foundationmods | Dreamland (round 3)

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round 3

Dreamland (round 3)

[A strange house of some sort sits in the pitch black nothingness that exists around it. For those just now wandering in, they will be drawn to the building, finding it lit up in a way that it should not be. It's as if the whole area- house, yard, fence, and giant sakura tree- all give off their own light, and the newly-arrived are drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

Inside the boundary of the yard, the familiar faces of those who have passed on already will greet them. Depending on who is asked, they might give an accurate explanation. But even if they don't, one thing is clear: you don't want to leave this place. The area outside feels Dangerous, and it is probably best to stay put.

Fortunately, the house is built in an old style, and there are many rooms to explore. One room on the second floor seems locked, but the rest are open to explore as desired. The standard rooms are easy to find: kitchen, a W.C. and a bathroom, a sitting room of some sort, and a couple bedrooms (with plenty of futons for the dead to use). There are also several tatami mat rooms with nothing in them currently, but it seems like there might be some use for those rooms.

Around the house, perches for birds can be found. No birds are on them currently, though.

Sometimes Watanuki can be found in the house, but most of the time the dead will be left to their own devices. The question is, what will they do here?]

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[He looks like he kind of wants to laugh again already; there's a tinge of delight to his expression as he takes in Natsuno's response, before he even bothers to pin down what the response is for. And that one is easy, for someone like Anon who knows how to watch people's movements and reactions. It's just new, and strangely wonderful, like the wings he wants to keep touching, but--

But for someone like him, it's also real hard to resist an opening when he's given one, particularly here in this smaller and darker space with just the two of them where it feels like they could do just about anything. He's bad at figuring out how relationships work, but he's extremely good at going with his gut and instinct, and they dictate that it's a good time to steal a kiss.

So he does -- leans in with a single movement to press his mischievous grin and bubbling laughter against the confused curve of Natsuno's mouth, and pulls away to answer -- somehow steadily.]

I don't think I've ever even had a business card. But you should definitely add the wings to it. I like them.

[ So much for even trying to sort through his thoughts because at the kiss his mind goes completely blank. In that moment, it's just the two of them, and nowhere and no one else matters.

But then his mind catches up to instinct and while he can't blush anymore, the down on his feathers can certainly poof out so now he's the fluffy pompom for once. The only sound he could really hear was the blood in his veins and his heart in his chest, but he did manage to catch the last words which were- ]

You like... [ This isn't fair his mind supplies and now it's his turn to press forward to take a kiss or two of his own. ]

Well I like this.

[Ah, he should absolutely have expected retaliation from Natsuno -- and he did, he did, it's just that despite all his foresight and his ability to pick up just about anything physically possible on the fly this is still his first time ever doing anything like this. Actually, it's probably the first time Anon's even imagined doing anything like this.

There hadn't been much time, or occasion, or anything like that.

So Natsuno can probably feel the way his breath hitches a little between kisses, and then the little huff that feels suspiciously like breathless laughter because all those downy feathers are definitely tickling him on top of everything else. He really shouldn't be trying to laugh and kiss at the same time but them's the breaks with this guy.]

Mmm, I can -- tell--

[Also should probably stop trying to talk at the same time but, y'know what. Once he's done with that he's leaning in a little more. Were we done with kisses? No we weren't.]

[ This whole affair is all kinds of ridiculous, but he wouldn't want it any other way. There's breathlessness from him too, from all the kisses and from the laughter that is part contagious, part nervousness.

Finally Natsuno pulls back just a little bit—he has to catch his breath unfortunately because jinrou need to breathe—and he's all stupid grin and fangs. He probably needs to think on what to do about the last part, but right now he can really only focus on one thing at a time. There's always next time, because there will be a next time, many more of them. ]

Good. [ Making some semblance of composing himself here. ] ...I'll keep them.

[ Yeah, he totally got the last sentence after all. ]

[It is completely ridiculous, especially since Anon also needs to breathe because Infernals also have lungs, yes, but he still follows instinctively for a split-second when Natsuno pulls back. He's no good at letting go of a new thing once he has it, sensations and sights and all kinds of things to dig into and explore, and he ends up blinking a couple of times as though to reorient himself in their new positions.

