Kazuma Asogi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chippedsoul) wrote2021-08-18 05:32 pm
chippedsoul) wrote2021-08-18 05:32 pm
The Journal [Inbox]
Use this for any IC one-on-one contact and finishing any loose ends at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
songerein
songereinHeh. [He will happily join them. Have a headpat as well Jugemu.] Anything you miss eating from home? I'm sure 76 or Susato can make it.
True, but I hate to bother them... [He tips his head back, staring distractedly upwards a moment.] Hm. At least it's a lot easier to get the right ingredients here than it was back in London.
[...Where it had been just straight up impossible to get some things. He still remembers the day Susato informed him she'd brought satsumaimo back to 221B, after her brief trip home. He'd literally shed a few tears of joy.]
[...Where it had been just straight up impossible to get some things. He still remembers the day Susato informed him she'd brought satsumaimo back to 221B, after her brief trip home. He'd literally shed a few tears of joy.]
They're the cooks, Ryunosuke. [It's their job to cook for others.] There were things we couldn't really get in Great Britain. I missed matcha tea, and just the lack of shoyu in my dishes was enough to make me crave it. British cusine I found was..well enough, just heavy.
[He flusters.] I know that, but...
[He's not a customer?? He's just a coworker. It feels weird to bother them for that sort of thing, and have them do extra work for his benefit. Not that he's ever had an issue with Susato cooking for him in the past, but... Somehow, it being her job makes it weirder.]
...Heavy is a good word for it. [It's weird to hear Kazuma say he missed having matcha, when HE couldn't get away from it if he wanted to.] I suppose you never got to try Iris's cooking, did you... She's incredible. I really hope you can try it some day.
[He's not a customer?? He's just a coworker. It feels weird to bother them for that sort of thing, and have them do extra work for his benefit. Not that he's ever had an issue with Susato cooking for him in the past, but... Somehow, it being her job makes it weirder.]
...Heavy is a good word for it. [It's weird to hear Kazuma say he missed having matcha, when HE couldn't get away from it if he wanted to.] I suppose you never got to try Iris's cooking, did you... She's incredible. I really hope you can try it some day.
[Coworkers need to be fed too!] Susato has told me her cooking is something I must experience. Perhaps I will, whenever I return to Great Britain...or home at all. [There's a bit of yearning his voice as he stares down at the fire. It's been so long since he's seen Britain, Japan even longer. He ponders if he'll ever be able to give up everything that's happened here and return home?]
[Ryunosuke glances over at him sideways, frowning sympathetically.]
...I'm sorry you've been stuck away from there for so long. Though... I've been wondering... Technically, aren't our waking selves still going about their lives? [He scratches his head.] I'm still not sure I fully understood everything those little Baku fellows told me when I first showed up here, but I thought that was the case.
...I'm sorry you've been stuck away from there for so long. Though... I've been wondering... Technically, aren't our waking selves still going about their lives? [He scratches his head.] I'm still not sure I fully understood everything those little Baku fellows told me when I first showed up here, but I thought that was the case.
That's what we're told. I can only assume based on others who have come and gone, having never been home since I came to this world. [A shrug.] But, I'm still not experiencing whatever it is my waking self is doing. Maybe it's time...I figure out how to reconnect.
[Ryunosuke blinks at him, looking like he can't quite figure out how he should be reacting to that.]
Well... That's true. And it might not be a bad idea at all, considering how long its been for you. [He hedges, but still looks uncertain.] But... Would that mean you'd disappear from here?
Well... That's true. And it might not be a bad idea at all, considering how long its been for you. [He hedges, but still looks uncertain.] But... Would that mean you'd disappear from here?
...Yea. [And that's the stickler right there. There's a chance he won't be able to find a way back to this world. There be so much he be leaving behind. The restaurant, the people...the friends he's made here. His lost time spent with Susato.
He's gone quiet, lost in his thoughts about all this.]
He's gone quiet, lost in his thoughts about all this.]
...Oh.
[They'll both wind up sitting there in silence for a few long moments, it turns out.
It's hard to imagine life here without Kazuma... Not that Ryunosuke and Susato haven't ever had to carry on without him before. Obviously. But that's part of why this prospect is more than a little alarming. The part of Ryunosuke that's still full of unaddressed trauma, born from thinking his friend was dead for 9 months straight, REALLY balks at the idea. He needs a few moments to get his thoughts under control, to stop himself from spiraling at the mere suggestion.
This would be different, of course. They'd know Kazuma wasn't really dead. They'll have some warning this time. But on the other hand, Ryunosuke has also never known life in Reverein, without his friend being present... And he can't say he's particularly enthused about the idea of learning.
