you'll like the way we meme (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
memeswearhouse) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bakerstreet2014-08-12 12:50 am
memeswearhouse) wrote in bakerstreet2014-08-12 12:50 am
you can't go home meme
You Can't Go Home Meme
❝holding on and letting go❞
For some reason or another, your character is displaced from their home — be it in the sense of homeland, home planet, home universe, or literal house — and unable to return. How they and the people around them handle that is left up to you.
Prompts
001. Exiled For one reason or another it's been decided your character is to be exiled. Pushed out of their home by force for some criminal act.
002. Run Away You have to run away. Your troubles are too great, or maybe you consider yourself a great danger. Either way, you can't stay here.
003. Destroyed the doomed hometown, up in ashes, razed to the ground. No matter how much you wish and pray, things will never be the same
004. For your own good some event has occurred, it's made living wherever you grew up impossible. You have to leave. it's the only option.
005. Adventure Out on a grand adventure, except you have a sense that you may never come back to your humble abode again.
006. Welcome Back you made it home, but things are strange. Everything is alien and strange-- and really you've realized you have returned changed. This place cannot be your home ever again
007. wildcard anyway you want it
emotions
001. Anger Bitterness and anger are the only things you can feel. How dare this happen! This was your home. That was where you belonged.
002. Depression gloomy darkness and a dim grayness.
003. Elation the chance of a lifetime, complete happiness about the possibilities! Bring on the world, you're read
004. Anxiety A brimming sense of dread, are you ready for this step? Is there any chance to reverse it?
005. Free This was your chance, for once in your life you're on your own. But is this new found freedom what you want?
006. Resignation this is what had to happen, and you will accept the consequences for what they are
007. wildcard that's the way you need it
» POST with your character
» TAG others, use RNG if you need to, or just make up your own scenario if you want!
» HAVE FUN.
koujaku | dramatical murder | ota
let me know if this doesn't suit!!
it's heartening, of course, in the way that positive change is. toue is done away with, the sun's still rising in the east, and pizza still tastes as good as it always did.
but there's a part of mizuki that feels like he's being left behind. it had taken him three months to recover motor function. he's still not at 100%, which means he won't be able to reopen his parlor anytime soon. he's weak; he tires easily. he sees his own flesh being pulled back from from his bones every time he closes his eyes.
so it goes. life goes on, you fall down, you get the fuck back up. mizuki is the practical sort, the kind of guy that believes in good hard sweat and old-fashioned ideals like brotherhood and chivalry. he's ready to grow and blossom with the times. ready to put foot to pavement and change the way the old mizuki used to be, that half-wrought child who'd nearly torn himself apart in an attempt to save an institution that didn't need saving. ]
Long time no see, Koujaku. Thanks for coming out tonight.
[ that's why he's here tonight, dark-eyed and too-thin, raising a glass in koujaku's direction. to old friends. to new beginnings. ]
are you kidding, it's perfect!
So of course when Mizuki calls him and asks what he's doing, Koujaku answers without hesitation. After he finishes with his last client of the day (a saucy little minx who got a little too handsy when he'd given her a blowout), he heads right over to their designated meeting place, his winning smile just a bit brighter at the prospect of seeing his old friend up and about again.
Though he's seen Mizuki several times since the Morphine incident, he's always taken aback at the sight of him: his once healthy tan looks ashen, his cheeks hollower than the Mizuki he's accustomed to. While he looks leaps and bounds better than when he'd first gotten released from the hospital, he was still a far cry from the Mizuki that Koujaku knew so well. ]
Yo. Sorry to keep you waiting. [ He doesn't let his concern show outwardly, of course. He knows better than anyone just how capable Mizuki is, and he knows damn well that the other man didn't need his pity. Koujaku figured that knocking back a few drinks could only help him out at this point, and while Midorijima was turning a new leaf, their friendship was going to remain as constant as ever. ]
It's good to have you up and about again. [ He grins widely, genuinely, taking a seat next to the man and motioning for a drink of his own. ] Tonight's on me; I had a few generous tippers today and I'm wanting to pay it forward.
