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Zach Kitano (coalintodiamond) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2009-03-19 16:54:00

Entry tags:

logan nagamori, zach kitano

Sunday: December 23, 2007
Who: Zach & Logan
When: Morning into the afternoon.
Where: Northeast Elysium
What: Two friends hanging out.

It had been a while since Zach hung out with Logan, and he hadn't heard from the other boy for some time. Determined to change that, he dropped by Logan's house to see what he was doing. Since neither of them had plans for the day, he asked Logan if he wanted to go out northeast either walking to riding. It was nice outside to Zach despite the cold weather, even if the sky was overcast. The gray wasn't too dark, and he knew no snow or rain was on the way from either direction. Afternoon would be the warmest time to be outside, and he had no idea how cold it would be by the evening when the light vanished completely from the sky.

Instead of taking horses, they ended up walking. Other people were traveling around as well until they got past the outskirts of town and ventured into the sparse woodland between the two lakes. The palace was straight beyond, but it wasn't visible in the distance just yet.

"So," Zach began after a short break of silence, "what else have you been up to lately?" He never did find out if Logan ever visited Theora, a suggestion Zach had once made to him after the death of Kaiya and Faye. Logan had had a crush on Kaiya at the time, had discovered the bodies, and took it very hard. It was understandable, but Zach had wanted his friend to get some help and talk to someone knowledgable about his problems — someone like Theora who could have helped Logan much more than Zach would have been able to. While he had dealt with death before, he had never found the deceased body himself.

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dreammaster
2009-03-20 01:24 am UTC (link)

Logan had been keeping to himself lately. It had not been an intentional thing. He was not trying to keep himself separated from his friends any longer. He had just... Been alone. Mitsuko had been off doing her own thing lately. Logan suspected she and the necromancer, Irei, were seeing each other now. Things were still tense with Chris, which also complicated things with Charlie. Zach was probably the one person Logan was completely comfortable with at the moment. Logan didn't want to cling too much to Zach.

The weather was a little cooler than Logan was used to. While he was from Canada and most people assumed he was used to the cold, he was from the most temperate region. As he walked along with Zach, he pulled his jacket tighter around himself. But despite the chill, it was nice outside and Logan needed to get out more.

Logan looked over at Zach as he asked Logan what he'd been doing. How was he supposed to answer that? He had been... Nothing. He hadn't been bad, but he couldn't exactly say things were good either. It had been.... Nothing, really. He hadn't gone to see Theora. He hadn't seen anyone. He'd been alone in his room, painting. But that was very much what his life had been like prior to coming to Elysium. It was... What he was used to.

"I've been painting," Logan finally answered. He then remembered what he'd been painting the last time Zach had seen his work. "My stuff is... Different than you last saw. Not as..." He looked down. "I'm not painting her as much. Sometimes..."

He sighed and forced himself to smile. "What have you been doing? How's Adrienne?"

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coalintodiamond
2009-03-30 02:16 pm UTC (link)

Zach didn’t want to make Logan feel uncomfortable since taking a stress-free walk was the goal. When Logan showed the slightest bit of unease, Zach bit the inside of his cheek and smiled back, considering how to approach a turnaround in the conversation. He wasn’t going to push the darker topics for the first time since he’d last seen Logan. Time alone did the other boy well, something Zach understood from years past in his own life. “Let’s keep things light today,” he said outright, tensed shoulders sagging under the relief of releasing his breath. He tilted his chin downward a bit. “Adrienne’s good. She’s agreed to help me in the labs with my alchemy,” Zach added, lifting his head to smile.

When it came to alchemy, Zach found his focus shoddy half of the time. He could work on new projects occasionally, trying to learn things from his grandmother, but at the end of the day what was he supposed to do with it? Zach didn’t find a use for it, so he started using it less and less. It seemed almost as if his ability was fading into the background.

“I haven’t really been working on it like I used to,” Zach told Logan, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess I’m not as serious about it as my grandmother. She wants me to learn and be a great alchemist, but . . . I don’t really see what’s the point of my power. What good are jewels and gold if nobody has to buy anything, you know?” He frowned and scratched the back of his neck. His mouth quirked into a ridiculous smile. “I wonder if I told my grandmother that we should have a capitalist system what she would say. Think she could convince the others to implement one, eh?”

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dreammaster
2009-04-01 10:19 pm UTC (link)

Logan didn't really want to talk about the dark parts of his life. It weighed down on him enough as it was. Zach was one of the few people he could be around and not worry about the horrors that seemed to follow them around. Even around Mitsuko, Logan was reminded of the family he lost and was trying to rebuild. Zach was different. Things were so much simpler. It was a relief. "That's good," Logan said with a small smile. "Have you gotten her something for Christmas yet?" He kicked his foot, knocking up a bit of snow on the ground. "I'm still trying to finish Mitsuko's present. I don't even know if she celebrates Christmas. We haven't really talked about it. She's been busy lately." He paused for a moment. "I think she's having an affair with Irei Arakaki. Or Sascha Connolly." He went extremely red and shifted uncomfortably. That was really not a thought he wanted to have about his sister.

