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[The greenhouse is a cage, and thus she's found, for now, that she prefers the rose garden--though beyond the enclosure, they're both very much the same.
Though the vantage point offers a view of many locations, Cantarella is also observing the runoff from the sprinklers, watching the water flow off the side and plunge below, an uninterrupted current.]
What a view, [she says mildly, twirling her open parasol behind her.] It seems we're never far from someone watching us.
[Whether that's over the forums or from some high, platformed garden...not much escape the magnifying glass here.]
Though the vantage point offers a view of many locations, Cantarella is also observing the runoff from the sprinklers, watching the water flow off the side and plunge below, an uninterrupted current.]
What a view, [she says mildly, twirling her open parasol behind her.] It seems we're never far from someone watching us.
[Whether that's over the forums or from some high, platformed garden...not much escape the magnifying glass here.]
[ man, why did he have to be thrown into such a situation to be able to be where he is now? a beautiful greenhouse (cage) with a beautiful woman... oh if only he could enjoy it. well, truly enjoy it.
he'll keep his displeasure to himself and only mention what is important. ]
It's kind of unsettling, isn't it? I'm no stranger to being watched but this feels kind of different.
[ father this. father that. ]
And as pretty as it all looks, it's equally unsettling. The rose motif is so heavy-handed.
he'll keep his displeasure to himself and only mention what is important. ]
It's kind of unsettling, isn't it? I'm no stranger to being watched but this feels kind of different.
[ father this. father that. ]
And as pretty as it all looks, it's equally unsettling. The rose motif is so heavy-handed.
And all red, too. It's almost as if they're stinging creatures, presenting us with their alluring but threatening colors. They do have their thorns, at any rate.
[The unfurling petals of the roses on the rose garden platform remind her of the stretching tendrils of a juvenile jellyrose, so named because it blends the pitch danger of the deep with the beauty of a terrestrial rose.
A plain rose is much less dangerous, but a bed of them is still sharp and unforgiving.]
You certainly scampered off quickly the other evening. [Her chuckle and her gaze are low.] Are you shy?
[The unfurling petals of the roses on the rose garden platform remind her of the stretching tendrils of a juvenile jellyrose, so named because it blends the pitch danger of the deep with the beauty of a terrestrial rose.
A plain rose is much less dangerous, but a bed of them is still sharp and unforgiving.]
You certainly scampered off quickly the other evening. [Her chuckle and her gaze are low.] Are you shy?
Beautiful, red, and dangerous.
I don't think it would take much effort to analyze it—to find the meaning behind it all, especially if you factor the roses on our person. [ ...well. ] For some of us anyway; there are a good number of us who have some variation of red.
[ man, he really can't enjoy a nice conversation with a beautiful woman, can he? at least he doesn't feel like he has to have one foot already out of the door as it's just the two of them here. (just gotta make sure the path is clear.) ]
Shy? No one's ever called me shy before but—I suppose I'm not used to having so many eyes on me. I'm the kind of guy who stays in the back, you know?
I don't think it would take much effort to analyze it—to find the meaning behind it all, especially if you factor the roses on our person. [ ...well. ] For some of us anyway; there are a good number of us who have some variation of red.
[ man, he really can't enjoy a nice conversation with a beautiful woman, can he? at least he doesn't feel like he has to have one foot already out of the door as it's just the two of them here. (just gotta make sure the path is clear.) ]
Shy? No one's ever called me shy before but—I suppose I'm not used to having so many eyes on me. I'm the kind of guy who stays in the back, you know?
I was like that as a girl. The littlest, and I preferred to keep to my work.
[So, if she were to describe herself back then, it'd probably be: shy.
Poor(?) Lavi, though, because with another twist of her parasol, she crosses the part of the garden between them, unperturbed by the wet ground, to lean and look a little closer. How is he healing? ]
Red's a striking color. I like it, too. [As ridiculous as that might sound coming from someone who's all blues and purples like a lightly luminescent creature floating in the darkest pits of the sea.]
I didn't catch your name in your hurry.
[So, if she were to describe herself back then, it'd probably be: shy.
