Chikai Kuji (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
measuringdistance) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
revivalproject2020-06-03 11:17 am
measuringdistance) wrote in revivalproject2020-06-03 11:17 am
The cost of sentimentality
WHO: Chikai Kuji & Open
WHERE: Chikai's calibration room
WHAT: Who doesn't love strangers snooping around in your head?
WHEN: During the Calibration Event
WARNINGS: Potential depictions of violence, murder, torture, and mentions of suicide.
Those who wind up this small Japanese bedroom, the first thing they're likely to notice is the temperature. It's cold - not quite enough to make someone's breath fog, but more than enough to be uncomfortable. The longer you stand around, the more it seems to seep in, regardless of what anyone's wearing. The second thing is the smell. Those who have had soba before will recognize it, but even those who haven't may still find it comforting, in the way home-cooked food tends to be.
Yet that only puts it more at odds with the otherwise barren room. The walls have bits of green and yellow paper stuck to them, the remains of posters that have long been torn off. There's no other decorations, only a closet that will open if you give it a good tug. Inside is a purple jacket emblazoned with a seagull on the back, a metal ruler with a bandaged handle leaning against one of the inner walls, and a large duffel bag that's packed to the brim. Open it up, and you'll find a mess of money and clothes all stuffed inside haphazardly. The clothes themselves seem to be for a child, and the ones that stand out most are a soccer uniform and a heavy winter coat with a faux-fur lined hood. Dig deep enough, you'll also find a flute and soccer ball buried there under the paper and fabric.
The one piece of furniture is a low desk, which Chikai himself is sitting on top of. He's wearing sunglasses that make it hard to read his expression, though he seems to be looking out the nearby window. Not that there's much to look at; it's night out there, and the only thing in sight is a dark and empty alley. The desk has drawers, but you'll have to get him to move if you want to open any of them. Sitting beside him is a glass full of lollipops, all different flavors. There's enough in there they nearly look like a bouquet, and are easily the most colorful thing in the room. On the floor by his feet, there's a framed picture, though it's impossible to say of what. The glass itself is completely covered with what looks like black ink or paint. He seems to have no interest in picking it up.
WHERE: Chikai's calibration room
WHAT: Who doesn't love strangers snooping around in your head?
WHEN: During the Calibration Event
WARNINGS: Potential depictions of violence, murder, torture, and mentions of suicide.
Those who wind up this small Japanese bedroom, the first thing they're likely to notice is the temperature. It's cold - not quite enough to make someone's breath fog, but more than enough to be uncomfortable. The longer you stand around, the more it seems to seep in, regardless of what anyone's wearing. The second thing is the smell. Those who have had soba before will recognize it, but even those who haven't may still find it comforting, in the way home-cooked food tends to be.
Yet that only puts it more at odds with the otherwise barren room. The walls have bits of green and yellow paper stuck to them, the remains of posters that have long been torn off. There's no other decorations, only a closet that will open if you give it a good tug. Inside is a purple jacket emblazoned with a seagull on the back, a metal ruler with a bandaged handle leaning against one of the inner walls, and a large duffel bag that's packed to the brim. Open it up, and you'll find a mess of money and clothes all stuffed inside haphazardly. The clothes themselves seem to be for a child, and the ones that stand out most are a soccer uniform and a heavy winter coat with a faux-fur lined hood. Dig deep enough, you'll also find a flute and soccer ball buried there under the paper and fabric.
The one piece of furniture is a low desk, which Chikai himself is sitting on top of. He's wearing sunglasses that make it hard to read his expression, though he seems to be looking out the nearby window. Not that there's much to look at; it's night out there, and the only thing in sight is a dark and empty alley. The desk has drawers, but you'll have to get him to move if you want to open any of them. Sitting beside him is a glass full of lollipops, all different flavors. There's enough in there they nearly look like a bouquet, and are easily the most colorful thing in the room. On the floor by his feet, there's a framed picture, though it's impossible to say of what. The glass itself is completely covered with what looks like black ink or paint. He seems to have no interest in picking it up.
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"Yeesh, Toi," the younger Chikai says, eyeing the walls with clear annoyance. There's posters everywhere, covered in encouraging slogans like 'Don't give up!' and 'Keep your eye on the ball!'"Do you really need all of these? How many did you even make?"
"They're for good luck," the kid says, grinning proudly, "I wanted to finish getting them up before our first game."
Chikai blinks, apparently startled at the news. "Oh yeah? So that's coming up already, huh..."
"Yeah!" Toi pauses and starts to fidget a little. "Um..." His grin dims into something anxious as he tugs on Chikai's sleeve. "It's... it's gonna be next Saturday. And Mom and Dad said they'll have to work, so..."
"That figures," Chikai says with a snort. Then he pauses, and pulls his hand out of Toi's grip to pat his hair. "Don't worry, I'll be there." As the kid starts beaming with relief, the memory fades, and the room is once again empty.
