[Action]

[knightofratatosk]

[It's sunset before Emil makes it back to town... while he was lucky enough not to land in the lake after going through the portal, he ended up in the mountains instead, and it's taken him almost two days to get back. He's exhausted, wet, freezing cold, and most importantly, he's not back in his world. The portal also separated him from Sial, so he's worried about what happened to his chimera companion as well.

He looks about as dejected as he feels right now; every so often he'll stumble over something and fall to his knees before picking himself up and continuing to trudge on.]

Comments

[knightofratatosk]

[Um, okay, he'll try holding his hands up to indicate Sial's size, then he'll draw something in the air that vaguely resembles a cat.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[Something big? ... But what's he writing out? ... ... ... Horns? Why horns? She's kind of slow sometimes, Emil. Give her a few moments to realize what you're trying to say.

... Cat?

She'll use her hands to mimic cat ears and put them on her head. Are you talking about a cat?]

[knightofratatosk]

[Yes! Well, um, not quite, but it's close enough. He'll nod to show that she's on the right track. Have you seen a small cat-thing with wings? He brought it through the portal with him but now he can't find it. :(]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[I totally meant to say small. *fails* But okay! ... So she's gathering that he's looking for someone. Probably a cat, or something similar to it. But... she hasn't seen anything like a cat. So she'll point to herself and shake her head, frowning. Sorry, Emil. :C]

[knightofratatosk]

[He droops a bit. Maybe Sial just hasn't made it back to the village yet... but he's gotta be okay, right? Monsters are tough.

... right?]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[Of course, Emil! ... Only, Noel has no idea what exactly you're looking for, and you suddenly looking upset again makes her frown. She'd like to help with whatever is happening, but she doesn't know what the exact problem is.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Well, this inability to communicate is making things very awkward, that much is for sure. Maybe there's no point in even trying, if he can't talk or write. He's starting to worry that he might be stuck like this forever as some sort of punishment for trying to go through that portal.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[It really is. And so Noel is going to stand there rather awkwardly. Nami told her that according to some, things like this last for a few days, but... that could just be false hope, couldn't it? Or maybe not. She didn't know.

Wow, these two are depressingly funny.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Out of a sort of morbid curiosity (partly because he's so upset it's verging on hysteria, and were he able to he might just laugh at how damn ridiculous this entire situation is), he barks once, then points at Noel as if asking her what sort of noises she's making now.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[H-he wants to hear it? But it's soooo stupid. ... Gaaah. Well, he did show her what happened to him, so...]

... Kyu.

[knightofratatosk]

[... what sort of animal noise is that?]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[Bawwww.]

[knightofratatosk]

[And now he can't help it: he starts laughing (though it sounds more like a very strange, strangled sort of barking). It's not a normal sort of laughing, though-- if anything, it's bordering on hysterical. Can't she see how funny all of this is?]

1/2

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[She's a little startled at first; she wasn't expecting him to laugh... and she's even a little worried that he's laughing at her.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[... But eventually, she can't help but smile because, yes, this whole situation really is stupid. In fact, Emil laughing is beginning to make her giggle; even if it sounds weird as well.

This is so stupid.]

[knightofratatosk]

[It's stupid, all right. Stupid and intensely frustrating and gradually his laughter becomes mingled with sobs before it switches over to flat-out crying. It's like some horrible dream, except that he's not going to wake up if he pinches himself.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[--Whoa, okay, stopping now. ... Crap, this... this isn't good. How is she supposed to comfort a crying person she's never even met until now?

... She'll cautiously walk over to him, and... put a hand on his shoulder. Please don't cry, stranger. EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY. :(]

[knightofratatosk]

[He seems almost unaware of the hand as he sinks back down to his knees, shaking with sobs, his face buried in his hands. This whole business with the portal is cruel even for the Malnosso. Emil thought he was used to their tricks after being here for more than a year; guess not.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[Ack. O-okay. That really wasn't the response she was hoping for. Uh. Um. She'll be looking around, almost hoping for someone to be around so that they can help, but there's no one. Just Noel, Emil, and the snow.

Yes, Noel fails at this helping thing.]

... K-kyu...

[--oops. Covering mouth. asdf whatever.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Sorry for making you uncomfortable, Noel, but he really can't help it. :( Everything that has happened over the past few days has just been too much for him. He'd been all excited to go home and see Richter and Marta again and now he's still in Luceti and he can't even communicate, possibly permanently.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[Well, don't worry about it. It's probably a learning experience for her... somehow. And Emil's been going through a bit of a tough time here in Luceti, so it's understandable.]

[knightofratatosk]

[At last he'll try to get a hold of himself by taking deep, shuddering breaths to calm down. The effectiveness is debatable, but at least he's not on the verge of hysteria anymore.]

[bullet-dance.livejournal.com]

[That's good. That's very, very good. Despite the outburst, Noel's going to still stick around for a while longer, if Emil wants. She'd probably have a guilty conscious if she decided to leave him now, so idk.]

[knightofratatosk]

[He won't mind a little company right now, as unaware of it as he may seem. It's just nice to know that he isn't alone. Whether or not he really knows her doesn't matter to him as long as there's someone there.]