paixaorpg | Not Dreaming [Complete]

Being between assignments really sucked sometimes. He must have ridden the train, each way, a couple dozen times, stopped in at all the major landmarks more times than he could easily remember, and wandered the streets looking for entertainment--or at least occupation--for more hours than he'd care to admit. Even coming into the gates had turned into something to do while he was here--he'd been through so many times that he'd amassed quite the stockpile of journals, and was amused to see that the red ones far outnumbered any other color that he'd gotten yet, even the black ones. It was kind of nice to know he seemed that predictable.

When all was said and done though, it always seemed to be the gates where he met the most interesting people, so back to the gates he strayed. Muspelheim was his choice this time, if only to enjoy the gaudy gates of flames; the appearance of fire was nice and familiar, even though he'd had to make such ridiculous changes as adopting a pseudonym and finding some new clothes. He'd chosen a nice punk rock style to replace his black cloak and outfit, and had grown a little fond of it in spite of himself; the style was appealing. Tall black combat boots had been paired with tight, tapered jeans, bleach-stained and loaded with straps and chains. A long-sleeved fishnet shirt was pulled on as well, with a short-sleeved red T-shirt sporting an anarchy symbol over that, ripped nicely in a few places to show flashes of the mesh underneath. Black fingerless gloves and an open denim jacket completed the ensemble, embroidered at the bottom and cuffs with leaping flames and patched elsewhere with mismatched, colorful scraps of fabric. He hadn't done anything about his hair, of course--that suited the style just fine the way it was, and he wouldn't have been happy about changing it anyway.

He hadn't chosen to go through this time, but rather sit and people watch; it wasn't long before he spotted an interesting figure. Long black hair, lots of black clothing, a red vest, a headband, a.... die earring? Heh, he could only imagine what Luxord would say about that. He liked the kid's style, but more than that, he liked his attitude. Way too many people freaked out or broke down because of ending up here, but how many people sucked it up and made the best of their situation? Axel put on a lazy smile, lifting a hand to wave as Otogi cleared the gates. "Hey. Looking a little lost, aren't you?"

Otogi whirled around at the sound of the voice, vivid green eyes quickly finding the lanky, redheaded figure not far from him. Something about the man seemed... dangerous, somehow (and Otogi's own upbringing had made sure he knew a dangerous person when he saw one).

Then again, Otogi could be dangerous himself, although the gambler preferred to keep that darker side of his hidden. So he smiled at the stranger, carelessly flipping his long hair over his shoulder. "Actually, you're right. I have no fucking idea where I am," he replied cheekily. He usually didn't curse, but this odd situation definitely seemed to warrant it - although Ryuuji's expression certainly didn't give any hints of that away.

Part of being a good gambler, after all, was having a decent poker face.

Axel chuckled at the reaction; the boy didn't have half-bad reflexes, though he might comment on a slight lack of awareness of his surroundings. But then again, who could blame him? New, disoriented, confused.... At least he had a reason for his slip-up. "Hey, woah, relax--I don't bite. Really." The firebug lifted both hands in a placating gesture. He might burn, but there was really no reason to bite, not when the lumens around here could take care of it. Whether or not Axel was dangerous, he certainly didn't look it at the moment, either--he looked more like a guy who needed to stop bumming around concerts, get a damned job, and surrender to the harsh demands of 'real life'.

"I'd say you're in Paixao, but the guy at the booth probably already mentioned that, huh? So let's just skip that conversation. Right now, you're in the Muspelheim area--that's the name of the gate too, if you were wondering--which is the northeast corner of the city."

Ryuuji relaxed, not having realized he was standing defensively. He stayed alert, however, a hand slipping into his pocket inconspicuously and fingering his dice, just in case - no point in trusting anyone in such a strange place immediately, after all (although, from the look of most of the people here, the man before him wasn't native to this area). "Sure," he replied lightly, seemingly at ease, and nodded.

Yeah, the guy said that already." And from the bored tone he took when greeting Otogi, he was used to this - which meant there were more (many more) arriving than just him and the stranger.

"And just who are you, anyway?"

Ah, good, relaxing.... That was always better to see than a tense stance, even if he hadn't fully dropped his guard. After all, who was gonna threaten the kid, really? He was harmless! For now, anyway. "I figured. That's all they ever tell anybody." Axel flapped his hand dismissively. "Forget them, that's probably a minimum wage job anyway."

Bored was right; there were quite a lot of people coming in here. The more the merrier, right? It kept things interesting, stirring the pot and adding fresh blood every so often. "My name's Aaron. What's yours?" The response came easily, trustingly, without hesitation; Axel pushed himself off the bench, offering Otogi a gloved hand.

Well, this guy seemed harmless enough, at least for the time being. Otogi finally relaxed, removing his hand from his pocket and shaking the other's. "You sound like you've been here a while," he chuckled, noting the bored-seeming movements of the other.

"Me? My name's Ryuuji Otogi." Ryuuji had to stop himself from using the Eastern order of giving his name, realizing that most people outside of Asia didn't introduce themselves in such a manner - and this definitely wasn't Japan, anyway. "Nice to meet you," he smiled.

