort of weird are we talking about.

Audio

[burningcreator]

[Uh oh. The inevitable question. What exactly are you talking about? It would take him a while to gather the courage to respond... only to make an ass of himself and avoid the question.]

[He grabbed a nearby paper bag, crinkling it in the background, trying to make it sound like static or something.]

Wha's tha'? I can' [crinkle] 'ear ya [crush] breakin' [crumple] ...

[That was all well and good, but he'd slip and she'd hear a small 'phew' just before the feed shut off.]

Video - Private

[samantha_grey]

[Oh no he didn't. You did not pull that bullshit with Samantha Grey. She shot a message back that was labeled private, trying to start the feed again. It had her face right up in front of the camera giving him 'that look' with an odd quirk to her lips.]

Don't you dare pull that crap with me buddy. You know good and damned well I've got my own share of shames right on my forehead. I could care less if there's a corpse involved, but I'll get you an answer for your question.

So spill it. What the hell's so shameful you can't tell the half-demon chick you got drunk with the other night?

[video // private]

[hushedpenance]

[ The voice and face on the other side of the screen were both unmistakeable. The worn-out blonde shook his head, smiled, and ran his fingers through his already tousled bangs. ]

Why ask a question like that? What will you do if you get a negative response?

[ He knew of Shou's troubles handling anger. However, he sounded almost injured and resigned in spite of his serene look. ]

You should have told me, I would have written an anonymous text with you. A-and I checked this, it's private.

Audio - Private

[burningcreator]

[Muttering] Y' already know wha' m' problem is, darlin'. Yer a-ab-abs... [He gives up on trying to say 'absolved'.] ...Fuckin'... y' don' hafta answer since yer uh... "in-th'-know".

But if y' wanna come keep m' company, I won' cry 'bout it.

video

[hushedpenance]

Excused? Absolved? Exempt?

Maybe, but I want to know what you will do if someone is judgmental.

[ He peers away offscreen for a moment. It seems like he may have spaced out based on the long pause, but after a while he does return to it. ]

I have a few hours, if you want. The corral?

Video - Private

[burningcreator]

Er... yeah, those.

Heh... If someone wants t' start somethin', I'll stick m' foot in their ass. I jus' wanna know who I need t' watch m' back around. [He forces a small smile, but still looks worried.]

Yeah, jus' like e'ery day. I'll be here.

private video transforms into action sequence, go

[hushedpenance]

Ah, that's what I thought. You can't shove your foot into everyone's ass...

--

It took him around a half an hour to reach the pathways near the horse corral. As always, he looked stretched too thin and out of place, but no less focused because of it. Despite his worn body language, he had done his hair rather nicely and looked dress to go out somewhere a bit nicer than just the park. From the looks of things, he planned to leave anyway.

Karu approached the redhead quietly, unsure if he would be busy fiddling with the bracelet since his earlier broadcast.

Instead of greeting him, he waited around, occasionally kicking up a rock or peering up at the sky to pass the time.

[Audio]

[occulthymns]

[Awww, it's adorable how awkward this guy is being. She can't help being curious.]

Plenty of things! Why're you asking?

Video

[burningcreator]

Like wha'..?

I'm jus' wonderin' wha' people 'round here find uh... strange, I guess. [He gives a mischievous little smile.] Wonderin' wha' I kin git away wit'.

[Audio]

[occulthymns]

Well~ I've been here a while. People are pretty relaxed about a lot of things, it's a huge change from home.

Audio

[burningcreator]

Tha's good t' know, then. Much obliged.

[He was getting a lot of this kind of answer. It was comforting.]

text

[thawing]

Yes.

No.

Yes.

Audio

[burningcreator]

[Very concise, just like the last time he'd encountered her. He sighed a little, she seemed more socially distant the he was.]

Glad 'm no' th' only one.

[But was he referring to her comment, or the social distance?]

text

[thawing]

Statistically impossible.

[Is she trying to distance herself from the topic? Hell yes.]

video;

[doudemoe]

[He's initially confused by what the post is asking. But lurking the other threads helps him understand.]

It isn't immoral, nor disgusting.

video.

[respectus]

'pends on what you're talkin' about. But if it's just immorality in general-- [ he thinks about this for a moment. ]

Guess it happened all the time.