vatheon | 011 - Cats on Mars

Entry tags:

011 - Cats on Mars

Who: Dhaos and anyone
What: grab-bag curse catch-all, confessions type curse
Where: at the Vesperia House, the park, or around the city
When: anytime during the curse week
Style: I'll probably stick to brackets, but feel free to use prose if you'd like.
Status: open as can be

[Nothing is quite so awkward as waking up with a sudden urge to confess. Especially when half of said "confessions" are utter fabrications that Dhaos had not thought of before the words had passed his lips. It's especially awkward when something comes up that the angel doesn't quite get the context of. T'is the season for embarrassment and confusion?]

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[ Hey. Dhaos.

Have a pie. ]

Ah, thank you.

[Dhaos hadn't quite been expecting a gift when he answered the door, but he's certainly not complaining. After all, it's a perfect opportunity to inform Duke of good tidings.]

You will be pleased to know that I am now confident you can be taught to fly.

... When not on curse?

[ He's a little dull sounding and his hair is trying to hide the glow but shhh. He's totally fine. ]

[Not that any attempts to hide the effects of Duke's curse are particularly effective, but Dhaos isn't about to comment.]

Yes, after- I can shoot lasers from my eyes.

[He pauses for a moment, looking slightly perturbed by the sudden declaration.]

...After the effects of the curse have disappeared.

..... [ Can you, Dhaos?

He doesn't think that that is this weeks curse.. ]

Very well.

[No he cannot. Just from his hands.]

Good. It would be a hindrance if my instructions had false interjections such as you just witnessed.

.... Multiple curses.

[ He remembers both of these. Only they didn't happen the same week... ]

...So it would seem.

[He only remembers one of these himself, but Ioder had encountered the one he's currently afflicted with before. Really, this is a retread he could have done without.]

Again, I thank you for the pie.

... Welcome.

[Could be worse, Dhaos. You could run into someone who stabbed a friend of yours while in such a state.

Oh but, fate happens to have said person, Ryoko Asakura, happen to run into Dhaos one day! At the park even!

Not that she knows who he is, just that being super polite and cheery to people she doesn't know is a good thing.]

Hello!

[that and she has no qualms with talking to strangers.]

[It is perhaps a fortunate thing that Dhaos' default is to be polite to everyone, even those who have stabbed those he cares about.

...Not that he actually knows what she looks like anyway, so it didn't matter at the moment anyhow. She's just another friendly stranger to him.]

...Hello, miss.

[He may recognize her voice, maybe.

And she has no clue who he is, so yay friendly strangers to all!]

I don't think we've ever spoken before, mister so... It's very nice to meet you.

[Perhaps the girl's voice sounds a bit familiar, but he can't quite seem to place it.]

And you as well.

[Whelp, then it's time for an introduction.]

Hm, oh yes. I'm Ryoko Asakura, Mister.

[And she bows politely as she says her name.]

[He bows back, although not as deeply.]

My name is Dhaos. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Asakura.

[Dhaos... Dhaos. That name sounds familiar, maybe she heard it over the network whilst browsing it out of boredom, but she shows no sign of familiarity. Or much else other than a happy smile.]

The same, Mister Dhaos. It's nice to meet someone new so soon after I came back here.

Ah? You have been in Vatheon once before then?

[Despite the moderate temperature in the bubble, when Lloyd passes by Dhaos on one of the streets, his cheeks are rosy with cold and his hair and clothes damp from snow. Despite this, there's a huge grin on the teenager's face.

When he spots Dhaos, he lifts his hand and waves.]

Hey, Dhaos! What's up?

[It's easy to conclude that Lloyd had been playing in the snow on the island, and Dhaos is rather pleased to see that the boy had been enjoying himself.

He smiles in greeting.]

Hello Lloyd. I find that taking a stroll is helpful when one has something on their mind.

Oh?

[Lloyd slows, interest perking up. If Dhaos mentioned it, it's probably something he wants to talk about.]

What's on your mind? Maybe I can help.

Thank you for the offer, but I am not quite ready to discuss this yet.

[It's something he needs to sort out for himself, really. ~~And definitely not needing to see how another thread goes first, nope.~~]

Fair enough.

[Dhaos doesn't seem to be overly upset, so it doesn't sound like anything Lloyd needs to press.]

Hey, have you been up to the island yet?

[It's not a bad thing, just something he's not quite to the point of openly discussing yet.]

I have not since before Christmas. It has become too cold for the dogs, and I have little reason to go alone.

Wait, you have dogs? When did you get dogs?

[Way to derail Lloyd's thought process.]

What if you didn't go alone?

[Not derailed for long.]

Ah, they are not mine, per say. Ioder is the one who bought them, but it is unwise to leave puppies alone for long stretches, so I watch them while he is at work.

[He pauses a moment to ponder Lloyd's next question.]

...Perhaps on a clear night. The stars tend to be particularly visible at this time of year.

Ioder?

[Lloyd echoes the name curiously. This is the first time he's heard it, he thinks.

At the mention of stars, he goes quiet, expression distant. He looks up at the sky, though of course there aren't any stars to see right now. Still, there's something nostalgic in the way he looks.]

I like looking at stars...

[Ioder was unaware that anything was going on. He'd heard grumblings on the network that there was a curse floating about. He was unaffected and he thought the rest of his housemates were, too.

