kaisou | network & log

Entry tags:

network & log | un: kni

WHO: kni & you!
WHERE: network & around the city
WHEN: july 1st
WHAT: kni enters the scene and gets lost almost immediately.
WARNINGS: possible talk of mass murder / genocide, generally bratty behavior, etc.

[ action - the city ]

[nai wakes up to the sound of rain, although he doesn't recognize it for what it is. the droning noise could almost be considered pleasant, compared to the absolute nightmare he was finally pulling himself from-

or not. he sits up from the cafe table he'd been slumped over, his cheek still red from having laid it against the laminate surface for too long. he stares blearily out of the cafe window he was seated beside, brows pulling together as he frowns. the rain captures his attention as he slowly comes to, before all at once the gravity of his situation hits him with full force.

kni jumps up from the table so fast he nearly knocks over the chair, only realizing belatedly that he was holding something. an oddly shaped device and a... book? he decides he'll flip through it later as he rushes for the doors, nearly jumping out of his skin when someone - tall, human - opens the door from the other side. he only gives them a sparing glare before he pushes past them to run outside. right into the rain.

his heart racing, kni stands there. staring up at the sky, the feeling of rain soaking his hair and clothes is so new, he doesn't know what to process first. with his new items clutched to his chest, kni's gaze moves from the storm clouds above to looking around and noticing, with dawning horror, that he was surrounded by humans. this wasn't the desert planet they crashed into, either.

from one nightmare into another, kni picks a direction and starts walking.]

[ text - un: KNI ]

this technology is so old and the interface for this application is ugly.

whoever designed this should be ashamed.

i am looking for someone. is the directory in this device accurate?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[kni sighs through his nose.]

Tell me the truth. Whatever it is - I only want the truth.

[whatever is in store for him here, kni couldn't handle the thought of being coddled, purposefully left in the dark.

he's at a disadvantage here.]

That's all.

[ ......ah.

That's... not what he was expecting from him. At all.
he looks... troubled. Especially because of the questions Kni COULD ask.

So, while he doesn't intend on rejecting the request, he does have to mention... ]

...Even if that means hearing things you might not want to hear?

You'll accept that I... might say things that you won't like, while they are the truth?

Yes, obviously.

[he rolls his eyes, exasperated by vash's reluctance. he knocks the umbrella handle against vash's head, holding back a shiver.]

So, promise me.

[straight to the point, as always.]

If you don't, I'll run away.

D'aah--Hey!!!

Hey!
Don't donk me, you little... [ he's gonna reach out to pinch Kni's cheek!!! ]

....Alright.
If you promise not to get upset if I say something you don't like.
Then, I promise I'll tell you the truth about things when you ask.

[ and he'll stop pinching his cheek. And offer him a hand. ]

Deal?

[kni swats at vash's hand, if his brother were any smaller kni would have knocked him into the ground for something like that.

but now he just glowers at him, huffing.]

Fine, [rolling his eyes again, because that's all he wants. well, that and a few other things, but they can start with this.

kni takes his hand, still frowning, although the heat behind it is gone.]

Deal.

[ god, why are you such a fighty little guy!!!! vash makes such a face at Kni after being swatted, donked and all the like. Letting out a low huff that's... oddly reminiscent of how he used to huff and puff whenever Kni was being a bully.

He'll still shake his hand, though, before moving to open his arms. ]

Come on then. We should get walking.

I live uh. Pretty far outside the city, away from all the crowds.

[pacifism just ain't in his blood like it is for you, vash.]

Did you run all the way from there to here?

[he doesn't know yet that vash's clothes are actually a uniform. holding the umbrella over their heads, kni moves into vash's open arms, hesitating only briefly before putting his arm around his neck.]

Who else lives with you? [he already knows about wolfwood, but he's hoping beyond hope the b****** was fibbing to get under kni's skin.]

[ it isn't, but it can be learned. it wasn't in his blood from the start either. not until he stabbed rem, and realised what it meant to hurt someone. ]

I didn't. I was actually at work when I saw your network post.
I ran here from there, which is from the mid-city.

[ he'll pick the younger version of his brother up, hefting him between his two arms--trying not to pin him with the fake one too hard, as the metal of it can be a little unforgiving. ]

I live with two people. Wolfwood is one of them, but he'll be staying with a friend tonight.
I also live with a dragon-man named Libra. He's a priest.

...I also have a few pets staying at the house, too.

You're working? Show me where - later.

