July open log and catch-all [OPEN]

[heretic_blade]

Who ⬤ Okada Izō and you!
What ⬤ Open prompts and other things
When ⬤ July
Where ⬤ Various
Content Warnings ⬤ None right now!



Gen
Dog shenanigans

Substory
Stardust

(( PM me if you want a custom starter for anything! ))

Comments

Substory: It's in the stars...

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō is impulsive on the best of days, so it's not a surprise he found some of the Stardust on the ground and ... immediately pops some of it into his mouth. It looks like konpeito, so what's the problem?

The problem is someone saw. He doesn't look happy about it! ]

Don't look at me like that. Ain't like I'm sellin' it or nothin'!

[ No, he's just eating it straight off the street...He doesn't notice how good it's making him feel yet. ]

cw emeto I'm so sorry

[lemoncandy]

( At first, Shealtiel is watching him eat stardust. He's been collecting it diligently, trying his best to prove his worth for the Enma, but he hasn't really come across anyone eating it straight before. Not even sprinkled on food? Just like that?

But before that can even settle in and give him time to think about the reasons why, the view of Izo himself makes Shealtiel freeze in place. There are the fangs, yes, the feet, the everything— but what immediately draws his eyes in are the dark wings at his back. He sees them, he hears them shifting even the smallest amount, and his mind flashes with images of spilled cups, of the nuns surrounding him, of horrible, disgusting taste in his mouth and his stomach burning and pushing upwards—

It's been so long in this place that he's not able to cover his mouth in time before he throws up. Hopefully not on Izo, like he usually does? Maybe just on some stardust? On the street?

Shealtiel is too busy hunched over and trying to recover from sudden illness to quite notice just what he's done. )

I'm also sorry

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō has absolutely none of the reaction time necessary to avoid the splash zone and he's pissed about it. ]

Oi, what th' fuck gives?!

[ Yeah, he's just going to grab Shealtiel by the shoulders and try to pull him into a more upright position to yell at him. ]

Ya that fuckin' disgusted by me?! Huh?!

to be fair, izo deserves to be upset

[lemoncandy]

( He can't even properly yell about this when he's just thrown up, and now he's being pulled up?! Shealtiel claps a hand over his mouth to try and prevent another reaction as he's held even closer to those disgusting wings. He manages to hold back from letting anything out this time, but he does give a horribly upset groan. )

Grghh. Stop... your wings... Let go of me, demon, before I get sick again.

( At least he gets the fair warning out, this time. It's a tad bit late for it, though. )

[heretic_blade]

Who th' fuck ya callin' a demon, ya piece'a shit?!

[ Yeah, he is drawing his fist back, fully ready to punch Shealtiel in the face if he keeps insulting Izō. ]

Ain't like I can fuckin' do shit 'bout these wings!

[lemoncandy]

( Shealtiel will catch a fist if he has to, but first, he pushes at Izo. It's a firm shove, but not one meant to topple anyone over. He just wants a tiny bit of space, and to reach with his other hand into his pocket and pull out a lemon candy.

It's a lolipop of some kind, and he unwraps it quickly, tucking it into his mouth. At the same time, he lifts his hand indicating a pause.

And then, a few seconds later, he lowers his hand and stands a little straighter. He doesn't look like he's going to throw up anymore. )

What do you mean, you can't? Can't you put them away?

( The disgust is still clear in his voice, and he can't do much to hide that. But there's something that shakes in it, a hint of how personal this issue is with him. His own wings, after all, are hidden out of sight. )

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō shoves him right back, with more force than is necessary. Unfortunately for Shealtiel, he's a cantankerous little shit. He sneers at the other man, curling his lip back in disgust. ]

Th' fuck are ya talkin' about? No, I can't fuckin' put 'em away. They ain't goin' nowhere.

[lemoncandy]

( Shealtiel isn't the type to explain his own reactions to others, or broadcast his trauma— and he's also too stubborn to stop and bother understanding that not everything works the same here. So when he's pushed, he stumbles back but holds his ground, candy still in his mouth but eyes glaring sharply. )

You can put them away, before I get sick on you again.

( His anger is elevating, though, past the point of disgust and into something deeper. Looking closely, one might almost notice a shift to the right side of his face... But nothing comes of it yet. He clenches his fist. )

You're lucky I don't have my angelic weapon here. Just get out of my way with those things.

[heretic_blade]

Yer lucky I don't slit yer fuckin' throat for talkin' t' me like this!

[ The feathers on his wings fluff up just like a posturing bird's would. He bares his sharp teeth in a snarl. ]

Th' fuck makes ya think I can jus' make my wing go away, huh? Why're ya fuckin' with me like this?! Think it's fuckin' funny?!

[lemoncandy]

You don't see my wings hanging out, do you?!

( It takes everything inside of him (and the lemon candy) not to gag again at the sight of those feathers fluffing up. His body lurches slightly, tenses, and as he closes his eyes to try and make the images go away, a few extra slits appear briefly on the right side of his face.

They vanish just as quickly as he struggles to control himself. )

Nothing about it is funny! It's disgusting, it's vile! It's... ( He's starting to feel hot, uncomfortable, anger welling up so much inside of him and aimed at... what? Himself, maybe? His eyes open again, just the two. )

...You're not a demon, are you? Something feels different. But I can't... stand looking at wings like that.

[heretic_blade]

No, I ain't a fuckin' demon!

