001 ☯ Alma [VIDEO]

[alma_karma]

[The camera lens is partially blocked when the feed clicks on, fuzzy pinkish edges suggesting fingers to be the culprit. Whoever it is holding the device is moving if the shifting light and soft padding sounds are any clue. After less than a minute of traveling the footsteps stop and a small voice cuts through the silence.]

What’s going on?... Doctor Edgar? Yu? Where'd you go?

[When no answer comes, movement begins again, slightly faster than before as a steady light source from one direction becomes apparent. Maybe a window or a door...

There's a little gasp and the camera's view suddenly blurs, the faciliberry clattering loudly as it hits the ground. A cloudy sky comes into view, as well as an extremely foreshortened view of a young boy. He's staring up at the sky with an almost disbelieving expression, apparently unaware that he's dropped his device.]

Comments

[ACTION] Okay<3 Good night!

[tothelastbreath]

May I ask why?

[Oh it's nothing Alma, Allen can deal with being kept under watch 24/7 for POTENTIAL HERESY, but not little kids getting locked up.]

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[You have no idea how tempted I was to bring Link in here :| Alma tilts his head a bit, face perfectly calm.]

I guess 'cause we haven't synchronized with the Innocence yet.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[skdjk how did you get this lost, Walker!? He has to take a moment to put his finger on the problem.]

But the Order finds and trains apostles because they are accomodators who have shown signs of synchronising with Innocence. Your synchronisation rate may be low at first, but...

Re: [ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[He shakes his head.]

That's what the tests are for. To see if we can.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

Tests?

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[Blinkblink.]

Synchro tests.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[Cue flashback to a broken recount from Lenalee and memories of a man who'd merely wanted to see his daughter again.]

But it doesn't work that way.

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

... Huh?

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

I― [deep breath] Alma. How do these tests work?

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[Kinda sensing that something's not quite right here, but he can't quite put his finger on what it is. Allen doesn't look happy, though.]

I go into the testing room with the Innocence and touch it to see if I can synchronize with it.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[A little calmer now, that doesn't sound too bad. Not as bad as what Lenalee said about Hevlaska putting Innocence into people anyway, and Alma is most definitely not a Fallen, so things should be fine, right?

...Oh wait, this is the organisation that grafts akuma cells onto its human members.]

Is it... easy?

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[He doesn't say anything, just shaking his head.]

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

...I'm sorry to hear that.

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

... It's okay, though.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[No it isn't, because Allen is realising he would've heard of Alma if he'd ever made it to Exorcist status, but he'll drop the subject, prop his smile back up, and deal with the here and now.]

That's very brave of you.

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[Alma smiles back, albeit a bit more meekly than he might've before.]

Things're always okay so long as you're not by yourself.

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[Allen goes back to cleaning the room up, mainly because that's what he was doing before and will hopefully restore some kind of normalcy. It mostly involves shoving broken furniture into a pile.]

Indeed. I take it you have friends in the Order?

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[Alma watches Allen move about, tugging a little at the end of his rolled up jacket sleeves and looking unsure of just what to do with himself.]

There's Yu. And Doctor Edgar. And the other doctors too. [Well, most of them, anyway.]

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[Shoves it all into a corner and turns back to Alma, dusting his hands off.]

Well, I'm in the Order too. Would you like to be friends?

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[And back to that brighter smile from before.] Really?

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[Bending down again like before, hands on knees.] Absolutely.

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

Yeah! [Bending down that close? Means Allen gets a HUG.]

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

That's gr― [askfdhjaslf it's been a few months since anyone did that. Here's Allen hesitantly lifting an arm to return it gently, awkward but sincere.] ―um, great.

[ACTION]

[alma_karma]

[Get used to touching, Allen. You've just made yourself a clingy little friend.]

[ACTION]

[tothelastbreath]

[Shall (eventually) get used to it! He's good at adapting.]