maskormenacelogs | dark rags and red stars

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dark rags and red stars

WHO: Hazel & you!!
WHERE: All over various imPort cities.
WHEN: Throughout June.
WHAT: Just day to day events in a zombie's life with a bonus option for catch-alling.
WARNINGS: None at present, will edit if this should change!

heropa;

[it's pretty crowded at the local bullet train station, although that should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Heropa; few people can resist the call of the beaches on a beautiful, clear afternoon such as this. with how quickly one can traverse from city to city on the trains, it's a wonder that more people aren't milling about.

with all the congestion it's pretty easy to miss Hazel, tucked away in a far corner as she is. there's a large carton of french fries in her hand from some fast food chain or other, although she doesn't seem interested in having any at the moment; saving them, perhaps, for the train ride soon to come. she's watching the people mill about kind of idly, not particularly interested in anything beyond having something to stare at.

her attention narrows in on something at last when a seagull lands nearby. she breaks a fry in half and tosses it a few feet away from the bird, smiling a little when it hops over to snap the food up. when another gull swoops in to see if there's any crumbs left, an idea seems to occur to her.

by the time the train finally pulls into the station there's a veritable flock of gulls hanging around Hazel, all of them squawking and jostling for the measly bits of fry that she's been occasionally throwing to them this entire time. she pushes herself off the wall but otherwise makes no attempt to board, content with tending to her unruly followers.

and then, it happens. just as the doors begin to close Hazel suddenly springs into action, hurling the entire carton of fries into the nearest train car. the seagulls all pursue the food like a mobile, angry cloud, piling into the car with a rapid flurry of wings - and then the doors ding shut.

the shrieking of the passengers can be heard even through the heavy metal doors as the train pulls out, departing on a twenty minute trip to Nonah with no additional stops. Hazel herself is struggling to stand as she howls with hideous laughter, wobbling violently under the force of her own joke. at least someone is having a good time.]

de chima;

[Hazel doesn't generally find herself in De Chima very often; she doesn't have very many friends who live here, nor does her job take her to more than the occasional nightclub or hotel. it is exactly for that reason - along with the city's reputation for quality shopping locales - that she's chosen to visit it today. she'd rather not run into anyone she knew right now.

it's pretty clear why - she's wandering through a string of wedding boutiques, an uncharacteristic expression of hesitance plastered across her face. her shoulders are perpetually hiked up even when she stops to admire various displays, gaze sliding away now and then as if checking for any familiar faces who might be sneaking up behind her. it's stupid, and it makes her feel even worse than she already does, the way that she's treating this with the same level of paranoia she used to move through the world at home in.

she doesn't fit in here, and she knows it. it's why Hazel's trying to ease herself into all this rather than dive in headfirst; she has no plans to actually enter any of these stores today, simply window shop. maybe in a few weeks she'll have built up the confidence to really take the plunge and stick her head in. maybe.

honestly, she's fully expecting herself to end up in a formal suit at her own wedding at this rate.

but that's not really what she wants, even if it would definitely be a lot easier. so she pushes on, valiantly ignoring the fact that she sort of looks like she's planning to hold one of these stores up with how skittish she's being. every now and then Hazel pauses to take a picture of a dress that especially captures her fancy, as she's currently doing with this one. she looks down at the photo, then holds a hand up against her collarbone as if comparing something there to the neckline of the dress.

whatever she's measuring, the result is pretty disappointing judging from the way her face instantly falls. she sighs in frustration, pocketing the phone with more force than is strictly necessary.]

Fucking garbage-ass trends.

[it's not directed at anyone, but she can't help herself. Hazel's been at this for nearly an hour with nothing but suffocating self-loathing to show for it.]

maurtia falls;

[despite its ambassador's and other imPorts' attempts at cleaning it up, Maurtia Falls is still kind of a pit for the most part. that may be something most people look upon with despair, but for Hazel it's something of a blessing; it suits a wide swathe of her needs, all while being far from her own hometown where friends might look upon her actions with disapproving eyes.

today's errand is significantly more innocuous, although no less strange. she's currently doing a little shopping in one of those back alley occult stores, the sort whose unsettling window displays often lure in curious passersby with no knowledge of anything remotely supernatural. the little basket slung carelessly on her arm is already filled with a dizzying array of items - everything from divination crystals to replicas of ancient talismans seem to be accounted for.

there's no dire need for most of these things the way there was at home, but Hazel can't help herself. it gave her a little peace of mind to know that if something malevolently supernatural did ever come through the Porter (as it had so many times before) she was just a purse grab away from being able to deal with it. at least in this world she could be something other than helpless.

