apocalypsehowcomm | [ OPEN LOG ]

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[ OPEN LOG ]

Who: Satoko Houjou and you!
When: Early November.
Where: Around the ADI headquarters
Summary: Satoko adjusts to the new situation she's found herself in, and starts to do her research.
Warnings: None, other than a general "children in dangerous situations" blanket-warning! Will update as needed.

CANTEEN.

[ It’s only been a few hours since her orientation, and Satoko still feels like she’s in shock. It wouldn’t surprise her at all if she woke up any time now to find out that this was all just a strange dream – though it feels like it’s gone on far too long for that...

But the human mind can only handle a state of shock for so long. And so slowly, Satoko’s starting to adjust to her new reality. She had cried, though she’s embarrassed to admit it, upon realizing that she might not ever see Rika and her friends again, but… after she’d let it all out, she’d soon started thinking that crying wasn’t going to solve anything.

Instead, she’s realized… that if she stayed at the ADI, and helped them investigate the supernatural, she might one day find a way home. And with that goal in mind, Satoko vowed to be strong once more, wiping away her tears.

...Of course, that doesn’t stop the loneliness. She would give anything to see any of her friends right now, especially Rika… She won’t even be living with her anymore, will she? Everything about it feels wrong – being separated from her at all makes her stomach churn and pierces her with a pain she never thought she’d have to face. Right now, she’s located in the ADI’s canteen, sipping a glass of juice and ignoring the strange looks she’s getting from the people around her. She knows that she must look out of place because of her young age, but honestly, do people really think her to be that incapable? In Hinamizawa, no-one would’ve looked twice to see her wondering around on her own…

Once somebody sits beside her, she’ll turn to them, a little startled as she’s jolted out of her thoughts. ]

Oh! Hello… [ she starts uncertainly in English, though to be honest, the fact that she can now speak the language is still making her mind reel. ] Did you need something?

I WANT YOU BY MY SIDE.

[ The ADI headquarters… it’s a rather large building, isn’t it? But Satoko doesn’t seem intimidated at all – and she walks down the halls of B3 confidently, as if she knows exactly what she’s looking for. The reality, though, is a little different. She’s already spent around an hour researching the supernatural in the library – it helps that she was genuinely interested in the topic – and now she’s hoping to get a look at the kind of technology that the ADI has available. After all, it’s important to be prepared if she’s going to be investigating real-life supernatural phenomena, right? And Satoko’s sure that she’s bound to find something that come in handy!

But… suddenly, out of nowhere, her eyes widen. She freezes in place like a statue – even her breathing has stopped, as she realizes something incredibly important. How did she not think of it until now!?

Then, with urgency in her step, she’ll run over to the nearest person and look up at them with a desperate expression on her face. ]

Umm! Excuse me, but… do you know if there’s some kind of record of all the arrivals who’ve shown up in this building? …It’s very important!

NEW PLACES, NEW HOMES.

[ Satoko’s standing in front of the ADI housing complex, looking up at the building with something of an awe-filled expression. It’s rather something, compared to her old house back at home. In Hinamizawa, she lived with Rika alone, but now she’ll have many housemates, along with rules that she has to follow… well, it’s not like the rules are too bothersome, but it’s going to take an awful lot of adjusting to. …Though that’s been the case for pretty much everything lately, hasn’t it?

However, just when she’s about to pick one of the buildings and go inside, she spots someone – and immediately runs over to them, unable to hide her concern. ]

Are you quite alright? That’s quite the expression you’re making…

WILDCARD

[ Feel free to throw anything else at Satoko here! If you want to plot, I'm available at

Rivenix - feel free to add me if you'd like! ]

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[Aelwyn looks down at the little girl bounding up to her and raises her eyebrows in surprise. Huh. Another child...]

Oh, um, certainly, dear, I think they keep a list in the database, I can show you if you'd like.

Thank you! That's exactly what I need!!

[ Satoko waits for the unfamiliar woman to lead the way, eyes practically boring into her as she tries to contain herself.

...She knows it's unlikely. She knows that she mustn't get her hopes up. But she can't help but wonder - if when Satoko's brother disappeared, on that day a year ago... maybe he didn't run away. After all, to everyone back home, Satoko's sudden disappearance must look exactly the same as his did back then.

Could it be...? ]

[She's... conflicted. Because she's been through this enough times to be able to say that the chances are unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.

Still, she doesn't want to burst this kid's bubble. She just nods and leads her along to the computer at the front desk of the archive.]

What's the name of the person you're trying to look for?