Should Dhaos go looking for him this morning, he'll find the young emperor outside with the puppies.]

[It doesn't take long for Dhaos to find Ioder. For a few minutes he simply watches his housemate and the pups from the door, enjoying the joyful little scene.

At least until Iona spots him and trots over with a cheerful little bark. He smiles and kneels down to pet her.]

Hello little one.

Oh! Good morning, Dhaos. How are you?

[Ioder's greeting is as cheerful and chipper as ever, Ico currently playing tug-of-war with him and a colorful knotted up rope. The puppy lets out a playful growl, but otherwise doesn't break his concentration on the game with Ioder.]

Very well, thank you.

[As far as he can tell, he seems to have been spared the curse this week. It's rather nice, really.

Iona meanwhile is happy for the ear scratches. She'd become quite convinced that Dhaos is the best at that out of anyone she's met so far.]

You are well too, I see.

Yes. It's been quiet, for a curse week.

[Ioder smiled, echoing the thoughts that Dhaos seemed to have.]

I'm grateful. It's nice to have a break from them once in a while.

[Dhaos opens his mouth to agree, but what comes out is very different.]

I believe I've fallen in love with you.

[He freezes, unsure of where that declaration had come from. It was certainly not something he had been thinking at the time, or at all for that matter. A number of expressions pass over his face as he attempts to process what had just happened, chief among them being confusion, embarrassment, and just a touch of raw fear.]

[Ioder's reaction is much the same, freezing and letting go of the rope, eyes going wide and face flushing a deep shade of red. There's even a bit of disbelief, as if some part of him is trying to convince himself that he misheard, or was imagining things.

Or is dreaming.

Unfortunately Ico promptly dispels the former thought by yipping after several seconds of silence and stillness from his owner before flailing his head around with the rope still between his teeth, giving Ioder's hand a good bop with the tied end of it. It doesn't hurt, but it makes the young emperor yelp and yank his hand away, effectively jarring him out of his shock.]

... I... suppose I spoke to soon...

[This was a curse Ioder knew well. It was the first one he'd ever experienced after arriving, and it certainly made things difficult for him. Difficult and embarrassing, given the things he blurted out.

But for the moment Dhaos had it worse, all things considered.

Ioder stood up, looking flustered but managing a surprisingly even voice in spite of it.]

And... I suppose there's no question as to how true that is, given the nature of the curse...

Edited 2013-01-08 04:02 (UTC)

[The fact that Ioder is remaining fairly calm helps calm Dhaos himself. Mostly he feels relieved that he doesn't seem to have upset the other. He still feels terribly flustered, but he feels somewhat reassured that he has not unwittingly ruined their friendship.]

The... nature of this curse...?

[It seems to him that the young emperor is implying that the curse causes false confessions, but he has to make sure, because the first... It felt as if it were more a truth he had not realized...]

To blurt out things you wouldn't normally say out loud, regardless of what you're feeling. Confessions... truthful confessions, that is. I was... burdened with it when I first arrived, and I'm sorry to say nothing that I said was ever false. Just... hidden. Or even ones you're not fully aware of.

[He explains the curse just as calmly, but whatever flustered feeling they were sharing wasn't going away.]

... for... whatever it may be worth... you're not alone in that feeling.

[Even admitting it after something like that makes his cheeks go red again, but there's a sadness in his eyes as soon as the words leave him.]

But I'm going to take a guess in that I was far more aware of my feelings for you than you were of yours for me. And I've been down that road before, longing for something I can't have. It's kept me quiet all this time. Not just for fear of rejection, but... for fear that nothing good may come of it...

[Internally, Dhaos is at war. He is in love, and it just seems so obvious now that he knows. The feelings he harbors towards Ioder are just so similar to those for Karion, and yet its those little differences that make them unique. He does not fear that either love will eclipse the other for that reason.

At the same time, Dhaos knows full well he is not a good person. He has the blood of countless people on his hands, all in the name of the planet he had failed to save. The seraph could list dozens of his flaws, and perhaps more.

Knowing that, could he really...?

His thoughts slow. That's right... Karion had always wanted the happiness of everyone, himself included. She may be gone now, her life given to him in that pursuit, but it was his duty to carry out that wish, wasn't it? And that duty included his own happiness, did it not? He holds within him the hopes and dreams of those who had passed to give him a chance to fulfill them, and so he must live in their place as long as he is able.

He smiles.]

Perhaps we are doomed to failure. But we will never know if we do not try.

[That wasn't the response Ioder was expecting to hear. Agreement on his thoughts, or even an out right rejection based on... countless reasons that either of them could have come up with had been what he was certain Dhaos was going to say.

But disagreement in the form of a "we can try" statement actually stunned him, leaving him temporarily slack-jawed with that blush returning full force.

There were still a million reasons why it might not work, why it shouldn't, but for some reason any thought to argue back was lost in a moment following that shock of complete and utter joy. His heart could have burst.

The stunned expression slid away, and he returned the smile.]

If you're certain...

I am.

[There was still a hesitation there. There probably always would be some lingering worry. He wouldn't have said what he did otherwise.

But the two simple words, spoken with confidence, was enough to give Ioder the confidence he needed to feel that some how, some way... it was going to be alright.]

Alright. Well. If you're willing to try, I am, too.

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011 - Cats on Mars

Sometime around Christmas

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after christmas

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at the Vesperia house, first day of the curse

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