chippedsoul | The Journal [Inbox]

. . . [No, it's not a stupid suggestion at all. He should be able to, in theory. Maybe if he thought about the garden snakes....he closes his eyes, thinking about being like the snakes that live in their garden. A sound of an amused hiss is heard nearby. Ryusei was still lurking about, fascinated by what was happening. He's like us now~!!

Indeed he was, in size. A small white snake is now curled up on the bathroom floor. Everything is so much taller than him, and colder like this.] ...Hm. Sshould have thought thiss in the first place. [Good job, Susato.]

. . . . . .

[ It takes her a moment to process it. Susato might have even lifted an arm up to shield her eyes from whatever light show she expected from the transformation, but in the end, it feels like she just blinked, and he was gone. Her gaze falls to the floor, and there is Kazuma, his scales almost blending in with the glare on the bathroom tiles.

. . . Thought #1: their door could have been spared all along, along with all that work that went into repairing it. Granted...circumstances were far more dire at the time. Even if she had thought of it, there was no guarantee he could have managed it. At the very least, that's what she tells herself, to keep it from feeling like her own failure.

She mumbles, though he had not directed it at her: ]

I should have.

[ Thought #2: he is toy-sized. It is hard to resist the temptation to just scoop him up immediately like she does with Ryusei and the others. In the end, it is Ryusei's amused hissing that finally cracks a smile on her face.

She responds to her as well, the proud little eavesdropper. ]

Hehe. Well... I suppose I can count on you to look after him until I come back, then.

[...The ladies are amused. He can sense it. All he can do is sigh as Ryusei comes down beside him. They can see eye to eye, clearly ok with babysitting him.]

Try not to take too long. [She's not going far, but he still has that feeling of dread of being left alone. He doesn't want to be here, he wants to be with her.]

[ Her mood is certainly a step above what it had been moments ago, though that same feeling of dread seems ever present in her too. Damn. She's not even leaving the house, but there is a longing she sees when she looks at him that seems to radiate in return.

Whatever restraint she'd been exercising before, she seems to set it aside for now. Before she can hesitate, she gets down onto one knee so that she can meet Kazuma eye-to-eye too (or at least, something closer to it). When that isn't enough, she will pick him up and lift him up to her face, with both hands acting as a little platform for him.

...For a while she's content just to hold him. But then she leans in a little closer, eyes fixed on the Asogi family crest atop his forehead until she touches it with her lips. ]

Okay...

[ How long could take to throw on some clothes...? For a girl, perhaps still longer than Kazuma would like. She means to let him down then, but she can see Ryu looking very displeased out of the corner of her eye. (Can snakes roll their eyes?)

"Jussst take him with you." ]

[Normally he'd tell her he's fine, but he doesn't. He just allows himself to be picked up in her warm hands. He may feel cold to the touch to her. If snakes could visibly blush, he'd be doing so when she kisses him on the head. Embarrassed? Happy? Is it wrong for him to feel pleased and wanted? Susato's nightmare energy is quite...potent.

He curls up a little when Ryusei insisted she just take him. She can make her own decision, even if Kazuma would like the "take him" decision. She probably wanted it too, with how long it's taking for her to decide.]

I did change ssso I could leave... [He glances back up to Susato, and then proceeds to crawl up her arm. Once on her shoulder, his head is pressed against her cheek.] I'll be right here.

[ Susato holds her arms out naturally when she sees Kazuma slithering his way up, perhaps in her attempt to make it easier for him. Her mouth hangs open when he settles on her shoulder, and she could feel the little hairs stand up at the back her neck, running all the way down her spine.

He is cold. Though her cheeks seem to be warm enough for the both of them.

With a sigh, her shoulders seem to relax a little as she says her farewells (and apologies) to Ryu. Not that she would object if she decided to follow them, and she probably would, but... ]

I think she is a little jealous. [ Said once Ryu is apparently out of earshot. Kitchen, right? ]

Hm. Sshe knows we'll return the favor. [The cold seems to stay with Kazuma, even as he wraps himself around Susato like an odd necklace. Hopefully he'll warm up soon...

