WHO: Okada Izou and "friends". WHAT: Catch-all for TDM/event prompts. WHERE: Various sites around Kyoto. WHEN: Most of May. WARNINGS: Animal gore, BDSM talk???. Will update as necessary.
as inquisitive as ever, though as izou explains, there's obvious distaste for them on his face. )
Not a gang. They were a head-ass buncha wannabe "samurai", though I guess they saw themselves as a sorta guard or whatever. Didn't care much for learnin' why they were so pro-shogunate. All I had to do was watch out for 'em, lest they try and rush whatever place we stopped to eat at. Pretty sure I could take on the whole lot of those assholes if they were still alive.
( hell, he'd asserted as much to the few members he'd met back in chaldea post-death. )
[ hm... more things she doesn't understand. that does only incite her curiosity more, of course. ]
Follow-up question, but not my second one yet. What's wrong with being pro-shogunate? Neo Tokyo doesn't have one now... I think...? [ "shogun" isn't thrown around anyway. ] So I guess your side was successful in the end.
Nothin', I guess. They were just in opposition to the group I was in, and everything went to hell eventually.
( he waves a hand dismissively, the clouds rolling above them as dark as the wood of this gate. )
None of that matters anymore. Like you said, there're no leaders like that in Neo Tokyo. Just don't go asking me if I think things are better now than they were then. None of that politics stuff made sense to me outside of who was tryin' to step on your back.
I've been thinking about it for a bit, and the gate reminded me of it too. I was pretty sadistic when I was younger... I figure there's probably a market for it, and I could use a second-- third job.
[ there are simply things you cannot talk to your best friend about. or your mumblemumble. ]
sorry....... now she's getting bashful............. foreplay............. what she did for foreplay was only recent.... ]
N-No, I... It was part of my job to be rather efficient, so... In the... mess of it all, I usually ended up killing people who weren't good enough, or pushing them so hard they'd end up in that position anyway-- kind of like a forceful positive reinforcement...? I scolded them for not going over things properly, and even if I was smiling I was furious on the inside, so I'd usually take it out on them in a cheerful way... My employees would call me sadistic, I'm sure, since I seemed like I really liked to see them in all kinds of pain be it physical, mental, or emotional, and I just became really good at it.
[ please... her killing people job? remember that? that... ]
[ STOP MAKING THIS AWKWARD SHE HAS TO TALK TO HER FRIEND SOONER OVER LATER ABOUT HIM. ]
The first! The first. And because I'm not like, into you that way, so it won't turn into anything else by asking!
[ p... prob...ably...???? probably. anyway, welcome to learning things about malkuth hour, you are the only fucking one izou. ]
I mean, unless you'd like to volunteer to help me practice. I can't imagine asking the person I've actually done stuff with to be my practice partner -- I feel like I wouldn't be able to stay professional the way I could with someone else, and you're one of my close guy friends...
( now he's running that hand along the back of his neck sheepishly, the cool of his palm tracing along a red, invisible line. )
It'll be a cold day in hell 'afore I let you talk down to me over and over. That, and I took enough of a verbal beatin' when they tossed me into a cell all those years ago. Months of it, even. Can't say I'd get a kick out of it now.
Yeah, I get it. I don't know if I'd really be into the scene even if I'm good at it anyway, since... I'd rather raise people up than put them down.
[ on the other side of it, what's so masochistic about her... the way she keeps trying despite being pushed away? maybe... vergilius was right to call her that in that case.
malkuth's rubbing her cheeks. professional or not... the list of people she can try it with is tremendously small. maybe she should just. give it a shot on her own time and let her awkwardness with a neo-tokyoian stranger be a charm point. asking a fellow outsider might be too much since they're all working together...
many thoughts. maybe she just needs to find a different third job. this was really good to keep her from turning down a dark path. ]
I'll just find something else. Sorry for bringing it up.
( ... why's she gotta look so crestfallen over this, dammit?
he doesn't want to budge. shouldn't have to budge over something so ridiculous, to him at least, but.
izou licks his too-dry lips, the shadow of a cloud passing overhead, and then, almost mumbling: )
... You got one chance. One chance t'say somethin' that might be appealing, in the... in the degradin' sense, and that's it. No one's around to hear it 'sides me. And no one better hear about us doin' this... or else.