Then he just leans his head up against Natsuno's, a soft nudge against his hair and the feathers close by. He's just about as flushed now and his eyes are so bright; there's a flash of something sly in them when words happen again.]

Aha, I was wondering if you could. Maybe I'll have to find some of my own once this is over.

[It's mock-thoughtful.

Because his next move is just to turn and press a little kiss to the feathers, quick and absolutely an ambush.]

I'm glad.

[ For a second, it's possible Natsuno thought he was spared. Even with the renewed contact he can try to focus on the topic at hand because there's some thought he's put into keeping them. It's possible then that he might have missed that look, except he always makes his best effort to catch everything that happens between. Maybe it's some equalization for how he seems to mostly ignore the rest of the world and everyone else. So he gets about a half second warning before the ambush, which is a bit too late to really do anything (if he had even wanted to do something in the first place).

He lets out a short cry of pure surprise, his wings fluttering once or twice in response . It's comical really, as he's not about to take off from this position—more just an avian version of a cat batting with its paws in a futile effort. He is however, about to just let himself fall backwards to the floor, curled wings around them both and all. ]

Mmnph. You better cause this isn't fair. [ Absolutely half-complaining here even if he could just will his wings away. ] I'm going to turn into a hummingbird if this keeps up.

[And down they both go, because Anon is too busy dissolving into helpless laughter even with the wings fluttering all in his face now, and it's not as though he minds flopping half-onto one. That just means he's now cracking up in the middle of pile of poofy feathers. Not a bad result at all.

It takes him a while to catch his breath, actually, because the combination of Natsuno's face and the flaily wings and everything else is just way too good. Once he's mostly calmed down he stays half-curled against one wing, grinning the most shit-eating grin up at its owner.

Natsuno really, really didn't know what he was getting into.]

Heh. Even if I were to get Seiku back, they're wings made out of Celestial energy and specialized for combat. It's a little different.

[He gives the feathers next to him a fond pat. If Natsuno isn't going to put them away, then that means he has free rein.]

I've never seen a hummingbird before, either, so I'm totally fine with that.

[ There's some residual grumbling as Anon recovers; it completely fails at coming across as anymore than 30% cranky at best. Turns out it's really hard to feel anything but stupidly giddy when they're like this. At some point he oh so casually wraps his one wing around the infernal snugly, cause wings are useful for making gestures he still feels a bit shy about otherwise. ]

Just a little, hn? [ He's doomed. ] Then you're coming up with my fifth name because it would be your fault.

Just a little bit. But I wouldn't mind flying together for real. We could race.

[Now that he's stopped rolling around a little because of the laughter, it takes him a moment to blow some hair out of his face because that's all over the place too -- now Natsuno can probably see the silly smile that came out of the grin at some point. It might even have been the point at which he felt the wing move to hold him closer; there's something knowing in the way he's peering up at him.

He apparently doesn't plan on saying anything, though, so Natsuno might get away with this one. Instead Anon just closes his eyes and tucks himself even closer. It's a good cocoon to get lost in.]

Mmhm, I guess I have to start reading up on hummingbirds and other birds at some point, then. I'm not that good at naming stuff yet.

[Or maybe Star Wars will happen and Natsuno will suddenly become the Millennium Falcon. You never know.]

I'll need to practice. [ He sounds fond of the idea though, judging by the way his tone has softened. Natsuno's never been one for touch, and when he does it's usually rough, so he has no explanation for how he gently moves some of the strands of pink aside. He likes pink more than he thought was possible, but he likes having a clear view of all of Anon's features more. It's also not his fault if he lets his finger linger on the stripes either. ]

I trust you. [ With a small sigh he closes his eyes and nestles closer himself, wanting all the touch he can get. ] You probably can't be worse at naming than my father, anyway.

Heheh. The shinigami abilities I have right now totally include walking on air and all kinds of things, so...

[Anon peeks one eye open at the touches, and while his initial reaction is just a pleased little sigh, between the sensation in the wings and their proximity Natsuno can probably outright feel the thrilled kick and thrumming of his heart -- a little like a bird itself. Touch isn't something that he's really sought out or received a lot outside of battles; it's not something he thought to miss. But...