Nodding slowly, Logan sighed. He could understand why Zach was having trouble with his work. It seemed like so much had changed, it was hard to get into old routines. he didn't know a lot about alchemy. But he understood that concentration was needed for most magical arts. He hadn't been doing much to temper his dreamwalking abilities, which was nothing but detrimental to him.

Logan managed a small smile as Zach began to speak about changing the economy of Elysium. "You've been listening to Mitsuko," Logan teased, remembering the friendly debate his sister and Zach's father had when the two families had dinner together. "She'd definitely support you."

He paused for a long moment, thinking about things. He looked over at Zach. "Well, it's not much, but... I'm kind of artistic. And not just with paintings. If you made gold and jewels, I could take that and make jewelry. Even if there's no money, people will trade for that sort of thing." He kept thinking. "Or maybe you could talk to Malcolm Gray, the inventor. Couldn't he use gems and crystals for.... I dunno, telescopes or something?"

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coalintodiamond
2009-04-07 01:37 pm UTC (link)

Zach’s method of buying presents usually involved picking something up, or making it, whenever the idea finally came to him of what the person would like. It was the 23rd of December, and yet Zach hadn’t quite narrowed down what present he wanted to get Adrienne. “I’m trying to narrow it down,” he said, pursing his lips thoughtfully. “I’ve got three things I think she’ll like, but I dunno if I should give them all at once or save one of them for another occasion. Presents are sometimes hard things to figure out.” He already had presents for all of his family, but they were usually easy to figure something out for. With Adrienne, Zach was still trying to impress her. So, things tended to get hard.

Zach suddenly halted his steps, turning to Logan with an almost horrified look on his face. “Dude,” he said, shaking his head, “I did not want to know that about your sister.” It wasn’t the part about Irei that put a weird, icky feeling in his stomach. Zach didn’t know Irei. Considering he looked up to Sascha as a mentor figure and sort of on the fatherly level, it weirded him out that someone close to his age who was a friend of Adrienne’s could be involved with Sascha. “He’s so . . . old,” Zach said with finality, like that was all there was to it. “Isn’t Mitsuko around twenty?”

He started walking again, though, letting out a little sigh. Zach laughed when Logan said he had been listening to his sister. “Eh, I don’t know if I got it from her or it just popped into my mind lately. It’s kind of boring without monetary payment for things. It may sound weird, but I kind of like placing value to stuff.”

The idea of them hand-crafting jewelry together sounded fun, and Zach nodded his head. “I like that idea,” he offered with a smile. As for using crystals and gems for telescopes, the idea had never crossed Zach’s mind before. “I dunno. Maybe he could. I could offer him some and see what he says.”

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dreammaster
2009-04-14 11:58 pm UTC (link)

Logan had always made his Christmas presents. He'd only ever had to get things for his parents, as this was his first Christmas with anything resembling friends. He'd always done paintings or small crafts. Logan was good with his hands and his parents had always loved how much work had gone into his gifts. He was hoping Mitsuko would like what he was making her. Mitsuko had such expensive tastes, judging by her room and clothing. "Maybe you should give her something small on Christmas and give her something bigger everyday following. Like the Twelve Days of Christmas." It was a rather lame joke, but he actually sort of meant it. If he had a girlfriend, he'd probably give her a bunch of different things. He felt a slight pang in his heart at the thought.

Covering his mouth, a blush in his cheeks, Logan couldn't meet Zach's horrified face. "I didn't want to know it either, but she hasn't been very subtle. At least she does things..." He waved his hands. "...Out of the house. Just the idea of it is enough to disgust me. And Mitsuko's twenty-two. I don't think age really matters to either of them." He shuddered visibly. "But I dunno if it's him. Irei's probably more likely."

He looked down at his hands, nodding at Zach's assessment of the economical situation. "Yeah. It's nice to know just how much something is worth, so you can... Do something worth that much. I mean, yeah, people are going to work no matter what, but... It gives a sense of accomplishment. When my dad was selling my paintings, I always got a thrill out of selling one. Like... Some one thinks my work is worth THIS much."

Logan smiled back when Zach gave him affirmation about his idea. "I like it too." He paused. "I was thinking about getting a job. Contributing something I mean, jewelry's not REALLY important, but I'm good at it and people like it." He blushed again. "And it wouldn't be bad working with a friend." He was still getting used to the whole 'friend' thing and it made him bashful.

