001. every story is a song // open post.

[kyriff]

Take a prompt, take some time, drop in whenever you like.

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[kyriff]

Josh...

[The soft way that he says your name is Rethe Grade Disapproval. Didn't he just say earlier how you couldn't possibly ever bother him?]

[larue]

[ There's an exhale of breath from his end then. ]

Sorry. Just wanted to be sure?

[ He doesn't like bothering people for no reason. He's a full grown man, who occasionally feels like a teenager completely out of sorts. Today included. ]

Thanks. [ That's murmured shyly. ] I needed to hear a friendly voice.

[kyriff]

It certainly sounded like you did.

[ A pause, then with a hint of shyness: ]

Well. It read like you did, I mean.

[larue]

[ A soft, sheepish chuckle whose tone dips a little at the end. It's so odd that your voice is the only familiar thing around for the rest of this long flight. The other Hounds are still back at home. ]

Thanks, man.

[ He's totally grateful that you called, even if he's suddenly not sure what to say. ]

[kyriff]

You're welcome.

[ He's okay with this. He is also okay with just staying on the line: that much will be obvious in the soft sounds of typing that start up a little afterward from his end. ]

Long solo flights can be really lonely. I took a lot of those during the Darkest Vigil.

[larue]

[ And that's actually helping him relax a little into his seat. ]

Where'd you go on those flights?

[ He probably hadn't been born yet, or he was too young to remember anything. The latter part of the Darkest Vigil he'd seen only from the news. Even in Canada, it had felt relatively far away. There had also been more pressing concerns then: hiding, worrying over his family. ]

[kyriff]

Everywhere, really. I needed to be mobile for the Kings, and I couldn't use anything that could easily be associated with the Vigil when I had to go dark. [ A beat. ] I had to juggle that along with what career I could maintain for Vice Records.

[ Yes, it was perfectly within his power or the powers of any of the Kings to make it ridiculously easy for him to get around or disguise himself. Doing that, however, had the tendency to paint big targets on their backs. ]

[larue]

[ You won't see the way he's looking out the window, or the slight crease between his brows. He's oddly enough remembering the day Derik Sloane had sat him down to tell him that he could live in the quarters above the Blue Coffin to wait out the war.

The One isn't ready for you yet, Josh.

He had no idea back then that 'The One' was you. ]

Funny, [ that's soft and a little sheepish. ] I can't quite picture you doing undercover work.

[kyriff]

Oh? Why not?

[ He actually wants to know? Because, in essence, all Keepers of the Vigil before the Breaking of the Veil were undercover agents. He had learned well under the likes of Liandrin, Calintz, and Hikaru. ]

[larue]

[ The sound that escapes him implies that he finds his own thought-process pretty silly. ]

I guess it's because I've never seen you in action for Vigil work.

[ It's the truth. He's gone on walks with you to lay the dearly departed to rest, and that's one aspect of who you are. But actual combat? He hasn't seen that.

It's kind of funny... he's... never watched any of your engagements. ]

[kyriff]

That is probably going to change in the future.

[ Then, with a tad bit of sheepishness himself: ]

I think I'd really like working on an engagement with you.

[larue]

[ If he's quiet for a moment longer than necessary, it's only because he wouldn't have presumed to ask and this is a pleasant surprise. ]

You know... I'd... I'd really like that.

[ Does he sound a little shy? Maybe. You're kind of one of his favorite people. ]

[kyriff]

When one comes up, then? I can always recommend that your blade accompanies me on the next engagement that suits your group.

[ It's one of the perks of being a Malice King. He's never really had the opportunity of using it until now, though.

Thank you for that. ]

[larue]

I think I'd -- well, we... we'd like that.

[ You and Kaz get along well. And well, you're a Malice King. Accompanying you would be an experience that they could use if their previous... okay, let's not go there.

Sorry, he's fallen a little quiet. His thoughts turned to Hikaru since, well... he's the Malice King they've been around the most. ]

[kyriff]

[ And he'll go quiet for a while too, content to get by on what little sounds you do make outside of your words. ]

Everything will be fine, Josh. You're both going to be okay.

[ He firmly believes this. ]

[larue]

[ It'll be a bit before he murmurs back: ] I really hope so.

[ Guess he'll just have to play everything by ear at this point. ]

Can I... can I keep you company for a little bit longer?

[ Translation: Please stay on the line if you can. Your presence helps. ]

[kyriff]

Of course.

[ He's almost surprised that you feel the need to ask for permission. ]

We can stay on the line together for as long as you like.

[larue]

[ There's a soft sigh strung through with relief.

The way you describe this kind of flight was spot-on: it's lonely. ]

I guess I'm more used to being surrounded by everyone else than I thought.

[ A breath, then: ] Thanks, Rethe.

Tell me about that song you're mixing?

[kyriff]

You're welcome. You always are.

[ Chuckling now. ]

And I can do better than just tell you about it. I'll let you listen, and then walk you through it.

[ He'll make good on his word. He's sure that the two of you won't really run out of things to talk about, and the both of you can be equally good with silence. ]