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shouto todoroki: blythe

video; un: shouto

My name's Shouto Todoroki. I'm a student from UA and a recent arrival to Trench. I wasn't in the other place, Deerington, I think they call it, but I'm supposed to be a Sleeper like them.

[ Not that he understands what that means exactly. Too many questions brew in his head. Too many new experiences, including waking up as a squid in the ocean which disturbs him less than what he's found out about this place. Blood magic. At least that's what it seems to him. He's still grappling with all the information thrown at him and there's conflict in his eyes, not obvious but visible. Unwilling to reveal anymore he leaves it there. He needed to make himself visible in case someone from his world was here and with that accomplished, he falls back to something more mundane and easy to grasp. Besides, he needs a place to sleep. ]

The abandon homes. Someone said we can claim one for our own. Is that true?

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Yeah! You should be good!

Unless I licked it, then it's mine!

We're supposed to lick them to claim them?

[ ... that doesn't sound right to him. ]

Edited 2021-09-06 22:06 (UTC)

It worked for me! No one else has tried to claim my place!

Don't blame me if you don't and someone else is suddenly squatting in your place.

[ Why would they do squats there? He's confused. Give him a second to try and make sense of this all. ]

I think I'll put up a sign instead.

[ You know, instead of licking it. ]

Nice meet you, Mr Todoroki! [Look at Oz, watching his manners! His friendly tone and easygoing demeanor likely contrast the stuffy use of titles.]

My name is Oz Vessalius. I'm like you; New to both, never heard of Deerington before, and house hunting. I think that's the general idea! You living alone? Is there anyone you recognize here?

[ The title disturbs him a little. It's his father's name more than anything and well... he prefers his hero name. ]

You can call me Shouto.

[ He nods at the name committing it to memory. He's the first person he's met who's like him. New to this place and the old. ]

I haven't claimed a house yet, but I think I'd be living alone. I don't know anyone else. I don't recognize anyone here. That's why I made the post.

What about you? Are you alone too?

Shouto? Then you can call me Oz!

[This feels so much better. Oz's grin comes more easily now. Shouto looks to be his age too, which is exciting. He doesn't have many friends his age.]

You must be pretty responsible. Gil wouldn't even trust me to brew tea on my own. But I did find some people from home... for better and for worse. Can't say this is a place I like seeing a familiar face in, you know?

Oz. [ He tests out the name, nothing expected. ]

I'm a provisional hero. [ He's got his license and everything. ] We have to be responsible. We're in charge of keeping the public safe where I'm from. If you're alone, I can come find you. It's better to stick together than try to whether this out on our own.

I can brew you some tea, if you'd like. [ Since he's not allowed... apparently. ] My bag came with a tea and a tea set to go with it. I don't know why but they got the brand I drink at home.

[ The question earns him a slow nod of agreement. He knows. It's why he put out the post. If they are here, he wants to know about it. ]

[Oh no. Oz didn't mean to set someone up to offer to brew him tea! It's kind of embarrassing when Shouto kindly offers help. It reminds Oz that no matter who he was before, his current life was that of a spoiled noble boy. How awful!

He chuckles and shakes his head;]

You don't need to take care of me, Shouto. I can figure it out. But thank you! [The fact he recognizes the brand of tea, though? That's something that Oz is filing away for future consideration.]

Buuut I'm also trying to find a place for my comrades to live in. Maybe we can look together? Some of the houses look like they'll fall apart. This place sure is creepy!

You're not on your own, then.

[ Shouto's surprised he's already made friends so fast, but he's glad he's not on his own. It gives him one less thing to worry about. ]

There's no modern homes here. I've looked around and most of them are in bad shape.

Not quite alone, mm~.

[Though Oz is still hesitant to ask to live with his friends from home. There is so much to unpack there... He realizes that he's quite useless and would be a heavy burden.]

Not modern, huh? That's funny, because some of the architecture looks pretty normal to me... Not to say you're wrong! We must come from really different places, is all~.

[ Not one to pry into others' affairs, Shouto takes that to mean he's got people he can depend on and leave it that focusing on the architecture instead. ]

The architecture reminds me of the castles from the Edo Period in Japan. Those are old but in good shape. Maybe the houses aren't well kept here.

