citylogs | ( open ) ❀ 001

(If you ever asked him what his favorite food was, he'd answer with something vague like "whatever is good with tea" or "something sweet." He likes to keep people guessing. It's more exciting that way. But it's no secret that he enjoys sweets. He'll admit that much. So it's natural he would find his way to the ice cream parlor and want to give some of the flavors a try.

It's in the middle of eating an ice cream cone that he suddenly drops down onto his knees, holds his head, and lets out a dramatic wail. The next thing you know, you can find him on the floor, in tears,)

This is it... I'm dying.

(Sniffle...)

I'm sorry, master. I didn't want to surprise you like this...

(The ice cream on the floor next to him will probably clue you in whether you were watching the whole thing or just walked in. It's brain freeze. He's just experiencing really bad brain freeze.)

[Alhaitham's at a table close to the jukebox, where he's been hanging out for some time jotting various notes on the machine and the music it produces. It's some of the most tangible culture he's been able to find, so of course he needs to tear it apart for a little more understanding of this place.

Of course, Tsurumaru knows how to grab attention. He looks up and watches him out the side of his eye as he collapses to the cold tile ground.]

You'll just come back to life if you die.

(DEATH WAILING...)

It's cold! It's so cold...

(Because it's not death. It's ice cream. Also the ground is just cool. When he tries to roll over to die some of his robe sticks to the tile,)

This is it. The familiar embrace of death.

[ PERCEPTION - From a short distance away, the sound of a person wailing in pain and agony flows through your ear canal. A cry for help.
EMPATHY - You can't *not* go toward it. It's not in you to ignore someone in need.

It isn't too long before Harry is on the scene, going right toward Tsuru. He remembers him from the bowling alley! Oh no... ]

Hang on, I'm here. [ He kneels down to Tsuru's level and tries to examine him for wounds. Nothing spotted. ] What happened?

Edited 2023-08-17 12:49 (UTC)

(POINTING DRAMATICALLY AT THE ICE CREAM CONE THAT IS PROBABLY ALSO ON THE FLOOR,)

I've been poisoned!

(This all happened after he ate the ice cream.)

It's too late. It's over for me!

[It sure would be terrible if he was dying and Alhaitham's just sitting there, unhelpful.

But Alhaitham doesn't think he's really dying.] You're on a cold floor.

[He's kind of fascinated watching this. How dramatic will this guy get over ice cream?]

(Alhaitham is absolutely right and he should not help Tsurumaru but here is Tsurumaru, convinced he is dying,)

The ground is always cold! (This is not new information to him.) Cold and dark... so utterly quiet and boring...

At least this time will be quick.

("This time" because he's definitely died before maybe.)

[Alhaitham hums. A part of him is curious if "this time" refers to the City or something Tsurumaru has dealt with before. But... he's clearly preoccupied.

Alhaitham continues to watch impassively. After a few minutes of agonizing pass he speaks up again.] Still dying?

[ Sunrise has returned for the ice cream, mainly to try out other flavours after the initial disappointment of strawberry ice cream that didn't have actual strawberries in it. And that's when she happens upon this man on the floor, wailing and...

...Dying? She's not actually sure if he is, but he does seem to be in pain. So she kneels down next to him. ]

What happened?

[ It would not have occurred to her that ice cream can cause brain freeze, since it's impossible for her to experience it,,, ]

[oh FFS]

[After confirming that it's not the flavor that causes tears -- unless there are two of them, oh god no, Shen Yuan kneels next to the young man and briskly shakes his shoulder.]

Is it the cold? Try rubbing the roof of your mouth with your tongue, it'll help.

(He wails pitifully, his cries quieting until there's only silence. He lays on the floor motionless and the only sign that he is truly alive is the slight rise and fall of his chest and... a sniffle followed by a grumble.)

... Still a burden.

(He sounds??? Disappointed? Annoyed? Unsure? It's hard to tell. He doesn't exactly sound happy about still being alive???)

(He WAILS,)

I've been poisoned.

(And he brings a hand to his forehead, trying to stop the SHARP PAIN IN HIS HEAD,)

And now I'll die.

(He lets himself be shaken. His body is limp and he is just waiting for the cold dark familiar embrace of death to take him back.)

