jigokulogs | OPEN ➸ May Catchall

Entry tags:

OPEN ➸ May Catchall

Who ⬤ Matoba and you!
What ⬤ Curses. So very many curses- eye attack, haniwa, and... the arcade?
When ⬤ Throughout May
Where ⬤ Around the city, but mostly Sutoku territory
Content Warnings ⬤ Possible light violence from the attack prompt?

1 ➸ Fight Fire With Fire (Substory 4/May Eyeakashi Attack)

[ooc; please read this info/permissions post before replying to this prompt (and feel free to ping me with questions!)]

[A]

[Whatever you happen to be doing when the low, rumbling groan begins to sound from the sky overhead of you, the crowds around you uneasily stop and glance around. Its source is unclear, and others on the street seem equally puzzled-- all but one, a man, who withdraws the paper parasol tucked into his obi and opens it with a smile. Matoba bends over, and deposits something on the ground from a bundle he is carrying- if your eye is sharp, you'll see that they're those haniwa that have been popping up around the city, the ones the Enma specifically said not to mess with. His parasol is left to shade them, like a little house.]

[Are you going to ask what he's up to?]

--

[B]

[If not, he begins to walk away from his little dioarama- directly towards you, it so happens.]

[A mass of black sludge suddenly rockets out of the sky and smashes into the sidewalk moments later, leaving a small crater where the man had been; instead of him, the haniwa are devoured in an instant, absorbing a seismic flash of cursed energy that anyone with spiritual senses is sure to feel. The parasol is left crunching into its formless, toothy mouth before it realizes it has been tricked, and stares into the crowd- directly at Matoba.]

[And you.] OooouuGGGHHhhhhh.... EYE..

2 ➸ Cursoid (Substory 4)

[The trouble with cursed objects was that they seemed innocuous to those that needed to avoid them the most. As more and more of the little haniwa figurines began to appear throughout the city, Matoba had reluctantly taken it upon himself to do what he could to seal and remove them from public spaces, either delivering them to Department of Enma stations or whisking them away to less populated spaces. Those in Enma may find themselves tasked with a sudden delivery, wrapped in strange paper spells as Matoba gives you a skeptical once-over.] ...Are you sure you can handle this?

--

[Those outside the Enma- those who can't leave well enough alone on the streets- get even less benefit of the doubt.]

I'd appreciate if you could avoid touching that. [His tone is more exhausted than sharp, at this point; you might get the sense that he's tired of repeating himself, but with people kidnapping them to dress them in cutesy little costumes and all manner of other absurdities, he's really over it. Maybe he should just let you all get cursed.]

3 ➸ SHMUP is just fun to say (arcade)

[Some time ago, Matoba made the Daitengu a promise. For a while there, it seemed as if that promise would be a fruitless endeavor... After all, why compete against a dead body? Fortunately, news of the Daitengu's demise was highly exaggerated, and so Matoba can be found in the arcades from time to time, his single uncovered eye narrowed in focus.]

[...He is, as Daitengu said, 'in the zone'.]

[Bright lights and colors flash across the screen as explosions and bullets fly across the screen, Matoba's movements precise and automatic. It was pretty different from the old 90's games he'd played growing up in the rural arcades back home- flashier, extra mechanics- but the basic idea was the same, right?]

[Alas, after a tough late-stage boss battle, his ship explodes. Matoba lets out a soft 'tch', finally detaching from the machine to reach into his coinpurse for more yen... When he finally notices you hovering nearby with a slow blink. Forgive his strained eye, it needs to refocus.]

...My apologies, were you waiting for this machine?

----
[Hit me at

kitsoru or via PM for plotting or questions!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eye-like things...

[ That does explain the umbrella, but it's also an eerie reminder of just how many things Tama will never understand about the ordeal he went through. This isn't the place for those pathetic feelings, however; he stands back up, glancing Matoba's way. Despite his usual antics, it's surprisingly severe. ] You're the sort of person that makes it hard to differentiate 'confidence' from 'death-seeking'. [ Maybe that more than anything is the closest he's come to any serious chastisement, but the firm stare doesn't last. ] The sidewalk might object to your methods, but it does seem like it ran off...what a troublesome curse.