Japan? [Wow, they really are from different places! Oz is impressed and curious, but tempers his urge to quiz Shouto. There's a time and a place for that.]

Hmm, you might be on to something there. Or maybe there aren't enough people to keep them nice? Either way! Finding a safe one might be a hassle, huh? Want to check them out together?

The castles have a large staff to keep them up and running so that would make sense.

[ It takes him all of two seconds to think about the offer before he's nodding. ]

Two sets of eyes are better than one. I can meet you where you are if you'd like.

[A crackling fire can be heard off link as a throaty, male-sounding baritone voice with a British accent speaks.]

As long as it shows no sign of current habitation, you should be clear to take possession of it as your own. Take what you will and make it yours, young man.

You may have dodged some metaphorical bullets in your not finding your way to Deerington. Those who awoke there found themselves in the middle of a family dispute on a near-cosmic level. I trust our hosts here are less prone to quarrels, but only time can tell

[ A seemingly simple message but there's a lot there to unpack starting with - ]

What family dispute?

You didn't miss much in Deerington.

(Only an incident that led to a literal apocalypse and rewriting of cosmic law. But Eddie's indifferent to cosmos bullshit right about now.)

It was one of a million shitty smalltowns in Maine that was cosmically haunted. (He rolls his eyes as if this was an everyday sentiment most people shared. But, really, if you were written by Stephen King you'd feel that way too.)

This place seems way bigger and cooler. (Like all cities.) Seems like you can. I don't think money even exists here which means the real estate market is probably nonexistent.

[ Right, a cosmic apocalypse that rewrote the very essence of reality, but not much more than that. Thankfully, he has no clue what happened back there, he's happy in his doe-eyed ignorance. Starting with that location. Maine? It's not a country he recognizes... maybe a city? He's not all that knowledgeable of provinces outside Japan but it sounds familiar. ]

Most small towns aren't cosmically haunted.

[ That he knows of! Not that he knows all that much about small towns. He's sheltered, so most things he'll probably accept but cosmic hauntings is a little too much for even this gullible idiot. ]

If money doesn't exist then how do we get things like food and water?

[ He can make sense of the abandoned houses. They're mostly dilapidated. The whole 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' deal is set in motion. But what about the other basics they need to survive? He can't imagine food and water are just free unless there's an organized government and even then he suspects they'd want something in return and in a place like this he's not sure he's willing to pay without knowing the exact exchange rate. ]

Edited 2021-09-07 04:51 (UTC)

A dispute between two parents and the mother's mother over how to raise their child, particularly since the daughter had inherited her mother's reality-shaping abilities, of which she'd lost control. And did I mention, the mother was our Moon Presence, albeit in human form?

[There's a note of 'Wouldn't you like to know?' alongside a quiet irritation, as if the speaker knows more than he cares to and didn't particularly enjoy getting pulled into the mess.]

[This is just the sort of dumb misunderstanding that Ruby is great at causing.]

Huh... Yeah- You know what? That's a good idea!

Surprised I didn't think of that sooner.

It does, doesn't it? But in that case, you'll want a place that a single person can manage?

[Or does Shouto long for housemates? Oz can't imagine wanting to be alone.]

That would be great. My bunny friend has shown me that we can teleport? Those lil'guys in the bag can help. Why don't we try to pick the same spot? [And meet each other halfway, he'd say, like equals.]

I see... so there are more than one arriving who were not in the nightmare. That's... telling.

[Telling that, in a way their experience was similar to that of the dream, though why? She couldn't say. Why would new people be drawn here even without Julia's desperate plea for help.]

Abandoned homes should be safe to claim. You can double check to be sure, but really if there's a heavy layer of dust, nobody lives there. Just be careful of ghosts. You never know here.

The place you found, did it need a lot of work?

[ He's trying to gauge what kind of 'disrepair' he should expect. ]

I don't need a lot of space. Something small is enough.

[ He's used to his dorm room now. Better than the inner house he spent his childhood in, separated from his siblings. If it's just him, a small place is all he needs.

He peers down at his bag where the tiny zombie lies in wait. It's not wailing now, but if he opens the bag it'll start to make noise. It's an odd thing, traveling by lamp. He's done it twice now, and both times it's felt strange, but it is the fastest way to travel here. ]

What location do you want to meet?

