The Secret

The Secret
Date of Scene:	27 September 2012
Location:	Targ Woods
Synopsis:	Reize and Shiki have a heart to heart.
Cast of Characters:	Reize Seatlan, Shiki Misaki

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Reize Seatlan has posed:
Targ Woods...
This is a dark and gloomy place due to the thick overgrowth that populate the area. Dangerous monsters lurk here, as well as giant mushrooms and other sorts of plant life. While the woods thin out eastward, the journey leads the group through the trails up north that is the steep woods.
With it approaching night, it is best to settle at the woods.
Firewood had been gathered and set at the center as campfire. A spit had formed using branches. With the fire crackling, it creates a nice smoke, but nothing too invasive. The atmosphere has calmed considerably, given the dangers having past.
One of the monsters were caught and skinned. Meat was good. It was held along the spit underneath the flames, getting ready for food.
Reize himself had prepared the meal and worked on setting the fire. If there was one good trait of his abilities, it's the survivalist in him. He's currently without his headband, scarf, and gauntlets, letting them hang along the trees.
He brightens considerably, "Dinner's almost ready!"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Here is a fun fact.

Shiki Misaki has never been outside of a major city in her life.

In fact, Shiki Misaki has never really left Shibuya, vacations aside, her entire life. She is beginning to wonder what she let herself in for.

Oh, sure, Midgar was ... OK, actually it wasn't good or reassuring at all, it was frightening. It was like a futuristic dystopia you see in movies. But hey, at least the shopping in Wall Market was good.

On the other hand, now Shiki has to carry what she bought. To Florgious, which is a /stupid name/. Just like a lot of other stupid stuff!

And now we're in a dangerous forest full of monsters and giant mushrooms. Which is /also/ like something in a storybook. The fact that we have barbeque is a small consolation, but somewhat eclipsed by the fact that it probably still has legs.

Basically Shiki has been very quiet and right now she's sat there looking like, ;_;

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize, admittedly, had a feling that Shiki had not experienced the forest life. If there was one thing that could be counted on, is that Reize would be able to protect her until she could settle in the life.
It was his promise.
The path to Fluorgis would be a long one, but they would have to make good time and survive. His eyes drift towards Shiki, who seems to be tearful of her situation. An empathetic smile is given her way.
"...You know, I didn't know what I would do when I got lost in the woods for the first time." He stands up, getting a leg from the spit. He procures a small wooden bowl from is pouch and he places the leg on. Of course, it looks way too large for it.
Nevertheless, he walks to Shiki and hands her to meat.
Smile.
"You'll need your strength, Shiki."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki's not afraid to take it, because hey, once you adapt in like two hours to being dead, and fighting for your life using psychokinetic superpowers, you can get used to a lot of things pretty quickly. It's just...

"Heh. Sorry, Reize. It's just... it's been a couple of weeks now, and I haven't really had many times like these to stop and take a breath. You know?"

Chomp. It's good! "I'm used to... big buildings and roads and streets and fashion and... having a cellphone reception..." And Noise. "This is the first time I've ever done anything like this. Life's just been a non-stop adventure for the last... two-and-a-bit weeks..."

She smiles, with a bit of something stuck to the side of my mouth. "But I'm glad I'm out here doing this with you. You can be my knight in shining armour."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
When she seems to come to, Reize relaxes little more. She isn't so shocked. "It's always good to have a spot to relax and catch your breath..." He turns away from the girl to walk to the flames. "... It felt so odd being in Midgar and Manhatten." He frowns, "It's so different from my village. It's so busy and crowded." He rubs his forehead, "...I don't know. I came from a village of maybe 100 people. Likely much less than that."
Blink.
"What's a cellphone?" His ahoge quirks, forming a question mark to help display the boy's confusion. Shiki's first time in a somewhat slower paced atmosphere. "...It's one of the reasons I like adventuring." He tilts his head to the side, "You will get used to it soon."
Her statement of him being her knight earns a brighten smile, "Thanks Shiki..." Then, he tilts his head, pulling the other leg before taking a bite. His eyes lock towards her with curiosity.
"...Is your world like those two cities that we were in?"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki takes out her cell, and flips it open without thinking. It's a typical little cellphone, albeit with a player pin icon in the bottom left-hand corner. The battery life marker seems to be replaced with an infinity symbol rather than the normal three bars inside a battery outline.

Of course, none of those may be as interesting as the cellphone's wallpaper, which features one familar young lady with a hat and red hair... who is hugging another girl her age in a green jacket, with short black hair and glasses.

