samantha_grey | IC Inbox - Asgard Eventide

An old, brick edifice stands in front of the burnt-down ruins of a home in the hillside. Mountains rear up in all directions, covered in lush, green vegetation. Nobody comes this way anymore, but you have the sense that anything placed in the mailbox attached to this old structure will be found by someone, the only living person for whom this place still has any meaning.

OOC: Feel free to comment here if your character wishes to get in touch with Samantha Grey directly. Let us keep any such material to PG-13 or less. If you're interested in something that should be matured tagged, contact me via PM and we can discuss it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

samantha_grey

[While he'd felt terrible, she hadn't wanted to cause further trouble over Hanako. She'd gotten the increasing impression that the burned girl had some serious issues over her, and hadn't wanted to press much. To make matters worse, meeting him face to face wasn't going to be easy, no matter how well he'd taken it compared to some.

When she saw the message, she sighed and sent a quick text message back his way to let him know she would be coming.

Finding him wasn't necessarily difficult. As long as he wasn't over near the oversized smurf house, he was easy enough to track down eventually. When she came towards him, her tail swished in an agitated fashion behind her and she paused a little bit away, just in natural earshot.]

Hey.

From:

seventeenpills

[He was fairly far from that giant mushroom - it was interesting but it kind of dominated the scenery in that area of the park. He just wanted to feed squirrels and look at the lake, so, he'd found a nice park bench inbetween some trees and the water, and he was tossing bits of popcorn and peanuts to a lively bunch of bushy-tailed beggars.

Who, of course, made a dash for the treeline as she approached being she was unfamiliar to them. They'd be back.]

Hey!

[Hisao stood up, making a small bow of greeting.]

How are you? How've you been?

From:

samantha_grey

[She returned the bow awkwardly, seating herself on the ground. The squirrels would be back, but probably nervous. Sulfur didn't exactly go well with animals, though food worked wonders on someone's nerves.

She lounged with her hands behind her, reaching up with one to scratch her chin and shrug.]

I've been ok for the most part. Researching the plantlife and working on what's possible with these herbs. Worked with Doc Watson on the cure they came up with and ended up helping to get some of it out. Mostly trying to keep myself useful somehow.

You?

From:

seventeenpills

Glad to hear things are going well for you - It's great that you were able to help them find an antidote and everything. Again, sorry it's taken me a bit to get to you...

[He paused and shrugged. Might as well get it out there.]

I've been better. After the whole... thing the other day, Hanako has stopped talking to me in full. Well, she was nice enough to answer my message when I got back from Utgard and wanted to know if she was OK. So, two short texts. Barring that.... I'm OK. Running in the mornings, spending time with other friends. Surviving, you know.

From:

samantha_grey

Please... the doctors get the real credit. I just helped out with putting the med together and some of the testing... [She was definitely uncomfortable taking credit on this.]

Hanako... look, I really don't like you losing a friend over me, Hisao. [Her jaw started to set and she glared at him, obviously bothered.] She's right to be worried. It's not like I'm doing anything to go nuts right now, but does that really matter? I'm not safe and she's not wrong to be mad that you're doing something dangerous, especially after the other day... I don't care if we ever find a cure or just manage to get me locked up every time. I'm not safe.

Why do you keep coming back, or are you just that stubborn?

From:

seventeenpills

Yeah. I know you're dangerous and really most other people would think I was nuts. And I'm obviously pretty upset about losing her friendship. But I'd wind up hating myself if I dropped our friendship over something like this. As much as she's right - and I did apologize for blowing off her warnings initially - I can't let her dissaproval over things affect me to the point where I cut people out. That would be... I mean, I'm my own person, right? So, I can make my own choices about who I spend time with.

You're working toward making things safer and that's what matters. You helped the city in it's time of need by helping with the antedote - even if you say it was mostly the Doctors, you obviously helped. Despite anything else you're a good person ninety nine percent of the time and I value our friendship.

From:

samantha_grey

[she wrapped an arm around one leg and grunted. The 'principle of the thing. He really was the sort who had a stubborn streak to him, wasn't he? She had trouble understanding it, though she did understand wanting to make her own choices.]

I'm only going to not shout at you over this on the condition that you don't lose a friend over it. I already told you that. You can't just give up on her as a friend. You are being a little nuts, more than a little really, but you can't just give up on someone else for the principle of the thing. So you haven't lost her, or I really will be upset. You just need to keep trying. Be patient but keep trying.

[She sighed and ran her other hand through her forehead.]

Thanks for the vote of confidence all the same, Hisao. I have trouble thinking of myself as good, but thanks.

