2289/Looking Over Each Other's Shoulders

Looking Over Each Other's Shoulders
Date of Scene:	05 January 2017
Location:	Plot Room #1
Synopsis:	Lacrima talks to Eilam about the outcome of her discussion with Mamoru. Eilam cares more about keeping his secret. The two talk about past hurt and promise to look over each other's shoulders.
Cast of Characters:	Norie Okana, Eilam Hisakawa

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Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima has been insisting that Eilam stay around the manor while this.. whatever is going on with him... is happening. Eilam is welcome to refuse- but she asks that he checks in daily if he does leave.

Regardless. Lacrima has asked Eilam into the Manor's study. Wether that means he's arriving by car or- merely moving from the Guest Room to the study- she waits patiently for him.

There books piled up. Some seem to be about vampires and myths and legends. Some seem to be about general occult. A few recently overturned ones seem to deal with immortality myths and supposed 'true accounts'.

"You know." she says under her breath as she paces a bit back and forth past a window. "I wonder if you we're the basis for the story of Count Saint-Germain." she says lightly. It's a deadpan tone, but it's meant to be a teasing statement.

She frowns a bit, as she waits for Eilam to get settled. "Alright." she says quietly.

"I have some good news some bad news." she says.

"Do you have a preference for what you want to hear first?" she asks quietly. A pause. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she asks.

For her, getting to the kitchen is just a quick teleport away, afterall.

Eilam Hisakawa has posed:
    Indeed, Eilam had for the most part been staying at the manor. Occasionally he would leave, assisted by one of his helpers if it was on a bad day, meeting them outside, or wandering to the gate on his own. However, he had taken to staying there at her request. The only outings were mostly for his own sanity and to try and make sure nothing was going awry with his own personal life and finances. Almost neurotically keeping track of them. Even in dying, for one such as Eilam, no rest for the wicked.

    Today found him rather slowly entering from the main doorway, not dressed quite as fancily as he had been the other day but still quite looking the part. His long hair, which was normally quite loose, had been pulled up into a loose, very fluffy-looking man bun and a bit more weight seemed focused from the location of the hair towards the top of his head rather than the back. He was as usual the last several days favoring his walking aid heavily, though he did finally get close enough that she started to speak. "I shall be fine. And... please, just begin somewhere. I care little for such things at my age."

    Moving a little to one side of the study, Eilam sunk into one of the chairs with a soft breath and let the stave come to lean against the wall next to him.

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima frowns. "Something-- or Someone-- is attacking you." she says softly. "I can feel something. I know that much." she says. "Something external. Not from you." she says. "I can't. Track. or figure this out on my own." she says quietly. "But it's there." she says.

She sighs a bit and brushes a hand through her hair.

"Riventon-sama is returning to UMBRA sooner than expected and it isn't a good idea I take you there." she says.

She sits down on the seat just opposite of Eilam. There's a small table to the side. There's still books there.

"I did. Speak to some people. About help." she says quietly. "I'm not sure. If I personally, would excatly call them 'friends'. from my point of view. But. They are... 'good guys'?" she asks.

"That is. I would trust them to help /you/." she says quietly.

"I will be. Talking to a man. Named Kunzite. I do not know if you know him." she says softly. "But he is good at energy manipulation and tracing. He may be able to help me figure out more about whatever is affecting you." she says.

"I'm also thinking about seeing if Jiaying can figure something out. Maybe. She can figure out some sort of seal to block whatever out- if it can even be blocked." she says.

"I mean. I can also. See if Amu won't shower you with... one of her abilities. If it's 'Dark' that would drive it away." she says softly.

Eilam Hisakawa has posed:
    Eilam watches Lacrima as she speaks, remaining quiet, and even once she finished he seemed a bit uncertain what to say. "Not Amu. I cannot trust her. Jiaying... perhaps, but I suppose you would know better than I would on such. I have not spoken to her in quite some time, mostly out of not coming across her. And no, I do not know anyone by such a name. Please... do humor me on something. I have made it this long in the shape I have by keeping control over everythign I could. I have to... i have to let go of some things when I am asking others for help, I accept this. But it is still incredibly hard for me."