[ ... if he's not careful, she'll really start taking advantage of that kindness of his. malkuth keeps her hands pressed to her cheeks for a moment, then glances up.
degrading in an appealing sense... something that'd jingle his jollies despite his history. would a little touch help? maybe? at the same time, that feels like a line. her hands drop and she crosses her arms instead, staring hard at izou. harsh wouldn't be good. he's had plenty of that, from the sounds of it; it's also what she's most used to dealing out herself reprimand-wise, but she really doesn't like it.
so she sighs, smiling a little slyly. ]
Deal. But you know, Izou, you should really learn to mean the things you say. No one's gonna believe an "or else" like that when you've got such a cute look on that dumb face of yours.
( that gets her a familiar scrunch of the nose in distaste, some obvious irritation over the scrutiny and affectionate (?) teasing. who're you callin' cute... )
Well you better start, 'cause I meant what I said.
( there's a worn bench nearby, and he takes a defiant seat, arms folded across his chest. like they're gonna do this here, and now, and then they'll never speak of it again. maybe. at this point it's become more of a challenge for him than a help for her, or at least it is in that noggin of his. )
here and now? in this place? malkuth glances around, hum unimpressed, before she studies him and steps closer, thinking of the similarities between herself and march, how she had thought about kaito's teasing as much as march had with izou's hand against her shoulder, and wonders if she could even sink back into that persona she'd had working at l corp.
well. no time like the present! it isn't quite the same, her encouragement despite the bad business being the main point of her apparent sadistic streak, but...
her hand comes to rest against izou's cheek, though only for now, and while malkuth's smile may be bright her eyes are a little less so; disappointed, maybe, or pitying. she knows he hates it. when she speaks, there's a sort of evenness to her tone, almost coaxing to keep his attention. ]
Back at my old place of work, I was the Sephirah of the Control Team. [ fingers ghost down his jawline, catch on the stubble of his cheek, before they come to gently cup his chin.
look at her. malkuth won't let him see anything else, leaning closer. ] If someone like you had been part of it...
[ a purposefully pinch of her fingers, voice dropping lower despite its friendliness. a whispered secret, just for them. ]
... I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. Not because you'd given up, but because your single-mindedness would have gotten you killed anyway. [ a giggle. ] Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't now. Does a man like you have anything but booze and blood rattling around in that thick skull of yours? Do you think it makes your life worth anything? A dog that only knows how to bite gets put down, Izou.
( izou certainly thought he'd steeled himself for this.
or maybe it's just that he was underestimating her a tad, when combined with his already stated repulsion to the sort of power play that might be involved in her latest undertaking.
in any case, izou handles the gentle cup of his chin like a champ, clinging to every scrap of dignity he has left with how he manages to keep his gaze level with hers through it, albeit narrow-eyed and with a flutter he can't help in his chest. the forceful movement gets a rise out of him briefly, and maybe she's actually about to say something that'll cause his cheeks to flush, much to his surprise—
but what follows next transforms that flutter into a pang, makes his stomach sink almost instantaneously. he doesn't even have time to reflect on it properly, and why should he? not when it's the truth. words that might've been savory in all their pain for someone else instead cut like a knife, taking him back briefly to those uncomfortable nights spent sitting seiza in the corner of a room, trying not to fidget as he wracked his brain for some way to be useful. any way to be useful, hands almost trembling as they gripped his knees.
here, his hands simply clench tighter to his arms, izou looking far younger than usual as he sits frozen in place. )
[ ... she hadn't wanted to be too harsh for a reason, but it seems even that's struck a chord. malkuth presses her lips together briefly, rubbing his with her thumb. ]
But you're still young. [ gentle, encouraging. ] I'm sure you're open to learning a few new tricks, aren't you?
[ it's not so bad, she'd told her employees. you've lost your arm, but you're still alive, aren't you? that means you're more capable than the person who lost their head!
such days are behind her, but they still have their apparent use. her other hand runs through his hair a little, nails scratching at his scalp. like he's a good boy for not snapping at her. ]
I did well at my job, Izou. I wouldn't have an issue handling a hellhound like you -- always getting the short end of the stick, when you deserved to be rewarded for your efforts. You'd take whatever I put you through like a champ, wouldn't you? Just [ a tap of her thumb ] like [ with every word ] now.
