lifenet | May Event: Lost in Translation

[It takes a moment for Yukio to process the sound of his own voice coming from the Stone. Partially because he wasn't expecting it and that sharp, exasperated tone isn't one he's ever heard on a recording before. Partially because he's feeling... really out of it, attention splintered and out of focus. It's not an unfamiliar feeling, it started in Kyoto that first time, and it comes and goes when he isn't expecting it. His earlier memory set it off, probably.]

Ginko-san. [He trails off there, not actually sure what to say next.]

[The rock crackles, staticky, before anything coherent comes through.

This time, it's not Yukio's voice, or Ginko's, or the other man's. It's Rin.]

It's not your fault. It's no one's fault.

[More buzzing, more static as the malfunctioning stone struggles to send through an audible message, and Ginko's voice finally crackles through, picking up almost mid-word.] --ould have been able to do more. It shouldn't have happened.

[He shouldn't be listening. This isn't his place, it isn't right to stand here with the stone in his hand and a pathetic, lonely feeling in his throat. But... it's just... he's always been curious, in a burning, starving way. He wants to know everything about his life, or a life that might have been his, and that applies just as much to this sudden insight into the life a different "Yukio" had.

(He's never been away from Rin for so long before, and he hates his brother sometimes and he's always so frustrated with Rin but--)

Yukio just waits, quietly, breathing shallow like being too loud might alert something to his presence, and listens.]

[The memories keep trickling through in bits and pieces. Yukio's voice, harsh with exhaustion and an edge of frustration:] He shouldn't be flying, I told him not to-- [A buzz of static, like a rewound tape, and now Yukio's voice is a little less desperate, but still worn and resigned.] --I've ever heard you complain about anything.

[Ginko's answer comes through this time-] Good. Means I'm doing my job.

[And it keeps going - the crackling becoming a little more frequent, breaking up words or sentences, as if someone on the other end is, say, smacking on the Stone in a helpless effort to get it to stop.

Voices crackle and buzz around each other - an apologetic near-whisper from Ginko, Yukio's voice caught between amusement and exasperation, the soft-spoken man from the first memory and rambunctious shouts from Rin and a teenage girl.

Finally, something coherent and a little more urgent breaks through.] --orry. I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to hear any of that.

[It's Ginko. For real this time, though it might be hard to tell just from a sentence.]

I'm sorry. [He says, trying not to sound like anything's wrong but probably failing. Ginko might know him well enough to pick up on the tightness in his voice (probably does, if all those pieces of conversations mean anything).]

I shouldn't have been listening. [But he doesn't want the broadcast to stop, doesn't want to miss out on a chance to understand this other Yukio's life.]

Don't know how you could have avoided it. [There's the edge of a smile, forced though it may be, that makes it through in his voice.] I'm not sure these things can even be turned off right now.

[He supposes he should be glad that the stone played it back on his end at all, let him know what was being broadcast instead of just leaving him in the dark while Yukio was subjected to his memories.]

...Look, if you have... any questions, I can try to answer. If not...

[If not, he can keep it all to himself. He can leave Yukio alone.

It wouldn't be fair to dump that on him if he doesn't want to know.]

If you're all right with answering, I do have a few things I'd like to a--

[a static buzz, an older man's voice]

You'll know when the time comes.

[And then Yukio's voice, younger but determined, broken up by bursts of static.]

Shura tol--- you're turning my brother-- what kind of weapon?!

[When he speaks again, he just sounds tired, like he can't even quite manage to sound apologetic.]

It might be better if we spoke in person.

[Ginko winces at the static, then just... nods, even knowing Yukio can't see.]

Good call. Would the Denny work for you?

[More static. Yukio's voice, level and professionally firm.]

-- two years ago. I began my exorcist training when I was seven-- my twin brother in the womb. I have been able to see demons since I was born. -- was you--

[Rin's voice, loud and angry in that way he gets sometimes when he's shocked.] -- n't you tell me?!

[Static. A sound like metal scraping over the stone. Yukio again, quiet.]

I think the Denny is a good location. Sorry about this. [And he can get there quickly, thanks to those mana pools.]

Don't worry ab--

[Apparently not satisfied with what it had already played back, the stone crackles one more time, and Ginko's agonized voice hisses out--] --omething as simple as having a family.

