jikan_rpg | September Catch All

[Altair wanted to do something special with Peace but he had never gone on a real date before. The blind date with Annie was the closest thing to a real date that he knew. Arrakis suggested taking her somewhere nice and he mentioned a sweet shop he ran into that would be the perfect spot. Arrakis failed to mention that it required a kiss to get in and he responded with an indignant shout.]

What? That’s ridiculous!

[He ran his hand through his hair the small growl. Peace was supposed to meet him here so he couldn’t back out of it now. He was going to murder Arrakis when he got back, that sly bastard!]

[Beside him, Peace giggles. It wasn't hard to move through a crowd when they automatically parted for you because you were a monster.]

It's only a kiss, Altair. We do that all the time.

[Altair scowled at Peace as his cheeks started to feel warm at her comment and he looked away with an embarrassed huff, his voice suddenly quieter.]

Not in public.

[It was different when they were alone. Altair never liked the attention and even if he was incredibly happy to be with Peace again, it felt weird showing that affection to other people, but that was what couples did, right? His only other relationship had been a secret so he had no idea how to do this!]

That's true, but they aren't asking us to make out, it's just a little kiss. It'll be fine, Altair.

[She shot him a beaming smile in opposition to his scowl.]

Besides, I would like a kiss after walking all that way.

[Altair embarrassed frown deepened at her beaming smile. That's not fair. He wanted this to work though and all this talk of kissing did make him want to kiss her so he relented with a defeated smile.]

How can I say no to you.

[Before he could change his mind, he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. He closed his eyes so he didn't think about the people watching. She was the only one that mattered, not them and he relaxed a little as he kissed her. Maybe this wasn't so bad.]

[She returned his kiss gently, pulling back after a few heartbeats.]

See? Not so bad.

[Their kiss seemed to be satisfying enough to the person at the door, so they let the pair in. Peace looped her arm in Altair's and rested her cheek against his arm.]

I'll buy the treats, OK? You pick them out.

[Altair reluctantly agreed with a small smile.]

I guess.

[The kiss was nice but he still shot the person at the door a small glare. Satisfied? His anger fizzled as Peace took his arm and leaned against him though.

His eyes narrowed slightly at her suggestion. He wanted to argue with her about who was paying but he didn't really have any money aside from what the government gave them so she wins this time. But he will get some extra money soon so he can pay for the next date. The thought of another date made him a bit anxious but also happy and he turned to Peace with curious smile.]

I'm not familiar with the food here. What do you like?

Me?

[Peace concentrated, then nodded to herself,] I like everything, honestly. So... let's get some chocolate buns and some hot tea and... maybe an apple flip? I told you about my growing up, didn't I?

[Altair listened as Peace listed off what she wanted, taking note of the things she liked. His brow furrowed slightly at the mention of tea.]

Sounds good but I'll have coffee instead of tea.

[He considered Peace's question with a slight hum.]

Maybe a little. I don't remember you talking about it much.

[Besides that one time they both were drugged with a truth serum, but he tried not to think about what Peace revealed then. It wasn't her choice to tell him those things.]

Surprisingly, I don't want coffee for once in my life. Shocker, I know.

[Peace grinned at Altair and squeezed his hand.]

Well, you know my parents were cultists, right? We had a really lean, basically flavorless diet, because God forbid you use spices. So, after a bunch of stuff happened, [she gave him a look that said she'd elaborate later, not in front of a bunch of people who didn't know her] the first thing I was given was a cheeseburger. It's my favorite food now, to be honest.

Buuuut, bakeries don't make hamburgers, so some sweet things will do just fine.

[Altair raised a confused eyebrow.]

What did your god have against spices?

[He never liked gods but a war against spices just sounded ridiculous. Altair was glad that Peace wanted to share more of her life with him. He was curious what happened to her but he understood her reluctance to talk about it in public like this and he agreed with a small smile. His eyes widened slightly at her story about the cheeseburger and his gaze fell with a nostalgic chuckle.]

That's an interesting coincidence. The first thing I had when we came to Earth was also a hamburger. We were lucky enough to run into someone that was willing to help us. We would have been lost without Skylar's help.

[And he repaid that kindness by getting her killed. He didn't want to ruin their date so he quickly pushed that thought aside.]

Hamburgers aren't bad but I prefer seafood, probably because it reminds me of home. I have a special fondness for sweet things though. Vega and I created a family tradition of baking desserts at the end of the week to show how much we appreciated our mom. We were terrible at it at first but Vega got really good at baking and she was always experimenting with new flavors. I was never as good as she was but it was still fun working together and we both looked forward to it. It was the highlight of our week.

[Altair fiddled with the crystal earring his sister gave him while he talked.]

It was...

[Peace thought about it a little bit.] It was because to be purified, you couldn't have flavored things. Sign of decadence, you know?

[She smiles and gives their order when they get to the counter, then leads him over to a place to sit.]

Basically, they were crazy. And I was a prophet.

[Altair scowled a little as he followed Peace to a table. He never liked purification. It suggested that you were tainted somehow and Altair got enough of that to last him a lifetime. Being forced to stay pure all the time sounded suffocating. Altair couldn't stand someone trying to control his life and being a prophet was probably worse since people actually cared about what you did instead of expect you fail and be a nuisance like him. Peace really was amazing and Altair gently squeezed Peace's hand as they sat down.]

I think you turned out alright, maybe a little too stubborn for your own good.

[Despite his teasing tone, Altair smiled at Peace fondly. He loved her stubbornness. It brought them together and let him keep Peace even after trying to push her away multiple times.]

