gelbdrache

[gelbdrache]

Already before Shinah and he could meet here, Zeno finally started to feel some sort of presence again. Not being able to feel any aura of his brothers for all this time, was kind of depressing, especially since he did feel them all his long life before... So when the Seiryuu arrived, the oldest of the dragons of course noticed that right away!

It seems that he wasn’t the only one looking for the other. Then it didn’t need long, until the other calmly called out his name. 

“Seiryuu!”And if Shinah wouldn’t already have hugged him first, the Ouryuu sure would have already jumped on him to do the same. Receiving a gentle hug like that from one of his precious dragon brothers, made him really happy! And of course he also put his arms around the other and squeezed him tight. “You sure took your time to get here! Zeno and the mister missed you a lot!” Of course he was speaking of Hak...

And even though it was the truth, that he was happy to have him here... Wouldn’t that mean that  Yona only would have two dragons left to protect her now? Hak was missing there too... The thought of that was a little worrying, but maybe her and the others would arrive here sooner or later as well! Or at least, that was what he hoped for. 

“You just arrived here, right? How are you feeling? If you have any questions, feel free to ask Zeno! This place is a little weird and confusing, but it’s not all bad!”

@gelbdrache​

It would take a bit of accustoming for Shinah being here, not having the other dragons or Yona around. The time from when he wandered alone in the cave with no true name seemed so distant, he had been traveling with the group for a long time now. They all grew closer together, and he didn’t enjoy their presence being gone. Shinah didn’t know if they had come to this place too, if they were okay, or were they all still in Kouka Kingdom without him, worried about him? That wouldn’t be good. 

As he continued to walk, Ao jumped off his shoulder to a person ahead of him. Without making any sound, he watched as Ao ran, was held, and hugged the person in question. The familiar yellow hair, small stature, Shinah of course would recognize them. The yellow dragon, Zeno, was also here with him. He’d pick up his pace of walking to catch up, and the other noticed his appearance as well. After all, he was a fairly tall person with blue hair, and a unique mask on. 

“Zeno?” He’d say in his quiet usual tone, but he was happy to see him. By bending down a slight bit, he gave Zeno a loose hug. Shinah wasn’t alone here, he had someone else here, it wasn’t the same as back then. 

[gelbdrache]

“So you noticed it too, little miss!” It really was somewhat... unnatural, to say the least. In his life, he traveled a lot around, and had more than enough time to walk through the most unique of areas, but never has he seen such an abrupt change in seasons like on this island. They truly were looking at pretty cherry blossom tree right now, but if they’d walk just a little bit deeper into the city, they could play with the falling snow there as well. 

“Kinda weird, huh? They say the cherry blossoms bloom all year here too. Usually, they’re known to be pretty flowers with a very short lifespan, so this place sure is special. But then again, that could be said about as good as any location around here! Zeno thinks he still hasn’t seen everything this place has to offer himself yet!”

That the girl just mentioned that abruptly like that, must mean though, that she wasn’t used to this sight yet herself. Could it be...?

“Are you new here? Zeno could show you around, if you’re scared of discovering an unknown area all by yourself!”

@gelbdrache​

    The confusion and concern Kanao learned to feel felt warranted. She didn’t know where she was nor was she familiar with the setting at all. That, and she lost the blade she had accustomed herself to. More-so, the upgraded technology surrounding her wasn’t in her range of knowledge at the moment. For now, though, she didn’t need to concern herself with the usage of a small device to send messages rather than crow. She did know how to use a train, though. Albeit, these ones were different.

    With that, she headed towards the cherry blossoms. They reminded her of similar ones she had seen before. It’s okay to say they made her feel warm. Still, she wasn’t the only one who came here to escape. As the boy turned around to notice her presence, she allowed herself to speak. It was okay. She didn’t need to be told to do that.

    “They’re very pretty. This entire area is coated in cherry blossoms. But.. Once you step out from here, it’s all different.” Unknown, too. She didn’t sense ill malice from him. He seemed gentle– At least, that’s the feeling she got.

[gelbdrache]

And grilled venison, but that’s also death.

