The Bear Woke Up?!

[wipeyourtears]

Characters: Kintaros and you!
Setting: 4-08, then wandering the floors looking for people
Format: Starting with prose, but I can match
Summary: Kintaros is disconsolate and in disbelief.
Warnings: None, really, but an upset big bear guy running around.


Being frozen even for so short a time upon waking is a new experience for Kintaros. He waits it out, staring at the ceiling, then slowly, stiffly sits up with a grunt.

He starts to ask himself what's going on, but stops as he realises his bulky frame is crammed into some sort of bodysuit and that he is in a strange room he doesn't recognise. The whole picture is doubly puzzling since the last thing he remembers is sending the DenLiner off while he stalled the Imagin army. The suit is a terribly itchy thing, all his fur flattened under it; he reaches for the neckline to pull it off and finds a collar in his way. He scowls, confused by its presence, and promptly tries to rip it off. To his surprise, it doesn't give, not even in the slightest.

"What the–?" Because he wasn't giving it his best effort the first time, he tries again. And again. And once more, with both hands this time. Same results. Mildly irritated and unsettled, he hooks his fingertips under the edge of the suit and unceremoniously peels that off, tearing it in places where his claws and shoulders catch in the fabric. He doesn't feel much better for the release of the effort and gives the collar another awkward tug. Then he finally spots the letters on the nearby nightstand. The first one he picks up gives him an idea of where he's awakened, at least, but not how he arrived here. He carefully refolds it, mindful not to tear the paper, and sets it aside, then opens the second letter.

For a long moment, he stares blankly at the words on the page, not making a sound. They don't quite sink in at first, the immensity of their meaning a little too much. His hands begin shaking.

Your world has been destroyed.

"But…" he blurts out only to fall silent again, his voice catching in his throat. His face burns; his heart aches; tears sting behind his visor. It can't possibly be, can it? Ryoutarou is a strong young man, growing stronger with every moment that passes. Surely he succeeded in stopping Kai. Surely, Kintaros tells himself, leaving Ryoutarou and the DenLiner wasn't for nothing. He knows his friend's heart; therefore, the letter must be a lie. But if so, why is he here? What happened to the others?


Once the numbness of the letter's revelation wears off, Kintaros is upset. Deeply so. Letter clutched in one fist, he leaves his room on a mission. He keeps an eye out for someone else, anyone else, as he aimlessly wanders. Anyone here must be able to answer his question, he reasons. It's a simple question.

He doesn't think about how he must look, lumbering along with his hands tight at his sides, grim expression on his face. Or what impression that will make on anyone he encounters.

Comments

[wipeyourtears]

He tilts his head curiously, then turns and leans over to regard V/V from a very skewed perspective.

"Scary?" Kintaros wonders. "Why would you think that?" He doesn't feel anything particularly foreboding about this floor – not like the dark one above, where he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

[heavenscorpse]

"Sometimes when things look normal, or even look nice, that's just to get you to let your guard down. If the whole tower is a bad thing, then I don't trust any of the floors," V/V explained.

[wipeyourtears]

"Ah." Kintaros clasps his chin in thought for a moment, then nods. "That makes sense." He looks up at yet another tall stack of boxes. This one seems ready to fall over atop them any moment. Can't have that! "Pardon me," he murmurs to V/V before he sets to righting the wobbly cardboard tower.

Just the one, of course, as it's so close to them. A quick glance tells him he'd be here all day if he wanted to try keeping the entire room from collapsing on itself because whoever stacked these things did such a poor job of it. Staying in this room all day leaves his questions unanswered and much of the tower unexplored. And he promised V/V they'd go searching together.

[heavenscorpse]

V/V waits patiently as he rights the tower. "I wonder what the next floor will be..."

[wipeyourtears]

Task done, Kintaros steps back to take in his work and dusts off his hands, then rests them on his hips and looks over his shoulder at V/V.

"I'm not sure," he says, "but we'll find out!" And if he happens to try walking in whatever spot he thinks will best serve to put him between V/V and danger, it's just because that's what he does. He doesn't know V/V all that well, but he tends to assume smaller means more fragile and his responsibility is to make sure she is unharmed.

Perhaps he misses Kohana already.

Most of that is briefly forgotten when he lays eyes on the next floor. On the gym equipment all over the next floor. He just stops halfway down the stairs and stares at it all.

[heavenscorpse]

V/V is fragile, in this form. So he's mostly right.

"I heard it's not all safe, but there is a lot of it, isn't there?" she pipes up. "So even I could use it to get stronger right?"

[wipeyourtears]

If Kintaros could grin a face-splitting grin, he would at this very moment. As it is, he laughs a great, booming belly laugh and pats V/V on the shoulder.

"Yes!" he cheers. "Yes, a very good plan! Shall we take a look?" He offers this question with a plain and hopeful tone. Selfishly, he wants to find the first thing that presents him a challenge and have a go at it. Are there enough weights here? He has to remind himself that he should just look around and come back later, once he has fulfilled his promise to V/V. There will be plenty of time later.