[he wants to know! but after he's dry and no longer shivering. kni adjusts his grip on the umbrella handle as vash lifts him up. he glances out across the park, noting with some mild irritation that vash really was tall.

kni only wrinkles his nose at the mention of wolfwood. he raises an eyebrow at the mention of a dragon-man. what.] A dragon... like in storybooks?

[he's already seen a few strange-looking persons here and now that the shock of that has worn off, he's more inquisitive now.]

What kind of pets? Do you have a dog? [will he get to pet a dog for the first time?]

Haha. Yeah, I work. I have to. While I live in a garden where food literally grows out of the ground, I still need money to buy things like clothes and other things.

I work at a theatre. [ with the amount of reading he and Kni did as kids, there's no way the kid doesn't know what that means.
He's already starting to walk--a few paces off a brisk jog, really, determined to get home and get them both out of the rain.
He knew he'd have to buy kni some clothing later, too, but. ...Later. ]

Like in storybooks. He looks kind of like us, most of the time--but he's got scales on his skin, and wings on his back. And these pretty fern-like horns on his head, you'll see.
He can turn into a big dragon, too. Big as a horse...

[ ...it's odd, how he's falling into a weird ... comfort, answering questions for his brother, like he wasn't holding a kid who attempted genocide in his arms.
...they can just not think of it, for a long time. ]

There's one that's a little like a dog, yes. He's got a big fluffy tail. There's also three rabbits--one is yellow, the other two are brown and white. Then there's a little seal, and my favorite is Fritter, he's a little worm who lives inside an apple...

That's convenient for you. [because vash needs to eat, unlike him.

kni leans against vash, knocking his head against his brother's. he's still cold and shivery, but vash is warm at least.]

Do you play movies there? [it'd be fun to watch his favorite movies on a 'big screen', super vintage!] Or is it like plays? I never liked musicals. [especially when vash would try to sing, off-key, to the dance numbers.]

How did you become friends with a dragon? Is he like the dragons in stories? [all big, sharp teeth that love treasure and slurping up knights in shining armor like tasty treats. probably not, but it's all kni has to go by.] Has he ever eaten someone?

[he hopes it's a yes.]

... Fritter? Wait- is he really a worm? [kni narrows his eyes at vash.] You named him after a dessert?

Very convenient. There's a lot of plants there, you'll like it, I think. It was a little like that room on the ship where we spent most of our days, except it's got way more flowers and plants.

[ he chuckles when the kid keeps... asking questions. It's easy to forget his stress when things feel eerily... okay? Now? That the fear of having millions knives show up and ruin everything is gone. ...Does he feel happy? The way his connection to the other plant hums in a way it hasn't in a long time. ]

Plays. It's a theatre that has live acted out shows and, unfortunately for you, musicals.
But don't worry, I'm not one of the actors. I work in the section where snacks and drinks are prepared for people watching the shows. I mix up drinks for people and bring them things to eat while they're watching the plays happen.

[ so don't worry, you won't have to suffer vash's terrible off-key singing. ]

When I first showed up here, I landed in the park we were just in. Libra was one of the first people to find me, and he bought me food because I was seriously starving. We became friends after that, and he's staying with me because he doesn't like the city. Too noisy for him.
I'm not sure if he's ever eaten anyone, you'd have to ask him that yourself.

[ ...he's not... sure... man... ]

He's a worm, he's a worm! He just lives in an apple! I've caught him switching apples before, and--
Well!
He--I.
Fritter is a cute name...

Hmm... [he's already seen so much while stuck in the middle of the city, but a garden reminiscent of their old home...?

the sound of the rain rolling off the umbrella is almost hypnotic. if he wasn't still so keyed up from everything, he could doze off to the rhythm.]

You serve them? [vash says people, but the idea of being subservient in any way to a human churns his guts. it's easier to fall back into feelings of hate, especially when that's all he wants to feel.

kni listens, quiet as vash hurries through the park, the city. there's so much to look at, but what eventually catches his attention are the black streaks intermixed with blonde in vash's hair.]

Worms belong in a garden, not as your pet. [because he's thinking of a garden-variety worm and not a pokemon, of course.]

If they're at the bar. Usually people don't sit at the bar unless they're between shows. I mostly just mix up the drinks and snacks, and there's actually a serving person who brings the drinks and food around.

[ he doesnt even think of the job as being subservient--he makes good tips!!! and he gets a nice paycheck from zules for it, too. the guy was one of his best buddies and all.

giving him a job without even needing an interview or anything had been amazing of him, after all.

he doesn't for a moment notice kni glancing at his darkening hair.

