[ Closed ]

[gentilitea]

Who: Add & Jakob
Where: An orphanage in the Near Shore
When: July 2
What: Prayer #30
Warnings: Violence, hallucinations, abandonment issues, Add…

Though their latest mission seems a grim one—especially in light of Jakob’s more recently recovered memories—he nevertheless steels himself for the task ahead, this time confident that nothing can go wrong. Ever since he and Add had established some sort of rapport together he’d felt much more relaxed, as if he’d become that much more in tune with his master’s intentions.

And it is freeing to know that, if you’re not expecting the worst of your master at every single moment, then even jobs like this become that much more…pleasant.

“The orphanage should be close by,” he remarks, taking note of their more peaceful, suburban surroundings. Soon, a nondescript building looms ahead, and though there are no signs declaring that it is, in fact, an orphanage, it matches the description Jakob had found online. Despite its best efforts to look like anything but what it is—a shameful aberration of society nestled within the upright middle-class suburbs—the orphanage still looks a good deal more cheerful than the doorstep of that great, imposing castle from his memories.

It’s hard not to wonder at what any child must have felt at coming to this place, knowing they’ll never see their parents again.

He pauses before they reach the threshold, fighting back that horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach at the memory, before pressing a hand to his temples and taking a deep breath.

“My apologies. Please follow me.”

Comments

[gentilitea]

The tunnel almost feels like home, if he’d remembered more of it, but the darkness, at least, doesn’t bother him. He stares ahead of them, trying to summon up some other part of his remembering that memory, but finding little else to tell his god.

When Add breaks the silence Jakob turns to him, his own eyes glimmering with some emotion he can’t quite identify himself—agreement? sadness? wistfulness??—but then he turns away.

“I will keep tabs on them, of course.” He can’t really stand it when orphans or, indeed, any child has been mistreated. Besides, this is the only way he can assuage his own guilt of somehow having made those poor children cry.

[subtract]

Add nods in quiet agreement... although, neither of them should probably be going back to that orphanage any time soon. He'll consider it an extension of the prayer to make sure the kids find good homes. The ayakashi was getting in the way of that, after all.

He can't think of anything else to say, so he leaves it at that. They eventually reach the end of the portal, falling out into... well, a very similar space, really, except more blue and full of the usual giant cubes. Now there's just one last thing to take care of...

"You go on ahead. I need to check on something." As if that isn't the laziest lie in the world, but he needs to find an illusion with water he can clean off his blight with. Better not to bring Jakob with him in case he notices and starts fussing.

[gentilitea]

The silence is fine with him. He’s already resigned to the fact that clearly he and his god don’t have much to talk about, since they have so very little in common. So he only stares at Add with his usual stern look before doing a mental shrug.

“Very well.” He’s probably off to build more of his strange doohickeys for all he knows. “I have other duties to attend to. Summon me if you need anything.”

And with that, he’ll proceed to a nearby illusion.