piratejournal | 002 - Voice (Action for crewmates)

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002 - Voice (Action for crewmates)

[ It's hard to write when your fingers are freezing. After a few unsuccessful tries, Homura opts to go for a voice entry instead, keeping her teeth from chattering through sheer force of will alone. ]

This explains why the Backwater Brig's advertisement last week contained a disclaimer about anti-curse apparel. Perhaps the shopkeeper knew this unnatural cold, or something like it, was coming.

Has anyone found a way to warm up yet? The usual methods aren't working. Any information would be appreciated.

[ That's the extent of Homura's entry. Her crewmates won't find her in her usual spot in the crow's nest; instead, she's holed up in her room, cocooned in her blankets with only her face showing... for all the good that it does her. ]

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I don't have anything that convenient. B-Besides, no magic could reverse the effects of the last curse.

W-What about your magic?

N-Nothing. Unless you would like for me to try summoning a demon that does.

[ He's not sure if that's worth the risk. And he's sure as hell not summoning Jackal for this. ]

... that's okay. I'm not nearly that desperate.

Besides, we'll be colder if we end up in the ocean without a ship.

T-Then w-what do you suggest? At this rate... we'll get hypothermia.

[ There's a long, long pause, punctuated by the occasional sound of Homura flipping through her journal a few times. And then, sounding mildly exasperated at the world in general: ]

... apparently, t-the only way to get w-warm is through human c-contact of any kind.

[ ... Well. Normally he'd say no without even thinking due to his magic, but she and Mami have both shown themselves to be immune to it. But... still. Would that even be appropriate? ]

If... if that's unacceptable to you, I'll understand.

[ Of course, she could just find Mami. ]

[ She could just find Mami. But Homura's acting captain, Madoka would be sad if she just left Zeref alone, and she's always a little hesitant when approaching Mami anyway. ]

[ So Zeref doesn't get an answer until Homura's in his doorway, still wrapped up in her blankets and knocking on the door frame. ]

Less unacceptable than either of us freezing to death. May I come in?

[ Zeref is silent for a few moments. Well, in this case, it literally is a life or death situation, and it would kill him to say no. Besides... it's not like he disliked Homura. He could think of several worse people to have to come into physical contact with. ]

... Yes.

Edited 2013-12-20 03:57 (UTC)

[ Frankly, she's surprised that he agreed, both because of his attitude toward his magic in general and because she really doesn't know what he feels about her in particular. ]

[ Without saying anything else, Homura stalks into the room and pauses in front of Zeref, studying him wordlessly. And then, hesitantly, she reaches out and touches his shoulder and her eyes widen almost to the size of dinner plates as the almost overwhelmingly pleasant warmth that suffuses her hand. ]

... it works. It works?

[ His eyes are glued to her as she enters. He sits up, wrapping the blankets around him a bit tighter. He nearly flinches at the contact - not because it's Homura, but out of sheer habit - as she reaches out. And sure enough... his shoulder feels much warmer. Warmer than it likely would even without the curse. ]

It... it does.

[ He doesn't move away from her touch. He's waiting to see if the warmth spreads to the rest of his body. ]

[ The flinch away is to be expected, though it's a little depressing. Still, it's easy to forget that as the warmth spreads a little bit further into both of them... but it tapers off the farther away it gets from the contact point. ]

[ Homura sighs in slight exasperation, cool and businesslike as she continues: ]

Not all the way, though. Would you mind if I sat next to you?

[ It didn't spread. He had hoped it would... exactly how much contact did this take? Before his mind dared to venture any further, she was already asking to sit next to him. Okay... fair enough. He nodded, and scooted over a bit on the bed, his arm resting on the headboard. ]

Alright.

Thank you.

