sunfloras | OPEN POST III

[ Bus rides in the United States, especially the long ones, have a charm to them as far as Lien Kha is concerned. There's something particularly fascinating, a certain flavor of Americana, you can only get when you're riding across multiple state borders where for miles upon miles, there's nothing to see, but varied landscapes. Flat deserts, misty forests, intimidating mountains...

It's going to be at least another hour before this bus got to the next stop and then another hour to get to the next town. Lien yawns, looking away from the window and not paying attention to the other passengers. There aren't a lot right now, just ten or more people. That's fine; it's better than an overcrowded situation where she'd have to sit thigh-to-thigh next to a stranger and despite her gloved hands, that type of physical contact is unnerving.

So, all in all, it's a peaceful and quiet ride, everyone's just minding their own business... ]

Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want...!!

Ah, shit.

[ Heads turn and eyes narrow at Lien's rose-gold phone that starts to blare out the girl band 90s classic. It is quite loud and based on how her fingers fumble, it was obvious she didn't mean for this to happen. Just like how she didn't mean for it to drop from her hands and onto the floor of the bus. ]

Oops! Well, if anyone wants to sing along...??

[ Nope, no one. What a crowd! Lien sighs and looks across to the person sitting in front of her. ]

Help a fellow traveler out? And if you're really generous, if you could hit, "Ignore Call," that would be wonderful.

[wanda is minding her own thoughts, happy for a bus that isn't at full capacity. traveling has its own kind of power, she thinks, and after everything's that happened, it is a nice break from the reality of her responsibilities (or lack thereof, at this point in time). where will she go next is anyone's guess, but for now whatever turbulence exists in her mind are kept at bay by the possibility of not having to think about it until the next stop.

it would all just be herself and her thoughts, were it not for the loud music blasting from under her seat. it sounds familiar, like a faraway memory, but her knowledge in music isn't entirely too great if taking into consideration how she grew up.

wanda does pick up the phone that's slid under, taking it into her hand and studying the phone a moment before pressing 'ignore call' as asked. sitting on her knees to hand it over to the girl sitting behind her.]

It feels like I am years younger after hearing that song.

[with a smile, she encourages a bit of polite conversation to try and sweep off the embarrassment from the girl.]

Ah... Thanks!

[ Lien gratefully takes back her phone. Her gloved fingers grasp at the end of the device as if purposefully distancing herself from the other woman. It's not that notable on its own, though. ]

True, Spice Girls is technically an old hat, but not that song. That song has the greatest ability known to man, and that is called being an earworm.

[ She leans back in her seat, unlocking her screen with a few swipes to glance at her call history.

Rolling her eyes, she looks at Wanda ruefully. ]

Ugh, it was just my grandma. I need to assign a custom ringtone for her. Something like I dunno, "Night on Bald Mountain?"

[ Her change of expression quickly changes to a wrinkle of the nose as if some realization has struck. ]

Wow, I'm just referencing all the ancient history now, aren't I?

[wanda thinks this is as far as the conversation will go, that she can just go back to sitting and keeping to her thoughts until she either fell asleep or found distraction by some other means. however, the girl looks at her—says something about her grandma, and wanda can't help but shrugging her shoulders, a small smile on her face.]

... Ночь на лысой горе?

[it takes her a moment, but wanda thinks of it as familiar. her russian isn't particularly good, but the sounds are there.]

That is pretty ancient, though perhaps has something to say about your grandma?

[and sure, it's none of her business, but wanda can't help but be curious...]

Will you not call her back?

[ Ooooh, Russian. It's one of the rougher languages for Lien because it requires a good amount of crossreferencing that even her psychometry can't cover fully from a textbook. But before she can remark on Wanda's usage of it, it's the question that takes her immediate attention first. ]

Call her back? Well, you see...

[ With a mischievous glint in her eye, the esper grins shaking her head. ]

I... Don't want to! [ Cue two victory finger signs!! Why is she so proud of herself???]

She's going to nag me to go home! And home is overseas! And home is hot and sweaty and even though the coffee in Vietnam is better, I like the taste of freedom here!

[would that wanda had family that would call her and nag her about all kinds of things, but the bitterness of her own circumstances is chucked down as her face reflects, instead, confusion at how proud the girl looks.

there's a tilt of her head and a look of what? as wanda tries to understand the circumstances.]

I mean, that's... fair, but— [hm..] Maybe she's worried? If you're on your own and she's all the way in Vietnam.

[lien sure is by herself, on a bus, several hours of a trip ahead of her.]

[ Wanda's sincerity throws Lien off just a bit and it shows in her expression. She slumps down in her seat slightly. ]

I mean... When you put it that way. Then again, she's not exactly the 'grandmotherly' type. Her being worried kind of feels like she just wants to pull me back in.

I'm doing mostly fine on my own though. It's better this way... [ Her voice trails off before she tosses a question Wanda's way. ]

What about you? You look like a lone traveler too. Trying to get away from it all?

