(no subject)

[outofthemud]

Who: Kanda and Lenalee (closed)
When: Day 9, Late evening/early night
Where: Wherever Lenalee is.
What: Bedtime stories because Henrietta said so. :|b

[Finally coming back to his room after the usual day of fending off nature (he's pretty sure there's a large bruise forming on his shoulder and he might have twisted his ankle, but whatever). Now he just needs to find some people (or one person) to read this book he's digging out from his overcoat in the corner. Because like he was going to leave that sitting out in the open.]

Comments

[anklets]

[Given that it's dark and she can't fight, she's. Probably in his room somewhere, slowly succumbing to cabin fever and restlessness. Which is why if he's showing so much as a hint of a limp when he comes in, she'll start fussing like it's going out of style.]

Kanda.

[outofthemud]

[No fussing he doesn't want fussing. He wants to get around to getting a bed.

--Oh, hey.] Lenalee. [Glances back at her, pulling the book out.] You busy?

[anklets]

[Better hide that bruise and twisted ankle, then. Fussing fussing. But she'll actually distract herself from mother henning to be wry for a moment:]

Oh, yes. I can barely stay on my feet.

[She's dead-not-dead and can't do anything substantial towards her purpose of being dead-not-dead. How busy is she gonna be, really.]

[outofthemud]

[... Right stupid question. Holds the book up.] Let me read this to you.

[anklets]

[Blinking at the cover.]

...Why?

[outofthemud]

Because one of the gods wants me to. [And he wants a bed.]

[anklets]

A god wants you to read a story to me.

[Maybe he should mention the bed bit.]

[outofthemud]

That's what she said. [It doesn't really make it less bizarre.]

[anklets]

...All right. [At least it would dispel her concern that Kanda's doing this out of the good of his heart.]

[outofthemud]

[Well, he did say he was told.

Going to sit down next to her, frowning a little at the book itself. Reading children's books, really...]

[anklets]

[Which is something she's only ever really seen him do for either Komui (and by extension, the Order) or herself. So.

She leans lightly against his shoulder, head tilted so she can inspect the cover.]

It's not very long, at least...

[outofthemud]

[At least, although it's still kind of embarrassing to be doing storytime with a children's book.

Eye's on the prize, he supposes. Opens the book to start reading (dull and in monotone. Like Kanda makes a good storyteller).]

[anklets]

[...Work on your inflection, Kanda. She glances at him sidelong as he starts reading, then, when it's apparent that that's how he's intending to go through the entire story, gingerly brings her legs up and settles in for the long haul.

Only. Hearing Kanda rhyming is so odd that she can't help but giggling at the end of a verse.]

[outofthemud]

[It's not like he wants to be doing this. Stops for a moment when he hears her giggle, sparing a glance to her.] What?

[anklets]

[Looks at him sidelong and giggles again.] It's just... hearing you say these nonsensical rhymes in such a serious voice... It's funny.

[And the first reason she's had to laugh in a pretty long time.]

[outofthemud]

[Scrunches his nose slightly and huffs.] I didn't choose to read it.

[Or at least, didn't choose which book he would read for his bed.]

[anklets]

I didn't say you did. I just think it's cute.

[outofthemud]

Not cute. [What is cute about him awkwardly, dully reading bedtime stories (for three nights in a row...).]

[anklets]

[The juxtaposition is cute. But she just giggles again and motions for him to keep reading.]

[outofthemud]

[Nyeh nyeh. But he turns back to the book, and keep reading he shall. At least it's not very long.]

[anklets]

[Only now that she's noticed the rhyming hilarity, she's definitely going to be paying more attention to that than the story. Hopefully the god's request didn't include people retaining any of what happens in the book.]

[outofthemud]

[Didn't sound like it. Closes the book when he's done, looking over at her.]

[anklets]

[Giving him a tiny little grin. Not really smug, just amused.]

That was a good story.

[outofthemud]

Willing to listen to if for two more nights? [Please. He doesn't trust it not to be horribly embarrassing with other people.]

[anklets]

...Twice more? Why? [YOU DIDN'T MENTION THIS AT THE START...]

[outofthemud]

Because that's how many times she told me to read it.