Just what was in that pocket, anyway? It definitely didn't look like a gun of any sort--that would definitely show. In fact, almost anything that would be big enough to be useful to most people would be big enough to show. But hey, maybe it was some sort of lucky charm or whatever. Who knew? "You don't even want to know, Ryuuji." The comment was accompanied by an eyeroll to drive his point home, but he shook hands amiably enough, nonetheless. "At least being around here this long means I can show people the ropes when they need it. Nice to meet you, too."

He dusted his pants off after the handshake, briefly glancing behind him to see if he'd sat on anything that had stained or stuck--boring, normal, harmless little things that anyone might do. "So, I imagine you'll have questions about this place like everyone else, right? Or have you got anything else more pressing?"

If Otogi had heard Axel's "lucky charm" assessment, he would have laughed outright; but in a way it was correct - although it had to be said that Otogi very much preferred to make his own luck. He didn't really know why he had instinctively reached for his dice, anyway; in the presence of a true threat, they probably wouldn't be much use (despite Ryuuji's aim and confidence, they were only ordinary dice, after all).

"I believe it," he chuckled in response, withdrawing his hand after the shake and casually slipping his thumb into a belt loop. "So are you the welcome wagon or what?"

He paused at the question and the unfamiliar feeling of being called by his given name instead of his familial for a few moments, eyes half-lidded in thought. "... Yeah. Why am I here?"

Barring any usual smart-alecked comments about the meaning of life, that was his most pressing question at the moment. "And how did I get here?" That was also important, of course.

Axel quite approved of that train of thought--or he would have anyway, if he'd heard it. Fortune favors those who make it for themselves, as the case may be. Fortune favored the fool too, but fortunately for Ryuuji, he didn't seem to be one. "Not really." He shrugged absent, glancing back at the gates. "I just felt like hanging out for a while. I mean, you gotta fill your days somehow, right? You don't even need to work in this place, if you don't want to." His smile had changed--just a bit, almost as if he were letting Ryuuji in on a secret with that comment, taking him into his confidence. After all, it wasn't something one would immediately guess, was it? And it was a valuable tip around here, though it was bandied about readily enough by those who had been here for a while. So no harm done in giving it out, either way.

His smile faded a fair bit at the question, letting slip an expression of considerable frustration, with a cup of resignation thrown in, and sprinkled with unhappiness for flavor. The smile returned only a moment later, though--after all, didn't want to betray his emotions, did he? "Man, you people always ask the hard questions first, don't you?" He shook his head and grew a little more serious, taking a moment to apparently organize his thoughts before he started to speak. "Alright, I can tell you're too smart to settle for any of the junk the Mayor tried to feed us, so I'll give it to you straight. Pretty much nobody is sure why we're here, really, or how we get here--we all just show up for no reason, with no warning. Just like you did, I bet. You should make yourself comfortable, 'cause you're probably going to be here for a while."

He knew more than what he was letting on, that much Ryuuji was sure of. There were secrets in the way the man smiled, at how his tone changed its inflections, and therefore he was definitely more than what he was appearing to be. Otogi had been a gamer his whole life, and more often than not, he was able to realize when someone else was playing one.

Still, the dark-haired boy reflected, it would be much less risky to just play along for the moment. While Ryuuji liked taking risks, he wasn't about to do so in a completely unfamiliar place that he'd never even heard of before; such a thing would only be downright stupid. Even so, Ryuuji gave Axel a somewhat knowing smile, as if to say I know what you're doing. He didn't, of course, but that's why they were called "bluffs."

Now to see if the red-haired stranger was going to continue. "I prefer to get the hardest challenges out of the way while I have the most energy to deal with them," Otogi said playfully, flipping his hair. His attitude faded for a moment, though, and he frowned slightly, serious for a moment. "So there's no way out - and yeah, I just kind of woke up here."

Oho, looked like this one was perceptive, wasn't he? Not many could pick up on his cues like that--hell, they were barely even there. That just made it an even more interesting prospect, helping this Ryuuji kid out. His smile returned at Ryuuji's attitude, and Axel laughed at his declaration. "You may as well save your energy, buddy; otherwise, you won't have any for anything else. Did you bother to look behind you after you woke up?" He pointed back through the gates, further outside. "Not only do they not want you to leave once you come in, but even if you did, you'd have to walk a while through trees and grass and stuff like that. We're on an island here--and one thing's for sure, there's not a native around with a boat of any sort, and not another bit of land in sight. Unless you wanted to try and swim past the horizon and see how long you'd last, nobody knows how to leave."

Otogi's smile turned into a grin, and he laughed with his new acquaintance. "I figured as much," he replied, brushing a particularly stubborn lock of hair away from his face. His expression changed at the realization they were on an island, and all of a sudden Ryuuji had a half-confused, half-amused expression on his face. "Has no-one thought about building a boat or something?" He brushed off the information about the guards, however, smirking. "They couldn't stop me if I really wanted to leave." He wasn't really one to follow the rules, anyway.

Axel nodded, running his own hand through his spiky read locks; with Ryuuji playing with his hair so much, it was hard to help. "I'm sure some people have. But let me put it into perspective for you--there's hardly anything natural on this island. The native animals are..... weird, to say the least. And there's not much in the way of like, actual wood and stuff. You'd be hard-pressed to find the materials to make a boat without scavenging and cannibalizing stuff that's already been made, and then there's worries about fitting it all together and sneaking it out to make sure it's seaworthy." He gestured expansively. "Then there's the question of size--just how long do you think you'll be out there? You need to be able to fit everyone who wants to take the gamble, but you also need to fit as much food as you'll all need in with you. There's no guarantee the weather'll be good, or that your food will last, or that we're even anywhere close to a mainland. Hell, there's not even a guarantee you won't run into something nasty out in the open sea. Catch my drift yet?"