[ Nearly a month back now, he can recall with pristine clarity, the pattern he'd seen over that sealed eye. It must have been a delusion, in retrospect, but some part of him can't help but wonder if it also wasn't a warning about getting involved with people the way that he always does. ] My eyes are already 'spoken for', so I don't imagine there was much to worry about. Even if it missed it's mark that severely, it would have to be because it's missing half it's sight. [ Tama makes a much more exaggerated dry expression. ] I would lose all my charm if I had an eyepatch, though, so I appreciate the concern for my vanity.

[The accusation might seem out of place, to an outsider, but Matoba finds it a clever and perceptive glimpse into someone who bears an alike burden. His expression doesn't change, as ever smiling and dangerous, but he meets Tama's narrowed gaze with the same fearlessness with which he met that monster, and doesn't try to hide anything.] I promise you, Mizumori-san. I am not that wasteful.

[Which isn't entirely a denial, either, because they both know how it is. It simply means that if that was a consideration on the table, it is because there aren't many other options left.]

[He follows Tama's gaze instead and then softly huffs, which might have been a chuckle, and continues along.] That is a situation I could not say our clan's long history can account for. Wouldn't it be interesting to test? [He smiles to Tama, and immediately interjects--] Kidding, kidding. [Is he.] Your charm, huh. ...You know, it's not so bad. Normal people can't see the paper, and having a shocking appearance can make it much easier to get what you want out of people.

If you're willing to use it to your advantage, of course. [Which, obviously, he is.] What kind of charm do you mean, by the way?

... [ 'Wasteful' is one way to put it, he supposes. Not that it makes Tama feel much better about the implied situation, but he's not going to be pushy yet. The instinct is building, the longer he's stuck in hell, but he's trying to be a better person. Even if he wants to launch back about the cheapness of a promise. ]

Eh? [ He would have instead made a sarcastic quip about the 'just kidding!' sentiment, but instead Tama focuses his squinting gaze really hard on the paper seal. It looked like something else to other people? That was...familiar, and he pouted a little over it. ] Y'know, I once asked my grandparents about my father, because I didn't know where else blue eyes could have come from...they both said they're black-brown, and didn't know what I meant. [ His bags of sweets get slung up his arm further, so he doesn't have to worry about dropping them, and not because this kind of topic makes him fidgety. ] A 'shocking appearance' doesn't really help if you can't reap any benefits from it. And besides- [ His cheeks puff up even more, gesturing like a lecturing teacher. ] Shouldn't you go along with the 'charm' thing longer, only to shut it down when my guard is lowered? You went for the weak point too quickly, Matoba-san!

[As long as there is an understanding. Since Tama doesn't protest, he assumes the meaning is loud and clear; he can deny it, but that would be hypocritical, Matoba thinks.]

[He's staring at the ward now, and Matoba turns towards him to shift it back slightly, showing the peek of a plain medical eyepatch beneath it. Just below that, there was the barest hint of scar tissue, but he shifts the ward back into place before Tama can get a better look.] Hell seemingly grants Sight to all humans, so you can't tell the difference here, but typical humans only see the eyepatch. But I am sure your peculiar eyes would perceive it. [Peculiar eyes.... Those who came from strong spiritual bloodlines often had peculiar eyes, whether they were cursed or not. Natori, with his blood-red eyes; Natsume-kun, with his gold ones.]

[For Tama to look in the mirror and see a different pair of eyes than the ones everyone around him saw must have been maddening when he was too young to understand why, like Natori and his lizard. They probably had quite a bit in common, he's beginning to see.]

Then you ought to find yourself in more situations where you can take advantage of that, hm? Take some initiative. [Put yourself out there! Be bold! Matoba chuckles light-heartedly at his chiding, brimming cheerfulness and mischief and not a single lick of shame.] You exposed it to me so self-consciously, so going along with it would have been too predictable, don't you think? This isn't a novel, Mizumori-san.

You haven't answered, by the way.

[ The glimpse of the eyepatch, and the scar beyond it- he can feel the blooming effect again when his eyes lock on to the sight, remaining a little dazed and focused on the spot even once the seal is slid back in to place. It feels too real- too, something -for it to just be a delusion born of thinking about a previous potential hallucination he had, and in a strange way...it reminds him guiltily of how often he would try to stay on Professor's blinded side just to keep the guy from watching him so intently. When he finally tears his eyes away, it's with a troubled little frown, and a quick dig in to his candy bags for another hi-chew. With...some reluctance, he tucks the wrapper in the sweets bag, and holds another hi-chew up by the end's twist-rap pinched between two fingers, as if in offering for staring like that. It's strawberry, take it or leave it. ] I told you I was seeing things since I was barely old enough to talk, right? Before the hashihime by several years. [ It's...all sort of a peace offering, the candy as well as the confirmation of information.