[ Once they've arrived by the computer, Satoko can feel herself becoming nervous. Fidgeting, she swallows and answers the question. ]

Satoshi Houjou. He's... my brother.

[ Even though the chances are low, maybe... ]

[Ah.

Despite herself, she gets the feeling.]

I'll check. [She searches the database. She knows that he's not here. She likely would have heard the name, or he likely would have heard about her, but... well, she can't pretend she didn't search for her sister too.

...No results.]

...There's nothing. I'm sorry.

Edited 2021-11-19 00:22 (UTC)

Ah...

[ ...Right. The chances were low to begin with, weren't they?

Despite herself, Satoko can't help but feel disappointed. ...No... this gut-wrenching feeling is beyond disappointment, isn't it?

But Satoko forces herself to swallow down her pain. It's fine. This doesn't change anything, does it? She's still going to find a way home, back to her brother and to Rika and all of her friends... it'll just take a little longer than she was hoping for. That's all.

...But it still hurts. ]

Thank you very much. [ And Satoko smiles, attempting to hide her pain as best she can. ] I... I very much appreciate you doing this for me.

[She feels a pain in her chest that she can't quite describe. This girl can't be any older than thirteen, can she? Aelwyn remembers when her own little sister was that age. She can't picture Adaine desperately searching for her... even if she went missing or Adaine was in trouble.

Despite herself, she feels guilty for allowing this, and even more so for being unable to deliver. Of all the things to feel guilt for...]

...Don't lose heart. You'll see him again when we get you home, okay?

You're quite right. I must make sure I'm there to meet him when he returns... he's hopeless without me, after all.

[ Satoko smiles fondly as she remembers her brother, like she always does. She needs to be there to greet him, and to apologize for everything she's done... she'll show him how much she's changed, and they'll finally be able to be a happy family together. ...So she takes her pain and uses it to fuel her determination - after all, if she was somehow brought to this place, there must be a way for her to return, too. ]

Thank you very much, Miss... Ah, could I ask you your name?

I know the feeling. I have a little sister. We'll just have to get you there in time, won't we? I'll do my best.

[She's not even sure if that's true or not, if Adaine even needs her. She's very confused about where they stand, but... it does tug at her blackened heartstrings

When did she get so weak?]

You can call me Aelwyn, darling. And your name, Miss Hojo?

[ The fact that Aelwyn has a little sister... somehow, Satoko's heart feels a little warmer at that knowledge. At the very least, she feels like she can relate to Aelwyn a little more, even if it's just through that small connection. ]

Ah! I'm Satoko Houjou. It's very nice to meet you, Miss Aelwyn! [ Satoko bows as she introduces herself, and there's no sign of the pain that had been on her face just a minute ago. ] I'm grateful for your help.

[Aelwyn smiles, gentle.]

It can be hard, getting used to this place. It took me a while to really adjust.

But I've been here for... nearly six months now, so if you ever need help or something's bothering you, or you just need someone to talk to, I'm here and happy to lend an ear.

[Like you were there for Adaine? You're not fooling anyone.]

[ Unaware of Aelwyn's conflicted feelings, Satoko smiles - but then the smile drops off her face as she realizes something. ]

You've been here for six months?

[ That's... a long time. Satoko can't imagine being separated from her friends for that long... and how would they feel if Satoko went missing for six months? Even right now, they must be devastated that she's gone... and the fact that she can't do anything to stop them feeling that way makes Satoko's stomach twist with an uncomfortable frustration.

Still, she smiles again after a moment, not wanting to become discouraged. That unpleasant feeling doesn't go away, but it'll all be fine if she manages to find a way home... Right? ]

Well then! I'd be most glad to hear your advice. Thank you very much!

About that long, yes!

[She picks up on her faltering smile, she's clearly worried about it. Hmmm. Aelwyn wants to scream at herself for caring.]

...You won't be here that long, probably. I'll... Well... [What's safe to say here. None of it's safe to say here, it's a promise she might not be able to keep. This girl could end up dead just as easily, or she could go missing...] Well, we've all been looking for ways to get us all home. We have to be close now.

...Would you like me to help you find where you'll be staying? [And get away from this building, where anything could be listening.]

[ It's obvious that Aelwyn is trying to make her feel better, and even though Satoko knows that there's no way Aelwyn can really know that she won't be here for long... she's grateful nonetheless. ]

Oh! Yes, I would appreciate that. Lead the way!