He leans into the touch and turns into it, and while it's not quite a kiss (then again, now that he's gotten on a roll with those you've probably created a monster here), he's still murmuring softly into Natsuno's fingers at this point.]

I'll do my best not to be your father. I think that would be a little bad.

[There's amusement and mischief and he's totally not also hiding behind Natsuno's hand because of all the things that just got said.]

Edited 2019-05-07 17:30 (UTC)

And the legends liked to say they all had wings...

[ Idle musing on shinigami, but he's quickly distracted by the not quite kisses. They tickle, and he's not going to fight the light laughter that follows any. He never fights anything with Anon, but usually his laughs aren't quite this silly. It's a good feeling though, and one that makes him feel lighter even if he's literally grounded right now. ]

You couldn't, even if you tried. He made my life miserable without realizing it. You... [ He catches himself here, realizing what he's about to say. Honesty is never something he avoided before, and he's not going to start now. Softly he continues. ]

You do the opposite.

I get the feeling a lot of the legends aren't right, just because there's so many worlds already.

[He laughs back, because the well of laughter in him is full again and he can't help it when they're being silly like this and they've been silly for a while now -- it's natural and inevitable like the way they ended up here somehow, in this soft little world of their own.

It's always so easy, with Natsuno, even if sometimes he catches him off-guard -- and Anon is never quite prepared for it somehow, which is why he gets to see him absorb the next words in real time. His current hiding place doesn't help him at all then, because now Natsuno gets to feel his entire face go hot under his palm; there's a single flash of a red eye, wide, before Anon ducks his head down and buries it into his shoulder.

There really was no way to prepare for that at all. There are so many things that he's hearing for the first time, or the first time this way, or just...]

That's -- so not fair--

[It's muffled and trying so hard to be petulant but isn't at all. This is definitely revenge for all his teasing earlier.]

[ Natsuno would be lying if he said getting revenge like this wasn't satisfying, but it usually didn't make him feel like he was lighter than air. And the warmth he's feeling probably isn't just from how they're curled around each other either. It's a win-win and he soaks up all of it: astonishment, embarrassment, and something else he never thought he would feel. ]

Heh, all that garbage Shimizu threw at me might not've been a waste. I'll stop before I get to the singing outside your window phase, don't worry. [ Said very playful and jokingly, but the kiss he plants on the infernal's forehead is from it. The words were overwrought he knows, but he really couldn't help himself. And with a reaction like this, he's inclined to believe that it was worth it, dumb smile and all. ]

[Anon still hasn't surfaced from where he's burrowed against Natsuno's shoulder, and his face is still red from what little of it can be seen through his hair and where he's trying to disappear under fabric and feathers and everything. But he relaxes a little, almost instinctively, under the kiss and after a moment he loosens the grip he had on Natsuno's sleeve and then sneakily (not so sneakily) loops his arms around him.

Some people don't need wings no matter how embarrassed they are!! And yeah, you're not peeling him off anytime soon.

That being said, there's also a grumble that sounds suspiciously like, I'm definitely going to make you do karaoke next time, anyway, still a little muffled but definitely, totally threatening.]

[ Hmmn. Natsuno not so sneakily loops his arm around Anon's waist, because they must be mirrors here too though they probably shouldn't take up thievery. He lets his eyes slide closed, pretty content in his recent conquest and everything in general. ]

I can't sing. Voice projection is fine, though.

Isn't there some kind of music where you just have to talk or yell into it...?

[Consider for a moment: Rapsuno.

Anon is finally willing to look up at him again after their reshuffling, and then he just settles in even closer now that Natsuno's arm isn't in the way anymore. Maybe it's just as fortunate for everyone else that the wings are around to screen them, at least, because they're probably still somewhere in the yard for this. In the middle of demon-slash-servant commentary.

They really shouldn't take up thievery. It's fine.]

And voice projection is... like that stuff they do with the dolls?

[He probably means ventriloquy but what's words for weird human puppetry things.]

