naturalcure | Dual Post

I finished doing a sweep of the city and the island. There's no sign of the infestation anywhere around here. It should be safe.

...well. Safe from this, at least. Anyway. My job's done, so, I'm going back to the forest soon. Tsukumo and the rest of you...y'know what to do if you need me again.

---

[Later at night, at SAI's spirit house, Isabel is sitting alone - technically, she shouldn't really be here, this late past closing. She put her skills as a hunter to less-than-good-use and snuck in. She's not even sure she did a good job, she probably tripped an alarm and someone, somewhere knows she broke in. It doesn't really matter a whole lot to her. Right now, she's just sitting up in a tree somewhere, watching the spirits that make their home there.

Every so often, she quietly sniffs and brings her hand up to her eyes, wiping them clear. Then, she goes back to observing the spirits for a few moments before they start clouding up again.]

(OOC: Alternatively, if your character would have no reason to investigate the spirit house at SAI but you still wanna interact with Isabel through this event part, she can be outside Sakana or in the Domino park as necessary)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*Juudai slowly raises his hand and places it on Isabel's shoulder.*

I'm sure she'd appreciate that you came here for her and that you were thinking of her.
And I'm sure she was happy to get to see you again.

It's true that she doesn't need rescuing, she doesn't need any of us to do that for her, but knowing she has the support of her friends will give her strength, including yours, even if you aren't here to physically give it to her.
She knows you care.

Yeah. Yeah, she knows I care. [Isabel lets out a little sigh. She doesn't sound that comforted. But she does lean into Juudai a bit when she feels his hand on her.]

...d'you know why I left here?

I know you were feeling rather lost. I assumed it was to do some soul searching. Just travel where-ever and see where it lead you.

...yeah.

I borrowed that line from you 'cause I really liked how it sounded. Y'told me that if you hadn't married Asuka and started the Spirit Foundation... [She sighs.] That's what you would've done, right?

*Juudai nods at that.*

Yeah. That's what I would of done, had none of that happened and had I failed graduating the Academy.
I still want to travel like that at some point but, that's way far in my future.

I'll have plenty of time to kill, after all.

[Snort.] Yeah. I was thinkin' somethin' like that too.

... [She looks away from Juudai, a somewhat ashamed expression on her face.] That wasn't the whole truth, though.

*Juudai looks at her curiously.*

It wasn't...?

....

[Isabel runs a hand through her hair. Her wooden hand.]

...you know what power Tomoko and my dad have, right?

Of course. They're both Psychic Duelists.

I mean, specifically, the specific powers they have. Do you know what it is?

Well, Tomoko's is a healing power, with added empathic abilities.

[Isabel blinks - since when did she have a healing power? Neither here nor there.]

Yeah. The empathic power. That's...what I'm talking about.

She and my dad can sense other people's emotions. And it affects them. [Isabel's hand comes over her wooden arm and she looks down.]

...

...I should've died when I lost to Z-ONE.

He ripped me apart and he threw me off of that island and I fell back down to Earth and my body was destroyed by it and I should've died when that happened, but because of the power I stole from Demeter, I didn't, and. I couldn't get past that.

[Isabel lets out a breath. Juudai may remember how difficult Isabel's rehabilitation was after she lost to Z-ONE, but this is the first time she's opened up to him about it.]

I was weak and in pain all the time. I had nightmares. And....weird stuff, like I'd go outside and suddenly I'd flash back to being there and seeing Z-ONE and I'd start freaking out. [She blinks a few times.] I just...I found myself wishing Z-ONE had just killed me so I wouldn't have to keep living like that. And I didn't want those thoughts and feelings getting picked up by my dad or Tomoko. So. When I was able to take care of myself again...

...I left. I figured I'd either find something to help me or I'd find a place to just...burn myself out. And that'd be it.

*The hand Juudai has on her shoulder tightens slightly as she talks. It's a hold that's firm, but reassuring.*

... you went through a really rough time after what happened to you. No one could blame you for going through what you did, or feeling how you did. It was really difficult seeing you struggle, so I could only imagine how it felt ten times more worse for you actually having to go through that.
But I've always seen you as being strong and I always believed you'd overcome it, guess I really didn't know just how much you were really suffering though.

*He looks away slightly.*

...do you still wish that sometimes? Or did the journey and becoming a hunter at the forest help that?

....

[She sniffs slightly. Her voice cracks again when she speaks, but it's not sad this time.]

It really, really did. I met two people on my journey and they....they were really good to me. They saw how messed up I was and decided to take me to the forest.

Then when I got there, I...I was able to commune with the Sacred Tree. Like, it didn't talk to me, but it was still alive, and it could like...it sensed what I had been through.

[She holds up her wooden arm.]

It gave me this. And...after that, the pain in my arm and my leg stopped. When the pain stopped, I was able to focus on other things. And eventually...the nightmares stopped happening so often too.

That was when I knew. That something like this, that just wanted to give life and help people...it had to be protected, no matter what. I also wanted to repay it for helping me.

...it gave me my life back. Right then, I decided to become a hunter.

*Juudai listens to her every word and with every positive sentence she says, a smile grows on Juudai's face. It's a very soft and caring smile.*

It sounds like you found what you needed.
...I'm really proud of you, Isabel.

...

[Isabel turns and wraps her arms around Juudai.]

You'd better keep Ruka and Tomoko and all of the rest of them safe for me.

*Juudai responds by wrapping his arms around her too.*

You know I will.

Yeah. Yeah I do.

[Isabel just stays like that for a while. She knows she'll probably have to leave when she lets go. So, for the moment, she decides to just stay like this.]

*Juudai's absolutely fine staying like that for as long as she needs, coming to the very same conclusion that she would probably leave soon after they part ways.*

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