( closed-ish ) ad astera per aspera

[crystallomancy]

Who: Natsume Sakasaki & various
What: July catch-all
When: 07/01 onwards
Where: looks off into the distance...
Warnings: you know what....... i bet we're gonna need some. will edit later.

ana-bolism:

Paramore was right. Hard times.

CODE BY

a little catch-all for natsume, for outside-of-event-logs-and-etc threads. you can toss your own starters for him in here too, but i appreciate being given a heads up first! we can talk at coordination or on my plotting comment here!

Comments

bro idk can we meet at ur classroom. breaktime bc i gotta be embarrassing

[starrypoint]

[since that'll be the first place subaru looks after he spots natsume's name on the bulletion board during break, on the class assignment list, with growing excitement that he's got someone he knows here..!!!



like, totally disappointed they are STILL NOT IN THE SAME CLASS or year BUT. natsume is here.

THE DOOR'S SLAMMING OPEN--]

Naaaatsume! ☆ Let's go out!





[outside! but his classmates don't need to understand that. maybe outside. he knows his window opens and he wants to go outside but honestly he's good to go anywhere he wants to catch up with the other since it's been a while in his true memories.]

I KNOW I TOLD YOU TO COME AT ME BUT HAYAI.....

[crystallomancy]

( natsume's in his classroom, yes, happily no one in his class immediately wants to kill him, probably. subaru is... a shock, but it's not too shocking that as soon as he'd "wake up" he'd come seek him out.

...actually, this is probably for the best, even if he's still sore and not sure how to navigate certain topics. up and out he goes, grabbing subaru's arm as he passes and yanking him out, ugh— )

Please do not give people the wrong impression of US, Baru-kun. ( never mind he does this to maya frequently enough. is this karma? was june not enough?? ) Ugh... I guess there's no helping you being awake NOW, so let me get you up to speed on how things work around HERE.

( he pauses, lips pursing, and softer: ) This isn't like our school back HOME, so mind yourself a litTLE.

more like hai-yai

[starrypoint]

[-- oh whoa natsume never does the touching thing, so subaru's yanked right out as soon as he's stepping in; he catches his footing though, thankfully, and cants his head to the side, cause that's a lot of. it's a lot in like, a little bit.]

I mean, I kinda figured it was different? The classes aren't like Yumenosaki, and there's not a big idol presence here. It's sorta like a public school.

[which he experienced maybe in sporadic bits? but anyway. he'll go wherever natsume takes him, dogging beside him.]

What'd you mean by awake?

[crystallomancy]

It's a private SCHOOL, but it doesn't specialized in anyTHING. ( he'd probably compare it to a prep school or something like that, maybe...?

anyway, let's see ... music room should be abandoned right now, so there they go, natsume shutting the doors behind them.

...where does he even begin. natsume slowly turns and leans back against the door, crossing his arms. )

By "awake" I mean you're not aSLEEP... It's more figurative — or philosophical — than liteRAL. Your eyes are "opened" NOW, so you can started grasping the truth of this SCHOOL. ( though even they still have some issues with that... never mind. ) This high school is also much more dangerous than Yumenosaki — there's been multiple murders enacted on the campus alreaDY, and the school year has more or less already just beGUN.

( a few months in, a few murders in, you know. )

The staff doesn't CARE, and for some stuDENTS, they consider it necessaRY.

( he'll let that all sink in, then. )

[starrypoint]

[yeah whatever, you lose track of schools and how they function when you go through them like tissues (though natsume's no stranger to that, either--)

it is a lot to take in, though. it sounds like one of sally~'s manga, or ukki~'s games... subaru stares at his friend, and it's not like he doesn't understand or doesn't believe natsume, who might be a self-proclaimed liar but he doesn't lie, not really, especially not about stuff like this; it's not his way of kidding around or poking fun, so like.

he has to believe him. not that he wouldn't, but he has to take it seriously.]

So, like, [just to make sure he's got this,] we could die?

[such a foreign concept, but one all too real to those who've experienced it first hand.]

