what it all comes down to [closed]

[papartner]

Who: Kazuki Kurusu (papartner) & Rei Suwa (dadinside)
Which: Closed log
Where: Wherever a cat goes, Reverein
What: Tackling dream board quest 1005!
Warnings: Shouldn't be, will be edited if needed!



[ It's been a busy few weeks. Fortunately, busy is kind of the way Kazuki likes it. After being brought here, dream or not, he's been getting more than a little restless. Walks around town only do so much, and they don't need money, so... so what is he supposed to do? He knows he should try to get a job or something, but working for someone in a normal business is not exactly his style...

So the dream board it is! Most of the time, the jobs were pretty straightforward, and would get him a little of this and that to barter, or something he could use himself, or whatever. But this month he didn't wanna work on anything alone. So getting Rei's buy-in would be important. Which made the decision of which job to take pretty simple, actually...

Well, "simple" is a relative term. Kazuki did have to half-drag him out of the treehouse, but "we're going out looking for someone's cat" had made him a little more amenable to the idea. That said, there might be a bit more to it. After talking to the lady, she said something about a ghost, which did make the hairs on his neck stand up... but y'know, this is for a good cause...

Unfortunately this is how they find themselves in the edge of town after tracking the cat down to this location. It's an old house of some kind, though outside is a weird hedge maze, already decorated for Halloween (not even the kind of Halloween Kazuki likes...) ]

Sure hope this lady makes this worth our while once we get this cat back. This place is huge.

Comments

[papartner]

Don't judge someone by the state of the house, man.

[ Kazuki has lived shittier places than this, probably. And honestly, Rei's place might have been nice on the outside but the inside was a completely different story before Kazuki got there. ]

Besides, I totally see a light up on the second floor.

[ or does he? There seems to be something flickering up there, if you look hard enough... ]

[dadinside]

[There's no rent in this world and this house looks like it's been condemned. It's less judging and more being logical.

He merely stares up at it, getting an uneasy sort of feeling.]

Worth checking out, I guess.

[papartner]

Even if there isn't anyone inside, if there's a crack or an open window, kitty could have made its way inside somehow, right? So that's that.

[ they're going inside. Once they get there, anyway. This freaking maze is ridiculous. Kazuki hears another rustle like before and he jumps, half expecting another skeleton to pop out.

One does not.]

[dadinside]

[Why does it sound like he's just trying to convince himself that there's nothing unsettling about the house?

Rei glances over at his apparently still panicked partner.]

You gonna be okay?

[Don't worry, he'll protect you from the silly Halloween decorations, man.]

[papartner]

Why wouldn't I be okay?

[ he answers too strongly with his voice cracking just slightly. He's on edge. It's definitely not that he won't be okay. It's just evening, in the fall, and there's weird shit popping out of the hedges. Everything's normal and Kazuki is not afraid, alright?

His steps forward are him stubbornly digging in and denying the idea that he might possibly not be okay. Kazuki is going to ignore any other sounds and just get to that front door which is still further away than he wants it to be. Focus, man! ]

[dadinside]

[So he lets Kazuki take the lead and follows a couple of paces behind him, still on the lookout for the cat or anymore menacing Halloween decorations.

Only several minutes pass and they've turned a few corners, hit a couple of dead ends and had to go back a little. Rei finally speaks up, ignoring all the grumbling and muttered curses from his partner.]

Are we getting closer?

[papartner]

Like hell if I can tell.

[ Kazuki's tall but he's not that tall. The hedges are overgrown enough that it wasn't a big deal to look up at the house but impossible to know either the right direction or how much further they need to go. What they need is more height... He slows to a stop, hand resting on his hip as he thinks. And then it comes to him. ]

I think the easiest way to tell is if you get on my shoulders, Rei.

[dadinside]

[For a moment he considered if it were possible to move through the hedges, but they were really dense. It'd be impossible. He assumes Kazuki had a similar idea.

... Then he speaks up with an absurd idea and Rei just. Stares.]

Pass.

[papartner]

C'mon, man. It's just so you can get a look from above. Get us a better idea of the layout.

[ Does he have to look at Kazuki like that. It's a good idea and it's not like it would take long. Does he have some issue with being on Kazuki's shoulders? ]

[dadinside]

[Yeah, the issue is he's a grown ass man and not Miri.

... Except after an awkward moment of staring the other man down he realizes it's not a terrible idea. And it would cut down on time.

And so, begrudgingly, he acquiesces, with a low grumble.]

Fine.

[papartner]

How hard was that?

[ and Kazuki decides to strike while the iron is hot (and before Rei has the chance to change his mind) by crouching down with his back to the other man.