Rap. [ Opening one eye to blink appropriately and also to look at Anon again now that he's emerged. Even if they didn't have the wing privacy screen, Natsuno wouldn't care. ]

...ventriloquism? Kinda. I can call out to people far away, even when I'm not in the same room. It's how a lot of Shiki got humans to open their house to them. I haven't really used it though, except to get at Erhard.

Mmhmm. Rap.

[Anon has definitely recovered enough at this point to peer up at him and give at least half a cheeky grin and a short statement that somehow sounds like Natsuno has agreed to something. What has he agreed to. Mystery! But he's not going to escape just like neither of them are probably going to escape from this cocoon for a while.

It's also possible that at some point Anon has entirely forgotten about the other people in the area but that actually isn't all that different from any other time they're together.]

I think I've heard of a power like that, in my world. There was this monkey guy who could turn voices into talking portraits! [why is his canon like this] It was kind of useless on him, but it sounds like it'd be a lot more useful to you guys.

[He definitely wants to hear the story of breaking and entering via voice throwing and also of course dragging Erhard. There's an expectant silence here.]

[ Opening the other eye for blinking redux. Yeahhh he def just committed himself to something but that's a problem for future Natsuno. Present Natsuno has better things to be distracted with, including trying to process a monkey who could make portraits. Or something like that. ]

...there's a lot of unique powers in your world, hn? [ Rhetorical question, but he's not sure how else to take it besides accept it with a small nod. His thoughts have already moved onto the next topic, a low hum filling the silence until he figures out how to say this. ]

We need permission to enter, right? Humans don't always sleep next to the window or any entrance, so by projecting our voice we can entice them to come outside or let us in. It works on multiple stories too, so we can talk to someone on the second floor or higher from the lobby or whatever. There's some alluring quality to it too, it's really hard to resist even if you know it's a bad idea. Tohru did that to me, even if my dad had already given him permission. I guess because he felt guilty.

[ There's something to be said about how he kept his tone mostly even here, unlike the other times he's brought up Tohru. The touch helps, but a finality is in his tone that wasn't there before. Tohru is in the past, and has no place in his future. And speaking of the future, he purposefully gazes downward—not with quite a smile, but far from a grimace either. ]

I didn't use it that way on the doctor, though.

Most of the powers for the contestants all came from the Celestials. Not all of them really know how to choose the talents they gave out -- they are Celestials, after all.

[He'll never give up a chance to drag the Celestials, that's just his duty as an Infernal no matter what, it seems. It seems more amused than malicious at this point, though.

Anon is just watching the shifts in Natsuno's expressions now with a little smile of his own; this close it's easy for them to see the little details in each other's faces, and there's something absent in the smile, like he's not quite aware he has it on. It's just there, quiet and a little fond, at least until it widens a little in response to Natsuno's gaze.]

Heh. Tohru really did a lot of weird things because he felt guilty, huh? If he was going to have so many regrets, he shouldn't have done any of it in the first place. Or at least, figured out what he really had the resolve to do.

[Judging by the tone of his voice, he's not talking just about Tohru. There have been plenty of those waffling types in this round of their Game, too. In a way, though, it's also just commentary; this is definitely something that's in the past. At least a couple of deaths in the past, now.]

Jinrou really have a lot of options to lure prey, though, huh? How did you use it on Erhard?

Edited 2019-05-10 02:54 (UTC)

[ A not so silent chuckle of approval at the Celestial drag. He's never met one or any angelic creature in his life and now he's biased against them. It's all pretty natural though, even if he wasn't a conglomeration of evil supernatural entities.

His not quite smile widens into a proper one even if it's understated. Part cognizant realization that the past is behind him, part the mirror that exists between them. ]

Mhmm. But I'd probably have to thank him if I saw him again. And then kill him properly, of course. [ Mostly fond with a side of mischievous. ]

We do, but I didn't need any of that with him. He was desperate from the start. That's never changed I guess, except now he's desperate to get away from me. There was this whole speech where he called me the worst type of hypocrite and... [ Screw impulse control and timelines, he's going for a kiss here that lingers maybe a second too long. ] He told me that if I was willing to destroy a world for someone like you, then I meant nothing to him. If I had no shame or humanity left, then I was as far gone as you and he would hunt me if I wasn't already out of play. For the greater good and all of that.