He did have to smile at the comment about the guards though. "Yeah, I don't doubt it. They try, but like I said, they're probably just minimum wagers anyway. They say it's dangerous outside the domes, though."

"That's true," Otogi chuckled, a hand still toying with his hair, "but how will you know it'll fail? Most things are worth at least trying, right?" He shrugged, thinking. "There's got to be some way out of here, maybe a reversal of whatever it is that brought us here in the first place." Magic; that had to be it - or some weird device of some sort.

"And besides," he continued, thinking again on the subject of a boat, "wood isn't the only buoyant material out there. There have got to be at least some seaworthy materials, even if only in case of an emergency." It was an island, after all; while the weather was pleasant now, who knew how long that would last? Otogi was good at designing things and drawing up plans, and he was fairly certain that, once he took an assessment of what was available n this place, he could figure something out. At the same time, however, it seemed kind of silly to attempt an escape when anything truly bad had yet to happen.

He was snapped out of his thoughts of a dozen half-formed ideas at the mere thought of danger, and his gaze darted to Axel's. "Weird? Dangerous? Just what's going on here, anyway?"

"Hey, I don't know that it will--I'm just saying that the odds are stacked against it, and I never particularly cared to try and find out. I mean, maybe someone's already pulled it off, who knows? The journals don't work outside the domes, and once you got anywhere, you'd have to be insane to come all the way back to tell people about it. It's like asking if there's something after death, you know? You find out once you go and see, but nobody comes back to tell anyone who could use the information about it." He chuckled at the comparison. "But hey, if you really want to try and figure out how to hack a boat together and head off in it, I'm not stopping you, man. You seem like you could come up with something interesting."

"Like I said, nobody knows." He smiled and leaned forward a little like a good storyteller preparing to spin a yarn, not shying away from Ryuuji's gaze. "It isn't as if they ever elaborate, really--the locals get uncomfortable about that sort of thing, just insist that it's too dangerous and that there's everything you could ever want in the city. A lot of the visitors here think it's the wildlife they're worried about, though--lumens, they're called. They're kinda freaky glowing animals that're probably poisonous or something. Apparently they get bigger and nastier outside the domes."

"I didn't say I was going to do it," Ryuuji replied, purposefully contrary for the sake of it. He hummed a little, pulling the slim, green journal out of his left pocket (like hell would he keep it with his dice) and looked it over, searching carefully for any sign of malfunctions - but there were none. Perhaps there simply wasn't enough power outside of the city limits, and maybe that was why the city was domed. He'd have to tinker with the device later and see what he could come up with. "Anyway, you're right. It's pointless at this juncture, at least for me. I barely got here."

"I'm sure somebody does," Otogi said evenly, "there's always an answer lurking somewhere nearby, and most are closer than most people care to think." And from the sounds of things, the citizens were simply too phobic to attempt to learn the truth. Weak, Ryuuji thought, and the word sprang unbidden to his mind, his mouth twisting with displeasure (and the expression was gone as quickly as it had come). "You mean... there are monsters here?"

"Sounded like you were considering it, anyhow." Axel only shrugged, content to accept the contrariness for what it was, a fickle whim that didn't need to be pursued too closely. "Yeah, not much point. I've settled down a little, myself; I've got a pad now. There're apartments and condos and things you can rent, or houses to buy--there are plenty of hotels too, if you don't feel like making that kind of commitment."

Axel only laughed and grinned, both at his comment about answers--clever little bastard, wasn't he? Or was he just grasping at straws and unfounded guesses?--and his involuntary grimace. "If you count the wildlife, I guess so?" He shrugged. "But there was another monster attack a while ago, all over the city. And now there's another, though these are apparently different--something about Sin, I think? One guy on the journals knows a lot about them since they apparently come from his world. Personally, I've just steered clear of them and left it at that."

"I sort of am, but it sounds like this place isn't willing to let people go," the green-eyed gamer responded, half-joking. "Anyway, there's no point in rushing into anything." I there was one thing Otogi was capable of, it was being patient - after all, he had been waiting to get revenge for his father since birth (almost literally). Ryuuji had found that the best thing to do in an uncertain situation was to wait and see how things were unfolding before rolling the dice.

He only smirked at Axel's response, sure that he was right in some form. Then again, it was going to take a lot more than somehow being pulled into another world to shake his confidence. "It sounds like I'd better be careful. I'll probably get an apartment or something if I'm able to; hotels aren't really my thing." Maybe it was because of the way he grew up, but he preferred places that seemed less transitory than a hotel room.

"No kidding." Axel agreed lazily, tone pleasant though serious; Ryuuji didn't even know how right he was. His thoughts would only be further confirmed once he cared to look on the journal system. "No point rushing around when you'd only get nowhere fast." Or.... well, he could get somewhere, but that only meant he'd probably either end up in the thick of the monster attack, or falling in with the Resistance, maybe. He definitely didn't want to see the kid start hanging out with the wrong crowd, so to speak, but having him wander around amidst the Sinspawn would probably be even worse; he wasn't about to kid himself. Ryuuji was smart, but just from the looks of it, he had no real way to defend himself. No guns, no knives, no swords, no magic.... He looked like he could be pretty quick and slippery, but that meant less than Ryuuji would probably like if he actually had to stick around and slug things out. Yeah.... when it came to monsters, this guy would be toast.

