Axel didn't question it at all, but rather stared blankly at the man. He was a weird specimen for sure. Her hands fiddled in front of her as they walked, anxious to leap out. "Hm, so is that good or bad for us?" Magic really didn't affect her, so the question was more so at the man. They reached the river pretty quickly, where Axel stopped, turned and stared at Ishikawa.
Are you like... Dead or something?
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Ishikawa Yuuto
"That depends on if you actually enjoy fighting off nineteen-meter tall flesh-eating skeletons in your free time. For some reason, the odokuro are quite attracted to members of our bloodline." In short, the answer was Of course it's a bad thing. Although Ishikawa supposed that currently lacking a physical body should have been a sufficient preventive measure.
The sound of running water was soon unmistakable. When they reached the river, Ishikawa stood well away from it, a slight chill running up his spine. There was a variety of reasons for why some spirits could cross running water and why some could not. Sometimes the water was simply a convenient boundary, sometimes it was due to the belief that the water would tear them apart. For him, Ishikawa honestly had no idea. Considering his family's long association with spirits and the fact his surname was literally Stone River...
He glanced down the length of the river, guessing that traveling parallel to it would have been the wrong decision. Maybe. Looking back in the direction they had just come from, the man calculated a perpendicular route and merely continued along that way, hoping that it was the right path.
"That depends on if you actually enjoy fighting off nineteen-meter tall flesh-eating skeletons in your free time. For some reason, the odokuro are quite attracted to members of our bloodline." In short, the answer was Of course it's a bad thing. Although Ishikawa supposed that currently lacking a physical body should have been a sufficient preventive measure.
The sound of running water was soon unmistakable. When they reached the river, Ishikawa stood well away from it, a slight chill running up his spine. There was a variety of reasons for why some spirits could cross running water and why some could not. Sometimes the water was simply a convenient boundary, sometimes it was due to the belief that the water would tear them apart. For him, Ishikawa honestly had no idea. Considering his family's long association with spirits and the fact his surname was literally Stone River...
He glanced down the length of the river, guessing that traveling parallel to it would have been the wrong decision. Maybe. Looking back in the direction they had just come from, the man calculated a perpendicular route and merely continued along that way, hoping that it was the right path.
"Oh oh, that sounds like fun actually." The thought of having a run in with such a beast excited Axel; though it seemed as though it frightened the man more than anything. The girl tucked away her ego as she kept beside the rather odd looking man. He was so...Magical, but maybe that was just her eyes deceiving her.
When they reached the river, the amount of hesitation in him was even visible to her. Axel knew nothing about why he was utterly afraid of the river, but she guessed it had something to do with the monster he had previously mentioned. To spook him, she reached her left hand down and splashed at him a few times. "Look; the water is calling to you!"
When they reached the river, the amount of hesitation in him was even visible to her. Axel knew nothing about why he was utterly afraid of the river, but she guessed it had something to do with the monster he had previously mentioned. To spook him, she reached her left hand down and splashed at him a few times. "Look; the water is calling to you!"
Ishikawa Yuuto
He actually stopped to stare at her. "You are insane," Ishikawa told her in the most diplomatic way possible, meaning fully rude but without the condescendence. Mostly. It was impossible to look down on the insane. If the hierarchies of the sane were put up on a graph, the insane ones would be random scribbles on everywhere. Unwittingly, he found himself adding, "My mother would probably like you very much, I think. I pray you two never meet."
It was irrelevant that the reason why Ishikawa Kaede, once Yoshida, would like her was because she would be convinced that Yuuto would like her. It was hardly like Ishikawa would even contact his family in his current state but no, absolutely not. He outlined it in his mind to the point of redundancy. They could never met. Ever. His mother might end up making him marry her, this woman who -did he even know her name? No? Excellent, all the better to never see her again.
Just as he had buried the subject, he was startled by a splash of cold water splattering across his arm. It was not even a very big splash but before he could stop himself, Ishikawa was suddenly shouting. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? CAN WE PLEASE" -it about that point when he realized what he was doing- "just. Act. Like. Adults."
He groaned quietly and buried his face behind his sleeve. "Really?" He questioned her after a moment. Just. "Really?" It was just. "Why."
As long as Ishikawa could focus on being annoyed with her, he could safely ignore the fact that for a few seconds, she had succeeded in terrifying him.
