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[mourning_ghost]

Who: Nageki and You
Where: Hotsprings inn entrance
When: May 1 - May 3
Rating: PG (Hatoful virus discussion; probably should have done this earlier)
Summary: There is a large mourning dove staring at passerby.
The Story:

At some point, it seemed that the mansion had turned into a hotsprings inn. His friends certainly would have enjoyed time here. No doubt Nageki would as well, if only he knew what he was supposed to do. If he had ever seen such a place before, he certainly didn't remember it and he didn't know who he could ask. In the end, he chose to settle in a corner for a little bit and watch others as they went about their business. Just until he thought of what he wanted to do.

Comments

[itwouldbeatragedy]

The event is still relatively new and Kaneki has been exploring the inn, getting a feel for its layout. He's just returning from an attempt to see if the town down the hill is accessible--FYI: it's not--and is coming back inside when he notices the large bird in the corner. Though he only got a glimpse of Nageki once, very briefly, over the network, he hasn't heard of the arrival of any other over-sized birds, and decides to approach.

"Nageki-kun?" He gives a brief wave. "How are you doing?"

[mourning_ghost]

Nageki was surprised that someone had approached him and even more surprised that this person obviously knew him. Nageki didn't remember him at all. Had something happened to his memories again? He was still trying to figure out what had happened to his memories with those Houses a couple weeks back.

"I'm fine," he said. "Do we know each other?"

[itwouldbeatragedy]

Kaneki's not surprised Nageki doesn't recognize him.

"We spoke when you first arrived. I'm Kaneki."

[mourning_ghost]

"Oh." So his memories were still (relatively) alright. That was a relief. There'd been three people Nageki had spoken with that day, two of which he'd already seen. The one he hadn't met had probably been the most informative, though. "It's nice to meet you." Face-to-face anyway, rather than through text messages.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

"It's nice to meet you too." Kaneki nods his head in a pseudo-bow. "You seemed a little lost."

Not that he knows how to read a bird's expressions, but he's inferring from the fact that Nageki is sitting off in a corner.

[mourning_ghost]

"I don't remember ever seeing a place like this before." Nageki nodded, although part of the reason he was still there was that people watching had become rather interesting. Humans were quite fascinating to a bird who'd never really gotten a chance to see them (with one notable exception).

[itwouldbeatragedy]

"A ryokan?" Kaneki glances around the lobby area. "I've never been to one myself, but they're fairly well known and common where I'm from."

[mourning_ghost]

"They're common where I come from as well. I just don't have any experience with them." In the five years Nageki remembers, he'd only ever seen one room. His knowledge comes almost entirely from the books he'd been surrounded with.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

"Then it's a first for both of us." Kaneki smiles. "Are hot springs the kind of thing that you'd be interested in?"

He really can't guess how appealing soaking in a hot bath would be for a bird.

[mourning_ghost]

"I'm not sure," Nageki said. "I'd like to try it and see, though." The thought of sitting in the water didn't sound that appealing, but he'd never know what it was truly like until he experienced it himself. He was supposed to be creating new memories, enough to make up for a lifetime, and this was as good a place to start as any.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

"Would you like to try then? I haven't gone yet."

Kaneki hadn't really intended to go, but it might seem strange to avoid it too obviously. Besides, if Nageki wants to, Kaneki is happy to keep him company.

[mourning_ghost]

Nageki nods gratefully. He hadn't really wanted to try the hot springs alone. He flew in the direction of the hot springs, making sure Kaneki could keep up with him as he did so.

[itwouldbeatragedy]

Kaneki follows a little behind Nageki to give him plenty of room to maneuver. Though he's sure it was the right time for males to be in the hot springs now, he still double-checks the time at the door before stepping inside.

He pauses and glances around the bathing area that acts as a foyer to the bath itself, noting the baskets for people to leave their clothes and items in.

"You can go ahead of me, if you want. I'll be there in a minute."

May 1st!

[lifeskills]

From the moment the mansion's transformation took place, one 19th century Englishman was reluctant to give himself over to Eastern practices. He knew there was little dignity to be found in a foreigner trying to acclimatize to a culture not his own, and not to mention, appreciating the hygienic value of it was not the same thing as appreciating public bathing in all its close-quarters glory.

Victor looked around with a subdued curiosity for a time, investigating just how thorough the changes were, but resisting giving up his clothes for yukata or undressing for the hot springs limited the places he could comfortably venture. It was only a matter of time before he spotted the bird minding its own business inside the inn.

This being Wonderland, a bird was rarely just a bird.

Staring back, Victor took it upon himself to turn the watcher into the watched.

[mourning_ghost]

It did take a little while for Nageki to realize someone was watching him. That... wasn't the usual state of affairs. Eventually, it became obvious that this human wasn't going to leave.

"Do you need something?" Nageki asked politely.

[lifeskills]

Another bird capable of speech, it would seem. Clearly the intelligent eyes weren't just for show.

