❝So hand me that remote❞

[guiltapalooza]

Characters: Willow (guiltapalooza) and you! OPEN.
Setting: The media level.
Format: Action tags preferably, but I can prose if you wish!
Summary: Willow has way more free time than she's used to, especially without school to be a perfectionist over. She finds herself watching a lot of movies. Feel free to make multi-character threads and join existing ones, by the way!
Warnings: None.

[At the moment Willow is watching Zombieland, a movie right up her alley but from several years past her time, so she'd never had a chance to see it before. She's sitting on a couch across from the TV, hand in a bowl of chips and giggling periodically.

On the screen, there's a college-aged boy with poofy, curly hair running hurriedly away from a zombie co-ed with a broken ankle.] You just can't trust anyone, [says the narration.] The first girl I let into my life and she tries to eat me.

[Goddess, does that remind her of Xander. For once it's a happy reminder, though, and she practically chokes on some chips laughing at it. Him and that preying mantis teacher...

Follow the sounds of giggling and come interrupt her?]

Comments

pffff that works out fine

[guiltapalooza]

[She's distracted watching, not noticing Taiki standing there and completely absorbed in what's going on in the movie.

Seriously, it'd been a trick?? She feels gypped. She'd gotten all emotionally invested in that little girl, and now they were violating the spirit of zombie apocalypse survivalship with their conning. This was the spirit of friendship itself on the line!

Her brow furrows as she keeps watching.]

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki looked back to the television and barely stifled a cry as there was more blood. He looked at Willow again, who even though she had stopped laughing still seemed to be enjoying it.]

Why... sorry why did they do that? [His voice was very quiet and he sounded worried and scared]

[guiltapalooza]

--Huh? [She glances over, and sounds surprised.] Taiki?

Is something wrong? It's just a movie.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki met her eyes for a moment, looking scared] Willow... sorry... I... I came to see what you were watching... I didn't mean to disturb you... [He was trying to ignore the screen now, but could still hear it and his attention was drawn to it despite trying not to watch]

[guiltapalooza]

You're not disturbing me, [she assures him, distracted fully from the movie now.]

I'm just a little worried, because you aren't exactly making with the happy faces right now.

[notagiraffe]

Oh it's... [He blinks at the screen again before turning to Willow] It's so cruel... and violent and all the blood...

I know it's just pretend but that is bad as well... because people watch others being hurt or hurting people and enjoy it and violence is wrong... [There are tears in his eyes, but he feels bad for what he said, because he didn't mean to make Willow feel bad] Sorry...

[guiltapalooza]

This really tears you up. [She looks faintly surprised, but also concerned.] I can turn it off if you want, it's not a problem.

But... you know that sometimes violence is necessary, right? [Willow bites her lip.] I don't like it either, but some people just won't stop, and we have to protect the people that can't protect themselves. Or at least I do.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki shook his head] Sorry... I can go... I didn't mean to ruin your film...

[He looked up at her when she spoke and his eyes filled with tears again, he knew what she meant. He knew lots of people believed that, he knew humans often saw violence as necessary and that's why Kirin were needed, to make sure that Kings didn't cross that line between violence out of necessity, to violence for evil or wrong.

But he couldn't agree with her, it was physically and impossible for him to.] All... sorry... all over possibilities have to be looked at first... violence should only be the very very last resort... and... sorry... even then it is not right. It is bad...

[guiltapalooza]

No, don't go! [she says hurriedly, scrabbling for the remote to shut it off. She looks away just long enough to hit the right button, and then turns back to him, full of sympathy.]

I agree with you, you know. Sometimes it's necessary, but it's not ever right. It just... isn't. So come have a seat, okay?

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki felt guilty as she turned off the film but also relieved and he went to sit down next to her studying his hands.] Sorry... I didn't mean to lecture you...

[guiltapalooza]

It wasn't a lecture! You just have a lot of feelings about it.

It must be hard to feel that way in a place like this. We're not exactly pacifists.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki nodded slowly] It is... sorry it is how Kirin are made... we exist to stop our kings or queens from becoming corrupt. We cannot fight unless ordered by them, violence and blood makes us ill... Here it is...

