It's been a really long damn week, and the week isn't over yet. The school day passed in a vaguely zombie like fashion, and for someone who is usually the awake one in class, having Usagi poke Naru awake is basically a sign that one should keep an eye out for a quartet of horsemen in the streets, or possibly airborne porcines.
Normally when Naru ends up at ECFH after school, it's for a snack and to paint on the mural. Today, she's flopped out on the couch, stretched out along it, with an ice pack on her left ankle and looking like she might actually doze off after texting Daisuke. The mural will wait until tomorrow.
For the record, Daisuke is just 'noping out' of this dimension if airborne porcupines becomes a thing.
Daisuke Hansuke let's his ring resonate with himself- and he transports to just inside the balcony door. Why? Well it's starting to get a little cooler, and Daisuke is obviously not dressed for chilly weather- today he's just wearing the world's most boring white T-shirt and blue-jeans- which is a far cry from the usual elaborate jackets and button up shirts and pressed slacks he's usually seen in.
"Hey." he says with a wide wave.
He walks over to the couch and crosses his arms and leans down and places a hand to Naru's forehead and seems mock-thoughtful for a moment he nods. "This is more serious than I thought." he says. He pulls a notepad from his pocket and scribbles on. He hands the slip. The writing is thoroughly illegible, just like an actual doctor's prescription! "This is a prescription for a month supply of boyfriend snuggles." he insists. Yeah. He's being silly. Really silly. "But seriously, I find company like that has helped me in the past." he says.
"Okay but more seriously. You sprained your ankle really bad?" he asks as his eyes trace down to Naru's feet. "How'd that happen again? Run? You said Run." he says. "In the texts." he says.
"That's actually better than 'horrible monster attack'. I mean. Hindsight." he admits. "How long have you been walking on it since it got sprained?" he asks.
Naru hears Daisuke arrive, but it isn't until he's over at the couch that she opens her eyes. There's an amused smirk as he touches her forehead and writes his 'prescription', turning into a chuckle of laughter. "A whole /month's/ supply?" She reaches up to take the slip of paper. "I might just fall asleep on him."
Naru lets the chuckles die off as he asks relevant questions. "This morning's run. Ill advised at best, and I even got to admit to Kunzite that he was right, I need the sleep more than the training at the moment. Missed a step coming down through a plaza, and landed on it entirely wrong. Not a monster in sight. So only today for walking on it, but I limped home, and then around school. The swelling's come down a lot, I at least heal /that/ quickly, which is something."
Naru reaches over to take the ice pack off the ankle in question, showing off the abused joint. "I tried to keep it propped up at school, but that doesn't work as well as one might hope. I did try and be nice to it at least."
Alex probably wasn't called specifically to come here. But, he hasn't seen Naru in a little while, and she hangs out at the frat house pretty often, all things considered. Even if she isn't-- maybe there's someone else he's been meaning to talk to, anyway.
The former ends up being the case today, though, not that he knows it right away.
So, unannounced as he happens to come along, he has to actually press the buzzer at the door after the elevator ride up. Bah.
Speaking of the air getting colder-- he still has that trusty leather jacket to ward off the chill with, but as a more obvious addition to his clothes, a dark-red scarf has been pooled around his neck now, too. Especially useful with how often he drives the bike around.
Daisuke smiles. "Well that's good." he says. "I mean. That it's mundane. Not good on the not sleeping and resting thing." he says.
He's about to get to work when.... door buzz. "Excuse me a moment."
He goes to answer the door. He smiles. "Oh! It seems my shipment of the ordered prescription has arrived." he insists. "Hey Alexis. Come on in. Naru has a sprained ankle. Come on, I'm about to take care of it." he says.
He walks back towards the living room and settles back to his position of standing in front of Naru. He lets his ring glow purple-- and in turn- his hand. "This'll just take a moment."
Naru is glad enough not to get up. Dai's up anyhow and she blinks as he opens the door to Alex and then starts to laugh. "Okay, the timing on that is basically amazing. Hey Alex." She waves from the couch in his direction.
"I made brownies on the weekend, but somehow I am going to bet that none of them have survived this long in this apartment." Naru speculates as she watches Daisuke's ring and then hand glow. "Also? Healing magic seems even /more/ magical than most other magic. Probably cause it makes pain go away."