Shiki shows it for a few seconds then snaps it closed and puts it back in her purse.

Being around Reize makes her feel comfortable, she realises. He's a non-threatening boy! Someone she'd be happy to have as her partner.

And because of that, although she'd be afraid to speak to just anyone about... some things, right now, as the sun falls she feels like she could tell him anything. Even...

"Shibuya is like Manhattan... but it's the cultural centre of the world," she replies. "Fashion, trends, culture and socialising... mean everything in that city. Hundreds of thousands of people live there, and every building is covered in shiny neon."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
When Reize looks over towards the girl's cellphone, he peeks over to the handheld device. He can see the Player Pin icon at the bottom corner. "Oh wow! I remember that symbol! It's what you held out for me to touch!" He looks over towards the marker.
So that is a cellphone. That is interesting! He squints his eyes, "...What magic does that run off of?"
Then, the boy gets a glimpse over towards the red-haired girl and the bespectacle girl. A faint smile is given. But when she shuts it, he blinks and he looks back at the girl once she explains about Shibuya.
"...Wow!" He blinks, trying to comprehend such a place. "...That sounds really big! How do people keep track of one another?" He scratches his head, "It sounds like one can easily get lost there and no one would notice."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"That's a good question, actually," Shiki says when Reize asks her about how her cellphone works. "I guess the Reapers must have given it some sort of charge so it works all the time instead of running out of electricity. But they're not around to contact me, so right now it's not very useful, I guess."

She wiggles a bit to get comfortable. "The thing about Shibuya is that... it's a part of a much bigger city, not a city of its own. So really, there are a lot of people crammed into just one part of a much bigger place. And people... well, they mingle, they socialise. You've gotta have one of these to keep in contact with your friends, too! When we ... played our games, part of it was helping people communicate with one another and making sure they were connected, and social, and sharing ideas with one another." "...I had a partner who could get lost, though, just by covering up his ears and shutting out the rest of the world..."

"I hope I find him again."

"So what about you, Reize?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
"Time?" The boy tilts his hed over, then he furrows his eyebrows, "So it used to run off of electricity?" He thinks over what in his world runs off of that. However, anything he tries to come up with in correlation will resulting in question marks over his head.
Reize makes his way towards oneof the logs, then he lifts his eyes to get a better look at Shiki. "So people survive by mingling, socializing... Trying to have each other." He looks towards the rising fire at the center. While his eyes return to Shiki, the boy muses, "Forming a bond. That is good to have."
The mention about her partner does earn a blink, "...He doesn't sound too social." He rubs the back of his head. But then his world comes to mind. To this, the boy quirks an eyebrow.
"I don't know much about my world, honestly. I lived in a very small village. Everyone knew each other." He slides along the log until his head rests gainst it. Both hands move behind his head. His eyes lift up to see the blanket in the air.
"It's not like Manhatten or Midgar. Take staring at the sky for example. Because there are so much you couldn't see the stars." He smiles, "However, with my home, you can see the stars everywhere." Dreamily, he adds, "...We had a river a ways away from the village, so all of the boys and I got together to play there and have our adventure exploring the woods."
He sighs with exasperation.
"...Well, until the adults found us and scolded us all."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki laughs a little.

"Wow. We really do come from totally different worlds, don't we?" she says, sitting back herself and resting on her hands.

"It sounds... nice," she says, feeling a little wistful. She realises it's been so long since she's seen the stars herself that she can hardly remember the last time. None of them are even familiar to her.

"Neither of us have ever seen anything like it... ever met anyone like the other before this. Is that why you were motivated to find your home?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize's laugh carries a bit more of a jovial beat. While his eyes gaze at the stars, he does turn to see Shiki as she asks about his motivation.
"This is an adventure for me... To do what my father did when he was an adventurer. Knight's Vow #34: Anyone can strive for their own, but it takes a bigger person to strive for others. It's not particularly my own world that I'm just finding, but for others as well." He frowns, "...People experienced their worlds being taken away. I suppose mine was taken as well, but... I felt like I was away from it all when I was in that one world." He shakes his head.
"I want to learn what these tarots mean and why they are like my mother's paintings." His eyes give indication of his somberness. "...I also want to understand what is it about this pendant and why I could see people's wishes at that place."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki, in the back of her mind, wishes she knew her parents better.

"I think," she says slowly. "You have a big destiny ahead of you, Reize."