Poor(?) Lavi, though, because with another twist of her parasol, she crosses the part of the garden between them, unperturbed by the wet ground, to lean and look a little closer. How is he healing? ]
Red's a striking color. I like it, too. [As ridiculous as that might sound coming from someone who's all blues and purples like a lightly luminescent creature floating in the darkest pits of the sea.]
I didn't catch your name in your hurry.
[ before he could even think to respond with his thoughts about what her being shy, she does that parasol twirl and walks towards him. look, he had seen her up close but that was when he was injured and head a mess.
arguably, he's in a better mindset now with the ability to make sound(er) decisions. unfortunately, the truth is really is the two sides of him going "pretty lady. hello, pretty lady" and "make sure the exit doesn't disappear on him". ]
You can call me Lavi. [ OR ANYTHING. HE'D RESPOND TO IT. ] But a fan of red, huh? Any particular red you like the best?
[ and as for his injury, of course, it's healing as expected. there's nice fresh bandage on it and will appear to be properly dressed. someone who had a lot of practice fixed him up. ]
arguably, he's in a better mindset now with the ability to make sound(er) decisions. unfortunately, the truth is really is the two sides of him going "pretty lady. hello, pretty lady" and "make sure the exit doesn't disappear on him". ]
You can call me Lavi. [ OR ANYTHING. HE'D RESPOND TO IT. ] But a fan of red, huh? Any particular red you like the best?
[ and as for his injury, of course, it's healing as expected. there's nice fresh bandage on it and will appear to be properly dressed. someone who had a lot of practice fixed him up. ]
[Maybe it's intentional that she moves forward so soon after speaking, not leaving the gap for him to think more of what she was like as a girl. Seeing that the wound looks clean, at least her curiosity seems fed now. She gives him a sweeping gesture of greeting, fingers pinching out her pencil skirt as far as it will go.]
My name is Cantarella. I imagine you knew that already, at least in passing. [They both have access to the graveyard.] I don't often get to introduce myself face-to-face
And... I'm partial to cherries. [As if looking for the flavor on her lip, the tip of her tongue touches it.] They do not lose all their flavor when soaked in liquid and are both sweet and bitter.
My name is Cantarella. I imagine you knew that already, at least in passing. [They both have access to the graveyard.] I don't often get to introduce myself face-to-face
And... I'm partial to cherries. [As if looking for the flavor on her lip, the tip of her tongue touches it.] They do not lose all their flavor when soaked in liquid and are both sweet and bitter.
[ in response to her gesture, he'll instinctively respond in kind with a little bow. he does take time to put the face to the name properly, at least. ]
Is that because of your preferences or due to some other outstanding reason?
[ though lavi is not god's strongest soldier and, for a moment, he can imagine exactly the borderline nsfw content of her and a cherry. the more logical side of his brain chiding the opposing side. this is how he gets himself into trouble.
"there are two wolves inside of me" - lavi in this entire thread. ]
Cherries are pretty great at doing that; that's probably why they're in so many things. You know, oranges also manage to hang onto their taste whatever you use them in.
Is that because of your preferences or due to some other outstanding reason?
[ though lavi is not god's strongest soldier and, for a moment, he can imagine exactly the borderline nsfw content of her and a cherry. the more logical side of his brain chiding the opposing side. this is how he gets himself into trouble.
"there are two wolves inside of me" - lavi in this entire thread. ]
Cherries are pretty great at doing that; that's probably why they're in so many things. You know, oranges also manage to hang onto their taste whatever you use them in.
[Lavi's seen her character trailer, we see. HE'S FALLEN FOR THE BAIT--
He can catch the little flicker of her eyebrows in response to his endorsement of oranges as flavor sponges. So that's what he likes? the interested movement of her brow seems to ask and commit to memory.]
I've been traveling for a while, so it came to be that people in my home country don't recognize me. To my chagrin, I found that rumors of my reclusiveness have already spread.
[Her fingers rest, feather-light, on her cheek, at this troubling information. Well... In a way, that's still a reputation for being shy, isn't it, even if it isn't true?]
He can catch the little flicker of her eyebrows in response to his endorsement of oranges as flavor sponges. So that's what he likes? the interested movement of her brow seems to ask and commit to memory.]
I've been traveling for a while, so it came to be that people in my home country don't recognize me. To my chagrin, I found that rumors of my reclusiveness have already spread.