Okay, so maybe Daisuke was not the person he was expecting to see when the door opened, judging from the briefly-surprised glint in his eyes. One that returns immediately after when the other boy explains himself, though, and it turns to instantenous concern right away.
"How?!" Is all he asks, thus (even ignoring the prescription comment), and all but pushes through the door and past Daisuke to the living room to find Naru, coming to a crouch besides the couch there. He even forgot to take his shoes off. "What happened?"
Daisuke Hansuke crosses his arms. "Naru-chan over exerted herself and sprained her ankle running. This is what typically happens when you ignore Kunzite's sage advice." he insists with a wry smirk. "But more properly- nothing insane or magical or odd." he says.
He leans down places his hand on the sprained ankle and let's purple healing magic do it's work. He doesn't bring out the staff. Staff is overkill for a sprain. It does mean he'll be leaned over taking care of it for a moment.
"She'll be fine in a few minutes." he says.
"....You weren't running with Hannah were you?" he asks. "That might count for youma attack level." he jokes, just a little.
Kyouko walks through the room, coming from somewhere else in the apartment and heading towards the kitchen. She's wearing soft plaid pajama pants and a black tank-top, because she basically lives here (even if her actual apartment is about ten stories straight down).
"Hi Naru-chan, Hi Alex-san, Hi Daisuke." She choruses absently as she walks through and vanishes into the kitchen.
"Not this morning, no." Naru answers Daisuke first, as he hits the highlights on what she did to herself /this/ time at Alex's question. "Shoes." She pokes Alex, good naturedly and then brandishes an illegible piece of paper at him. "I even have a prescritpion for boyfriend cuddles. I missed a step on my run cause I'm an idiot. Nothing more dramatic than that. I just am being selfish about getting a good race time, and imposing on Daisuke." She laughs softly, clearly delighted by this bit of silly bit of paper.
And by the rapidly easing pain in her ankle as Daisuke's magic works.. well.. magic.
"Hey Kyouko." Naru greets the other girl who has headed into the kitchen.
"What?" Alex doesn't immediately catch on when Naru chides her, and only *then* does he look down at his feet. And more importantly, the boots still on them.
"Oh."
And thus, the german boy does rise up from the crouch, and reaches over to ruffle his hand over the top of Naru's head before he turns to head back for the foyer for the express purpose of ridding himself of his shoes. "And here I thought you got attacked by something and I missed it again. Some boyfriend I am."
On the way there, he draws off the gloves covering his hands-- and wouldn't you know it, his knuckles are reddened and bruised with a few small cuts here and there, AGAIN. This is almost to be expected by now, perhaps.
Daisuke responds to Kyouko. "Hi Kyouko. How are you?" he asks. "Do you need anything? Does your sister?" he asks. "I mean in general." he smiles.
He looks back to Naru. "Well that's good then." he says. "I mean. Not good you sprained your ankle." he says.
"Huh that is really bad." he says. "You should probably take the first dose of your medication now." he says solemnly.
His eyes look over to Alexis- and his knuckles "Okay." he says. "Did you get into another scuff?" he asks. "Do you need that taken care of?" he asks.
"If so, just have a seat, and I'll get to you when I'm done here with Naru." he says.
Indeed! Naru's ankle is feeling much better- but it's not done yet. Slow heal method is slow- but it's also less energy expenditure for Daisuke. He's pretty sure Milkshakes power magical healing though now.
Mostly.
Kyouko is out of sight in the kitchen. Her voice calls out in an absent tone, "I'm fine. She's fine. We're fine. Right now all I need is tea and an apple."
There's the sound of clanking and some light clattering.
"Anyone else want some?"
"I've skipped being directly attacked. Mostly." Naru assures Alexis, although how much assurance that actually is might be questionable. "Generally." She pauses and then admits. "It's been a long week."
"Compared to curses, drain and a long list of other things, sprained ankle is /nothing/." Naru agrees, as she patiently lets slow heal heal slowly.
"Is there coffee made, Kyouko? Otherwise I'll do tea, please!" Naru raises her voice to call to the kitchen as she watches Alex and his scraped knuckles hopefully return to the couch.
"I'm fine," Alex assures Dai, although it comes with a bit of a grumble, while he's untying his boots. "My hands might ache in the morning, but it'll be fine."
