[OPEN] RV Park Party

[eirs]

WHO: Any and all OUTSIDER personnel that wants in and their respective campervan companions. Or maybe you wandered out away from your group and found this commune.
WHAT: The gang parking together at night to swap information about the things they've found in their investigations, night watches around a fire, ghost stories......? General tomfoolery in the desert where there's no one else for miles. Cooking their hunts in successes and mishaps?
WHERE: The Mojave Desert
WHEN: Mid to Late May
WARNINGS: Will be updated or tagged in the thread as needed!

Comments

[picky]

[ She pouts again, but it's a little more muted this time. She wraps her arms loosely around her bent legs and stares forward into the sandy horizon, past the vans and fellow campers and the crackling fire. ]

Not the intrigue part. [ She murmurs. Her gaze slides off towards the sand. ] You don't have to share everything. Just powers that you think you'll use around us, so we don't get surprised again. That makes sense, right?

[seafloor]

Fair.

[ Kaito draws his knees up and rests his chin on them.

A scarred hand lifts weakly, and his eyes glow. Water coalesces in a hand-sized sphere revolving at a slow, alluring pace. ]

Sorry. It was a little irresponsible of me not to go over everything before we started traveling. This is a mission, after all.

To keep a complicated explanation short, I am water. If I have water, I can do anything to manipulate it. And because I am water, I always have water.

[picky]

[ She furrows her brows at him, trying to parse what he means while the sphere in his hand turns like a small planet of its own. ]

What's the difference between being water and having water? Is there a difference?

[seafloor]

It's.

[ Kaito trails to a pause. The hand under his sphere recedes to tap his chin. It continues to speen. ]

Hmm. Elemental magic principles may vary between worlds, but I've noticed a common thread in some. Take our surroundings. Arid desert all around, right? Very little moisture in the ground, and the low humidity of the air means that there isn't much around either.

[ Kaito taps the orb, and it dissolves. Stray water particles fly about in a vague cloud-like formation. ]

Not all are equal in how they draw their element. If one requires their element to be present to manipulate it, a water mage would struggle in this climate. Does that make any sense?

[picky]

[ She nods, watching his hands and the small sphere of water puffing into vapor. ]

Uh-huh. Some mages can create water while others can only use water that exists around them, right?

[seafloor]

[ Kaito closes his hand into a fist as the last puffs of mist dissipate. ]

Correct. The former are usually limited by factors like aptitude and resources. Mana, chi, aura, whatever you want to call it.

[ His fingers remain clenched. There's a brief tremble as his entire limb, clothes and all, transforms into a sculpted liquid state down to the wrist. It's constantly wavering, like the water seeks free movement but remains willed into a familiar, controlled shape. ]

I'm part of that group, but at a particular extreme. [ Blues shift past his transformed hand to find Marcille's gaze again. ]

So long as I live, I'll have water at a surplus. Sure, I can tire my pool, but that would take a monumental effort and exertion, if that makes sense.

[ The tips of his ears redden, highlighted by the glow of his magic. ]

...In fairness, I don't get to explain this often. I wonder if I'm embarrassing myself when I talk in front of actual mages.

[picky]

[ Marcille is nodding, every reaction playing on her face as she digests what he says. It's still a little abstract, but hearing the manifestations of other worlds' magic is interesting to her. It may teach her even more about her own spells.

She's about to ask, But where do you store all of this water? Instead, her gaze hones in on his red ears. She beams. ]

Aw! Are you blushing?

[seafloor]

[ Oh no. Oh no. Don't do it Kaito, don't give in to that age old knee jerk reactio— ]

—As if!

[ ...Nope. The primordial Nagano maletsun urge wins. Kaito's head snap tilts upwards, nose pointed high... With ears and neck alike alight. The redness creeps in... ]

[picky]

Aw, you are!

[ Marcille actually laughs, leans over, and lightly pinches his cheek. ]

I've never seen you blush before!

[seafloor]

H-Hey!! Quit that!

[ There it is. Carmine blooms over his cheeks as she pinches. Kaito reaches over to retaliate—but it's with his watery hand, so as he punches, it feels softer than usual. And a little cool. Surprisingly, not wet.

Realizing he hasn't shifted the limb back, Kaito drops his hand. He's still flustered, but a smile finds its way onto his features and he chuckles. ]

...This is silly. You have a nice laugh.

[picky]

Hey!

[ NOT THE COLD ALMOST-WET NOODLE HAND? She's still laughing though, and that does get her to let go of his cheek.

Then he delivers the next blow. She's frozen and needs a second to process it, because unfortunately she is weak to corny stuff. And that was super corny of him.

Her cheeks go up in flames immediately, the blush rising all the way over her nose.

Then she reaches and pinches his cheek a little harder than before. ]

I know your game! You're turning this around on me so I blush too, aren't you?

[ She's definitely blushing, so she already lost. She's fighting for those last shreds of dignity. ]

[seafloor]

[ Well. It's not even a stretch to accuse him of trying to tease as retaliation—that is his style.