good good, likewise. c:
That's why he shooes the bartender off with a lazy gesture, slipping around the bar to start making Koujaku's drink himself. Koujaku, the traditionalist that he is, does tend to stick to sake and occasionally plum wine, but Mizuki had made a game of it over the years to see what sake cocktails that Koujaku liked. He starts by flicking out a glass tumbler, then pulls a few bottles from the back shelves, clutching the necks of the bottles between his fingers with practiced ease. ]
No way. [ he shoots back over his shoulder, easy grin on full display. Koujaku looks as he always has — confidence writ into every line of his body, the curve of his mouth always ripe with the suggestion of a smile. It's a comfortable sight, as few things have come to be. One that doesn't call to mind his sleepless nights or the shadows he sometimes mistakes for hulking terrors out of the periphery of his eyes. No one could ever mistake Koujaku for anyone but Koujaku.
Mizuki's allmate, white fur a stark contrast to the rich color of Koujaku's kimono, winds around his ankle, somehow ending up in Koujaku's lap.
Something about Koujaku. Allmates always seem to like him. ] I'm not one of your pretty ladies to woo. My bar, my rules, and the night's on me.
[ With that, he slides the tumbler, now filled with an amber-colored liquid, across to Koujaku. ]
<3
A lady you most definitely are not, but nobody would argue the fact that you're pretty. [ His tone was gentle in its mockery as he took the glass, raising it to the man behind the bar with a nod of thanks. Taking a swig, he reveled in its smoothness; Mizuki had clearly retained his touch, recuperating or no. ]
I'm not sure what I've missed more, your company or your ability to make the best damn cocktails on Midorijima. [ Though he teases, he already knows the answer. Life hadn't been the same without Mizuki, and his absence had been painfully felt by all who knew him. Benishigure had done its best to support those of Dry Juice in the face of Mizuki's absenteeism, but their assistance was no substitute for the once-vibrant head of the Rib team.
Koujaku had always known that Mizuki was well-loved, though he still marveled at just how profound an effect the man had on the world around him. He was a constant in his life, just as much as Aoba was. Taking another nip of his drink, Koujaku exhaled deeply. ]
It's good to have you back.
<3!
With Koujaku, it's only Koujaku. And his ridiculous ostentation, his flair for the dramatic. Mizuki pours himself three fingers of whiskey and takes his seat next to his friend again, the cool glass under his palm a welcome anchor.
There are questions still between them - why Koujaku had taken so poorly to Ryuuhou's presence, why he'd been apoplectic with anger when he's seen the spindle-fine drawings that had been left behind. Eventually, he'll ask. There are questions, and there are questions, but a thousand tomorrows stretch before them. There's time. ]
What, for my pretty face or for my cocktails? [ he's teasing in turn, falling easily back into the cadence of their friendship. ] You sure do know how to make a guy feel used, ladykiller reputation aside.
no subject
Perhaps it was the fact that he knew he'd always have Mizuki by his side that caused him to fly off the handle when he had seen Ryuuhou's handiwork, plain as day, framed and given a place of honor on the counter. This, coupled with his sordid past with the damnable tattoo artist, had caused a molten pit of rage to pool in his gut, threatening to boil over and causing the tattoo splashed across his body to throb. The mere thought of that rat working his tendrils into Mizuki was enough for Koujaku to go cold with rage, tight-lipped and shaking as he struggled not to tear half of the island's slums apart with his bare hands.