In the kitchen, Ziggy and Ruby have finished their soak and were huddled around a pile of clothes Kazuma had left out on the counter. Susato's clothes. They're surprised to see a familiar, and smaller white snake around her neck. What hass happened...?]

Everything's fine...I just needed a way out of the bathroom. [The snakes tilt their heads. That didn't quite answer their question. He suppose he should turn back, but he's already nice and cozy where he was.]

Still... [ Susato trails off guiltily. Perhaps in her mind, she is thinking of all that Ryusei has accomplished for her tonight... She glances back, but in the end, is only motivated to get dressed more quickly. Find her again. 'Course, she hadn't been the only one. Seeing Ziggy and Ruby near her clothes like guard snakes, she softens as she greets them. ]

Not to worry, I'll take good care of him.

[ Not exactly thinking about the fact that Kazuma easily turn back. Her shoulders roll as she closes in on the sink and the make-shift snake bath. Probably as cold as Kazuma now... ]

You're so cold, though. Maybe you want a warm soak as well while I get dressed.

[He hums quietly.] I probably sshould. [It's a struggle to wiggle himself from around her neck. Both because he's comfortable, and sluggish from being cold.]

You were inside an iceberg in your dream.

. . . [ For a while, Susato doesn't say anything at all. She quietly goes through the motions of dumping out the cold water from the bowl, then turns the faucet to replace it with fresh, warm water. She runs her hand through as the bowl fills up, just to test it, and gives Ziggy and Ruby a look as well in case they'd like to join him for another round.

Then she's just staring into the water again, her reflection faint and rippling. ]

Yes. In reality as well... I fell through the lake, and it...

[ Choosing her words carefully. By the end of the night, Eustace already felt guilty enough that he had done that on purpose. ]

It froze over.

[He might have curled up more against her at the mention of the lake freezing over. That must have been the "nearly died" part, why she came back a bit damp and cold. Even as he freezes, his anger is bubbling beneath. He nearly lost her, and he couldn't be there to prevent it. She went off to face danger she shouldn't have and he didn't stop her. Many scenarios float through his mind, as he tries so hard not to lash out at Susato-]

Why couldn't you have ssend word ssooner? There was a Noctaere! [Too late]

[ Perhaps it would have been different if he had been in his human form. Susato's expression hardens at Kazuma's outburst, rather than shrink as it seems so natural for her to do. Fingers grip tightly to the bowl of water, and her frustration at Eustace and by extension the entire night seems to bubble to the surface along with Kazuma's anger. Poor Ziggy and Ruby, meanwhile, for however quickly they were lured by the steam rising from the water, smartly do an about-face just as quickly.

They may not have had Susato's history with Kazuma, but they are just as in tune with his moods and fluctuating emotions. At the very least, he seems to be warming up now. They both are. ]

Well, excuse me for being a touch preoccupied.

[ She doesn't yell, but her voice seems uneven. She twists the faucet closed, and the sudden silence without the running water seems deafening. ]

Other than telling me to stay home that night, did you send word? [ Maybe Kazuma's memory of that night had remained hazy. Perhaps that makes this unfair, but the image of Kazuma, bloodied and battered, never quite left her mind. ]

I didn't realize there would be a Noctaere involved when you went to help Tifa. Even if it wasn't your intention, you've never had actual combat experience, you're a civilian. [He hisses in retort.]

I've been ssupportive of your decisions, but this was reckless. Putting your life in danger, knowing it's beyond your own capabilitiess alone. [At his point, is he mad at Susato, himself? Or this was just him expressing how distressed he is at the thought he almost lost her and he wasn't there to do anything about it.]

[ Craning her neck to try and look at him has started to get uncomfortable. She lifts the shoulder he's perched himself on to nudge him, and she finally becomes frustrated enough that she reaches for him with her hand.

She'll place him into the nice warm bowl, then slams her hands at the side of the sink as she meets his eyes. ]

I was not alone, and you've avoided my question. I don't wish to hear a lecture about recklessness from you. Don't you think I know my place?

