ao's ideal world (3)

[idolpro]

❁ guidelines
❁ start

Comments

START

[firststone]

[ You're in a field.

It's green and vast and calming. There's a pleasant breeze passing by, carrying the smell of wildflowers and the voices of an adult and a child a short distance away, tossing a long bone back and forth as a sheepdog chases after it, to and fro between them.

Past them looms the skeletal remains of a ruined modern skyscraper, overgrown with vines.

Just a little ways behind you is a small, plain wooden house. The wood isn't treated, or even sanded down; it looks like it was made using little more than an axe and a knife. There's a hole carved out of the door for a handle. ]

Re: START

[firstgrave]

[ ..... she's drawn pretty immediately towards the sound of the child, and! whatever they're doing looks like fun! so ]

Hello...? What are you playing?

Re: START

[firststone]

[ It’s already pretty apparent even at a distance thanks to the tattoos, and it only becomes clearer up close that the child - teenager, really - is just a younger-looking, much smaller Challah. She can throw the bone a lot further than the man opposite her, who keeps coming up short and also isn’t very good at catching it in return even when she tosses it right to him. In spite of this, he’s laughing a lot, like he’s having a great time. Visually, they make an odd, mismatched pair; the man is in a bright purple quilted windbreaker over a graphic tee of some kind, sweatpants, and very comfortable-looking sneakers, while Challah Small is barefoot, in just a simple tunic.

The man looks to be somewhere in his twenties, maybe, but it's hard to place age with confidence because he also seems pretty sickly; his complexion isn't good, and he's way too skinny, next to no muscle definition as far as the eye can see. The distance he can manage to toss the bone gets progressively smaller, until he seems to have tired himself out so much that his laughing has morphed into a wheeze.

as Challah comes over and speaks to them, Challah Small turns and gapes at her, too startled to respond for a second ]

Re: START

[firstgrave]

[ WOAH WHO IS THAT OTHER DOG

challah (big) also gapes for a second or two. or three. ... time to circle challah (small) so as to put herself at a comfortable distance for defense or attacc should the Need Arise. ]

Who are you? [ just a little bit accusatory ]

Re: START

[firststone]

[ WHO IS THAT OTHER DOG!!!

she frowns a bit back, ALSO defensive ]

I am Abel. Who are you?

Re: START

[firstgrave]

[ you wanna GO smaller-challah?? or. abel. whatever. ]

I am Challah-- [ wait okay now that she has acknowledged other challah, the wheezing of the man is starting to concern her ]

Is he okay? Does he need help?

Re: START

[sunflowering]

Challah-san...!

[ Oh good. A familiar face. ]

Hey-- you...

[ . . . There's a younger you here. ]

It looks like we're both in the same place.

Re: START

[firstgrave]

Ah... Kaguya! [ greeting tail wag! ]

Yes, it looks like we are... though I'm not sure where "here" is. And I don't know why, [ she looks over at challah (small) ] ... That person is here, either.

Re: START

[auguryofinnocence]

[Well time to check out that house.]

Re: START

[firststone]

[ off with u ]

Re: START

[sunflowering]

[ It looks incredibly peaceful... at least the scene between the adult and child. It's cute and idyllic.

Which is why she heads that way, in the end. ]

It's a beautiful day to play outside, huh?

Re: START

[firststone]

[ It’s already pretty apparent even at a distance thanks to the tattoos, and it only becomes clearer up close that the child - teenager, really - is just a younger-looking, much smaller Challah. She can throw the bone a lot further than the man opposite her, who keeps coming up short and also isn’t very good at catching it in return even when she tosses it right to him. In spite of this, he’s laughing a lot, like he’s having a great time. Visually, they make an odd, mismatched pair; the man is in a bright purple quilted windbreaker over a graphic tee of some kind, sweatpants, and very comfortable-looking sneakers, while Challah Small is barefoot, in just a simple tunic.

The man looks to be somewhere in his twenties, maybe, but it's hard to place age with confidence because he also seems pretty sickly; his complexion isn't good, and he's way too skinny, next to no muscle definition as far as the eye can see. The distance he can manage to toss the bone gets progressively smaller, until he seems to have tired himself out so much that his laughing morphs into a wheeze and the bone drops from his fingers. Challah Small hurries over to take his arm and help him sit down in the grass. With the game of catch-slash-fetch coming to an end, the dog comes to their side, too.

the man beams up at you, even as he’s struggling to catch his breath ]

It is.

Re: START

[sunflowering]

OH...

[ She's concerned, rushing over to him... Challah...? It's Challah.... only smaller. She helps her settle him in the grass. ]

A good day for play, but... are you alright? Can I help you? Maybe we should get you inside.

Re: START

[firststone]

Thank you, miss. And you, Abel.

[ the dog noses at his hand with a whine, and he pets both the dog's head and Challah's. Challah apologizes, ]

“I should not have pushed you so, as weak as you are. I’m sorry, Solomon.”

I just overexterted myself a bit, it’s all right. I’ll be okay once I recover.

Re: START

[sunflowering]

[ Oh... he referred to the younger Challah as Abel. She glances at the other girl for a moment, before back to the man. ]

Can I get you anything? Water, or...

Re: START

[auguryofinnocence]

[Welp back here huh. Who cares about talking to the people let's check out the ruined building]

Re: START

[firststone]

[ what do you ruin if everything is already ruined ]

Kaguya & Challah

[firststone]

[ the "dog" is gone. in the middle of the field are now four people.

one is Solomon, practically collapsed in the seat of his walker and heaving for breath.

one is a tall, gray-haired man with a looming presence, with a myriad of wounds and a towering set of ichor-encrusted wings, hovering over Solomon with a furrowed brow.

one is Abel, curled up with her head pillowed in the lap of the last.

the fourth, slowly stroking Abel's head, has waist-length hair, is dressed in a plain, undyed linen long-sleeved dress and gloves, wears an even, unreadable expression, and has no mark on her forehead - but otherwise, there’s no mistaking she looks exactly like Ao. ]

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[firstgrave]

-- AO! [ hey guess who has one braincell that's completely fried out and has only one single thought right now. and that one single thought is must talk to sister.

so she's immediately running towards the group, charred body still in her arms. ]

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[firststone]

[ Abel's eyes turn on her sharply as she approaches, still a cold, brilliant blue. matchies with sister, who also looks up, as Abel's curls a fist protectively in her skirt. ]

Challah.

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[firstgrave]

[ she stops. a couple of feet away, to stare down at the fake-challah actually. no. "Abel".

her own fists curl into the charred flesh in her arms. her eyes flick back up towards Ao. ]

..... ... I've come to take you back.

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[firststone]

[ Abel's eyes fall to the corpse. ]

You should leave us be.

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[sunflowering]

[ Suddenly it's become a party and Solomon looks half dead, there's a weirdo newbie, the pretend Abel is curled up in someone's lap, and the person stroking her hair is... ]

Ao-chan...?

[ . . . Solomon and the main hovering over him get a somewhat wary look. ]

Ao... we've been looking for you.

[ AND THEN CHALLAH GOES RUNNING FOR HER. ]

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[firststone]

[ the man scowls briefly at the look, then turns back into a sheepdog and curls up at Solomon's feet as he starts licking his wounds.

she doesn't look up when addressed, still petting Abel's hair as Abel gives a feral look of her own from her lap ]

Was it you who upset her?

Re: Kaguya & Challah

[sunflowering]

[. . . . Okay, so the dog can shapeshift a lot.

She keeps her attention directed onto Ao, though.]

. . . I told her we needed to find you.