The Chikai who remains simply shifts the lollipop to the other side of his mouth. "Kids sure are excitable, huh?" he says, like it all has nothing to do with him, "Wonder how long it took to get those all down again."
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The warmth of the room's surroundings vanish with the memory, and the Exo turns towards Chikai while the thought of the man in his younger stages is fresh in his mind. "Yeah. I think that's part of what makes 'em kids." He glances at the barren walls again, such a contrast to what it had been before. It strikes him as a sad thing.
"Hope they at least stayed up there a while," he says as his eyes move on, drifting towards the closet. Or maybe it's a door out. If he's got any qualms about poking around someone else's space while they're watching, he's already gotten over that debate as he steps over to tug at the door.
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"Hm," he says, leaning back on his palms, "How long would you consider 'a while'?" If Chikai's memory hadn't failed him, it'd still be a few years from that point until he and Toi left the city. Whether Toi took them down himself at that point or if he left it to their relatives, Chikai had no idea. They'd never talked about it.
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He might have backed off if Chikai had said to. That he gives no objection seems as good as permission. Cayde has no idea what he's looking for, aside from 'interesting things'. The glint of metal catches his eye, and he reaches over for what might at a glance look like some makeshift blade.
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"Y'know, it's almost impressive how stupid you are," one of them says, "You really think you can win here?" Chikai grits his teeth and manages to land a punch on the guy, but only gets kneed in the gut for it, and then hit hard enough to throw him back into some trashcans. All three are wearing the same purple jacket hung up in the closet. When Chikai tries to get up, he just gets kicked or thrown back down. There's garbage strewn all over the place now, and he gropes around for something - anything- to fight back with. His hand falls on a metal ruler, and he swings it wildly at the next person to get close. It only startles the rest of them, rather than doing any real damage, but that at least gives him the chance to get back on his feet. Fortunately or not, Chikai doesn't get the chance to test it any further.
"Oi, oi, what's the hold up here? You've been keeping me waiting." A tall, flashy man in a long white coat steps into view. The three immediately ignore Chikai in favor of making excuses, explaining they'd been dealing with a problem. When the man turns his gaze towards Chikai, face a mess of bruises and smeared blood, he stiffens and shifts to point the ruler towards him instead. The man's smile widens, showing just the faintest hint of teeth, and he snickers before he says, "Well, I'll give you this - you have my interest."
This time, when the memory fades, Chikai's more visibly rattled. He tries to laugh, say, "Ol' Kamome sure knew how to make an entrance, I'll give him that," but... fuck. He didn't know what he expected to pop up next, but it sure wasn't that. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he actually thought about that night of his own volition. And now some random guy got to see it for no reason? That's some bullshit.
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It's intense, an old-fashioned beat-down. A gang? Even pre-Golden Age, people still had the need to belong. Or maybe it's the other way around. Not just for belonging. For survival.
When it's over, Cayde remains kneeling by the closet, turning the ruler over in hands. It's not much of a weapon, but get desperate enough and anything is. His eyes flick up towards the jacket hanging there, recalling it from the flash of a memory as he sets the ruler back in its place.
He can hear it in Chikai's laugh, and when he stands and glances back he sees it, the unease. This isn't right. Well okay, it probably wasn't right to begin with, but since when has Cayde minded his own business? He holds his gloved hands up in a visible show that, okay, maybe he should stop touching All the Things.
"Some sorta big shot?" The gang leader, maybe? "Seems like those types are all about entrances."
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Kamome had seem impossibly strong to him when he was younger, but while certainly dangerous, it was easier to see the guy in a larger context four years after the fact. Just another upstart, when you came down to it. He might've been able to break out into the big leagues eventually, but life had other plans. Chikai snorts a bit, remembering a related encounter from just before he arrived on this planet, and adds, "You should've seen this one guy. He was always following Kamome around, making seagull noises and shit. Guess it was supposed to be intimidating."
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He grins, then steps over towards Chikai and his desk. "So, this is all super weird and maybe kind of late but better that than never. Anyhow, who knows what all we'll remember when we wake up." He thrusts out a hand. "Name's Cayde. Sorry for poking around but I kinda can't help myself sometimes."
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When Cayde approaches him, Chikai hesitates for just a brief second before taking the hand and grinning back. "Chikai Kuji. And hey, tell ya what - you share some deets about yourself, and we'll call it even."
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He feels it's important to add that bit of detail on, to forestall any panic. Never know who's from Earth around here, although given what he's seen, he'd say it'd be a fair bet that Chikai was.
Unsure of what else to dish, he gives the man an open-palmed shrug, an invitation for maybe a question or two.
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"...oh yeah, that's a good point." Cayde's not so sure how this all works, but it's easier going with it. "And hopefully it sticks with both of us, otherwise it'd just be kind of awkward," he laughs.