The only hard part is probably gonna be the back pain later tonight or tomorrow, but whatever. Can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs, or in this case, compacting some vertebrae, every once in a while. ]

[dadinside]

[Luckily Rei isn't too heavy, definitely the lighter of the two, so the old man's back shouldn't be in too much pain, if at all.

For a moment, Rei stares at the blond's back, brief images of earlier events from today flitting across his mind in a desperate attempt to make sense of how they got to this point. Then, with a low grumble of resignation, he slowly approaches Kazuki and awkwardly climbs onto his shoulders.

Feels... not great... and he shifts somewhat uncomfortably before sitting still.]

... Ready.

[papartner]

[ Rei's lighter for sure. One of several reasons why Kazuki didn't suggest he get on Rei's shoulders. His weight doesn't crush down on Kazuki too badly, so... He nods as he wraps his arms around Rei's calves to hold him. ]

Okay, here we go.

[ It's still a lot, but Kazuki does get to his feet with only a little bit of effort, planting them solidly in the gravel to make sure he's got Rei pretty steady. ]

[dadinside]

[Once it feels like Kazuki is steady, he looks around at the maze, taking it all in.]

Gonna need a minute.

[To commit it all to memory. It's long, and there are a lot of dead ends, but it shouldn't be a problem to memorize it all. And while he's up here, he'll watch for the cat too.]

[papartner]

[ Good, that means Rei's high enough. Kazuki's still impressed on some level that he's keeping him as steady as he is, though he's not sure how long that'll be. A minute is always kind of relative. Especially now that they have a kid. ]

Mmmhmm, take as long as you need.

[ of course he's not gonna tell Rei that there's probably a physical time limit. ]

[dadinside]

[While the maze is long, and not overly complex, it still looks annoying to navigate. So, yes, that minute is going to be longer than a literal minute.

Rei would've preferred something more direct, like dreamotion bullets to burn the hedges down, but that might hurt the cat if it happens to be camping out in them. Though, at this point, he's convinced it's not anywhere in this yard...]

Almost done. You doing okay down there?

[papartner]

I'm good, don't worry, I can handle it!

[ His back aside, that is. Even so he's not just gonna admit to that weakness out loud... ]

[dadinside]

[Rei can instantly tell that Kazuki is thinking about his back, but says nothing. It's not like he wants to spend any longer on the man's shoulders than he has to.

Luckily, being skilled in video games and memorizing layouts for jobs doesn't make this too challenging an endeavor.]

Got it.

[papartner]

[ be proud, his back has only start hurting a little bit. But he nods, already starting to crouch down so Rei can climb off. ]

How bad is it?

[dadinside]

[And hop off he does, careful not to injure Kazuki, else he'll never hear the end of it.]

Long. Not too complicated. Follow me.

[Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.]

[papartner]

[ Rei doesn't want Kazuki to whine at him? What a world. But Kazuki nods again, confident that Rei's got this covered. ]

Nice! Can't wait to get inside...

[dadinside]

[And Rei can't wait to go back to the house and play his games. Still... the prospect of getting to interact with a cat doesn't sour his mood any. Just the assignment.

So he focuses on getting to the house, weaving through the hedge maze, fully concentrating on the mental map he's made. He's focused and quiet, like he usually is, but keeps a quickened pace as he moves, slightly slouched and hands jammed into his pockets, keeping them warm in the chilly air.

Eventually, after several minutes, they both make it to the end, walking up decrepit steps, carefully, to approach a door that looks to be in centuries old disrepair.]

... Do we knock?

[Kazuki said he saw a light on, but...

Unsure.]

[papartner]

I know you don't normally go out and visit people, Rei, but it's the polite thing to do, you know.

[ Kazuki's got his hands shoved in his pockets too, as he tentatively takes a step up onto the veranda, the wood creaks slightly under his feet. Maybe this was a bad idea, but fuck it, they ball. That said, as he raps his knuckles against the wooden door, he finds that the door's not even quite closed. It pushes open at the slight touch of his hand and he glances back at Rei. ]

[dadinside]

[Rei's eyes meet Kazuki's in silent acknowledgement. It would seem that his suspicions have been confirmed.

Possibly.]

Told you it looked abandoned.

[And he's already reaching for his gun, intending to do a sweep of the inside if needed. Kazuki did see a light so it might not be totally empty. But...]

I'll go in first.

[papartner]

It's not abandoned.

[ Probably!!! Maybe!!

He doesn't stop Rei from pulling his pistol, but he does open the door a little bit more so he can call out - ]

Anybody home?

[ there's a hollow echo but that's about it - no lights seem to be on on the main floor either. But then he nods at Rei, and steps back to let him in. ]