[Altair didn’t want to rely on the government for money. He hated being indebted to anyone and he didn’t trust how generous the government was being to a bunch of strangers. This place seemed nicer than ryslig but he didn’t know how long that would last. He needed a job. He considered painting. He never had a chance to pursue his art that much with everything life threw at him. But art supplies were expensive so he needed something else first

He dragged Arrakis along with him. He was not going to do all of the work in this world. He was drawn to Moonkicks coffee shop. He always found coffee comforting and it reminded him of his friend Sandalphon from ryslig. He regretted never did get a chance to learn how to make coffee.

His poor people skills made him a terrible barista though and he hated waiting on people. After snapping at a few customers, it was clear Altair wasn’t a good fit for the job. Arrakis took a shining to it though. His friendly attitude and empathetic nature were perfect for the job and easily made up for his lack of experience. To make up for Altair’s poor behavior, Arrakis offered to start working right away. Altair hated Arrakis stepping in to clean up his mess and he was envious of how easily Arrakis could work with people. His frustration continued to grow, and Altair left the shop in an angry sulk before he could cause more trouble.

Altair was used to working alone when he was fishing and while he could put up with people when he had to sell his catch, he never liked it. He would love to go back to fishing but that was impossible in this world. He leaned against a nearby wall with a frustrated sigh and a quiet mutter.]

Finding a job shouldn’t be this difficult.

[He looked up at the sky as he contemplated his options. Maybe he should check out the less legal side of the market. He felt more at ease with criminals in the shadows anyway and a source of information would be helpful in case this place had any hidden secrets as he suspected. He didn’t want to drag Arrakis and Peace into any unnecessary trouble though.]

Dark Secrets (closed to Peace)

[Altair stared in horror at the many names written on his skin in red ink that looked like blood. How the hell did this place know about his sins? He raced to the bathroom and frantically tried to wash it off, but nothing worked. He clenched the edge of the sink tightly as he tried to calm his panicked breathing. Flashes of blood and a fire haunted the edge of his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut trying to keep the memories out. When he heard Arrakis's concerned voice he whirled around with a horrified gasp. He couldn't let Arrakis see the tattoos and he vanished into his shadow.

What now? He couldn't hide in this dark dimension forever. The place would kick him out soon. He didn't want anyone to see the murder list scrawled across his skin. He pulled his robes sleeves over most of the names, but there were still some on his hands and crawling up his neck. He had killed too many people to keep them hidden completely.

As he was reaching the edge of his sanity, he heard a familiar soul song in the distance. Peace. He wanted to see her and he followed her shadow and jumped into it without a second thought. When he emerged from her shadow, he quickly covered her eyes.]

Please don't look!

[The hands covering her eyes trembled and he leaned his head against her shoulder with a ragged sigh.]

Sorry, I just needed to see you.

Opposite Sides (closed to Izō)

[Altair didn't care about choosing sides. He just wanted to destroy the machine and kill the people responsible for revealing his darkest secret. Hex's situation did hit painfully close to home though. He never believed that the people here were as accepting of the refugees as they claimed. No one welcomes outsiders unconditionally. If he could help Hex while he got his revenge, all the better.

Still, even if he was willing to help Hex that didn't mean he trusted her. It was her magic that created this mess. He didn't want to be indebted to her so he refused her special gear. His shadow magic would be more than enough. He followed the trail of black water to the deepest parts of the market. Altair had no problem being associated with criminals, but he didn't want Peace or Arrakis to have to deal with those consequences, so he covered his face with a mask just in case. His murder tattoos would probably help him slip by unnoticed but he couldn't proudly show off his victims like that. Besides, why worry about fitting in when you could disappear into shadows? Altair slipped out of a dark corner and looked around to make sure he was alone. This place was too crowded to try to locate individual souls so he had no choice but to rely on his instincts instead.]

[Peace's brow furrows at his demand. Why didn't he want her to look? But then, since she knew there were things on her skin she didn't want immediately revealed, she at least understood. Peace reached behind him and rubbed Altair's back.]

No, no I'm glad to see you, too. Do you... you you want me to find a blindfold or something? I think I have a scarf...

Edited 2021-10-07 17:17 (UTC)

[He didn't want her to know he was a murderer. They had to kill in Ryslig, this was different and he flinched at her touch at first before he hesitantly let himself be comforted by her. He had forgotten how nice her comfort felt and he focused on her and her soul song instead of his dark storm of thoughts.

Peace's suggestion surprised him and his gaze fell to the ground, his guilt causing his voice to catch in his throat.]

You...don't mind?

N-no? Why would I mind? Everyone has their secrets. You showed me some of yours back then, but I don't think I need to know every single one until you decide to tell me.

[Her hand reached blindly for the silk scarf she used on her hair sometimes to keep the hair from breaking, or being gross. Not finding it, Peace huffed against his ear, upsetting his hair.]

Or at least, I thought I had a scarf somewhere. I'll keep my eyes closed if you can grab it for me.

[Altair's self loathing grew with how considerate Peace was being and his hands that were covering her eyes fell slightly.]

I...want to tell you.

[He just didn't know how. He was terrified but his secret almost lost him Peace forever before and didn't want it to again. He didn't say anything as he took his hands away from her eyes and hesitantly slipped his arms out of his kimono, revealing the numerous names written across his chest and down his arms. There were over twenty names in red ink that looked suspiciously like blood.

His arms fell lifelessly to his side and he turned away from Peace, unable to look her in eye.]

September Catch All

Sweet Date - closed to Peace

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sorry I'm so late

Moonkicks Mayhem - OTA

Very late event prompts (closed)

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the snail returns!