[Her fingers rest, feather-light, on her cheek, at this troubling information. Well... In a way, that's still a reputation for being shy, isn't it, even if it isn't true?]
[ LAVI IS A HEALTHY GROWING BOY. what more can you want from him... but he'll get over himself quick enough and be interested in these travels. ]
Of all rumors that could be spread, being a recluse isn't the worse of them.
[ unless there was more to it than simply that. ]
What kind of travels have you been on? The epic journey of self-realization?
[ his last question is somewhat of a joke. look, as much as he could judge her for her looks, it doesn't that he will. a woman like her could probably get away with a lot while doing very little. in as many ways as that could be taken. ]
Of all rumors that could be spread, being a recluse isn't the worse of them.
[ unless there was more to it than simply that. ]
What kind of travels have you been on? The epic journey of self-realization?
[ his last question is somewhat of a joke. look, as much as he could judge her for her looks, it doesn't that he will. a woman like her could probably get away with a lot while doing very little. in as many ways as that could be taken. ]
But it's one of the few that aren't true.
[So...it's the principle of the thing, he must see. She sounds very blase about rumors and her reputation, speaking about them like she's glossing a very smooth surface.]
No, I believe I accepted who I am quite a long time ago. I needed help and sought it from others.
[Her smile creeps, deep and resonant, up her face.] So you see, I do know how to ask. Perhaps better than you.
[So...it's the principle of the thing, he must see. She sounds very blase about rumors and her reputation, speaking about them like she's glossing a very smooth surface.]
No, I believe I accepted who I am quite a long time ago. I needed help and sought it from others.
[Her smile creeps, deep and resonant, up her face.] So you see, I do know how to ask. Perhaps better than you.
[ why does he feel like he needs to be careful with how he approaches his answers in the very, very near future if he wishes to come out of this in one piece (lmao). ]
T, that's great to hear. There's nothing better than a woman that's confident in who she is.
[ as for the not-so-obvious jab: ]
What if I said that's because of the lifestyle that I've lived? I was taught to be very independent, you know!
T, that's great to hear. There's nothing better than a woman that's confident in who she is.
[ as for the not-so-obvious jab: ]
What if I said that's because of the lifestyle that I've lived? I was taught to be very independent, you know!
[ okay, so, while there's no real gauge on what is "normal" as how to react whenever you find yourself something between a sentient car and a shadow on the wall, here is this guy who is doing some sort of...limit testing as you could describe it within the dark room.
not that it's obvious until a car suddenly pops out from the wall and appears right in the middle of the room. if a car could shudder (or shiver) then that's exactly what's happening right here. ]
Oh, that's so unpleasant.
not that it's obvious until a car suddenly pops out from the wall and appears right in the middle of the room. if a car could shudder (or shiver) then that's exactly what's happening right here. ]
Oh, that's so unpleasant.
[The darkroom is incredibly small—there's no reasonable way it should be able to fit a car, let alone one that just springs off of the wall and into the room.
Because the place is packed with troughs, basins, and tables, a few of them surely get shoved this way and that by his arrival, causing a splash of various development fluids. Cantarella only adds to the crowding, her ever-present parasol snapping open in front of her, an oddly sturdy barrier between herself and the vehicle.
...Which is in the middle of the darkroom.]
...This room is stuffy, but these fumes are far too tame to give me any effect.
Because the place is packed with troughs, basins, and tables, a few of them surely get shoved this way and that by his arrival, causing a splash of various development fluids. Cantarella only adds to the crowding, her ever-present parasol snapping open in front of her, an oddly sturdy barrier between herself and the vehicle.
...Which is in the middle of the darkroom.]
...This room is stuffy, but these fumes are far too tame to give me any effect.
[ oops. sometimes you just forget the size of a wholeass car within a small space that typically would have been fine with two people inside of it... except, well, he isn't people anymore now is he?
not that it stops him from acting like one as he'll "back up" and knock into a few more water baths and developing areas accidentally. ]
I didn't knock anything over, did I?
[ and before she gets a chance to respond, he'll pop back into the wall as a shadow, however, given that this is a dark room jumping into a shadow to have light cast on him it's only temporary as he quickly becomes a car again. ]
Ughh... Okay. [ if a car could sound nauseated then here is a car sounding extremely nauseated. ] Never mind, I'm not doing that again.
not that it stops him from acting like one as he'll "back up" and knock into a few more water baths and developing areas accidentally. ]
I didn't knock anything over, did I?
