therealbrianna | Come As You Are // Open Post

[ Josh comes back out to the porch after excusing himself to the little boys' room. He's got a pitcher of water in one hand and two glasses balanced in the other as he joins Brianna. ]

Thanks again, for having me over.

[ She smiles as Josh comes back out and thanks him. ]

It's no problem! We love having people over. My mom is quite the host, huh?

[ As he puts down the pitcher and the glasses, she takes one glass and pour herself a drink. She takes a small sip. ]

Besides, it's nice being able to spend time with my blademates outside of missions and class. At least I get to do something normal. [ She manages a small laugh at that. Normal. ]

She's great, [ he grins, leaning back into his own seat.

He smiles when she says 'blade mates' and slides out his pack of cigarettes, taking out two and offering her one after he sets the other between his lips.

It's becoming habit now, but he oddly finds that he doesn't mind. ]

What do you do outside of class? [ He doesn't know much about her outside of the little that he does -- which actually isn't much, if he doesn't count their earlier conversation today. ]

[ She thanks Josh for the offer. Then, she lights one up and takes a short drag before responding. ]

Uhm... If there's nothing important to do like missions or whatnot, I try to study. If not, I see if Tala's available so we can train!

What about you?

Studying too, for the most part anyway.

[ There's a slow shrug of his shoulders. ]

Sometimes I go hang out at Haven when the others don't ask to chill at King's Rest. [ He remembers their earlier conversation, ] The guy I told you about -- Rethe, the angel? He spins there. He's really good at it.

[ A beat: ] We should go sometime... [ and then he cants his head to one side. ] What music do you like?

[ Brianna's eyes perk up at the mention of Haven. ]

Ooh, Haven! I've been meaning to check it out but I haven't really found the time or... well, the right company for it. I didn't know you hang out there, and with a Real Angel at that!

[ She laughs and takes a sip of water. ]

But yeah sure, I'd love to go! And uhm, I'm really into a lot of genres, I guess. My favorite is chillwave, though. I default to that when I'm not craving for a specific sound.

And you?

[ Yeah! Getting to know each other! This is great. :3 ]

Chillwave? Yeah, it suits you -- I mean, it fits your personality. [ He grins, takes a drag from his cigarette and pauses before he exhales. He's still feeling out the kind of person Brianna is, since this is the first time ( barring this morning ) that they've been alone together. ] As for me, I have a thing for old school melodic EDM? Stuff from the early 2010s, Swedish House Mafia, Zedd... Calvin Harris. And the mixes that the DJs back then did of alternative and pop rock groups.

[ He looks really sheepish. ] But yeah, you should... you should check out Haven sometime. Rethe's really good. He experiments with a lot of sounds and it's pretty awesome to watch him spin. He does it the way they used to -- turntables and all.

[ He falls quiet then, offers another smile; tongue in cheek. ] What're your favorites? With chillwave.

[ She nods as Josh lists down the artists he's into. She likes how she can talk to him about things as simple as music - a bit of normalcy in her life, at least. She's glad to be finally talking to a blademate about things outside of missions and things they've been through. Finally, a breather. ]

Ooh, what do you mean it fits my personality? [ She is genuinely curious. ] And yeah, I've heard of them from my parents, I think...

[ She takes a drag off her cigarette. ]
You really speak fondly of Rethe. How is he? And I'd totes love to go to Haven as long as you go with me! [ She smiles. ]

My favorites are usually... Bondax? Ever heard of them? Similar Objects too.

[ She shrugs and says in a whisper: ] Sometimes they all sound the same. [ Then she laughs. ]

[ He chuckles softly at that last whispered part and replies in an equally conspiratorial whisper: ] That's what some people say about EDM, but it's aight. Different tastes for different people.

[ He taps out his stick and thinks on the artists she's named, and that sheepish smile is back again. ] I think I've heard of Similar Objects, but not Bondax [ an apologetic wince, right here. ] Tell you what, you give me the names of your favorite tracks and I'll look them up and stick them in my playlist for when I jog in the mornings.

[ He's nodding at this point as if to say: Yes? Please, say yes?

He hasn't answered her question yet, or replied to her remark about Rethe -- but he'll get to both of those things soon enough. ]

Edited 2014-02-07 08:03 (UTC)

[ Brianna nods earnestly, agreeing with what Josh said. ]Yeap, to each his own! Unless, yknow, their taste is irrational and just...generally sucks. [ She shrugs innocently. ] And yeah, not a lot of people have heard of Bondax. They're this amazing chill wave duo. [ She examines her nails with a smirk, proud of her (in her viewpoint) excellent taste in music.

She thinks about Josh's request and her face is confused. ]

Uhm... I don't think chill wave will make for good jogging music though... If anything, it makes me feel all relaxed and happy, like when I'm ready for bed or if I've had a good day. [ She places a finger on her lips and looks up, thinking. ] I also listen to chill wave when I've had a bad day and need to relax... [ She then looks at Josh with sad, apologetic eyes. ]

[ He laughs when she reacts the way she does, brow quirking a little because he finds himself relaxing all the more in her company. Talking frankly is something he's always appreciated from people -- no matter the subject matter. ]

Well, you know, I can jog to anything as long as the music's good -- like some of Rethe's mixes online -- he's good, by the way. Texted him last night. [ The exchange had been brief, and about Hikaru. ] But yeah, just toss me recommendations anyway. Could use some new things to listen to during my downtime.

[ He tosses her a curious look when he catches that quiet apology in her eyes. ] What's up?

