paradisalost | [Thread] Welcome to a new world

Who: Reiichirou Shiba (

repthplease)
What: Shiba is preparing to get a tour of Paradisa, compliments of Elk
When: Shortly after Shiba's arrival
Where: First Floor next to the staircase
Rating: PG

Deep cerise eyes carefully took in the surroundings as he waited on his tour guide. This Elk sounded nice enough and for that he was grateful. He had no qualms about dealing with bastards, but he preferred someone kind for a change. For once he was prepared to play nice.

Brushing a strand of dark honey blond hair out of his eyes, he leaned a bit more against the wall. Even if he looked like he was just standing around Shiba was carefully taking in every little detail and storing what he thought important for later on. Smart beyond his years and observant by nature, he was already going through all plausible scenarios of his coming to this new world. The reason was still unknown, but he was intend on finding out.

Still for someone that had just been thrust into a new world, the tall young man was certainly taking things rather good. It was probably understandable though, judging by what he was and what for life he led. He smiled, his eyelids lowering halfway as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Zarame-sama was probably pissed off at being denied, while Chika...

He found himself pausing at the thought. That boy...

Cerise eyes darkened for a brief moment, before he pushed those thoughts away. That boy was just a boy...he was of no importance.

And yet even when he tried to assure himself this, something tightened in his chest.

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"Kumori," Shiba repeated scratching behind the cat's ear. The kitten seemed to appreciate the attention as it purred happily, causing Shiba to chuckle. Animals were so easy to please, if only humans were the same. Finally straightening up, he focused his attention on Elk. His lips pulling in a mischievous smile. "Ah, I would like that," he all but chirped.

All of the sudden though, he paused only to openly grin at the shorter boy. "You're cute after all," he announced with a playful wink.

Elk blushed as he looked up at Shiba, blinking a little before laughing. "Um, thanks!" There was no embarrassed fidgeting or gazes averted to the floor. It actually felt good, not having to be so self-conscious all the time. Today, Elk was worry-and-doubt-free.

"This way!" Elk began walking away from the staircase, his pet cat casting one look at Shiba before laying down inside his owner's hood. He led the older teen around, pointing out the key areas for now whenever they passed by them. "Whatever you want to do, or whatever you need, you're pretty much set in Paradisa."

"The castle's clinic is down there," he explained, gesturing one way, "they use both modern medicine and magic there." Elk lifted up his staff for a moment, showing it to Shiba. "I don't work there, but I have healing magic, so sometimes I visit the clinic to help if they're really busy."

Shiba couldn't help but incline his head to the side, amused red eyes staring back at the boy. Well, that blush was certainly amusing...

As Elk moved away, Shiba quickly followed listening carefully to his explanation. At least they had everything that they would want. He wasn't exactly much into roughing it, even if he did not particularly mind either. It was a bit complicating to explain. Yet at least there was hope after all, that he would find something to entertain himself with...or perhaps even someone. His gaze briefly strayed to Elk.

At the mention of the clinic, he paused. "Interesting," he muttered, storing away the part about magic. It instantly made him wonder what other kind of magic, he would get confronted with. It was both an appealing and disturbing thought. He didn't exactly know all of the rules of this world yet.

There was a possibility that Zarame-sama would be able to cross over. Not exactly something that he would look forward. Hell didn't sound the least bit interesting.

"You possess magic as well? That's rather cool," he admitted observing the staff. "This might sound strange, but are mortality rates high around here?"

"I'm not sure," Elk answered honestly, thinking about it for a moment as they continued walking. He pointed out where the kitchen would be and briefly explained it — how people could eat whatever they wanted, cook it themselves, or ask the ghosts in the castle to help — before readdressing Shiba's question. He sounded just a bit quieter when he spoke again.

"...People don't really stay dead here." Endrance's death was one in particular that immediately crossed his mind, but the boy didn't let it bother him or weigh him down.

Observant by nature, Shiba quickly picked up the change in Elk's voice. There was something that the boy chose not to tell him and even if he was curious about it now, he chose not to ask. He was a patient man, there was a possibility that he would know whatever had made the boy pause in the future, but for now he was content with just listening to whatever little explanation that the boy decided to give him.

His last statement though caught his attention and it was his turn to pause in his steps. "People don't stay dead?" There was an inquisitive tone to his voice as his hand came to rest against his chin in thoughtful gesture. This little proclamation was certainly something to look further into. On the other hand if people didn't stay dead that meant that Zarame-sama was out of the picture, at least for now. A ghost of a smile flickered across his features, before he was schooling his thoughts behind a calm facade. "Well that's rather odd, isn't it?"

To Shiba's first question Elk shook his head, and to his second the boy nodded. He stopped walking as well, turning to face the older teenager. "Some consider Paradisa a prison because we can't leave - even through death. People come back some time later after dying, but I don't know if it works every time."

Not too long ago, Elk read about someone trying to jump off the roof of the castle to escape. To even think of falling so many floors down to the earth could send a chill down the young Wavemaster's spine. Why would anyone ever want to go in such a painful way?

Prison...that thought didn't sit quite well with Shiba. He wanted freedom, the right to choose his own path. His hands unconsciously tightened on his side, dull nails digging in his palm.

"Dying doesn't always constitute freedom," he murmured without thought, while his eyes darkened in color. Shiba knew what it was like to be desperate enough to end it. He had killed himself once after all.

The memories of that day were still fresh. He could remember the feeling of the air hitting his face, the taste of his fear and excitement as he plummeted to the ground. There had only been that short second of pain before everything went dark.

Bliss.

Only to awaken and be offered that contract. There were times that he wanted t berate himself for that decision. For in a way he had bound himself, but at the same time he had received the freedom of not being tied to all what represented being alive.

Still it made him wonder if he had been happy before that though, before it got so far that only death seemed like the only escape. He had to have been happy or at least content right--no, he was almost certain that he had been happy once, but it seemed so long ago. So long ago indeed...

And yet he couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried. "There must be something else behind this whole world though," he replied as he quickly pushed his thoughts away, not liking the direction in which they were heading. He despised analyzing certain situations that didn't seem to have any logical answers.

[Thread] Welcome to a new world

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