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mysteriousness
( everything feels different. tastes different.
... sounds different.
there's nothing in his head now but his own thoughts, each of them racing as he tries to recount how he'd ended up in an alley with the taste of ash in his mouth. but he can't remember anything except the pain, the anger, the overwhelming sensation of what it meant to die. but he hadn't, and now, every part of him hurts. his hands, his face.
an extremely uncomfortable weight settles in his chest, and baby forces his eyes open.
he's alone.
the background noise of the city rushes to meet him like a warning: get moving. go somewhere, anywhere. hide. huntrix might still want to finish the job, and baby's self-preservation has him clawing his way to his feet before another worry crawls up into his throat.
what about mystery?
it's an odd panic that he quickly squashes down, pulling the singed robe over his head and grateful for his jeans and shirt underneath. they're ruined too, but it's less obvious than his performance-wear. he's uncomfortable regardless, staggering forward and sticking to the back streets. all he can think about is the other demon. was he safe? was he still there? anything beyond that causes baby to feel nauseous, so he moves and walks and keeps his head down until he gets where he's going.
an apartment he and mystery had decided to buy without telling any of the others, especially jinu. small enough for them, a place they could go if they wanted to exist for a few hours without an audience. but baby doesn't have a key, and he uses what little strength he has left to test one of the windows and crawl through one that's, luckily, open and accessible. he drops onto the floor once he's inside. )
Myst?! Mystery? ( his voice is scratchy, the pain and distress audible in his voice. ) Are you here?
( what the hell should he do if he's the only one left? )
... sounds different.
there's nothing in his head now but his own thoughts, each of them racing as he tries to recount how he'd ended up in an alley with the taste of ash in his mouth. but he can't remember anything except the pain, the anger, the overwhelming sensation of what it meant to die. but he hadn't, and now, every part of him hurts. his hands, his face.
an extremely uncomfortable weight settles in his chest, and baby forces his eyes open.
he's alone.
the background noise of the city rushes to meet him like a warning: get moving. go somewhere, anywhere. hide. huntrix might still want to finish the job, and baby's self-preservation has him clawing his way to his feet before another worry crawls up into his throat.
what about mystery?
it's an odd panic that he quickly squashes down, pulling the singed robe over his head and grateful for his jeans and shirt underneath. they're ruined too, but it's less obvious than his performance-wear. he's uncomfortable regardless, staggering forward and sticking to the back streets. all he can think about is the other demon. was he safe? was he still there? anything beyond that causes baby to feel nauseous, so he moves and walks and keeps his head down until he gets where he's going.
an apartment he and mystery had decided to buy without telling any of the others, especially jinu. small enough for them, a place they could go if they wanted to exist for a few hours without an audience. but baby doesn't have a key, and he uses what little strength he has left to test one of the windows and crawl through one that's, luckily, open and accessible. he drops onto the floor once he's inside. )
Myst?! Mystery? ( his voice is scratchy, the pain and distress audible in his voice. ) Are you here?
( what the hell should he do if he's the only one left? )
no subject
Yeah, that might be a good idea. [snacks would tide them over for only so long, after all. it's important for them to eat actual food too, so ordering something would be a good plan.
snacks are better than nothing, at least, but with the money they have tucked away, they can afford to put actual food in their home now. (how strange, to think of it as a home instead of just a getaway they were using . . . ) for what it's worth though, he'll make sure to keep baby occupied however necessary, that way he won't get too bored. he leans into the touch for as long as baby is still there and when he pulls away and goes to hunt down the computer, he reaches to touch the bandage on his face again, knowing full-well that he should leave it alone, but he can't bring himself to do that for some reason.]
Okay. [eventually, he does lower his hand, both of them interlocking and tucking into his lap as he crisscrosses his legs.
curiosity gets the better of him and mystery leans to try and watch what baby's doing, even though he knows he's just looking for something they can use to order food; it still intrigues him, nevertheless, and after baby has returned, he accepts the tablet and drags his finger over the screen with a thoughtful noise.] Japchae and kimchi jjigae and kimbap.