[ Laughing here, unmistakably dark. ]

And then he tried to escape and Shadow separated us. So I waited a while until I was sure he was alone again and I spoke to him using projection. Even he can't run away from a voice that's all around him. I wasn't going to let him have the last word just because he's a coward and good at hiding behind someone else.

[Considering their closeness all around now, they're an even bigger ball of supernatural and nominally evil entities at this point -- there are enough demons here to chase the bats out of hell, and maybe that's why it's so easy to settle into it like a blanket.

Maybe Anon just really, really likes the way Natsuno looks when they're both talking about dubious existences and even more dubious choices. He has no doubts here, though -- just a question or two, which he muses out loud, leaving it between them for Natsuno to pick up or leave as he wishes.]

Hmm, thanking him...?

[Because there are a lot of other things to be distracted by, the way the dark words and the darker expressions draw a thrill down his spine and the way all the realizations and confessions cascade together, leaving him flushing and a little blindsided for the umpteenth time in the wake of the kiss. That's about the only thing he holds on to for a moment, the rest is a bit of a jumble, and he's already all the way off-balance so what's a little more. That and:]

... Let him try and hunt you and he'll see what regret really is. It doesn't matter where I am or what happens. I have a long memory. So does the universe. [Natsuno wasn't there when Tsubasa was condemned, but the same sharpness surfaces in Anon's voice for a moment; in the next, it drowns in the way his voice sinks into softness, the way he ends up curling closer into Natsuno somehow as though they aren't already cradled together] There's no way a cornered animal like Erhard would get it. This is where I always was.

[It's a little more complicated than that, but there's no way for him to put that into words right now -- instead he reaches for another kiss, warm and a bit unsteady.]

You really are keeping up.

[Another kiss and it's a bit more playful, the half-curve of his grin pressed light and elusive against Natsuno's lips. He's still holding on tight.]

Yeah. If Tohru didn't kill me, I wouldn't have met you. He still deserves to die, though. [ Credit where credit is due even if the end result is hypocritical anyway.

Perhaps paradoxically, Natsuno pulls that sharpness closer—there's something alluring about it, even more so knowing the motivation behind it's existence. He's always been attracted to danger, and that apparently carries even when it's not directed at him. But the softness that follows is just as welcome, even if the reasons are different. Dualities often work this way, his evolving sense of taste just one recent example—salty and sweet, spicy and sweet, there's as much honey in his meals, actions and words nowadays.

The kisses he returns are heavy and warm, pulling up his lips into a keen smile. That'll have to do in response for now, there's still a lot of discovery to be had when it comes to walking this new path they've started on together. Clumsily, he slips in a sprinkling of words as insurance at the end just in case—"I know, I won't forget either." ]

Mhmm, in whatever way I need to. With these [ Bristling his wings around them for emphasis. ] I don't need to worry about growing taller.

[There's a soft little acknowledging hum, Anon chasing more kisses in lieu of delving further into Tohru once more -- both because he agrees on all counts anyway, and because there's something both disquieting and thrilling about the talk that comes up once in a while: all the ways in which they could have never met, all the ways in which both of them could have continued on their own paths and he knows how that would have ended. At least for him, where it would have ended; and for Natsuno...

It's not in Anon's nature to dwell on the past, or on regrets, other than building stubbornly on their corpses; he likes his steps light and his head high, and he refuses (he will always refuse) to let it steer him. He knows where that ends, too.

So he winds himself ever closer instead, just missing climbing onto Natsuno outright but pouring the rest of the momentum into their touches. Insistent, greedy for the sweetness Natsuno unfurls for him like his wings, moving and giving under the heaviness of kisses in return and feeling himself slowly finding anchor again between them. It's a give-and-take that's somehow become easy, like the way they fit together and the way Natsuno's words sink into him even when they're new and strange.]

You're here.

[He whispers that, disjointed but containing everything, and burrows closer to all the feathers, too. Having Natsuno all around him like this really is something he could get used to; maybe he's already gotten used to it.]

You're here, so... I-- We can go wherever we want. And grow however we want.

[He stirs a little, but it's just to press another soft kiss to the nearest feathers.]

You can even grow more wings if you want to.

Dreamland (round 3)

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