[ pressing a bit in between them, as if daring him to bite her and find out, daring him to be good and see what he gets. ]
( but before he can stammer out more, a thumb is parting the thin crease of his lip ever so slightly. it's all part of the show, just some icing on the cake of malkuth's attempt to shock him into admitting some part of him is getting tangled up in the fantasy, and... well. it's the vague praise that has a shiver running up his spine more than the touch, the
and that's about when his temper begins to flare, where he reaches a hand up to swat malkuth's away. he's never been good, and he isn't about to start now. not when she's on the precipice of discovering something potentially revealing about him, in this SITUATION HE AGREED TO...
there's a dusting of pink high on his cheeks, the lingering sensation of essentially being patted like someone's pet making it so he can't form a proper sentence )
Alright. Enough of that crap already. I got an ample feel for yer talent.
[ her hand moves immediately and she plops down beside him on the bench, kicking her feet slightly. it seems like it was... okay, went wellish... but... ]
Well? What do you think?
[ assessment time...! like she hadn't on the verge of something more with him, though her cheeks are a little warm too. ]
I think... ( and he drops his hand as he leans back against the bench, unable to make eye contact—) whatever you were on in the second half, was better than the first.
I know, I know! Thanks for indulging me anyway, Izou, I liked the second half more too. I thought for sure you'd bite my head off, but you did really well with, well, not that.
[ ... and even if he might not appreciate it so much, or maybe overappreciate it, she'll bump her shoulder against him. ]
or rather this whole afternoon has been strange, and personal, and izou has never been quite good at processing what he's feeling. his heart is still thumping in his chest a little as his brows furrow at the affectionate action, like a "what was that for?")
Nothin' Okada Izou can't handle.
("are you okay," ... like he's something fragile. ryouma used to ask the same, when he was the one on the verge of tears. and maybe izou was a little shaken momentarily there by some unfortunate memories, but he'll handle it like he did everything else.
by avoiding the thought of it. )
So. Who exactly are you tryin' to avoid catchin' on to this new venture of yours?
[ if you're sure, she wants to say, but she trusts him. if he says he's fine, he's fine... even if she knows how to say the same when she's not. malkuth thinks she's pressed too far today. he can have this. ]
I'd like it to stay a secret from everyone I know, really... not because I'm necessarily concerned about my image or anything, but-- I don't know, I guess it'd be weird. Don't you think?
[ ... well. she does. want to be open about her relationship, so... izou really a good place to start. ]
Though... some of the last people I'd want to find out might be my coworkers-- my friends, um, Yesod and Netzach. [ and despite the apparent awkwardness of naming them, there's nothing but affection in her voice. ] Have you met them? Nice guys, even if one's a little straitlaced and the other's way too apathetic. You'd get on with them well, I think. Honesty and compassion are their best traits.
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synflux2024-04-30 06:51 pm
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as inquisitive as ever, though as izou explains, there's obvious distaste for them on his face. )
Not a gang. They were a head-ass buncha wannabe "samurai", though I guess they saw themselves as a sorta guard or whatever. Didn't care much for learnin' why they were so pro-shogunate. All I had to do was watch out for 'em, lest they try and rush whatever place we stopped to eat at. Pretty sure I could take on the whole lot of those assholes if they were still alive.
( hell, he'd asserted as much to the few members he'd met back in chaldea post-death. )
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Follow-up question, but not my second one yet. What's wrong with being pro-shogunate? Neo Tokyo doesn't have one now... I think...? [ "shogun" isn't thrown around anyway. ] So I guess your side was successful in the end.
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( he waves a hand dismissively, the clouds rolling above them as dark as the wood of this gate. )
None of that matters anymore. Like you said, there're no leaders like that in Neo Tokyo. Just don't go asking me if I think things are better now than they were then. None of that politics stuff made sense to me outside of who was tryin' to step on your back.
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I'm not really good at political stuff either, so I won't bother you about it. Second question: are you a sadist or a masochist?
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What.
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[ there are simply things you cannot talk to your best friend about. or your mumblemumble. ]
So? What's your answer?
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maybe he should've showed off something a little less... yeah. )
Wh-Whaddya mean by... sadistic? Y'mean you used to smack people, for... as foreplay, or... ?
