ahappylie | 057 [ audio & action ]

Current Music: Mirah - Nobody Has to Stay & Elvis Costello - Man Out of Time

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057 [ audio & action ]

[Action: Noon, August 21st]
[It's strange to be back so suddenly. One moment he's stuck underground and the next he's waking up, staring up at blue sky and feeling the hot rays of the sun. He's pretty sure he's tanning up here, but it doesn't really matter. It's just nice to see the sun again and feel unrestrained for the first time in so long. After staying like that for a few minutes, he finally sits up and takes stock of where he is.

Which is apparently on top of one of the shops in the town square. Getting down will be problematic.

Before he can call to the people he sees down below, however, he suddenly hears something. The song starts up and keeps playing in the background even as he twists and turns to see where the thing is coming from.]

...I hope I'm not the only one who can hear that.

[Audio]
[In the background, this song can be heard quite noticeably.]

Hm~ I guess it isn't so bad. [He laughs a little.] I've been gone for quite awhile it seems. House 50? How is everyone doing?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sob. Girly-looking. Can't you see the hakama she's wearing? All boyish and stuff?!]

You needn't apologize - you...you aren't hurt, are you? [Captors...sounds like they were really troublesome, if they could subdue Okita Souji of any sort.]

[....Hakama does not change this girlishness around your figure, sisbro.]

Oh, no. I'm just stuck on the roof and that isn't so terrible, really.

[The bad things happened before coming here, after all, but he doesn't want to talk about those.]

If this was any taller, perhaps I could see the house from here.

[Chizuru blinks at that last comment. Was this Okita shorter? Her Okita was rather tall, actually...]

If you're stuck...does that mean you need help down?

[He laughs a little.] I would say yes, but I think someone is going for a ladder. If they don't return, however, I may just need some help.

...should I come by, just in case? [They may need help holding the ladder, after all.]

Or--[If he is another Okita, then...] Would you like me to make you something to eat for when you get here?

Is that what he would like? [Curious because, even if they're the same person, they're very different and it's kind of hard to ask his other self about these things.]

[At first Chizuru flushes. Did he read her mind? Well, it's not like she was thinking anything unpleasant. Instead, she smiles.] Yup! Especially if it's something sweet!

[He laughs.] Well, we do have that in common. [A light cough.]

Ah, but I think some company would be preferable right now. We haven't had much chance to talk yet either.

[The tuberculosis too, no doubt. Chizuru's smile fades momentarily, but she knows better than to draw attention to it.]

Shall I come find you then? Walk you back?

That would be nice. I think the boy is coming back with the ladder. Shall I meet you at the fountain?

[This Okita was so much more pleasant than the one from her world! What gives?]

Alright! I'll be waiting there!

[Twiiiiliiiight zoooooooooone oooooeeeeeoooooo

About twenty minutes later, Souji appears coming across the square. He's a little disheveled and there is still music playing in the background. He's limping a little, but otherwise looks fine and when he spots her standing by the fountain, he bows with a smile.]

Hello.

[Oh my goodness, what is that bizarre sound?]

You look hurt! [Chizuru runs up to the young man, quick to bring her hands up to help him walk, but she stops short, freezing mid-reach when she remembered - oh right - this isn't her Okita...]

Erm...[She swallows, unsure what to do with her hands, since they now look pretty strange doing what they were doing...] That is, d-do you need any help? [She wipes her palms on the front of her hakama...that's something...]

[Yeah, touching him is a little weird. He looks at her when her hands do that floaty-I-don't-know-what-to-do thing and then laughs a little.]

Oh, I'm alright. I simply fell from the ladder.

[Lulz, Leo was too tiny to hold it.]

I'm sure it will be fine in a few minutes. How are you doing today?

[The laughter was enough to convince her to smile in return, and she brought her hands back up and waved them nervously.] That's not exactly 'simple' - how far was the fall?

[And that cough--that could've made it worse, you know! Chizuru wasn't born yesterday!] I've heard about you from Okita-sa--er, the other Okita-san, so...a...are you sure you're going to be okay? [Was he rasetsu, too?]

Just a story or so. The Ikedaya was much worse than that. [He smiles and pats her head.]

I don't know what my other self has told you, but I'm not as fragile as people like to believe. I'll be fine, Chizuru-chan. Thank you for your worry.

[Ikedaya--]

Did you injure yourself there, too? Severely, like Okit--l-like the Okita I know did?

[Is that when you started showing symptoms of...of...] Erk-[A head pat? So soon? Chizuru blushes as she looks up to this Okita.] Actually, he claims the same for himself, in spite of everything.

Yoshida-sensei nearly crushed my chest. [He says with a smile. Doesn't matter because lulz I beheaded that assbutt later.] But it wasn't as bad as others.

Which, I suppose, is one thing your Okita-san and myself have in common, hm? I'm finding out we have fewer things in common than I would have expected.

[Okita had his chest crushed, too! She knew it! There were things in common!]

What are some of the differences, though?

[Who knows? Maybe she'll learn something knew about her Okita--

.....

...er, the Okita she knows--along with getting to know this one!]

For one, Hijikata-san is my best friend where I am from. I've noticed that isn't exactly the case here.

Heeeh....[Chizuru does appear to be intrigued by this.] I think...they're friends but--[She brings a hand up to her mouth, prepared to stifle any stray giggle.]--Okita-san likes to be antagonistic for the attention...not that Hijikata-san doesn't lend himself to being teased, as serious as he is.

He does, doesn't he? When you see someone being so serious, don't you just want to ruffle their feathers?

[The very thought makes Chizuru's head want to explode. She quickly brings her hands up, waving them defensively.] I-I would never..! I'm quite certain I would be signing a death wish at that point..!

And that is why you have to be sneaky about it.

Really, it's for his own good. If he doesn't release some stress, he'll get gray hairs.

[...okay, maybe you have a little more in common with Okita-san than Chizuru had initially thought.]

...is the Hijikata-san you know a lot like the one here?

[voice] It's ok! ♥

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