Boots get kicked off, and he turns to prowl back towards the couch, to ultimately slump down next to NAru. "Just..." He starts, while stretching one arm over her shoulders. "...What is that supposed to mean, really?"
Daisuke Hansuke replies. "I would like an apple, please!" he calls out to the kitchen. "I'm glad to here you and your sister are fine then." he says. "...you did get my horribly formal letter, right?" he asks. "I did mean everything in it." he offers.
He turns back to Naru. Heaaaaling. He's almost done! Now it's just a twinge, but there's still a little damage left to repair.
"Alright, Alexis. If you say so. Don't feel bad about coming to me for help." he offers.
"Like at worse, I'll get to you when I'm done whatever I'm doing and at best you're just interrupting my Raid night in my silly computer game." he says.
Kyouko emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying two cups, with one apple in her mouth and another in her pocket. She hands one of the cups to Naru- it is coffee. "Is there coffee made." She scoffs, with a bit of a look at the girl, after taking her apple out of her mouth and placing it down momentarily. "What house do you think this is, anyway?"
Then with her now-free hand she pulls out the second apple and tosses it to Daisuke. "Yeah, I got it. And I appreciate that, but it's been relatively quiet since then. Trust me, if I need you I'll let you know, but for now I consider it a positive thing that I don't. Next time you can just text me though, yeah?" She winks.
Then she flops down on a chair and sips her tea.
"It means that my mother got attacked at the store last Thursday, and I broke Ariel in my dreams, which apparently are somewhat less than ideal. " Naru explains, at least sort of, for Alexis. "The not sleeping is finally winning, which is how I ended up tripping on the stairs in the first place. I'm just too damn tired in the mornings to run anymore. Which Kunzite told me, and I agreed with, and I moved every other run this week to evenings, but apparently habits won this morning." Naru leans into Alexis as he puts his arm around her shoulders.
Naru wriggles her toes at Daisuke. "Hey, Raid night is important, to judge by the comments at school about skipping out on things because of Raid Night." There's a soft bit of a laugh. "I owe you at least a couple of milkshakes. Possibly more, depending on when your exams are."
Naru snorts softly at Kyouko's comment as she reaches for the cup. "Sometimes the pot gets finished and another one isn't made /right/ away. Okay, so that's rare and generally in the middle of the night, but it happens!"
"Or any given night's episode of Jojo or something, maybe?" Alex suggests to DAisuke while he's shifting about the couch further to get himself comfortable -- and turn himself into an even better leaning post for Naru, while he's at it.
But, to NAru, he sends a faint frown, what with the nature of explanations and all. "... I feel like I should be trying to stick around you nonstop at this rate. Actually..." He lets out a quiet groan, and tips his head back into lean against the couch's backrest. "My folks might make me change schools, anyway."
Daisuke Hansuke finishes with Naru's ankle. All better! He leans back up and dusts his hands off. "Done. You should be good to go. I can't do much about the tiredness. I'm really good at physical healing, but you'll need to bug Mamoru about energy replacement." he says.
He looks to Kyouko and smirks a bit as he catches the apple and takes a bite. "Well. All the same. You're right." he says.
He looks to Naru. "Eh, I enjoy my Raid Nights." he insists.
"It reminds me of. Something." he says squinting a bit. "Anyways." he says as he looks back to Alexis a moment. "I actually don't watch that." he admits a little sheepishly. "I don't watch too many... shows." he says.
He looks back at Naru. "Well you can pay me in milkshakes if you want." he says. "But not like I do this for the milkshakes." he says.
"....or is it still milk smoothies." he asks, tapping his bottom lip.
"Oh," Alex lets out at Daisuke, suddenly sheepish on his own right. "...Me neither." Right.
Kyouko sits in her chair, and nurses her tea, steam rising out of the cup as she raises it to blow lightly across it's surface. She eyes Naru as the girl comments on the sort of week she had, a concerned look briefly passing over her face, but she doesn't comment- seeming content to simply sit there, cross-legged on the chair, and wait for her tea to cool enough to drink. The apple does rapidly disappear, though.
"I'm not going to argue about seeing you more often." Naru points out to Alexis as she reclaims her ankle from Daisuke and gets to curl up more comfortably, tucking her feet up under her and relaxing into Alex.