From:

seventeenpills

I'm not giving up. I'm hoping she'll come around and at least talk to me some time soon. She really means a lot to me - I couldn't just give up on her if I tried. But she's... you have to have patience with Hanako. Push too hard and she retreats that much further. I've learned over time that when she's upset, it's best to leave her be. I have other friends who are making sure she's eating and she seems to be active in the community still which is a lot better than back home, where she'd lock herself away for days and forgo food and sleep...

And of course you're a good person. I haven't seen you kick a single puppy yet.

[A small smile - it's intended as a joke, despite being a little dry and a little lame.]

From:

samantha_grey

Hah... ok, that one's kind of funny actually. But, good. I'm glad she's got people to take care of her in the meantime. Hopefully this will figure itself out eventually.

Preferably before this all turns into a warzone.

So, since we're chatting, what else you been up to, other than befriending satan's bastard stepkid?

From:

seventeenpills

[He leaned back on the seat, satisfied that the elephant in the room was trundling off elsewhere.]

Well, my boss, Ayame, wound up being sent home. He left his boutique to one of the employees who's a friend of mine too so we're going to try and keep it running if it's possible.

I'm sad that he left, of course. But we're going to do our best to keep his vision alive here in case he comes back.

From:

samantha_grey

[She nodded. It seemed that there was a regular flow of people in and out of this. She wondered a little what it was that made one stay and others go, why some seemed to remain almost indefinitely, while still others appeared, disappeared and reappeared again without memories. More proof that the gods must be crazy.]

I suppose, in a way, it's the whole topic of 'doing this because this is the sort of thing we're fighting for,' isn't it? You keep things like this alive around here to make there be some purpose in folks fighting the good fight. That, or it's just to honor a friend's memory. Both decent enough reasons.

From:

seventeenpills

I guess there's that element of it too - I mean, we're invested in this business and the other people working there, so, we want to protect it that much more. But really, for me, it's more about gratitude. Ayame gave me a chance to work with him even though I had no experience at any job, let alone the one he wanted me to do.

[He smiled and gave a small shrug.]

It would feel spoiled and ungrateful to abandon his store now just because he isn't there.

From:

samantha_grey

I suppose that makes sense. [Thinking about it in terms of her mother...] Yeah, if you liked him enough, I could see why you'd want to keep the memory alive or give up on it. Who knows, I think I saw one of the trolls come back with their memories, so maybe they'll be back too.

From:

seventeenpills

Yeah - that does seem to happen sometimes. I'd like to think we'll work in a way that would make him happy if he should return.

It might be a little harder because he was the main designer as well as everything else he did... but we'll see.

From:

samantha_grey

... What sort of things do you guys do at a boutique anyway? There might be someone else around here with the sort of design skills to help out now that he's gone, you know.

Either way, you'll figure it out. Running a business isn't rocket science... or at least it hasn't been so far.

From:

seventeenpills

Well, I model. So, whatever men's clothes are the newest range or on sale, I wear them and help customers find things while wearing the clothes, and sometimes I just get asked to stand in one place and show certain items off to customers. It's a really easy job but a lot of fun.

From:

samantha_grey

Oh wait, so it's clothing then? Have you tried talking to Nakama maybe? I don't know if she does men's clothing, but I think she said at some point that she designed clothes, and she'd probably really like doing that sort of thing again.

From:

seventeenpills

Actually, I'd promised to introduce her to Ayame at some point but that was only a short time ago and he left before I had the chance. She already works for another business and from what I understand, the locals who run it have been very good to her so I doubt she'd want to have a conflict of interest like that.

From:

samantha_grey

Ah, well at least she's got work going for herself as is. It's a big town, but you're right about conflicts. No point making them where they don't need to be.

From:

seventeenpills

She's about the hardest working person I know to be fair - she's always working on something, be it her job or training or cleaning or helping other people out with whatever, or volunteering at the Hospital - Heck, just listing all that stuff was exhausting let alone living it.

From:

samantha_grey

Yeah, that really sounds like her. Sometimes, I honestly think she hides in her work to get away from all the things that worry her.

[She sighed and laughed a little.]

As long as she doesn't work herself too hard, it'll be ok.

From:

seventeenpills

Honestly? I think you're maybe right. Without going into details, the kid has been through a lot and I don't even know the full story myself. But her work ethic is amazing.

From:

samantha_grey

Yeah, she hasn't told me that much about her home life, though I caught a bit of a hint here and there. It's all pretty much her business, and not mine, but you ever see her looking like she's going to overdo it, bop her. She doesn't need to overkill this.

From:

seventeenpills

Don't worry - I do my best to remind her to have fun where she can. She's b een a good friend to me so I do my best to return the favor, even if it means telling her she should try something she finds counterintuitive.