[it's a curious answer, and while wanda's sentiment towards family is a rather strong one, she also realizes that not every family is the same. there seems to be a definite inkling to something a little strained, at the very least, between this girl and her grandmother's relationship.

it is best not to pry, and as soon as she's going to answer the question, the voice of the bus driver crackles through the speaker, reminding passengers not to sit up on the seats, stand, etc.

with a roll of her eyes, wanda just shuffles the conversation along.]

Mind if I take a seat?

[she points to the seat beside lien.]

Go ahead!

[ There's little objection from Lien as she scoots over to make room for Wanda. ]

My name is Lien. What about you? And I'll have you know, if you're planning to chat with me, I'll talk your ear off. Ideal topics are Thor, boba shops I wanna hit up once I hit my destination, Thor's hair, which hotel I'm going to reserve, Thor's muscles, and probably what gigs I can hopefully pick up to make sure my savings don't dip.

Also Thor.

[wanda moves over from her seat to the one next to lien's, showing a little bit of hesitation as she lowers herself onto it as she hears what topics of conversation she would get "talked her ear off" with. there is the raise of an eyebrow.

thor.

okay, she can see where the hyper fixation may come from.]

I guess you are a Thor fan. [no real thoughts on the asgardian from her part. he was an ally, if nothing else.] My name is Wanda.

[ Although it's a bit hard to make out the reflections from a distance, the bus driver's rearview mirror was in plain view. Lien glances at it and notices in the distance that there are black dots following the bus... Black cars? Hm.

Well, that could be saved for later. ]

Nice to meet you Wanda.

[ Lien gives her a 'V' sign with her fingers as a greeting. Does it mean anything, nah, just a friendly gesture. ]

And to be more accurate, I'm fascinated with Thor, but that's probably most people so I'm not too different from the majority. I just thought it'd be funny if I sounded overinvested.

[ She snickers (directed at herself really). ]

I guess you're not interested? That's fine too. There have been so many weird things in the past decade that has opened up that try to grab all of our attention.

Edited 2021-10-25 00:09 (UTC)

It is just funny because he would love all the attention. Even after the whole [she waves her hand about dismissively, as if it is obvious what she means] Blip-depression.

[—which shouldn't be a joke, but what's one way of coping with major, general world trauma if it isn't to try and make light of it with throwing buzzwords around?]

He would love knowing people are still any amount of invested in him.

[ Lien sighs at the mention of the Blip but nods in commiseration. ]

Oh yeah, after getting most of the world... Universe... Something... Well, the general population back, I would hope that cheered him up. It would have been great if he was at one of the parties that happened.

I'm telling you, Little Saigon back in California was on fire. You'd think it was Lunar New Year with all the firecrackers going off after people were able to reunite with one another.

[wanda thinks she understands why thor wouldn't want to be part of any parties. losing your home and your family is not something one can simply put past themselves—rather, it took wanda all this time to manage her grief, as it turns out.]

Well, I'm sure he is having a lot of fun in space, wherever he is. Probably saw all those firey celebrations from there.

[sadly, that's the last wanda ever heard of him and will, probably, ever see of him in the foreseeable future. the avengers are no more and would likely not hold to the title any more, considering that the so-called 'founders' of it are either dead or retired.

speaking of—] Are you a fan of the Avengers?

Hm. I don't think I'm exactly a fan... A fan starts buying questionable merchandise and starts searching for increasingly questionable fanfiction.

[ Not that Lien would know about that... Honest... 💦 ]

I suppose it's a good healthy admiration for the people who've been able to accomplish a whole lot. And in a way...

[ Lien glances down at her gloved hands, contemplative. ]

... Well, there's no way that wouldn't inspire someone to do more you know?

Fanfiction?

[now that is a term she is not very familiar with; not that she's had plenty of time to really bask in the fame of being a superhero of sorts and what that itself branches into.

she wonders vaguely... no, she removes the urge to check it out on her phone, out of sheer curiosity or otherwise.]

Has it been inspiring to you?

[the state of the world is something else, after the blip, and she understands many have found themselves without a home or without what they considered their own either before the blip or during the blip. the world has been thrown into a bit of turmoil, and wanda is reminded of the brief conversation she had with sam after she saw his speech on the news.

everyone just wants a fairer chances in this world.

tilting her head, she glances at lien.]

Things are very complicated in the world right now, I guess. Having people willing to make it better for everyone would be a great thing.

Edited 2021-11-29 17:44 (UTC)

[Let it be known that Joseph Joestar was not a good man of God. Impulsive, impatient, loud... It's a wonder why he hasn't been booted out of the church yet! Though his record wasn't all red marks as he was able to produce some good results once he was motivated. That along with his special abilities made him value enough for eliminating vampires, demons and various other supernatural elements. But compared to the higher-ups, he was still not even a blimp on the radar for a promotion. The executor business was hard...