A peace offering he is immediately regretting, the second Matoba brings up initiative. ] Initiative how? I can't even use the rain here, and if everyone can see the things normally I'm stuck seeing on my own, then that's nothing special either. [ He does huff, pouting and a little red. ] ...and being complimented on my eyes just feeds her vanity, surely, not mine.

[ He only extends enough of a hand up to adjust his glasses to sit better on his face- he's been more spotty about wearing them properly compared to the start of the month, but Tama's always going to carry them, or he'd go insane and pick his sleeves apart by the buttons. ] Besides, my charm is as an intelligent-looking writer, of course, though not a single soul seems to believe that these days. So, I guess my actual charm point is the opposite- that I am incredibly, unflappably stupid. [ He turns up his nose just slightly. ] And to an idiot, everything in this world is a novel waiting to be put to print, Matoba-san. That's the spirit of the human animal- to record, and to make. I'm much better at taking advantage of creativity than any Sight.

[There again, something trips Tama up, and he's not certain it's only the sight of the scarring. What he says after that sort of fills the blank in for him, though. Matoba had considered it, at some point- that some of the things the other man had described could be caused not just from possession.]

...That does not surprise me, [He agrees, and then stares down at the Hi-Chew with a momentary trace of genuine confusion at the gesture. After a short pause, he reaches to accept it, and unwraps it cheerfully before popping it into his mouth.] --Thank you.

Ayakashi are often drawn to those who already have some trace of spiritual power. If one does not have the innate talent, a possession will usually just result in sickness, or madness, or other ill effects.

One's aptitude for the spiritual would generally also determine suitability towards using that ayakashi's skills or magic. It actually isn't unheard of for me, that a clan in some desperation to make these deals willingly in exchange for that power. But if the bloodline begins to thin and no heir is born that can offer a suitable host, that can go pretty badly.

[Just some speculation, no reason.... Matoba chuckles as Tama complains about his lot in this city, his useless curse. So he had tested his powers, only to find that they didn't work.] It seems that is a function of the Underworld. I also arrived here sealed of my powers; in that case, you had better hope that our distinguished leader does not decide that you are useful, and unseal that troublesome hashihime's powers.

[After all, he can't imagine that he would ask for it back, but Matoba hadn't asked for any of the things that had been unsealed for him; the Alliance was a clan of information dealers. It was a no-brainer to assume that they had eyes everywhere, determining who was of use and of what use they could be made, and that the Alliance leadership's decisions to grant power back on that basis was not swayed by an individual's wish for that power.]

[He smiles back towards Tama as he huffs and sulks. This one really was quite the drama queen, wasn't he? At least it wasn't in an insufferable way, like that Natori and his flighty playboy act. The truth couldn't have been more night and day, unlike this one and his constant stream of complaints. Matoba didn't mind it.]

Mizumori-san, are you saying we exorcists aren't creative? I'll be happy prove you wrong, someday.

What about when you're already mad? [ He's not feeling particularly intent on being cagey about his own questionable mental health, not right then at least. It's the umbrella, he's decided to tell himself, that has him so sullen. ] Someone with a sick mind and this Sight stuff, then attaining a possession not even meant for them... [ He gestures up and away, almost dismissively but without any real thing to be dismissing. ] I don't know many details about how clan curses or such-and-such are meant to work. I think you can guess who would know more about that, instead.

[ Tama still doesn't know how to work around the boulder in the road that is Minakami's attitude towards this stuff, versus what Tama's learned from others. Certainly, he's come across a wild array of attitudes- the government's desires to avert their failures with the so-called 'farsight' of those housing hashihime, Minakami's bitter feelings of failure that are too much to keep a hold on, most days...but also the childlike optimism of Professor and the near-nihilism with Kawase. It's strange, to really feel that being 'cursed' is not as heavy on him as it is on others. Even the people here, with resignation and a vitriol for their passengers...maybe he can't feel as strongly as other people. Maybe it's intrinsically 'him', the apathy. No- he knows it's him. ]