[ She eagerly accepts the change of topic, a little curious about the kind of place they'll be going to. It's been a long time since she's lived anywhere without Rika... ]

[ There's a goddamn kid in here. As if Kugrash didn't need another reason to be incredibly annoyed at things. He adds it to the mental list:

1. No powers unless a pact is made with an eldrich being
2. Involuntarily brought here
3. Dragging kids here
4. Massachusetts

(Number four is incredibly important to Kugrash as a New Yorker, of course, he saves the worst for last. Fuck Massachusetts.)

People are fairly used to him in ADI headquarters now, which is good--he's well aware that being a two foot tall rat man is alarming for most people, but at least there's also a talking cat in this place so he's not the weirdest.

He heads over to grab coffee, one for him and one for Neal to start their day doing god knows what, but he keeps eyeing the girl. The problem is that every time he looks at her he's reminded of his own family at home, his own kids, which makes him even angrier, and--

--Well. Eventually, he makes his way over to the blonde, unable to help himself. He knows he's not charismatic, he's got a scar over his eye and chunks of his ears missing, but he's bathed fairly recently and he's not living in the subway tunnels anymore, so there's that going for him. ]

Where the fuck are your folks?

[ Unfortunately, Kugrash has a tendency to sound rude or angry just about all the time. Maybe it's the heavy New York accent mixed with how rough and gravelly his voice is. Maybe it's because he's a dirty little rat man that has a hard time talking to people despite caring far too much. Maybe it's a bit of both. ]

I swear to God if you're by yourself I'm gonna lose it.

Edited (typos? in my tags? it's more likely than you think) 2021-11-14 19:29 (UTC)

[ There's. A rat. A rat person standing in front of her right now. Satoko's still adjusting to the supernatural, but this is too much, surely!!

She flinches a little at his coarse language, somewhat intimidated, but mostly she's too busy trying to take in what she's seeing to care. She knows that staring is rude, but she can't help it - anyone else would do the same in her situation!

His words snap her out of it, though, and she suddenly stammers out a reply- ]

Y-you... you're...?

[ Then, answering his question- ]

Ah- I'm here by myself! I, umm, arrived here on my own... [ But Satoko doesn't seem to see how that would be a problem. She's quite capable of looking after herself, right? ]

[ Absolutely going to lose it. Kugrash's whole snout wrinkles, clearly annoyed--he's always annoyed--and even if it's not at the poor girl, it's hard to steel his face. He's never really been good at that sort of shit. ]

God dammit.

[ And, loudly, to anyone who will listen: ] We're all okay with this? We're all cool? Yeah? Great.

Absolutely fuck me---hey, kiddo, sorry about gettin' the short end of the stick around here. I'm--oh. Yeah.

[ He tries to smile and throw his arms wide--this is friendly, right? This is how to be friendly? He grins, though his yellowed teeth look more like he's about to bite. He's not very good at this whole 'try not to look nice and welcoming' business. ]

I'm Kugrash by the way, uh, sorry about my whole deal, too. 'Cause I'm a rat. You know. Uuuuh--how long you been here?

[ Satoko jumps a little as Kugrash shouts to the rest of the canteen, and winces again when he swears. If it were anyone else, she'd probably tell him off for his language.

He's intimidating, but he... seems to be apologizing to her? And she thinks he's trying to be welcoming, though to be honest, it's difficult to tell. If that's the case... maybe she should just treat him like normal? ]

That's... quite alright. I'm Satoko Houjou. I, umm, only arrived here today.

[ Her answer is hesitant, and it's obvious she still can't quite believe what she's seeing, but at least she managed an introduction! ]

[ Okay, sweet, she's not running away. That doesn't mean he's been too much of an asshole. It's been a while since his kids have been her age, and even then, it's not like he was a good father.

Jesus Christ, why is he nervous? He pushes that spike of guilt away and focuses on the thing that matters: This girl, Satoko, and the fact that she's just sort of here. Like the eldrich being that's running this place spit up a 13 year old and went 'yeah, that'll do.'

Fuck. ]

Satoko. Nice to meet you, Satoko. [ It's a bit ridiculous to pronounce with a heavy, gravelly new york accent, but hey, points for effort. He rubs his paws together, a subconscious gesture. If he were human it would probably look a lot like he's wringing his hands. ]

Where you from? [ There we go. Start from there, and then make sure she's got a place to stay and people she can trust. Hah! Look at him, being responsible. ]

I'm... from Hinamizawa.

[ Satoko's never felt so uncertain of herself as she answers his question. It's going to take her quite a while to adjust to all this, it seems. Still, there's slightly less tension in her body than there was a few moments ago. ]

You've probably never heard of it. It's a small village in the countryside... ah, in Japan!

