riverviewlogs | May flowers

Entry tags:

✖ kuroshitsuji: undertaker

May flowers

who: Undertaker and you!
what: May catch all
when: Throughout the month
where: All over Riverview
warnings: None so far

i. hanging lanterns

[He prefers to grieve in private, when old scars begin to fester again. It would have been easier to take care of at home in London, back where he lived alone, but the old wounds haven't irritated in some time. But the city is bent on remembering those lost, so he'll participate and hang a lantern of his own from the front porch of his home. For the few who mean anything to him, only one isn't here with him right now, and another is safe back home. One lantern will suffice. For now. He smiles at it, as he always does, and watches it sway gently in the breeze.]

ii. down with the sickness

[While Undertaker won't be affected in this, he does still function as the city's mortician. Not that his role as such has been needed or necessary, but he is only a call away should anyone need him. His number is in the directory.]

iii. the cafe

[In the cafe this month, customers will find the menu has had a few additions. New pastries have been added, named for certain flowers seen at funerals, and cookies shaped like the same are on display behind the glass. There is also a suggestion box on the sugar stand that asks people to leave a note or an idea for a new drink they like to be considered for addition to the menu on a future date. He knows the tastes of his housemates and his time in the previous cafe taught him what people might like from other worlds, but it's never a bad idea to take a poll!]

iv. wildcard/other

[You know what to do. Anything that I might have missed or anything that you want with Undertaker outside of this, please lemme know! You can find me here on plurk to poke if you want!]

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[Shiro was out for a run with his dog Youta, the dog's lead attached to his waist, letting the dog run as he could keep up with him. Youta definitely seemed to like this.

But as they were running, he happened to come across the home of a certain friend. He had known it was the place where he lives, but it hadn't crossed his mind until he spotted Undertaker outside hanging the lantern. Shiro slowed to a stop, which forced Youta to slow as well, stopping and looking around quickly to see what had happened]

Hey. It's been a while.

[There are days when he'll people watch from his front porch though he can't see much of anything except moving colors, when he has time off and he has a moment to himself. Today happens to be one of those days, after he hangs the lantern from it's hook. So when Shiro runs past, he takes notice, but it's not usual to see a neighbor stop to greet him. He recognizes the voice and lifts his tea in greeting.]

It has. Out for a run, I see.

[Hearing the voice, Youta wagged his tail happily. Someone else to meet!]

Yeah, getting my dog Youta some exercise. He has quite a bit of it. Alright if we come closer?

[It was a question to make sure Undertaker wasn't afraid of dogs. Shiro knew that even though Youta was sweetest dog in the world, not everyone would be comfortable around him]

[He can't see well, but he can still see well enough to note that... something is moving frantically on the animal. He can only assume it's the dog's tail. Tail wagging is a good sign, so he nods.]

Oh, of course you can! We're friendly enough. Have you been to the festival they have around town this time of the year?

[Well, that was good. Shiro wanted Youta to be excited to meet new people (but not too excited because no jumping). So when Undertaker agreed, Shiro came closer, Youta trying to run in front of him. When they got close, Shiro said "sit" and Youta - the obedient dog he was - immediately sat down, tail still wagging, waiting for attention or permission to get up. He'd made sure Youta knew to listen to him, having a cat and two robot lions in the house to get annoyed at hyper pup]

This is Youta. He's friendly too. I have. It's a nice festival, but I suppose for some it could also be a hard one. Thinking about all of the people you need to remember.

[Such a good dog. He can appreciate a good dog, especially one so obedient.] Well, hello, Youta. I can see you're quite eager to make friends around the neighborhood. [He crouches and offers out a hand, willing to make friends, if that's what Shiro will allow.]

I didn't know you had pets, though I should have guessed. [It's hard living alone. He should know, but he never truly was alone. Not until he lost the chain, not until he had to give the business up and the cadavers weren't constantly around. He turns his head to glance back up at the lantern he'd hung.] Oh, no doubt there will be memories roused, good and not so good. I should be lucky to have only one person here and now to want to remember, but it's a lovely lantern. I think I'll keep it.

He is. He likes making friends.

[When the hand was offered, Youta leaned forward to sniff his hand, definitely wanting to know who this person was. Petting is definitely a good thing to do]

A dog. My teammate ended up with a cat. Then we have two robot lions, but they aren't really pets.

I've definitely been thinking about things. We've lost a number of people in our fight. It's lucky you haven't lost many.

[He looked back up at the lantern that Undertaker had just hung up]

They are nice lanterns.

[Such a friendly dog. He has long nails that help with the scritching and petting, used in no malicious way. Many dogs he's known liked pets behind the ears and under the chest and that's exactly what he goes for first once he knows Youta will accept his friendship.] Oh, you're such a lovely puppy, aren't you? Yes, you are!