[which is a lot to order all at once, but they can have leftovers and not have to worry for a little bit.]
no subject
What's the delivery time? ( he peeks at the screen, frowning at the half-hour window. ) I already miss when things were faster.
( because they were famous, and no one wanted them to wait around for things that might also gain their businesses attention. because they'd been handed everything almost immediately, and it's yet another loss that sits with him as he sighs and drops back against the bed. reaching to the side, he drags a pillow over his face and lies there until the need to breathe is almost too demanding to ignore. still, he doesn't move it far, only uncovering his mouth so he can speak (and breathe).
thoughts from before are already piling into his brain. )
I watched some TV while you were out. ( his hand gropes the bed until he touches mystery. ) It's like the world already forgot about us.
no subject
he tilts the screen baby's way when he goes to look then sets the tablet aside afterward, the faintest smile tugging his lips up at the corners.] Guess we'll have to get used to it.
[or as used to it as they can, anyway. mystery wishes they could just go outside, but he unfortunately can't, not with his face still bandaged like it is. maybe once it's healed a bit, they could go somewhere together rather than sitting around, waiting for things to be brought to them. he averts his gaze as baby falls back, eyebrows lifting with consideration whenever he grabs a pillow and covers his face. for a moment, he thinks that maybe baby is going to muffle some screaming, though when nothing happens, he relaxes marginally, shoulders slumping beneath a weight he can't describe.
intrigued by the comment, he shifts to lay next to baby, one hand at his side while the other drapes across his midsection.]
That's good, isn't it? [or so he thinks, that is. if the world forgot about them, that means maybe they won't be recognized when they do eventually go out. the touch has him shifting slightly, his hand reaching to take hold of baby's and gently squeeze for reassurance.] Makes it a little safer for us.
no subject
the shift in positions on the bed has him relaxing somewhat, unconsciously leaning into the warmth of mystery's body so close to his. the way his hand grips his eases some of the pressure building in his chest. not enough, but it's tolerable now. )
Is that what you really want? ( his voice is quiet in an effort to hide some of the bitterness. ) Safe is fine for now, but what about later? Do you think... ( he bites at the tip of his tongue, rolling the thought around. ) Do you think we should look for the others?
( he can't even really remember what had happened to abby and romance. and jinu... how obvious had it been to notice his thing for the one huntrix girl? not enough that baby had cared, clearly, but it could have potentially messed things up for them. and it had since... they should have died? that's also confusing to him, slowly pushing the pillow away from his face so he can turn his head to look at mystery. if he looks at him enough, he could probably see baby's indecision. )
Would they even care about finding us? ( if they were still around anyway. )
no subject
when baby leans against him, he shifts a little closer and tilts his head so it can rest against baby's, a slow, measured exhale passing his lips as he considers the question. does he want them to be safe? yes, of course he does, but they will have to think about the future, about what they're going to do before those resources run out. immediately, his thoughts are on job-hunting and wondering what it is that he could do that might bring in some form of decent income.
he's drawn out of those thoughts by baby's next question, his heart thudding hard against his ribs. should they look for the others? would it matter?] I... don't know. [it's probably the most truthful thing he's spoken so far; he truly has no idea what they should do about their fellow bandmates. (demons? they aren't that anymore, so it wouldn't make sense to refer to them as such, unless they are somehow still demonic? which would be completely unfair—) but he can't focus on that too long, either.
mystery vaguely remembers them all fighting, abby and romance included, but he doesn't recall what happened to them. jinu, on the other hand, he remembers extremely well; the way he'd protected that purple-haired huntrix girl and sacrificed himself, somehow regaining his soul in the process. being human, did that mean they were returned their souls as well? he imagines so, but one can never be too sure, especially whenever he has no idea how these things work. he slowly turns his head toward baby to look at him, his own expression pinching slightly when he sees the indecision, heart sinking at the thought of the other saja boys not caring.
while they may not have all been as close as he and baby are, he would imagine that maybe they'd still seek them out if they were still around? or maybe it's just hopeful thinking and they wouldn't care at all.] Perhaps? I can't speak for them, but if they were afraid and had nowhere else to turn— [he cuts himself off, knowing full-well that if he hadn't found baby, the others would have been next on his list.]