More than just a doll

In the quiet of the night a lone girl sits silently under the pale moonlight, gazing upon the stars above, lost in time and thought. {This blog is part of the Red Thread RP group and is strictly only allowed to interact with said group though links to my other accounts can be found in the Read Me tab. Yin herself though comes from the anime series known as Darker than Black and in this AU lacks her ability to use her specter but will largely behave quite similarly as she does in the show.}

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Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

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Their meal was over shortly, the rather companionable silence stretching on til both their parfait glasses sat empty on the table. After moving into Brieve a few months ago, Aoba never did have any time to just sit and enjoy such a calming setting. Perhaps in this case there was really more worth to silence rather than words.

Noticing Yin pulling out a couple of bills, Aoba immediately holds his hand up to stop her.

"Ah, no need for that! This’ll be my treat." he continues with a smile, already handing the full payment to their assigned waitress. The cost was a bit above his usual spending but it was quite alright to splurge on something nice once in a while.

The sky was already a dusky orange when they stepped out of the cafe. Soon it would be dark and the streets will be lit up with flickering lamp posts and bright neon signs. Although as far as Aoba was concerned, that sight would be nothing compared to a night sky full of glittering stars. Speaking of which…

"Well, looks like we’ll be parting ways for now. But I can’t help remembering how you described the beach at night. Maybe I can drop by sometime..?"

[moonlitpiano]

Yin paused as he signaled to her and before she could say anything the bill was already paid and she quietly slipped her money back into her small wrist wallet. She stood with him when the change was paid out and walked out behind him as they took their leave, looking to the sky at the colors it bore and was entranced for a few seconds before he spoke.

The silver-haired girl blinked and looked over to Aoba, listening to his offer before she gave a small bow of her head, "If that is your wish," she replied softly. Perhaps it would be good to have someone around to talk to more often, simply given how she was though she simply did not have a stance on the matter, more she could not than anything.

"...Thank you," she said once more and again gave a somewhat lower bow of her head before standing there a moment, not sure if in these situations she was simply allowed to take her leave as she might usually but after a moment's worth of inward debate she decided it was all she could say and began her walk home.

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Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

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Grateful for the momentary distraction, Aoba begins digging into his own dessert. The parfait was mostly sweet with hints of tartness from the fresh strawberries. Although the large serving seemed rather intimidating at first, the bluenet found himself staring at a half-empty glass before he could even remember starting. Blame it on his own gluttony for desserts. Not to mention the fact that Yin’s continued silence was metaphorically eating him from the inside-out.

Maybe he should have just let her be? It’s a miracle she managed to stand his endless chattering for so long- -

”- -Huh?”

Aoba’s spoon pauses halfway to his mouth as he hears the young lady’s faint but unmistakable words.

"O-Oh, it’s nothing! You really helped me out back there so this is the least I can do."

Aoba smiles at finally managing to get Yin talking a bit. It wasn’t much but the sentiment was truly worth it.

"Thank you for letting me spend the afternoon with you."

[moonlitpiano]

She gave a slight bow of her head, not knowing what else could be said or done as they continued to eat their desserts in relative silence, Yin much slower than he but she had a smaller glass so it all evened out in the end. As it was, by the time they were both finished their bill was already on the middle of the table.

Yin pulled at the small white band barely visible under the sleeve of her left arm and unzipped it a little so as to pull out the money necessary to pay for it, not really thinking twice about splitting the cost at all with the man, dangerously low as it might have left her.

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

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"You… don’t know..?"

A strange silence fell upon Aoba as he tried to take in Yin’s words. Her expression remained stoic, unreadable but for a moment he saw a flash of something in her eyes. Pain? Confusion? The sight was gone as soon as it surfaced and there was no guarantee that he would see it ever again.

Still, the idea that she couldn’t remember her family… Or was it that she did not want to remember? And if she really did not have anyone else, then who was keeping her safe? Keeping her company? Aoba thought that it was impossible for anyone to live alone. Just the idea made a heavy feeling settle in the pit of his stomach.

Thankfully, they are distracted from further serious thought by a pair of tall, cold glasses filled to the brim with fruit, candy, and whipped cream. Aoba perks up at the sight of their parfaits, silently hoping that Yin’s mood would also lighten once she took a bite of the sweet treat.