[ Because, right, she's not in Japan anymore, is she? ]

Where are you from? I hope it's okay to ask, but... I've never seen someone quite like you before.

[ Which is an understatement and a half. ]

[Shocked and destabilized would be an understatement, when you find yourself flung into a different world apparently 40 years into the future and on the complete other side of the planet you last remember being in. It's their present now, however, their reality, so suppose there wasn't much to do but try their best getting used to things.

It is so that sometimes during the week once daylight had almost completely faded outside (it could be the very evening of her arrival, or a few days after), that Satoko would find herself 'home' with her roommate, who is busy in the communal kitchen making dinner. Ciel's left her in the living room with a cup/glass of whatever drink she wanted, between milk, hot chocolate, orange juice, or green tea. She wouldn't blame Satoko if the younger girl would rather shut herself into her room and just rest for the remainder of the night, but she's not allowed to skip dinner, and that's non-negotiable as far as Ciel is concerned.

But whether this is their first dinner shared together or the nth, one thing will become clear to Satoko in very short order: while Ciel was more than willing to cook for them both on top of packing their lunches for the next day, the taller woman also makes curry at least four days out of seven, which is more than half of a whole week. Does Satoko have any aversion to it? Or has grown sick of curry after a few days, even if Ciel does rotate the protein between chicken, pork, beef, lamb, and tofu with no two nights being the same? She's willing to listen to the smaller girl's requests, of course, but if nothing is said, then this will be a(nother?) night spent with the aroma of Japanese style curry wafting around C3.]

Hojou-san? Dinner is almost ready!

[Ciel hasn't stopped referring to her as such as it's only polite and proper, and would happily stick to using Japanese over going with the English that everyone now knows at least back on their apartment floor, if it's what Satoko would prefer. Any little bit helps when you're so far away from home, hopefully...?]

[ Being able to speak Japanese with Ciel is a small comfort, but one that Satoko is very grateful for in this absurd situation. She's glad to be roommates with her in general, really - Ciel is the first person Satoko met after arriving here, after all, and she seems to be a kind-hearted person - one who handled Satoko's initial panic after arrival extremely well, despite the fact that Satoko had been ready to attack her at a moment's notice. Well, it's not like Satoko would've been able to do anything to her, but even so...

It's not the same as living with Rika. ...And Satoko misses Rika dearly. Living with someone else... it stings, a little, to be honest. It feels wrong, and throws Satoko off-balance every time she turns to see a stranger's face instead of the face of her dearest friend. But that's not Ciel's fault, so Satoko does her best to stifle the feeling and act as cheerfully as possible. ]

Thank you very much, Ciel-san! Would you like me to set the table?

[ Satoko hasn't yet grown tired of the curry, though she hasn't quite realized how frequently she'll be seeing it in the coming week, either... she does feel a little bad letting Ciel do all of the cooking, too. Perhaps she'll find an opportunity to ask if she can help, sometime soon? ]

[There's supposedly someone else who lives at C3 even before she got here, but Ciel had quite literally never seen the person before. She only obtained confirmation from ADI HR that it was in fact a man who was registered there, but... well, she may as well have been living alone up until Satoko's arrival. This communal floor block is a bit big to live in by yourself, so some company was welcome, though she still didn't like the fact that apparently even elementary aged children can be dragged here and just expected to live on their own. It may be a silver lining in the end, that not only she chanced upon Satoko first, but also ended up as her assigned roommate? Time and experience have more than taught Ciel to not look at a gift horse in the mouth, so she was happy to roll with the punches and take the opportunity to keep an eye on the younger girl's well-being while they're at it. Trying to achieve some semblance of normalcy is the least that they can do, now forced to live in a world so removed from their own.]

I'd appreciate it, thank you. The utensils are in the counter drawer to the left of the oven. [It's convenient that curry is easy to set up and serve also; plate both rice and sauce atop, grab a spoon, and it's ready to go.] Would you like something to drink, too?

Alright! I'll go get them now!

[ Satoko starts walking over to the drawer, and begins setting the table as she responds to Ciel. It's nice to be able to take part in a familiar routine like this, even if so much about it is different. ]

Oh, and yes please! Is there any milk available? It's curry we're having, correct?

[ No complaints from Satoko, at least not yet. But who knows if that will last? ]

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[ OPEN LOG ]

i want you by my side

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Canteen;

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WILDCARD; ADI apartment complex C3

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