[ and before she gets a chance to respond, he'll pop back into the wall as a shadow, however, given that this is a dark room jumping into a shadow to have light cast on him it's only temporary as he quickly becomes a car again. ]
Ughh... Okay. [ if a car could sound nauseated then here is a car sounding extremely nauseated. ] Never mind, I'm not doing that again.
[Lavi the car, for however much he can perceive this response, is getting an extremely rare glimpse of surprise on Cantarella's face. It's mellow enough that it's still very much her in its expression, but it's clear from her features that she had no way to expect this. And how could she, really. There's a car in the darkroom, and she's been rattled back against the far wall by all the jostling.]
Please do refrain. You'll drown us both if you keep that up. [Please, please...cease. Stop rattling the chemical bins and basins and drainage pipes.
Parasol still at the ready but tucked beneath her arm, Cantarella checks her pulse.] Being disconnected from the frequencies has either envenomed my mind or my dreams have decided to conjure new nightmares. I feel perfectly fine. I don't suppose you could...honk loudly, dream Echo...and wake me up, could you?
Please do refrain. You'll drown us both if you keep that up. [Please, please...cease. Stop rattling the chemical bins and basins and drainage pipes.
Parasol still at the ready but tucked beneath her arm, Cantarella checks her pulse.] Being disconnected from the frequencies has either envenomed my mind or my dreams have decided to conjure new nightmares. I feel perfectly fine. I don't suppose you could...honk loudly, dream Echo...and wake me up, could you?
[ poor cantarella gracefully losing her mind as lavi (car) tries to understand everything that has happened to him. it's been a very strange day for him, okay? at least he'll listen to her and stop moving around and simply just stay where he's at. perfectly still.
while a part of him is offended that she thinks that this is all a dream, he also can't blame her for thinking that it is. all of this is very close to what someone could expect from a fever dream... though since she asked, he will deliver.
enough an extremely loud HONK that's less of a car honk but more of a person (lavi) yelling honk as loud as they humanly can be and in extremely close proximity. ]
D...did that work?
[ you know. assuming that this is a dream. (it isn't a dream.) ]
I'm still trying to get a handle on all of this. It's very weird.
while a part of him is offended that she thinks that this is all a dream, he also can't blame her for thinking that it is. all of this is very close to what someone could expect from a fever dream... though since she asked, he will deliver.
enough an extremely loud HONK that's less of a car honk but more of a person (lavi) yelling honk as loud as they humanly can be and in extremely close proximity. ]
D...did that work?
[ you know. assuming that this is a dream. (it isn't a dream.) ]
I'm still trying to get a handle on all of this. It's very weird.
[The "honk" brings her hand to her chest. That's normal, too. In fact, there's not a single symptom she can find that anything's amiss.]
That voice...
[Cantarella is haunted by the voices of the lost; as far as she's concerned, this is just another one crying out from the shadows. Or it would be, except he is a car. Tacet Discords form from the lingering frequencies of the world, and the voices of the dead join those frequencies. But this place is not like Solaris. Still, perhaps she wasn't so far off to compare the faceless beings roaming this tower to those disembodied sounds.]
Hah...Is this a ghost story?
That voice...
[Cantarella is haunted by the voices of the lost; as far as she's concerned, this is just another one crying out from the shadows. Or it would be, except he is a car. Tacet Discords form from the lingering frequencies of the world, and the voices of the dead join those frequencies. But this place is not like Solaris. Still, perhaps she wasn't so far off to compare the faceless beings roaming this tower to those disembodied sounds.]
Hah...Is this a ghost story?
Ghost story?
[ not that he doesn't understand her confusion. she isn't the first person to have questioned it and she very well likely won't be the last person to question it. hell, even he questions it. the more important part is how things are going to work themselves out from here on out. not that they have a lot to work with on multiple levels. ]
I suppose you could look at it as a ghost story, but I'd be pretty offended if you did since I'm not a ghost. [ probably... ] I wonder if this is how ghosts feel.
