[In Person]

[stalking_horse]

[On one of the upper walkways of the village, Saguru has found a place near one of the low tables with the feast spread; he's ... well, sort of trying to stay out of traffic and watch, holding a "mug" made out of some kind of hollowed out gourd or plant, giving the contents occasional odd looks.]

[He's occasionally wandering a little - still trying to avoid the main traffic of tiny fuzzy things, but looking around for other "residents" in between investigating the food and picking up a little bit of different things here and there; he's not entirely hesitant, though he does seem a little...well, lost.]

Strangest Thanksgiving she could've come up with.

[No, he is not that genre savvy on this one.]

Comments

[movingforces]

[Tris is just-- trying for her sanity's sake to pretend that she's not having a meal with tiny furry people.

There are times when she wishes she could drink, even a little. It seems like such a wonderful way to deaden dealing with the things the Author puts them through, and she's... still rattled from Silent Hill.]

[stalking_horse]

[Well, at least there's one familiar face; he slips over by where she is.]

Tris! It's good to see you. Are you alright? [Silent Hill a few weeks ago etc. etc. :| ]

[movingforces]

...Ah. Saguru. I'm fine. [Bullshit. She probably looks like she's lost weight, and she's poking at the food more than she is eating.]

[stalking_horse]

[He's raising an eyebrow at that.] Do you want to get away from some of the noise? There's a few platforms that were quieter up higher in the tree.

[movingforces]

[She's just nodding and getting up.]

[stalking_horse]

[Yeeaah he's...kind of worried, and leading back to the one ladder - oddly enough he's actually pretty good at climbing and jugging his drink between free hands/teeth; the ladder goes up a good ways, to a platform near the treetop - some kind of lookout post over the top of the jungle canopy.]

[movingforces]

[Tris is giving the ladder a disparaging look.] I'm just glad you went up first.

[Because ha ha skirt plus ladder equals awkward.] Not that I'd think you look.

[stalking_horse]

I try to be a gentleman - [As much as his juggle is still a little awkward-]

And Baaya would hang me by my own entrails.

[At least at the top, it's a nice, high place, and something where he can set the drink down as he settles on the platform.]

[movingforces]

Also there's less risk I would fall on you. Have you ever-- well, no, of course not.

[Of course he wouldn't have cause to climb a ladder in a skirt.]

[stalking_horse]

Actually, I've had to chase Kid up half a building and across rooftops in a dress before. And heels. His doing.


[The story of the black evening gown. :| ]

[movingforces]

...[Well that's an image. It's not polite to laugh, so she's not, but--

Well, that was amusing. She's climbing up top and spreading her skirts out.]

[stalking_horse]

[Not like he minds; he's gotten pretty used to being the butt of Kaito's jokes, and honestly, if it happened to say, Heiji, he'd be laughing his ass off.]

To be honest, I credit his pranks with how easy it was to get used to this place, sometimes, and with my work it was a welcome break from getting shot at.

[He does pause as he realizes that you know, Kaito has been here before-]

...If he shows up here again, don't tell him I said that.

[movingforces]

As if I would. [She's sitting down and just... staring out.]

[stalking_horse]

I tried to look for you back in Silent Hill but ... it kept rearranging on me - and I had a few things I was busy dodging. [Because even knowing it's a manifestation of your own fear doesn't make it go away.]

At least, knowing the calendar, we should be clear for the next couple months.

[movingforces]

You would not have wanted to be there. Something about this year made it... worse. [She was blind and dealing with the plot from hell.]

...You're tempting fate with that. Watch. The Author will decide that a perfect gift for midwinter is something to the effect of vicious, rabid monsters coming to consume our kidneys or some such thing.

[stalking_horse]

...I'd like to say I'd be able to help, but... I'm not sure the things after me would've helped. I would've done whatever I could, though.

[He's eying the drink again; he's been trying to figure out for a while now if it's alcoholic or not.]

I'm not ruling out that there might be another dangerous plot - more likely early in December - but given her past patterns, and where I think she's from, Christmas is ... a rather big deal, and she does seem fond of sap. I'm not going to be surprised if she pulls the mistletoe again, though.

[movingforces]

[She's just making a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat.] There were people with me, Saguru.

I suspect that was part of the problem.

[stalking_horse]

...Everyone's demons at once. [He shakes his head slowly.]

Did everyone make it out alright?

[movingforces]

I... suspect so. Physically anyway, because the Manor is... the Manor.

[stalking_horse]

At least ...we have time to pick things up. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know?

Even if it's just something silly or small.

[movingforces]

...Mm, I can't think of anything.

[stalking_horse]

[He shrugs.] Either way, I'm here; for now it's probably better to get a break from things for a little while, I imagine.

[inordertobelieve]

[So then a prosecutor who seems completely misplaced in the setting is perfect company, right? Mikami really doesn't know what to make out of this week.]

I feel like I should not have mentioned her creativity not improving.

[Even if chances are tiny she acted upon this, they're there. She's childish after all. Teru sighs.]

[stalking_horse]

Well, I think she had another slump last week. I think you missed getting turned into small, bright colored horses.

[SAGURU'S LACK OF POP CULTURE SAVVY OUTSIDE OF A FEW NARROW MARGINS, BEHOLD IT.]

[inordertobelieve]

She had us turned in to strange small creatures before though. But I admit, the ponies were one of the worst.

[Well. Mikami knows even less so that's fine. They can fail sat knowing things together.]