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[miyagimagic]

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Daniel LaRusso, 53

trauma? what trauma?

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Text (Jan 11)

[princess_of_ida]

Hey Daniel, have you seen an errant skeleton anywhere around? Probably mobile.

[miyagimagic]

[ ...

Give him a moment to process this. For various reasons. ]

Do I dare ask what 'probably mobile' means in this context?

[ This is only one of his many, many questions. Ianthe, is this somehow a casual question on your part?? ]

Do skeletons usually walk around here? Is it like the ones that were flying around before?

[princess_of_ida]

Walking around like a person. It was animated before it went astray.

It's similar to those except a human skeleton. It should still bear a nameplate stating it's called Viola.

[miyagimagic]

Alright.

[ It's definitely an 'alright' followed up by a pause. A very uncertain pause. Why is it that every single time Ianthe says something, whenever he talks to her, it's always just.. so infinitely concerning and confusing all at once. ]

Does it only walk around? [ That's weird enough by itself already, but.. ] It's not dangerous?

[princess_of_ida]

Under normal circumstances, it only does what I make it do. By itself, it should be harmless. Also under normal circumstances, I would be able to recall or track it. I currently cannot do either.

It's just missing.

[miyagimagic]

[ It only does what I make it do is not the reassurance you think it is, Ianthe. Not because of you, but more because of the idea of skeletons being controlled into doing stuff is just way too strange to Daniel. ]

I guess that is an upside to all of this.

But a disappearing skeleton still does not seem like good news. Not with all the missing things and people around town. This has to be part of that.

[princess_of_ida]

[Could Ianthe murder someone via skeleton? Yes, but that was so gauche.]

Most likely. Just keep an eye out for it. I can't have it wavering around on its own.

[miyagimagic]

I will.

[ Look, weird story or not, Daniel is going to help. He's too nice not to - not to mention that he feels like he owes Ianthe anyway for all the information she gave him before. ]

I'm just worried, that's all. Though I imagine all of us are plenty worried about the current state of things. [ Hard not to be, he figures. ]

[princess_of_ida]

[Ianthe figured Daniel was enough of a do-gooder that she could count on him.]

Yeah, there's a lot of shit going on. Try not to get too stressed over it. Don't want you to pop monster.

[sunmon]

You said you have kids, right?
What's their mom like?
Or their other dad, I guess.

[miyagimagic]

Their mom? I find it almost hard to describe someone after you've been living with them for decades already.

[ Not to mention that thinking about Amanda always feels a little painful. More so the longer he's been separated from her by this place.

But if it's Alina asking, she surely has a reason for doing so. So Daniel attempts it despite the painful ache in his chest. ]

I suppose I would mainly describe her as someone who's really strong. Amanda would never let anyone mess with her, nor would she ever hesitate to speak her mind.

[sunmon]

Do you love her?

[miyagimagic]

Of course.

More than I've ever romantically loved anyone in my whole life.

[sunmon]

What would you do if she were here?

[miyagimagic]

I would be worried for her, of course.

Not that Amanda isn't strong. In fact, she'd probably get annoyed with me for being overly fussy about her. But the world we come from isn't anything like this. She's never had to deal with all of the things here before. I'd be worried how it might affect her.

.. but I'd be glad to see her again too. I miss her.

[sunmon]

And what about the practical parts of being here?
The two of you being with other people.
With Terry.

[miyagimagic]

I don't think she would mind us being with other people too as much as long as communicate about it. Amanda and I have always been fairly open to that.

Terry's involvement is more.. complicated. I never told her about everything that happened when I was younger. I was too ashamed.

voice;

[dynatox]

[ Sometime after this. Terry's obviously a little tipsy. ]

Did I ever tell you I was a POW?

[miyagimagic]

[ Talk about a triple surprise. Daniel wasn't exactly expecting to be contacted by Terry, and then on top of it that tipsy edge to his voice, and then this topic--

The first question on Daniel's mind is immediately what happened? ]

No.