[ not that he doesn't understand her confusion. she isn't the first person to have questioned it and she very well likely won't be the last person to question it. hell, even he questions it. the more important part is how things are going to work themselves out from here on out. not that they have a lot to work with on multiple levels. ]
I suppose you could look at it as a ghost story, but I'd be pretty offended if you did since I'm not a ghost. [ probably... ] I wonder if this is how ghosts feel.
[No, he's not a ghost; he's a car.]
That they also deny being ghosts despite all evidence to the contrary?
[Slowly, with a movement that's as graceful as it is guarded, Cantarella returns the parasol to its closed state.]
Forgive me, I— [have forgotten several details about what he looked like; even his voice is more like a hollow echo of what she can recall than something she can identify by name.] You are fading rapidly from this place.
That they also deny being ghosts despite all evidence to the contrary?
[Slowly, with a movement that's as graceful as it is guarded, Cantarella returns the parasol to its closed state.]
Forgive me, I— [have forgotten several details about what he looked like; even his voice is more like a hollow echo of what she can recall than something she can identify by name.] You are fading rapidly from this place.
If they're self-aware, then maybe.
[ and as she confesses that she's begun to forget him, and at "rapid speeds" then it just makes him a bit resigned. as much as a car could appear to be resigned, however, at least his voice will give the emotion that cannot be expressed with gestures. ]
I seem to be fading for myself as well.
[ which is. fine. who needs to remember him, right?? ]
[ and as she confesses that she's begun to forget him, and at "rapid speeds" then it just makes him a bit resigned. as much as a car could appear to be resigned, however, at least his voice will give the emotion that cannot be expressed with gestures. ]
I seem to be fading for myself as well.
[ which is. fine. who needs to remember him, right?? ]
If it's memories of what happened here then there's nothing to be worried about there.
[ a part of him doesn't want to share, but if he doesn't then who else, right? he knows this is important. it's what is necessary to keep things alive. ]
...I've been told that my name is "Lavi" by someone I can trust, but the rest around it has been smeared. The faces of people that I'm supposed to know are like smudges.
Even what I know doesn't have a clear context. I know I was on a mission to record but I don't know what for.
[ a part of him doesn't want to share, but if he doesn't then who else, right? he knows this is important. it's what is necessary to keep things alive. ]
...I've been told that my name is "Lavi" by someone I can trust, but the rest around it has been smeared. The faces of people that I'm supposed to know are like smudges.
Even what I know doesn't have a clear context. I know I was on a mission to record but I don't know what for.
It sounds as if the thread begins unraveling outside of Father's purview. Reality is slowly being dissolved.
[It wasn't completely illogical to assume that information on all of them had been gathered in anticipation of their arrival, but from the gossip and the warping of the information on their identification cards, it's a poor imitation, mutating and dissolving into the barely recognizable shape of a person.
(What had his said...? She's kept so meticulous an eye on things, but this ran through her fingers.)]
You kept a bit of distance, my dear, not that I can blame you. Do you remember the person who raised you?
[It wasn't completely illogical to assume that information on all of them had been gathered in anticipation of their arrival, but from the gossip and the warping of the information on their identification cards, it's a poor imitation, mutating and dissolving into the barely recognizable shape of a person.
(What had his said...? She's kept so meticulous an eye on things, but this ran through her fingers.)]
You kept a bit of distance, my dear, not that I can blame you. Do you remember the person who raised you?
[ he really can't argue against what she's saying here because it isn't wrong. (distance was always important to him. distance kept him alive.) lavi might want to question the use of "reality" in this sense but the fundamentals are there and it doesn't change how unsettling it is to think about it. ]
The person who raised me?
[ there will be a long pause as he mulls it over. it's really unfortunate that he's a car like this because there isn't a way that he can show that he's doing such a thing. so, sorry for the extended pause, cantarella... the next time lavi speaks, he does so with some level of frustration. ]
I remember them being strict. Reminding me of something constantly...
The person who raised me?
[ there will be a long pause as he mulls it over. it's really unfortunate that he's a car like this because there isn't a way that he can show that he's doing such a thing. so, sorry for the extended pause, cantarella... the next time lavi speaks, he does so with some level of frustration. ]
I remember them being strict. Reminding me of something constantly...
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