It's less doubting your creativity and more the depths of insanity achievable in this hell. I'm sure you're capable, you'd not be so assured if you weren't, but for example, I don't think even our chaotic-sounding leader would want to introduce traversing worlds to the retinue of things they need to keep track of. That's the sort of ability you return to someone only if you can claim some absolute dominion over the person. I'm not completely naive. [ He digs around for another hi-chew, unwrapping it and tucking the wrapper, again, in his bag. They're not Calspi wrappers, but he needs some visual inspiration to get writing again, or Tama is liable to go fully mad. ] And I don't plan on being indebted to someone with that much disposable power at their fingertips. I would rather have people accept me as the idiot I am, than think too hard about what I could actually become. [ Tama glances back up, then finally moves where he's wanted to all the this time- towards the busted umbrella, to pick up its splinters. ] Aren't you the same, in a sense?

You are not mad, Mizumori-san, [Matoba says, his tone almost gentle.] You were born with talents which made you a suitable vessel, and you simply lack the training to make proper use of them. If you allow the ignorance of those who cannot see the same world as you direct your self-image, you will only waste yourself.

[It isn't kindness- not in the traditional sense- but rather a sort of unshakable confidence which radiates from him, a worldview so sure that it might prop up another in its stability, if they will let it. He was born to lead, and so he leads. That was his function.]

[...He should have a talk with him, though. That Minakami. It seemed that he already had his opinions on the Matoba's ways, if their last meeting was anything to go by, but the way Tama spoke of him made him curious. Such nervousness... Was it his "suitability"?]

Hahaha. You say that, but......... [But ayakashi's scope of the world was so different from a human's. Was that so much to keep track of, for them?--] I suppose we shall see. ...I think it would be fun.

[But then, as established: he's a little mad, himself.]

[Tama's question makes him actually quiet for a few moments, thoughtful. He keeps his gaze forward, and his face has the same neutral smile as ever, but there seems to be almost some sort of wistfulness to it now- as if perhaps, he is recalling something.] ....Yes. I suppose, in a sense.

[He watches Tama pick at the splinters, uncomprehending their importance, and instead frowns and steps forward with some exhaustion in his voice.] There are likely to be fragments of those dolls amongst that mess. I wouldn't mess about with it, if I were you. [How many times does he need to nag you about this!]

Edited (all these TYPOS) 2022-05-29 06:21 (UTC)

[ He wants to argue. He is mad, he's seen doctors, multiple doctors, specialists and nurses, all saying ███████████ with such an almost gentle manner that it makes him want to drown himself just so he can't hear them anymore- but Tama doesn't let himself say anything. It's more acknowledgement than he wants to give it. More than he wants to think about. He'll just erase it. He'█l just er█se it. Just put it out of his mind. It's okay. It's okay.

Tama hadn't realized he had tensed up, but promptly lets his shoulders lower again, waving the umbrella splinters lazily at the ground like one might a summer sparkler. The spray of color, little pulses of that same 'eye' symbol, radiate from the broken remains, but still the hallucination won't project. But at least it's there, always when he needs it, pushing uncomfortable things away. ]

I'm not unwasteful like you, sadly. It would save people a lot of headaches if I had been more frugal with my spending, in fact. [ He'd like to be better about these subjects, he's even interested in actually learning about exorcist things, but it's probably for the best he remains at this distance from the supernatural. What he'd be capable of if he actually learned something, tapped in to his potential in a more meaningful way, then...he can't trust himself with that. It's too much power for a selfish idiot. ] You have that...terrifying thing chasing you as your 'curse'. And you've guessed that the hashihime was mine. But that's not exactly the truth, Matoba-san. She's more...something I'm using to get what I want.

[ Tama turns around, letting the umbrella splinters clatter back to the ground. ] The actual curse that's following me used this same symbol as a kamon. For his umbrella, too. [ Tama keeps his eyes locked on the umbrella, heedless about the haniwa shards, but at least he was moving away from the mess again, now that he was done with messing with the broken umbrella. ] There's a lot of things I don't know about exorcism yet, like at what point someone becomes a monster...but that man certainly didn't die as a human. Maybe I can't feel [ anything at all ] as strongly about curses or yokai as you do, when mine is already dead.

[What a pitiful state this one was in, Matoba laments to himself as he watches the grief wash over and through him, his body tightening in a reaction he certainly couldn't hide, despite his best efforts to seem bitter and detached afterwards. He knows this routine too well.]