[There's just a moment of silence as he waits, tense, to see if it decides to throw anything else out there.]

...I'll meet you there.

[Ginko wastes no time in getting to the Denny, halfway afraid the whole time that this stupid rock will decide to speak up again before he and Yukio can meet up. He's sitting down just as Yukio gets there, a serving of blackberry whiskey in hand, and greets him with a small nod. He doubts there's much need to alert him to his presence, since... they both kinda stick out.]

[Yukio enters the Denny, holding his Stone in one hand (he can't afford to miss anything, it might be his memories getting broadcast again). Ginko is easy enough to spot, and Yukio caught his scent before even walking into the building. It's the... well, the actually sitting down that's more difficult, he just wants to turn and run and never stop running, but Yukio returns that nod (slightly more than Ginko's, not quite a bow) and slides into a chair.]

Thank you for meeting with me. I'm sorry to bother you. [His tone is polite, but there's a subtle hint of too much strain in his smile, it's the sort of thing that says keep your distance.]

It's no problem. [That expression sends a clear enough message - which doesn't change any of Ginko's plans, really. Keeping his distance is a matter of habit, especially when it comes to people who he suspects he cares for more than he should. Certainly more than they have any reason to care about him.

He sits back and lets out a breath before he speaks, quiet and professional.] Anything you want to know?

[Yes. There's so much he wants to know. He wants to know everything.]

I suppose it would be best to start with what it was like where you were before. Of course, you can ask me anything you would like as well.

Right.

The last world I was in... all I ever saw of it was one peninsula, called Ryslig. One of the peninsula’s deities, the Fog God, brought us there. But she didn't, uh... she didn't want us as we were. [He taps a claw pointedly against one of the stones on his shoulder.] So, everyone who was brought there ended up as some kind of monster.

[That, he figures, is the most important part. Why he looks like this. And…] That was what tied us all together - everyone who ended up there from other worlds. We didn’t belong. We weren’t wanted. And trying to hang around locals would be dangerous, anyway.

[Rather than going directly into why, he’ll just… try and shift topics. He can’t lie to Yukio, but if he can put off giving him some… particular details, that would be best.]

What about you? Where were you last?

[Monsters. They weren't wanted. That's something different than Yukio's changes, something far more dangerous. But there's a question, and it's polite to answer it first and then ask his own.]

I mentioned the Carnival, didn't I? [He's fairly sure he did.]

The Ringmaster collected people from... anywhere. She is a fae, probably similar in power to the Fog God. Everyone working for had a debt of some sort to pay off, either because they couldn't pay for something they took or experienced in the Carnival, or because they made a deal with the Ringmaster. The transformations we experienced were for the most part a result of exposure to the ambient magic, alterations we requested, or... [and that mechanical eye inset in his forehead swivels to look down and away] things other fae did to us when they interfered with the Ringmaster's claims on us.

We traveled between worlds a lot, but it tended to be dangerous.

[That's too much information, but Yukio delivers it calmly.]

Why would it have been dangerous to interact with the locals?

[Ginko can't exactly judge him for mentioning the danger, all things considered. Ending up indebted to a being like what he's describing sounds like it would be rough enough on its own - especially if other beings "interfered" often.

And that's without even considering how risky traveling to other worlds sounds to him.]

Being monsters made us a lot stronger than humans, and came with some... unwanted instincts. The particulars differed between types, but a lot of us struggled with aggression and the like, especially at first - many got more of a handle on it after a while, myself included. [He's quick to add that part.] But we had to be careful.

On the other end, since the locals knew we could be dangerous, some were, uh... more than willing to get rid of us, if they got half a chance. Understandably, I suppose.

[He takes a sip of his drink, but he's quick about it, not wanting to leave too much of an opening before he can get his next question in.] Was interference by other fae a common occurrence?

Some of our changes were mental as well, but those were rarer than the physical ones. [Yukio offers, but doesn't elaborate. He waits that moment for the next question, lets Ginko ask because it's his turn.]

Unfortunately, yes. The Ringmaster wasn't exactly popular with the other fae, there was a lot of politics involved, and sometimes they just... did whatever they wanted. This [and he gently taps a claw against the metal housing implanted in his forehead] came from a fae who called herself the Mother of Invention. She was extremely interested in magitech experimentation, and decided the Carnival workers would be good test subjects. [That's not all the details, of course. But it's the basics.]

