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]

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. ]

[dadinside]

[Why is he still insisting that? But Rei doesn't argue, he lets Kazuki poke his head in and call out, if that makes this all feel a little less like home invasion.

And when his partner's voice is met with nothing but an eerie silence, Rei slides around him and steps inside, gun held at the ready, as he aims in either direction.

The inside of the house looks to be just as worn and rotted as the outside. It's two floors, with a open floor entranceway. To either side of them are doors, and directly ahead are a set of double stairs leading to the second floor. Which looks sturdy enough from here.

The only sound that does greet them as they cross the threshold inside are the sounds of metal objects hitting the floor to their right behind one of the closed doors. Like pots and pans. A kitchen, perhaps?]

There.

[Rei indicates, motioning with a nod towards the direction of the noise.]

[papartner]

[ Ignore the slight jump Kazuki made when those metal objects had hit the floor. At least he'd managed not to shriek. It's... not good in here, Kazuki will admit. It doesn't look particularly lived in but he swears he saw a light upstairs so it's not empty. It was a candle, candles don't stay lit forever, so it can't be empty. Logic.

He takes a moment to gather himself before glancing at Rei and following him toward the noise. With no small amount of caution. Could just have been an animal disturbing some pots and pans. (Could also be a ghost with chains hitting the floor. (Kazuki, ghosts aren't real - yeah, he would have thought so before getting here, but not any more...))

But just in case it's an actual person -]

Sorry to come in without warning, but we noticed your door open!

[ also, may scare away any rats, mice or "other", hopefully. ]

[dadinside]

[Rei carefully edges the old swinging door open, slipping inside and doing a quick sweep. It's a fairly large room, completely in shambles, with rotting wood furniture and stained wallpaper. There's a long dining table at the entrance, and to the left is a kitchen, though it looks more like a cooking station. It's not a setup he's ever seen, but he listens carefully, looking around the room and checking behind the weird bar area/counter into the kitchen. Nothing.

But he does find the pots and pans on the floor, namely a pot with spoiled food leaking out of it. The smell is unbearable.]

Doubt anyone was eating that.

[Does Kazuki still think someone's here?]

[papartner]

[ Rei's kitchen was better than this. But only by a small margin. Okay, not as smelly, for sure, but, uh. ]

You're one to talk...

[ Said half under his breath. There are things he won't ever forget.
Anyway. No, it's getting harder and harder to believe, and his voice betrays that thought as he answers halfheartedly. ]

Maybe they're asleep.

[ The way the floor creaks under their feet just continues to show how old and uncared for the house is... ]

[dadinside]

[He heard the mumbling, but doesn't pay it any mind. Not like he was eating spoiled food, he just wasn't picking up after himself. It's no secret that Rei is terrible at keeping things clean. Or doing anything that isn't playing video games and ordering shit from Rakuzon.

If it weren't for Kazuki, he'd be a lot worse off. Easily.

The eerie silence filters in, along with the sound of creaking walls when the wind blows a little too hard.]

Or dead.

[He says so nonchalantly as he walks back towards the dining room. This room is clear.]

[papartner]

Dead people don't need lights.

[ He knows he saw a light. He is going to cling to this light thing as long as he can. This place is weird. Ghosts could exist. Kazuki does not want. So, with that thought, he's fine if Rei keeps leading the charge, Kazuki glancing back at the kitchen warily before following behind him. ]

Do you not believe that I saw a light??

[dadinside]

[Let it go, man.]

Uh. I believe you think you saw a light. [he's gonna say it.] Probably a ghost, then.

[As if on cue, a slamming door can be heard nearby, somewhere out in the main entrance, followed by the sound of faint running footsteps and giggling.]

[papartner]

[ Kazuki jumps at that slamming door, edging closer to Rei as he does. The noise he makes isn't a shriek but it's like a choked gasp and isn't very dignified, or, you know, brave. ]

Ghosts aren't real!

[ he says to himself more than anyone else, despite knowing that it could be real (and knowing that it could be real makes this so much worse!!) He can feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. The glances behind him get a little more furtive, fingers curling into worried fists, nails pressing into the palms of his hands. ]

[dadinside]

[Rei barely looks startled, however he's staring sharply at the door. Whatever ran into the next room is staying in there, it seems.

About the whole ghost thing, though...]

They're real here.

[Completely ignoring Kazuki's frazzled state. He's seen a ghost before not long after they arrived in this world. With Susato. It needed it's picture taken in order to defeat it. Like that game, Lethal Frame.

Anyway, after dropping that helpful bit of info, Rei starts for the door.]

[papartner]

[ conveniently, Kazuki has forgotten about that whole ghost thing, mostly because it was ridiculous, but still, shut up, Rei. Not helping. In fact - ]

You're not helping!

[ Kazuki gets even closer to his partner though. He's just screwing with him, Kazuki repeats to himself, hearing everything bad in the faint footsteps they're leaving behind them. ]