[Matoba can't reply to that. He doesn't know what Tamamori's situation was, back home; he doesn't know if the world would have been better off without him, and he certainly wasn't the type to reassure him one way or the other, regardless.]

[He wants to correct him, though- to reassure him how obvious it was that the hashihime had been a curse not meant for him. But his whole attention is taken instead by the information that Tamamori tells him after that, and he's busy quietly arresting a flare of rage to respond to anything else. There's a long silence between them, Matoba just watching the other young man, until he's capable of making the expression he wants to show again.]

Our clan's kamon, hm. I wonder what you could have done... to anger my great-grandfather so much.

...Kidding. A Matoba head wouldn't be gallivanting around up in Aizu.

[His smile is wicked and brimming with ill-intent, but it's not really directed at Tama. It's just that he's so displeased to hear that at some point in time, in some remote village in Aizu, some bastard might have been running around (further) tarnishing the Matoba's reputation with a desperate and pathetic pursuit like the hashihime's power.]

[Matoba approaches Tama as he finally moves away from the mess, and this time, he stops and stands over him, staring down eye to eye. It was oppressive; aura of some sort, if not explicitly, seeped from his being.] A human spirit twists easily, Mizumori-san. It isn't as difficult as you may think, but death and the accumulation of emotions it brings is normally one's entry into it, not its end. It is certainly a long and arduous process, and transforming in one's short lifetime is normally not likely.......

[But, with the power of the hashihime involved? If it were that sort of power... That the Tamamori before him had survived to this point without becoming twisted himself might have been the most surprising thing of all. Perhaps there was a point in time somewhere, where that was not true.]

Rest assured. If that thing followed you here, I would destroy it.

[ Where before he had wondered what kind of life one had to lead to speak with such venom...now, Tama is forced to wonder what kind of life he's had, that hearing the same vitriol leveled at something he despises can fill him with instant relief. The colorful edges to his sight pop, and his shoulders slump even lower from the weight cast aside. The oppressive aura is a comfort- because from this distance, the specific way that he and Matoba have awkwardly skirted around one another, he can believe a claim like that. This is someone who is just far enough away to take aim, without clouded vision. His delusions were right to be worried, then...but it makes him weakly smile. ]

If you can keep that promise...I would truly be in your debt, Matoba-san. [ He's still the first one to look away, adjusting the bag still slung up his sleeve, but more from the discomfort of...standing on the precipice again. Having a breakdown to Minakami had only pushed those toxic thoughts to the forefront, and it wouldn't do to let them concentrate further. ] I would help you clean up the mess your fated friend made, but I don't think you should trust me with a broom, and you've banned me from messing with the haniwa...you're a troublesome 'senpai' to have, y'know.

[Matoba looks at Tamamori for a moment after he tears his eyes away, whether it's buckling under the pressure of Matoba's gaze or under the weight of his own anxieties. It was the heart that allowed itself to be dragged down under the depths that ayakashi loved the most. Indeed, perhaps spiritual sensitivity was not the only factor that had attracted the hashihime to Tama.]

[With his gaze averted, he doesn't see the change in Matoba's face as his expression returns to its normal neutrality, but a soft snort escapes him that calls attention to it, and the next time he looks, that placid smile is back in place.]

Oh, I don't think it's such a problem. Most ayakashi around here know to leave it alone. [Unlike some humans. Don't forget that he's looking after you, kouhai.] ...I will ensure it is taken care of.

[There is a pause as he watches him. Could this one be trusted, left alone?] ...Mizumori-san, please think about what I have said to you.

...if you want me to improve, you'd better set a good example, as my senior. A student's only as good as their teacher. [ ~~i am begging them to realize they're the same damn age~~ ] Though, having said that...maybe I should say 'sorry' instead. [ The stability's returning to his tone- it's always so hard for him to realize how far he'd be drifting listlessly until forced to get a hold of his senses again. But maybe it's the gravity- the 'confidence or death-seeking' -that's helping. Tama is ever-wary of relying on others for that kind of grounding, but...this is closer to fine. He's not overtaking someone, and...well, Matoba probably won't try to take his eyes out. ]

Really, you should be more careful than anyone. You're the one who was courting danger on the sidewalk...! [ Tama puffs his cheeks up, arms crossing. ] I'm starting to think that all countryside boys from spiritual families are alike in that regard. As a kid, I bet you were off bailing other boys out of their problems, too...your self-assured manner won't work on me.

