[ Dealing with a few rainclouds here and there hasn't been too bad. Jaune has figured out now that certain people like Shiho have been causing it, most likely an elemental alignment type of thing. These past two floods of rain, however, have covered the entire colony, which... is strange, considering Cerealia hasn't really had any natural weather, and this feels a lot more like it than something unnatural.
The worst part is when the rain stops, and the air suddenly begins to feel humid on what feels like the hottest day on the planet. This is where they're at, right now, with Jaune down to a sweaty singlet and rolled up jeans, experiencing slight dizziness as he approaches the wall with Pyrrha.
He's got a Bad Feeling about this, not unlike the one he had on the day of the breach. ]
W-Well, the walls are still up... that's something, at least.
[ Pyrrha hadn't hesitated to go with him when he had mentioned wanting to check out the walls, grateful for the opportunity to briefly shed off her feelings of deprecating uselessness, actually joining him on one of his investigations. She's unarmed, but that's not much of a novelty these days - she's been unarmed since July.
She went out in only her running gear, and, were the atmosphere less tense, she might be admiring how well Jaune's singlet clings. Rather, the vague ringing in her ears distracts her, as does the wary look on his face. ]
Do you feel that?
[ She puts a hand on the wall, ignoring the nausea in the back of her throat to feel out the vibrations in the metal. They sound as sickly as she feels, standing here. ]
Something's off. It's like our bodies aren't able to adjust to whatever's in the air.
That would be the natural air of Tellus. ... It's what's supposed to be on the other side of this wall.
[ Jaune is unarmed, too, because fuck carrying metal in this heat!! He's still prepared to summon the rocket locker should they have a need to fight, though. For now, Jaune just knocks lightly against the wall, as if he's checking its temperature too. ]
Some of us used to think we were prisoners in these walls, but... heh, you don't wanna be out there for too long...
[ He's learned more about this world than she has. It's understandable, considering the long gaps in her stay, but Pyrrha's cognizant of the switch. If nothing else, it prompts a proud (albeit brief) smile out of her.
She straightens, leaning away from the wall. ]
Do you think it could be seeping through the wall?
[ Adjusting to being confined in a "safe zone" hasn't been difficult for Jaune compared to the others, after all it's not that different from the standard of life in Remnant. ]
No. [ Another thing he's quite sure of. ] But it's a good guess.
These walls haven't been fool-proof for half a year; people are just-- going in and out like it's nothing. [ He thinks someone would have noticed if the air was seeping through, especially for a colony full of scientists.
Before continuing, he wipes a sweat off Pyrrha's forehead. She's right about one thing-- Jaune knows what prolonged exposure to this air will do for people, though he'd rather tell her when they walk back closer to the center of the city. ]
[ It's absently said. She follows up his attentive gesture with one of her own, subconsciously mirroring him and pushing some perspiration of her forehead with the heel of her hand.
The moment he had mentioned people going in and out, well. Faint curiosity had alighted distantly in her eyes. ]
[ The first time, anyway. He has voluntarily gone a few times after that to clear the area of monsters with Ruby and others. ]
It's nothing but jungle out there, and beyond that are cold mountains, hot volcanoes and just about every other unbearable environment. -- Oh! And how could I forget, creatures that wanna eat you! 'Cause, you know... of course!
[ That brief moment of levity aside, Pyrrha gazes back up at the wall. They used to feel so trapped here, cut off from their world and the outside.
... ]
You know, I never understood what it meant to feel suffocated by our confinement until I returned.
[ Now that she absolutely can't go anywhere else, her own poor decisions leaving her with only a tiny fraction of the universe allowing her to exist. Before, she could have sympathized with those who quarreled bitterly with their entrapment, but her grief had been muted. Now, it's razor sharp. Maybe whatever's out there is for her. Not a destiny, but the only path left. Thinking of it that way, there's a faint hunger in her gaze. ]
Really? I wish you had told me before I bought that small island for the two of us.
[ He nudges her jokingly, trying to keep her mind off what he can only assume she's thinking about. ]
I... wanna show you the world out there, but first we gotta walk back and figure this thing out before it's too late. [ They should have at least seven days before they suffocate to death if the air stays like this, though Jaune imagines that people like Hiro and Honey Lemon are already working on solutions.
.......That doesn't stop him from quietly worrying though. ]
[ It works, to a degree. Pyrrha finds that smile again, holding it for longer this time. Reaching across the small gap between them, her hand all but forces her way into his, fingers trembling just so while pressed against the back of his hand.
She'll be thinking about those words long after this conversation is over: I want to show you the world out there.
Obligingly, she turns to walk back when he does. ]
... Tell me what you're not saying.
[ The words themselves could be construed as sharp, but her voice is gentle and patient. ]
[ Jaune sighs, seeing no use in keeping something that he was eventually going to tell her anyway. ]
If someone doesn't do something about the air here, then none of us will be breathing it for long.
Mosley saved us the last time we were all out there, but something tells me he won't be coming back this time. I think CERES has officially abandoned ship, too...