[ She tells herself that this is just a means to an end. They'll get nowhere fast if no one can so much as control the ship due to freezing fingers, or if everyone dies of hypothermia. They'll just keep each other warm for the duration of the curse. That's all. ]

[ No, Homura does not want to think about exactly how much contact it might have to take, either. ]

[ Without a word, she take her hand off and sits down next to him a trifle awkwardly, leaning against him shoulder to shoulder, side to side. She's still wrapped up in her blanket, arms crossed over her chest, and she resolutely faces forward, eyes closed. ]

[ Even she can't hold back the small sigh of contentment as the warmth beats back the cold curse all along one side of her body, allowing her to feel human instead of like a frozen chunk of ice. ]

[ Similar thoughts are going through his mind. While he by no means disliked Homura, one couldn't overlook the fact that this, well, had more than one connotation. Romantic, affectionate, whatever one wanted to call it, Zeref trying to tell himself that that's all this was. Survival. Even if... well... as much as he didn't want to admit it, it felt nice, and not because of the warmth.

As Homura leaned against him, leaning into her with every bit of awkwardness as she displayed. The warmth spread through the entire left half of his body like a knife through hot butter, so much so that it was almost painful. Every tense, shivering muscle relaxed, and he couldn't silence the relieved sigh as it escaped him, echoing her own. His other side was still somewhat cold, but for the first time all day, he felt like he wasn't about to freeze to death. What an odd curse this was. ]

That's... much better.

[ For someone who had spent centuries at a time alone, with only animals and a ghost for company, this kind of closeness was something he was unused to. But given that this might have just saved his life, it was, oddly enough, a welcome change. ]

Mm. It really is.

[ Once she gets re-accustomed to the warmth... well, Homura also doesn't want to admit that this sort of contact feels nice. Even outside the fact that she's never been this close to a guy before- and Zeref isn't particularly hard on the eyes, either, though she doesn't really care about that kind of thing, and she doesn't think of Zeref like that- it's been a long time since she just leaned against ANYONE like this. Before coming here and reuniting with Madoka, at least. ]

[ Homura sighs again, a little wistfully, both because she's thinking of a certain pink-haired girl and because they can't spend the entire duration of the curse like this. ]

... we may have problems getting anything done if we need to sit like this just to keep warm, though.

[ She'd get no disagreement from him, there. It did feel nice. For one thing, he wasn't feeling like he was about to freeze to death anymore, and for another... it had been a long time since he had felt this kind of closeness with anyone, even if his feelings towards Homura weren't exactly of a romantic nature.

Still, she was right. He didn't know how long it would be until he needs to do this again, of course, but they still needed to check out the Backwater Brig, and he wanted to be with them when they went. He needed to ensure that they weren't trying to sell any of the Books of Zeref there. The last thing he needs is his compendium of dark magic falling into the hands of whoever is cursing them, here. ]

You should check on Mami. She's likely cold, too.

[ He slowly began to release her. ]

And... if you need to do this again, I'll be willing.

[ Which begs the question as to what will happen when he eventually needs to sleep. ]

[ There's a strange, awkward moment when Homura actually resists Zeref pulling away, half-leaning into him. A split-second later, she realizes what she's doing and quickly stands up in a rustle of bedsheets, slightly embarrassed at herself. ]

You're right. I'll go and see if she needs any help.

[ She turns to look at him, giving him an even nod. ]

... thank you. So will I.

[ He felt that. It was a bit of a surprise, of course; sure, it made sense that she'd like that warmth, but considering she had been the one who suggested they stop, it was unexpected. Did she... actually enjoy that closeness? ]

I'll be here.

[ An invitation to return whenever she wished. He reached for his mug of still-warm tea, and took a sip. ]

Yes. And... thank you, as well.

[ She enjoyed that closeness, though she wouldn't admit it to herself- nor the fact that it's lonely when you can't rely on anyone else, and it's been a long time since she let herself grow close to anyone. She'd almost forgotten what it was like. ]

[ That she almost couldn't bring herself to pull away was a sign of weakness. ]

[ Homura flips her hair back over her shoulder and walks off without another word, studiously ignoring the chill settling back into her bones. ]

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002 - Voice (Action for crewmates)

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