[ The description conjures up images of his childhood and Shouto takes a minute to answer. He doesn't focus on the trigger mines of the dispute in question instead he goes with what affects him here and now. ]

The mother is the... moon?

[ Ignorant of the events that shaped their present world, Shouto is rightly confused by that statement. ]

There are ghosts here?

[ He can handle a lot of things but ghosts?! Surely you jest! ]

She went by the name Cynthia Sodder in the world that birthed this one, but here she shows her true face and we know her as the Moon Presence. Perhaps you've heard her voice, singing soft and strange melodies at night?

[His tone might start off a bit cool and matter of fact, but something quietly fond might creep into his voice.]

Maybe not in general, but trust me, most small towns in the entire New England region are haunted to absolute hell and back. Or cursed. Or both. (The ignorance was fairly mutual. Being from the 1950s and a small town in America? Eddie probably wouldn't be able to name even ten other countries without really thinking about it. Then again, he had stopped going to school after around twelve. That didn't do him any favors.

So high-five for being mutually sheltered from the world.)

Probably a barter system. Or you just take it. This might be one of those weird communities that realizes profiting off of basic necessities like water and shelter is actually kind of fucked up.

(If Eddie hadn't already lived through two mildly degraded societies with depleted resources, he'd be asking the same exact question. Especially growing up poor? Yeah, nothing in life was for free.)

I bet it's a squid pro quo thing. I mean - er. Quid pro quo.

Edited (TWO probablys for the price of one? not in this town) 2021-09-08 02:35 (UTC)

[ The name is vaguely familiar like something he heard in passing. It doesn't trigger any real memories but the feeling is there. Then something half-remembered gets sussed out. After sunset, when the world seemed to slow, the wind picked up in melody of the night. ]

I don't know about a moon presence, but my first night, I heard a [ strange and soft ] lullaby in the wind.

[ New England rings a bell but he can't remember if it's Europe or America he's thinking about, not that it matters. It doesn't change their situation. It's odd though, it's the second time someone from the other place mentioned hauntings. Should he be worried? ]

A barter system. [ He murmurs to himself. ] It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.

[ It's not like he has any money on him, and even if he did he doubts this place accepts yen. ]

Was there a barter system in place in Deerington?

Hmmm~ Have you tried the 'Cellar Door' district yet? It seemed pretty busy the last time that I visited. If we work our way out from there, we can maybe balance 'abandoned house' with 'safety in numbers,' or something?

Not that I've seen, yet. But in my experience, abandoned buildings anywhere associated with what we've seen always have the possibility of being haunted. basically, if you can imagine something involving a monster of some sort?

It's quite possible it's here somewhere.

Someone else said that Maine is just weird, and that all the weird stuff that happened in Deerington was probably normal.

[Oscar shrugged. He wasn't from America... Or even Earth.]

I wouldn't know. The small farm town I lived in before Deerington wasn't haunted by anything but the occasional bad luck.

What questions do you have? I was only there for about a year, but I can try to answer them.

Edited 2021-09-09 15:41 (UTC)

It actually wasn't too bad actually. I was in the weird dream world before I got here- And apparently the house I had there decided to show up too. It was kind of shambly and dusty compared to what it was there.

But honestly after a good clean up it's been pretty good.

...My friends did most of the cleaning though. They'll probably be mad if I don't give them the credit on that.

[ Deerington he surmises and nods; most people were. Though the bit about 'places' from that world showing up here is news to him. ]

You found your old house here?

[ That's... kind of suspicious, especially the 'shambly and dusty' part. ]

By friends do you mean the ones you made in Deerington or the ones from your world?

[ He hasn't found anyone from his world yet. He's not sure if he's glad for that or not. On one hand, he wouldn't want any of his friends in a place like this and on the other... well. He'll figure it out. ]</small

[ He takes a moment to think about it before nodding. ]

I haven't been there before but if it's a heavily trafficked area then it's likely safe. It's a good place to start, I can meet you there now if you're ready.

[ Not a ghost then. Right. That makes sense. ]

I haven't come across any monsters here yet, unless you're talking about the zombie-like creature [ 'lamp friend' ] that lives in my bag.

[ Maine? It's not the first time he's heard that name. He hasn't placed it yet, but it sounds familiar. Not a country but a city maybe? ]

From what I've heard, that place - Deerington - wasn't normal at all.

