[Action]

[espigeonage]

Who: Julien and OPEN
What: Jules returns to Locke and meanders around trying to get his head together.
Where: Pretty much anywhere reasonably quiet and not dangerous.
When: Backdated to May 30, latter half of the day.



On the bus back towards the city Julien had crossed some invisible line and thought back to his own puzzlement about why all the shirts he'd brought had been kind of loose in the trunk, and the couple comments he'd gotten about looking more in shape, and then Colette's call. Then a white feather had somehow ended up under his clothes on his back, and a few minutes later he'd had to fight to breathe until something in his chest gave way and his altered ribcage strained his new shirt with each breath. Then he'd remembered why, and... the rest had gone from there.

So that had happened. He'd spent the remainder of the ride, and part of the afternoon, debating with himself about whether it would be better to move out of town. Leave and forget, be safe and unconcerned, or stay to this uncertain future and the simmering thought that he wasn't useful to the others here in Locke. Eventually, with difficulty, he'd decided that he would stay.

Then his pulse had run faster, and unlike the alien memories he'd recovered before, which had come as unusual dreams, this one had been a full-on waking vision. It had left him standing sightless and unmoving in public until it ended, leaving him shaken.

Whoever it was who'd had that memory, Julien was not him. Even aside from not being human, the other him... was clearly someone stronger. Better? That's how it looked, anyway. It made him feel ashamed for wanting to leave. And that awful secret, whatever it had been...

He had the quiet suspicion that if the other him had forgotten whatever it was that weighed like an albatross, that man would have become a lot more like Julien.

Well, one thing at a time. He had to call Colette and ask her to meet somewhere. Some things were better done in person.

[Julien got off the bus at around 11, went home, walked around in a wooded park and had his Echo there, then spent the rest of the day walking through/stopping in quieter parts of the city, ending up in a bar in the evening. As usual he smiled at anyone who made eye contact and was willing to chat, but he was more subdued than usual.

...also he has a fading black eye. Went to a wedding that turned out kind of exciting, not a big deal now.]

Comments

[angelskills]

[ Ever since that confusing phone call had ended, Colette had been thinking about Julien. Worried about him. Was he okay? What was he doing? He hadn't remembered anything about the network -- that had scared her. Would he not remember again? Would she never see him again? Though she hadn't known him for long that was something she didn't want. She cared about him a great deal already, trusted him. The idea that anything might happen to him -- she didn't like it at all. So when she received his call some of her worries had subsided, he remembered again, but his tone on the phone wasn't one he normally kept when she saw him. Short, and to the point. Was everything okay? Needless to say she had agreed to meet him without asking much, deciding that it was better to just go along with his request. She didn't mind -- and seeing him in person might make her feel better.

So she arrives in the shopping plaza, golden hair dancing around her in the wind, glancing around to see if she can spot him. She's not wearing her usual cheerful look either - she's much more subdued than usual, calmer, as though she's matured a little herself in a short amount of time. It's not as though she's been without her own struggles, but those were nothing, not in light of Julien and what he might be going through right now. It's quiet here, except for the soft whistle of wind and the occasional sounds of voices. ]

Julien...

[espigeonage]

[He's at a little lacy-iron table, looking at the sky and still enough for long enough that sparrows are hopping at his feet. They scatter when he gets up upon Colette's arrival and goes to her, stopping awkwardly a few feet away. There's a bruise at his left eye, yellowish with a red hint; in general he looks like he's put less care into his appearance than usual.]

Colette. Hey. [Julien makes himself smile.] I'm sorry about before.

[angelskills]

No, it's okay! It's not your fault.

[ There's really no need for him to apologize, and when she sees that bruise around his eye she moves closer to him, closing the distance between them. How did this happen? It looks like it hurt! There's definite concern on her face as she moves to him. Her hand reaches out, as though she wants to touch that poor abused cheek, but lowers to her side once she's in front of him. Randomly touching his face would be rude, wouldn't it? ]

Are you... oh... that looks like it hurts. What happened?

[espigeonage]

Wha- oh, this? Heh. [He touches it himself, lightly, and shows her a more genuine smile.] It's nothing, really, caught a flying elbow. There's these guys who're always fighting who ended up seated together at a wedding reception, and they weren't exactly careful. Now it only hurts if I poke it. Good thing I have multiple sets of glasses, huh.

Really, though, I w- I am fine, hah. Did I scare you?

[angelskills]

A flying elbow?