"Yeah, you do that." He offered a thumbs up at both prudent decisions; other than seeing that Ryuuji stayed alive for now, the question of living space wasn't one that really made a difference to him. "You planning on getting a job around here to make the rent?"

Ryuuji nodded, his gaze darting across the cityscape. Everything seemed fairly normal - but then again, Otogi was just pulled here from his own world. There wasn't much chance of anything normal happening around here. Then again, Ryuuji was considered abnormal - even extraordinary, to some - himself.

"I will," came the cheeky reply, "I've just got to figure my way around." At the job inquiry, he blinked; he had always been working, in a way, what with constantly creating games and all. "I'll probably do here what I've been doing back home," he finally replied, "making games."

He was already getting some ideas, anyway.

"You know, I'm kind of impressed; most people here freak out when they hear they're in another world and can't get back, or they start running all over creation looking for anybody they know to see if they're here, too. Or both, usually." He laughed, giving Ryuuji an approving grin; it was refreshing to see someone who didn't act like a damsel in distress who had just been kidnapped and imprisoned. Because really, as fun as those types could be sometimes? Most of the time they were just booooriiing.

"I could show you around, if you want?" Axel offered. "Though there's a handy little map built right into your journal. S'nice." He tilted his head at the comment about games, considering for a moment before offering a smile. "You'll have to show me your games sometime; there's plenty of inspiration here for the taking, after all, and tons of people to play with." Wasn't that the truth? For better or worse; he wondered just how badly Ryuuji might fare if he accidentally got into a 'game' with Larxene? "I don't think that'll put bread on the table too fast for you, though--even if you do plan to sell your games for money later, you'd better have an alternate source of income. Here."

Axel looked around for a moment, spied a flowerbed not too far off--he paused for only a moment to admire the expanse of ruby-carved roses--and plucked a handful of them to offer Ryuuji. "I just make do with what I find laying around, myself. It works pretty well here, too. The citizens are kind of weird, and they accept pretty much anything shiny as if it were real money. Plus, the city is just packed with cool stuff like these--not a real plant in the place, though."

Otogi grinned. "Yeah, well, I've faced too many freaky situations to be scared now." Or heard of them, mostly from his father, but that counted, right? At any rate, his upbringing had left him with little choice but to be ready for any situation, even if he wasn't prepared. "Besides, this is actually pretty cool. I'm getting more ideas by the minute." Okay, so he was kind-of-sort-of freaking out, but inwardly. Poker face.

He forgot his discomfort at Aaron's offer and smiled - the first genuine smile he had managed since he had gotten to this strange place. "That would be nice, yeah. Thanks." He laughed. "Well, I think I can manage to show you, once I get some materials so I can build a game system here." He wasn't Kaiba, after all; this wouldn't be easy. But he had done it before and knew he could do it again.

Ryuuji halted in his tracks, so to speak, when Axel offered him the... flowers? He was about to raise an eyebrow and make a sarcastic remark about being too forward on a first date when he realized what they were made of. "Gemstones?" He took them, turning them over carefully. They were perfect, not a flaw in their composition. "But how?" They couldn't be natural, of course, but Otogi couldn't think of the sheer amount of skill it would take to forge such creations.

Another laugh; points for attitude, there. He was taking this very well, all things considered. "Good for you! You'll have to tell me about some--freaky experiences and ideas, I mean." The smile was returned, as sincerely (or sincere-looking, at least) as a Nobody could manage it' he was only trying to be friendly at the moment, after all. "My pleasure. Maybe you'll be able to find some some materials at the Bonsai or Folio's, eh? Between the two of them, they might have what you need."

Axel only shrugged, though he did look amused at Ryuuji's confusion about the flowers. They were beautiful, weren't they? Every bit like what they naturally should have been, save for the material with which they were made, suggesting a breathtaking, inhuman level of skill to produce such thin, delicate, detailed carving. "You got it. Nobody knows that, either; they're just there, like everything else in this place. The plants are all made of stuff they shouldn't be--plastic, silk, gold, gemstones..... Anything. Visitors take things like those--or shiny leaves, or rocks, or whatever--and toss 'em around just like money, though the citizens never do. They never seem to really notice or care about it, either, and the stuff is always back the way it was whenever anybody cares to check."

"Maybe I will," Otogi laughed, throwing the older man a playful wink and a grin, "but a magician never reveals his secrets and neither do I." Another rule of gaming; never show your hand to a possible opponent, even if he was friendly. "Thanks. I'll have to check it out." It would be interesting to see what he could find - and what he could come up with - in a place like this. His ideas before had ended up twisted somehow (no doubt the result of his hatred), but this place seemed only to be full of light. Of course, appearances could be deceiving.

"... Huh." Otogi continued to turn the wonder around "And they just appear?" A full-fledged grin of amusement slipped across his lips. "This place is definitely something special."