[gelbdrache]

diaflares‌:

    Makoto certainly knew about the dangers to follow with a nighttime sleigh ride. Rumors spread around quite quickly, those being that the foxes tended to act more rebelliously when the sun was down. She’d admit that she was curious what it entailed. Contrary to Makoto’s appearance and general demeanor, she wasn’t opposed to a thrill ride once in a while. Moreover, she wanted to know what exactly would occur with her own two eyes.

    “Yes. I’ve heard the rumors. Thank you for the concern.” She let out a soft smile at the boy as he spoke. She was strong enough to protect herself, but she wasn’t going to refute his statement. He seemed to speak with genuine intentions in mind. As he gestured to sit next to him, she nodded her head and sat herself down.

    “Let’s see what happens, shall we?” Once they were situated, the foxes began to pull them into the darkness. Surrounding the sled and foxes were dark trees– The only light appearing was from the reflection of the snow. “It.. is very dark..” Makoto didn’t want to admit her own fears, though. She could do this.. At least, she was keeping herself composed the most she could while being engulfed in darkness.

There wasn’t anything Zeno was really scared of. Even with his new vulnerable body, he wasn’t really much concerned about where the foxes would lead them. Though, he did have to admit, that if he was way younger, he probably would have some weird feeling in his stomach by now too. 

That was also why he kept an eye on the girl next to him. Seems like she wasn’t feeling very comfortable. Maybe he could try to lighten up the mood! “You know, they do say foxes are rather playful little buddies. Zeno’s sure they wouldn’t lead us anywhere too dangerous! Cheer up, little miss!” 

Unfortunately, just after he tried to convince her that nothing bad will happen, they seemed to take some bumpy road into even deeper darkness. That surprised even the Ouryuu, surprisingly. But he was more worried about the one who took this ride with him. 

“Zeno’s sure we’re still fine, but if you’re scared, feel free to hold onto me!” Hopefully she wouldn’t misunderstand that, he just was used to shield and protect others and had no ambiguous intentions while offering that. And even though he was smiling, he was already prepared to take actions if needed to.  

[gelbdrache]

springstreams‌:

    Maki hadn’t known him long or very well, but she could tell that he was trying to do something when he switched his speech pattern. It was true that hearing Zeno use his name so much in her body didn’t feel right, but she wasn’t going to be cold enough in the moment to stop him. If she could, she’d rather find a solution sooner rather than later. Perhaps they would go back to normal once the day had concluded.

    “I’m fine, I guess.” At least, she was as okay as she could be. His body felt healthy, but she didn’t think that was worth articulating. She didn’t know him well enough to make a good enough assumption about what he might have went through in his past or how he might be feeling to be in a stranger’s body. It wasn’t like she enjoyed it, either.

    “At least I’m not in his body again.” This was the second time Maki had switched– The first being with Kokichi, someone who she wasn’t overly fond of. Unlike Kokichi, at least Zeno seemed to show some compassion towards the assassin. Still.. Could he see her memories, too? Well, she’d ask that once she knew the status of the boy. “Is this your first time doing.. This? Switching, I mean. It’s weird.”

It seems like this wasn’t her first time to end up in a different body then, huh... Was this some kind of curse that went around the city now? It was very unusual, but if she asked him if it was his first time, it meant he didn’t have to stay like this, correct? 

“Yes, It’s my first time. Are you telling me, you have already some experience with this weird spell? Is there something we have to do, to switch back?”

Zeno was aware that Maki just mumbled that one sentence to herself, but he felt like it was something important. Which was why he decided to pry in. “Not again in his body? Who are you talking about, miss? Was someone bothering you?”  Did she swap bodies with a bad person before? Maybe it wasn’t any of his business, but he was a little concerned for her.

“Oh, Zeno’s no bad person though! I will try my best to keep your body safe, miss. But if you know more about all this here, I would be grateful for any information you’re willing to share!”

[gelbdrache]

“Happy New Year! Zeno didn’t really celebrate a start of a new year before, but he’s happy to share a good time with everyone else!” The year 2020...? Zeno was sure the world was way older than that, after all, that number was about his age, but hey, what did he know about this new world he just randomly ended up in. 