He actually stopped to stare at her. "You are insane," Ishikawa told her in the most diplomatic way possible, meaning fully rude but without the condescendence. Mostly. It was impossible to look down on the insane. If the hierarchies of the sane were put up on a graph, the insane ones would be random scribbles on everywhere. Unwittingly, he found himself adding, "My mother would probably like you very much, I think. I pray you two never meet."
It was irrelevant that the reason why Ishikawa Kaede, once Yoshida, would like her was because she would be convinced that Yuuto would like her. It was hardly like Ishikawa would even contact his family in his current state but no, absolutely not. He outlined it in his mind to the point of redundancy. They could never met. Ever. His mother might end up making him marry her, this woman who -did he even know her name? No? Excellent, all the better to never see her again.
Just as he had buried the subject, he was startled by a splash of cold water splattering across his arm. It was not even a very big splash but before he could stop himself, Ishikawa was suddenly shouting. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? CAN WE PLEASE" -it about that point when he realized what he was doing- "just. Act. Like. Adults."
He groaned quietly and buried his face behind his sleeve. "Really?" He questioned her after a moment. Just. "Really?" It was just. "Why."
As long as Ishikawa could focus on being annoyed with her, he could safely ignore the fact that for a few seconds, she had succeeded in terrifying him.
"I think I'd like your mother too, and why thank you." The snarkiness in her voice was obvious, as being called insane didn't phase her. This was a daily thing for her. "I prefer the term, amazingly crazy, or... Something along those lines?" Her head cocked to the left as her question was left in the open air. There was no expectation for him to answer her back.
"Act like.... Adults?" Of course, this man didn't know her well enough to realize that she was nothing but an overgrown child. "Most of the time, yeah, I get that comment. But do I follow it at all? Nah." Her hand whipped up again and gave him another low splash. "Come come, you uptight little thing." With that, she took her arm and swooshed a large amount of water his way. Oopsie.
"Act like.... Adults?" Of course, this man didn't know her well enough to realize that she was nothing but an overgrown child. "Most of the time, yeah, I get that comment. But do I follow it at all? Nah." Her hand whipped up again and gave him another low splash. "Come come, you uptight little thing." With that, she took her arm and swooshed a large amount of water his way. Oopsie.
Ishikawa Yuuto
Hastily, Ishikawa backed away from the river, trying to avoid the sprays of water that the woman kept sending his way. The first one was weak enough for him to dodge it almost entirely. The second one was actually forceful enough to arc just over his head before raining down all over him.
"I am not-" Indignant, and as somebody who had grown up alongside far too many siblings and cousins, Ishikawa did the only rational thing he could and splashed her back in frustration.
Hastily, Ishikawa backed away from the river, trying to avoid the sprays of water that the woman kept sending his way. The first one was weak enough for him to dodge it almost entirely. The second one was actually forceful enough to arc just over his head before raining down all over him.
"I am not-" Indignant, and as somebody who had grown up alongside far too many siblings and cousins, Ishikawa did the only rational thing he could and splashed her back in frustration.
"Not?" She teased him before the splash of water hit her hard on the face. "Oh ho, now you want to have fun?" Axel gave off a snarl before she hopped into the river. It was waist deep where she was, though that didn't bother her. "Now, let's see how manly you really are." With that, she gave him another splash.
Ishikawa Yuuto
Ishikawa had just a few moments to reflect to himself that he was engaging in extremely juvenile behavior that would most likely shame his ancestors if any of them had any idea of it. However, as a member of a very old and very proud of itself family, he also remembered a certain bit of information about his great-grandfather Ishikawa Yasu, a time right on the heels of the Meiji Restoration when Fujiwara Hayato had made some passing remark about his mother's sense of wardrobe coordination. Five years and a dozen or so corpses later, the matter was settled when Fujiwara's older sister, Youko, ended the dispute by kidnapping a priest to surprise-marry her and Ishikawa Yasu together.
It was, in short, an awkward situation solved with an awkward solution. With that sort of family history etched into his mind, it only natural for him to continue on as he was.
"Are you trying to drown yourself?" Ishikawa demanded. He edged closer to the river, though he knew that he should not have. Peering over at the darkened spot in the river where the woman now stood, he said, "I suppose you did not hear the chant of the azukiarai? Come out of there before you are awarded the honor of dying in a waist-deep river."
He was lying but she probably would not notice that, he hoped.