[crystallomancy]

( it sounds silly, doesn't it? but even at yumenosaki things like death happened, just... not the way that it happens here.

natsume thinks about rika and the way she had lunged without a moment of hesitation, ready to kill him and be done with it; natsume thinks about the way chiaki spoke of what she'd do to izumi's murderer, the conviction and justness in her voice leaving no room for argument. )

...Yes, we COULD. ( his voice is quieter, though it returns to its normal timbre next. ) So be careful of who you make enemies or friends OF. Most of the people here are level-heaDED, I'll give them that MUCH, but most of them are also only huMAN.

( subaru should understand what he means by that, maybe. )

[starrypoint]

[he does. he does, because he's stupid but he's not Stupid, and he knows that people are only human. that they make mistakes, that they react, that they don't react -- it's just human nature, it's not surprising.

but--]

So there's people who aren't humans here too?

[non human friends...? yes??? yes???????]

[crystallomancy]

We have robots, cyborgs, elves, ghosts and spirits, and a talking... ( hold on ) SeCRET. I'll tell you if you're a good boy and behave.

gundham, 07/03

[crystallomancy]

( There's a really, really long list of things Natsume never expects to ever happen in his life, and yet somehow, "Some sort of little monster hatching(?) out of a flour sack" never made it on it.

And yet. Here they are. Looking at some little... cow? He guesses? Because I thought the cow was the cutest one so I think we should have it, and also so it'd be harder on Gundham. Anyway,

it's reaching out to them... cute... Pow-D waves its little hooves to Gundham... Pàpà )

...I don't know what I was expecTING, but it wasn't THIS.

[overlordofice]

[ NOOOO DON'T MAKE THIS HARDER ON GUNDHAAAAAM ]

Nor did I expect such a sight. [ Gundham, being the animal lover that he is, probably has the biggest genuine smile that anyone in Yogen has ever seen out of him; consider yourself lucky, Natsume. He can't help but to get a bit closer, his left, wrapped hand reaching down to gently give the baby some small light scritches on the head. ]

How intriguing!

[crystallomancy]

( IT'S HARD ON ME TOOOO, UGHHH.

Anyway, their baby delicately moos and nudges Gundham's hand... puts its lil hoofsies around it... sayonara touch... )

...That's one way to put IT. ( Sounds aside, it's pretty cute? Natsume frowns slightly, cupping his chin. Huh. ) I wonder if we're supposed to take care of it for the rest of the year NOW... They never specified that it was that long of a project THOUGH.

( actually, they never really said an end-date, did they. did they. )

lucifer & clamor, 07/01

[crystallomancy]

( THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE NATSUME SAKASAKI...

Good we're getting this out before he goes séancing again! He'll find them separately to ask about the ... ritual prior to this, and then just go wait wherever they'd like him to after school.

...He hopes this exorcism thing isn't too lengthy or too painful or too anything, really. Or that there's nothing to exorcise, actually. )

[sunstead]

[It'll be fine, they can do all the prep work in advance... so Natsume will probably arrive to the meeting place with a large chalk circle already drawn on the floor, maybe some candles set out, idk what the fuck does exorcism entail when you're dealing with an unknown spirit and the exorcists are a non-catholic wizard and a literal demon??

but despite the circumstances, Clamor will at least put on a friendly smile when Natsume arrives. He closes his spellbook, putting it aside for now.]

Ah, there you are... we'll walk you through all the steps before we begin. Did you have any questions you wanted to ask first?

[carpevinum]

[Lucifer has never done an exorcism because he's not Catholic and if the name of his Father is invoked in this house he might actually go on a rampage. As an angel it was Not His Job to do things like this either, but Lucifer knows how to get rid of malevolent spirits (usually through raw force or making Solomon do it; bereft of the latter sorcerer as he is, raw force will be used).

Anyway Lucifer's in demon mode for the aesthetic.]

It shouldn't be too difficult. [Lights a candle.] I recently found out I have my ability to break hexes back, and my presence is typically enough to scare off most violent spirits.

[Lucifer stop boasting for two seconds challenge.]

[crystallomancy]

( The two of you... he at least feels relieved that they seem like they know what they're doing; Clamor's friendly smile is disarming, too, but maybe that's just because he's been a little lonely and any hint of someone being happy to see him makes him happy.

Pathetic. )

I'm happy to hear THAT, Lucifer-san... and not realLY, as far as questions GO. ( None that he's willing to look weak for, though he pauses as he steps to the edge of the circle. ) Will it take LONG?