Axel returned the gesture. "Good; I think I might've been disappointed if you'd just volunteered up everything all at once, y'know? That's just poor showmanship." He nodded in approval as the suggestions were accepted, giving Ryuuji a questioning look. "So, you're definitely a gamer, then.... Was that just an expression, or are you a magician, too? Card tricks and rabbits in top hats and all that, or magic wands and talking mirrors and stuff, maybe?" He offered Ryuuji an almost teasing smile; Axel didn't suspect that there was actually real magic in that pretty little head of his, but who knew? But if there was, maybe a little friendly prodding could encourage some boasting about his prowess. And if not.... well, who knew? Even stage magic had its uses, what with the deception and legerdemain involved in it.

The place was unusually light, wasn't it? It was almost as if nothing bad could happen here at all..... Ha! Nice little fantasy there, wasn't it? No, it wasn't quite that easy to escape the darker things like hatred, even here. "As far as anyone can tell, though I guess it's possible that someone makes and replaces them, or that they grow like real plants, or something like that. Isn't it, though?" He grinned. "There's no place like home, of course.... still, I think I kinda like it here."

Ryuuji shrugged, smirking. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Parlor tricks, that is, and although the boy was good at those, certainly didn't count as real magic. Real magic, it seemed, twisted you into something you were never meant to be - look what it had done to Yugi, and his father. Otogi, for his part, wanted nothing to do with it.

At least for now; he was terribly fickle when it came to important things like this.

"I don't know," Ryuuji murmured,offering the flower to his companion again, "there may be no place like home, but the question is... would you want there to be?" Of course, there was more than one meaning to that question.

"Oh, come on, you can't play me for a fool that easily--you haven't even got sleeves!" Axel slung back, a good-natured smirk settling over his face at the opportunity for a little banter. Magic did indeed go hand in hand with distortion and perversion, with twisting people into unnatural states of being--or so it seemed, sometimes. So it had been for him. But was it the magic that twisted you, or the twisting that made magic possible? He'd never really settled on a really satisfying answer; it seemed as if it could go either way, in some cases. Maybe Ryuuji would grow interested in it later, hmm? He already thought Luxord might be curious to meet this one. Just in the capacity of a friend, of course..... Though that could always change later, too.

Either way, that would be then, but this was now. He was almost getting ahead of himself, and that wouldn't do at all. "Thanks." He accepted the flower offered back to him graciously enough--after all, it was only one, and he'd provided Ryuuji with enough of them to at least get him a decent meal or two and a night's stay somewhere--and tucked it into a breast pocket of his denim jacket, as he lacked the sort of buttons that would let him pull a buttonhole thing. Not that that wasn't kind of outdated and tacky, anyway.... "Yeah, I guess not.... It's always best for stuff like that to hold a special place in your heart, huh?" He felt a twinge of something--emptiness or yearning, maybe? That was all he could ever truly seem to feel without a heart, if even those were genuine emotions--where he fancied his heart might have been, an impossibly deep, unnatural spike of pain and loss because of which his being was twisted.

His grin never faltered; he wondered, abstractly, if he should be proud of or disgusted with himself for that. Home was where the heart was, after all.... Rather than contemplate the little ironies of that platitude, he instead gestured expansively to the city that lay spread out before them, turning his back to the gate. "Still, doesn't mean you can't have a home away from home, right? This place can be pretty amazing once you get to know it. How about that tour, anything in particular you want to see?"

"It only serves to make my tricks that much more interesting," Ryuuji replied easily, ego firmly in place even if he wasn't. A large part of his confidence, after all, came from knowing that he was good at what he did. And being pretty, of course, and knowing that he was. That helped, although not necessarily in this situation, where all he was doing thus far was getting acquainted. Then again, there was simply no sense in throwing anything away that was potentially even remotely useful in this strange and interesting place.

Ryuuji slipped the roses capriciously into his hair and grinned cheekily, practically daring the other man to say something about it. He didn't really have pockets that could hold them, after all, and he didn't want to keep carrying them normally - he might need his hands free, just in case.

He thought he saw the other's eyes turn... cold, for a moment, but the feeling had come and gone so quickly that Ryuuji dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. He nodded, but shrugged, not particularly caring where he went at this point. "Frankly, I don't care as long as we get away from this gate."

"I should certainly hope so." Axel agreed. "One more thing on your to-do list; maybe you'll show off a couple tricks sometime." He could easily have agreed with either statement--both were fairly subjective, though they at least had some truth to them. Either way, if they made Ryuuji feel good, then why not? He was being the good guy here and making the kid feel welcome, after all. He offered Ryuuji an amused look at where the roses went--that guy really needed bigger pockets or a tote bag something. Maybe they could get him a jacket with some? That was all up in the air, for the moment.

"Well, I did mention Folio's.... If you need any mechanical thingamabobs for whatever you have to build, that's probably one of the most likely places you can find them. There's really not much in the way of technology here, besides the journals." Hearing a loud whistle, he couldn't help but grin. "And the train. Let's catch that while it's still here; this city is way bigger than anyone expects until they've had a chance to really look around. It'd take hours to walk everywhere you might need to go, and even those little rickshaw things don't make the trips too much easier." That said, he led the way to the train, pulling what looked for all the world like two golden acorns out of his pocket, along with a handkerchief. These were polished up a bit as they walked, and handed over for the trip--the fare was accepted without a murmur of protest.

"Maybe." Ryuuji winked again, feeling distinctly more cheerful now that he'd met a friendly acquaintance. He grinned cheekily at the look on Axel's face, indicating the "flowers" in his hair. "Too much, do you think?" He was joking, of course; he never cared if what he looked like was "too much."

