IC Inbox | Rin Okumura

[satanslash]

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Rin Okumura ⬤ Ao no Exorcist
residential district ⬤ Level 2
moonblessing ⬤ Cordis

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[chichichi]

[ Alright. Hold the fucking phone.

That first statement alone is monumental in her ears and she sharpens them acutely in listening quietly, attentively as he continues to speak. The questions bubble up one after the other, sometimes two at a time and she hushes them, checks that growing impulse to simply start turning things over and over, trying to connect the dots, the pieces because there's so many here that become him and his entire situation and she wants to understand.

Even after listening to his full explanation, many of those questions sit at the forefront of her mind. Why seal a half breed's heart? And why in that sort of vessel? Why raise him as a human, and from the sounds of it, unaware of his heritage at all when those sorts of problems were all but guaranteed?

She should know. At seventy-three, and as close to a full-grown hanyoukai as she's going to get with any speed, it's more critical than ever that she be mindful of her strength, especially when it comes to humans with their contradicting resilience and fragility.

Was Rin Dormant, then? Could he not see? Because of the seal... and what sort of seal? What sort of seal would a person use to seal the demon heart of a half-breed? Who would? Why? What... what was he trying to save his father from?

This is a lot and the questions keep coming. For every answer, there's another question. For every question, there's another question. She's missing so much, so many pieces that she isn't entirely sure where she should start. The usual answer in such a case is to pick a point and just drive it. She doesn't like being uncertain for long periods of time and she can usually work through it however she needs. Forward, backwards -- she trusts herself to move and move things appropriately. This board is complicated, but it isn't beyond her. ]

Why?

[ That's the question that hangs heaviest, the question that draws everything up in itself and unites everything. She focuses on that. ]

Why seal your demon heart? What's so -- [ think, feel it out, turn it over and around ] -- so special about you that anyone would go to such lengths to conceal -- [ conceal? From Rin, yes -- from... others?? if people think he's just an angry kid, then what...? ] -- your heritage?

[ Why would this Fujimoto person...? And after that, this Mephisto...?? Why? That's the question. ]

[satanslash]

[He had a feeling that was coming. She knows more than anyone else. She's a demon herself, preemptively informed even without being from the exact same version of Assiah.

She knows and yet she doesn't.

And that makes the next part the hardest.

His hands tighten around the scabbard enough that, though it can't be seen, the old wood creaking can be heard. He looks away, eyes distant, dark...

tired.

He's so tired, Sets.]

My father... is Satan. My power comes from him. The night I was born... they... they call it Blue Night. A lotta people died. A lotta people in the Order blame me. And... Yukio thinks... said Shiro was raisin' us to be weapons...

[There's so much he still doesn't know. So many things that were left hanging in the air at the worst possible time thanks to him being dragged away from home to that damned village.

He doesn't believe Yukio.

Not entirely.

But sometimes...]

[chichichi]

[ Her ears aren't the only thing about her that are sharp. Those eyes of hers are gifted with the night sparrow's keen vision. She listens. She looks, watches him turn his head away, seeks and reads blue, her peripheral actively employed in reading his body language. He is tired and it's hardly a wonder why when he speaks that first statement.

Setsura pauses with the utterance of that name. No, it would be more accurate to say that she slows, stops. Lets herself drop gently onto the sofa, but she holds the device just the same. Doesn't turn her eyes away, doesn't lift a hand to her mouth or any such dramatic thing. She simply continues to listen, to watch, her expression shifting into something... different, more difficult to grasp and read, like wind, so much water.

Because that's a big name. It's a name good and well outside of her specialization -- and she specializes in Japan and Asia per her locality, the tier at which she operates as a Hand, a preternatural mercenary -- but it's known to her. That demon -- she doesn't have to think hard about it, how people could take issue with a half breed with that parentage, power. People take issue with half breeds with lesser parentage all the time. She knows better than anyone. She's lived it, had to work through it, past it, but -- and her eyes drop for a second -- what she isn't quite expecting is -- no, it's all of this on some level. How suddenly, violently her heart wrenches in her chest because there's something about this that sounds so familiar.