her placid mood is swept away almost immediately as her wanders through the store bring her across a basket containing tiny cloth pouches, the sign above advertising them as gris-gris bags. nothing in any world can hide the scowl on her face as she regards them, nor can it stop the ugly look from deepening as she snatches one to inspect the contents - and, yes, they certainly were genuine gris-gris bags.

her hand curls into a tight fist, remorselessly crushing everything within it. without a pause she drops the destroyed items back into the pouch before exchanging it for another and beginning the process all over again. the display is far back enough in the store that she doesn't fear being caught by an employee - and her disgust is blinding her to the possibility that this sort of destruction might catch the attention of any nearby fellow customer.]

wildcard;

[come at me with your own prompt! or if you'd like me to write you a specific starter, just hit me up.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's been putting off grabbing his stuff from Hazel for a while now. She told him back when he arrived in April that she had a box of his things, back from when was (apparently) here as a teenager a couple years back. He has zero recollection of that, but whatever happened doesn't really matter to him. He just wants to be able to discern what he needs out of that box and what he can toss out.

Thankfully Hazel lives only about a few minutes from him. She also happens to live in the same house as Josuke, which means she must be his fiancee. He didn't realize it the first two times they spoke since his uncle neglected to name her, but there isn't really any reason Josuke would just live with some random woman in such a nice house unless they were romantically involved. However this isn't really relevant - he's just here to get his things, not to bring up anything regarding that future union. Jotaro doesn't really care who Josuke marries at the end of the day, so long as she isn't someone who could bring danger upon the innocent youth.

However, he also makes it a point to only come for his things when he knows Josuke won't be in the house. Right now he's training to become part of the police force, which means he spends a lot of his day at the police academy. Jotaro doesn't have his schedule by any means, but he does have a relatively good sense of when Josuke will be out during the day and when he will return. So he only goes to the house and rings the door bell when he is absolutely sure Josuke won't be there.

Whether or not Hazel is home is a different story.]

[thankfully for Jotaro, the odds of Hazel being at home at any given time are usually pretty good. being a private detective means that her employment is erratic, and lacking the need for most basic essentials means that she generally only takes jobs when she feels like it. it left her with a lot of free time to fill up as irresponsibly as she liked.

lately, however, her days have been markedly less reckless than in the past. with their move into this house having only occurred a few months ago, Hazel's found herself sticking closer to home in order to make sure they'd actually gotten everything in order - and perhaps to drink up the feeling of living alone with her boyfriend.

whatever the reason, it means that she's pretty prompt to answer the door when the bell goes off. it was an unexpected appearance, but one that she was taking in stride judging by the placid look on her face.]

Oh, hey. Took you long enough, didn't it?

[as if she'd had some sort of timeframe for when he'd be taking up her open-ended invitation. it's clear that there's no actual bite to Hazel's words, especially not when she nudges the door open further and pads back down the hall with the unspoken expectation he'll follow.]

You can sit down or whatever if you want, I've gotta go pull it out've the room.

[there's some fighting game or another paused on the television screen in the living room, along with a sketchpad sitting beneath a thick tome on the coffee table. it seems that Jotaro's visit came just in time; today must be one of Hazel's more restless days.]

Hm.

[He enters through the door when she clears the way, closing the door behind him and bending down to untie his shoes. Even living in America for the last few years hasn't untrained him from the traditions he grew up with. Once they're off and placed to the side, he'll enter without trepidation and take a seat in the living room as instructed. Parts of the way the room is set-up brings vague recollections of Josuke's home in Morioh, though he can't quite place all the ways exactly. He's certain there are some mixtures of the woman's taste embedded here too. His wife decorated their home much like her own, though he left anything related to that entirely up to her.

He crosses his legs and takes out his notebook, writing short notes inside with a nice fountain pen while he waits for Hazel. Mostly he just takes notes about the layout of the living room as a means of memorizing details, just in case it's ever necessary. He has no intention of coming over to Josuke's frequently, but having these write-ups give him some peace of mind.]

