Paixao has a rodent problem now...only not really [closed]

[theuttereast.livejournal.com]

Character: Reepicheep and Zetsu
Content: Reep enters Paixao, blah blah, the usual fare
Setting: Vanaheim Gate
Time Week 2, early afternoon
Warnings: None

That had certainly been some vertigo he'd experienced! But then again, literally falling off the edge of the world would have that kind of effect on a person...or mouse, Reepicheep thought. But...certainly this couldn't be...

"This can't be!" squeaked the mouse. "This is most certainly not the place I saw before!" From what he'd seen of things before he'd gone over the edge, the land before him had been green and mountainous - this place most certainly was not that. Had he somehow fallen into the wrong place?

Absolutely preposterous! But still possible. Somehow. With his paw on the rapier at his side, the mouse strode forward, ready to take on anything that might be waiting for him here. Strangely enough, there seemed to be some sort of line that had formed at what appeared to be a large gate ahead. He smiled faintly at the sight of the nearby trees - since at least things like those were familiar to him - but even those made him feel disconcerted. There was something wrong about them, something that only helped to add to the alien feel of this place.

"Next!" he heard a voice call nearby, and he looked up at the man sitting in the booth. "And your name, please?"

"Name? Why, I am Reepicheep, warrior of the great land of Narnia, and loyal servant of--"

"Alright, alright, that's good enough," said the man. "I only needed your name, not your life story. Will you be needing a collar, or no?"

"Collar?" Reepicheep's eyes went wide for a moment. "I am a free mouse, sir! I have no need of such barbaric devices as collars, which only serve to enslave others! Unless you plan to capture me and force it upon me, which I daresay you'd have a very hard time doing!" His little paw clenched tightly around the hilt of his rapier.

The boothkeeper was taken aback for a moment. "Er, no, I meant for your journal," he said. "There are plenty of animals in this city that need such a thing, so I was merely asking if you needed one as well."

Reep relaxed. "No, whatever that 'jour-nal' thing is, I doubt I'd need any such thing as a collar!" he said. "I'm very well capable of carrying it myself!" He blinked at the red thing that was handed to him. "And this is...?"

The man sighed. "It's the journal, sir. Now if you please, you're holding up the line. I've gotten all I need from you, so you have no need to stay here any further. Please step through the gates."

Reep stared at the journal for a moment, admiring it, until he gave the boothkeeper a bow. "Apologies for taking up your time like that, sir," he said. "I shall not bother you anymore, and thank you for this 'jyer-nal' thing. Good day to you."

He stood back up and wandered off through the gate, taking the time to fiddle around with his journal as he did so. A few titters came up from one or two of the people still in line at the sight of him doing so, but thankfully he didn't hear them.

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Zetsu sat in silence, contemplating the puzzle before him before finally going into action. A single black finger snaked out, delicately easing a Jenga block out of place. It was plucked out without so much as a shiver of protest from the tower, and he smiled smugly, sitting back to let his other side consider his turn. He was pulling the second block out when the scenery shifted, leaving the tower still standing as he emerged into Paixao with the pieces in hand. These were tucked into a pocket as he looked around, startled. That.... had been unexpected. He hadn't teleported, that he knew of. And he certainly didn't know where this was, or how close he was to Headquarters.

He shuffled to the end of the line, content to blend in as well as he could--he got odd looks, but then, he always did, and nobody was making comments--and see what they were waiting for. "Name, please?"

"Our name is Zetsu." He never had been keen on protecting his identity like the others. Hell, he'd never worn that ridiculous hat and wig that was part of the uniform; it hung in his closet still, gathering dust. Who wouldn't recognize him, anyway? They probably couldn't even see the hat inside his leaves....

"Our?" The gatekeeper blinked, but didn't ask--he'd nearly gotten a life story from that mouse, after all; he didn't need one from this guy. Instead, he wrote the name down, and handed over a green journal with a few pamphlets. "Welcome to Paixao, please step through the gates."

"What purpose do they serve?" Zetsu gave it an odd look, but accepted it with a nod of appreciation.

"You write in them." The gatekeeper explained, with forced patience. "You know what a journal is, don't you? Write down what happens to you. What you do and see, what you think and feel. You can use it to talk to other people in the city, too. You're holding up the line, sir, so unless you have more questions...."

"We do not." The man seemed unwilling to provide more information, so he went in between the towering trees as he was told, which he could tell were fake immediately, connected to plants as he was. He paused as he stepped into the sunlight, a broad smile crossing his face at the smile the sun sported. It didn't hurt to look up at, not like the sun he knew.... All the same, it was very bright, and pleasantly warm; he spread his leaves to bask in it as he fiddled with his journal (http://weeatbodies.livejournal.com/324.html), hands and face twitching oddly every so often as his personalities battled for control over the keys. Were it an actual physical struggle, there would probably be rolling on the ground and pillows involved, and one of them would likely be sat on as the other typed.