[ He knows the other had been in Vietnam with Kreese, sure. But Kreese was always the one flaunting it, Terry much less so in comparison. ]

.. why?

[dynatox]

We were kept in a cage, John and I and the rest of the squad. When our captors got bored they'd pick two of us to fight and only one could come back alive. I was eighteen. I sat there waiting to die.

[ And unlike now, there weren't any second chances. Terry doesn't like to talk about this with anyone let alone Daniel but it's weighing on him and he's too drunk to explain his situation to someone from another world who doesn't even know what the Vietnam War was. ]

I know we've been put through some bullshit here. But I don't understand why so many of us seem intent on making it worse.

[miyagimagic]

[ There's no answer from Daniel at first.

Because this is a lot to process, for one. And right alongside that is another thought. One that feels like a bad idea, because Terry is obviously at least somewhat drunk if he's spilling all of this to him of all people, while Daniel is sure he's got people in this place he's closer to.

But maybe he's spilling it for the exact same reason Daniel is having this own stupid thought-- ]

Where are you right now?

[ --because, even with their contentious relationship, they're the only people here from their world.

And Daniel LaRusso, living bleeding heart, doesn't think even Terry Silver should be alone right now, drunk and facing those memories. ]

I'll come over.

[dynatox]

I'm at my house.

[ Lying back on his couch with a bottle of wine in his hand, too lazy to get up and lock the door even if he wanted to refuse Daniel's company. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ He comes over. It's only halfway through making his way there that Daniel starts second-guessing this entire idea, but it's not like he's going to go back on it anymore by then. Instead he finishes making his way towards Terry's place. He considers knocking for a moment, but then puts his hand on the doorknob and finds it just giving way with absolutely no resistance.

.. it does make Daniel more exasperated, but there's bigger stuff to worry about than whether or not Terry bothers to lock his door. (Even aside from the awkward question of whether or not Daniel even cares, which he doesn't want to ask himself about.)

Instead he just makes sure to lock the door behind him as he comes in, moving through the house until he finds the older man there on the couch. With the wine, just like he figured. At least Terry looks okay otherwise, aside from looking both tipsy and grumpy.

For a moment he stands there, staring at the other, but then he releases a sigh. ]

What brought this on? Was it that-- just that weird message?

[ Daniel did hear it, even though he didn't reply to it due to it being both unsettling and not making too much sense to him. ]

[dynatox]

They're - they're acting like this is some kind of game.

[ He slowly sits up, shaky hands clutching the bottle of wine so he doesn't drop it. His head is spinning and laying down is more comfortable but he doesn't want to feel like he's back in therapy. Not when Daniel LaRusso is the therapist, anyway. ]

I'm trying to prevent a war. [ He takes another drink. ] And they keep fucking trying to start one.

[ His intentions aren't really that noble. He likes the power he has under the Duchess and knows that he'd have nothing if he were forced to rely only on the other void-touched. But right now, he's lost in that old war, in that cage he never really left, and that's all that consumes his thoughts. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ It's a double-sided feeling for sure. Daniel finds himself weirdly agreeing with Terry, since he'd also prefer for there to be no such strife here when this place is already bad enough without someone making it worse, but-- on the other hand, he can't see the other's intentions as so noble.

After all, would Terry be saying the same thing if he wasn't so busy trying to sweeten up the Duchess?

It makes him think for a moment, his gaze dropping to Terry's glass. Maybe Daniel is wondering if he should tell the other to put that down, but-- well, it's not like he's Terry's nanny. Far from it. ]

.. it's this place.

[ But he will at least seriously engage with the topic, even if he isn't getting closer, isn't moving from where he's standing and staring at the other man. ]

Staying here for too long drives people crazy. Is it any wonder that people start to do extreme things? Look what it's doing to you. It's turning us all into our worst selves.