[If Tama thought he was getting any serious reaction to his scolding, then he's in for disappointment. Matoba crosses his arms into his kimono and lets his shoulders shake with laughter.] Ahaha... Set a good example...in not touching things that I should not? Very well, but the difference between us is that I have the proper training in handling these sorts of things, and you do not.

If what you are demanding is training in sealing arts, well. Ask me when you've paid back all your debts, and we'll talk. [His mouth curls in its knowing little smile.] Perhaps after you've eclipsed me in rank, you'll be in a position to make demands, hm?

[Come on, walk with him, and stop wallowing... Matoba starts pacing away again, half-listening as Tama's scolding continues. Under normal circumstances, he would be paying only half a mind to it, but-- well.]

[This is a problem. Tama was really either a little too perceptive, or an excellent guess. Matoba stops in his tracks, and turns back to look at him again, a strange smile on his face. Once again, Tama is being stared down.]

....Won't it now? [His eye half-lids wickedly, and for a moment, he just looks at him. Is it a possibility that they've met already....? He wouldn't put it past, but even if that was the case, he doubts that fool did anything but deflect with that poor acting of his, anyway.]

[Maybe it would be funny to tease him, just a little.]

Alas. You're not my type, Mizumori-kun.

[ Of course he wants to complain about his stingy senpai and his stupid accumulating idiot tax and the many other things worthy of complaining about- and it's a relief to have that avenue still there, not turned strange by his own behavior -but Matoba stopping, turning, smiling like that, and then veering so in to a separate train track that Tama bodily tilts as if trying to keep up with the swerve. ]

Eh?! I- [ His instinct, as ever, is to act like an angry bird, shoulders high and cheeks puffed. He's digging in to his sweets bag in a flash, to grab one of his poor cookies as if he'd about to fling it right in Matoba's face, but his words are always rushed out of him faster. ] -I-I'm spoken for, if you hadn't-! [ Wait. Hold up. For one, why would Matoba have intuited that. Just because Kim had didn't mean everyone in the universe would know. Second, it's a sudden clarity that makes him realize with a stunned kind of awe that...such a joke is not something he would expect from a senior. (No, it hasn't struck him that a man saying that to him would imply that they have something in common there.) It would be weirder, wouldn't it? Has he been-? But? His nearly-weaponized cookie lowers in stages. ] Wait. Wait, how old are you? [ Not sure if Matoba being Hanazawa's age is better or worse, ]

Edited 2022-05-31 04:04 (UTC)

[For a moment, Matoba basks in the glory of the chaos that he has caused in Tama's reaction- the stutter, the hiked shoulders, the puffed red cheeks and the weak, defensive I have a boyfriend routine. It's everything he could have wanted. His need to stir a reaction out of the other man is sated.]

[Matoba eyes that cookie that is being reeled back as a projectile weapon, and raises his eyebrows, as if about to dare him to go through with it--]

[But an even stranger thing happens.]

[So they both stand there, staring at each other, as an awkward silence settles in. And Matoba, considering the nature of the question for that long moment, decides to answer simply out of his own curiosity in where this whole hot mess was going.]

Twenty-two.

[ The cookie lowers another stage, then another, until he's all but hanging his arms limp at his sides again, face unreadable as he tries, with all of his study of the written word, all of his fixation on creativity and story-telling, to think of a way to speak without it being the punchline of the universe's monthish-long joke.

He can't think of anything but how much he wants to pitch himself in to the Sanzu, only this time for a less serious reason. ] I'm turning twenty-two next month.

I see.

[Matoba continues to stare across the space at him, as if waiting for some other half of that statement to come, but it never does. He looks Tama up and down with his eye- doubtfully, perhaps- eyes the lowered cookie carefully, makes a calculation in his head with the barest tilt to account for it, and meets Tama’s stare cheerfully again.]

I’m still not interested, but thank you for telling me.

