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Doing what, you may ask.
The narrator is not sure except that after months (and she means m o n t h s) of no sign of activity, the dragon hybrid with magical abilities and a half holographic body has decided to go on a stroll.
Destruction stroll like he's done in the past? Thankfully, not. After all...having been working a blacksmith shop when he was last seen and heard, he has ventured farther out from his dark, heat-centered home. Is he going fruit-picking? Shopping?
Who knows. He just seems to want to go on. A. Walk.
Very unusual for a character such as he is.
((Oof, apology for a rusty intro. I seriously need to get back into this...))
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It seems that while someone who's usually doing more exciting (read: morally questionable and bad) actions is doing something much less exciting, a certain Lawful Good someone who's usually doing less exciting (read: prior notes) actions is planning to break into a home.
Well, actually, that's the last resort. The first plan is to knock...and Plan B is to tap on the windows...and Plan C is to find if the owner is outside...et cetera. He, the someone in question, is not very keen on breaking into homes. Thank the gods for the savings of hypothetical repair costs.
And before Plan A can even be enacted, he needs to do something more. That is, reach the home in question. And because he's also not too keen on using his abilities to find it, he's mostly gone by deduction. It's been a time-consuming route to take, but who's to judge his preferences?
Well, perhaps the owner of the home can judge him...if he finds out the other's intentions. It turns out that it's slightly hard to know the intentions of someone who is heading on the path in the opposite direction you are towards your home, especially when said someone gives you a strangely knowing look, waves a cheerfully friendly hello to you, and then he continues on his merry way towards what is essentially your dark lair. A dark lair supplied with heating services, apparently, but a lair nonetheless.
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Kokumajutsu (whoah...been a while since I spelled that mouthful) paused in his walk, sensing something off about the other who had just passed him. Brushing it off for now, he continued on his stroll.
Jirou can always take care of whatever while I'm gone, he assured himself.
Leaving a ten-eleven year old alone at a smithy...was that a wise idea, Koku? Then again, what's this narrator supposed to do when all your motives are questioned?
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If life were a visual novel with Kokumajutsu being the player, he probably would have just unlocked an ending.
But thankfully, roleplaying gives more chances, and there aren't that many bad choices. Besides, the narrator doesn't want to go on a variation of a soliloquy.
By the way, kinda rude that Kokumajutsu didn't wave back to the still-walking person.
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How convenient...Kokumajutsu forgot something and is heading back to his "lair" but at a leisure pace.
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Oh, how romantic. They're strolling back together.
...by the way, "romantic" in this case means "idyllic," not...y'know.
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The narrator slightly laughs since it's been a while since Kokumajutsu was in something "romantic", regardless of definition.
Oops. He decided to stop at a produce stand to get something healthy. It's probably not for him....
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Well, he's not stopping. He's just continuing towards his destination, totally not in a suspicious way at all. Nooo. Not at all.
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Eh, might as well have Jirou pop in...out.
Why? Um....getting fresh air form that smoky place?
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Depending on which direction he's going out, he may or may not see the stranger. But it happens that the stranger is nearing the front door--a strange starting place for breaking into any house, for sure, but as mentioned before, that wasn't the first intention--and stands out a lot. Maybe it's the somewhat suspicious cape he's wearing, or maybe how his appearance in general just looks a bit odd compared to the NPCs in the area.
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Most likely the front since the sunlight is coming from that direction.
The boy stopped when he saw someone coming. "Is there something you want?" he inquired.
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"Want? Wants always seem to be more material. No, I don't think I want anything of that sort," comes the response.
Very helpful.
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Jirou scrunched his nose in confusion. "Um...is there anything I can help you with?"
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"No," he says after almost no consideration at all. Wonder why. Was it out of politeness?
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Tossing all formalities out, Jirou blurted out, "Why are you here then?"
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"Just wandering around, Jirou. Don't feel the need to be concerned." Well, the fact you know someone's name before he's talked to you a lot is concerning in itself, dude.
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The boy widened his eyes. "You just said my name--how did you know that?!" He slightly edged back towards the door behind him, ready to dart inside if need be.
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"Who knows? Maybe it's my name as well. Names are just bestowed upon us without our consent. As such, they could theoretically be anything as well." The stranger widens his distinctive eyes as if miming innocence, though the smile pairing with it truly does seem quite straightforward and innocent.
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Jirou backed up enough to where his fingers were brushing against the wood of the door. "W-why are you here?"
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"To be honest, I have no idea." He shrugs nonchalantly. "I suppose I'm just here."
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He slightly opened the door to the smithy. "Th-then I should go back inside...."
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"Alright! Enjoy your time inside," he goes cheerily.
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Jirou quickly ducked inside, shutting the door and panting heavily.
Kokumajutsu was coming up to the smithy from buying a few items, a paper sack in his arms.
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Well, that was quick.
He laughs a little to himself about the circumstances. Though, he's not slow himself, having already moved down the steps to sit very noticeably on the front porch. Yay.
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Koku looked up, now taking notice of a guest. "Can I be of service?" he asked as he approached.
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"No, thank you. You should probably check on the kid inside," he says. "I scared him. Not all that lightly, either." His words are light, as is his tone, but somehow that isn't the general vibe he's exuding at the moment. Maybe it's the suspicious attire.
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He narrowed his eyes, taking in careful observation of this...stranger.
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He raises his hands right after finishing his sentence, as if to say that he's innocent, and then lets them fall back to his sides.
This is one of those guys who fits quite well in suspicious clothing. None of his hair falls through the cracks. But the suspicious clothing works most of all because he's not suspicious himself at all. Nothing about him screams threat. Or immediate action. Or anything.
But for an observer who's honing in on him, he definitely seems very suspicious. Almost nothing can be gauged about him, after all. His position means that not much of his face can be seen. As mentioned before, because his hair isn't visible, its properties also cannot be gauged. His cape effectively obscures his physique and, along with it, his possible age. And the lack of extra movement he makes--or, I suppose, would be the extra movement he doesn't make--makes it even harder to gauge anything else about him through his mannerisms.
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"Who might you be?"
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"Apologies, sir...or well, Kokumajutsu sir. I don't really go around giving my name that easily."
Yes, you do.
The narrator's remark is ignored. "I understand your own 'name' isn't really one, either? Do pardon me if I'm incorrect in this."