Sometimes you just gotta talk [Closed]

[faithfulflame]

Who: Rei Hino & Koumei, possibly others.
What: Rei talks to some people? Sort of a catch-all
When: February
Where: Vista City
Warnings: None except maybe language.




The news was difficult, a text and then nothing. It didn't matter if they'd split up before then, it still hurt seeing it and knowing he was gone. Somewhere, presumably home. A bitter pill, but one she had to swallow for the moment. Of course she wasn't about to leave it at that. A quick call and a few curt promises and Rei was out and about to meet someone. Sitting in the lot of a favorite cafe, her little car idling, she waited for that walking mop of red hair. When it appeared, she beeped lightly, not wanting to get out into the cold.


((ooc: Closed catch-all for a few scenes. If you want to catch Rei, poke me on Plurk and we can discuss a scene.))

Comments

[faithfulflame]

"Because we were stolen away. We aren't meant to be here. These people are people from our lives, before all this."

Rei rather firmly believes at this point that Serena and Di and Alex are. Alex had all but confirmed it.

[dishevelment]

He opened his mouth to say something before quickly snapping it back shut, recalling the conversations he had with Squalo in between duets and more private activities. The visions and dreams, they had determined, were too realistic to be anything but memories from another life-- a fact that was corroborated by his scattered interactions with Kouen before he departed.

"...I've already suspected that," he admitted. "But I've been keeping it quiet, and I've been more focused on putting the puzzle together than finding the root cause.

Kouen-- Hongyan Lian as you would have known him. He's my brother...and my king."

[faithfulflame]

"It's a good theory to keep quiet. It sounds insane, but with the ghosts, and with people I know showing up in town and being so...hurt...that I don't know them? It's disturbing. And it makes me feel sick, being around at least one of them."

Turning a corner, she aims for a small park that's relatively out of the way. Nothing fancy, but one that has a number of driveways.

"I am somehow not surprised by that. I feel like, maybe...I've got a king waiting for me, if these visions indicate anything. It's an awful feeling, isn't it? Knowing you've been forced to forget something."

[dishevelment]

A quiet nod-- he appreciated Rei's understanding.

"Honestly? I've been wrestling with that idea for a while. It's been hard to tell whether these visions are just dreams or memories, but some of them are far too vivid and detailed to be anything but a dream.

"I hate not knowing, and I hate feeling lost....I just wish we knew why all this is happening."

[faithfulflame]

"Because we're not supposed to be here, Koumei."

Rei's answer was sharp, a firmness and subtle hint of wrath in her voice. She hated the idea of being stolen away. It was infuriating.

"We were kidnapped. Our friends...at least some of them...are here to help. And we need to be ready to help them. They seem fond of Brad's Diner, too."

[dishevelment]

"I'm aware of that much," he replied coolly, an odd glint in his eyes. "But knowing that fact doesn't mean that we have a better understanding of our 'enemy'. And we won't, until we can find a way of getting information that won't nearly get us killed in the process."

His thoughts strayed to Xanxus, and Lesedi's lack of regard for the man's very life after the party fiasco in December. As much as he wanted details, he didn't particularly wish to become more dead than he already was in the process.

"...but Brad's Diner, you say? The place with the milkshakes? Now that you mention it, the place has been busier lately."

He had figured it was the influence of that new waitress and her friends, although he had written off as something of a coincidence. But, he should have known better-- there was no such thing as coincidences in this or any world.

[faithfulflame]

"We'll figure it out. We have to."

Rei turns again, and fixates on the other question. She's not sure...but she thinks she can trust him enough to say:

"The new waitress. Di. She's one of the people from my other life. I know next to nothing about her, but I know that much."

[dishevelment]

His lips are sealed-- even if it is good to know who a potential ally on the outside is.

"Di? Hm...I'll need to look for her the next time I drop in, if that's the case. It must be nice, having someone around to help you solve your own puzzles."

[faithfulflame]

"There's two others. Alex and Serena."

Rei just...drops those.

"And they aren't as helpful as all that. Frankly they're downright cagey."

[dishevelment]

"--Serena is the last person I'd expect to be 'cagey'"

She was the only one mentioned that he had interacted with personally, and her bubbly, trusting nature reminded him of a young woman who could only be his sister in the life he was supposed to be leading.

"Though I do think she might be too innocent. She was attacked by some fans of my band. It makes me ashamed to think about, honestly."

[faithfulflame]

"She knows me and I don't know her. It's obvious that hurts her, badly. And...by extension, me as well."

Which might seem an odd statement, really, to anyone that doesn't know she's psychic.

[dishevelment]

"Why would it hurt you?"

It was an odd statement...because someone wasn't aware that Rei was psychic at all.

[faithfulflame]

"I'm...psychic. I can feel emotions in other people. Apparently."

There was a pause.

"On top of other powers..."

[dishevelment]

"...I had no idea," he said, lowering his head apologetically. "I'm sorry if I pushed on something too hard or anything-- I don't want to hurt anyone."

But he paused as well, considering her other words.

"You wouldn't have talked to any people in strange helmets, would you?"

[faithfulflame]

"No, no, your emotions are fairly muted. But that girl..."

She sighs theatrically and turns. And his question:

"Oh yes, I have three times now. You?"

[dishevelment]

Most people would be more unnerved by his relatively muted emotions-- Koumei knew that he unnerved himself with how level headed he was anymore, but he accepted it as a minor blessing amidst this chaos.

"Twice. I've acquired an...interesting skill, myself."

[faithfulflame]

"I'll share another of mine if you share yours..."

[dishevelment]

A faint gleam of mischief flickered through his eyes at those words, and a grin slowly spread across his face as he did a double check-- just to make sure there was no one around who could be watching.

"It might be easiest to just show you," he said, lifting a hand and focusing his concentration. An eight-pointed star flickered to life on his hand and, with a wave, he produced a small, star-lined portal within the car. Another gesture produced another, adjacent to Rei.

Grinning mischievously, he reached his hand through the starfield...

And, his hand having emerged from the one near Rei, reached out to gently poke the side of her head.

[faithfulflame]

It's a good thing they're going slow because otherwise Rei would've driven off the road in surprise. As it stands...

"Merciful Father! Teleportation?! That's amazing!"

[dishevelment]

And now Koumei chuckled, pleased to have gotten this kind of reaction.

"It's more like opening a gateway than actual teleportation-- one that shortens the distance between two points instead of just jumping from one place to another. It needs an entry and an exit.

"...I think there might be more than just this, but I haven't reached hat point yet. For now, this is all I have."

[faithfulflame]

"Fair enough. Here. Let me show you something then."

Rei reached down and picked up a plastic tumbler she kept for tea. The kind that was meant to be basically unbreakable. And she squeezed...and it cracked and fell to pieces in her hands...

"I don't have anything quite so flashy, but I can probably lift my car."

[dishevelment]

Cue his brows shooting up surprise at that admission.

"A car? You're certain!?"

[faithfulflame]

"I can snap a wooden doorframe with a squeeze...and I've lifted the front end of these a little, just to see..."

[dishevelment]

"It doesn't need to be flashy if you have actual strength like that. I think all I'm really able to do is teleport people and objects around."

[faithfulflame]

"Which...if you keep it secret...gives us a strategic advantage."