Victor own narrowed consideringly, and he remained silent for a few beats of time. Given that his conversation partner wasn't human, breaking up the silence with something other than an intense scrutiny didn't cross his mind.

"So you speak." His expression failed to hint at how he felt about that. "Wonderland's doing?"

[mourning_ghost]

Nageki remained still under the man's scrutiny. It still wasn't something he was used to. Back home, almost everybirdie ignored him. He'd grown accustomed, over the years, to watching everyone while they remained oblivious to his presence. His experience with proper social interaction was little enough that Nageki didn't think anything of those few moments of silence.

"That I'm a bird?" Nageki asked, in answer to the man's question. He hadn't been the first to ask that and anything that could change a mansion into an inn would have no trouble changing somebirdie's species. "No, I've always been one. Birds like me are common where I come from."

The proper word would probably have been when he came from. The year 2188 was a bit in the future for most of the humans in Wonderland, it seemed.

[lifeskills]

Luckily for Nageki (or unluckily, as the case may be), Victor could make his presence out perfectly fine. And a rather obvious presence it is.

"No, but that's another question I would have asked," he replied with relative calmness. He'd not only seen a dragon-like beast in the library, but conversed with another talking bird with a far more outspoken attitude. Not to mention that perfectly humanoid acquaintances of his had apparently been vampires all the time he'd known them. Victor felt there were few surprises left for him in the arena of sentient creatures--shock was wearing off with each new discovery.

Coming closer, he continued to observe Nageki, tilting his head in a rather birdlike manner himself. "I meant are you native to this place originally--but by your answer, no. What of birds capable of speech? Are they common where you're from?"

Birds alone? Not so noteworthy. But birds that defied sense and reason... that was something else altogether.

[mourning_ghost]

"Yes," Nageki nodded. That had been what he meant when he said birds like him. It was mostly pigeons at the moment, but other bird species were also slowly gaining sentience. Such birds greatly outnumbered the humans at this point. For a bird who'd only ever known one human, seeing so many all at once was a fascinating experience. It was easier to understand, now, how humans had once been the dominant species on Earth.

[lifeskills]

Victor had a similar feeling--but from the opposite end of the spectrum. Humans had earned their superiority by way of natural development. Avian species had earned no such distinction, not by way Victor had ever seen.

Even the very mechanism that allowed Nageki's speech seemed likely to be grounded in a more unnatural explanation than a natural one.

"How does that come to be?"

Magic again? How easily that term was thrown around.

[mourning_ghost]

"A deadly strain of avian influenza threatened to kill the entire human species. Humans engineered a virus to kill birds in an attempt to halt the pandemic but, instead of killing the birds, the virus made them evolve." And that evolution granted birds sentience. This was basic bird history, taught in every school across the world.

Nageki didn't know all the details. He'd never learned the science behind it all or, if he had, he couldn't remember. But that was what had happened.

[lifeskills]

Influenza, often attributed to catarrhal attacks. Yes, he had studied it and similar areas, though disease had never been his niche.

"No event like that has ever happened in my history," Victor replied with some disbelief, "but if I denied what you're saying has the remotest possibility of happening, then I suppose I'd have to deny what my senses are telling me now. Not a position I relish being in."

He couldn't decide if he actually preferred an explanation doused with magic as opposed to this. He was curious, yes, but proof would be hard to obtain as things stood now.

Nageki was a dangling carrot, and Victor found himself annoyed he couldn't bite. Not entirely.

"I notice you didn't finish. What became of your human beings?"

[mourning_ghost]

He'd never been one to deny facts either, even when, as often happened, those facts only created more questions. But Victor was lucky that he would have a hard time obtaining proof. Had Nageki still been alive, he would have had to isolate himself in order to keep from killing the humans of Wonderland.

"Most of them died from the disease." Nageki answered simply. Humanity's last, desperate plan had failed, after all. There had been nothing to prevent the disease from spreading and wiping the vast majority of their population. The following bird-human wars hadn't helped matters. "The ones that remain mostly live apart from bird society."

[lifeskills]

The prospect of death hadn't struck fear into his soul in a very long time. Victor's features fail to reflect a great amount of shock or horror at imagining influenza ravaging the human population. Nageki had practically already said as much, just not confirmed it, and he was no stranger to how easily disease could cut through a community.

If anything, bird species evolving to take the place of humans was amusing, not the horrifying idea it should be.

However, given that the dove seemed intelligent enough to read those feelings in his face (an amazing enough feat, he wouldn't deny that), Victor kept his thoughts from showing for courtesy's sake. "You've formed a society? If you have a society, you must have a name."

And possibly more than that.

"You can reason. What else has evolved along with you? Do you dream? Do you feel?"

[mourning_ghost]

"Nageki Fujishiro," Nageki introduced himself, before Victor continued with his questions. He did his best to answer. "We feel and we dream. There's no difference in intelligence between the average pigeon and the average human."

They went to school, grew up, and lived their lives just as humans once had.