    He took a slow, deep breath before saying, "Could you at least write down for me a list of all those you have said anything to, and what you said - to the best of your memory? It may sound paranoid, but if something about me starts to spread, if others start to learn of me... I need to be able to track it back to the source and put a stop to it. That is why I do not trust Amu. It is... why I am uncertain if I can even trust someone else I care about. ...I am giving you leeway because I asked you for help, knowing this. But... still. I would almost rather suffer than risk losing the footing I have gained the past two centuries. I have worked too hard, and paid too much, to risk it now by others I do not even know of, or know, having such information about me."

    If she was observant, she might tell he was fidgeting a bit, trying not to but he was. Had she ever truly seen him nervous? It was along the lines of holding up a spray bottle to a dog that's been sprayed with it before. Even if there's no spraying going on, they're still wary. "And I do not know this... Riventon you speak of either. Just... please, I wish to speak with whoever you have spoken to about me. To stress... how important it is to me that no record of me is made. They may not have to live with the consequences, but I will."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima frowns. "I don't mention your name- or talk about you often to others." she says, a little ashamed- like she's supposed to. "So far. The only one I've spoken to is Mamoru Chiba. On New Years Day." she says softly. "Sometimes I talk to Jiaying about you- but she knows your deal already." she says.

"I made Mamoru aware that you were uncomfortable with such things." she says. "But I will remind him again." she says.

"I...trust. Mamoru. In so far as I can trust someone." she says quietly.

"Riventon-sama doesn't know anything about you not even in passing. Riventon is my boss and mentor. He's been the one helping to keep my powers in check so they don't.. overtake me in fits of pique." she says softly.

"He is also like me, in ways... attached to this dark energy." she says.

She head tilts.

"But you do need help Eilam-kun." she says quietly. "and I can't help you alone." she says.

She gently folds her hands into her lap as she frowns some.

"Anyone... I'm going to. For help. I... 'trust'.. as I said, in so far as I am able to trust, given my psychological state." she says. "True trust requires things I'm not capable of feeling." she says.

Eilam Hisakawa has posed:
    That same somewhat even gaze continues to watch Lacrima as she speaks, mentalling noting the names she offers and what bits she says. Though on the point of trust, Eilam smiled a bit. "You are yet young and I am glad to see you are in some ways still an optimist, even if you do not realize it. But trust is probably the most dangerous thing to one such as me. It is those you trust the most that can hurt you the worst. The ring I gave you? It belonged to someone I let myself love once. I asked her to marry me, I knew her for only a year or so. She was willing to do so even though she thought I would die soon. Something that was are in that time. I had not told her, or anyone around me, of my condition. I decided to trust her, because how was i to wed someone I could not trust with such? So that night, I took the time to tell her and I thought she believed me. Skeptical, but she seeemed to believe me. But the next day, it turns out she decided to seek the help of supposed 'healers' to cure my madness. I thought... perhaps if I proved to her what I meant, she would see I was not mad, but trapped. Still human, just... stuck as I am."

    Eilam shivered a bit before adding, "It would seem her faith superceded her desire to try and understand. I will not go into detail on what followed such, but... truly, Norie, those you trust the most can hurt you the worst. Because you share your most vulnerable side with them and you cannot control what others will do. You can only control who you share such with. And what you share." The hand wringing continued briefly before he added, "It is why I fear fully submerging in water I cannot take myself out of, or enclosed spaces where I can get trapped easily. It is why I fear hospitals, and those who claim to be doctors. Medical types. Scientists. It is why I fear others speaking of me, carelessly or maliciously. Because I have been burned in the past."