It takes her back to the ruins of a certain village at the base of a particular mountain. Drums up memories of the stench of burnt leaves mingling with decay, so many black birds screaming, hateful eyes, tongues lashing with accusations --

She closes her eyes for a moment. Breathes in, out quietly and opens them again.

Of course he's tired.

And there's questions that linger, more questions that shoot to the surface even as certain pieces fall into place. Is he the same? Is Rin...? Satan...? So very many demons walk between the dimensions and she's still missing pieces and pieces and pieces.

Her gazed drops, her eyes moving rapidly behind fluttering eyelids. Black strands spill into her face with the haphazard feather here and there. There's more to this, but what does she do with this, him? Them, now? She can't reach him from here. If she could, then she isn't entirely sure what she'd do. Something. Anything seems better than sitting where she is, where they are. ]

Okumura-kun.

[ She beckons him back from that distant, dark place. It's a simple utterance, just his name, but she puts herself into it and extends that hand of hers.

Take it and come back, Rin. That's enough for today. ]

[satanslash]

[Memories flooded Rin's mind, voices and settings seeming to pull at the current world around him and drown out any sense of belonging and stability. Her reaction was decidedly less negative than many others had been, yet just saying it to someone who knew the name, recognized the weight of it made his heart want to beat right out of his chest.

He barely knew Setsura. They were still somewhat strangers in the relative scheme of meeting new people on a new planet, though she had felt enough of connection to check on him after one ill fated game together.

Despite the newness of the friendship it led him to a dark place, a fear gripping him with thoughts of her hating him, denouncing him for his parentage, part of him even waiting for a shriek of anger and upset that he kept something like that from her.

All irrational thoughts, clearly, but irrational born of everything he had ever dealt with before and after learning the truth of his existence.

And then she speaks and there's no vitriol. Nothing raised, nothing loud. Just a calm, quiet, reassuring utterance of his name. His head snapped up, corners of his eyes burning. It was all he could do to keep the tears from falling, the hand not holding his phone rubbing at his face with a sniffle.]

'm... I'm okay...

[chichichi]

[ He isn't. The state of his human heart is a mess. It tugs at hers in a way few can and that's to say nothing of his demon heart sealed in that sword. Their connection is infantile; and yet, his had called her attention on several occasions after their meeting when the realms of the living and the dead had overlapped throughout Lunatia. She wouldn't ascribe it to any preternatural force. There's no spell at work here, not in what most would consider the traditional sense, but hearts, they're powerful things. When piqued with interest, they pace in their cages, speak Binding the likes of which not even they can break with any sort of easy measure. In minutes, his had spoke to hers and hers had coupled with her mind and brought them here into these revelations perhaps a little early.

But they would have arrived here eventually because she would have appeared before him absolutely. It's a comfortable truth that she grasps and accepts because she knows what sort of being she is.

Most people faced with this situation would try to make a break. Most people would look at this young man and simply see the son of Satan, an abominable half demon whose existence shouldn't have been permitted, who brought about unforgivable suffering by virtue of his very birth. Setsura is not most people and this story, it's familiar in a way. She thinks her heart was stronger than his when she struck out in search of the path, though. She was older and her 'parent' hadn't borne such fame. Hadn't cast so large a spotlight on her beyond their locality.

The weights they bore, that they bear, they're similar, but they aren't the same. What sits on his shoulders and presses him down is larger than the two of them put together. Those tears he's holding, how long has he been holding them?

She puts the pieces down. ]

Where are you?

[satanslash]

[Too long, and not long enough. He had broken down a few times before, in front of Kohaku, in front of Karou. Spilled his heart and his fears and all that he knew he had to deal with whenever he finally, finally made it back home.

But all of that was an outside situation and had nothing to do with what his very existence did to him.

"Idiots can only move forward" Shura had once said about him, and that was exactly what he did. He didn't have the capacity to deal with it all. All he could do was put one foot in front of the other and put other people's problems with him in his rear view.

But that wasn't exactly coping, was it?

Accepting his flames, calling them his own instead of Satan's had been actual progress, but trauma doesn't recover over night.]

Home.

[Another sniffle and he sends his address her way as they had yet to trade that information.]