[ Oh wow that does sound like it'd hurt! But at least that doesn't sound to be anything out of the ordinary... still. She doesn't like seeing him hurt one bit. ]

Um ... well, I was worried about you. I was afraid something bad had happened. If something happened to you...

[ She trails off. What would she do? What could she do? Other than worry. The helplessness of it bothers her and she frowns a little, hand at her side gripping her shirt a little bit. She says it again, softer: ]

... I was worried.

[Action!]

[depolarized]

[Riku's been out on a grocery run, passing by Julien with a brown bag clutched to his side. He would've passed the other by without remark, except he saw the black eye blooming over the side of his face and blinked, pausing a moment. It seemed a bit out of place on an otherwise placid face.]

[espigeonage]

[Julien smiles, of course, abandoning his train of thought for the moment.] Hello! How's it going?

[depolarized]

Looks like you ran into something. [Riku taps under an eye, shifting his bag easily.]

[espigeonage]

Hmm? Oh! [He laughs.] Something like that! Wrong place, wrong time, flying elbow... I'm not a brawler, but I ended up sitting too close to some people who were. These things happen, unfortunately!

[depolarized]

Your friend hits like a horse. You should take one to see them.

[espigeonage]

[Dated to Sunday the 2nd]

In the days after returning and having that vision Julien had started having vague, uneasy dreams that seemed to feature that king figure, but he could never hang on to the details. It didn't seem like something to complain about. But it did contribute to the quiet mood he'd been having more often lately. What was the other him? What had he done that was so terrible?

He wasn't religious. He really wasn't, he hadn't been in years. But showing up for a service wouldn't hurt anything, and it'd be something different to focus on a bit, right?

Julien wasn't exactly up on the nine zillion different sects of Christianity, but he had a lot of friends, and a couple of them sang at St. John's and had said it would be cool if he sat in at some point.

So the Sunday after coming back, there he was, in the back and very quiet, just watching and trying not to yawn. He'd kind of hoped that something would click, but... Still, as the congregation ebbed away at the conclusion he stayed, his face lighting briefly as he chatted to his choir friends, but becoming serious again as they went to change and he studied the vaulted interior.

[caosgo]

Emmanuel could usually recognize newcomers easily; the congregation was small enough that he could greet everyone by name, more or less. But this one stood out, if only because of the blue hair. Not that he had much of a problem with it; he'd gone through his own rebellious phase when he was younger, though that had mostly involved rejecting all the schools his father picked out for him and picking his own. Regardless, this young man seemed friendly with some of the choir members his age, so he must have been an acquaintance.

A parishioner called for his attention as people filtered out into the main hall after the service, and it was several minutes before he was unoccupied again. He approached the newcomer with a hand extended to shake.

"Welcome. I'm Reverend Hall--are you here with a friend?"

[espigeonage]

If the other Julien was an angel, this kind of thing should feel more meaningful, right? Listening to the service, singing along with the hymns, he shouldn't just feel like he should stick around to be polite. But who said the other him was the Christian conception, or even if he was, if this would somehow resonate?

Seeing the... pastor? priest? gah, he didn't know approach, Julien put aside his circular thoughts to stand up and greet him. He really did like to meet new people. "Thank you! Beautiful service, reverend... I'm Julien, Julien Sakazaki." It hadn't struck him one way or another, but he knew better than to suggest otherwise. "Yeah, I came to hear Lorry and Alex! They're in an a cappella group at the uni and they've always said I should come hear them here. Heh, the acoustics are certainly better... How old is the church?"

[caosgo]

"Julien." He managed not to mangle it too badly, thanks to whatever high school French he'd retained. "You can call me Emmanuel, if you'd like." He didn't mind the familiarity; if anything, he preferred it. Some of the children even gave him nicknames.

The question was a bit of a surprising one, but pleasantly so. He'd been the head of the congregation for about three years now, enough that he'd finally started thinking of the building as home, and putting his old church behind him.

"Oh, I believe since the early 1800s, but it's definitely been improved upon since then." He gestured at the electric lights. "But those stones outside, I'm pretty sure they were laid back then. There are records going all the way back, if you're interested in that sort of thing."

[espigeonage]

Even if it had gotten mangled, Julien probably wouldn't have said anything. He didn't really mind. "Emmanuel? I don't think I've ever met anyone with that one before. Cool!"