"Naw, tired is just tired. I think once Ariel is speaking to me again .. or possibly speaking again at all .. we'll aim to deal with my dreams. Possibly Seishi, she was still capable of speech at least, which is generally a good sign." Naru gives a little shrug and then takes a sip from her coffee and flashes a smile for Daisuke. "Ice cream smoothies! I know you don't do it for the milkshakes, but still. After I first met you and I didn't get your name in that conversation, I totally thought of you as milkshake guy for weeks."
The look that Naru gives Alex about 'not watching too much' is skeptical, but she doesn't say anything beyond that, at least on that topic. "Wait.. change schools? Please tell me at least staying in Tokyo?"
"Ariel led a particularly sheltered life until the last few months." Now there's a familiar and expected voice. Kazuo pauses in the mouth of the hallway Kyouko first entered through, glancing over the room. "She's adjusting, but some adjustments are more of a strain than others. Good afternoon, Daisuke, Raskoph." Kyouko and Naru apparently go without saying.
"What?" Alex asks of Naru with an UTTERLY INNOCENT LOOK. He isn't watching anything at all. Nope.
"WELL," he says then, and brings a hnad over onto his forehead, with a sigh. "Remember when I texted you about them giving me grief about my grades? IT's not like *they* would be leaving Tokyo themselves, anyway, but like... You know." Anotehr heavy sigh.
The voice of a certain Kazuo brings him tipping his forward just enough to try to catch sight of the man, with him calling out, "Hi, Kaz."
Daisuke Hansuke looks up and oh, Kunzite. "Hello, Kunzite~" he says just a little cheerfully. "How are you?" he asks. "I've just taken care of Naru's sprained ankle." he says. "I wrote a prescription and it's being administered now." he insists.
He walks across the room and has a seat down. "So. You're okay..." he says pointing at Kyouko. "You're okay now." he says pointing at Naru. "You insist you'll be okay." he says pointing at Alexis. He motions over to Kunzite. "You're fine right?" he asks.
A pause.
"Is Mamoru still slave driving himself to death studying?" he asks.
Kyouko glances up as Kunzite emerges from the other part of the apartment, and without a word gets up from wher she's sitting, padding back into the kitchen. A few moments later she emerges with a second cup, with coffee in it, and walks over to hand it to him. Then she returns to her seat and continues to blow on her tea.
"So they want to send you to boarding school?" Naru asks of Alexis, letting her eyes close as she relaxes. "There's other schools in Tokyo too, granted.. I'm pretty sure the school is pretty irrelevant if you don't study, or attend."
"I feel bad for breaking her." Naru comments to Kazuo with a rueful note to her voice. "I didnt think it would be that much of a shock to her."
Naru sits up just enough to not spill coffee everywhere, even opening her eyes, as she enjoys her Kyouko supplied cup. "Thank you for the coffee, Kyouko. And thank you for fixing my ankle, Daisuke."
Kazuo looks pretty much like Kazuo: tall, long white hair, white shirt, jeans. No bandages, bruises, or burns in evidence. Also, not inflicting any dire doom on Alexis for the nickname. He inclines his head gravely to Daisuke's doubled question. "Fine for the moment. Mamoru took a break last night to watch Hellsing DVDs and consume an entire bucket of ice cream. I'm not certain which of you is rubbing off on him."
Kyouko's return prompts him to take a couple of steps into the room, meeting her partway with a slight bow to accept the coffee. Then goes to take up a place at the far end of the other couch, leaving potential space for Daisuke even if he decides he prefers a distance. "These things happen. She grew up in kinder dreams, and her nature is gentler. She's been exposed to a few nightmares, but she prefers facing them with a group."
It's Alexis he's watching, all the same.
"I don't know," is all Alex can tell Naru, and he tips his head down against hers, with a faint hint of a pout. "Those cost money, though, and I think they're mostly angry because they paid to get me to VErone too. I guess best case scenario would be that they decide to send me into a public school instead."
His eyes sweep over Kyouko, briefly, and then land on KAzuo-- and his expression turns vaguely sheepish under the white-haired man's scrutiny, for some reason. "Um...?"
Daisuke Hansuke looks between Kunzite, and Naru. "Is something going on?" he asks.
He sighs a bit and brushes his bangs a bit out of his face. "At least he took a break." he says. "So that's good." he nods.