[chichichi]

[ At any other time, she might have paused to consider how strange it is to hear another Moonblessed use that word about any location in this foreign world, but she's nothing if not focused right now and the oddities of adaptation are not her at the forefront of her mind. As soon as that address hits her device, she's pushing herself up and moving with discipline to pluck Girimaru from his shrine, the barrierette from the table by the door.

There's the almost musical sound of fluttering wings going out ahead of her as she opens the door. She is quick and quiet, door locked and she's headed for the stairwell.

This is no time for the elevator. ]

Sit tight.

[ She say it calmly, not quite coolly, but reassuringly. Doesn't cut the feed, though, even when she drops in navigating the stairs to cut time down. If there was any question as to the nature of her heritage, it should be good and gone by the time she drops to the bottom most level and hurries through the door.

He'll have company, a firm knock at his door, very shortly. ]

[satanslash]

[To Rin, this is the closest thing to "home" he's had in a while. He lives with his girlfriend, he has power and food, and nothing is falling apart by being looked at funny.

It's good enough.

His brows furrow at those two words, but he does as she asked and stays where he is. Not that he was intending on going anywhere else. Kohaku was gone for the time being and the apartment was just a little too quiet anyway.

He does get up from the couch long enough to turn some soft music on at least, watching her continued feed curiously but without any commentary until she knocks.

There's a look at the door, back at his phone, at the door again before he finally turns it off and goes to answer, eyes still a little red but otherwise calm.]

Hey...

[chichichi]

[ When the feed is disconnected, Setsura pockets her device. And when the door opens, she looks up him because -- of course -- he's taller than her.

But that's not important right now. What's important is the second in which deep violet eyes meet reddened blue. In that second, her mind is made up and she steps forward without a single word to wrap her arms around him in a hug that isn't for her.

It's no church hug either. No hesitation, no awkwardly light patpatpleasedon'tcryonme, none of that nonsense. It's big for all that she's small and solid and warm and real, the kind of hug that speaks its own language.

Yeah, that's her, "hey". It's as close as he's going to get right now from one heart to another. ]

[satanslash]

[There's a faint grunt more out of surprise than being uncomfortable. She is... a lot smaller than he would have guessed, but that was the sort of presence she had, wasn't it?

It doesn't make the hug any less comforting, though. Being in the middle of the doorway is awkward, but who the fuck even cares anymore.

He needed this.]

[chichichi]

[ She knows. Doesn't rightly care who sees them because this hug isn't for anyone but Rin. She's not in any hurry to break it either. As long as he needs it, she's here and she says as much in that quiet language with a little squeeze, firm and reassuring. ]

[satanslash]

[She might not mind, but Rin is a little more self conscious about these things. No one else was around but someone could easily come around the corner.

He quietly pulled away, rubbing at his face again.]

You wanna come in? Kohaku ain't gonna be back for a while...

[And he could really use company after all that.]

[chichichi]

[ He pulls away and she lets him, tucking her hands quietly into her pockets. There's four walls with a great deal of largely empty space between them to return to. Given that, his question, she's not exactly in a rush to head back.

No, this sounds better. ]

If I wouldn't be imposing.

[ A little humor in diffusion? She did just make a little trek and spring herself on him, after all. ]

[satanslash]

[She did, and while he doesn't know entirely what "imposing" means he can guess from the context of their current interaction. He doesn't mind that she did that, though. He doesn't want to have to call Kohaku home every time he gets stupidly upset over things in his past. He knows she would drop everything for him but he doesn't see that as fair.

He doesn't much like having to rely on OTHER people, too, but Setsura sort of inserted herself in that position without asking him. Not something he can complain about without seeming like an utterly ungrateful twat.

He shakes his head and moves back in to the apartment.]

You uh... [he has to pause to clear his throat] you want anythin'?

[chichichi]

[ She follows easy with every intention of tipping the door closed once inside if he doesn't beat her to it. Lock it, she thinks. Most people do and Kohaku should have a key, right? ]

How about a water?