"A-Anyway, let’s dig in! I hope you like strawberries. The parfait has bits of sponge cake too~"

[moonlitpiano]

"Right," Yin mumbled softly in response, glancing to her salad but still she couldn't help but take a small scoop of the sweets, chewing and swallowing quietly with her mouth feeling a slight tingling at the cool sugary food. When she blinked images flashed before her eyes. So many, all blurry, and all gone in an instant when her lids lifted once more, her face ever placid in the half second it took her to blink.

Was it the taste? The sugar and how sweet the food was? Such flashes occurred every now and again when she saw certain things, tasted certain foods, but never could she make anything of them. Silently she continued to eat her dessert across from Aoba, a part of her wondering how he'd stuck around and persisted with questions about her when most by that point would have given up on her as a lost cause.

A few moments later she opened her mouth again, "Thank you," she said softly, leaving it open to how he wanted to take it: for the food...or for actually going out of his way to talk to her.

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Aoba smiled, grateful to earn a positive reaction from the girl. Then again, she could just be acting polite to avoid hurting his feelings.

"S-So, do you have any family here?" he continues in hopes of keeping the conversation going.

Or perhaps that was the wrong thing to ask? Yin’s face didn’t really register much shock (or much of any expression change, to be honest). Some people did not like discussing family matters, considering it as something too personal. Aoba personally could talk endlessly about his grandmother but now… the idea sent a slight ache to his chest.

"Er, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to… And in any case, I’m sorry for prying too much."

[moonlitpiano]

Yin was quiet a few seconds after the question, in thought, flashes of things appearing and vanishing in the swirling depths of her mind, but always too brief, too unfocused. There was also a pang of something in her chest, it was small, almost unnoticeable, but it was there and where usually nothing else was it did not escape her attention.

But given how she was her face remained ever placid, not even a twitch of a brow or a shift in where she was looking as she stared quietly at her bowl of salad. She did blink as he clarified himself though, slowly looking back up to him before her gaze fell once more. "I don't know," she finally mumbled.

Did she? She could not even recall her parents' faces, or names...did she have family? Everyone else always seemed to but as good as her memory was she could never remember having any. The only person she truly knew was the man who employed her some time ago, who had her moved here to work at a small store by the beach and occasionally helped pay her bills, though otherwise was largely separated from her life.

The silver-haired girl continued to stare blankly at nothing, lost in thought, almost forgetting she was not alone at the table but a hand idly lifted a piece of the salad to her mouth for her to take a small bite and shew softly.

[spawn-senpai]

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Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

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"You’re.. really something, huh."

Aoba was once more drawn to a blank, his conversation with Yin yielding more questions than answers. It was particularly difficult to gauge how she’d react to anything he said too, or if she would react at all. The young woman spoke with maturity beyond her age, like someone who had seen it all and lived to tell the tale. Or perhaps someone who had exhausted all their emotional reserves in one particularly traumatizing incident, burdened to continue living with the scars and emptiness inside.

Deciding that getting too serious, too philosophical about this would do neither of them any good, Aoba decides to continue with his efforts. He could at least try to be her friend. He would consider it mission accomplished if he could get her to smile - even a tiny bit- within their short time together.

Glancing as his side order of fries is brought over, the bluenet grabs the nearby ketchup squeeze bottle and begins drawing crisscross lines over the pile of fried potatoes. He does the same with the mustard bottle, pausing with a grin as he admires his ‘handiwork’.

Aoba grins as he easily finishes three pieces, pausing only to hold up a particularly long fry.

"Here~ It’s really good!"

[moonlitpiano]

Yin turned her gaze up to the man as he held out the condiment covered fry, looking to it for a second before she swallowed what she had and took it between two fingers with a quiet, "Okay," not minding that a little ketchup got on them. She swung the fry around and took a small bite out of the fry, though enough to get a little bit of the ketchup and mustard with it.

She chewed quietly for several seconds before swallowing, giving a small nod, "Thank you," she said quietly and glanced at her salad, thinking maybe she should offer something but knowing she didn't have anything quite as substantial.

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

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”- - And some fries!” Aoba quickly chimed in, his mood lifting at hearing Yin talk a bit more. He did not miss the odd way she spoke of the beach at night, eyes wistfully distant as she murmurs something about a ‘time she can’t remember’. All of this just increased the intrigue, the mystery surrounding this young woman and Aoba found himself curious to know more. He knew better than to outright ask for details Yin herself does not seem sure of but perhaps she would appreciate knowing they share similar qualities. Well, sort of.