He was grateful for Mizuki's silence on the matter, though he knew he must have had questions. Perhaps one day, if or when the dust regarding the entire affair had settled, he would speak on it unprompted. Until that day, however, Koujaku was content to keep it chained down, the incessant throb and pull of his tattoos known only to him and him alone. ]
Who's to say I can't be grateful for both? [ He finished off his cocktail with a swift hoist, fingertips lightly gripping the rim of the now-empty glass. This... this felt good. Natural. Almost like coming home after a long journey. ]
I see that convalescence has done absolutely nothing for your sharp tongue. [ Koujaku ribs Mizuki gently, playfully; he gives a breathy laugh to punctuate his words. ] I'll have you know that I've been known to quite literally knock men right off their feet, mind you, but you've always been so charmingly resistant to my attempts. Perhaps that's why this friendship has lasted so long, hm?
no subject
Especially when Mizuki's still not quite himself. There's laughter crowded into the creases by his eyes, but not all of it is as natural as it might have been. Sometimes, to slip back into normalcy, a bit of effort must be applied. Mizuki is a hard worker; he's always been. The effort is no object. ]
Nice try, buddy, but there's a fundamental law at play here. Dry Juice is all above being proactive, you hear?
[ He's grinning, drinking down the last of his drink with a tip of his head back. ]
—he who does the tumbling will never get unduly tumbled himself. Confucius, I believe.
[ Mizuki himself is about as accomplished as one can get, when it comes to bedrooms and their various uses, but teasing or otherwise, Koujaku - and Aoba, incidentally - have always been offlimits. Koujaku's knee-deep in vaginal fluids most days, anyway, and Aoba -- well, maybe once there could have been opportunity there, but Mizuki's a wound spring and it was Aoba who wound him up tight. No opportunities to be found there, not any longer. ]
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He knows that the other man had to be struggling, though he was doing a bang-up job of hiding it. Placing his glass back onto the counter with a soft thunk, Koujaku's eyes flickered back to the wall behind the counter, laughing. ]
I suppose so.
[ Koujaku's romantic prospects were almost exclusively of the female persuasion, and while he had of course entertained romantic thoughts about a certain mutual friend of theirs, said thoughts had never gone anywhere. Koujaku was grateful for Mizuki's friendship, and as far as he was concerned, any romantic inklings towards the other man were nonexistent... and would cheapen their relationship, anyway. There was something sacred about friendship, just as there was something sacred about a romantic bond; while crossing the streams sometimes worked, Koujaku was quite happy with the way their bond was as it stood.
After a few minutes and another swig, Koujaku's voice dips low as he speaks. ]
So, really. How are you holding up?
[ It was a question that he knew part of the answer to, but he wanted to hear the answer from Mizuki himself. ]
no subject
[ Mizuki has never been the type to sugarcoat reality, but neither does he enjoy talking about himself and his own neuroses overmuch. There's a reason he'd resorted to trusting in the likes of Virus and Trip to buoy his family-come-rib-team rather than taking a more open and oollaborative approach to the problem.
Especially now, after he's realized that much of what he believed in the past was wrong, misguided, and/or a nebulous combination of the two. Making Rib more interesting wouldn't keep his friends and family close.
That's why he's here now, resting his chin in his palm and looking over at Koujaku with a faint smile. ]
Better than many of the others, at least. I've been getting a lot of work done to get the parlor and the bar back to what they were - everyone has such negative things to say about the insomnia, but it's what I'm least bothered by, can you believe that? [ his grin is wry. ] I marathoned an entire season of that new show - you know, American cover ops, the lead guy kind of looks like Scrap's old leader? - last night. I know you're more for the old-fashioned samurai crap, but you should check it out.
[ Because that, too, is Mizuki's way. Drop a vulnerability, roadroll over it with good humor. How else could he have survived this long?
Koujaku will understand. Mizuki doesn't know what happened to Koujaku in the past, and he's never asked - but he recognizes kindred. Sometimes it's easier to slough off old skin rather than learn to live with it. ]
no subject
He exhales softly, a low chuckle rumbling at the back of his throat. ] I can. Insomnia does have its virtues; I remember hearing somewhere that sleep is death's cousin, after all. [ He takes another sip of sake before giving a bark of laughter. ] I assure you that it's far from crap, but to each their own. I'll give your trash television a shot, but only because I've known you long enough to not mind when you shove your shitty taste down my throat.
[ His tone is affectionate, though far from gentle. He's willing to roll right along with Mizuki exactly because he understands. Tragic backstory aside, Koujaku surmises he would have always approached life in this way, and he's glad that he's found good company in Mizuki's coinciding worldview. ]