NEW AND IMPROVED STEPH CATCHALL

[psychedelica]

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W0 monday

[psychedelica]

[ there's a ghostly presence lurking in the residential area... and it's Hikage! He's once again decked out in his dumbass gothic lolita vampire getup, so he's hard to miss. It might look like he's just skulking about and brooding, but he's actually looking for Steph, and when he sees her, he makes a beeline for her. ]

Stephanie. There you are. How did it go?

[vigilantics]

[ she blinks, surprised. ]

How did what go?

[ there are a lot of things he could be asking about so it is not hitting her. ]

[psychedelica]

Sleeping in that room, obviously.

[ being forced to sleep with a bunch of strangers... horrible. He hated it. But he's extra concerned for Steph because there's a guy in her dorm!! ]

[vigilantics]

Oh. It went fine. I got a top bunk!

[ she just claimed it without asking if anyone else wanted it. terrible. ]

But my roommates seemed... okay? I can't say much so far, since we just met.

[psychedelica]

[ does the bunk you get matter?? he'll have to investigate this matter. ]

Good. Just be careful about the blonde guy. [ he crosses his arms. ] I'd bring you to my room, but it's probably worse... No, definitely worse.

week 0, friday

[vigilantics]

[ where's hikage, anyway?

wherever he is, there is a blonde girl coming straight towards him. ]

Hey.

[psychedelica]

Hey.

[ he's probably just hanging out near what counts as his "house" here - not wandering too far away, since it keeps raining in spurts and he'd rather not get wet. For what it's worth, it doesn't look like he's brooding.

He knew this was coming, after all. Since he didn't know who that man was, he finds it hard to really care - especially as he's assuming some amount of them will need to die (yet again) before they're allowed to leave. But he also knows that Steph is more sensitive than he is when it comes to these things. After a moment of hesitation, he says: ]

... Are you okay?

[vigilantics]

I'm okay.

[ sort of.

but it's not the time to be upset about another unneeded death-- that's for later. right now she's on a mission. ]

You didn't find anything, did you?

[psychedelica]

[ a nod. good. She's tough, but he still can't help but worry about her well-being - maybe she's not as self-destructive as Belph, but the bar is damn low. ]

No, I didn't. Everything looks the same to me. [ he shrugs his shoulders, lips pressing together into a frown. ] What matters more than his death is finding out why he died. It looks like there are twice as many "masters" as we thought - the new ones are probably behind this.

w0 sunday...

[psychedelica]

[ in the end, he didn't see her at all after last night. It was partly because he thought she needed space; he knows that he's not a comforting presence, and even Hikage has the self-awareness to realize his lack of empathy towards Evan, Tsurumaru and their circumstances would make him put his foot in his mouth sooner or later. The last thing he wants to do is make Steph feel worse. And that's the other part - he doesn't know how to make her feel better.

If she needed him, she could come to him, but she didn't. So the next morning, Hikage goes to her, because he does need her, even if it took him a long time to admit it to himself. He's empty-handed, because food or flowers or whatever just seem trite after watching a man's head get destroyed with a rock. He just looks for her, wherever she might be, until he finds her. ]

Stephanie... There you are.

[vigilantics]

[ she is very glued to this sports court.

specifically, she's digging through the shed, trying to find something that'll be a good distraction. but when she hears his voice, she immediately turns to face him. ]

Hey.

[ she rolls the basketball in her hands. ]

You okay?

[psychedelica]

[ at that, he gives her a dry look - albeit a milder and more wry one than usual. How very Steph-like of her to start with that. ]

I should be the one asking you.

[ she doesn't look like a complete disaster, so he approaches her. ]

You know things like this don't bother me. [ he's seen it all, if not done it himself. What would she say if she knew he still felt a grim pleasure seeing that execution take place? He pretends that side of him is gone, but it's as much a part of him as his affection for her is. ] ... I wanted to see you, though. I was thinking about you. Did you get any sleep?

[vigilantics]

I slept whenever Evan did.