But Kazuma... Poor Kazuma... He hasn't been home in years... Wouldn't it also be selfish, to demand that he stay just for Ryu's own benefit?
Eventually he breaks the silence, his tone gentle:]
...Have you discussed this with Susato at all?
[They'll both wind up sitting there in silence for a few long moments, it turns out.
It's hard to imagine life here without Kazuma... Not that Ryunosuke and Susato haven't ever had to carry on without him before. Obviously. But that's part of why this prospect is more than a little alarming. The part of Ryunosuke that's still full of unaddressed trauma, born from thinking his friend was dead for 9 months straight, REALLY balks at the idea. He needs a few moments to get his thoughts under control, to stop himself from spiraling at the mere suggestion.
This would be different, of course. They'd know Kazuma wasn't really dead. They'll have some warning this time. But on the other hand, Ryunosuke has also never known life in Reverein, without his friend being present... And he can't say he's particularly enthused about the idea of learning.
But Kazuma... Poor Kazuma... He hasn't been home in years... Wouldn't it also be selfish, to demand that he stay just for Ryu's own benefit?
Eventually he breaks the silence, his tone gentle:]
...Have you discussed this with Susato at all?
Edited 2023-05-24 01:30 (UTC)
...Not yet. [He lifts his head, taking a breath.] I simply haven't found a good opportunity to bring it up. She had already watched others from home disappear and never return to this place. Did she ever mention to you that the detective and Professor Mikotoba used to be here...?
[Ryunosuke can probably see why he's having a difficult time with this decision.]
[Ryunosuke can probably see why he's having a difficult time with this decision.]
She might have mentioned it. Even if she didn't, I've seen the names on those stones in the garden.
[Unbidden, he has a vision of himself and Susato having to put one up with Kazuma's name engraved into it, and Ryunosuke doesn't like that imagery at all.
He suppresses a shudder, shaking his head lightly. Another point crosses his mind too, though he hesitates at bringing it up, at first.]
...Have you considered that she might want to go with you? Given the choice? [...] We both could.
[Both of them. All of them? No, he doesn't want to speak for Gina or Van Zieks. Actually, he has to admit... Being here, and free of the stifling pressures of the judiciary and the British aristocracy? In all honesty, it seems to be good for Barok. Seeing the results almost makes Ryunosuke wish he'd asked the man to accompany them back to Japan, back in the waking world. If only to escape for a bit from the lingering shadow of his reputation, and the fresh grief, and the fallout from his trial. Ryunosuke's sure he would have never agreed to that, though.]
...At least, we could try. I'm not sure how well it would actually work in practice...
[Unbidden, he has a vision of himself and Susato having to put one up with Kazuma's name engraved into it, and Ryunosuke doesn't like that imagery at all.
He suppresses a shudder, shaking his head lightly. Another point crosses his mind too, though he hesitates at bringing it up, at first.]
...Have you considered that she might want to go with you? Given the choice? [...] We both could.
[Both of them. All of them? No, he doesn't want to speak for Gina or Van Zieks. Actually, he has to admit... Being here, and free of the stifling pressures of the judiciary and the British aristocracy? In all honesty, it seems to be good for Barok. Seeing the results almost makes Ryunosuke wish he'd asked the man to accompany them back to Japan, back in the waking world. If only to escape for a bit from the lingering shadow of his reputation, and the fresh grief, and the fallout from his trial. Ryunosuke's sure he would have never agreed to that, though.]
...At least, we could try. I'm not sure how well it would actually work in practice...
All of us? [He blinks. It's clear he hadn't consider that angle. But then...well, he knows they would understand, but they be leaving behind 76, Percy, Gina...Reaper, he suppose. They would understand, but the thought of leaving them all, especially 76 made his heart ache a little.]
...I suppose that is an idea. But wouldn't we all return at different times? [He's still in their past last he checked.]
...I suppose that is an idea. But wouldn't we all return at different times? [He's still in their past last he checked.]
[He withers a little.]
Oh... Right...
[How could he have forgotten that?]
Trying to figure out how the whole thing works is enough to give me a headache, I swear...
Oh... Right...
[How could he have forgotten that?]
Trying to figure out how the whole thing works is enough to give me a headache, I swear...
[He smiles. He's coming to realize how much he just miss this, talking away with his friend, trying to work out problems and Ryunosuke sometimes missing the mark. It's been awhile, almost seems foreign, but he makes the motion to put his arms around Ryunosuke.]