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coalintodiamond
2009-04-16 04:48 pm UTC (link)

"Hmm," Zach thought aloud, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. I could do that." If he had three presents, why not just give them all to Adrienne? It saved him from debating what to do. He wanted to be fair with everyone in the end and always hated giving more to one person than he did for another, but he supposed it was okay if you did it for your girlfriend. "I'm sure Adrienne would like it," he added with a small laugh. "Multiple presents are the way to any girl's heart, especially the more girly and sophisticated the presents are."

Zach didn't mean to embarrass Logan. If anything, the information should have been embarrassing for Mitsuko. If she had been here, of course. Even if he didn't want to hear that about one of his friend's sisters, he was definitely amused when Logan said she wasn't very subtle about it. "She doesn't seem like the type to be subtle," Zach concluded, conviction in his voice. "Your sister is very . . . out there," he said, motioning with his hands in front of himself. The next thing Logan said caught Zach's attention for sure, though.

"Wait, do you mean does things? As in, you know . . . " Zach didn't want to reveal his immature side and make a gesture he would regret, but he didn't know how else to express it. He decided to leave his words hanging instead with no visual representations. He made a face when Logan talked a little more about it. Now, he'd have the image of Mitsuko and Sascha in his head whenever he saw either of them. "She's still pretty young for him," Zach said matter-of-factly. "I mean, eight years is a big gap."

Zach agreed with knowing what something was worth. He liked knowing just how much something measured up, too. "I'm good at jewelry, too, but that's the whole alchemy thing. I work at the Glassblowers right now, but it doesn't seem like too many people come by that often unless what they have breaks."

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dreammaster
2009-04-24 09:59 pm UTC (link)

Logan nodded along as Zach spoke about Adrienne. But his words about his girlfriend made Logan think. He had feelings for Chris. He knew that. He still wasn't sure exactly what they were, but they were present none-the-less. His brow furrowed deeply in thought. "That really true?" Logan asked softly, hesitantly. Were presents really the way to a girl's heart? "Do you..." He became flustered and couldn't meet Zach's gaze. "You think I should get something girly for Chris?"

Everything tended to embarrass Logan, so it was no surprise he was a bit flustered by the conversation about Mitsuko's sex life. It was his sister and that was enough. Besides, he hadn't experienced more than an innocent peck himself. "She's really not," Logan said simply. The difference between the siblings was so vast. Logan didn't know if anything could embarrass Mitsuko.

Logan wrinkled his nose as they spoke about the age difference between Sascha and Mitsuko. "Do you think I should... Have a talk with him or something?" It seemed like something a brother should do, even if he was younger. Then, he was pretty sure Sascha would just laugh at him. The idea of Logan intimidating anyone was ridiculous.

Shrugging his shoulders, Logan let out a tiny, soft laugh. "Valentine's Day is coming up," Logan pointed out. "If we made stuff and advertised, we could probably get a lot of husbands and boyfriends wanting to impress their wives and girlfriends."

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coalintodiamond
2009-04-29 02:16 pm UTC (link)

A little smile appeared on Zach’s face when Logan talked about getting Chris a present. Zach nudged Logan’s arm with his elbow as they walked the path. “You really do like her, don’t you?” He always thought Logan liked Kaiya more, but he preferred not to think about Kaiya at this moment. It wasn’t going to do any good for Logan to think about the fae either, not after what had happened two months ago. “I’m sure she’ll like a thoughtful present. You can just get her something you know she likes or get her something shiny of sentimental value. Jewelry isn’t very important unless it’s got meaning behind it. Unless we’re talking about greedy people, of course, but Chris isn’t greedy.”

As for talking to Sascha about the age difference between him and Mitsuko, Zach wasn’t so sure about that idea. “Well, I mean, they’re both adults so they can do what they want,” he tried to explain. The topic was a little uneasy for him, though. “I just think it’s weird ‘cause of the age difference. They’re gonna do what they wanna do, y’know?” Zach shrugged. It wasn’t something he would bring up with Sascha. “They’ll do what they want, so just let it slide.” Zach didn’t think it was important to butt in unless it looked like someone was going to get hurt. Mitsuko and Sascha could take care of themselves, though.

“Valentine’s Day isn’t for another two months,” Zach said, grinning at Logan. “Man, you think ahead.” Zach let out a little laugh. “Ah, maybe we could plan something together if you want to give it a shot. Maybe we can make special Valentine’s Day jewelry and sell it? It’s more fun than giving it away.”