[ mostly bursts, but honestly pulling an all nighter isn't foreign to her, so she wouldn't really mind too much if she hadn't gotten any at all. ]

But I'll go back to my cabin tonight.

week 1, monday

[vigilantics]

[ so after a healthy conversation with belph after the whole. never have i ever game. stephanie is now running for hikage.

she mostly is just trying to find him before word reaches him about how Everyone Knows. ]

Hikaaaaageeee.

[psychedelica]

[ hikage is like, innocently chilling. He has no clue. Obviously, he's not part of the party game, because he hates parties and he hates all the party games they made him play last time. No more of that, thank you. He's out exploring all the new areas, instead; Steph will find him in the farms, where he seems surprised to see her. ]

Stephanie, [ he greets. ] What's wrong?

[ because something must be, right ]

[vigilantics]

[ oh, well. this good news is that it seems like she beat anyone else from mentioning it to him, because his non-reaction spoils that. ]

... what's up.

[psychedelica]

[ she is making first contact, yes. On the other hand, her running up to him and then opening with absolutely nothing like that only makes Hikage suspicious. He arches a brow at her. ]

... What do you think? I'm trapped on a weird campground. Nothing is up. [ a beat. ] Why are you nervous?

[ he is occasionally good at reading people ]

week 1, sunday

[vigilantics]

[ WHERE THE FUCK IS HIKAGE.

steph is still Annoyed, admittedly, but she is on the lookout for a boy. she's holding something in her hands. ]

[psychedelica]

[ his favorite gal...

Hikage can be found pacing around the gardens. Boredom and frustration is a terrible combination, but it's one that he's had to reckon with for a long, long time, so at least he's used to this kind of misery. After two weeks, he's feeling a certain level of directionless inadequacy -- before, in the castle, he at least had something concrete to work towards: a wish. Here, they're scrabbling just to survive. And while he'll fight like hell to survive - like he has ever since he died, ironically - he can't help feeling like it's a losing battle, and that he knows less the more time passes.

All this to say that he's currently absorbed in his thoughts and doesn't notice her coming... Be nice!! ]

[vigilantics]

[ well

if he hasn't noticed, then stephanie will just quietly walk towards him, not making any sound. closer, closer... she is seeing how close she can get before he turns around. ]

[psychedelica]

[ since steph is batgirl, she's probably pretty sneaky, which means that, yes, she's getting pretty damn close. in the end, Hikage's still just a civilian, and he's used to listening for monsters, not people . . . ]

week 2, tuesday

[psychedelica]

[ if Hikage looks a little tired, it's because he definitely went to her cabin first to look for her, and then the lake, and eventually ended up over here - the petting zoo was not high on his list of "probable places to find Steph," and he's paying for it. What does matter, though, is that he did find her. It's unfortunate that she's not someplace more private, because this business is all pretty embarrassing... but he's determined. ]

Are you busy?

[ there's his greeting. hello! He's trying to look casual about this, but he's got a daisy in one hand. ]

[vigilantics]

[ hello. she is petting a baby elephant. when she looks up, there's a smile on her face, but whether it's because there is a baby elephant or if it's hikage is a mystery. ]

Not really. What's up?

[psychedelica]

[ the baby elephant is definitely cuter... he's also definitely staring at it for a second, because he's never seen an elephant in real life before, but it's fine. Stephanie is, as ever, more important. The smile encourages him, even if it's not intended for him, and he walks over. ]

Go on a date with me. [ glancing away... maybe bashfully, or maybe he's just awkward. Maybe both. ] ... You're the only one I want to ask.

[ they're stuck in stupid murder hell, still. This place is horrible. The last place was, too. But when he's with her, he might actually feel happy. That hasn't changed, and that makes it worth it. ]

[vigilantics]

[ oh

she blinks in surprise. somehow, steph wasn't actually expecting this, even though it makes sense that he wouldn't have gone to someone else. ]

You could pick anyone. [ ... ] I mean, yes, we can go on one. But it doesn't have to just be me.