Following the gesture upwards, he nodded. "Heh. I don't know if it really is that the churches are usually the oldest buildings around, or they just tend to look it. Maybe people are a little more hesitant to knock them down and rebuild?"

duuuring the memories

[edhwierfan]

[Ever since he become part of the secret network, if that's what they're even calling it, Aeron's been keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Of course, he doesn't expect anything to jump out at him. Accessing the network the first time had been a complete accident, so were meeting other networkers in his day-to-day life. Even the statues at the gallery are subtle in their own way; he'd never have noticed anything wrong with them if Ayliff hadn't pointed it out first.

Which is why Aeron doesn't see something supernatural about Julien standing frozen like that--all he sees is someone who might need assistance.

He approaches, careful not to startle him.]

Are you all right?

[espigeonage]

[It's not quite done when Aeron approaches, and Julien neither sees nor hears him. A few seconds later the memory ends and he shudders, gasping, but he's not entirely free of the alien thoughts even as his eyes focus on the closest person.]

Who's left? What do I have to do?

[He sounds firm, he's frowning intently, but Julien is trembling.]

[edhwierfan]

[Aeron takes that as a "no". Clearly the man's still caught up in...whatever he's seeing. He glances around to see if anyone might be able to help, but most of the passerby are just oblivious or avoiding his gaze. Aeron sighs.]

Why don't you come over and sit down on this bench, to start?

[He waits a second before he puts a hand on Julien's shoulder and steers him away from the middle of the street.]

[espigeonage]

[Julien resists for a moment, and then lets himself be led. When urged towards the bench he rests on it, looking about in great sweeping anxious movements until it finally dawns on him that yes, actually, he is himself and in this world again. Not that that seems to entirely help. He goes from trembling to outright shaking as the last of the other him's calm evaporates, clutching the edge of the bench with white-knuckled hands, his head sagging forwards as if too heavy for his neck. After a moment he speaks, but his voice is nigh unrecognizable, guttural with horror and... general reaction.]

Oh, god.

[edhwierfan]

[Aeron just stands nearby, waiting for whatever it is to pass. If it will. He's definitely not equipped to help the man with whatever he's going through, and the feeling of uselessness makes him awkward. Still, he can't just leave when he's so troubled. That would be cruel.]

Have you someone I can contact? A...family member or a friend?

[Aeron takes his phone out just to give his hands something to do.]

[wordsgate]

[Sam hasn't been on the Network much lately. His encounter with the Vermedi had shaken him and made him question if he'd brought too much attention to himself. That, on top of the new vision he'd received in his dreams, had made him want to stay as far away from the 'Numbers Club' as he could. He wasn't some sort of hero. He doesn't have any delusions of being one.

But he hates not understanding things, particularly things about himself, and those strange terms from his vision have been jumping around in his head since he had it, so he's finally given in to his curiosity and gone to the library in search of some understanding of things. He's settled on a large book titled simply Knights, and found a desk to sit at as he reads. But he's frustrated by the book--it's not really giving him the information he's been hoping for--so occasionally he's stopped and instead enjoyed a bit of people watching.

It's during one of these moments of people watching that he catches a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. He's slightly surprised to see Julien here. He knows he graduated college already and he didn't think he was the bookworm type. Then again, Sam isn't one either, and he's here...

Setting his book aside, he clears his throat and walks over with what he hopes is a relaxed-looking smile.]

Hey! This isn't the sort of place I expected to see you. [He speaks in a hushed tone. It's a library, after all.]

[espigeonage]

Oh, hey, Sam. [Julien lights up when spoken to, which isn't unusual. He'd looked pretty sober and kind of distant before that, though.] I felt like some quiet and space, and it's got hotter outside... And, okay, maybe I wanted to look something up instead of suckling on Google all the time. Heh.

I was out of town a while - anything interesting happen?

[wordsgate]

[He caught the way Jules had looked before he spoke to him, and mentally decides that he'll ask him about it if the right moment rolls around.

When he asks if he's missed anything, Sam winces a little.]

Mmm...how long have you been gone? Things got a little exciting about a week ago...

[espigeonage]

[He laughs lightly.]

I skipped town on the fourteenth. Wedding. Did I tell you...? Sorry, man, I told some people, but I didn't want to go announce something that basic to the whole club. ...How exciting is a little exciting?

[wordsgate]

Oh, it's fine. I can understand not wanting to announce that sort of thing to everyone.

[He scratches behind his right ear and glances around to make sure there's nobody nearby.]

The creepy and nervewracking sort of exciting, honestly. There's been this weird, hairy...thing stalking people.