Soon after, he spied the mouse that had been a bit ahead of him in line. It was an odd sight, but it didn't catch him completely offguard--one of his teammates, after all, looked as much shark as man. He'd been on the team when Orochimaru was still there, and Oro had been distinctly serpentine.... The extent to which Reepicheep was bestial was surprising, though. It was as if someone had taken an actual animal and magnified it....

Plus somehow given its paws the dexterity to wield a rapier with some degree of competence. Enough to be a renowned warrior in this "Narnia", which he had never heard of. At least if they weren't from the same place, he probably wouldn't be attacked on sight.... Even if they were different kinds of warriors, and likely not morally compatible, maybe he could try and establish some kind of brother-in-arms camaraderie, or something like that....

Or maybe just get what information he could and leave. Whatever ended up working best. He debated for a moment with himself on how best to start a conversation, then finally folded his leaves up a bit more to shade his face, approaching Reep. "Excuse us.... we could not help but overhear that you were a great warrior. Is there a precedence for these disappearances in your 'Narnia'?"

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Reep's ears twitched, though more at the sound of the word "Narnia" than because of the strange man talking to him. Someone else from there? he thought, taking his attention off his journal and onto Zetsu--

As he was used to seeing various sorts of fantastical creatures, he barely moved a whisker upon seeing Zetsu. A curious figure this was, smelling both of plant and human - certainly like none of the other humans he'd ever met before. "Reepicheep the mouse, and indeed a warrior, good sir. As for the disappearances, there have been none other that I am aware of. But then again, I have been away on a voyage for quite some time now; for all I know of, such occurences might have become common. A poor time for the folk of Narnia if that is indeed true!" What an unfortunate fate, for people to be whisked away from their homes somehow!

Reep wondered what had prompted that question anyways. "I have never heard of anybody such as your kind living in Narnia, or even in any of the lands around it - might I ask where you come from?"

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Zetsu nodded at that. "We hope not." For all he knew, Narnia was a good place to be; Reepicheep probably thought so. Perhaps Narnia was just another name for a place? After all, mice probably had their own names for whatever area they happened to be in, which might or might not be what humans used for theirs. Or was it a land of entirely animals, if very large ones? He liked the thought of that.... even if only because he often ate some of the smaller animals, mice included, and two-foot mice sounded like quite a treat indeed. But he wasn't going to eat Reep.... not yet, anyway. It was the principle of the thing; you just didn't eat random strangers you approached in the first place. Not unless you had a good reason to do so, anyway. There should be some method to the madness....

"We are from Kusagakagure, in the Land of Grass." His expression became slightly sour at the thought of his home. "And we are one of a kind."

We're special. One side thought, and the mental giggle echoed hollowly through his mind, distorting itself as it went.

More than anything else, even more than finding out that such things might common--and therefore possibly originating--from somewhere, he wanted to find out what type of people came here, and why. This Reepicheep seemed intelligent enough, and capable, though just as lost as he was. Even better, he hardly seemed phased by his appearance--a blessing in and of itself--which meant he was probably used to odder things than this. It was almost a shame this wasn't common in Narnia, really--if it was, he was willing to believe Reep would have heard about it and known a way to reverse it.

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"Kusakagu--kuge---er, quite an interesting name," said Reepicheep. "Pardon me if I don't say it correctly, though. It's certainly a name that eludes my tongue at the moment." The mouse's mind boggled slightly at it. He'd just stick with the other name for it - at least that was one he could remember.

"Well, that is true. Everyone's one of a kind in their own way," Reep said, nodding. "Everyone's got their own skills and looks that make them unique, and--"

He cut off talking there, and his ears swiveled 'round as he heard something approaching. Or somethings, rather, he noticed as he turned his head to look.

His paw clenched the hilt of his rapier.

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"We care little." Zetsu only shrugged at the apology; he wouldn't have minded too much if Reepicheep had even proposed burning the village down, for that matter, save that he wanted to go back to finish off his parents at some point. What did it matter if the damned place was pronounced improperly? He stared silently down at Reepicheep, a faint look of amusement clinging to his unnaturally still features. Yes, yes they did. Everyone did look different and have different skills.... But he would be quite surprised to find a naturally occurring race that approximated a freak accident like him.

What was that? He noted the sound and the way Reepicheep's ears turned at about the same time, and actually turned around entirely to face whatever newcomers were approaching, flexing his hands and noting with approval that Reep had already readied himself for a threat. Just what were these things, anyway? He'd never seen anything like them....