imeeji_frontstage | it's a mingle!

[ ~~Alarmed is a really strong word! Surprised, certainly.~~ ]

Heh. That makes it sound like you would tell me that.

[ Which he's saying like he thinks it will make Kit laugh because obviously that was an accidental implication. ] [ But also, seeing the tension there: ]

So, let me guess: they were all out of weapons at the cafe and sent you to stock up.

[ well, mission accomplished, Lupine. he turns aside and raises a shoulder to muffle his own laugh. ]

If you ever needed to hear it, sure. [ hah. ] You'd probably hate someone insisting you're so cute, so imperfectly adorable as much as I do.

[ paraphrasing only a little as he backs off a bit more. ]

Solid guess? But no, sorry. I can't give you any points for that. Now, unless you want me to buy you something to go with your brand new additions, I should go, right? Operation Breakaway Part 2: The Revenge is in place.

[ surely this nonsense is obvious, and if it's not then it's confusing enough to give pause? ]

[ Who needs to hear they're pretty? ...Don't answer that, it'll get sad. ]

—Guess it depends on what 'imperfectly adorable' is supposed to mean, but.

[ It sure does remind him of One Moment in particular, and he's making a bit of a face at the memory, before Kit switches gears completely. Eyebrows lift. ]

What happens if I say yes, I need you to buy me new clothes.

[ what do you mean you don't want all the dissertations he could give on all of this?

he can even demo what he means (and probably will at some point). but, well. okay then. not right now. ]

What happens is I doubt you. Do you really need clothes that you're willing to let me purchase without a catch?

[ That was supposed to be rhetorical, a generic kind of sad, but it's only getting sadder as you ponder dissertations. ]

Where in this arrangement did it become you picking clothes out for me?

[ "the ethics of softening harsh truths, self-esteem, and improving self-concept in people with known or potential traumatic stress disorders" and "the dilemma: distress laden in head pats within specific populations!"

he's definitely going to demo what he means just for you, Lupine. ]

I didn't say I'd pick them, I said I'd purchase them. And for no reason at all I'm putting it out there right now that I'm not talking about anything that could be a potential problem out here in public.

In public.

[ he'll buy clothes but he's not offering up explanations for himself where people might wander by and hear. ]

So?

[ Rude??? ] [ ...Also intriguing? ]

—So, you're saying you wanna go with me to a secondary location? I could be persuaded.

Persuade you? I'm telling you the terms in case you were only going along with needing clothes to get me to talk.

[ suspicious! but if not, sure, more shopping spree. ]

[ It was a joke, but the reminder slides some of the amusement off his face. ]

I do actually need more shirts. I was trying to pick out an outfit when I got that memory instead.

[ Beat. ]

But I feel like there's a third option, where I follow you wherever you're going or you follow me to the department store, but we don't have to talk about anything you don't wanna talk about.

[ ...

oh. he gets it. he hadn't meant to worry Lupine like that, and yet setting a hard line had been such a reflex. ]

So let me buy you a few shirts. You're in good escape artist company. Since you accidentally shared yours, I'll share mine. Our tale begins with, "screw the maid cafe version 2.0, because I can only bow and call everyone 'master' for so long before I get a rash."

Can't be helped. Terrible allergy.

[ ...That's a very cute way of phrasing it, but Lupine's mouth twists. ]

I think they might have an ointment for that at the department store.

[ Everyone he actually asked about it at the last maid cafe had been pretty firm that no one was doing anything they didn't feel comfortable with, and he is not enjoying the idea of that being less than 100% true? ]

[ then oh wow does Kitsu have a fun and friendly tale of "I felt so out of place and obligated that I thought finding a way to change my personality and sell my services in nebulous ways sounded like a viable option!" good times, good times... the kind that really build character. ]

Great, glad to hear it. Maybe there's a salve for rejection, too. Someone wasn't into my brilliant idea of having chocolates thrown at his face like it was a sport. You can't say-

[ with his free hand, he dramatically brushes through his hair, ] "Haha, hello there person I've never met, yes, call me 'master!' Yes, excellent, now come up with a clean role-play!"

[ aaaand back to normal, as if that didn't happen. casual stance, intentionally blunted affect. ] — And then expect me not to come up with something like that.

[ Just. A beat of silence while he takes that in, because it's definitely already pushing back against the comforting thing he was told. ]

Does it help at all if I say I told Luce and Venti to drop that whole routine unless they were really having fun with it.

[ Can't imagine it would. Pushes a hand through his hair. ]

I dunno, having to pick roleplay scenarios on the spot just seems weird and forced to me.

Uh... Sure? I don't know much about what they like or what they earnestly have fun with in the first place, that whole 'master' routine could've been their thing. So...

[ he isn't even sure how to react to that without sounding confused or unintentionally ungrateful. ]

I'm glad they had someone looking out for them. [ that's the best he's got. ] And I — feel the need to ask, are you alright? I was trying to make light of it, but we can drop the subject.

[ ...Cool, so, that came off even worse than he was thinking it might. Lupine pushes out a low sigh. ]

Am I all right, he asks. Look, we didn't — talk that much, the first time around. [ Too busy with his CRITICAL DISTRACTION, which maybe he's told you about by now. ] ...I was trying to say, if you'd been waiting on me, I would've tried to make it less weird. Which, you know, is worth exactly squat, because you weren't.

Yeah. You really seemed troubled just now.

[ simply. sometimes he just has these moments of odd disconnect like this, where it might appear strange that Kitsu could have been talking so easily and mockingly about a situation mere moments before.

that someone could be going from "talking shit feels good sometimes" to "I have to stop and take responsibility for everyone and everything in the room." ]

I wasn't waiting on you, but you were looking out for the comfort of others around me. Others who will probably never let me in to do so. You say it isn't worth much to me, but I don't agree.

Edited 2022-02-23 23:16 (UTC)

[ releasing a long, even breath, Kitsu's smile is subtle, but not forced or falsified. ]

Will it take some pressure off to know I didn't buy all these because of anyone's experience at the maid cafe?

[ oh my god kit ] [ that had not even occurred to him and now he's just frozen in horror for a few seconds ]

...Just — worried about you, and now I guess I'm also worried about Nyx.

[ ...

going to go ahead and assume that's a NO on that being reassuring. ]

Don't. He stayed in a pretty quiet area, people respected the pink ribbons from what I saw. I would've tried taking out anyone who didn't.

[ older sibling instinct would've kicked in. one way or another, he was going to get labeled as a problem member that day. ]

But... thank you for thinking of him too.

[ ...Frowning. Seriously, his memories of the first maid cafe are extremely fuzzy for most of the people he talked to. ]

Weren't you wearing black ribbons?

[ Aren't you... still wearing them, even now? ]

Nyx wasn't.

[ goddamn it they were talking about Nyx!! why did Lupine remember his black ribbons but not burn scars?!

no, alright, alright, he can save this without spiraling. (but yes, he sure is still wearing black ribbons. the first time he was wearing an EXCESS of all ribbons in a "maybe it's cute, maybe it's desperation!" sort of way.) ]

Yes I know thank you I'm more powerful than I look and I always have been finally someone notices how I have always tried to pull my weight- [ all spoken very quickly without pause. strained? perish the thought. ] Are we shopping?

[ ......................... ]

Yeah. We're shopping.

[ Beat. ]

We can take the train, I can fly us, or uh — I technically have a motorcycle.

[ Options are good, right? Let's... give you options. ]

"Technically have a motorcycle?"

[ is it

is it stolen. is it a transformer. how else can you technically have one... ]

it's a mingle!

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