[He looks back up at Shiro, through those long bangs, hand still spoiling the pupper.] Oh? A full house, then. I can't imagine what it's like with robot lions, but if they're anything like their living counterparts, they'd seem quite bothersome to me. Maybe being a robot is different though. [He nods after a moment, thinking down to the mourning chain about his waist, where it has been since Ciel returned it. How many charms there are upon it, how many lanterns he won't hang for them.] Well... Perhaps it's easier just to hang one. The porch only needed one light.

[After a moment, he tilts his head back to the dog and rubs the top of that head.] Sounds like you'll have a few to hang there, if you haven't already. Would you like help with that? [It's not his norm to reach out like that, to offer. But maybe it's the season, maybe it's just a soft time of year for him and he has people living with him now who won't let him hide from that.]

[Friendship accepted! Youta is definitely like most dogs and gives that happy dog smile when Undertaker began scratch behind his ears. Yes, he liked that, tail going a mile a minute when he was praised]

Yeah, it is. It can be a little crazy, but we have a lot of space. Robot lions are slightly different. They don't need to eat and they can somewhat communicate with us.

[Shiro glanced over at that lantern when Undertaker spoke] Yeah. I think one will do. Once can honor everyone.

[He nodded at that comment] Yeah I do have a few to hang. I would appreciate the help. Thanks.

[Oh, so he is. And all of that dog breath, to be sure, but he's had far worse in his nostrils. Comes with the territory from the late 19th century morgues he visited. But the company is far more lively this time. Fluffy and a little cute.] Oh, you. [He's sold. He'll keep petting.]

Communication, is it? The one thing we can't quite do so well with our pets. Half the time we don't do so well with that between our own kind. I'd love to see that at work. [There's a soft chuckle, more from amusement than anything, but he'll let it drop for now. Machines tend to confuse him more than anything, much as he tries to understand.]

[And then Shiro accepts his offer and he grins up at the man.] Well then. I half expected you would say no. Let me know when you'd like the assistance and I'll make time to offer it proper.

[Good thing Youta is just a love bug. The scratching was wonderful and the dog was more than happy to sit with his new friend and get pets]

Yeah. To be fair, its not really direct words. It's usually thoughts though I think being around us constantly they might be starting to learn words. But for example when my teammate got his cat, my lion Black was sitting with the cat and I suddenly got the sudden impression of a cat from Black... like if someone were to see a cat and point it out.

Really? You did? Why's that?

[Such a love bug. Good grief, this pup. All of them, attention whores! Then again, he isn't helping.]

An impression? [He tilts his head, not really sure that he gets the meaning here.] As in your... lion looked like the cat, or behaved like it? [Or is this something in technology that's going way above his head, as usual?]

Seemed a personal thing. Really it is. We don't know each other so well and I wasn't sure if that was a line we could cross just yet. People these days just aren't like I remember them back home. Everything there is so prim and proper, I forget how casual times have turned.

[Nope, continuing to pet the love bug usually means the love bug keeps being happy at attention]

Well, no, not an impression like an impersonation. An impression like... a feeling. It's hard to explain when its an object and not a word. Just like... suddenly there was a faint mental image of the cat in my head and I hadn't been looking at or thinking about the cat. Kind of like Black was trying to tell me there was this tiny creature in the house.

I think the world is much more casual here than elsewhere. But I mean we have talked a few times so its not like we're complete strangers.

[And he's petting Youta. Undertaker better be his friend]

[As with most dogs. He should have expected as much.]

It puts an image in your head like that? How fascinating. [And a little strange, but not entirely unheard of.] To think that technology can do something like that in your world, and here they broke something badly enough that it pulled people from other worlds entirely into theirs. Makes me wonder if we should mess with the lot of it at all. Says me, the hypocrite. [He knows what he did in his world and he's not talking, but he is a hypocrite indeed.]

[And he can't rightly argue that they should be... acquaintances at least. Maybe friends. He hasn't had many of those though. It's a newish concept to him, one that still surprises him every time he finds he has them.] No, no, of course not complete strangers. We'll see, we'll see.

Yeah it's... amazing what they are able to do. There's so much that we don't know about them and their abilities. But the bond that they have with us lets them talk to us. It's hard to say if we should be messing with things. On the one hand, we never learn if we don't. The other is messing things up.

[He can be a hypocrite too about different things, but he prefers not to bring that up]

Yeah, we shall see. But I do consider you a friend.

Hm. I'm curious as to whether or not that bond is unique and how it works, but I won't bother to pry on it.

[If he's surprised by that, and he is, just a little, he won't say outright.] Well then, my friend, what say you stop in for a cup of tea? I'm afraid we don't have coffee, but I could interest you in a biscuit to tide you over on your exercise, if you've the inclination.

It's supposedly unique. I can't hear Red at all. Apparently though they can have multiple bonds because Black is now bonded to Keith as well so he can hear both Red and Black... if they choose for him to hear it. I don't know if that's just because they are here.

[Shiro smiles] I'd like that. Tea is just fine. Do you mind if Youta comes in as well?

Well now, that's something. [He finally gives up his petting of the pooch and straightens to invite his guest inside proper.]