O-of course you're not interested!! I can tell the difference between flirting bullying and not flirting bullying by now...!!! [ No, he can't. But he's good at guessing, and that stupid luck of his has allowed his sense of skill to balloon just slightly. These are the ways he became an egotistical, selfish brat in the first place, but at least he's more self-aware about it nowaday? ]

And as if you're not just as spoken for. [ That's more of a petulant attempt at being rude than an earnest perception, but still, HUFF. The cookie gets munched a little harder than it needs to be- frankly, it's a miracle it survived long enough for him to eat it. But he once again gets moving, trying to fall in step with Matoba even while sulking. ] Seriously, am I the only one in my twenties who isn't above a certain height. Is it the future that just grows people taller? It hardly seems fair, and none of you are even apologetic about it...!

[Matoba raises a scathingly skeptical eyebrow at that, and spares Tama the further embarrassment. Not that he doesn't think it's obvious: but that was moreso because usually, no one ever thought the ruthless head of Matoba capable of those sorts of warm or endearing emotions in the first place.]

...Am I? [Is he trying to play coy, or truly deflect? After a moment, smirking to himself, he relents,] Haha... Well, I'm sure he didn't tell you that, either way.

[But he's certainly going to just put that out there, so that Tama inquires in the future. Good luck with that, Natori. He's at the mercy of relenting to a lucky guess, that's all~.]

[Tama's complaints are a low mutter beside him. Truly, he didn't mind this company. It was non-threatening, and amusing, and easy to ignore.] ...Your guess is more or less correct. At least, I have heard that as a bit of trivia. A result of increasingly Westernized diets, or some such.

[Don't examine the reason too closely, 20's boy.]

[ Ah-hah! 'He didn't tell you'! Blood in the water...! Not that...he is in any position to pursue it, but he's blessed with the ability to not forget things. The day will come when he can capitalize on this, and get a more stunning reaction out of Matoba-san!

...he really misses Kawase. ]

Westernized diets- ah! That's why they're all so tall!! [ Regardless, he's more than happy to move on, bouncing his fist off his palm and nodding along like that excuse made any damn sense. His mind knows better- Thomas Hunt Morgan's 'The Theory of the Gene' being only one such example -but again, it's best to not call upon toxic knowledge outside of his station. That, and genetics are confusing, even if he theoretically knows about it. ] They already have superior sweets in most regards- so maybe their other foods would be worth indulging in, if it might give me a chance at catching up to others. And improving my questionable health, while I'm at it... [ He looks up, dryly again. ] If you had told me to run when that thing showed up, I could have, but I also would have struck you dead for it.

[Blood in the water........ Surely, only an outsider to their relationship would call it that. Matoba isn't going to speak for Natori on the matter of being spoken for, and he's sure Natori wouldn't speak for him no matter who asked. He could hardly speak anything to himself, much less anyone else.]

[Oh well. No sense in airing that, given the current conversation. If Tama was to start going into a tangent about genetics, Matoba would probably have some worrying things to say, so it's probably for the best. Clan bloodline politics, and all.] Oh, are you not a fan of wagashi, Mizumori-san? I do enjoy Western cakes and sweets quite a bit, but I don't think I will ever lose my taste for red bean paste, either. It's hard to choose between one or the other.

Even delicate Western sweets can match well with matcha, after all. [Now this is a topic he can sink his teeth into! Matoba frowns down at him for a moment, lightly scolding:] ...Forgive me for prying, but it is my opinion that a more traditional diet is far healthier in the long run.

...Oh well. Not that it matters to me. [He's going to die young, anyway.] And speaking of running, I stopped you for a reason. If you had been tempted to look over your shoulder [And he knows you would], it surely would have met your eyes.

Wagashi are all well and good, and I love honey umeboshi, and cherries in season, and yuzu of course... [ This is unfortunately going to become one of those conversations; with a less harrowing flourish, he slips another jam cookie out of his bag...it's obviously from Cookie Palace, let's not pretend otherwise. ] But most Japanese sweets are made too mild! If I want anpan, I want it to be anpan, not anpan. These are very good- [ He wags the cookie. ] But I'm a connoisseur of bolder tastes. [ And a pause, as he huffs a quick sigh. ] That said, I never did garner an appreciation for matcha, despite my grandmother's valiant efforts...once I'd had my first Calspi, it was all over for me.

