melodiesoflife | Throw the ball, to the stick.

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Throw the ball, to the stick.

WHO: Rukia Kuchiki, OPEN
WHAT: Undertaking Cid's quest to acquire the Scholar job, Rukia is assigned to take care of (aka distract) a dog that's bothering the workers at the lab. The catch? It's a ghost dog. ~~A real nice ghost dawg.~~
WHEN: October 4th - October 10th, during lab hours
WHERE: Starting at the lab, then moving through the city. She probably won't go to the chocobo farm or anywhere densely populated.
NOTES: I'm starting this in prose, but you can respond with action brackets if you prefer.

It was an ordinary morning. She cooked herself a simple meal of rice and broth. Brushed her teeth. Changed out of her pajamas to assume the usual black robes of her Ninja class. Combed her hair. Bid goodbye to the roommates.

But the task she set out to complete was far from ordinary. She was dealing with a ghost, and she was something of an expert when it came to souls. As such, she was armed with her secret weapon, tucked safely away in her pocket until the time came when she would be forced to use it.

She arrived at the lab ten minutes before the normal working hours, and lifted her hand in greeting. "I'm here for the ghost."

It wasn't hard to find. It was lifting its leg as if peeing on a piece of important looking science equipment. But, being a ghost, there were no smelly liquids to clean. "Oi! You!" Rukia folded her arms to regard the canine sternly. It whipped around to look at her, then its tongue lolled as it crouched playfully on its front legs. "I've come to deal with you."

She jammed her hands into her pocket, seizing the secret weapon, and held it aloft.

It was a rubber bone. Squeak squeak.

"Let's go, you."

Barking enthusiastically, the canine bounced and pranced around Rukia's legs as she walked out of the lab and into the streets, bone held high over her head.

The ghost was harmless, what she would have called a 'Plus' spirit back home. It retained enough of its old memories and heart that it couldn't be considered a threat. Would that she could perform konso, she would have been glad to put its soul to rest, but she had no access to her shinigami abilities. For now, she would play with it.

In truth, she didn't really mind. And secretly, as the days passed, she found herself growing very fond of the capricious creature. Rukia had never owned a pet before, especially not a dog. So she took it for walks, played with it in the park, repeatedly got knocked over every time the dog got too excited and wanted to bowl over the 77-pound woman, and when play was over, she sat next to it at the base of the tree, petting it. Or making the motions, anyway, which it seemed to enjoy just as much.

As it curled up next to her knees, Rukia leaned her head back. Was it wrong to get attached like this? Eventually something would have to be done, and it was ill-advised for a spirit to linger on the plane of the living for too long. But still... She looked down at the pale sleeping spirit, and allowed a small smile to cross her face. For now, she could get used to this.

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When Rukia shows up at the lab on the morning of the 5th, someone else shows up around the same time, sleepy but ready to go. Speaking with the lab workers, Johnny finds out that Rukia has already started to work on the ghost dog issue, so he seeks her out, and catches her as she's leading him towards the door.

"Hey. Looks like ya beat me to the punch. Uh, not that he looks too tough to deal with. Hey there, buddy."

Johnny wasn't sure how a ghost dog was going to act, but he hunkers down to offer it a hand and a pat on the head in greeting.

His hand passed right through the dog's head, but it seemed just as happy as if the touch had connected, and barked gleefully.

"Oh, so I'm not the only one assigned this task." That was a surprise, and it certainly lightened the load. ...If she could even call it that. Just one day with the spirit had been enough to win her over. "Then you applied for a job as well. What did you ask for?"

She noticed that the dog's head was following the gestures of her hand. Oh, right. The squeaky toy. She pushed it into Johnny's chest. "It will follow you if you squeak this."

Johnny blinked and looked at his hand, wondering what he had expected to happen, really. Well, the dog seemed happy enough, so whatever works.

"Yeah. Dragoon. I was runnin' out of combat classes to work on, so I thought I'd give that a go. What about you?"

Oh, a squeaky toy. It might be a ghost, but it's still a dog, so that made sense. He gave it a few squeaks to get the dog's attention. "I didn't expect this to be the job they gave me in order to get it. I mean, I don't know what I expected, but dealin' with a ghost definitely wasn't it."

Dragoon. That was the third time she'd heard of someone taking the class. What was the appeal, she wondered? Perhaps she should read about it, and see if it was something she wanted as well.

He raised an interesting point. What did a ghost dog have to do with a combat class? Surely he didn't intend to fight the thing. "It could simply be a matter of the peace," she shrugged. "Now that the time loop has been solved, matters in the city are not quite so dire. As such, assigned tasks might be more mundane for a while."

The dog, meanwhile, had jerked up to its feet (somewhat; it was floating) and was wiggling wildly with anticipation. Was he going to throw it? Would he give it to the dog? Would they walk? It was so exciting!

"Yeah, maybe. Nothin' world-shattering happening at the moment, so time to get the little stuff outta the way. Though I probably shouldn't jinx it."