Were there different classifications of monsters?

[Experimentation. His stomach turns at the implications - especially with who the statement is coming from, still frustratingly familiar despite the differences from the Yukio he knew. But his voice stays steady and detached.] I'm sorry to hear that.

There were; we pulled names from various people's worlds, what they reminded them of. So, based on that, I was a troll - key change there was the stones. [He taps his claw on a crystal again.] They looked different from one troll to another, but we all had them.

I don't know if you've met my housemates, Epsilon and Ed, but they're different types, too. Epsilon is a nymph; they were pretty easy to identify once the changes started, since they seem to be plants more than animals. Ed is a minotaur - that's based on the horns, and especially the hooves.

[He's not sure how much help that will be if Yukio hasn't seen them. But there is absolutely no way he's going right to telling Yukio about himself, or Rin.

Ginko considers asking about those mental changes, he really does. But it would be far too easy for Yukio to turn that question back around on him, and he can't take that risk. This whole conversation has him on thin ice as it is, and he can almost feel it creaking under him as he runs out of (comparatively) innocuous questions.]

Did you ask for any changes?

[Yeah, he's just stalling now.]

[That explanation gets Yukio's attention. His tongue flicks out and his main eyes focus a little more closely on Ginko's face. Those monster types are all things he's heard of, and he's already mentally going through a list of strengths and weaknesses he'd expect from demons with those names. Does Ginko have a problem with sunlight? Is the nymph a dryad, and if so does he have a tree he's bonded to? Does the minotaur have a supernaturally good sense of direction?]

Wh-- [He cuts himself off, because this is a very clear give and take session and Yukio needs to answer a question before he can ask one.]

I didn't request any physical changes, but I did ask for some assistance learning magic. It isn't much, but I have a few spells that were useful in the medical tent. [But Yukio has questions now, particular things he wants answers to.]

What sort of monster was I?

[Spells? Ginko raises his eyebrows slightly, but, like Yukio, reminds himself to wait his turn.

...At least Yukio just saved him the effort of figuring out whether to tell him that on his own.]

A harpy - wings, feathers, all that. You could turn into a bird, [he offers. Of course, Ginko has no idea which of these terms Yukio might be familiar with or not, so. Better to cover his bases.]

What kind of spells?

[At some point, he realizes, he should ask about himself, too. But not yet.]

A cleaning spell to sterilize things like work surfaces and blades to reduce chances of infection, and a spell that is... supposed to speed up healing but needs some refinement.

What was my brother? [Yukio knows what harpies are, or at least the demonic equivalent.]

[Ginko finds himself wondering how much it would have simplified things back in Ryslig if he'd had access to something like that. ...It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, all things considered, but he still wonders.]

A manticore. He ended up pretty catlike, and grew wings.

[...Man. He can't put this off forever, can he... better start simple.]

How did the version of me you met end up being changed?

Traditionally, manticores also have venomous tails. [Yukio does not want to think about his brother with venom. That sounds like too much responsibility for Rin.]

I didn't know you very well, but you were... green? [gj Yukio that's a reasonable description why didn't he pay more attention to everyone in the carnival? He hates that his third eye doesn't have a link to a databank anymore.]

You had horns, a tail... [his tongue flicks out, as Yukio considers] I think you had hooves as well? The changes in the Carnival were... varied. They tended to appear at random and weren't... really associated with types of demons. [Eyes, tails, horns, blood, limbs, they all just changed at random.]

That too. [Sorry to confirm your fears like that, Yukio.

Green. That's helpful. Really, that and the hooves are the main things that stick out to Ginko as different from how he is now - though he suppose his "variant's" horns and tail may not look like his own.]

So I gather. That must have made preparing for any potential incoming changes pretty difficult.

Edited 2019-06-11 04:02 (UTC)

[Yukio looks moderately annoyed, thinking back over how inconvenient his changes have been.]

It was more inconvenient than anything else. [He admits, and raises a hand to tap a claw gently against the scale covering one of the small eyes on his face.]

These eyes were the worst that happened to me, in terms of the adjustments I had to make. [Going from (almost) normal vision to sight that could take in everything around him almost overnight had been hand (and the placement of some of the eyes didn't help)]

But other than that the alterations tended to be small and easily adjusted to.

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voice -> action

action forever now because rocks are dumb

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