He's making good time through the city--knowing the way out to the main road that led outside of the city limits itself; Kni would see much on their way out. Restaurants and shops, cars of many different shapes and sizes. He might even catch a glance of a few more inhuman beings that live in kaisou alongside the humanoid ones--maybe even a person or two flying overhead in their hurry to get somewhere.

All that mixed in with a sky that flickered and weaved with beautiful colours up in the sky, even with the rainclouds cloaking everything.

It won't take long before they're outside the city limits, walking down a long dirt road between some wide open green fields, with a forest coming up in the distance. ]

He's a big worm, though, you see. Bigger than your hand. Maybe bigger.

[ he grins. ]

You'll see soon. We'll be home in a bit.
...Libra might be home, so you'll be able to meet him, too, maybe.

You'll be nice, yeah?

Edited 2023-07-03 04:11 (UTC)

[kni never considered himself to be easily distractible, always able to stay focused and on task with a kind of self-discipline that vash lacked in some areas. he didn't think he could be overwhelmed by seeing so many different things without pause, but this place was really pushing at his limits.

while still inside the city, kni tilts his head down to watch the water splash around vash's ankles as he walks. only after they leave the city and kni notices their surroundings have changed does he look up again.

it looks just like it did in his books. reference and geography textbook files all loaded nicely on their school tablets, some even had pictures. full color and widespread, kni had looked at them over and over while imagining what paradise would look like.

it was much nicer seeing the real thing, even if it was pouring rain.

kni makes a face at vash's implicating question.]

He's your friend, right? [because for his brother he'll try.]

He is my friend, yes. And it's his home just as much as it is mine.

[ wolfwood wont be here for a day or two, so like introducing a new cat into the house, introducing the kid to Libra first might be easier, anyway.

As he continues to walk through the somewhat winding dirt road, eventually, a sort of stone arch comes into view--as well is there a slight sweet scent to the air. Something like mint, along with a mingling of floral scents.

He'll walk straight through that stone entryway, and into the most abundant garden Kni has likely ever seen.

Vash may have understated how the garden was in comparison to the childhood one they grew up in. There were flowers all over the small garden cottage at the back, but surrounding it were patches of different flora--a small field of wheat, separated little sections where different vegetables like marrow, carrots, eggplant, and cabbages grew. Whole vines full of fat, ripe grapes, little planter boxes that had vines of tomato plants and beans growing.

Behind the house and to the left of it, theres a sparkling river, which is host to a big, creepy looking shoebill.
A big green thomas also settles near the river, in a little hutch, and then to the right of it theres a wide and expansive copse of trees.

And all those trees are laden with different kinds of fruit: pomegranates, apples, olives...

Truly, a paradise. ]

Well.

Welcome home, Kni.

[the rain brings out a kind of vibrancy to the gardens as they enter that has kni awestruck by everything he sees. plants and flowers he recognized, even more that he didn't, kni half-turning in vash's arms to look around as vash walks through the fruitful displays of nature.

home. a word that sat strange on his tongue. was it really home if there was a world where his mirror image was left behind, all alone?

but vash was here, their connection singing in a vibration only they know. if kni couldn't depend on his own instincts, what else was there?]

Can I... look around, later?

Yeah, of course you can.
Once we get you out of your wet clothes, you can take an umbrella and walk around. There's a lot to see, even if the property isn't huge.

[ he gives a little chuckle as he makes a beeline for the little house in the back. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, and getting them both inside. Finally taking the moment to give his head a shake, water flicking a bit as he moves to cross the threshold of the house.

It's not a very big place--a cottage, really. There's two beds pressed up against one wall--one marketedly bigger than the other--and there's a small kitchen area, with a woodstove that still smells gently of woodsmoke. A dining table with four chairs set around it, and there's a few things hanging around the house--both on the walls, and from strings on the ceiling. Drying herbs, a photo of two boys near the door, little decorations--there's even a cowboy hat and a very western looking poncho hanging above the bigger bed, on a hook.
Some cupboards and drawers where vash currently is scurrying over to as he attempts to ... find... something for the kid to wear.

Maybe one of his big hoodies...? ]

Here, take a towel first and dry off. We'll hang up your wet clothes, and you can wear one of my sweaters until they dry.

I have a whole week of work off, starting today, so... we can go shopping for new clothes for you, yeah?

[after vash sets him down to rummage through the drawers, kni stands stock still for a long moment. arms crossed over his chest, as if that might curb some of his shivering, he looks around. the cottage is small, but warm and kni can't help but feel the comfort that radiates throughout the space. if this is what home was supposed to feel like, kni could be okay with this.]