[gelbdrache]

Well, um… @taotrooper asked for it

RIP Ouryuu Zeno

[gelbdrache]

This wasn’t Zeno’s first swap, so he had a good idea what happened. Why did he always swap bodies with girls though...? That was a little unlucky, but oh well! Nothing that thinking too much about it would solve. 

Luckily tracking down his own body wasn’t too hard of a task either. Though seeing himself crying like this, was a pretty weird image for him to see... Poor child, hopefully he could calm her down a little bit!

“You must be that little miss, I’m inside of right now, right?” Right after he said that, he also handed her the stuffed doll, that obviously belonged to her. “Wanna hold this? Maybe you feel better after!” Since Zeno was holding this tightly when he woke up inside of her body before, he decided to take it with him. And he was glad he did. The blonde already figured, that something like a body swap would be a lot too much to handle for a little girl like her. So having something to give her some kind of comfort, was the right call! Phew!

“Is this the first time, that this happened to you? There’s no need to be so sad! It’s like a cold that goes away after a few days, promise! Zeno’s speaking from experience after all!~” 

“Haha, maybe it’s better if Zeno introduces himself, so you’re not that scared anymore. I’m Zeno, and you don’t have to be scared of anything, cuz Zeno’s a really good boy! Hope we can be friends, what’s your name though, little miss?”

“ —— what’s happening … ? ”

this was not the marina, that was not her voice and these were not her clothes; her body. the difference was noticed immediately. her hair felt messy, there were a lot more layers and hugo was missing —— her sole teddy bear and lifeline. she was not herself and the thought of it gripped the girl with fear.

panic begins to bloom in her chest, full of vines and thorns that wrapped around her heart. everyone seemed to move on with their lives, as if nothing odd has just occurred. what was she to do ? somehow, through some sort of witchcraft or spell, she now wore the skin of a stranger. what became of her own and can she return to it ?  if this was a dream, a nightmare, she wanted it to end now.

through shortened breaths, a cry rips through her throat and abigail drops to her knees ( or the knees of this boy ). tears had long pricked her eyes and now began to trail down flushed cheeks.

“ please, father. sniff … my god, help me … ”  she sobbed in prayer, pressing her face into her lap, hoping for a miracle to befall from the heavens; if there were any here. 

@gelbdrache​ // empatheorem

[gelbdrache]

wavesang‌:

    Rise found that you could learn a lot about people simply by observing them. The good, the bad..The mischievous! Still, she was passing by as she overheard Zeno seemingly upset. She stood in front of the boy as he spoke, nodding her head in correspondence to his words. “Have you never heard of a mistletoe before? I’ll tell you the deets if you give me one of those cookies!” She let out a laugh at her own words, sliding herself down to sit near Zeno. For some people, they did feel jealousy at that sight. She wasn’t sure if it was the same with him, though.

    “They say that if two people stand under the mistletoe, you’re supposed to kiss! It’s like.. A symbol of romance!” She paused, turning her attention to stare at the couple for a brief moment. “Oh, me? I’m saving my kisses for only super special people.~ Why? Were you hoping I’d take you underneath, too?” A giggle. “Just kidding! Anyways, there’s no need to be sad about it. Getting a kiss under a mistletoe doesn’t define your relationship. If you care about someone, you’d kiss them anywhere.”

    She turned her attention back to Zeno as she added, “Is there a special someone in your life?”

“Ohh, so they just kiss because of some plant?” Zeno did think that this was a kinda weird tradition, but hey, whatever the youngsters were into. He wouldn’t judge them too harshly as long as it wasn’t anyhting more than that. 

Rise’s teasing comment, made Zeno laugh. How bold this young girl was. With an embarrassed laugh, he started to scratch the back of his head. “Well, Zeno would lie if he’d say the guy who happens to be under a mistletoe with you, wouldn’t be very lucky! You’re pretty cute after all!” Not that he wanted to be that one guy, but there was no need to mention that. Complementing Rise was something she deserved, so he wasn’t really lying about that part either, he just didn't say that he wasn’t interested in that kind of stuff. At least not anymore...