"You sound like one of those people who wants to change the world, and I think you've got the heart to do it. I never had ambitions like that, or anything like it... I just wanted to grow up and work making fashion for people. And then, I, I..."

Do I trust you?
Are you my friend?
Will you stand by me?
Once you see the real me, will we still be friends?

"...Reize, we're friends, aren't we?"
"Can I tell you a secret?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
"...Don't know about destiny..." Reizes muses thoughtfully. "But.." He smiles, "...I am ready to deal with whatever comes my way. I know I won't be alone." He brightens, "I have friends like you by my side!"
The boy listens to her, "That sounds like an ambition to me, Shiki. You want to do something that will benefit people." He brightens considerably, "It sounds like an ambition that you can accomplish! Just keep working hard at it!"
He listens to her, reading her expression.
"Yeah, we're friends." He starts to roll from his position, getting back to sitting upright. She now has his undivided attention.
"I can keep a secret."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"Thank you, Reize. But... the thing is..."

She takes her player pin out, a second, and holds it up in the air so it covers the moon. She flips it around, and pins it to her hat, perhaps for illustrative purposes.

"You remember what I've been telling you, about our game, and the Noise, and partners, and Reapers... I haven't been totally truthful. But I'm going to explain it to you now."

She closes her eyes, leans back a little, and makes a sheepish smile.

"I'm dead, Reize."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The thing is...
When she pulls her pin, Reize looks over to her to see her place it over her head. He looks up at the pin, recalling it when he had to touch it in order to fight the Noise with her. He stares at it for a moment, then he looks back at her.
".. Yeah. I recall. They seemed like the Heartless in some way. Admittedly, I am still confused but..."

She's dead.

Cheerful smile. "Oh! Okay!..."

...
...
...
Wait for that little hampster in his head to start running along that wheel.

Oh, there it is.
...
Wait... what?
Both eyes widen.
"EH?!?!?!?!"
He jumps up, looking at Shiki, "But... how.. you seem alive to me!"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki laughs again. She leans over and pokes him just as a sort of 'yeah, I'm solid' sort of indicator. Then she shrugs.

"I was involved in an... accident. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the middle of Scramble Crossing (which is a big concourse) with the other Players. That is to say... the players of the Reaper's Game. We weren't ghosts, or zombies, we... I don't know what we were. But we were in the Underground, which is... a place on a different frequency." Like the Noise.

"I said about playing around... well, we were given tasks by the Reapers. To find a partner, to run around Shibuya, to fight the Noise, to help bring people together. We were competing against them, really... if we could get through the week, then we'd be given another chance. To come back to life."

"...but something happened, and when the week was over, there was a flash and the next thing I knew, the Heartless had come."

"So I guess the results are postponed indefinitely," she says, with a shrug. It's indifferent, but you can tell...

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Blink. Blink.
So, she is alive. In the sense that she is solid.
Hearing about her accident elicts a frown. As she explains her role as a player, the boy squints. So, she isn't 'undead' per se. Just in some different plane. The boy walks over to her and rests it over to her shoulder.
If she could see him, his eyes are filled with determination. "...I'll help you achieve that second chance." He states, "...And you'll be reunited with your friend... both the guy and the girl in the picture on your phone."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
That girl...
Well, you'll know some day.

Shiki turns, and hugs Reize. She's certainly warm enough.

"Reize... thank you. You're the first person I've been able to tell these things to outside of my home... I'm so glad I'm here with you now."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
 !!!!
A hug!
*DOOIIING!*
The ahoge flips up as the boy's cheeks become bright as fire. There is the reaction to the cooties coming, but... Reize instead takes a more brotherly nature and places a hand over her shoulder to reciprocate the affection as much as he can.
That will fend off the cooties. Oh god. Relax Reize, it's not like she kissed him.
The warm smile is rewarded to Shiki, "It's good to have you around, Shiki." The boy turns to the log, now settling onto the flames. "...We should rest now. From what I was told, well have to go through the Mythril Mines tomorrow."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"Thank you."

"You're my first friend from the bigger picture, I guess... and I'll do my best to protect you, too."

Shiki looks at Reize and smiles. She takes her hat off and pops the player pin back in her tote bag for a moment, its purpose fulfilled. Back in the pocket it goes with her other spare ones... each little tin pins with colorful designs, but powerful channels for psychokinetic power in her hands.

Power to defend and save.

"Alright, then. Goodnight, Reize." She smiles. "Tomorrow's gonna be a good day."