"Mental stress is just as bad, sometimes worse, than physical stress. Ugh." he says. "It's easy to put a cold pack on a sore knee. You can't exactly do that for a frazzled overburdened mind." he says.
He looks to Alexis and purses his lips. Then back to Kunzite. Then back to Alexis.
He takes another bite out of his apple. Is something up?
Kyouko just sits in her chair, now sipping her tea, apple devoured. Her legs are crossed and she seems entirely at home. If she is being uncharacteristically quiet, it doesn't seem to be because anything is wrong, but rather simply because she feels comfortable and relaxed and has tea and doesn't have anything in particular to add to this conversation.
The quiet sense of comfort, or perhaps the lack of bluster, speaks volumes about a mental state which is, by and large, quite positive at the moment. She does say, "You're welcome!" to Naru, though.
"Just some nightmares that I can't seem to kick." Naru comments to Daisuke on the notion of what's going on. "Granted, they've kinda been kicking my butt, so I can't entirely blame Ariel's desire to face them with a group. It's just surprisingly unsettling to have other people in your dreams. Kinda like passing out a metaphorical diary and encouraging people to read entries at random. Still, it should be worth it, ultimately."
"Mmmm. Yes. Because ending up at public school is such a horror." Naru comments dryly to Alexis, leaning in just a touch to kiss his cheek. "And its exams are /so/ much easier to pass without studying or attending class."
Naru's fielded Daisuke's question; Kazuo does not dispute the version she's offering. He says to the two of them instead, "I'm not certain whether to suggest we install a desk to chain him by the ankle to, or to start tracking the incidents he is of course not having and examining them for patterns. Which do you think would result in his being slightly likelier to pay attention to classwork?"
He glances sidelong to Kyouko after that, but opts to reserve suggesting that they could pay Momo to tutor him for a later time. Probably when she's not holding anything that might cause a concussion if thrown.
"That's why I am calling it the *best* scenario," Alex points out to Naru with his hand coming up to brush over the top of her head again after the kiss. "Maybe it'll even ennd up being yours. Who know--" His thought pattern is cut off when his brain registers what Kazuo said, and his eyes duly snap over to him. "How..." He says, initially quiet as a whisper from bemusement. "How is that considered a viable option here...?"
Daisuke Hansuke leans back and crosses his arms. "I say that sounds like a good start." he says gravely. Yeah he's playing along with this frame of mind. He does purse his lips with a little bit of a playful smirk to them. "Are the bloodied knuckles that common, Alexis?" he asks. "What are you doing anyways?" he asks. "Are you fighting brick walls?" he asks.
He gives Alexis a grin. "Well it sounds like you need help. The only help a steel shackle to a desk can bring." he insists.
Almost as if she can read his mind, Kyouko gives Kunzite a wry look over the top of her tea cup.
Then she says, sweetly, "We consider all options here, Alex-san. But don't worry, we don't brainwash people anymore."
"You're a couple grades ahead of me, in theory." Naru notes to Alexis. "Which doesn't necessarily mean I can't help you study."
Naru laughs as she hears Kazuo's suggestions. "I personally like the tracking idea, but I /like/ looking for patterns. The chained to a desk might be more effective." Naru can't help but giggle softly at Kyouko's sweet comment. "Not like that, at least."
Kazuo lefts his un-coffee'd hand a little to Alex. "Don't worry," he says. "Look at the apartment rules. The first one is 'no kidnapping.' Mamoru would obviously be cross with me if I tried anything. Worse, Usagi would cry on me. Not to mention, of course, that it's entirely impractical. You'd just rip the desk out of any anchorage and then use it as a battering ram. Who needed the punching?" The followup on Daisuke's question is delivered in the same tone of voice as all the rest of it, casually matter-of-fact.
"What do you mean *not anymore*?!" Alex barks at KYouko first, before his eyes snap between Kazuo and Daisuke both, and then his eyes settle down onto Naru, ever-wider still. "DON'T ENCOURAGE THEM!!"
After he comes down from THAT, though, he lets out another heavy sigh and mutters to the way of Daisuke, "...Stuff just sorta happens." BEcause that explains anything at all. SUre.
Daisuke Hansuke blinks bored-like because, yes that totally answers everything.
No it doesn't. But he lets it slide. He's sure Alexis isn't doing anything horrible like beating up people for lunch money or some sort of Bancho.
...At least he hopes Alexis isn't some sort of Bancho.