“Mhm, you’re definitely right, little miss. If you love someone, there’s no need for any symbol to tell you when to kiss, you just do it.” How wise she was for her young age. And even though he felt his heart ache a little, after hearing her last question, his smile still didn’t fade from his face. 

“Yeah, there was. And Zeno was even married to her!” Was all he said for now. His wife impacted his life so greatly, that he most likely couldn’t even put it into words how special she really was to him. And he was sure no one wanted to know it in that much detail anyway.

[gelbdrache]

“No matter how many times you tear me apart, I will be everyone’s shield.” - Zeno.

[gelbdrache]

“Oh, little miss... it’s you.” So this really was what is happening right now, huh? He already assumed that a body swap happened, since there was no other reason, why his soul suddenly should be inside of Maki, a girl that he just met once before this incident. 

The last time he was really close to a girl, was almost two thousand years ago, so being inside of the body of one, did kind of make him nervous. Even with the amount of life experience he had, it wasn’t anything he was comfortable with. He almost felt like he invaded her privacy, and that without even wanting to do so... 

“Don’t worry, Zeno knows that.” Man, saying his own name with a female voice sure felt weird. “I wish I could tell you a solution to all this, but... I’m not sure what is happening right now either.” Him switching to first person speech, showed that he was seriously thinking about getting out of this situation. 

“How are you though...? Are you doing okay so far?” He wondered if she felt any different inside his body. Besides the obvious differences, of course. Sometimes his bones, even though physically being young, felt very old to him. But he was sure that this was more a mentally thing than anything else. After all, he was so healthy... so healthy that it was almost disgusting to him...

@gelbdrache​

    Three days had passed since Maki was forcibly swapped into Kokichi’s body. She had let out a sigh of relief once she was finally back in her own body. However, it seems the stability didn’t last for long. As she opened her eyes, the girl once again found herself in an unfamiliar setting. This hair wasn’t hers. This room was not the one the assassin was accustomed to. She had remembered meeting him once before– This was Zeno. He had called her strong and brave at that time. Beyond that, though, she didn’t know much about his past. Perhaps she would be learning about it now.

    Leaving the room, Maki walked out of the complex and onto the streets. Much to her dismay, she saw a familiar set of twin tails walking in her direction. Letting out a little sigh, she paused as the two of them stared at each other. “Don’t ask me how this happened.. If I could reverse it, I would.” That wasn’t a lie. It was a nuisance, but it was out of her control. She could only hope the swap wouldn’t be long lasting.

[gelbdrache]

The Ouryuu was very curious about the fox sleigh rides as well. Especially for those do at nighttime. If what people said around here was true, they should be more... exciting at the later times of the day. “Dangerous” was most likely the right word to describe them. But hey, it sure did sound exciting! And if there really was any danger, he would be there to help the people around him too!

When a young looking brunette approached him, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was aware of what she was about to get into... Or maybe she was looking for an adventure just like he did?

“You’re a rather brave one, miss! Didn’t you hear? It’s more dangerous taking this ride at night!~” He said this in a tone, that was unfitting to the meaning behind what he said. But that had it’s reason of course.

“Don’t worry though, if anything happens, Zeno will make sure to protect you!” Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long until they could take their seats in preparations for the ride! As soon as Zeno took his, he patted the empty space next to him, while looking at the friendly girl that talked to him before. “C’mon, sit here! You’ll be fine, promise!” 

@gelbdrache​

    Cotes Ward certainly had some festive events going on during this time of year. Specifically, the foxes offering sleigh rides certainly was a sight to behold. Makoto held curiosity towards it, that much was undeniable. It was nighttime, but the snow sitting atop the trees brought a little light amidst the path. She was a little wary, but perhaps taking a sleigh ride would provide some insight into Spirale. That, or it could at least be a calming ride– That’s what she hoped for, though she knew there were no guarantees.

    As expected, she wasn’t the only person curious about the event. Makoto casually approached the other, tucking her hair behind her ears in turn. “Ah. Are you interested in taking a sleigh ride, too? I thought it might provide something useful.. Well, maybe. It does look like it might be fun, though.” As she ended her train of thought, the brunette couldn’t help and let a little laugh escape through pale pink lips.