( sidestepping the original question: lesson one. )
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sorry....... now she's getting bashful............. foreplay............. what she did for foreplay was only recent.... ]
N-No, I... It was part of my job to be rather efficient, so... In the... mess of it all, I usually ended up killing people who weren't good enough, or pushing them so hard they'd end up in that position anyway-- kind of like a forceful positive reinforcement...? I scolded them for not going over things properly, and even if I was smiling I was furious on the inside, so I'd usually take it out on them in a cheerful way... My employees would call me sadistic, I'm sure, since I seemed like I really liked to see them in all kinds of pain be it physical, mental, or emotional, and I just became really good at it.
[ please... her killing people job? remember that? that... ]
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anyway, he's learned something new about malkuth this day: do not be her pupil in any way, shape, or form. )
And you're askin' me...
( the hand that was rubbing his chin crosses his mouth now in embarrassment. )
—if I think you'd be good at that, pro... professionally? Or are you askin' me if I'd be into that? And why ME, of all people?
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The first! The first. And because I'm not like, into you that way, so it won't turn into anything else by asking!
[ p... prob...ably...???? probably. anyway, welcome to learning things about malkuth hour, you are the only fucking one izou. ]
I mean, unless you'd like to volunteer to help me practice. I can't imagine asking the person I've actually done stuff with to be my practice partner -- I feel like I wouldn't be able to stay professional the way I could with someone else, and you're one of my close guy friends...
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Well, you came to the wrong guy for it.
( now he's running that hand along the back of his neck sheepishly, the cool of his palm tracing along a red, invisible line. )
It'll be a cold day in hell 'afore I let you talk down to me over and over. That, and I took enough of a verbal beatin' when they tossed me into a cell all those years ago. Months of it, even. Can't say I'd get a kick out of it now.
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[ on the other side of it, what's so masochistic about her... the way she keeps trying despite being pushed away? maybe... vergilius was right to call her that in that case.
malkuth's rubbing her cheeks. professional or not... the list of people she can try it with is tremendously small. maybe she should just. give it a shot on her own time and let her awkwardness with a neo-tokyoian stranger be a charm point. asking a fellow outsider might be too much since they're all working together...
many thoughts. maybe she just needs to find a different third job. this was really good to keep her from turning down a dark path. ]
I'll just find something else. Sorry for bringing it up.
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he doesn't want to budge. shouldn't have to budge over something so ridiculous, to him at least, but.
izou licks his too-dry lips, the shadow of a cloud passing overhead, and then, almost mumbling: )
... You got one chance. One chance t'say somethin' that might be appealing, in the... in the degradin' sense, and that's it. No one's around to hear it 'sides me. And no one better hear about us doin' this... or else.
( gah. he's getting way too soft lately. )
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degrading in an appealing sense... something that'd jingle his jollies despite his history. would a little touch help? maybe? at the same time, that feels like a line. her hands drop and she crosses her arms instead, staring hard at izou. harsh wouldn't be good. he's had plenty of that, from the sounds of it; it's also what she's most used to dealing out herself reprimand-wise, but she really doesn't like it.
so she sighs, smiling a little slyly. ]
Deal. But you know, Izou, you should really learn to mean the things you say. No one's gonna believe an "or else" like that when you've got such a cute look on that dumb face of yours.
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Well you better start, 'cause I meant what I said.
( there's a worn bench nearby, and he takes a defiant seat, arms folded across his chest. like they're gonna do this here, and now, and then they'll never speak of it again. maybe. at this point it's become more of a challenge for him than a help for her, or at least it is in that noggin of his. )
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here and now? in this place? malkuth glances around, hum unimpressed, before she studies him and steps closer, thinking of the similarities between herself and march, how she had thought about kaito's teasing as much as march had with izou's hand against her shoulder, and wonders if she could even sink back into that persona she'd had working at l corp.
well. no time like the present! it isn't quite the same, her encouragement despite the bad business being the main point of her apparent sadistic streak, but...
her hand comes to rest against izou's cheek, though only for now, and while malkuth's smile may be bright her eyes are a little less so; disappointed, maybe, or pitying. she knows he hates it. when she speaks, there's a sort of evenness to her tone, almost coaxing to keep his attention. ]
Back at my old place of work, I was the Sephirah of the Control Team. [ fingers ghost down his jawline, catch on the stubble of his cheek, before they come to gently cup his chin.
look at her. malkuth won't let him see anything else, leaning closer. ] If someone like you had been part of it...