We'll make it work. We always do, right? And if I do disappear from here, I'll do everything I can to come back. So...I know it's lot of me to ask, but wait for me. I'll be sure to talk to Susato at least before then.
We'll make it work. We always do, right? And if I do disappear from here, I'll do everything I can to come back. So...I know it's lot of me to ask, but wait for me. I'll be sure to talk to Susato at least before then.
[Ryunosuke blinks, a little surprised by the sudden contact, but not displeased.
He cracks a smile, playfully nudging Kazuma in the side with his elbow.]
You had better! And you know I will. For as long as it takes.
He cracks a smile, playfully nudging Kazuma in the side with his elbow.]
You had better! And you know I will. For as long as it takes.
[The giant snake scale now featured in the garden at the Wild Harvest is a new feature to Ryunosuke, but it's one that he's no idea the identity or origin of. He's out tending to the koi when he comes across the curious object, reaching out to run his fingers over the smooth surface. What the heck even is this...?
That's when the usual undercurrent of tiny hisses that can typically be heard all over the garden suddenly comes into sharper focus, reaching his ears with a newfound clarity. Tiny voices seem to be gossiping in all directions, and it takes him a second to piece it together:
The snakes... He can understand them, suddenly!?!
A bit of back and forth banter with some of the garden's most prominent residents confirms this quickly. They seem like they're feeling cheeky though, and being able to communicate more directly means they can tease more directly.
'Quit talking over us like that; you can come down here and join us, can't you?' they laugh. Ryunosuke balks slightly, glancing around awkwardly.]
I don't... I'm not sure what you--
['We've heard the rumors. You can become one of us! More or less... After all, a dragon is just a snake that's ascended, is that not true?'
Ryunosuke gives all the tiny faces peering up at him a flustered look.]
Maybe in legends, but I certainly haven't achieved any kind of enlightenment!
['Come onnnnnn. Humor usssss!']
Oh... Alright. Give me a moment--
[He has to take a deep breath and really focus, but a minute later, he changes, shifting down into the shape of a small dragon in a flash. He's blue of scale instead gold and white like he was in the larger, more vicious form he'd taken while fighting Hyde. And there's about six feet of long body and tail trailing behind him and over the garden path, which he hastily draws in and coils up under him. He looks at the snakes with wry amusement, letting out a little huff.]
There. Happy now?
That's when the usual undercurrent of tiny hisses that can typically be heard all over the garden suddenly comes into sharper focus, reaching his ears with a newfound clarity. Tiny voices seem to be gossiping in all directions, and it takes him a second to piece it together:
The snakes... He can understand them, suddenly!?!
A bit of back and forth banter with some of the garden's most prominent residents confirms this quickly. They seem like they're feeling cheeky though, and being able to communicate more directly means they can tease more directly.
'Quit talking over us like that; you can come down here and join us, can't you?' they laugh. Ryunosuke balks slightly, glancing around awkwardly.]
I don't... I'm not sure what you--
['We've heard the rumors. You can become one of us! More or less... After all, a dragon is just a snake that's ascended, is that not true?'
Ryunosuke gives all the tiny faces peering up at him a flustered look.]
Maybe in legends, but I certainly haven't achieved any kind of enlightenment!
['Come onnnnnn. Humor usssss!']
Oh... Alright. Give me a moment--
[He has to take a deep breath and really focus, but a minute later, he changes, shifting down into the shape of a small dragon in a flash. He's blue of scale instead gold and white like he was in the larger, more vicious form he'd taken while fighting Hyde. And there's about six feet of long body and tail trailing behind him and over the garden path, which he hastily draws in and coils up under him. He looks at the snakes with wry amusement, letting out a little huff.]
There. Happy now?
[The snakes are all speaking animately, which just sounds like a bunch of hissing to unaware.
He's fluffy!
Wasn't he more gold?
Can you breath fire?
No, that's Master Kazuma!
Hope Ryunosuke isn't too ticklish as they flick their tongues with amusment. Meanwhile, Kazuma is walking into the garden for the morning routine, when he hears the snakes chatting away. He could also spot something that looked like Fang, but not actually Fang. Hmmm. He's staying out of sight, listening in for now.]
He's fluffy!
Wasn't he more gold?
Can you breath fire?
No, that's Master Kazuma!
Hope Ryunosuke isn't too ticklish as they flick their tongues with amusment. Meanwhile, Kazuma is walking into the garden for the morning routine, when he hears the snakes chatting away. He could also spot something that looked like Fang, but not actually Fang. Hmmm. He's staying out of sight, listening in for now.]
[Ryunosuke shuts his eyes and scrunches his snout for a second, trying not to sneeze while the snakes flick their tongues at him. Also, he... Kind of forgot that these snakes were actually present for his big fight with Hyde, weren't they? Weird.