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dreammaster
2009-05-11 01:49 pm UTC (link)

Logan felt himself going very red. His feelings for Chris were still very confused. While he still mourned for Kaiya, she had been dead nearly two months now-- longer than Logan had known her. His feelings for the lamented fay were not an issue. But Chris' feelings for Hayate were. Chris' friendship with the vampire had strained things between them, especially since Logan didn't trust the man at all. She was also quite a bit younger than him. And one of his best friends. In some ways, Logan didn't want to risk friendship with romantic feelings. He had so few friends. ".... I guess," Logan finally managed. He then shrugged. "Anyway, she's one of my best friends. I should get her something nice." He would have to think about it. He'd definitely miss Christmas with the present. He wanted it to be perfect.

Logan couldn't help but laugh at Zach's comment. "Mitsuko does whatever she wants no matter what." He loved his sister, but he didn't she took anyone else into consideration when she decided to do something.

He shrugged slightly. "Not really that far ahead. Once the New Year comes, it'll seem really close." That had been how his mother had been. Always getting ready for the next thing months in advance, so she wouldn't be caught unaware. "Sounds like a plan to me. I guess we'll have to barter rather than sell, since there's no money and everything. Mitsuko's been doing that at the cafe, when guys want to take her picture. She's been trading them for it."

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coalintodiamond
2009-05-11 04:48 pm UTC (link)

The expanse of clear land stretched out ahead, and Zach let his gaze focus on it instead of on Logan. He thought he could see the Elven palace in the distance or at least the rolling mountains surrounding it, but he wasn’t so sure if that was the correct place or not. He hadn’t really been paying attention to where they were going as they walked. It was so peaceful out here, and he wondered why more people didn’t come out here and locked themselves within the confines of town. Helicharis was a nice place, but sometimes Zach preferred it out here even more.

“I dunno,” Zach said. “Valentine’s Day never seems close to me until it’s February 1st.” He’s rather sell the items, but Logan was right. There wasn’t anything to pay with unless you were talking about other items, which was just bartering anyway. “True. I should make a list of things I want and look for those while bartering.”

Zach smiled at the little thing Logan said about Mitsuko, and he could picture his sister doing that as well. “I’m surprised Mitsuko and Alicia don’t hang out. They sound like they’d get along just great.”

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Wanna finish it off?

dreammaster
2009-05-18 04:12 pm UTC (link)

Logan was one of those people who liked to keep himself locked away in his house. But that was when the alternative was being in Helicharis, with far too many people milling around. There seemed to be so much noise, so many people trying to get him to interact. Being outside didn't seem so bad now, with nothing ahead of him but the open landscape, one of his best friends by his side. It reminded him that not everything had been ravaged by the virus and the war. There was still beauty left in the world.

Logan smiled at Zach's comment, slightly bashful. "If I didn't think about it before February 1st, I probably wouldn't even have time to get a present for someone I liked. I take forever to do that stuff." Of course, he didn't know if he was going to be getting anyone anything. That might depend on how his Christmas present went over. "Sounds like a plan. I guess I'll do that too. And we can get working on some stuff."

There was a slight blush in his cheeks when Zach mentioned Alicia and Mitsuko hanging out. "Mitsuko thinks Alicia is awesome," he said. "I think she's a bit too old too hang out with her, but she said I should give it a try." In truth, Mitsuko had been trying to get him to ask Alicia out. Logan had a pretty good idea why-- things weren't progressing with Chris and Kaiya was... Well, it didn't look like things would go anywhere. And the younger Kitano had impressed Mitsuko when they'd met. Of course, Logan wasn't sure he wanted to tell Zach that. It didn't seem like something that would go over well with the big brother.

"Come on," Logan said, gesturing ahead. "Still lots of places to explore."

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Fin!

coalintodiamond
2009-05-18 04:43 pm UTC (link)

They would have to see how things went for Valentine’s Day when it came, if they still planned on giving it a shot by then. Zach supposed he could do Valentine’s Day, even though he wasn’t big on holidays, because he and Adrienne attended a dance together last year around that time. It didn’t seem like such a cheesy holiday when he could attribute something to it, and Zach had to think of a special present to get her for it. Maybe something that was more like an event rather than just an object for a gift. Zach was partial to presents of that nature when it came to his girlfriend.

He laughed a little at what Logan said about Mitsuko and Alicia. “I don’t know about that,” Zach told Logan. “Alicia will be seventeen in January, and you’re seventeen, so I don’t see a big different if your sister likes to hang out with you.” He shot a grin at his friend, though he wasn’t so sure how much he’d be grinning at Mitsuko asking Logan to date Zach’s sister. Normally, Zach would be cool about that sort of thing, but Logan already admitted to liking Chris. Zach was protective of Alicia as an older brother, and he wasn’t going to let her be a second choice for however long Logan still liked Chris. It would definitely be something he opposed until Logan got over Chris.

“Yeah, I never get out here enough, so let’s have fun while we’re here!”

Zach led the way down a hill, which opened up into the great field beyond. Elysium was a beautiful place, and Zach had all day to stay out.

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