"Memory problems, huh? I can relate to that somehow. Personally can’t remember much about what happened a couple of years ago.."

His hand lightly rubs the back of his neck, fingers unconsciously grazing what was once the start of a long, nasty scar. No other trace of it remains now, though, and Aoba is left with automatic reactions, impulses he couldn’t quite understand.

Taking a small sip from his drink, the bluenet decides to steer the conversation back to familiar waters. He might have overstepped certain boundaries by mentioning faulty memories and the last thing he wanted to do was make Yin feel uncomfortable.

"… To be honest, I’ve never been to the beach at night. You make it sound so beautiful, though. Maybe you can show me around sometime?" 

[moonlitpiano]

"It is always broken fragments brought back by small things," she mumbled calmly and took a slow and careful sip of her water, liking the coolness of it as it refreshed her somewhat dry throat. Not one to notice a change in people's posture, Yin simply remained silent as she waited for their food to arrive, sitting placidly as Aoba seemed to be focused with something else. She glanced up at him when he began speaking again, giving a small nod at his speculation and question.

"It is a matter of what you find beautiful, but perhaps some time," she replied and once more sipped her drink, looking down into the crystalline water as she held it in both hands, seemingly entranced by something. She'd always had a certain affiliation with water, never really being one to swim so much as she just enjoyed being in its presence or having her feet in a pond or the like. There was a brief moment where she wondered why that was.

However, given the simplicity of her order the waitress came back out already with a plate of greens and some ranch on the side for her should she have wanted it. The silver-haired girl blinked and gave a bow of her head with a barely audible, "Thank you," before she gingerly picked up her fork and began to eat ever calmly.

[unshifted]

黒田さんちの日常。 by サネイエ

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Dissonance [@moonlitpiano]

[cosmo-recalledarchive]

Aoba’s smile turns a bit nervous at the young lady’s rather straightforward answer. He was used to people who jumped on the chance to say something about themselves when the opportunity presented itself. For example, if asked about how long they’ve stayed in a certain place, most would give an estimate of time before citing a particular area they like or someplace that reminded them of home. They can even throw the question back at the asker and that was how conversations usually start.

But Yin seemed content with keeping quiet and it was making Aoba slightly antsy. The silence just made him want to know more about his strange companion. After all, quiet people are usually the ones with loads of great stories to tell… at least that was what he thought.

"Oh. Uhm.. Any particular area you’re fond of?" the bluenet presses on, hoping he’d get her to talk a bit more.

[moonlitpiano]

Yin sat quietly for a moment, though her eyes didn't seem to be scanning the menu. "The beach by which I work is pleasant," she said softly and was quiet again for a few more seconds, seemingly finished before she spoke again. "I like to visit it at night. The stars are bright there and the feeling of the moon's light brings back memories of a time I can't remember..."

The silver-haired girl stared off into space for a few moments before she blinked and seemed to come back to herself, eyes beginning to move over the options before her again, turning the page but saying nothing more.

The waitress came back with glasses of water and asked if she could get anything else for them, "A salad please," was all she gave as she closed the menu and set it down quietly.

[moonlitpiano]

Rememberance {Open starter?}

[thatwouldberatherdark]

Stars twinkled in the sky that night, not many but there were enough to warrant a proper first hand look. To see a thing on the internet or through the lens of a camera was an entirely different thing than to see it first hand, there was something pleasant about it. Sure he had seen stars out room windows but the opportunity to just look at them, without entertaining other thoughts didn’t come around that often. People often romanticized the stars and from a layman’s lens he could understand why but he was too cynical and aware of their nature to be enchanted in that way. Still…they were pleasant enough to look at…

As he wandered down street after street he realized that a month had come and gone and he had yet to return back to his work. This caused him a small amount of confusion, he wasn’t so wishy washy in his decisions as this. On a purely fiscal stand point returning to work wasn’t necessary but he had grown to miss the game and more importantly, winning that game. He was such a child in that way, relishing the high of victory and not much else. There was only one other reason he took on cases besides the thrill of solving them and that was the pull of his curiosity.

Off in the distance he heard the faint sound of piano notes and his curiosity compelled him to follow the sound. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do and he was always partial to the act of investigating. He didn’t move quickly, keeping to the tempo despite the cold air and genuinely enjoying the music. He wasn’t one to engage often in the arts but even he had to admit, the mysterious piano player was quite talented. The playing was tight, controlled and disciplined but also lighter than air, which he imagined said quite a lot about the mysterious musician. 