[He looks down, here it was awful, there was a lot of violence, a lot of blood. He had forgotten what it was like to not feel vaguely dizzy and sick every moment of the day.]

I try not to judge people... they are not my King...

[guiltapalooza]

Even if you don't want to judge them, you can't really control how it makes you feel.

But it sounds like it's a... a physiological reaction for you. You can't help something like that, at all! Try not to be so apologetic about it.

[notagiraffe]

Taiki looked down again, "Sorry... I mean..." He gave a tiny smile. He thought it was best to change the subject. "So... do you like watching films?"

[guiltapalooza]

[Okay, topic change, she can do that.]

Oh, yeah, I love movies! All kinds. This one seemed like it was pretty funny, actually, but I think I can just relate because I've had to run away from demons one too many times in my life.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki smiled, he had not seen many movies when he still lived on earth but the ones he had watched he had enjoyed.] I wonder if the demons in your world are similar to the Youma in mine...

[guiltapalooza]

Doesn't youma mean demon in Japanese? [she asks, curious now. She may or may not know what demon is in about ten different languages from all of her late night research sessions...]

What are they like where you're from?

[notagiraffe]

Taiki nodded, "It does though we don't speak Japanese in the Twelve Kingdoms. They are mostly animals, you've seen Gohran right? Erm... he's a toutetsu so he can shape change... but most only have only one form."

[guiltapalooza]

You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that. --Though if you get tired of me asking questions, you can say that! [she adds hurriedly.] Really, I know I can be... um... [Trailing off awkwardly.]

But, um, I was wondering. Is being able to summon them part of being a Kirin?

[notagiraffe]

It's okay... I don't mind questions [And he liked talking to her, even if he was constantly worried that he annoyed her.]

Erm... well... Kirin can bind them, and make them shirei... Sanshi is my Nyokai, that is a nursemaid demon. They are born a while before a Kirin is and protects the egg fruit and then the Kirin, but because I was lost I didn't meet her until I was ten... [Only six months before he had arrived here.]

Then Kirin are to bind shirei as bodyguards... erm... because we can't fight and blood makes us weak... it is a pact, they protect us and live in the eyes of the gods and when we die they consume our body and take our magic...

So... erm once we have bound one they live in our shadow and we can summon them... Gohran is the only one I have bound though... [He doesn't mention that a Toutetsu like Gohran is one of the most powerful demons in the yellow sea, and Taiki is the first Kirin in known history to bind such a shirei. Because he is Taiki and he is sure it was just a fluke.]

[guiltapalooza]

Sounds like a big deal. [Her eyebrows have gone up during this recounting.] I'm glad you have something like that to protect you-- otherwise you'd be like a defenseless, sitting duck, and you're too nice to be a duck.

Plus, it sounds like you have important work to do on your own, at home. When you get back there.

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki gave a small smile] They are nice, and look after me. [His smile quickly faded though and he looked down.]

Yes... my... I saw... [Tears filled his eyes and he tried to ignore them as they fell] I think my king might be dead... I saw... when we were sent to our worlds, before I went to Eridan's... and... there's no light... I can't sense him anywhere...

[guiltapalooza]

[She reaches out and takes one of his hands when he starts to cry, clasping it tightly.]

Hey, [she says softly,] we don't know anything for sure. You can't give up hope yet. Your king... I bet he's a great guy. He wouldn't give up.

[notagiraffe]

[He takes her hand gratefully and tries to stop his tears. Because she is right, if Gyousou is still alive he wont have given up. And neither should Taiki. It was just hard.]

Sorry... I didn't mean to cry... You're right... I just wish we could all go home... You miss you're friends too right?

[guiltapalooza]

... Yeah, [she says, wryly.] You don't know the least of it. My friends are my family, and... even when we were apart before, we knew it was temporary. None of us would ever leave each other.

I miss them a lot. [She tries to turn encouraging.] But we'll see them again-- we won't take no for an answer, right?