[ That's... definitely not a problem you can solve by beating something up, which means that Pyrrha's already at a disadvantage. Still, it's a disquieting thought - if not for her, particularly (no, that would just be redressing the wrong CERES committed when it pieced her back together in the first place), then for the people she cares about. ]
Is there no one in the colony that's immune to it? Statistically, there should be at least someone capable of breathing that air without harm --
Hmm... [ This feels odd, being the one to explain world mechanics. It was the other way around when they first met. ]
Those who are elementally aligned to Air can breathe it for a lot longer, but if we're talking definitely? Then... no, I'm afraid. You would have to be from here to be immune to it.
Are you kidding? There are hundreds of different things we could do! We could go for a walk, a short walk, we could... jog, we..... 98 other things... the options are endless.
[ As their hands are still joined, he brings hers up and leaves a lingering kiss on the back of her palm. ]
And -- best part: the phones are out of service. [ Read: No interruptions. ] We only communicate with the outside world via morse code or smoke signals.
[ It's a pretty picture he's painting. Pyrrha allows herself to get lost in it, watching with fondness as his lips idle on her skin, his breath tickling her knuckles. He's always so good at cheering her up - which, sadly, he's had to do quite a bit these last few months. ]
A romantic picnic by the waterfall...
[ She's joining in! There's a waterfall now. ]
At night, we can lie on the sand and look up at the stars, or tell ghost stories.
Awww nnnoooo... [ Jaune pretends to look disappointed. ] --the island's #1 rule is No Ghost Stories. I know, it blows, but that's why I got it so cheap!
[ Ghost stories with just the two of them alone, are you mad, woman?!? ]
[ She cuts in, clarifying for him before he swallows his own tongue: ]
Two rules, but the second indicates an absence of all other rules.
[ They're far enough away from the wall now that she no longer feels touched by the uncomfortable status effects of the atmosphere on the other side of it. Her head is clear of noise, her gait not compromised. Pyrrha's only aware of the relief when she considers it. ]
[ He laughs at how easily Pyrrha can simplify this, and then at the fact that they're talking about an imaginary place. ]
I don't know-- I don't even know what I'm saying! Sometimes I just start talking and I hope I... I find my way... heh.
Hmm. [ Jaune pulls on his singlet, trying to let some air flow through. ] I don't think it's as bad out here. Would be a good idea to just, I dunno... stay away from the walls for a while. What do you think?
[ Hey, he crafted an entire imaginary romantic getaway for her! It's a very sweet gesture. His words lead to her squeezing his hand affectionately. ]
That's probably the most optimal solution, right now.
[ Looking around somewhat, ] - it's... not really how I remember it.
[ Businesses in decay, city staff no more than statues, one disaster after another... and now they have to worry about the air suffocating them. Her memories from the first iteration of her stay are fuzzy, worn around the edges, like a dream she can neither remember nor forget, but she knows it had been almost peaceful. Not like now; there probably aren't going to be any more festive galas for him to take her to, she notes, a thin line between caustic and levity. ]
[ Let's be real, none of these kids will ever dance again in Remnant, too. ]
I bet you miss the carnival with the Ferris wheel of horror by now; or Christmas Eve with killer reindeers... reindeer... the plural version, heh...
[ Actual events that happened while Pyrrha was here. They themselves were such different people back then, Cerealia isn't the only thing that changed, clearly. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action; during event 33
The worst part is when the rain stops, and the air suddenly begins to feel humid on what feels like the hottest day on the planet. This is where they're at, right now, with Jaune down to a sweaty singlet and rolled up jeans, experiencing slight dizziness as he approaches the wall with Pyrrha.
He's got a Bad Feeling about this, not unlike the one he had on the day of the breach. ]
W-Well, the walls are still up... that's something, at least.
action.
She went out in only her running gear, and, were the atmosphere less tense, she might be admiring how well Jaune's singlet clings. Rather, the vague ringing in her ears distracts her, as does the wary look on his face. ]
Do you feel that?
[ She puts a hand on the wall, ignoring the nausea in the back of her throat to feel out the vibrations in the metal. They sound as sickly as she feels, standing here. ]
Something's off. It's like our bodies aren't able to adjust to whatever's in the air.
action.
[ Jaune is unarmed, too, because fuck carrying metal in this heat!! He's still prepared to summon the rocket locker should they have a need to fight, though. For now, Jaune just knocks lightly against the wall, as if he's checking its temperature too. ]
Some of us used to think we were prisoners in these walls, but... heh, you don't wanna be out there for too long...
action.
She straightens, leaning away from the wall. ]
Do you think it could be seeping through the wall?
action.
No. [ Another thing he's quite sure of. ] But it's a good guess.
These walls haven't been fool-proof for half a year; people are just-- going in and out like it's nothing. [ He thinks someone would have noticed if the air was seeping through, especially for a colony full of scientists.
