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[bloodandblunder]

"H... hello? Um, this is me-- ah, Noire! I'm Noire, and I'm very sorry for missing you somehow... I promise I'm not avoiding you, unless you're scary or you're Mo-- trying to curse me. U-um, so when I can figure out how to-- ( beeps ensue, followed by a shriek of fright ) O-oh, no! What did I push, how do I-- make it-- oh gods, did I break it?! W-why can't we just talk in person?!"

[ BEEP. ]

voicemail; action ; video

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[bloodandblunder]

One of the hallways, I... think-- I don't really know, but it's-- sort of hard to breathe... [ it's like the darkness itself is pressing down on her chest, and it's not very fun. ]

[willbreak]

[ can he bang his head against the wall yet -- ]

Do you know what floor? How far from your roo—

There was a Man so Wise,
He jumpt into
A Bramble Bush,
And scratcht out both his Eyes.
And when he saw
His Eyes were out,
And reason to Complain,
He jumpt into a Quickset Hedge,
And scratcht them in again.

—oire? Noire! Damn it...

[bloodandblunder]

[ this really isn't helping her nerves at all, nor is this feeling, which is why her gasp sounds a little desperate. ]

Eu--!

[ and then the line goes dead oops. ]

[willbreak]

[ ... yeah he's gonna punch the wall. and get his hand covered in blood that isn't his, yay Haven.

He'll be wandering around with an orb of «luminous element» hovering next to his head, PLEASE RUN INTO HIM or he'll explode or something but not really. ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ she won't run into him, but he might run into her in some corner eventually, blood smeared across her forehead and the metal of her head band (but only because she'd smacked into a blood-oozing wall) and the girl herself holding her bow like she's more than ready to shoot anything that moves.

She doesn't, of course, only shrinks back when the light falls on her and having to blink rapidly to make sense of the figure standing there. ]

Y-you're all right...

[willbreak]

[ the blood's not hers, the blood's not hers, the blood's not hers — he has it in his hair, after all — ]

Yeah.

[ his smile's supposed to be reassuring, but even he can feel that it's strained. ]

You're not hurt, are you...?

[bloodandblunder]

No, I'm fine... [ as she pushes herself up, one hand still pressed against her chest before she looks at him. ] I'm just... a little overwhelmed.

[ which is to say she looks ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED. ]

[willbreak]

[ well, it's good that she's not hurt, otherwise he'd have to strangle someone/thing. he does look relieved, however — although there's a quiet annoyance underlying that. one which may or may not be disguising his own fear.

He'll offer her a (miraculously non-bloodied) hand. ]

Together, right?

[bloodandblunder]

[ it's one Noire can notice, but bringing that up doesn't seem like it'll be useful. She knows him a little too well by now, though; chances are that he's once again hiding his emotions.

And here she is, being scared, but hadn't he sounded just as frantic when she'd spoken with him?

She nods, reaching out to take his hand and giving it a squeeze and trying for her bravest smile.

It's little, but it's there. ]

Together. I won't leave your side.

g-gomen

[willbreak]

[ And so he'll keep leading her, occasionally wincing as he steps in yet another puddle of blood. The paranoia is there, but the feeling of Noire's hand in his offsets that.

Nonetheless, as time marches on (how do they even check the time like this, anyway?), he'll start seeming increasingly more, uh, fidgety. Not exactly out of fear — more like he wants to do something but is reluctant to ask, oops. ]

[bloodandblunder]

... What's wrong? [ the light's just bright enough to see him shifting every so often, and Noire's perceptive on a non-paranoid day.

This is Paranoid Central. ]

[willbreak]

Noth—

[ Nnngh. More shifting. ]

... Can I do something?

[ The most succinct, right here. ]

[bloodandblunder]

If it doesn't involve risking your life or doing anything to attract curses, I don't think you have to ask.

[willbreak]

It's... a «tracing art».

[ He looks a little ashamed/embarrassed here but fdsjakhlgf ]

[bloodandblunder]

... A what?

[willbreak]

... I can find things [ and people ] with it.

[bloodandblunder]

All right... [ except-- ] What are you tracing?

[willbreak]

A... an «ID».

[ yes, Eugeo. ]

[bloodandblunder]

... Eh?

[ Eugeo what did Morgan tell you about being roundabout. ]

[willbreak]

... It won't attract curses or endanger anyone.

[ sparklesparkle? ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ really, you're using the sparkles on her? ]

I still don't get what you mean by "ID"...

[willbreak]

[ YOU SAW HIS DAMN STACIA WINDOW. ]

It's... basically a name.

[bloodandblunder]

[ SHE DOESN'T LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THAT.

... Except now she is. ]

ID... that... it was unit...

[ his identity, he'd implied. ]

We're tracing a person?

[willbreak]

Nnn...

[ can he just stand here silently with his ashamed/embarrassed look? ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ nope. ]

If-- [ she pauses, glancing uneasily over her shoulder for something that doesn't bother to reveal itself. ] If it's finding someone, I think it's all right? It's hard to keep track during a time like this, and we can't all be like Mother...