    To which Eilam stood and stepped close enough to kneel in front of Lacrima, to reach up and take her hands. "I want you to understand that. I trust you as much as I can trust any being. Perhaps more so because I /want/ to trust you more than I have to. But I will always be looking over my shoulder for as long as I live. I cannot afford not to, I know the pain of such. And I will look over yours, as well, even if you do not know why. Because I hope you never truly understand what it is that I am so worried about. I truly hope that you just think I am going a bit mad with my time on this planet. Okay?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima listens to Eilam. "I guess I don't understand those things." she says quietly. "I can always just. Sidestep into the Dusk Zone and end up somewhere else if I become trapped. If someone 'finds out' who I am, I can hypnotize them, make them forget." she says quietly.

"I mean. That doesn't work. With other magical types. They seem immunue to-- the darkness clouding thier mind or.. rather. I am not strong enough to force the issue." she says.

Eilam kneels and she lets her hands be taken. They are cold, as always. She listens softly. "I...trust you, too. Eilam-kun." she says softly. "I understand." she says. "I understand I am young compared to you." she says quietly. She doesn't smile. Eilam has never seen her smile. She does, however, squeeze those hands. Just lightly. "I just don't. Want anything terrible to happen to you."

"Which is why I went where I went for New Years. Among people who I know would very much like me dead." she says quietly.

Eilam Hisakawa has posed:
    "Right. And I'm thankful. I am. I'm also just... easily worried is all. I am glad to hear, though, that you think there are others who can help. I... honestly I do not know what to think of someone or something doing this. I would not even begin to try to sort that out." And at this point he doesn't even bother to get up, just kind of sitting down where he was, at her feet, hands not immediately leaving hers. Though after about ten seconds he does pull his hands back, having realized such.

    "I still feel... bad for putting this burden on you. I did not know who else to ask, but I do feel bad about it. Is there anything I might could do for you? Something you may have been wanting?" Eilam tries to smile a little about such. "You know I have money and all, so is there something I could spoil you with?"

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima lets Eilam tug his hands back as she sighs a bit. "I know. It's easy for me to worry. It breeds anxiety. What I am likes that. So." she shrugs a bit. She shakes her head. "I want you to be okay. So I am going to do my best." she says quietly. "Mamoru... and Kunzite... told me that... selfish caring. Is still caring." she says.

She head tilts. He asks if there's anything he can do for her. She says. "If you wish to get me something." she says quietly....

"I need... garden.... things." she says. "Like. Outside. Stone benches. Stuff like. That. For spring." she says softly.

"There is. A place. In back here." she says.

"I feel as if. I should make a garden there?" she asks. "It's. This. Tugging me again." she says.

Eilam Hisakawa has posed:
    That made Eilam laugh a bit, looking up at the girl in front of him. "We shall have to go shopping for such things, then. You know better than I, I suppose, what things are 'tugging' you. Though I... I admit I know the comfort of having my own little garden area to mess with from time to time when I am bored, or need to relax. There was a place I had in one of my more wooded homes where I took a few years to clear out a long creekbed and make it all nice and pretty."
%r    He actually seemed a bit nostalgic about such. "I wonder how... bad the place has gotten in my absence. Makes me feel a bit sad, to think it was abandoned. I'd asked the one I put in charge of the estate to tend to it, but I cannot imagine they did. At least, not after this long." Finally he goes to push himself up, only to stop halfway and let out a soft grumble of a sound. "I suppose I will be sitting a bit longer. Less strength in me than I thought I had right now. Hopefully you do not mind my sitting here longer? If you do I shall find a way to clamber up to something."

Norie Okana has posed:
Lacrima shakes her head. "You're fine there." she says softly. She blinks. "What.. I am. Tugging me. Sometimes. Things seem familiar to me. Even though I have not been to a place. Or experienced something. I feel as if I should be acting a certain way. Or obtaining something." she says. "Like. With the coffin." she says quietly.

She gently thinks and then stands up and goes ahead and sit next to Eilam, there. On the floor. There. Now they are both on the ground.