That bugged him just a little! But he should count his blessings that he was able to hang in there for this long. Apparently, there were some big fishes floating around in this country. Joseph wondered if this would be his big break. Yes, he could slay a big time vampire and get a nice little promotion along with a bigger paycheck. But even he knew that this was easier said than done.]

Maaaaan... Bloody hell! It's way too peaceful tonight! I know that I'm on reconnaissance duty, but there's gotta some action going on somewhere.

[If not, then he could probably hit the nightlife or something. There had to be some cute girls who wouldn't mind having a good time, right? He could just hit up a club for some dancing or something like that. Then again, the women of this country seemed to be more on the quieter side! Well, whatever... He figured that taking a walk through the park would bring up something slightly entertaining. Perhaps he could mess with a lovey-dovey couple who couldn't keep to themselves.]

[ When she's by herself, Arcueid Brunestud can turn heads, but normal humans usually leave her be after a glance or two as long as she's on the move. More than that, the humans that do bother her tend to be from the Burial Agency who keep a close eye on her activities.

Tonight, Shiki Tohno has decided not to come out to play (something about the little sister being adamant about him staying in) so Arcueid is sitting on the park bench alone, trying to decide to drop by the Tohno Mansion or not. ]

... I mean I could just break open a window if I wanted to...

[ Arc that's illegal

Out of the corner of her eye, she does notice a young man when he makes a declaration about his "reconnaissance duty." ]

... Huh. Are they usually that loud?

[His eyes turn around to notice a beautiful blonde haired girl sitting all by herself. And she looked like a foreigner too! Those were definitely eye catching looks... She had to be a super model visiting, right?

He didn't hear what she was thinking out loud about, but Joseph was a little concerned. It was a bit dangerous for girls to be lounging around all by themselves at night nowadays. Especially whenever it was this dangerous with vampires running around here. Japan was supposed to be a safe country... or so he thought. Well, he decides to approach Arcueid to give her a little formal warning. That was the procedure, anyway.]

Hey, sweetheart! You all by yourself here or are ya waitin' for a date? Either way, it's a bit dangerous to be hangin' out in a park these days.

[This was 'formal' enough for Joseph. Caesar would slap him upside the head right now for not following the rules to the letter again.]

[ There's no immediate response at first. Instead, Arc crosses her arms to regard Joseph carefully before she answers back looking dubious. ]

I can take care of myself thank you.

You, on the other hand... Shouldn't you be working?

[ Sure is bold of a Burial Agency member to hit on her so blatantly! That's what he's doing right? Even Arcueid can tell and she's not certain how she feels about that yet. ]

Working? Me? You should know that one of my most hatred phrases is 'working hard'! I'm just taking a break!

[Now if Caesar were here, he'd be pulling on Joseph's ear and yelling at him right now to act more proper! Casually, he sits down on the other side of the bench and crosses his legs.]

Plus I've been hearin' that there's been some crazy business in this city, but I ain't seen anything yet. You've heard about those wild vampire murders going around, right?

Oh? That's a little neglectful for someone like you, isn't it?

[ Looks like we're gonna be working under a few layers here folks! Like, this person knows who and what she is, right? Right??

Well, Arcueid's going to operate under that assumption anyway. She stands up with her hands clasped behind her back. ]

Vampire murders, huh? Well, tell me more. Sounds like you have an idea of what, when, and where if nothing else.

[ She can do a bit of sweeping work with or without Shiki, and tonight is gonna have to be the latter. ]

Edited 2021-10-05 02:03 (UTC)

Pipe down! You're startin' to sound like those damn bishops who give me a hard time!

[It didn't matter how cute she was, Joseph wasn't going to getting this backtalk from a pure stranger! If she thought of him as neglectful, then maybe he should just prove that he isn't! Since she was a foreigner, he figured that he could afford to be a little nicer here. It felt surreal to be talking about the supernatural to a regular civilian. On one hand, she wouldn't have believed him... But on the other hand, he could end up with a personal fan. Heh, he could try catching up to Caesar by showing off some of his vampire slaying skills.]

Anyway... According to my sources, there's supposed to be a nest of vampires in one of the abandoned hospitals down the street. Some of the people here have been saying that those who have explored the dump ended up not returning. Bet you're ready to piss your boots after hearin' that news, huh?

[ Hmmmm, what a scrappy youth, is what Arcueid is thinking. Or rather, she's not sure whether to take this member seriously, what with his irreverent attitude and all.

Still, Arc hums and nods with his report and assessment. ]

Oh, that place? Yes, the smell from the hospitals is hard to ignore. It definitely isn't leftover chemicals and the age from abandonment.

[ look at her, she's shivering in her boots oooOOoooohhhh

no, she's walking past Joseph ]

Might as well clean up there then. You coming along to watch or what?

OPEN POST III

𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

slams this down!! I LIVE.

SAME!! welcome back!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ARUKUEIDOOOO

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject