MALINGERING [jin reno, open]

[Slaughter]

Where can you run to escape from yourself?

The image of a woman with a wingspan of ten feet, easily. That was the only memory Augusta Slaughter had of her mother. She didn't even remember her face, or where she was the day her mother left. She didn't remember any tell-tale features-- she didn't even know if she was dead or not.

And here Slaughter stood, empty. All the parts and pieces her existence was comprised of, in shambles. She had no clear direction, never did. Not since the day she started this seemingly endless, destination-less journey.

The silence broke her. Nobody around her, nobody ever around her since her father died. She was alone, alone to asphyxiate herself in her own solitude. Patiently waiting, for the death of every passing day, hoping to the cosmos above that some miracle would be bumped off of its course and make way into her hollow existence.

"I promised myself I would never go seeking you," she muttered to herself.

I remember that night.
The night that father was sick. The night I knew he was going to leave me.
I screamed, 'Please don't leave me here tonight!' and I prayed that I could somehow speed his breathing.
But you're gone, Papa. And I promised myself the night that your soul departed to the heavens above that I would never go seek her out. I never needed her while you were here. And now--

"Now I am just seeking her out because I don't want to be alone," Slaughter whispered, a single tear streaming down her face. Now she was here, in the City in Sky, after all of this time. She had finally made it.

I wish I could be like you, Papa. Resting in that cold ground, finally.


It wasn't hard to reach the ancient place. As an Oocca--half anyway-- she had the innate ability to teleport. The breakable looking girl was ashamed of her lone wing, and did not want to use it to fly up here. She stood paralyzed, gawking at her surroundings, and at the beings all around that were supposed to be like her.
Sure they were.

Now what?

And though I may have lost my way, all paths lead straight to you.

[Jin Reno]

The City in the Sky. An Adventure so great, one had to be able to get from the group up to it in some way, shape or form. Jin had first heard of such a place from a woman he met in a forest once. Often he had simply stood for a moment, staring up through the clouds, wishing that such a place was easier to get through. Days of asking people and looking for clues, Jin had found a break. A single Oocca. This man was nice, some sort of merchant he said, trading gears for foods he had liked. Jin helped the man out a few times, and now it was time for his Adventure in the skies to start.

The trip was a little long, and being carried by an invisible energy while the Oocca flew upward more and more, Jin couldn't help but feel nervous. What would stop him from falling to his death if the Oocca lost concentration or didn't have the energy? In fact, it seemed more and more likely that Jin would never safely return to the earth ever again. Hyrule was so far away now, and the clouds hid the world below as Jin now saw the City in the Sky. At once his fear melted away as he glazed upon the City, something that was a marvel just being there.

It wasn't much longer till the man dropped Jin and continued on his way, though Jin fell right into a pool of water that was there to catch people, or it was a fountain that was broken. He sat in the water for a moment before surfacing and checking to see if Lisa and Sasha were doing alright. They were, though Jin was finding it a little harder to breath, plus strong winds chilled his body a bit. As he shook off whatever water he could, Jin began his little adventure, but he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

"Hey, I know you right?" Jin asked over the wind, walking toward Augusta.

[Slaughter]

Slaughter jumped at the sound of somebody addressing her. So she was a little bit jumpy-- who wouldn't be at a time like this? She tried not to let her thoughts consume her as she offered a little wave in return.
"H-hello there! Yes, I do believe we have run into each other many times before. But what are you doing all the way up here? You sure are quite the traveler!"

Inside, Slaughter organs felt as if they were all turning into caramel, slipping and sliding past her ribcage and slowly dripping their way down her internal cavities. What was one to do when they knew they had to do something--had to be somewhere-- but didn't want to with every fiber and filament of their being? As with any cliché internal conflict, Slaughter felt the gut instinct to run bubble up inside of her; she was sure even her lone little Ooccan wing could take her someplace far, far away from here. But she couldn't with Jin Reno standing right in front of her now.

Why was change so intimidating anyway? And why was having a constant in one's life so comfortable? Slaughter's one constant in her life was gone, however. Dead and buried and never coming back. And now it was time to pick her ass up off of the floor and move on.

So why was it that she was returning to her past over and over again?

Maybe all she needed was a new hobby-- something to distract her mind. But even that would not give her life any more meaning than it had right now-- it would be empty and hollow. And not buried too deep beneath the surface, Slaughter would know. She would know that it was nothing but a ruse.

Slaughter stared off into the distance at what seemed like a palace. For some reason, she was not impressed. Nothing seemed to appeal to her interests anymore.

[Jin Reno]

Jin looked around him, examining his surroundings and the strange looks of some of the interesting Oocca that lived up here. It was really a rare thing for someone without wings getting up here, at least Jin thought, wanting to feel special. At least this was a brand new adventure for him to take part in, he just wished he was drier and warmer. Jin shivered briefly and turned his attention back to Slaughter with a smile.

She had jumped when he had first spoke, and Jin thought it was a little funny that she was so on edge when she had made her way up here as well. "Well, after you mentioned the City in the Sky I couldn't help myself. It sounded so amazing! A true adventure! A real chance to explore amazing areas with true danger!" He said, happy with his arrival of here.

After another gust of wind went past them, Jin shivered a bit more and rubbed his arms. "Ahh... do you think we can talk a bit more within one of the buildings.. out of the wind? Its cold for someone with wet clothes..." He said, hoping she knew her way around the area a little better then he did. Considering he didn't even know the area, there was a good chance of her knowing it better.

[Slaughter]

Slaughter had been lost in thought when Jin requested that they migrate to a different area. It didn't really matter however, it wasn't like Slaughter knew her way around either.

Sadly and softly, the girl's two eyelids came to a close, shading her pupils from the harsh rays of the sun, as she let her mind disconnect her from the reality and others around her.
Tragic how quickly things sour. It seemed to Slaughter that the faces and names around her all seemed to be delivered with an expiration date on them. The people around her would never stay for long, and Slaughter would find herself wandering, constantly on a continuum that never seemed to end. And yet her dependent nature kept her trapped in this cycle, flourishing when some bright faced individual lit up her life, only to leave her to wilt with their disappointment and departure from it.

Slaughter's echoic memory, however, kicked in, and seconds later she registered what Jin had asked of her.

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry. I forget you're not one of our kind! After you," she said with a smile.

Inside she scoffed at herself.
'Our kind.' Hah! As if you belong, hybrid!

[Jin Reno]

Jin looked around, trying to figure out what exactly was going on at the moment, and as he waited for Slaughter to answer, Jin walked over to the edge of the building and leaned against the wall, looking over the edge at the sheer drop. He simply couldn't believe how so much rock and metal could stay afloat like this, but it was also so very amazing. However, it was still hard for him to breath since the air was thinner here.

Jin looked back over at Slaughter and wondered what she was possibly thinking about, why she had closed her eyes and stayed silent. He was pretty confused as to what was possibly thinking about, however he knew that it was better for him to just keep quiet and wait for them to gather their thoughts.

"Thanks! I am a little soaked and its kinda windy." Jin said, rubbing his head and heading toward the building before looking back for her. "You going to come in with me?" He asked, looking at her with a smile.