[gelbdrache]

seizonka‌:

“Yeah, of course. It’s no problem!” Rantaro was going to have to remember to adjust the bike again later, but watching Zeno climb on all too happily raised his spirits a great deal. He could at least remember how happy he was when he first got a bike when he was a kid and all the subsequent accomplishments that came with learning a new skill. Though, when he started learning, there were definitely some training wheels attached to his first bike and that’s how he slowly learned. The whole balance thing was tricky and while Zeno boasted that he could ride a horse standing up, it wasn’t like you could control all aspects of a bike when you were riding it. 

For now, he could still keep up if Zeno pedaled slowly and he really wanted to make sure that the other wouldn’t just fall right over when starting. Sure he said that it would be fine even if he fell and that phrasing in and of itself had Rantaro curious, but that wasn’t anything he wanted to test if he didn’t have to. Of course, when he felt like Zeno either was building up enough speed or if he had a better handle on it, he would let go. He could only run so fast.

“Yeah, you can go ahead and start pedaling a little. I’ll just help you start up just a bit, but I promise I’ll let go when you build up some speed.” 

“Yaay! Thanks, mister~” Was his only answer to Rantaro’s kind offer. Zeno was just excited to try something new. It wasn’t anything he got to do everyday with the amount of his life experience after all. Needless to say, he wasn’t worried at all about the dangers. Fear about his physical well being, was something that Zeno almost lost completely over all those years. Even though it would be more healthy to have some, since he lost his immortality since coming here. 

But this old dragon just wanted a fun good ride for now, so he started pedaling with a lot of strength into it rather fast. This resulted in Rantaro having to let go, once he reached a certain speed. Though, as soon as he was on his own, he only noticed now, how different this all was from riding a horse... A horse would always stand up on it’s own legs, while this thing was way harder to balance. He was riding it a little shaky, but still okay. At least until he dashed into a pebble ground... 

That was too much for Zenos shaky attempt of riding a bike, and he did end up falling off from it very fast. 

And even though it did hurt a little, the pain was never there to stay long anyway. And according to his prior experienced wounds, scratch wounds like these were nothing! “Hahaha!” An amused laugh left the blonde boy, while waving towards the owner of the baik he just fell off from. 

“Oops, that was Zeno’s bad. But don’t worry, your baik’s still doing fine!” Even if he fell, this whole thing still was a lot of fun! Maybe he should ask where he could get one for himself too!

[gelbdrache]

gaeabound‌:

“don’t just touch the damn thing ! what if it rears back and attacks you ? ”  he yanked at the young boy’s collar, forcing him behind as kurowli took his position with a step forward. in that single motion, he had come to notice the sudden flare of light in the beast’s round eyes, compelling him into a defensive stance. if this were, indeed, an angry metallic horse, then they best be wary. 

“ — like a monster straight out of the void. it still seems upset …”

the soft thud of a door closing pulled his attention and witnessed a passerby sitting within the hollow body; possibly trapped in the skeleton of metal. so focused upon the ‘ face ’ of this baik, creature or monster, that he had failed to notice the helpless victim being lead to their doom. the crowd had broken into a merry cheering, contrary to what was a dire situation. but there was no time for reaction as the engine roared to life — this time, those large eyes bright and aglow with a piercing white. 

“ what is this ? ” a hand shoots outward, in an attempt to shield the boy, “get back, it looks ready to lunge forward ! “

“Don’t worry, mister! Zeno looks weak, but he’s actually super though. A weird animal like that can’t hurt him!” He said that in a playful humming tone, but before he continued speaking, his features turned a little more serious: “So please, stay behind me. There’s no need to protect someone like me. Let me be your shield, at least until we know what’s up with that thing.”

With that said, he again, stepped in front of the other man. It was understandable that the stranger didn’t really believe that he could protect him, but the Ouryuu was already used to people underestimating him, due to his young looks. If only the other knew, that he was most likely way older. Perhaps he could tell him that, after they were out of this ‘dangerous’ situation.