He hummed a bit, nodding along to the suggestion. "That sounds okay. Though, from what you say about this place, I'll need to learn a few more tricks in this place." Especially since he was alone here, and completely unfamiliar with the entire area. He continued thinking along these lines - unusually quiet for him - as he followed Axel to the train, raising an eyebrow at the nonchalant acceptance of payment.

Hm. Maybe he didn't need a job, as the other man had said - and this, in turn, would give him more time to come up with plans - whether for games or for other things.

Axel could only chuckle at the unorthodox means of carrying his 'cash', flashing Ryuuji an OK sign. "Juuuust enough, I think. That outfit needed a little more red, don't you think?" If there was anyone who could pull off such an over-the-top look smoothly, anyway, it was Ryuuji. "What kind of tricks do you think you'll need to learn, anyway?" He quirked a sharp red eyebrow at the comment, smiling a little; was Ryuuji already showing an interest in picking up some sort of supernatural skills, or maybe weapons training? He would be a little curious at seeing how well the boy could handle a chakram or two, if the latter. He didn't look like he quite had the upper arm strength to pull off the style, but.... well, looks could definitely be deceiving, couldn't they?

Axel scoped out a row for them, making an inviting gesture for Ryuuji to claim the window seat; after all, why not let him take the chance to see more of the city? The train would take a little while, even if it were faster than walking.

"What can I say? Red's a good color on me," Otogi replied shamelessly, once again flipping his hair over his shoulder with the fluidly arrogant grace he normally carried himself with. "I'll learn whatever will help me to survive. I'm not a pushover, but in this case, I'd prefer to gamble when I have the chips to back it up, so to speak." Not many games could leave one dead, as was the common thought, but Ryuuji knew better. He looked at Axel, a predatory gleam flashing in his vivid eyes - then it was gone, replaced by the casually friendly camaraderie he had before.

Ryuuji was not about to lie down and die, no matter what occurred in this place. Not now, not ever. He took the window seat gladly, offering a cheerful wink to the other in return, and looked out the window at the glittering city.

Axel nodded in agreement, adding a silent smirk as he considered his hair color; he considered dropping some innuendo-laden comment, but decided against it. If Ryuuji's mind ran that way, he could figure out the implications himself and take them as he would. After all, with that kind of self-confidence he carried himself with, Axel didn't doubt that the reaction would be somewhere along the lines of either flippant challenge and implicit acceptance or outright disdain. Either way, he didn't really care. After all, what was a romance without a heart? Pointless for its own sake, that was what. And while it had possibilities for manipulation, he didn't really feel like considering them just yet, not when things seemed to be working so well.

.....So well, in fact, that it looked like Ryuuji thought he was using Axel. That was a laughable idea--he knew the score, and Ryuuji had only the barest inkling, obviously, however smart he happened to be--but he could have sworn he'd seen something to that effect in his eyes, if only for an instant. But that was fine; he didn't mind being used. As long as Ryuuji figured that he was playing directly into his hands, the boy wouldn't be as capable of seeing anything done to lead him along, now would he? And that couldn't have suited Axel better. "Smart man. There's plenty to learn in this city, if you know the right people to ask; Paixao gets all sorts. Plenty of 'em know how to fight too, and there are a lot of styles and different options represented." Even within the Organization itself....

The wink was returned as they sat, and the train ride went quickly, each mile covered unfolding fresh wonders of architecture and false nature for the newcomer to see. All too soon, they had reached their stop; Axel grinned, tugging lightly on Ryuuji's ponytail as the stop was called out. "That's us. It's a bit of a walk to Folio's, but nothing too bad." That said, he led the way out, waving a cheerful farewell to the conductor.

As soon as he had mentioned red, Otogi grinned at the - for once, even considering his general lack of interest in guys (unless he was mocking them) - unintended faux-pas. He brushed his hair absentmindedly out of his eyes; even with the headband he always wore, it was nearly impossible to keep it from falling every which way.

He didn't particularly care about using people at the moment; not only did it seem boring for the time being, but it would be unwise to start playing the board in such a way when he didn't even know the rules. He would, however, more than likely scout out who would be useful and play them, if he needed to. Still, he wasn't who he used to be only a short while ago, and he was more reluctant to use people than he had been. "I believe it," he murmured, half to his companion and half to his own thoughts. "Maybe I'll learn something."

The boy found himself amazed at the beauty, however artificial, of Paixao, and watched eagerly, noting that they arrived quickly. He raised an eyebrow and laughed at Axel tugging on his ponytail. "Pretty familiar of you," he grinned, stepping out of the train and following Axel, not bothering to give more than a cursory nod to the conductor.

Axel grinned back, wondering absently if they might pick up some hair gel on their little expedition; Ryuuji seemed like he needed it. But then again, he also seemed like he probably wouldn't have used it too much to begin with, what with how nonchalantly he was dealing with his hair. Probably not worth the effort, then, especially since Axel didn't really have much of a use for it.... "Maybe." He agreed cheerfully. "It's pretty hard not to learn at least a little here. There's just too much different stuff to see and do, unless you totally keep to yourself." Wise of Ryuuji to limit himself before he knew the rules.... But then again, if he was willing to play people before he started playing the board, then that hardly mattered. All that really made a difference was Axel ensuring that he was viewed as useful, right?