I did not go with the intention of confronting Eustace like you would have. I kept my distance.

[ A pause, and she finally snatches up her clothes, allowing her empty rose necklace to fall to the floor. ]

...I was looking for Tifa.

[Well, he's not going to bite her when she picks him up. So he just goes along with being forcibly removed and into the bowl. Tongue flicking as he stares back up at her.]

I believe you, but that doesn't mean the threat wasn't sstill there. [He just had to stubbornly get the last say in. The heat of the water is helping him calm down a little. He's no better about going off into danger without much warning afterall. She had others, even if he wasn't there. He curls up, taking a moment before saying anything else, listening to her.] Did he find you during your sssearch...?

[ Very stubborn, always having to get the last word. Typical of Kazuma Asogi, but at the very least, the water has served its purpose. Susato lets him have that satisfaction, but then rewards him by removing and tossing the towel atop his bowl, probably catching on his cute little head in the process.

No peeking.

She answers him while putting on the fresh clothes he picked for her. ]

...After.

[ Within the safety and warmth of their home, she feels a little less weird about it. It helps that he's chosen very comfy, roomy pajamas that are somehow warm, like they've just been pulled out of a modern-day drier. ]

She was... trapped within ice as well, along with two of Eustace's corgis. I helped free them all, but... he just knew. [ How...? ] The cavern wasn't divided as we'd been led to think, and he broke through a large wall that led him right to us.

Edited 2022-09-23 05:18 (UTC)

[Oof. Right, he gets it. The tip of his snout disappears beneath the towel, finally starting to relax in the warm waters.]

Iss that when you fell into the lake? While getting away?

. . . [ He may not see her, but the question stops Susato's in her tracks. How does she answer him? She can practically see all different ways, but getting dressed only buys her about a minute, maybe half. She continues in careful movements, voice even as she speaks. ]

No, that was... [ Much later. ] Eustace, he... He was not in his right mind. So I had to use the Dawn flowers on him, but he managed to...

...the surface of the lake collapsed before they fully took effect.

Edited 2022-09-23 20:58 (UTC)

...You don't need to protect him. I understand how noctaeres can be. [Eustace must have done something terrible for her to be rather hesitant to give certain details.]

You were calling for your father, in your nightmare.

Oh... [ Did she?

Still, it wasn't about protecting Eustace. She just sees no need to upset Kazuma more than he already was. There is no immediate verbal response, just a thoughtful silence and some grunts as sleeves are pulled and fabric is straightened.

Then footsteps, as she approaches the bowl to take back the towel. Her hair is still wet (though at least not dripping), so the best place for it to be is draped over her back. ]

I saw him. But I don't think... [ It sure was a long time, there underneath the ice. Perhaps she did think about him, but that would have been it. As she reaches for her rose bottle necklace that fell onto the floor, she can still imagine a bright light emanating from it. ]

. . . [He raises himself slightly from the water bowl.] Could you take me to my room?

[Enough time must have passed that he could at least return to some normal appearance.]

[ Whatever she might have said to finish the sentence is lost. She could have waited for the opportunity to refill the necklace at home before putting it back on, but she decides that around her neck is the safest place for it. She'll worry about that later. ]

Of course. [ She'll offer her arm. Not sure how she should feel at the moment, but it sure doesn't feel like the end of that conversation. ]

[No, it's not, but he didn't feel it needed to go further. Not with the implications as to why her father appeared in the nightmare. He glances at that empty bottle as he starts slithering up her arm. A moment's pause as he ends up sneezing. Can snakes even sneeze? Well he sure did.]

I just want to get a change of clothesss.

[ ...She certainly did not read about any snake's sneezing habits in any of the books she has lost herself in, but somehow, she's charmed regardless. Stupid, cute Kazuma.

Once he's settled on her shoulder, she sees no reason to linger, so she makes her way past her own room and into his.

Her eyes fall upon the lily first and foremost, but next to it sits the bottle charm, still full of colour and life (and most importantly, origami cranes). ]

You have to change back first, correct?

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