Finally he came across a bar, the sort of place he was very familiar with due to his work but had never actually been. pushing through the doors he found the source of the music. Seeing no reason to leave he pulled up a stool nearby the piano and sat there, deciding to stay and listen, at least until the song was over. There was something curious about the young woman with white hair…

[moonlitpiano]

The notes continued to flow out through her fingers though Yin herself still could not place where she had ever heard it, only seeing glimpses of a face, moving hands, an voice that spoke words she could not make out. She could feel the end of the song approaching though and as it began to slow so too did the fragments of memories she could not recall, each note of the calming melody beginning to taper off and as the very last of the notes were played gracefully by her fingers she slowly opened her eyes and watched them.

The last note was played and Yin calmly placed her hands on the surface of the keys until she felt something cold on her cheek when a light breeze brushed past. She reached a hand up and felt something wet, bringing her finger down to see a tear had rolled free of her eye, though she had never felt it nor had her features changed at all to suggest she might have been sad, at least as far as she was aware.

Not to exclude the fact she had never cried before, not as far back as she could remember.

Yin couldn't help but stare at the dampness now on her finger, wondering what had happened to cause such things to occur, the memories, the tear...It was then soft clapping reached her ears and she looked up to see the small group sitting at the table near the back was applauding her, though she hadn't meant to do it for show. She gave them a small nod of acknowledgement with features ever placid, though also noticed a new face at the bar, a man with black hair who seemed to be watching her, though he had a blank look upon his own face as well. She gave him a small bow of her head as well, not knowing what else to do, and sat there at the bench, lost for a few seconds before standing and moving over to a stall to collect her bearings.

[moonlitpiano]

★, ☹ and ✖!

★: Who inspires them.

{Hmmm, a bit of a tough one but probably Mozart, as someone who plays the piano herself she’s listened to and played quite a bit of his stuff not to mention that she has read about his history in detail before.}

☹: A thought that makes them sad.

{It’s not an emotion she usually feels, but she tends to associate it with the broken memories of her past such as a glimpse a familiar face she no longer remembers that could have been her mother’s.}

✖: A trait they despise in people.

{She’s actually a rather tolerant and patience person, I can’t really think of any one thing that would cause her to dislike someone.}

[moonlitpiano]

☼

☼: Favorite season.

{Something of a toss-up between spring and autumn but I’ll say autumn simply because that’s the kinda weather she’s used to and, as previously mentioned, I see her enjoying the crispness of the air in autumn.}

[moonlitpiano]

☠ ☁ ☻ ♫ ☃~!

☠: Their worst nightmare.

{As one who doesn’t fear many things, simply because she can’t, I’d probably say something that could come as close to that as it could is reliving the events that caused her to change her behavior again, only to wake up and not be able to remember such a thing happening.}

☁: How they feel about cold weather.

{I’d say it depends on how cold it gets. In the autumn she spends more time outdoors because of the coolness and freshness of the air. In Winter she’ll spend a bit more time inside but she likes to look outside and watch the snow if does indeed start to fall, otherwise she has neither positive nor negative feelings about colder weather.}

☻: Person who could without a doubt make them happy.

{To be found sadly. If you wanna get canonical to DtB then Hei most likely, but she would have to form an extremely strong bond with someone to ever even be happy…}

♫: Favorite music genre(s).

{As someone who listens to a lot of music and can’t really get bothered by much there isn’t much she won’t listen to, but she favors instrumental, modern alternative, and some country.}

☃: Would they build a snowman…

{Maybe with a bit of influence/an invitation, but yeah, I don’t see why not :3}

[leonardotaku]

[myanimediaryblog-blog]

[cittamemes]

Headcanons!

☠: Their worst nightmare.  ☮: How they keep calm.  ♥: How they show affection.  ♕: Would they rule, or be ruled?  ★: Who inspires them.. ☼: Favorite season.  ☁: How they feel about cold weather.  ☻: Person who could without a doubt make them happy.  ☹: A thought that makes them sad.  ♫: Favorite music genre(s).  ✍: What language(s) they can speak.  ✖: A trait they despise in people.  ツ: A guilty desire of theirs.  ☃: Would they build a snowman…

[thisisholywars]

Yin <3