Axel just laughed at the comment as well, letting go of the ponytail as he sauntered out. "Yeah, well. I'm a pretty familiar kinda guy, you know?" True enough, in most regards. Axel led the way, pointing out Folio's as they approached and holding the door open for Ryuuji. The shop was nice and neat, with orderly rows of merchandise lining most of the place, and a large counter taking up a fair bit of one wall. He gestured vaguely to the areas. "Um, let's see.... Guns are over there, bladed stuff's over there, staves, polearms and stuff.... Ah, there's the mechanical things. Oh, and the plushies are there. Don't ask me why, I haven't got a damned clue." He laughed again; a few shelves were filled with adorable stuffed toys of every description, quite incongruous with the rest of the death-dealing implements the shop sold.

"Sounds good to me," Otogi replied, absently twirling a lock of his hair around a finger. He would probably try to pick up a little bit of everything while he was here, or else look around until he found something he liked.

Problem was, Ryuuji had never picked up a weapon (unless one included his dice, which wasn't hard considering how he used them on occasion) in his life. He could throw a punch, sure, but if a life-threatening situation came up that involved fighting, the green-eyed gambler would end up hurt - or worse. But so far, Otogi couldn't see what was dangerous about this place. Then again, he knew, appearances could be - and often were - deceiving.

He blinked at the guns, but more so at the plushies. What the hell were they doing in the strange store? Did the owner have a thing for them in the same setting or what? Still, the store was well-stocked, and Otogi wandered around looking for a weapon that would suit him.

Pretty difficult, considering he had no idea what to do about that in the first place.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome to have so many people around. You can meet some pretty cool folks if you look." Axel confirmed, idly trailing after his companion. More inane chatter.... But definitely the appropriate sort for a visitor who overall wasn't too displeased with their lot. And besides, it was just to make conversation while they browsed. He didn't intend to get anything here, of course--he had his chakrams, and he liked them just fine, incidentally. No need to replace them, or get one of those ridiculous plushies. Those things were probably evil or deadly somehow, anyway. Or the owners were just quirky like that. He honestly didn't care much either way.

"Sounds like fun," Ryuuji responded, chuckling. Basic conversation, but it was pleasant enough. "So, Aaron," he continued, looking over at Axel, "where are you from?"

Otogi stopped browsing, looking at a set of throwing knives. He picked them up, inexpertly, carefully examining each one. They were, in his opinion, beautiful - gleaming with sharp edges and intricate carvings. They felt light in his hand, slim and ready to be thrown. "Not bad," he murmured, looking them over. Not that he knew anything about weapons, but they seemed more than adequate.

"Definitely." He flashed a thumbs up at Ryuuji, lifting an eyebrow at his companion and seeming almost surprised. "You want to know where I'm from, huh?" He moved closer to examine the set of knives Ryuuji had picked up, looking them over with definite approval; they were pretty. Very nice, actually--nicer than Larxene's, in fact. Fancier. Still, the whole neverending supply thing, and channeling electricity through them probably gave hers more bang for her buck.... But hey, nobody was perfect, right? Maybe Otogi would learn some magic of his own eventually, who knew? In the meantime, he could figure out how to use those bad boys, and maybe he'd even be a good shot with them.

"Well, I dunno if you've heard of it.... I lived in Isalis Desert originally. Moved to Caravier a while ago, though. Nice place." The lie sprang easily to his lips, fluidly taking shape in his mind even as he spoke. He'd thought up a few sketchy details for his false background beforehand, just so he wouldn't be stuck at a loss if anyone asked him about it, like now. Still, he had left the vast majority of it blank to suit the situation, and wouldn't hesitate to fill it in on the fly, and mold the details as necessary. Who said winging it was a bad thing? It kept him from sounding rehearsed, at least....

Otogi turned slightly to look at Axel, knives flashing in his hand as he did so. "Yeah, I do, otherwise I wouldn't have asked," he chuckled. He decided to get the throwing knives, and a longer knife that seemed to go with the set. He doubted he'd ever have to use them, but one could never be too careful. He walked up to the counter and "paid," snapping a few leaves off the roses he had with him.

"Isalis, huh?" he continued, walking back to Axel. "I've never heard of it." It didn't sound like any place on Earth. "What's it like?" He looked at the knives, wondering how he should carry them - after all, it wasn't as if he knew how to use them.

"True, true.... You got me there." He laughed as well, spreading his hands in acquiescence as he lingered by the door, watching the boy pay; predictably, the shopkeeper was content to accept what Ryuuji offered. "Yeah, I figured you might not have." He let out a thoughtful noise, running a hand through his hair and letting his eyes fall half-lidded for a moment in contemplation--or, as it more likely looked to Ryuuji, remembering. He doubted he had to do too much, really. Just pick a few evocative elements and elaborate on them a little, express some fond nostalgia and maybe a hint of homesickness, and he'd be gold. After all, if Ryuuji had never heard of it, how could he criticize any untruths? All Axel had to do was keep his story straight, and he could manage that easily.

"Well.... hot and dry, naturally. And always really dusty. I mean, come on, it's a desert." Another laugh, though he did grow a little more serious after the comment. "It was--is..." He snapped his fingers, as though catching himself; might as well keep up with the little touches to show that 'Aaron' had been here for a while. "It's really beautiful, though. You can see forever on the horizon. And the fires at night.... They're almost alive. They dance for you, and if your mind and heart are open, you can almost hear them speaking while they burn, let them show you things in their depths...." A small, wistful looking smile tugged at his expression, apparently unnoticed. Might as well add on a bit of gypsy superstition, to keep the description interesting. "And the people.... Even among strangers, you're with family. You have a home wherever you go, if you walk with them."