That's convenient...

[kni mumbles, finally moving further into the space. he walks slowly, gazing over the little decorations and knickknacks that hang from the ceilings. he stops at the picture frame, his expression hidden from vash and quickly turns away to move on. he ends up by the door again, where a small stack of towels sits ready to be grabbed. kni picks one up, noting a small hole in the corner, and sets it down again to start pulling the top layer of his uniform off. he grumbles at the feeling of wet fabric dragging over his head before letting it drop on the floor with a wet plop.]

I want to pick my own clothes.

[it's a question dressed up as a demand, kni moving his arms back to try and reach for the hidden zipper to his bodysuit. usually vash was the one who unzipped him, doing the same for his twin in return, but now it was just another moment of feeling that absence like a sting.]

[ the embers of the fire is keeping the place warm. It's likely libra is still in bed--a lump of blankets and pillows off to the side on that bed that's unmoving. it's possibly just a pile, too--the dragon man could have gone for a walk himself, or something--they all DID get heavily drunk last night for his birthday, after all. And while Vash and Wolfwood could shrug off hangovers like nothing, well...

Vash is gonna lean down to grab up the wet shirt Kni throws to the floor. Taking it outside to wring out most of the water just outside the door before coming back to hang it up. Then with a grin, he's plucking up Kni--and placing him directly into a big wooden washtub that's in the corner of the room, next to that warm wood stove.

He'll also help unzip his bodysuit and everything, see; helpful. ]

When we go shopping? Sure. I think it's better that you choose your own stuff. Wearing clothes you want to, and all that.

As for picking your clothes here, there's not much stuff your size, right now.
I figure I'm gonna' have to stick you in a hoodie of mine or somethin' till your other stuff is cleaned and dry.

...

You could use a scrub too. Your hair is ashy and dirty.

[ ...his expression darkens, just a little. ]

Wait- [kni stumbles over his words in surprise as vash picks him up, body going tense until he's plopped into the wash basin. he looks around, ears hot from the sudden indignity of being plucked like some errant kitten, or- or-]

Hoodie-?

[at least being by the fire is nice, kni rubbing at his arms to try and chase the chill away now that he was free from all wet clothes. his eyes snap up to vash then.]

I can wash myself, you know. [his hand moves to brush over his wet hair, feeling the fine grit of sand and soot still trapped between locks of pale hair. seems like the rain didn't wash away all of the evidence of what happened.]

[If Vash would have shown Knives the backyard area, they would have seen the still napping dragon. Apparently, it takes a minute to sleep off your first hangover in your life. Especially when your drinking buddies are... well, the people who showed up.

Libra slowly awakens to the sound of voices, one of which was unfamiliar, and sounded younger than the others he was used to. Getting up, he stretches and yawns, before walking over to the house to tap on one of the windows with a claw.]

What is going on in there?

Hoodie. It's a big floppy sweater with a cozy hood on the back of it. Mine's big enough to go down past your knees, pretty sure.

[ he's gonna move to hang up the wet bodysuit now too, before grabbing up a water bucket that's nearby, and a little bottle of shampoo. He wiggles it at kni with a mischevious grin. ]

You could, but. You got ash and sand everywhere, you sure you don't want a--

[ and then he pauses, turning around--eyes blinking as he hears Libra--lifting his head and giving a small click at the back of his throat. ]

Heeeey, Libby. Hanging out in the flower awning? Thought ya might be out.

We got a ... new friend.
Wanna come meet my brother.

I can do it myself-!

[kni does not appreciate the timing of this introduction. he'd prefer it if he wasn't dirty and chattering teeth, even with the warmth of the furnace so close by. thankfully, he's never had a need for modesty but...]

Vash-

[he hisses in a hushed voice, trying to snatch the bottle of shampoo from vash's hands. the flush from his ears has travelled down to spreading across his face. he may be a little embarrassed.]

--Hahahaa.

[ okay, maybe he shouldn't be amused by Kni getting angry with him, but it's the little things. He sighs whistfully and he allows Kni to snatch the shampoo--and he'll even leave the bucket of clean water for Kni to wash up with near the basin. ]

--Fine, fine. Suit yourself. You get washed up, and I'll get changed.

--Libra! Sorry to bother you, but stay outside a little longer, alright? Just doing some washing up in here first. Then I'll get to cooking dinner, okay?

[ time turn his back to Kni and ...

...Hm. His scars... ]

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