02 [Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[Waking up in some strange room he didn't recognize was not on this young boy's agenda today. Whatever the place was, he wasn't too keen on staying in it for long. Thankfully, he found a note on the nearby desk that told him Richard was in "House #43". It looked similar to the boy's writing, and hey, would he really steer him wrong?

So today, you might find this younger Asbel in one of two places; First, you might find him wandering the village, looking quite confused as he searched for something. If he sees you, he may run up to you, saying if he can ask you a question.

...Alternatively, you may very well find him at his desired destination, House #43. It really is difficult to find a house when the numbering is all out of order. In the case of the latter scenario, you will see (and hear) him shouting at the top of his lungs at the house.]

Heeyyy, Richaaarrd! Are you in there?! [...Apparently someone's never heard of knocking on the door first.]

((ooc: Asbel's been reduced physically and mentally to the age of 11. Replies will come from seekscrosophie for the sake of icons.))

Comments

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

[...boy, what is wrong with you. Did you never learn to knock? That yelling is just going to attract a tired Naoki's attention and he wanders over to open up the front door.

He looks at him for a minute or two but...Naoki's really kind of used to people he knows turning into kids on him. And there's only one person this could be, with that hair and eye colour. Holding open the door slightly.]

Come in.

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[...That's not Richard. That's DEFINITELY not Richard. Richard's short and blond and kinda lanky and pale and-- well, this guy's definitely not Richard. So Asbel doesn't move from his spot, because he came to see Richard, not this guy with the neat-looking tattoos.]

...Who are you?

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

[Okay, Naoki just offers him a brief smile and leans against the doorframe, folding his arms over his chest.]

I'm Naoki. You came to see Richard, didn't you? He's here.

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Some of the tension in Asbel's body relieves itself. He was worried he did all this searching for nothing, to just come to the house of this random guy. But Richard's here! He's really here! That's good. Yeah, good... He starts walking forward now. There's absolutely no way this could be a trap, after all.]

So Richard really is here?

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

What about Richie?

[Popping over Naoki's shoulder now. Who's this kid?]

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

Yeah--Richard's really here. [Naoki glances over at Isamu and then nudges at him. He's giving him a just go along with it look. Please let the mind reading kick in about now.]

This is his friend. Yeah? [Addressing that to Asbel.]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Looking as Isamu now. Who are these guys?] ...Haha, Richie? That's a silly nickname for Richard! But I got a better one for him!

[...Ohhh, maybe they're Richard's bodyguards! That would make sense; he's supposed to be an important guy, after all. They sure do look out of place as bodyguards, though... Looking back at Naoki, now.] Yeah, that's right! Richard and I are best friends!

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

[What. What. Why the nudging? Isamu totally fails at the mind reading thing, but at least he'll behave.]

What's your name then, kid, and we can tell him you're here?

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

[What kind of bff are you if you can't hivemind, Isamu. At least he's behaving... Naoki shifts back a little, still holding the door open a bit for Asbel to come in as he waits for him to answer Isamu. It'd be suspicious if he went answering.]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Coming in through the door now. It IS open, after all.]

Me? I'm Asbel. Asbel Lhant!

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

[Asbel, Asbel... Where has he heard this name before? Yeah, Richard had said this was his friend, hadn't he? Some how he'd expected him to be older...

Oh. Right.

Well, this has the potential to be awkward.] Good to meet you. I'm Isamu. Naoki, you wanna grab his buddy for us?

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

[Indeed it does have that potential.]

Yeah, no problem. [Naoki turns, heading further into the house toward the first floor bedroom.]

[tiger-festival.livejournal.com]

[The first thing Naoki might notice when he enters the bedroom is the fact that the blanket lump on the bed is... much smaller than usual. There's still a familiar head of blond hair poking out of the top, at least...]

[denyingreasons.livejournal.com]

[...oh hell. That lump under the blankets is much smaller and he has to pinch between his eyebrows for a moment, getting a feeling he knows what's happened. Then he takes a deep breath and walks over to the bed, pausing at the edge.]

Richard? Hey, Richard...

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[He watches Naoki walk off. Then he decides to address Isamu.]

...So who're you two supposed to be? Are you Richard's bodyguards?

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

[...Bodyguards. Right.] Yeah, something like that.

[Action]

[forsurvival.livejournal.com]

[During his wanderings of the village, Asbel may notice a young boy hiding away in the shadows of a house. He's sitting on the ground, his knees pulled up to his face, watching people pass by with wide eyes.

He looks a little terrified.]

[Action]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Asbel spots the young boy hiding in the shadows, and, well... He never did really understand how to keep his nose out of someone's business.]

...Hey, what are you doing in there?

[Action]

[forsurvival.livejournal.com]

[The boy doesn't respond. Instead, he scuttles a bit further backwards. He doesn't know where he is or how he got here. All he knows is that if Emeraude isn't responsible for this, she's going to be mad that he's out of the lab without a guard.]

...

[Action]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Approaching now, not even realizing that Lambda's scared of him.]

Hey, you're acting pretty weird! Why are you hiding in that alleyway for?

[Action]

[forsurvival.livejournal.com]

[Lambda lowers his head into his knees, trying not to meet Asbel's gaze. Maybe if he just stays out of trouble, nothing bad will happen. By now, he's come to associate iniative with punishment, after all.]

[Action]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Asbel should have been taught to take no for an answer.]

...Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, if that's what you're thinking.

[Action]

[forsurvival.livejournal.com]

[No response. Honestly, Lambda isn't worried that this kid will hurt him. It's just that bad things have a tendency of happening to him, so he's best off just staying put.]

[Action]

[seekscrosophie.livejournal.com]

[Well, if you're gonna be like that, Lambda, then...

...Then he'll just stand there and stare at you for a while.]

[Action]

[forsurvival.livejournal.com]

[After a few more moments, he lifts his head to peer at Asbel again. Who is this person, anyway? Does he know why Lambda's here?]

...