He laughs, cocking his head slightly, trying to address their comments calmly.]
Actually, I took a shape like this first, in a dreamscape a while back. Truthfully, I... I haven't really wanted to turn into that other dragon again. And this one is easier to access anyway.
He laughs, cocking his head slightly, trying to address their comments calmly.]
Actually, I took a shape like this first, in a dreamscape a while back. Truthfully, I... I haven't really wanted to turn into that other dragon again. And this one is easier to access anyway.
[Why not? That one wasss cooler.
I think he's cute like thisss.
Can you still fly?
Let's all get on him!
They're acting as if they never met Fang or something. Or maybe they're just happy to have someone able to understand them besides Susato and Kazuma. Speaking of Kazuma, he gets the feeling he may have to reconvene soon. But maybe he'll join in the animal farm. At some point, a larger white serpent can be seen poking his head out from the shrubbery to watch them.]
I think he's cute like thisss.
Can you still fly?
Let's all get on him!
They're acting as if they never met Fang or something. Or maybe they're just happy to have someone able to understand them besides Susato and Kazuma. Speaking of Kazuma, he gets the feeling he may have to reconvene soon. But maybe he'll join in the animal farm. At some point, a larger white serpent can be seen poking his head out from the shrubbery to watch them.]
F-Fly? I'm not sure, I mean I haven't... Hey now, wait a moment--!
[There are a lot of questions flying at him, and a lot of tiny little wriggly bodies suddenly trying to slither all over him. Ryunosuke kind of can't do anything other than just let it happen though? It's cute, but a little bit overwhelming. These snakes are sort of like inquisitive little kids, aren't they?
He's sort of just rolling with it, when he catches sight of the larger white snake out of the corner of his eye.]
GAH!!! What--!?
[For what it's worth: when he turns to face Kazuma in alarm, there are several snakes hanging off of his little antlers, clambering on them like they're tree branches.]
[There are a lot of questions flying at him, and a lot of tiny little wriggly bodies suddenly trying to slither all over him. Ryunosuke kind of can't do anything other than just let it happen though? It's cute, but a little bit overwhelming. These snakes are sort of like inquisitive little kids, aren't they?
He's sort of just rolling with it, when he catches sight of the larger white snake out of the corner of his eye.]
GAH!!! What--!?
[For what it's worth: when he turns to face Kazuma in alarm, there are several snakes hanging off of his little antlers, clambering on them like they're tree branches.]
[The snakes are having fun being swung around. Meanwhile, Kazuma is just given quite a sight of all the snakes slithering around his head and antlers. He chuckles, not even concern he just spooked his friend.]
Are they being a handful?
Are they being a handful?
[Ryunosuke blinks, taking a second to register the question and recover from his surprise.]
Oh, no! Not at all... They're just being curious, it's fine. [He eyes Kazuma up and down briefly, the snakes still bopping around on his antlers.] This feels... New? Have you always been able to do that...?
[He thought that being a snake was a Hyde thing? But then again, by that same logic, being a dragon should be an ambitious carp thing. Yet look at him now.]
Oh, no! Not at all... They're just being curious, it's fine. [He eyes Kazuma up and down briefly, the snakes still bopping around on his antlers.] This feels... New? Have you always been able to do that...?
[He thought that being a snake was a Hyde thing? But then again, by that same logic, being a dragon should be an ambitious carp thing. Yet look at him now.]
[Yea! Let usss keep playing!
Swing usss again!]
I've been able to for a while. [And as always, doesn't tell anyone. A few snakes who have not crowded Ryunosuke, moves beside Kazuma.] You seem to have gotten comfortable being a dragon.
Swing usss again!]
I've been able to for a while. [And as always, doesn't tell anyone. A few snakes who have not crowded Ryunosuke, moves beside Kazuma.] You seem to have gotten comfortable being a dragon.
[He's not exactly swinging them on purpose, but the snakes will get a bit of motion as Ryunosuke does his usual gesticulating and shuffling about while he speaks; presently he draws his head back, waving the suggestion off with one forepaw.]
I don't know if I'd say comfortable... It's just, an easy trick to pull off, that's all.
[He nods towards the big scale, as quick to turn the subject away from his own accomplishments as ever.]
Seriously though... Don't tell me that's one of yours?
I don't know if I'd say comfortable... It's just, an easy trick to pull off, that's all.
[He nods towards the big scale, as quick to turn the subject away from his own accomplishments as ever.]
Seriously though... Don't tell me that's one of yours?
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