It's so cold!

(And he brings a hand to his forehead, striking a dramatic pose.)

Ah! How nostalgic. I remember this! (It's not his first time death's cold grip,) Let it be quick this time.

(He has no idea what his tongue has to do with any of this so he is just ??? Not comprehending???)

[This is truly mortifying. Shen Yuan has second-hand embarrassment coming out of his pores, over here. How dare you make him suffer like this.]

For fuck's sake.

Listen to me, you --! [He bites off a very rude epithet and grabs the...boy? Young man? Oh, whatever, he grabs him by the chin and forces him to make eye contact.]

Listen to me very carefully. You were not poisoned, and you're not dying. You ate a bunch of very cold food too quickly and it's made the inside of your mouth colder than it's supposed to be, so the nerves in your face are throwing a fit about it. [Much like the rest of you, ba dum tish.]

(He is, unfortunately, a grown man. A beautiful man. But a grown one. He sniffles, eyes wet with tears as he pitifully makes eye contact with him. He's listening and if he was in a normal state of mind he'd jab him with his fingers and call him a rude youth but he is not his usual prideful self right now.

He's dying. He's pitiful.

He sniffs again, and the tears start to slow until they... eventually stop and his body just goes slack, shoulders dropping in defeating and suddenly, calmly, grumbling,)

Being alive is a pain.

[ Is the iced cream here poisonous??? But Mr. Nansen was fine when he ate some... She can't use herself to judge whether something is poisonous either, since last she checked, most poison just doesn't work on her.

Ah, but does this mean she just has to watch someone die before her? ]

I do not have an antidote. [ Straightforwardly stating facts. ] ...Do you have any last wishes?

[He might be male and grown, but the man part? Shen Yuan is not convinced. But at least he's not crying anymore. Shen Yuan gives him a little pat on the shoulder and says,]

So Buddha said, but he also said all suffering has a cause. Now that you know the cause, maybe you'll be a little more careful about avoiding this type of suffering in the future, hm?

(Of course there isn't an antidote. No one just carries antidotes around casually. He's resigned himself to his fate. It's over. He feels so cold. The pain is so piercing.)

I wanted to give master more surprises...

I am sorry that you could not do that.

[ ...So she says, but she doesn't really look or sound sorry. If anything she just sounds flat.

After a moment of consideration, she takes off her shawl and puts it over Tsurumaru. ]

(Something about what he says seems to catch his attention. There's a certain way that his eyes seem to narrow, studying him carefully for just a moment.

(the awakening, the burning ^{(the eight flames)}
the gift _{(this body)} the eight sufferings

(w^h̵̺̓̒͜y wa_{s _he} c^re_ą̸̇ted?̵̻̜̔)))

(And as quickly as it had come, it passes, and he looks away, expression almost... annoyed? Pouting?)

How cruel.

(And he sighs loudly, dramatically,)

What good is being able to eat if you can't eat well!?

[ahahah what the fuck dot meme]

You can still eat if you want, just don't take it that fast. Slow down some, give your mouth time to warm up between bites.

[A moment's hesitation, and then because he just can't resist being a bit of a shit --]

It's really not that deep, bro.

[Now, Sylvain had walked into the ice cream parlor, tried a few flavors, felt the call of nature, and had gone into the bathroom to take care of that. No details necessary for what happened in there. He took care of business, humming a song as he did so, washed his hands, opened the door, and then there's a fucking guy on the floor blocking his way to the door.

First reaction:]

Are you-

[dead? but no, second reaction: he sees the ice cream and also, if the guy's a corpse he wouldn't be talking, right? So Sylvain does the sensible thing, which is to try to edge around the guy towards the door - difficult, because he's right there - while talking to the guy. A balance of flight and not being a dick. If the guy is seriously hurt, he can help; if the guy is crazy, he can run.

A win all around.]

Uh. You okay?

That's unfortunate for you. [A man with no sympathy to spare. He rests his pen in the crevice of his journal's binding.] Are you done crying?

Mhm.

(Just an affirmative sound because he still isn't moving.)

I'm tired now.

( open ) ❀ 001

( open ) ice cream shenanigans

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