[sunstead]

[cheer up, Natsume... that is why he's smiling. kid's gotta be having a rough enough time already without people giving him sour looks all the time.]

Well, we won't know until we begin... if there's still something in there, it might take longer to get rid of it completely. But if it's only traces of it left behind, or if it's already left on its own, it shouldn't take long.

[so either this is just a quick spiritual check-up, or they gotta fistfight a ghost for an hour]

[carpevinum]

It shouldn't take longer than an hour at most. I've found that most possessions don't exactly look like what happens in movies, that is, you won't be crawling on the ceiling and shrieking in Latin at us. Theoretically, anyway.

[A wry chuckle, and the last candle is lit. Natsume is a knowledgeable young man, so he'll skip over explaining what all of this is for.]

I'm assuming the circle is ready, Clamor? [And then turning back to Natsume,] Just follow Clamor's instructions and try to make yourself comfortable. I believe once you're within the circle you won't be able to leave until Clamor's magic is deactivated, if our previous forays into magic were anything to go by.

[crystallomancy]

( THEORECTICALLY... Natsume has categorically been to more séances than he has exorcisms, so he'll have to trust their judgments on it.

And if the circle's good to go, and Clamor gives the go-ahead — he'll step into it, careful not to mess up the lines. Should he sit, should he stand... he's going to really carefully sit, knees tucked to his chest and arms looped around his legs. )

I'm ready whenever you two ARE.

shuiiiichi, 07/04

[crystallomancy]

( It's a blessing and a curse that their lockers aren't too far from each other, though Natsume's limited his locker-visits to "very early morning" and "pretty late at night" to avoid most of the populace. It's nothing really different than a few years ago, to be honest.

He pauses catching Shuichi at his though, and ... he's been meaning to talk to him anyway, so he walks that way and goes to his own locker, but he messes with the combination instead of opening it right away. )

...How's your ARM?

( There's no one else here (and even if there were, they aren't many people with hurt arms), so it's obvious who he's talking to, though he gives Shuichi a sidelong glance as he asks anyway. Curious, but his voice is even and calm. )

crawls here finally, here goes

[unsurely]

[ Unfortunately (or maybe sort of fortunately?) for Natsume, "pretty late at night" is a common time for Shuichi as well, since he often stays up when it's quieter and everyone's gone, to do some of his note-taking and just general thinking about things. It is, in fact, some of those notes he's been adding to his collection even now, slips of papers of different colors just barely visible on the walls of his locker as he works.

Gotta fill up the mostly blank space that came from no longer needing 90% of the ones about Aiko, after all... ]

...Ah. Sakasaki-kun?

[ He doesn't answer the question right away... or at all, in fact, because all he does as he pulls himself out of his locker from his task, is give something akin to the start of a sheepish smile. What else can he do... and yet for some reason, he doesn't seem to have a lot of trouble meeting eyes with Natsume right now. ]

Are you... worried about me?

[ Busted. ]

sighs about them

[crystallomancy]

( Busted.

The look turns a little more irritated, his ears just a little warm, but — )

Don't you think that's a stupid quesTION?

( Who wouldn't be worried, after all that. He focuses on his combination, tick-tick-tick. )

I'll take that as a "it's healing up just fine, thanks" THEN. ( Which is... good. It's good. He doesn't have much else to say (except he— does? he does, but), and he's quiet for a bit, but: ) I feel like I should be more angry with you than I actually AM.

( A slow exhale, and he opens his locker, a nice little wall between him and Shuichi. )

Your reveal timing was good for Komaeda-san, seeing as everyone latched onto mine immediateLY. And YES, I understand why you did it — every reaSON, even if I don't agree with all of THEM. ( He looks through his things, lays his hands on the crystal ball like it's going to give him some kind of guidance. It won't, but it's something solid. Grounding. ) There wasn't a better time for it eiTHER. I understand THAT, but I was still MAD... I feel like I should still BE, but it isn't anything I can fault you FOR, when I'd do the SAME.

Not for Komaeda-san, ( except maybe for the "he wouldn't kill again" reason ) but if it were someone ELSE...

( Hiro, maybe. He trails off, then picks the conversation back up again. )

You shouldn't have gotten in front of me, you KNOW. ( But he's glad he did. He hates that he did, but he's glad he did. But— ) You didn't want her to feel upset THOUGH. You and I both know that killing me wouldn't have made her hapPY, nor would it have brought either Kudo-chan nor Sena-senpai BACK.