He can't leave the little ghost hanging any longer, so Johnny lobs the toy down the hallway a bit. If his hand went through it when he pet it, he was curious to see if it could actually pick that up.

"I dunno, after the time loop thing, I'm totally okay with some quiet for awhile."

"Oh, so you were aware of it as well!" It was funny that she hadn't run into him at some point, but then again, she had spent a great deal of her time looping outside of the city, trying to verify just how far the effects of the loop had spread. Either that, or she was training.

Meanwhile, the dog had taken off like a bullet to chase after the thrown toy.

"What happened during your loops?" she asked. Apparently he must have had a far more exciting experience than she had.

Now there was a loaded question. If Johnny could pale, he would right now. Most of his loops were quiet, but some were rather eventful in ways he's not exactly proud of. But the real reason he was stressed out over it had nothing much to do with those.

"Uh, it wasn't so much what happened during them, than the fact that they were happenin' at all. Before I was here, I was on a world where people were screwin' with time all over the place. And when it all started to backfire on us, right before some awful side effects started, the first thing to start was time loops. Just like those. 'Cept in Exsilium, it only lasted like a week, not friggin' months."

He shakes his head in relief. He couldn't be more glad it was over.

"I was going outta my mind trying to figure out how to fix it, and thought maybe Crystallis was goin' the way of Exsilium. And that was the last thing I wanted."

Rukia nodded, glancing away. "I was relieved as well." There were some people who didn't seem aware of what was happening, and somehow, those were the ones she wound up missing the most. Just seeing their faces never seemed to be enough; it felt like ages had passed.

"Well. It's over now, and the solution was found," she shrugged, regaining her casual demeanor as the dog came bounding back, dropping the bone at her feet. She picked it up and threw it again.

"So this world you were on was not your own world, I take it?"

"Just so long as it doesn't happen again." He tenses up just thinking about it, and he lets out a sigh to try and relax.

He grabs the toy when the dog comes back this time, and taunts it with a few lazy circles above the ghost's head before he throws it.

"Yeah. Exsilium. A real shit hole. Makes this place look like paradise comparatively. Wasn't my world, but it was like it, sorta. Just 1300 years in the future, after a nuclear apocalypse had ruined everything. There was this group tryin' to fix it and fight against this tyrannical world government by usin' their secret weapon of time travel." He lets out a derisive huff at that. "So they brought in us 'volunteers' from all over time 'n space to help them. Y'know. Without our permission. Went about as well as you could imagine."

"And then you were placed here," Rukia concluded. It was no wonder, then, that he didn't seem thrilled to serve as a Hero of Light. Now she could understand him a little better.

"I am sorry to hear that. It is my hope that you are able to return to your home soon, then. I imagine you must miss it." She hadn't felt the pangs of homesickness just yet, since she'd been keeping herself so busy, but she knew the time would come eventually.

"Thanks, and yeah, I do, but it ain't an option. It's a long story, but I can't go back there or to Exsilium, so..." He shrugs. "Crystallis ain't so bad. Y'know, if we can stop the wars 'n the crystallization thing, anyway. Still better than Exsilium."

When the dog comes back this time, he tosses the toy over to Rukia.

"Is this all it wants? Just some attention and to play? Never met a ghost before, and I guess I assumed they'd, like, want to cause harm or take revenge or somethin'. Maybe I've watched too many movies."

"Well," Rukia ducked her head with a wry smile. "As a soul reaper I do possess a little knowledge. I wonder how much of it really applies to this world, however." She gave her leg a few swats, and the dog obediently bounded to her side and kept pace.

"Spirits like these, harmless and still resembling their living selves, are what we call Plus spirits. A soul reaper's job is to perform konso, or soul burial, to guide their spirits to the Soul Society where they may rest in peace. Souls that linger too long begin to lose themselves and run the risk of becoming Hollows. They hunt the souls of the living and the dead, and any souls they devour become Hollows as well. Soul reapers are dedicated to exorcising them wherever they may be found."

A bit of a long explanation...it would have been quickened if she'd brought her illustrations, but alas. "I am uncertain what would help this particular soul to move on. For all intents and purposes, he behaves like any other living dog. Finding what ties him to this world may prove difficult, and that's assuming the same rules apply."

Johnny follows, but he's surprised to hear it. It was fascinating, but Rukia spoke about it so plainly that he wasn't really expecting it.

"You're... a reaper? Like an honest-to-god grim reaper? I guess I expected more of the whole skeleton with a scythe in black robes sorta things. Uh, no offense or nothin', though, seriously. I'm kinda relieved to hear it ain't actually that way."

He's not sure what to make of the dog, then, and he frowns while thinking. "What could a dog possibly need to stick around for? Especially in a place like a lab. Maybe it's worried about its owner or somethin'? Maybe they work or used to work here?"

"That's a little cliche," she remarked. Still, she had to admire his forthright honesty about it. For all she knew, that's what reapers actually looked like where he came from. But she had yet to meet anyone who fit that description. Anyway, he said he was relieved about her, so she couldn't get too ruffled about it.