[anklets]

Oh.

Isn't there anyone else you want to read to?

[outofthemud]

No. [Really Lena, the only other people are strangers or alternate universe versions of people from home he either didn't get along with, didn't talk to, or harassed him.]

[anklets]

[It was worth asking!

Sort of.]

Okay, then you can read it to me again tomorrow night.

[outofthemud]

And the night after?

[anklets]

[Puts on a thoughtful expression.]

[outofthemud]

... Please.

[anklets]

[OH MY GOD HE SAID PLEASE.]

Okay.

[outofthemud]

[He would like to obtain a bed with minimal embarrassment.

Hums and nods, getting up to toss the book back to its corner in the room.]

[anklets]

[Her smile fades a bit while he does that, because now she's thinking about the gods.]

...Kanda. What other sorts of things do they want people to do?

[outofthemud]

[Looks back over his shoulder at her.] In general? Clear the wildlife.

[anklets]

I meant besides that.

[Lenalee shrugs and glances down at her legs, running her fingers over one of the rings.]

I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help in here. Since I'm just a danger to myself and others if I go outside.

[She met Link this morning, by the way! And he asked her to stay inside because it was dangerous for her to so much as be in the hallways. It was a good blow to her pride, even though she's trying hard to believe he was just.. looking out for a friend of a friend, as he'd said.]

[outofthemud]

[What can she do, what can she do...]

You could take apart the animals we need to sacrifice. [Yeah.]

1/2

[anklets]

[






What.]

[anklets]

[Leaning forward to rest her head on her knees.]

...All right.

[outofthemud]

[Yeah he knows it's not pleasant. First hand.]

... If you want to deal with them yourself you might be able to trade in different things.

[anklets]

[Shakes her head, pointedly avoiding his gaze. Why does this have to be so stupidly difficult?

Not without a tinge of bitterness:] I don't want to make deals with gods.

[outofthemud]

[Yeah, he doesn't particularly want to either. But they're kind of without a choice as far as things go right now--maybe further down the line they can properly server themselves from dealing with the gods.

A pause before undoing the belt around his waist.] We should probably sleep soon.

[He assumes it's sometime late (or the equivalent for the amount of hours he's been up), even if it's kind of impossible to tell trapped in a windowless building.]

[anklets]

[If they didn't feel like maybe they ought to bring her back well enough to fight, then she sure isn't going to trip over herself trying to help them beyond what she absolutely has to to survive. To make things easier for Kanda and the others.

But she gives a faint nod when he comments on resting, figuring that the topic of doing things for gods is now closed, and unceremoniously strips off her coat and rolls it up into a makeshift pillow. Then she gives a grunt and curls up. She doesn't exactly have much reason to stay awake in this place, right, so might as well...]

[outofthemud]

[Makes the days go by faster, or something. Not that they can accurately tell time.

Though after a few minutes she'll probably feel a coat being dropped on top of her. Kanda's overcoat, to be precise.]

[anklets]

[You sure this isn't hell after all?

...Kanda. It's. Really hard not to notice, and she opens her eyes again when he does, about to ask him why, but... really... she doesn't have to ask. It'd be stupid to ask.

The fact that there are all these people treating her as if she were their own Lenalee and not the one from some other world and died before they even reached Edo emotionally drains her more than this incessant dark. She curls her fingers around the edge of his coat for a moment, then curls up into an even tighter ball and brings it higher around her.]

[outofthemud]

[He watches her out the corner of his eye as she stirs and settles, working the buttons open on his coat. Really, he had no other way to treat her, because Lenalee is Lenalee and dying a little earlier doesn't erase the years of common history they have between each other.

Pulls his coat off and sits on the ground before laying back, pulling it over him and using his arm as a pillow. At least they'll have something to sleep on in a few days.]

[anklets]

[It's just... hard to imagine, is all. Less than a week earlier, she'd never even entertained the idea of other worlds, other hers. She had a difficult enough time letting people in at home, and here's Kanda. Accepting her when she technically didn't even belong in his life.

And Allen. And Lavi. And this Link person.

Exhausting.

And its to that end that she'll slip into dreamless sleep, curled up beneath his overcoat.]