[ Okay, now that Tama's done being an idiot about sweets, and entirely ignoring the nagging about a traditional diet because ugh he eats his vegetables just fine but that doesn't mean he's good about remembering to eat every day- it's not important! Anyway! ] What...were you serious earlier? [ He still asserts it would only make such an error due to depth perception, but I am not looking up when the fuck 'depth perception' became a phrase or I will die. Either way, he had caught a glimpse- mostly of the empty socket where an eye ought to have been, but he's sure not telling Matoba that. ] That really would be troublesome...even if I can't use the hashihime's power here, it doesn't mean something else couldn't. You'd be in serious trouble if it rained... [ Another small huff, as he finally pops back his jam cookie. ] And I've had my fill of things trying to take my eyes out, thank you!

Ah, yuzu... I'm a fan. Apricots and loquats, too. [Matoba smiles serenely; such fruits weren't too uncommon to see grown in Kyushu, where it was fairly warm year-round, and such sweets were fairly common while in-season.] ...But, I do understand your complaint. White sugar is different from the sweetness of a fruit.

I'm quite fond of French pastry, myself. I've heard that cakes in America are full of nothing but buttercream and sugar- I'm sure you'd love them.

[It's unfortunate indeed that Tama didn't have a taste for matcha... As if Matoba had much of a healthy diet himself (just look at their shared sweettooth), but all the heavy red meat of Western diets didn't suit his tastes, either.]

[Matoba is silent for a moment on Tama's worries. He isn't sure or not, honestly, whether that thing was capable of overpowering an ayakashi, but it was certainly too brainless to do so. No, the worry wasn't taking over the power in his eyes...]

...It isn't that. That thing is normally quite brutish and simple, and comes at me with all its strength. But lately, it seems to have learned some cunning. [His head turns, glancing at something which catches his eye and turning his face from Tama's view. He flicks it back forward again.] When it attacked me last, it was borrowing a body.

[He wonders if the hashihime would be forced out, if that were to happen. Suppressed? Tama insisted that she didn't have a consciousness, but what would happen if another ayakashi were to cohabit her space?]

Making direct eye-contact with malicious ayakashi is a bad idea. I'm surprised you don't know that already. [The implication being: he didn't trust Tama in the slightest to avoid it.]

[ At least someone else understood the appeal of citrus- they certainly weren't something he got often, but his yearly yuzu bath was always a joy. Especially when he would try to sneak in and eat the leftovers like the gremlin child he was. And, gremlin teen. And gremlin adult...listen it's free food and he isn't wasteful. He brightens even more over the topic of French pastries, though, all but eyesparkling. ] Oh, French pastries! I've had those... [ He gestures like he's pinching something very small ] Those tiny sandwich cookies they make, the...ma-ka-ron? I saved up for weeks to try them when I first got to the Capital, and Madam made me share them with her...but it was still well worth it! [ American sweets...he can't imagine those at all, by comparison. America had always felt strange before, but with his added memories...it was probably for the best he didn't risk saying anything that could be seen as strange. ] I hope to try more French sweets when I can...they always look so pristine and soft...

[ Okay x2, maybe the aya- yokai, great now he's doing it, the yokai discussion was more important than his longing for delicate bavarois or mille feuille. But it was so much easier to dwell on nice things than things like the monster possessing bodies. It almost makes him hesitate a step, and then have to rush a few more paces to catch back up to stupid mister long-legs, but at least he's trying to take the subject seriously even if, seriously, couldn't they just talk about castella cake? ] Well, this one's been in my eyes since I was a kid. It's not like I go around looking at them on purpose...!

[ Maybe it's...okay to relax a little about that. He almost feels bad for the edge to his voice earlier, already prepared for it to backfire down the line...Tama's always at his softest when unsure of his footing. ] ...Minakami had it before me. He should still have it, but because he used it to save my life, and the life of our other best friend...I ended up with it. [ It's hard not to be insecure, lacing his hands behind his back to try and at least obscure his fidgeting somewhat. ] I'm a troublemaker, because I think it going to me was the best thing to happen to the three of us. I'm able to be selfish, unlike those two idiots. So, I'm sure if I carry on the way I always have, then I'll be too unappetizing for other ayakashi, and the hashihime won't want to be bothered by anyone else intruding on her territory, either. [ The bag of sweets slides stubbornly back down his bunched-up sleeve. ] It's safest, if I'm the one dealing with these kinds of things. Even if Minakami knows more about it.

Edited 2022-06-05 07:06 (UTC)

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worldbent - 2022-06-05 15:10 (UTC) - Expand

here, so we can put a bow on this thread

fuckdogramagra - 2022-06-07 20:56 (UTC) - Expand

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