[ a purposefully pinch of her fingers, voice dropping lower despite its friendliness. a whispered secret, just for them. ]
... I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. Not because you'd given up, but because your single-mindedness would have gotten you killed anyway. [ a giggle. ] Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't now. Does a man like you have anything but booze and blood rattling around in that thick skull of yours? Do you think it makes your life worth anything? A dog that only knows how to bite gets put down, Izou.
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or maybe it's just that he was underestimating her a tad, when combined with his already stated repulsion to the sort of power play that might be involved in her latest undertaking.
in any case, izou handles the gentle cup of his chin like a champ, clinging to every scrap of dignity he has left with how he manages to keep his gaze level with hers through it, albeit narrow-eyed and with a flutter he can't help in his chest. the forceful movement gets a rise out of him briefly, and maybe she's actually about to say something that'll cause his cheeks to flush, much to his surprise—
but what follows next transforms that flutter into a pang, makes his stomach sink almost instantaneously. he doesn't even have time to reflect on it properly, and why should he? not when it's the truth. words that might've been savory in all their pain for someone else instead cut like a knife, taking him back briefly to those uncomfortable nights spent sitting seiza in the corner of a room, trying not to fidget as he wracked his brain for some way to be useful. any way to be useful, hands almost trembling as they gripped his knees.
here, his hands simply clench tighter to his arms, izou looking far younger than usual as he sits frozen in place. )
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But you're still young. [ gentle, encouraging. ] I'm sure you're open to learning a few new tricks, aren't you?
[ it's not so bad, she'd told her employees. you've lost your arm, but you're still alive, aren't you? that means you're more capable than the person who lost their head!
such days are behind her, but they still have their apparent use. her other hand runs through his hair a little, nails scratching at his scalp. like he's a good boy for not snapping at her. ]
I did well at my job, Izou. I wouldn't have an issue handling a hellhound like you -- always getting the short end of the stick, when you deserved to be rewarded for your efforts. You'd take whatever I put you through like a champ, wouldn't you? Just [ a tap of her thumb ] like [ with every word ] now.
[ pressing a bit in between them, as if daring him to bite her and find out, daring him to be good and see what he gets. ]
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( but before he can stammer out more, a thumb is parting the thin crease of his lip ever so slightly. it's all part of the show, just some icing on the cake of malkuth's attempt to shock him into admitting some part of him is getting tangled up in the fantasy, and... well. it's the vague praise that has a shiver running up his spine more than the touch, the
and that's about when his temper begins to flare, where he reaches a hand up to swat malkuth's away. he's never been good, and he isn't about to start now. not when she's on the precipice of discovering something potentially revealing about him, in this SITUATION HE AGREED TO...
there's a dusting of pink high on his cheeks, the lingering sensation of essentially being patted like someone's pet making it so he can't form a proper sentence )
Alright. Enough of that crap already. I got an ample feel for yer talent.
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Well? What do you think?
[ assessment time...! like she hadn't on the verge of something more with him, though her cheeks are a little warm too. ]
( 1 / 2 )
( 2 / 2 )
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I know, I know! Thanks for indulging me anyway, Izou, I liked the second half more too. I thought for sure you'd bite my head off, but you did really well with, well, not that.
[ ... and even if he might not appreciate it so much, or maybe overappreciate it, she'll bump her shoulder against him. ]
Are you okay?
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or rather this whole afternoon has been strange, and personal, and izou has never been quite good at processing what he's feeling. his heart is still thumping in his chest a little as his brows furrow at the affectionate action, like a "what was that for?" )
Nothin' Okada Izou can't handle.
( "are you okay," ... like he's something fragile. ryouma used to ask the same, when he was the one on the verge of tears. and maybe izou was a little shaken momentarily there by some unfortunate memories, but he'll handle it like he did everything else.
by avoiding the thought of it. )
So. Who exactly are you tryin' to avoid catchin' on to this new venture of yours?
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I'd like it to stay a secret from everyone I know, really... not because I'm necessarily concerned about my image or anything, but-- I don't know, I guess it'd be weird. Don't you think?
[ ... well. she does. want to be open about her relationship, so... izou really a good place to start. ]
Though... some of the last people I'd want to find out might be my coworkers-- my friends, um, Yesod and Netzach. [ and despite the apparent awkwardness of naming them, there's nothing but affection in her voice. ] Have you met them? Nice guys, even if one's a little straitlaced and the other's way too apathetic. You'd get on with them well, I think. Honesty and compassion are their best traits.
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