But maybe if she says she wants to look around too, they can dawdle. Just a little bit.

[heavenscorpse]

"We should stop here for a while," she agrees.

She looks around and finds a random weight - but it's much too strong for her frail form, and she can't even budge it. "Um, maybe not that one."

[wipeyourtears]

Were Kintaros a less serious fellow, he'd have to take off leaping for joy. He's absolutely doing it on the inside as he trails after V/V, looking around. Weights, a track, machines… there's a little bit of everything here. It takes a lot of effort to contain himself.

V/V also provides a good distraction.

"Hm?" Kintaros rumbles, looking at the weight she tried. It doesn't look like it's all that heavy…. "May I?" he asks even as he reaches for it.

[heavenscorpse]

[She steps back so she can get to it.] Go ahead. Just don't hurt yourself.

[wipeyourtears]

[Well, he has permission now, so he grabs it and pulls.

And pulls again.]

…What the…? [It doesn't budge. How heavy is this thing? Unhappy, he steps back, claps his hands and squats in sumo fashion, as he is ever wont to do.] Again! [He grabs it with both hands this time and puts everything he has into lifting it.]

[Maybe it shifts in place just a tiiiiiny bit before his hands slip and he pitches over backwards.]

[heavenscorpse]

[Eeep!

She kneels down beside him.] Are you okay?

[wipeyourtears]

Ah… [His head is ringing, but that's what happens when he tries to headbutt the floor backwards.] Nothing bruised more than my pride. [He gives V/V a good-natured chuckle as he sits up, rubbing the back of his head, and looks at the weight. It doesn't look that heavy!

He gets up and tries again, more carefully this time. All his straining won't budge the thing. He crosses his arms and puzzles over it.]

How strange.

[heavenscorpse]

I wonder what it's made of. Maybe it's something heavy we didn't have on the Land of Steel.

[Curiouser and curiouser.]

[wipeyourtears]

[His pride as a powerful warrior demands Kintaros find a weight he can lift and proceed to lift the hell out of it. But that can wait.]

I've not heard of this Land of Steel, but I never saw any such thing in my time or in the past. [He scratches his head, then strokes his chin in befuddlement, then finally makes his way to another weight left carelessly on the floor. He nearly throws it into the ceiling when he lifts it. Much, much too light for him!

Then he scrambles to catch it before it can break something on the way down.]

This "Land of Steel"… that's where you come from, then? [Sheepishly, he offers V/V the weight. Perhaps this one will work better for her?]

[heavenscorpse]

[Oh, this one's much better for her! She lifts it up and down a few times. This is the kind of weight she could use.]

The Land of Steel is where I was before I came here, but I'm originally from Venus... Have you heard of that?

[wipeyourtears]

Venus? [He tilts his head and crosses his arms. There are stranger notions he's heard in his time than someone hailing from another planet, certainly. It's still a curious thing to hear.] I had no idea anyone could live there.

[heavenscorpse]

Not many things do... And I didn't look like this when I was there. But things live on all the planets in the solar system - it's just that humans aren't good at detecting them.

[wipeyourtears]

Ah. That makes sense. [He nods; it's easy enough to accept as fact. Humans have their failings. He's not terribly familiar with Venus on the whole and most of what he knows relates to the influence of the planet in a person's life.] Would you tell me more about Venus? Or this… Land of Steel? [He's off looking for another weight even as he asks and he listens intently while he searches and tests each one he sees. He never quite leaves conversational range.]

[heavenscorpse]

Well, the Land of Steel is another name for Earth - it was called Earth before the planet died. Now, plants won't grow and animals can't survive. The only creatures there are human species surviving through technology.

[As one would expect, she sounds sad relating all this. The state of Earth is a pitiful one for anyone from a living planet.]

[wipeyourtears]

…Died? [Kintaros is eerily reminded of the future Kai tried to remake for the Imagin – a ruined Earth, empty of life. He pauses mid-lift as a chill runs down his spine, then turns an apologetic look on V/V once it passes.] I'm… sorry.

[heavenscorpse]

...It's all right. The important thing is that people still have hope there, right?

[wipeyourtears]

[The weight really isn't enough to offer him a challenge. He gives V/V a sad sort of smile, still distracted by thoughts of home.

Home. Which, if the letter is true, has been destroyed. He drops the weight – it hits the floor with a very heavy thud – to look at the badly-rumpled piece of paper tucked into his belt.]

Hope? [The word just sort of croaks out. He pivots on his heel and makes a beeline for the stairs.]

[heavenscorpse]

[V/V has to set her weight down before she follows him, so there's a significant gap between the two even when she chases with the most speed she can muster.]

[wipeyourtears]

I nearly forgot! [He isn't quite aware of just how far behind him V/V is and he can't quite hear her over his own heavy tread on the steps. It bothers him that he was so easily sidetracked from his goal.

Would Ryotaro be upset with him? Hana certainly would.

…That's when he finally realises he can't hear Ryotaro. Then that he can't hear V/V. He slows a little, trying to glance behind him without tripping over his own feet.]