Before continuing, he wipes a sweat off Pyrrha's forehead. She's right about one thing-- Jaune knows what prolonged exposure to this air will do for people, though he'd rather tell her when they walk back closer to the center of the city. ]
Do you feel okay?
action.
[ It's absently said. She follows up his attentive gesture with one of her own, subconsciously mirroring him and pushing some perspiration of her forehead with the heel of her hand.
The moment he had mentioned people going in and out, well. Faint curiosity had alighted distantly in her eyes. ]
... have you been out there?
action.
[ The first time, anyway. He has voluntarily gone a few times after that to clear the area of monsters with Ruby and others. ]
It's nothing but jungle out there, and beyond that are cold mountains, hot volcanoes and just about every other unbearable environment. -- Oh! And how could I forget, creatures that wanna eat you! 'Cause, you know... of course!
action.
[ That brief moment of levity aside, Pyrrha gazes back up at the wall. They used to feel so trapped here, cut off from their world and the outside.
... ]
You know, I never understood what it meant to feel suffocated by our confinement until I returned.
[ Now that she absolutely can't go anywhere else, her own poor decisions leaving her with only a tiny fraction of the universe allowing her to exist. Before, she could have sympathized with those who quarreled bitterly with their entrapment, but her grief had been muted. Now, it's razor sharp. Maybe whatever's out there is for her. Not a destiny, but the only path left. Thinking of it that way, there's a faint hunger in her gaze. ]
action.
[ He nudges her jokingly, trying to keep her mind off what he can only assume she's thinking about. ]
I... wanna show you the world out there, but first we gotta walk back and figure this thing out before it's too late. [ They should have at least seven days before they suffocate to death if the air stays like this, though Jaune imagines that people like Hiro and Honey Lemon are already working on solutions.
.......That doesn't stop him from quietly worrying though. ]
action.
She'll be thinking about those words long after this conversation is over: I want to show you the world out there.
Obligingly, she turns to walk back when he does. ]
... Tell me what you're not saying.
[ The words themselves could be construed as sharp, but her voice is gentle and patient. ]
action.
If someone doesn't do something about the air here, then none of us will be breathing it for long.
Mosley saved us the last time we were all out there, but something tells me he won't be coming back this time. I think CERES has officially abandoned ship, too...
action.
Is there no one in the colony that's immune to it? Statistically, there should be at least someone capable of breathing that air without harm --
[ She's just grasping, really. ]
action.
Those who are elementally aligned to Air can breathe it for a lot longer, but if we're talking definitely? Then... no, I'm afraid. You would have to be from here to be immune to it.
action.
I see.
[ There's a long pause, before: ]
... does this island have a beach?
action.
You bet! And a pool, in case one of us is terrified of jellyfish... or crabs. Or... squids... eugh!
action.
What will we do when we're tired of swimming?
action.
[ As their hands are still joined, he brings hers up and leaves a lingering kiss on the back of her palm. ]
And -- best part: the phones are out of service. [ Read: No interruptions. ] We only communicate with the outside world via morse code or smoke signals.
action.
A romantic picnic by the waterfall...
[ She's joining in! There's a waterfall now. ]
At night, we can lie on the sand and look up at the stars, or tell ghost stories.
action.
[ Ghost stories with just the two of them alone, are you mad, woman?!? ]
action.
[ STILL PLAYING ALONG. Despite, you know, the absurdity. ]
Well, that's probably for the best.
[ Pyrrha herself is essentially a walking ghost story, after all. ]
Are there any other rules I should know about?
action.
...
A... Aside--[ he clears his throat. ] Aside from the first rule, about... about the ghosts thing...
A-And the second rule, obviously. Two. T-Two rules. Or is it one? Augh, curse all these rules!
action.
Two rules, but the second indicates an absence of all other rules.
[ They're far enough away from the wall now that she no longer feels touched by the uncomfortable status effects of the atmosphere on the other side of it. Her head is clear of noise, her gait not compromised. Pyrrha's only aware of the relief when she considers it. ]
Is that what you were trying to say?
action.
I don't know-- I don't even know what I'm saying! Sometimes I just start talking and I hope I... I find my way... heh.
Hmm. [ Jaune pulls on his singlet, trying to let some air flow through. ] I don't think it's as bad out here. Would be a good idea to just, I dunno... stay away from the walls for a while. What do you think?
action.
That's probably the most optimal solution, right now.
[ Looking around somewhat, ] - it's... not really how I remember it.
[ Businesses in decay, city staff no more than statues, one disaster after another... and now they have to worry about the air suffocating them. Her memories from the first iteration of her stay are fuzzy, worn around the edges, like a dream she can neither remember nor forget, but she knows it had been almost peaceful. Not like now; there probably aren't going to be any more festive galas for him to take her to, she notes, a thin line between caustic and levity. ]
action.
I bet you miss the carnival with the Ferris wheel of horror by now; or Christmas Eve with killer reindeers... reindeer... the plural version, heh...
[ Actual events that happened while Pyrrha was here. They themselves were such different people back then, Cerealia isn't the only thing that changed, clearly. ]
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