[Hazel herself continues on down the hall to duck into one of the other rooms, briefly making eye contact with the eldritch abomination in the painting hanging down there. she's not sure whether she's glad or not that there wasn't any time to pull it down before this visit.

regardless, she isn't gone for long. the boxes had been tucked conspicuously in her plant room in preparation for his eventual arrival, easily remembered and accessible for how little they related to the rest of the space. the sound of cardboard sliding across the floor heralds her return, although she herself is a little difficult to see with how back braced against the box as it is.

clothes are heavy, but they shouldn't be that heavy unless the smaller box perched atop it is filled with gold bars. it's one of the many disadvantages to her state of being (she weighs less than forty pounds despite appearances) and one that Hazel often forgets.

even so, there is absolutely no request for help. she doggedly shoves the stupid thing all the way into the living room and straightens herself up with the same nonchalance an easy job would carry.]

I dunno if there was more to start with, but this is all we've got now.

[in the smaller box, all the meager possessions a reticent teenager might have collected during half a year's stay. the larger one, of course, is all those expensive outfits.

both boxes have been neatly labeled JOTARO in all caps, each 'o' jauntily adorned with a faithful rendition of his iconic hat. Hazel had originally drawn them as a way to cheer up his remaining relatives; she can't help but feel a little twinge of something or other to see that they've survived all this time.]

[He remains contained to his own thoughts, eyes on his notebook, until the sound of sliding comes into ear-reach. It's definitely odd how she has to slide all that stuff, but figures she might just not be physically strong. He knows how heavy his clothes are, intentionally so, and doesn't feel inclined to assist because she didn't ask. Once she's done he'll stand and walk over, picking up the first smaller box with ease and taking it to the coffee table. The little 'o' drawing doesn't get a smile, but it makes him curious how well they knew each other that she would make that little effort.

The box is definitely full of things he collected back in that time. A photograph book on war planes, a couple thin comics and even a sketchbook. He grabs the last one and begins to flip through it, detailed drawings within on a variety of subjects. Surely all done by Star Platinum, as Jotaro can barely make a decent looking stick figure on his own skill and merit. He shuts it and lazily lets it drop into the box again.]

Why did you keep all this anyway?

Wasn't my shit to pitch.

[she settles down on the other end of the couch as she replies, casually pulling her legs up under her. he doesn't really strike her as a sentimental person, but she keeps her gaze only peripherally on him until he's finished going through the stuff anyway. mostly she just doesn't want to create an excuse for turnabout while she's sitting in her own house.]

Besides, it's kinda double secondhand now. Like I told you before, it all went to Jolyne before she left too.

[and now it's Josuke's, which...she just conveniently forgets to mention. Hazel may steal all of his clothes for her own personal gratification, but she'd never toss anything he owned for any reason.

except maybe that car.]

Hm.

[He wonders what his daughter thought of having her father's belongings like this, but the speculation quickly leaves his head. To him, Jolyne is his six year old daughter. She's energetic, constantly curious about the world and has an obsession with butterflies. He can't fathom her being anything else past that. Though if she's gone, then he figures the only one keeping this stuff afloat was Josuke. That makes a lot more sense.]

You said you knew me back then, when I was seventeen. What was your impression of me?

[nearly anybody else would give this question a little bit of thought if they had the sort of track record that Hazel did with her fiance's family. she and Jotaro seemed to actually get along somewhat, and it would be a shame to send this down the same path Joseph's had gone.

unfortunately, Hazel is as far from 'anybody else' as you can get. the words fly out of her mouth immediately and without any sign of regret afterward.]

You thought you were way fucking hotter shit than you actually were and it was fucking hilarious. Never seen someone take themselves so damn seriously for no reason.

[she was going to sink every relationship she ever made just by virtue of being what she was. why try and preserve a lost cause with dishonesty?]

[Jotaro pauses for a moment, a little startled by her honesty, and then makes an amused sound out his nose and behind the mouth. Sounds about right - Hazel would have to do a lot more work to sink things with Jotaro. He's been friends with some of the most outlandish people to ever live, and none of them have been afraid to speak his mind around him. It's something he's come to appreciate in a deceptive world.]

I was a rebel back then. I would walk out of restaurants without paying if I hated the food, got thrown into jail cells weekly for getting into street fights, and disregarded any authority figures in my life.

[He wanted to be seen and treated like some badass who couldn't be touched, and that's how he acted to everyone around him. Yet it was really a poor veneer that anyone who knew him could see through - he was lashing out against a society he felt didn't give him what he deserved. Teenage years have a lot of growing pains, and his were mixed in with an adventure to Egypt that changed the course of his entire life.]

Growing up gives you a perspective on the past. It's been a while since I looked at any of my old things though. That's why I wanted these boxes.

wildcard! june 4th

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de chima >:3c

oh brother

cackles

this is can only end intensely poorly

rip

rip all of us

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De Chima

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