Not at all, provided he's well behaved, and I can see that he is. [He waves them both inside and holds the door.] I'd like to hear more about this bond. It's interesting. We've the house to ourselves for a few hours, but I'll make tea for us and we can wait for the others if you'd like.

[Youta stops wagging his tail and looks up at Undertaker as he stands up]

I think he'll be fine even in a strange house. [Shiro follows Undertaker inside and removes Youta's leash letting the dog wander. Of course in a new place, he didn't stray too far from Shiro, wanting to be with him]

Sure, we can talk more about that bond.

[He doesn't miss that behavior as he moves to set out a plate of cookies and set the kettle on the stove, and he's very impressed. Good dog. He gestures to a chair at the table in the kitchen or the couches in the living room.] Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home.

[Then he set his elbows on the kitchen counter watching the man and his pup.] Most of it will probably go over my head anyway, but I'm curious nonetheless. It's a weakness of mine. Does it work with just anyone, or does the machine choose somehow who to bond with, or is it told?

[At the request to take a seat, Shiro sat down at least for the moment at the table in the kitchen because it was closer to where Undertaker was working with the tea kettle. Youta walked over and sat down beside Shiro. Yep, he was a good dog]

Curious is good. You have more opportunities to learn when you are curious. The lion chooses who it wants to be bonded to. I suppose in theory it could pick someone else, but Black seems awfully fond of my girlfriend and has not created that bond for her. You can't really tell the lions what to do. They kind of... bite back so to speak if you try to command them.

[A good one, yes. He's not concerned about the dog, but he's fairly certain he has little to offer the animal. Maybe a bowl of cold water will do.]

That a machine could choose anything is something in itself. They were described to me as dumb things, even in this place, but that's not entirely accurate. Did you create them to be able to do that?

[Water would probably do fine. They had been running after all]

We didn't actually create them. They were built by the Altean King Alfor, though I get the feeling that the lions basically decided their own designs from the material they were created out of. Just a feeling that I get from Black. Of course they are a special case in that regard.

Normal machines do tend to not think for themselves. A toaster doesn't make decisions about the toast; you have to tell it what to do. More extreme versions where something is referred to as "smart" have complex programs where they use cues to act on their own, like its schedule says at 8am "water the plants". It's not actually looking at the plants, but following its schedule.

These ones... they are actually looking and processing what they see. They are understanding words and reacting to them. I'd say they are the exception.

[Water, he has, then. And while their tea heats up, he'll bring a glass over for Shiro and a bowl for the dog. He'll then settle himself on the couch across the table from where Shiro is sitting and continue to wait, listening to a story he knows very little about and even less of the people involved, but no less interested for it.]

Quite right. If my stove suddenly decided it wanted to make meatloaf instead of one of my pies, I'd be highly cross. That's about as complex a machine as ever I had been used to. Even after all my time in this place, it's strange to me to hear of something that can do more than that. I say that and yet I'm familiar with a few of the features of my phone now. I'm afraid if I had a mind to visit your world, I'd be even more lost with is ways than I was upon entering this one. Have you had these... lions all of your life, or was it something that evolved over time, as technologies do?

[As the bowl of water comes over, Youta wags his taul again and happily begins to drink]

Yeah, that would be weird if your stove decided to make meatloaf instead of pies. There is that to say for robots not being that smart.

To be fair though, we were kind of lost entering the world of Alteans too. The Alteans and the Galra are both super advanced societies that have been traveling space for thousands of years. They had things we never even dreamed of.

The lions have been around for 10,000 years, but they have only recently come into my life. They seem to have always been what they were. I know its hard to understand, but when they were made, they were just lions.

[Such a good dog. It's not sweltering out, but it's not a cool day in the city either. He knows the two must be at least a little thirsty after running. If only the water would heat faster so he can steep their tea, and he'll even offer ice cubes for Shiro's.]

Sounds like a fantastic story, that one. Oh, don't worry, I believe you. After this city and everything I've seen in it, I can hardly expect less, but back home, I could write a novel about that and make a fortune if I did it well enough. You must be from decades in the future to have something like that around, even if you didn't create these lions yourself.

[Not hot, but running takes it out of a person and an animal. So Shiro's glad for the glass of water and the bowl of water for Youta]

Yeah, you probably could. I mean I probably could too. There's enough here for good stories and of course it's already well enough thought out because someone is living it. I'd say maybe a century or so between your time and mine.

[There's plenty of that from his house to go around, one of the first things he found he loved about the future. Indoor plumbing and clean, cold or hot water on a whim.]

Say you do return home one day. Will you write a book about this place and everything that you've seen while you were here? I regret I may never see it, but I would love to if you decide to write that one day.

[Those are pretty nice, Shiro would admit if someone had to get him to name something. He'd camped before. He liked having a house to come back to]

Hmm... might be interesting to try and right down at least some of this. I would probably try to remember some of the people that I've met here who have been my friends. If I ever do write it, I hope I get the chance to give you a copy.

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May flowers

i

yee!

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