[ It's really simple, but that's the first place her mind goes even as she turns her eyes up and around. This place... feels different from hers. ]

[satanslash]

[Rin saw the chance to make this place warm, livable, his the moment he and Kohaku moved in. The house with the "cafe" back in Chroma Village had been two steps from a disaster from day one and never got much better, though he did his best with what could be found. Everything had been mismatched, patched, old. Here was shiny, new. Stupid nicknacks and figures, lots of kitchen utilities, even a cute string of violet-blue lights that stretch over the comfy living room couch, giving off a soft glow.

Yet another way to put the past further behind him.

Maybe he'll be here a year, like the place before, or maybe he'll leave tomorrow, but while his name and Kohaku's are on the listing and his head is still hitting a comfortable pillow every night he is going to milk all he can out of having his own space like this.]

Alright.

[It's a quiet drawl, but calmer than he had been, moving easily in to the kitchen to get that for her.]

[chichichi]

[ When he moves, she lingers. Lets herself really take it in, the difference. Catch the little details that'll likely return to her later, make her wonder. It says a lot in so many little ways that run into something bigger, something that sounds strange in her ears, but rings true. Rin's built a home in the time he's been here. She's kept to four walls and a roof, claimed trees and rooftops upon which to nap for the emptiness of that space, her inability to sleep without some kind of presence. She's not going to live like a peasant during her time here, but she is only passing through. The place she wants to return to, it's far from here. ]

So you're really into cooking, huh?

[ She steps after him with that, breaking that line of thinking soundly. He'd seemed enthusiastic about it. ]

[satanslash]

Huh?

[He's still somewhat in a daze and the question shakes him out of it, gaze turning towards the obvious utensils and trappings of a fairly seasoned chef in the kitchen. All things added after he came here, clearly, as the place he was before wouldn't have had anything nearly as nice.

He smiles a bit, nodding.]

Yeah. It's... pretty much the only thing I'm good at, but I'm really good at it.

[chichichi]

You had lots of opportunity to practice growing up?

[ Cooking's a skill and skills require study, practice to grow them. Call her curious and you wouldn't be wrong. She takes to leaning against the door frame, turning her eyes around, wondering. ]

[satanslash]

I uh... taught myself.

[He comes back with the glass of water promised, handing it to her.]

I started when I was seven.

[chichichi]

[ She accepts that glass with a slight inclination of her head only to pause. ]

When you were...?

[ Is that... normal? Not that she's fond of that word, but do civilian kids start teaching themselves to cook at that age regularly? She turns her head away for a moment, picking her brain in attempting to figure, recall. No, right? Kou-kun and Akemi-chan's kids hadn't, she's sure. Her own childhood -- that's not worth getting into with regards to any sort of comparison, it's too different. She learned that a long time ago.

Don't mind her. She's just gonna lift that glass to her lips now. She is pretty sure about one thing, though. ]

That's pretty young.

[satanslash]

[A shrug as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as his tail hung lazily behind him.]

I was always gettin' into trouble, even when I didn't want to. Felt bad that Dad and the other priests were always havin' to deal with it so I wanted to try and make it up to 'em. First try was tamago but... heh, I didn't know you had to take eggs out of the shells, and it was way too salty. But havin' them complain about how bad it was made me wanna try even harder.

[He taps a finger at his temple.]

I'm not smart and I'm never gonna be smart, but I'm stubborn, and if I think I've got half a chance at doin' somethin' right I'm gonna keep tryin' no matter how fustratin' it is.

[chichichi]

[ She thinks he's probably a good kid. He sounds it. Whatever that Fujimoto person's intentions were, she thinks Rin is probably that. She's quiet as she listens, taking another sip of water. Files that "other priests" bit away and holds her laughter over that tamago mishap. She snorts softly. ]

That simple, hm?

[satanslash]

[He grew up in a Catholic boy's home. There's not much more to it than that.]

Dunno if I'd call that simple, but yeah. That's how it started for me.

[chichichi]

I meant you.

[ She thinks. She's pretty sure. It isn't just self-depreciation when he describes himself. It sounds more like he's got some degree of stock about himself mixed with it. She gestures idly with her free hand. ]

Uncomplicated, straightforward, stubborn, determined. You move without thinking things through a lot of the time, don't you?