Ishikawa had just a few moments to reflect to himself that he was engaging in extremely juvenile behavior that would most likely shame his ancestors if any of them had any idea of it. However, as a member of a very old and very proud of itself family, he also remembered a certain bit of information about his great-grandfather Ishikawa Yasu, a time right on the heels of the Meiji Restoration when Fujiwara Hayato had made some passing remark about his mother's sense of wardrobe coordination. Five years and a dozen or so corpses later, the matter was settled when Fujiwara's older sister, Youko, ended the dispute by kidnapping a priest to surprise-marry her and Ishikawa Yasu together.
It was, in short, an awkward situation solved with an awkward solution. With that sort of family history etched into his mind, it only natural for him to continue on as he was.
"Are you trying to drown yourself?" Ishikawa demanded. He edged closer to the river, though he knew that he should not have. Peering over at the darkened spot in the river where the woman now stood, he said, "I suppose you did not hear the chant of the azukiarai? Come out of there before you are awarded the honor of dying in a waist-deep river."
He was lying but she probably would not notice that, he hoped.
"I'm not that weird, jeez." She scoffed as she only glared up at him. "DO you take me for someone that wants to die right now? I mean yeah maybe because I just got divorced and my life sucks right now but, other than that." And with that, she took a step in further; now she was up to her mid chest. "And who cares about the whatever of A whoever." She fanned her hand around as if to shoo him away. "I think that it would be pretty fun to go out that way?" The thought amused her as she lightly span around in the water. "But maybe your and your dress wearing self can come and save me then."
Ishikawa Yuuto
In the words of every teenager Ishikawa ever had the displeasure of meeting, that right there was way too much information, about somebody he was doing his best not to care about. "A joue is not a dress! Although with the clothes you are wearing, I suppose it makes sense that you would not know the difference."
Ishikawa liked to think of himself as a calm person. Normally, he really was calm, despite biting comments implying the contrary. For some reason, though, being around this woman simply worked him up, making him revert back to childish acts of revenge.
"Does it look like I would be able to swim like this?" He waved an arm at her for emphasis. Though his clothes were not overly restrictive, the water still would have weighed him down. As a man who genuinely neither was strong nor capable of actually swimming, following her in would have been a terrible idea even if he were still alive. Those last parts, however, Ishikawa honestly did not want to tell her about. She would be insufferable about it, he already knew.
"Your husband was likely a piece of garbage anyways," he shouted back with a vague death wish. If it got her out of the river, though, even to strike him, it was still probably worth it. Although, he was wondering again why exactly he cared what happened to her. Maybe if she died, he would be stuck with her. That seemed like an adequate reason. "You could have surely done better than that."
Besides, Ishikawa did not think he was wrong in saying so. The woman, he discerned, had probably not wanted the divorce. She wore her wedding ring still, too, which indicated a degree of attachment. She was also relatively young, possibly married young or, if not, then the marriage had been short. Ishikawa came to the conclusion that her husband was firstly unreliable for breaking a lifetime commitment so early on and secondly, completely lacked the motivation to stand up and face his problems. He was, in other words, a cowardly quitter.
In the words of every teenager Ishikawa ever had the displeasure of meeting, that right there was way too much information, about somebody he was doing his best not to care about. "A joue is not a dress! Although with the clothes you are wearing, I suppose it makes sense that you would not know the difference."
Ishikawa liked to think of himself as a calm person. Normally, he really was calm, despite biting comments implying the contrary. For some reason, though, being around this woman simply worked him up, making him revert back to childish acts of revenge.
"Does it look like I would be able to swim like this?" He waved an arm at her for emphasis. Though his clothes were not overly restrictive, the water still would have weighed him down. As a man who genuinely neither was strong nor capable of actually swimming, following her in would have been a terrible idea even if he were still alive. Those last parts, however, Ishikawa honestly did not want to tell her about. She would be insufferable about it, he already knew.
"Your husband was likely a piece of garbage anyways," he shouted back with a vague death wish. If it got her out of the river, though, even to strike him, it was still probably worth it. Although, he was wondering again why exactly he cared what happened to her. Maybe if she died, he would be stuck with her. That seemed like an adequate reason. "You could have surely done better than that."
Besides, Ishikawa did not think he was wrong in saying so. The woman, he discerned, had probably not wanted the divorce. She wore her wedding ring still, too, which indicated a degree of attachment. She was also relatively young, possibly married young or, if not, then the marriage had been short. Ishikawa came to the conclusion that her husband was firstly unreliable for breaking a lifetime commitment so early on and secondly, completely lacked the motivation to stand up and face his problems. He was, in other words, a cowardly quitter.