He sort of sighs a bit and crosses his arms. "No brainwashing isn't a thing." he then also adds. "Anymore!" he insists.
"At least here. I'm pretty sure people get upset here if anyone tries that. Actually. I know so." he says.
Kyouko rolls her eyes at the various responses from various people taking the things she says too seriously. She sips from, her tea again, though the cup must surely be nearly empty by now, and lets her gaze travel across to Alex. Apparently she is also interested to know who needed punching. Likely because punching is a cause near and dear to her heart.
Naru laughs and gives Alex a gentle nudge in the ribs, careful not to spill her coffee as she teases him. "You are amazingly easy to tease, you know. Besides, I'm not making any promises about not kidnapping you. I'm just not going to kidnap you /here/." She smiles sweetly to him. "And I can't do the brainwash thing, you're safe there."
"At least it looks like you're winning more." Naru comments to Alex as she comments upon his hands. "Although that may be because I haven't seen you after you've lost recently. I'm willing to vote with winning more."
Anymore. Kazuo exhales briefly. "Once upon a time," he says, "there was an evil witch queen. As evil witch queens do, she enticed people with the promise of power, and lured them into bargains they didn't understand: promised them the answers to their greatest problems, or routes to approach their destiny, or whatever they believed they needed most -- and then used their agreement to bind them into service to them, constraining their minds and their memories to make them believe they were her loyal servants."
He pauses for a moment. "By 'once upon a time,' we means she was still doing this as recently as last spring. By 'people,' we mean half of the people in this room to one degree or another. Gallows humor is a coping mechanism."
(Whether he's counting Naru as half because she was kidnapped but not brainwashed, or Daisuke as half because he managed to evade her in this lifetime, is a good question; it's one he's not answering.)
"I'd be curious to note where and when 'stuff just happens,' granted. We might be able to find some patterns worth disrupting."
"Hey, just because I *sometimes* break a bone doesn't mean I actually *lose* those times," claims Alex in a grumble, and his hand goes ruffling her hair to more deliberately mess it up along her head this time along. It's hard to say how much his statement is actually based in *truth*, however.
His expression turns much more somber while Kazuo recites the (probably incredibly shortened) tale. "...Sorry," he lets out quietly, after, and his head tips downwards, to direct his eyes to his own knees. "I don't really understand things like that much, admittedly. Because I never had to deal with things as heavy as those. Or anything you all have probably been through."
"...Which is why," he says then, with his eyes flicking up dubiously to Kazuo. "...Why *my* things seem to be such a big deal now. Why would there be a *pattern*? It's not like I'm getting people sent after me by the Yakuza, anyway."
Beat.
"...Most of the time, probably."
Daisuke Hansuke has not been brainwashed. But he also didn't sell his soul to Beryl eons ago. Besides, what would Beryl do with him? Heal Sailor Senshi to death? He muses on this. Probably corrupt into being something horrible and hurtful. He kind of seems to mull on this to the point it makes him uncomfortable and just looks at Alexis and shrugs a bit.
"Everything's important in it's own way..." a pause.
"Do you think what you're encountering is 'magical'?" he asks. "I mean. a fist fight with a jerk is a fist fight with a jerk." he says.
"But jerks with glowing red eyes and such is a little different, etc- so on." he says.
"You know. That sort of thing."
Kyouko lets out a little sigh. "Nii-chan, it ruins the joke when you explain it." She says, though her tone is filled with amused faux-patience. She unfolds herself from her chair and gets to her feet, empty cup in hand.
"I have work in a bit, so I'm gonna take off. Nice seeing you guys." She says, to everyone in the room. She crosses towards the kitchen, actually daring to pat Kazuo on the head as she passes by. Dropping her cup in the sink, she then makes her way to the door and exits.
The actual door today, rather than the balcony.
"Well." Naru gives her head a shake to resettle her hair as Alexis keeps mussing it up again. "My 'stuff just happens' ended up being part of a pattern of attacks." She drains her coffee cup and leans over to set it on the coffee table and then curl back up, resting her head on Alexis' shoulder and shutting her eyes again.
Because clearly caffeine doesn't win against the tired anymore.
"I'm in much the same position, Alex. I only vaguely started to understand at the end of a lot of big profound stuff that these guys all went through." Naru comments with an edge of relaxed sleepy. "I first met Kunzite when he was with someone kidnapping me, even if he wasn't kidnapping me directly."