"Of course I do," Otogi replied, shameless as usual. He looked at Axel, his eyes searching the other's face. Just how long had he been here, anyway?

"That sounds pretty cool." He wasn't sure how much of it he believed; fires that danced and told secrets? Still, Ryuuji had been raised to chase after an ancient Egyptian artifact that had the soul of a Pharaoh locked within it, and one who rarely (if ever) lost a game. Dancing, talking fires were not the oddest things he had heard of.

"There's nothing like that where I'm from."

Axel's expression couldn't offer too much in the way of concrete answers, though it did express a vague sentiment towards the thing; just to look at him, the trip down Memory Lane was a fond one, but it did leave him looking a little homesick and lonely. From the looks of it, he'd been here for a long time, and expected to be here for a long time yet. Of course 'Aaron' would cherish his memories of home, no matter how nice Paixao was, even if Axel was sculpting the entire magnificent construct out of bullshit. It was the little things that counted and made stories like this believable, after all....

"There's no such thing as campfires where you're from?" Axel looked surprised at the comment, and almost sympathetic; that was definitely a strange thing not to have, and Axel loved to play with fire. Or at least, he had a penchant for it, he had natural and learned talent with it, and it was his native element--so why not? "That's too bad. We kind of had to; it's not exactly like there were stoves and stuff out there, after all."

Otogi looked at Axel with a somewhat bemused expression; these days, he was trying not to dwell on the past - although, considering he was in a completely unfamiliar place, he would see how long that lasted. Angst definitely wasn't his style, though, and the boy had every intention of making the best of his new situation - and anything else that came his way. He never had been one to give up, after all.

He laughed. "No way," he laughed. "I've just never been camping. They do exist, though, don't get me wrong." He had never really had the time nor the inclination to subject himself to that, anyway.

Axel's expression dissolved back into a smile at that. "You should sometime, it's really nice. If you get back, I mean." Not when, if. Little things.... "There's not really much point in camping out on the streets under a big dome, after all." He laughed, tilting his head curiously at Ryuuji; apparently his good humor had been restored. "So! I've told you a little about my place. What about you? What's your world like, what'd you do there?"

Ryuuji grinned back. "I'll think about it, but I'm not really into that." On the other hand, it was fun trying something new. He shrugged. "I live in the city of Domino, in Japan. It's an island in the continent of Asia. Pretty neat." A shrug. "Pretty run-of-the-mill, too. I just go to school like everyone else."

Except that he was, in his opinion, nothing like everyone else. "And I play games. Mostly luck-based, but I'm not picky." He laughed again, remembering his own enthusiasm about gaming. "I even invented a few of them."

Axel just shrugged at the comment about camping, though he did listen with interest to the boy's description. "Never heard of any of those, sorry. Interesting name, though." Heh, Domino.... Only made sense for someone with a penchant for gaming to live there.

Oho, so he was a gamer, huh? Not only that, but an inventor. Not only that, but a gambling sort, apparently. This got more and more interesting; he'd just have to tell Luxord about this kid now. "Oh, really? Sounds pretty cool. What kind of stakes to you play for?" He grinned, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I should totally introduce you to a guy I know; he's big on gambling too. Maybe you'll hit it off or something; couldn't hurt to have a poker buddy while you're here, right?"

Otogi laughed. "I thought it was fitting; the whole place is filled with gamers." In fact, pretty much the whole world was full of gamers.

"I play for whatever I feel like," Ryuuji answered, flipping his hair. He had "won" Jounouchi, his former enemy's best friend, in a bet, after all. He perked up at the mention of a fellow gambler, grinning at Axel. "Oh, really? He sounds interesting; what's his name?"

"Yeah, sure sounds like it." Axel had to agree. He grinned at the comment about stakes; that had to mean he'd gotten some interesting prizes under his belt. Interesting.... He laughed at the question, refusing to allow even a hint of uncertainty to show through. Shit, though.... He knew they were all using false names, but now he was starting to regret that nobody had taken the time to pass out metaphorical nametags and inform each other of them. Maybe he'd take it upon himself to do that, or something. Soon, anyhow. Instead, he'd brush off the question with humor. "Hell, he's a real class act.... it varies though, y'know? Depends on whether you like 'Cardshark' or 'Lucky Bastard' better. I prefer the latter, myself, but that's just me."

Even as he spoke, he'd dug out a journal (one of the many red ones) and flipped it open, starting to tap away. He'd just get the name from Luxord real quick to get out of this mess, and set up a meeting.... Ryuuji only had to know about the latter, though. After all, what were friends for? Setting up a meeting he'd already suggested wasn't anything suspicious.

"Please. You should meet some of the other people from them; some of them are real freaks." For a moment, Ryuuji felt the memories of hatred flare up within him, thinking of Jounouchi and Yugi - but no. The fact remained that he simply couldn't hate his former enemy, and that was what led to... well.

He laughed at Axel's response to his question, but raised an eyebrow at the other's sudden toying with his journal. "What, are you calling your friend now?" Was this Paixao's equivalent of texting or what?

Not Dreaming [Complete]

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