Visions of the past, burning brightly~

[wavesoakedlegs]

Who: Akechi Mitsuhide (wavesoakedlegs) and Akechi Gracia (kagayakashi)!
Where: Akechi-Chōsokabe household.
When: 03/18 (during the curse), daytime.
Status: Closed.

~

It only occured to Mitsuhide during the last day of the curse that there was something the thought bubbles would be very useful for. They presented an opportunity to share something with Gracia; an opportunity that probably wouldn't happen again.

While his thoughts often lingered on darker things, Oda Nobunaga still blazing bright in his mind and laughing at him from the flames within the bubble, he was certain he could hold them back for long enough to do what he wanted to.

Surely?

Stood at his daughter's door, Mitsuhide knocked, unwilling to simply walk in.

"Gracia..?"

Comments

[wavesoakedlegs]

It was a rare sight indeed; the image in Mitsuhide's thought bubble changed for a moment, becoming nothing more than a haze of constantly shifting-colours. Only when his laughter stopped did it shift back to the memory from before, though a little advanced; Kichou is no longer in the picture, just the other girl.

"I am glad, then," he said softly, when he had caught his breath. "You have an inventive mind too, don't you?"

His smile was almost radiant now.

[kagayakashi]

"Maybe I got it from you!" She points at his thought bubble, clearly very amused at all the things he has shown her. She had to admit, he may say he's not artistic, but his thoughts were vivid and clear as day. Perhaps it might be because he was attached to these people from his childhood, but still. Gracia was extremely happy to have been witness to his past, even if it's just a little bit of it.

Her giggles died down, and she moves on to her next question. She stared at the girl that was left in his thought bubble, completely clueless as to who she was. Her father only mentioned Kichou, Lady Nou. So who was this one?

"Father, this girl here now, in your thoughts...Was she one of your childhood friends too?"

[wavesoakedlegs]

At that question mirth filled Mitsuhide's expression again. His Lord Motochika was not going to be very impressed when he heard about this.

"That's not a girl, Tama; and yes, he was."

Ah, Himewakako. A past his dearest one would rather forget; few had ever recognised him as a boy upon first sight. Mitsuhide's memory changed to one which showed the the face of the 'Princess' a lot more clearly.

"Look closely at his face. You'll recognise him, if you look hard enough."

1/2

[kagayakashi]

"He?"

Gracia moved forward, leaning as close as she could to the bubble floating above his head. She squinted, trying to make out the extremely feminine yet fierce facial expression of the girl -- or rather, the boy. Well, it wasn't anything new; Ranmaru looked more like a lady than Gracia did at times! But who could this mystery boy be? Someone from his childhood, someone her father knew way back then...

2/2

[kagayakashi]

...The realization came to her like a raging stream pouring out of a blocked river gate. She howled in her laughter, pointing at the bubble as she fell down on her back.

"It's Motochika! Oh, Motochika looked like a woman when he was a child!"

She stopped laughing after a few minutes, though her smile was still as wide as ever.

"But how? Father, Motochika looks so manly now! Does this mean when Ran grows up even more, he'll turn out the same?"

Her thought bubble shifts again, this time, showing a very vivid image of Ranmaru struggling to get Gracia off of him. She's laughing as she crawls on top of him, trying to put on a very bright shade of red lip stain on his face. It was a memory. But her imagination twists it around; Ranmaru morphs into a Motochika-like body, but his face remains the same.

[wavesoakedlegs]

That mental image was... disturbing, to say the least. The look did not work, the head not matching the body it had been mentally attached to.

Not to mention the fact that Gracia was crawling on top of Ranmaru. There was obviously history there, a certain place for him in her past. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask about it, either; the topic of Ranmaru alone was distressing, but crawling on top of another like that?

He managed to stop those thoughts from infiltrating his own bubble, however.

"Yes, he did. Lord Motochika was beautiful, back then, rather than extremely handsome. People change with time, especially when moving from youth to adulthood."

A soft smile spread across Mitsuhide's face.

"Not to mention all the work he did to develop such a physique... and that he still does, to maintain it."

Gracia was not the only one who was prone to daydreams. Even as Mitsuhide spoke he was switching off a little, trailing off as pleasant mental images filled his head. They were, thankfully for both father and daughter, not explicit ones, but the images of Motochika with a completely bared chest had a certain aura about them that made his affections for, and attraction to, the other man clear.

[kagayakashi]

Needless to say, that image would pop up in one of her conversations with Motochika in the near future most definitely. It was perfect fuel for her mischievous side. She started into another fit of giggles again, however, when she saw what was inside of her father's bubble next. Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she half-turned away and half glanced over her shoulder.

Mischievous, indeed.

"Father! Don't think about things like that when I'm around! How embarrassing...!" Her words don't match her reaction. She's obviously enjoying the daydream because it goes to show, even her father had a silly side to him. Her own thought bubble showed Motochika nodding wisely, with a knowing smirk on his face.