[ She's already taking mental notes. Must check out Rethe's mixes online! She loves discovering what other people are into - as much as she loves being 'in the know'. ]

Oh? What did you guys talk about? [ Her curiousness is at its peak. ]

O-oh, um. [ Well, she already knows, so... shrug. ] I basically texted him about Hikaru.

[ He takes a puff. ] After the thing yesterday-- [ South Korea, the kid he, Taning and Brig had stood up for ] --Hikaru looked pretty pissed.

[ His gaze falls to his hands at that. ] It wasn't my intention, and I mean, you know now that when I bounced from the King's Rest last night, I went to see the Blade King, but... yeah. [ Another shrug, a final drag of his cigarette before he kills it on the available ashtray. ] But when I'd left I had seriously no clue where to find him so... I... asked Rethe if I could get his number.

[ The exchange had been simple: Rethe hadn't given it, felt best that if Josh did eventually get the Blade King's nunber it would've been straight from Hikaru himself. ] He didn't give it to me, so I went looking. Found him at the Great Hall.

[ After a few false starts, that is.¹ ]

[ Hmm. She doesn't really look happy at this point. She didn't like it either, seeing Hikaru pissed and she was being frank with him - she specifically told him: I'd be pissed if I were you. Nevertheless, she's open to hearing out what Josh had to say. ]

Well, you can't really blame him. It was pretty harsh for him, yknow. How was he though, when you found him?

[ It's mostly in hindsight that he quietly agrees about the harshness. At the time, he'd been too worried about the kid, and admittedly, too unnerved by those red rings in Hikaru's eyes. ]

Busy. [ A beat. ] Stressed.

[ Thinking about the way the Blade King had looked so worn, and how as the conversation stretched on, he seemed to only get worse--

--until Josh remembered what Aria Skye had said about bans and made the connection. ] Better though, after some coffee and a bit of back and forth conversation.

[ A smile now, a reassuring one. Because it's not his secret to share. Nevermind how dangerous it would be, if the wrong people knew. ]

[ Smiling at Josh. ]

It's nice to know that you've got his back.

[ She can't always be there for him. And it seems like he does crave for other people's company too, and not just hers. Having a blade mate of hers stay close to him when she can't is a good thing. Plus, it's Josh. ]

[ He smiles at that, grateful for her approval. ]

I figure I owe him. [ Leaning forward now, hands clasped on the table. He's thinking back to the way Coach had bowed to the man, that firt time they'd met. ]

I don't know how the mechanics of Death works where Sin-Eaters are concerned, but... I'm here, so. Guess it wasn't my time to go.

[ Reaching for a new cigarette now, lighting up. ]

[ Eh? ]

Owe him.. for what?

[ It strikes her curiosity; does her daddy actually have a hand in deciding who gets to be reborn as sin-eaters...? ]

[ Falling quiet for a moment and wondering Does she not know--

Leaning forward, speaking soft: ] You know he's... tied to Death, right?

[ Oh she knows.

She witnessed him try to pacify the soul of the boy in South Korea by "taking him" and she kind of connected the dots. Other than that, she doesn't know anything else. ]

Yeah, and that he collects souls or whatever, right?

[ He nods at that, smiles a little.

He isn't sure how much is too much in terms of telling her, and he's still flashing back to the way Hikaru looked when he'd pressed too close to the truth of the ban. ]

Well, at the end of things, Death owns all of us, right? I've been on a couple of walks with Rethe and it's kind of like being in a position of knowing when to take people, when it's their time.

[ A sheepish smile. ] I just thought it was just a waste, letting that kid go -- letting all that potential die out because he was stupid and made a mistake.

I'm kind of... [ he shrugs ] I'm a big believer in second chances. I mean, [ nervous laugh at that ] I'm kind of a walking case study on that. But... he is Death. And... I dunno. I just feel like I owe him. If he decided I was meant to die, I wouldn't be here, right?

Edited 2014-03-09 02:58 (UTC)

[ She looks thoughtfully at Josh. ]

Yeah, you can say that. Or you can say that you yourself decided that you weren't meant to die. I know daddy gets to kind of pull the strings in that general topic but... [ She shrugs. ] ...if you hadn't done worthwhile things during your "first life", then he wouldn't have considered you, right?

[ Throwing her hands up in the air in a more carefree fashion. ] But if you feel like you owe him, I can't stop you from thinking that!

[ He smiles at that, nods thoughtfully. Brianna does have a point. ]

I guess it's my old Catholic upbringing coming into play. Didn't really get to interact with a lot of supernaturals back home, and I told you right -- America isn't exactly the best place for our kind.

[ He's playing around with the lighter on the table when a text comes in from Taning about Yulia and a note taped to the Russian's door. ]

Edited 2014-03-09 13:54 (UTC)

[ She nods sympathetically at Josh and is silently watching him as he's reading something on his phone. ]

[ Chuckling now, in spite of himself. The heaviness of the earlier topic replaced with mirth because -- no, on second thought, never mind. ]

Hey Bri? Can Stanley and Yulia come over to join us for dinner?

[ He'd show you the photo, but Yulia doesn't know you quite yet and he doesn't want to put her in the awkward position that the mage is clearly putting her in by having taken that picture. ]

I mean. We are a blade now. And... it might be a good idea for you to get to know them a little better.

Come As You Are // Open Post

Waking the Dead 2.0 | Flashbacking! 3 April 2063

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short tag is short ._. but imma tag back quick as soon as you do <333

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toggling the taning text now, bb, hope that is ok?

yes c:

uwu

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