But Kaito is also extremely corny, and the compliment had been made in earnest. He'd have time to think about the way Marcille's face lights up too, if not for her coming back to pinch him harder. ]

Oi, oi! You little—

[ Up goes the noodle hand, transforming back to flesh and gloves so he can retaliate properly. ]

I'm not playing any games! But if I was, I'd have won! You look like more of a tomato than I do!

[ His voice sounds a little stretched from all the pinching. ]

And you're lucky I'm biting my tongue or you'd hear the rest!

[picky]

[ WHAT IS GOING ON... HER WHOLE FACE GETS REDDER? ]

The rest?! [ She grabs his arm and stretches his cheek! They're just wrestling now. ] What are you talking about?!

[seafloor]

Gwuuuuuhhhh—my cheek won't go back if you stretch that hard!!!

[ A lie, of course—or maybe an excuse to add a second hand and start stretching her whole face out!!! That's what she gets for yanking it into pinching range.

Yeah, they're wrasslin' now. Forget about earlier; this is silly. ]

And I don't think you'd be able to handle hearing it, Marcille! Look at what one whole compliment did to you!

[ 💢💢💢 ]

[picky]

Owwww!

[ Her voice is also funny now because her face is being stretched!! She stops pinching his face, pinches his ear instead, and shoves the heel of her hand against his cheek! They're being so stupid in front of god and everyone ]

Weggo uv me!

[seafloor]

WAK—

[ Certified Idiot™ Moment over here. How are they the oldest and most responsible in their van group again?

NO SABER YOU DON'T COUNT ESPECIALLY NOT RIGHT NOW—

The pinch to his ear sends very mixed signals for all of two milliseconds (hey look, he's as red as her again) before Kaito lets go of Marcille's face—and shifts to ALSO grab and pinch her ears, PLURAL. She's also being yanked in while he gets pushed away. ]

Yur an ewf! An EF! An you wen fer muh ears!!!

Dis means WAR!

[picky]

Ow, ow, ow!

[ OKAY having both of her ears pulled actually really hurts, so she finally lets him go and tightly grabs both of his wrists, eyes squeezes closed. Are those little tears? ]

Okay, okay, let go! It hurts!

[seafloor]

[ And thus concludes the shortest war ever held on U.S. soil. Kaito releases his hold immediately, concern replacing childish indignance.

He didn't even try to pull so hard, knowing how sensitive his own ears were, but he must have been careless. Again. His heart sinks a little. ]

I'm so sorry... I overstepped. Did I do any lasting damage? Can I heal you? It's my fault, I owe you the service...

[picky]

[ 🫡

With her ears finally free, Marcille reaches up to massage them, sniffing once. She's glaring harmlessly at some rock in the sand, obviously sulking. ]

No, it's fine. I started it anyway.

[ Because he said corny stuff for no reason. Her cheeks are still hot.

She looks up at him again, lets go of her ears, and extends one hand out to him. ]

Truce? At least until after we take out the next Kaiju. ...And I'm sorry I pulled on your face.

[seafloor]

[ Even without his empathy Kaito isn't very convinced that it's fine. Only when the blonde glances back up to him does he relax his posture. When she offers her hand, he takes it gently in his own.

And cheats, considering a faint ripple of cool energy transfers through the contact and begins to work at soothing the lingering sting from where he'd pulled. ]

Apology and truce accepted.






And for the record I was going to say that you smile nicely, too. [ The blush makes it more memorable, but even he isn't so dense as to tack that on.

The pulse of healing strengthens, almost as if in response to his compliment. Or teasing, however you want to take it. ]

[picky]

[ That's a surprise. She's been the healer up until now, never the healed. It makes her flinch a little, the cold flying up her shoulders and into her cheeks and the tips of her ears. She's blinking, feeling completely better, even her face is cooling off—

Then he ruins it. Healing pulse or not, Marcille's face scrunches as she blushes hard and snatches back her hand. Yes she likes compliments, and yes you can get her to do something if you praise her enough, but she has some dignity!!! ]

Alright, that's enough out of you! You're just as bad as Ryoji.

[seafloor]

[ His style of healing is far gentler than what she might be used to. It isn't so potent either—it isn't meant to be—but for a sore pair of ears, even it would feel instant.

He also has LILITH's technology built in, but doubts he'd be able to get her to agree to a tight hug to make it work its technomagic.

Either way, Kaito draws away with a chuckle. His blush is quicker to fade. ]

I warned you, did I not?

[ He didn't know Ryoji was such a ham. He'll have to investigate later... ]

Don't worry. I'll do my best not to bury you in compliments. We did enact a truce.

[picky]

[ She huffs again! Her blushes take much longer to recede. Keep winning, Kaito. She points a menacing finger at him. ]

Don't you know that if you keep complimenting people, eventually your compliments will sound insincere? You should only say them when you really mean it!

[seafloor]

[ Kaito lifts a gloved hand and taps the tip of his index finger to her MENACING one. Boop!

His smile softens. ]

Of course I know.

I didn't say anything I wasn't serious about.

[picky]

[ STOP!!! Her face goes back up in flames. She retracts her hand and lightly shoves his shoulder. ]

Maybe I will take Seok Dang's driving course after all. You can walk the rest of the way!