A confused Zeno was left, when someone went inside the weird baik thing. Wait, maybe it really was a bike, just way bigger and one you could actually enter? Weird, though, the other man was right. It surely would move soon, when it’s eyes started glowing like that. When noticing that, he walked back with pulling his new ‘friend’ with him. “Uh-huh, we better be careful now. I think the mister inside that baik wants to move it now...” Not that he really would get how he’d make a heavy thing like that move in the first place. There was no way you could move that with pedaling on the inside... was there?!

And even after the mechanic horse started moving, he didn’t get any smarter out of the whole ordeal. But man, this sure was way faster than the baik that he knew of. 

“Is this maybe some kind of weapon? I think it would be very easy to hurt others with something heavy like that...” Honestly, the thought of that worried him. Whoever the person in control of this thing was, they better wouldn’t have any ill intent. But as usual, he didn’t let his doubts show, and just put his hands behind his head with a relaxed smile. 

“Man, it sure is good that we noticed the danger from that thing in the right timing, huh? You okay over there?”

[gelbdrache]

@wavesang​ liked for a winterfes starter

“Sure must be good to enjoy your youth like that...” Zeno was eating some cookies while sitting on a bench for a while now. And for some reason, couples were especially touchy today. What was up with that? His uncommon not-so cheerful comment, was heard by someone familiar. Wasn’t this the girl he helped out back when the city was in ruins? It was good to see she was alive and well!

“Oh, hey little Miss! Sorry, Zeno didn’t mean to ruin the mood, he just wondered why everyone who walks pass there, is kissing each other on the same spot...” Zeno wasn’t really interested in all that couple stuff. Not because he had anything against romance, it was just that the person that he loved, wasn’t alive anymore... His wife was someone so dear to him, that even after all these years, he hasn’t forgotten the impact she had on him. Seeing couples like that, did remind him of her, even though it was sometimes hard to remember her face, since it was such a long time ago... It somewhat hurt, but he would try not to let others see, that trying desperately to remember what she exactly looked like, hurt him. 

“Zeno doesn’t really get it, but I guess it’s good for them? What about you? You’re waiting for someone as well?”

[gelbdrache]

@fulgoriis​ liked for a winterfes starter

Since ever Hak and Zeno ended up here together, it was only natural that they would spend a lot of time together. And so they did also on this cold but pretty evening. They were walking through the Archimedes ward, when suddenly some loud chorus was very audible. So many people gathered on a stage, singing happy sounding songs. It was a very fitting atmosphere to all those pretty lights the streets were decorated with as well! It just all helped to get into a really good mood!

“Haha, it’s very lively here, isn’t it?” If the Ouryuu would have known these songs, he probably would be already singing along as well. “Too bad the others aren’t here... Else we could all dance together to this! Maybe even get on stage!” Though, when giving more attention to the lyrics of those catchy tunes, Zeno began to ask himself a question, he probably should have asked before even coming here.

“Mister, do you know what this Christmas is, they’re all singing and talking about? Zeno heard a lot of people talk about Christmas presents too, but he doesn’t really understand any of it...” Was Christmas a very important person or something like that? But that wouldn’t make much sense, would it now...

[gelbdrache]

@riseabovedespair​ liked for a winterfes starter

“Hello, Miss!” Zeno waved towards Shino, while approaching her. What a fancy coincidence to meet her here! “Are you also here to try todays soups? Zeno thinks it’s very kind of the people here to share their food with the whole city!” He did sound mature while saying that, but that impression of him was ruined as soon as some drool came out of his mouth. 

But he couldn’t help it, it smelled so good, and was there anything better than soup in cold weather like this? After they both got their own bowl of soup, they did sit down together on a nearby table. There were a lot of things to talk about, but with what to start? Ah, he got an idea! 

“Did you see all those glowing lights? Why does everyone here decorate the buildings with those chains of light? Zeno never has seen anything like it before... But it makes everything look way cuter! Especially with all that snow lately!” The yellow dragon never experienced Christmas, despite being over two thousand years old...