[ It's not much that he's come across, he's only been here a handful of days, but it's enough to paint a grim picture of the town. It's left him with many questions, some of which he hasn't quite fully formed. ]

The deers. I heard they helped people in that place too. Can we trust them?

No, those are quite harmless. Find a place that you wish to be easily traveled to and set them down. They will form a transportation point there. Most people like me have put them outside their homes.

For now, the worst were the pirates in the ocean and a few poisonous crabs. Believe me. Light fare by our standards.

[The question was met with an instant smile.]

Oh, definitely! I'd even say they're one of the few beings that are completely on our side.

[Having spent the better part of the last year giving them gifts of food, and having witnessed them appear in a Sleeper's defense without even a summons, Oscar was willing to make a solid bet that the same was true in Trench.

He wasn't a betting kind of guy.]

We don't have our Antler tattoos anymore, but I think they'll take care of us the way they did before. They've never been aggressive unless they're protecting a Sleeper, and they were among the last to leave the Dream.

... Why do you ask? Have you seen them yet?

Yep, I'm all ready to go!

[He's getting used to the creepy lamp friends.]

I'll see you in a minute!

[ A nod in return and Todoroki closes the device to peer down at his bag with the little creature stowed away hiding away from the world. When he opens his bag, gloomy moan echoes from the zombie-like figure inside. ]

Can I use you one more time?

[ He asks, feeling as if he should. The creature keeps moaning but sways back and forth in a steady movement that he takes to mean he has no real objection with its movements calm but gloomy. ]

Right.

[ Todoroki gently takes him out and begins the process of traveling by lamplight again. Soon three swaying skeleton-like figures join the first and Todoroki gets swept up in the magic arriving at the destination a few minutes after his talk with Oz. Giving himself a moment to process the abrupt change of scenery with newly minted sounds and smells is a little overwhelming. He looks around searching for a head of blonde hair as he steps away from his spot of arrival to search for him. ]

You put them outside your house? But aren’t they lonely?

[ It’s not like he’s been talking - albeit fruitlessly - to his. ]

Did they have them in the other place? Deerington?

[ And he’s blinking in surprise at the mention of - ]

Pirates? I thought that was just in manga.

[ He may not have read One Piece but everyone in his generation at least knew about it. Quietly curious, he can’t help but ask - ]

Do you know any of them?

Not yet, but the few people I’ve spoken to who were here before mentioned them.

[ It was odd and something Todoroki didn’t realize was a commonality until after a few encounters. But this is the first time he’s heard of the tattoos. ]

You had antler tattoos?

They seem quite comfortable there. It caused there to be aa small group of them around a lantern. It's... what they do. The lantern serves as a teleportation point in town.

They did. Once, for about a month. They hovered around safe places. [She snorted] The pirates were rather real, as well, and tentacly.

No. They were rather far gone mentally, and barely aware. More monster than man any longer, sadly.

Ahh, then you've been graced with her voice. Put some flowers out, perhaps in a vase, in the moonlight and she might give you a gift. She is... a strange entity to behold, but she seems to harbor a soft spot for us Sleepers.

Yeah. All of us did.

[Emphasis on the past tense. Oscar didn't quite know the significance, but he suspected it had something to do with the multitude of deer that seemed to watch over them.]

They've faded for a lot of us, but not everyone. A friend of mine even has scars where his tattoo used to be!

(He absolutely should be worried. But the haunted lifestyle wasn't something that you could just thrust someone into. They'd realize in their own time - unfortunately.)

It can be pretty advantageous for the right person, I think.

(Them, for example, who washed up on shores with next to nothing. Eddie didn't have any cash on him at all either, but he did wake up with plenty of his jeweled rings from before. They were as good as money in the market, apparently.)

No. We used cards that had our money on them. It was basically the normal US dollar system, but there was also a bunch of weird magic shit that would give us a lot of random items sometimes.

Yeah- It's kind of weird. And it's not around anything else I recognize from Deerington either. It's just sitting in the middle of the gaze district. Not too far off from the clock tower.

Both. I live with a few friends from home and a few that I've made in Deerington.

If you ever need a hand getting set up let me know. I can probably convince them o help us out.

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((Sorry for the slowness! Life got away from me.))

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whoop sorry for delay.

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