SIGHS LOUDLY TOO

[unsurely]

[ Ah... did he make him actually angry? Because you know, you aren't Saihara Shuichi if you don't wonder this for real at least once, it's what happens when your self-confidence has all the resilience of a thin sheet of paper in the rain. But the way things go on, he starts to understand that Natsume was likely just... thinking.

Even if what he has to say is quite quick to alarm Shuichi, drawing up his remaining good hand into a gesture that would be protest, if only he'd gotten to finish it. ]

What...? H-Hey-- That's not--

[ It's a mild-mannered something, spineless like he usually is; and he doesn't quite know how to voice it at first, so no wonder it doesn't go through. For a moment, he almost gives up... but a look at the door with the number 101 that's been opened between them, like it's a shield of some sort, is what stops him from that in the end. There's something that still feels off... and even if that's what Natsume might want, he just can't convince himself to leave it alone.

And besides... ]

Hold on a minute. Even if not all of that is wrong... aren't you assuming you know my feelings a little too much on your own?

[ There's a trace of frustration in there that he didn't have before -- that he doesn't exactly try to have, but it comes on its own. He closes up his own locker though, with a contrasting motion that makes no sound; perhaps that move is what uses up the last bits of his calm, but he circles the obstacle regardless so he can see. He's kind of curious what Natsume was messing with in his own... as if that can give him some kind of additional read on what's going on. ]

[crystallomancy]

( Hasn't he been scolded on that same thing somewhat recently? For assuming Chiaki would kill him, for not trusting people, for being too wrapped up in his own opinions and how he thought of others. Natsume hunches his shoulders a little as Shuichi comes around him, knuckles white on his crystal ball

(he thinks about the bloody handprint he'd washed off of it when he'd found it, the one that matched his own)

and forces his hands back into motion, snatching his smartphone from beneath some clothes and his notebook for good measure, too. )

Are you going to say something idiotic like "I did it for you too, Sakasaki-kun"? ( His vocal mimicry skills aren't as good as Wataru's, but he isn't bad at it; he's a little better at throwing his voice than mimicking them, but he doesn't have a need for that particular skill right now. He shuts his locker, turning around to lean against it. Arms crossed, vibrant green smartphone in one hand, the hints of lightning bolt on the back of it peeking out from beneath his tight grip, and his notebook held against his chest. ) You're such a good perSON, Saihara-kun. Martyrdom suits YOU.

[unsurely]

...I didn't do it for you.

[ It's clear anger this time, colder and more pronounced than the frustration from before, although Natsume's free to laugh at him that even like this, Shuichi's voice still feels soft somewhere deeper, unable to truly cut. It's not that he hasn't before, he supposes, it's just... His gaze averts somewhat darkly, reading the numbers on the lockers yet again. Like they're a cipher able to tell him how to word this, but of course there's no simple solution like that.

And that frustration bubbles up again. ]

But... you sad it yourself. Even if I'd let you die, it wouldn't solve anything. Kudo-san would still be dead, and so would Haida-kun from my class and his friend. Sena-kun, too. It wouldn't bring any of them back.

[ Why doesn't anyone understand that, even the people who word it themselves like Natsume did? ]

The only thing that happens when someone dies... is they're gone. You'll never be able to hear them or see their smile... you'll never feel their warmth or spend time with them again. If Kawai-san killed you, we'd just all... have kept losing things.

[crystallomancy]

( It isn't really about bringing people back for some of them: it's about taking care of problems before they can happen again, cutting a tumor out before it becomes malignant. And for others, it's just to make them feel better—to give them that control back.

A lot of the time, it's the second.

Natsume's grip doesn't loosen. )

None of us know each other that well for such sentimental feelINGS, Saihara-kun.

( Or most of them don't. There are outliers, as always. Natsume forces a steady exhale out, voice growing softer. )

I'm not ungrateFUL. ( He's mad about it, about people worrying about him, about doing things he doesn't ask them to do... About a lot of things, but mostly those two. ) But I'm not going to thank you for throwing yourself into danGER. It was a stupid move and you know IT.

( ...But he is grateful. )