As for the dog, she shrugged. "Who can say? I'll likely have to do some research. I don't know many of the lab workers, but if they had seen it before, they probably would have said something. Then again, if it's a very old spirit, it might have died long before any of them began working there." She tipped slightly to the side to "pet" it, and though her hand merely glided along the shape of its head without really touching it, the dog panted happily and bucked toward her palm.

"For now, I'm content to keep it company."

He shrugged apologetically. "Hey, I've met all kindsa people, but I never met a reaper before. Makes me wonder why someone with that kinda job would get taken as Hero. Sounds like, y'know, more important work or something." Not knowing why they get picked, it was a moot point anyway, but it was still weird. He considered asking more questions about it, but he figured that, as a half-demon, other afterlife options didn't apply to him.

"Huh. Maybe if it's an old spirit, it used to live in whatever used to be here before the lab. If that's the case, maybe there ain't a whole lot we can do. He seems pretty harmless, so maybe the lab workers can just deal with him."

"I won't deny that the work is important. Maintaining the delicate balance of souls is integral. I am proud to be a shinigami." She folded her arms with a frustrated sigh. "However, I am far from the only one. My world will not fall to pieces without me."

She did miss it, though. And she missed the people she held most dear as well.

Listening to Johnny, she nodded. What he had to say made sense. It would have to be something she looked into, when she wasn't the one distracted with the dog. "Unfortunately, you may be right. I don't have the proper skills to perform a soul burial. If it is an old spirit, however, I am reassured that it will not become twisted as the ones in my world."

"Ah, right. Since they take away the stuff we can do when we get here. Cuz that makes so much damn sense. Well, if all he wants is attention, I think we can handle that."

He shrugged. It could be worse, right? Considering the usual things the Heroes were subjected to, he'll take playing with a ghost dog.

"And ya don't even have to worry about feedin' him or anything. Pretty good pet, really."

"I've wondered about that as well," she replied, furrowing her brow. "Someone's Moogle suggested that it was likely necessary in order for us to learn these new abilities." She sighed, vaguely frustrated. "I suppose it's for the best. Were I to arrive as a shinigami, few would be able to see or speak with me."

Arriving at the park, she finally hucked the bone as far as she could, allowing the dog to tear after the toy.

"Chiaki said they're researching a project that will allow us to retain some of our previous abilities. Once I've saved up enough, I plan to donate what I can to fund the research. Being able to detect reiatsu alone would be invaluable."

That really gets his attention. "Previous abilities? Seriously? Damn, wish I had any money for that research too. That's really what we all need. Leave it to Chiaki..." That girl was industrious. Johnny was starting to feel lazy compared to her.

Johnny takes the toy from the dog when he returns, and throws it up high as opposed to far, so the ghost has to jump to get it.

"What's reiatsu? That how you find stuff like this little guy?"

She really had to learn to stop using those terms as if everyone automatically knew them. She bobbed her head slightly as if to apologize. "Spiritual energy," she clarified. "Everyone possesses at least a little, so long as they have a soul. Each person's has a different feel to it as well. They're like fingerprints. And once you become familiar with a person's reiatsu, it becomes easy to determine not only where they are, but their physical welfare as well. If a friend's reiatsu were to sharply decline, I would know if that friend was gravely injured."

She stopped to watch the dog with a small smile. "It's useful for many things. And yes...I would be able to track this animal's spirit as well."

The dog came gliding back toward Johnny, gazing up at him with large, hollow, adoring eyes.

"Sure does sound handy. We could all use somethin' like that as Heroes. Woulda been great durin' the big battles."

Johnny grabbed the toy and whirled in a few circles above the dog's head before throwing it again.

"How far do ya think he can go from the lab? Are ghost really free to go wherever they want, or do they gotta stick close to whatever place it is they haunt?"

"I'm uncertain," she replied, folding her arms as her gaze lingered on the dog. "Ordinarily we were able to tell based upon the status of a ghost's spirit chain. Sometimes it would be tied to a person, or a place. Other times it dangled loose, as they were merely waiting for a guide."

Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "This one doesn't possess any chains that I can see, however."

Johnny looks to the dog, then back to Rukia questioningly.

"'S that a bad thing? Sounds like to me it's just gonna make it hard for us to keep track of him."

"Would that I knew for sure," Rukia sighed, her head tipping forward in frustration. "There's still too much about this world of which I know nothing." And it was frustrating. It was hard for her to know how she ought to act, and what she ought to pursue, when so much remained shrouded in mystery.

"Yeah. This place is a little weird. Always more questions than answers in this place. Hell, I didn't even know they had, like, actual ghosts until recently. I didn't know grim reapers existed until now."

He shrugs, grinning just a little.

"Getting pulled world to world sucks, but hey, I get to learn a whole lotta new stuff at least. Ya never know who you're gonna meet, or what might happen next."

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damn_juicebox - 2015-10-16 17:23 (UTC) - Expand

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Throw the ball, to the stick.

Oct. 5, lab

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