"Good night .. or good morning.. Kyouko. Have fun at work." Naru calls after her.
"It ruins the guests when we don't," Kazuo replies to Kyouko, amused faux-indulgence to match her amused faux-patience. His hair does not, in fact, either electrocute Kyouko on contact or tangle around her fingers to keep her prisoner; he does catch at the offending hand briefly, but releases it again to let her go to the kitchen without slowing. "May all your would-be robbers be interesting."
He inclines his head to Daisuke, after. "Everything's important. Yes." And then adds another tack to the one Daisuke took. "Even if nothing appears to be magical ... dark magic, and monsters born from it and using it, are intertwined with darker emotions. Greed, hatred, despair. Fear that turns into an end in itself instead of a stimulus to greater life. I have the general impression that you at least sometimes have certain standards in your stuff happening. And that, often enough, the things that you interrupt might feed or be born from those emotions. Many things are -- almost every human alive wants things, almost every human alive hates something, even if it's as small as the annoying boy in the next desk who won't stop making his chair squeak while you're trying to concentrate. Those individual small things are just background noise. They blend in and vanish into the whole; they're seldom anything to worry about. But patterns of emotion are interesting. Patterns show places where people, or monsters, may be manipulating something to their own ends. Or may be being used by something larger behind the scenes. And you have a pattern of getting in that kind of fight."
"Later, Red," Alex calls after the departing KYouko. "Don't break anyone too bad out there." Like *he* is one to talk?
"Some time ago," he tells Daisuke, with a thoughtful frown. "I Would have said that I would have noticed if someone like that was somewhere in between, but knowing what I do now? Maybe my brain just didn't even process that. But somehow..." His hand is brought up to the back of his head to rub at it, while his other arm tightens idly around Naru. "I dunno about all that, guys, honestly. Usually I get into fights like this through my own choice. I see some people doing something they shouldn't - harrassing people, robbing them, trying to molest them, thingss like that - and I just kinda go at 'em. Sure, there's similiarities between those kinds of people,, because those are just the kinds of people who do those sorts of things, but there's only been a few times where there's been things that have been *clearly* connectible with other occasions. ... And those have more or less been just because they've been either the same folks or guys who know those folks who decided they wanna bring some payback in their place. You know, things like that. The kind of stuff you see on the streets with punks and gangers in every country."
Daisuke Hansuke seems to purse his lips in thought, as he thinks. "Yeah, but even small stuff like that can be used by people for other's benefits." he says. "I guess the idea you don't get thrashed super heavily every fight means they're at least 'normal' people- and not horrible monsters in disguise." he says. "I mean. I could be wrong. But it's a guess." he says.
"The more you're exposed to this stuff the more it jumps out at you." he says. "You're getting the slow introduction to it, it sounds like. For me it was just like a window shattered and all this stuff went 'Hello! We Exist!', suddenly."
Naru's turn to be the one quietly listening, although that line between eyes closed relaxed listening and eyes closed dozed off is a thin one.
The fact that Naru speaks says that she's still, generally, on the conscious side of that line at least for the moment. "Mmmm. Right. Sometimes those connections really aren't obvious until you look at the picture over a longer time. Especially if something's quietly poking the emotions of the punks and gangers towards slightly different flavours of normal stuff."
"I got the abrupt 'Hello! There's weird!' all suddenly." Naru nods to Daisuke at that, moving her head against Alexis' shoulder. "I got the slow introduction of my powers rather than it being boom, all at once."
Kazuo leaves the topic largely alone, just for the moment. Only listens; only watches. Because Daisuke and Naru are touching on almost all of the important points. And because the subject of introduction to the magic in the world is ... not one he can say anything about. Given that in one sense he never lived in a world without it, and in another sense his introduction never came with any time to process. Any time to anything, really.
"My introduction was her..." Alex points down at Naru. "Just straight up telling me about it and then dragging me to a barbeque party full of magic people... well, being magic. So I wouldn't call it *slow*. I haven't really seen much of the... bad side of it, I guess. Besides that one thing in the park I could do jack all about. Come to think of it, I guess I *would* know if I went up against something like that, because I doubt I could take one in a straight-up brawl."