[ Izō snarls. He's bad at containing his anger, but especially when he feels like he's being disrespected. ]

I got a fuckin' tengu livin' in my body! Ya think I wanna look like this?! Ya think any'a this was my fuckin' choice?!

[lemoncandy]

I...

( There's something going on in Shealtiel's head. There are complex emotions written all across his face, even with a lemon candy stick peeking out from between his lips to keep his nausea in check. Fingernails from his right hand dig into his scarred left hand, and he shifts his weight uneasily.

It looks like he doesn't know what to say.

It's because he doesn't. The sentiment of "I didn't want to look like this, I didn't choose this" is entirely one he relates to, and the stinging pain of that realization is too much to handle. But if these features aren't bad, then why did he suffer through everything? What's the point?

What does he say, when he relates to someone like this? He pushes that back repeatedly, focusing instead on something he can cling to easily. He's not a demon. A tengu is different.

Still, he stays mostly speechless now. )

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō can recognize that the other man is struggling with something, yet he refuses to relent. Shealtiel came at him with immediate aggression and disgust and like hell Izō is going to just let that go. He's too bull-headed and violent for that. ]

Ya what? Spit it out before I make ya.

[narbrawl]

[you know every time he thinks he's got a good handle on this man and what he's about he goes and eats sky rocks straight off the floor]

Selling it would be be significantly less strange than what you just did.

[Childe ditches the extra large bag of dog kibble he was holding- support your local charities, and all- and crouches down beside him, one eyebrow raised. There are a number of questions he would like answers to and half of them would probably annoy Izō even more so he settles on something not quite so incendiary.

... and more important.]

What does it taste like?

[heretic_blade]

Shut up!

[ He huffs, but settles down quickly. To Childe's question comes a swift response in the form of Izō pulling another piece of Stardust off the ground and stuffing it in his mouth. ]

Ya tell me.

[narbrawl]

[Well, that's one way to answer his question. Truthfully, Childe has put much more suspect things into his mouth before now so aside from a small noise of protest, he just crunches it down. After a few moments, he pulls a face.]

... that was disappointing. It doesn't really taste of anything. [a beat] If I drop dead tomorrow, it's your fault.

[It does make him wonder, though. Everyone has been so adamant about them collecting as much of it as possible but why?]

What makes it so valuable? I don't suppose you've been given any secret information, lieutenant?

[heretic_blade]

It's supposed t' be some kinda drug...Ain't felt shit yet.

[ It's been, like, 30 seconds. Give it some time. Izō shrugs. ]

Drugs are good business, ya know. Maintainin' a steady supply makes sure we got steady money comin' in.

[narbrawl]

[Maybe Childe should be more alarmed about having an unknown drug shoved in his mouth but not paying enough attention to know what it is was totally on him.]

Figures.

[There's no judgement in his voice or expression. The Fatui weren't exactly saints either and, while this isn't a business he's ever dabbled in himself, he wouldn't be surprised if Pantalone or Dottore had at some point. Whatever. They have their own methods.]

... well, as much as I'm enjoying sitting on the sidewalk with you, could you tell me where I should drop this food off?

[heretic_blade]

[ Right. Childe had been carrying a big bag of food, hadn't he? Izō ignores the fact they both definitely just took drugs and stands up. ]

Follow me. Ain't far. [ A beat. ] Ya really give a shit 'bout what I'm doin' or are ya jus' tryin' t' keep up a good look with th' clan?

[narbrawl]

[The question earns Izō a look almost identical to the wide eyed puppy on the bag in his arms.]

Of course I do. How heartless do you think I am? [He grins.] Impressing you and getting to play with dogs are just bonuses.

[heretic_blade]

[ An overgrown puppy. Ignore the blush that spreads across his cheeks as he stomps ahead to a side door of a nondescript building. Izō opens it and motions for Childe to go ahead. ]

Now yer jus' usin' me for clout and gettin' t' play with th' dogs, huh?

[narbrawl]

[Blush duly noted, sorry. He has the common sense to keep it to himself for now though and steps through the door with a little laugh.]

Mostly the dog part. But you're like a scruffy little dog yourself sometimes.

[all he's saying is that he can very clearly picture izō chasing a stick]

[heretic_blade]

Th' fuck are ya talkin' 'bout?

[ Izō huffs, the blush only getting worse as he leads Childe past rows of cages of excited dogs to a back storage area. ]

[narbrawl]

[If you think he's getting through this corridor in any timely manner, you're sorely mistaken. Childe stops at almost every cage. He crouches down to tell the tiniest mutt what a good boy they are, fusses gently over a doe-eyed old timer through the bars, babytalks a scarred stray- and Izō has to wait until he's done. By the time he joins him in the back room, the Harbinger is flushed with delight.]

Sorry, where were we? [Right, food. He sets the pack down with the others.] Ah, right. You're like a scruffy little dog. It's a compliment, I assure you.

[Weird. Is it possible to get a puppy contact high because he's feeling pretty buzzed.]

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō can't mind. The dogs like the attention and who can resist those faces? That's the whole reason he started this place.

...Maybe how Childe's joy is contagious. Is that why he feels so good right now? The idea of the Stardust he ate off the street is not even on his mind. ]

Shut up, I ain't little an' I ain't a dog!

[ BARKBARKBARKBARK goes the yappy little pom in Childe's face, gripping the front of his shirt with a bit of a snarl. ]