He looks down at his hand, then, turning it over palm-upwards. "Even if I can hold my own on the street, it might just be physically impossible to do anything about things like that. I probably can't even *touch* any of them. I'm useless like that."
Daisuke Hansuke head tilts at Alexis. "Do you know I fell into this stuff?" he asks. He leans forward. "No one else wanted to deal with the dust in Verone's Library Archives." he says. "Seriously." he says. "The Head Librarian comes to go- goes- 'Hey Daisuke, can you help me? I really need this done before the end of the week and determine what goes into storage and what stays'." he says.
"So of course, I say yes. I like helping. You know? That's my thing. I help people. That's kind of always been my thing. It's nothing special, because helping people is a lot of people's thing" he says.
"Anyways. There's this old Asclepius Staff in the Archive- along with books and some other stuff that was donated by other institutions and estates, all that. Verone get's a lot of stuff like that sometimes- because it's an old money institution."
"I touch it. I black-out. I have a weird dream. I wake back up in my bed. Also. The work in the library was done and I don't remember doing that." he says.
"That's how I got my staff. Well. That's how I got it back." he says. "In theory. It's always been mine." he says.
"Well it's one way of looking at it, at least." he says.
"Anyways." he asks.
"Are you /wanting/ to fight things like that?" he asks, curiously.
"Mmmm. Hon?" Naru cracks open an eye and then points at herself. "Bard." She points at Daisuke. "Healer." She points over towards Kazuo. "The only other combaty type in the room. You get to hear about the bad side of it, usually via me complaining about what's been chewing on me recently, but that's different, I agree." She mmmms softly and closes her eyes again, relaxing into him and reaching out to take his hand. "Needs different tactics than general brawls, but I'm going to just go for not useless."
Naru smiles a little, not really stifling a yawn. "Great pillow too, but that's a selfish declaration of a lack of useless."
Alex's gaze has properly settled onto Daisuke throughout the entirety of his story, and even after. Silent as he is through it, it's obvious enough that he is listening, from the occasional shift in his facial muscles that are prompted by certain words.
His final question, however, brings him to lower his gaze down, slowly, back to his hand. And silently, he stares at the appendage for a moment, while the fingers extending from it flex slowly this way and that.
"I suppose it's my thing, too," he eventually says, but without lifting his gaze. "Helping, I mean. I do it my own way, since I don't get along with people as easily as most do. It's... kind of why I go get into myself in all those fights all the time. Because I see some asshole trying to take advantage of someone weaker, and hurt them, there's just one thought that runs through my head: What kind of man would I be if I just stood here and watched?"
He sighs out, ruefully. "So, you know. When I learned about this stuff, I didn't think much of it first. But when I actually saw some of the stuff that you guys faced, I... Yeah. I just keep finding myself being unable to do anything *but* watch. And that reality... It feels awful. It's scary. Because I need someone else to risk their life in my place. Because I can't help them if they *do* end up needing it."
The fingers of the hand clutch closed to form a loose fist, and his eyes finally lift up to search for DAisuke again. "...So, yeah. I guess I kinda do want to."
Daisuke Hansuke nods. "It's a good thing. I mean. To want to help people." he says.
He leans forward and head tilts. "Maybe there is a way. To help That. I mean. Your desire to help with this." he says. "I find people who get involved- don't tend to remain... bystanders for very long, as it is." he says.
"I can't really make a strong guess for you- how that might manifest." he says. "If it does at all. If anything happens like that." he says. "You could actively seek something out." he offers. "But seeking power never works well for anyone." he says. "Right?" he asks.
Those words slowly sink in to Alex, and they leave him into another bout of silent thoughtfulness.
"Right," he lets out eventually in a quiet murmur, and peers down at his hand again. His lips purse.
But, his attention is drawn over to the now-asleep Naru, and with a quiet sigh he tips his head down to brush his forehead against the top of her head. "Not like what I do would matter much in the end," he murmurs, and lifts his head up to curl them up along the couch, while his eyes close. "...Thank you for looking after Naru. I think... I might need a nap, too." He doesn't really let it show usually beyond the bruises and rashes on his knuckles, but the fights he gets into in an almost daily basis do end up wearing him down. They leave him tired. "I won't... Get in the... way..." ... And they apparently leave him MUCH more tired than he initially even seemed, since he drifts into sleep with that very last word, already, curled up against Naru and all.