lupineguard

[lupineguard]

well. it certainly was a sight. not a pretty one, but everyone had to start somewhere. whether or not this guy could manage to have some semblance of the bare minimum of skil in time was unknown though. keigo could feel the worry tug at the corners of his lips as he worried for his own practice time. then he felt ridiculous as the thought entered -- hadn't he only intended to enter for fun too? why was he sounding all serious about this?

"... stop. we need to go back another step." this whole thing might be hopeless. reaching forth his hands, keigo offered to help the other off the middle of the ice and to the side instead. there was always the chance of being pulled along into a fall when supporting a beginner, but as long as this guy just followed along and didn't try anything funny, it'd be fine.

"i need you to hold onto the side and try just lifting your feet on the spot. this isn't like walking. you need the entire blade to hit the ice at once."

Whimpering slightly, he tries, slowly, to do as Keigo instructs. It's shaky, it's not confident, but he's balancing.

Mostly.

"Shit....okay, let's...okay," let's take the first little roll-- and at a snail's pace, too.

Knees bent, but his arms are out, hovering. Flying.

[lupineguard]

keigo had never really considered himself to be much of a hero of justice. several of his friends far better suited such a moniker, but in comparison, he was a rather lackluster, mostly useless teenage boy with more self esteem issues than what was good for him. the problem was just that even if he believed himself to be unable to help much in a pinch, he had a good heart and struggled to look the other way when people were really in trouble.

that, however, didn't mean he could muster the will to mirror this person's (?) seemingly upbeat attitude in the face of danger.

"that was the plan, but..." sizing up the shape and aerial agility of the enemy he couldn't help but feel his words trail off. "how on earth are we supposed to fight against that?" he wanted to help. he really did. but wasn't this, like, totally impossible?

[ Luunstone Starter for @lupineguard ]

Okay.. One last push. One more fight. This time, the Luunstone created a path for them. The Cuzamil Clan will finally be reunited with the Ariduff Clan and they will finally get to live in peace, just like before. While the violet light had driven off the Ohuis, there's still danger. They can still be attacked in the air, dealt with vicious claws and beams. That's why he has to join them, to protect them from any attacks.

Nobody said it'd be easy. Especially when he has nothing but sharp sticks as a weapon. He may have even gotten some side glances from the Cuzamil Clan. But, hey! He's doing a pretty good job, all things considered! But, the Sky Ohuis.. Those prove to be a challenge. Not only does he have no weapons aside from a stick, he can't fly. So, he has to try extra hard to keep the clan safe! It's his duty as an angel, after all!

Pit spied someone in the distance, someone who looks to be getting ready for the fight as well. A human? So humans can end up on this island, too.. Pit walked up to him, giving Keigo a friendly smile. "Hey! You helping the Cuzamil Clan, too?"

[lupineguard]

wolf is able to come out to play now, even though he doesn't have any of his actual powers available yet! for a starter specifically with wolf, please like this post!

[lupineguard]

the silence made keigo feel uncertain of his judgement for a moment, but then the resounded laughter of pure superior amusement took over. he could feel his hairs stand on end.

the suspicions were entirely unfounded. nothing in the guy's words or actions had been villainous. and yet, every single fibre in the young teen's being told him that this man would have no qualms about destroying everything keigo knew about the world, should he find it necessary.

it was scary.

disturbing, in an uncannily enticing way.

part of him wanted to understand what was going on in the mind of this entirely untelligible existence. perhaps it was some deeply rooted impulse of figuring out the unknown. when demystified, it was less scary.

"... for better or for worse this is my home now." even if he had no friends to make it worth it.

"if anything is going to be a threat to that, i'll do whatever i can to protect it." even if he was a weakling who could only rely on his other self to actually get anything done.

"i have to." even if it was purely some twisted desire for him to be able to acknowledge his own self worth.

ah, he knows that look all too well.

what an unfortunate tribulation it must be, to lack all common sense of the situation currently presented at hand. of course, he is used to others rarely thinking outside of their designated 'box.' if anything, the isles have been, for the most part in theory, a breath of fresh air when coming in contact with unknown. the flora and fauna come as a distinct first, with studies of their conception of space a solid match... that would leave the residents a harsh third on his list.

besides, if anaxagoras has ever been known for anything, it certainly wasn't his appeal to others. oh, how he wishes for nothing more in this moment to be deemed a madman. ignored in all sense of existence if only to once again be left alone to the intricacies of his private studies. hah! a danger, the other says. at the very least it does earn him a long pause, the door hanging open as if intending to slam-but it never does. rather, the scholar turns on his heels, arms raising to fold as his lone eye narrows upon the other. unhelpfully so, he laughs. as if truly a madman who has just been found guilty of a crime most heinous indeed.

❝ how amusing. if bringing light to the blessings of education are considered dangerous, i have no hope for this world. what was it they said again? ah, yes-a phantom apparition haunting the observatory. do they actually think that title is offensive? it is true, the real me is long gone. this body is merely a husk of my former glory and i would much rather remain dead in the eyes of others. no one troubles themselves with the dearly departed, after all. so why do you? ❞

[lupineguard]

alas, his attempt at escaping was mercilessly swatted aside. what a cruel world for an introvert. furthermore it didn't take long for keigo to realise that not only had he misjudged the intention, this girl also seemed to very much mirror his own awkwardness in dealing with strangers. introvert meet introvert. one of the worst combinations in the history of socialising.

"well... i wasn't necessarily startled. just... uh..." great going, keigo, if you get any more awkward, you might as well walk around with a sign announcing it. at least the name was japanese. that almost felt like a relief of familiarity in this place. "keigo magami. what was the question again? i haven't really been here that long either myself, but if it's something i can help with, i'll try..."

Oh, is that how she came off? Chise supposed it was not the most convenient way to figure anything out but without someone to do more of the information gathering for her, she just had to figure how others did it and in some form emulate them. Still, she couldn't help the small "Ah..." that left her mouth agape at such a short and concise answer to her maybe not so very simple question. At least she thought it was a simple question.

How did she intend to go about fixing this little misunderstanding? All that the shorter of the two could really do was hold her empty hands up as an attempt at presenting her lack of items to sell, shaking her head. Chise's face warped into a mix of light misery and heavy shame, her body tensing from the worry flowing into her muscles, and feeling her generally default state of being put together slowly come apart like a wet cardboard box. No, she could handle this. Probably.

"Oh, well, I actually just arrived here... recently. I don't have anything to sell... I was hoping to find my way around?" the girl muttered as her arms returned to their resting position, idly running her hands along the hem of her coat's sleeves. A few seconds went by as Chise thought about what to do, thinking to how she previously handled a similar enough interaction. "I'm Chise Hatori. Sorry for... startling you?"

She wasn't sure if 'startle' is the correct word but it's just what came to mind. But she also couldn't fully get herself out of thinking why this other person felt like a similar presence. She could ask about it later if she so felt the need.

[lupineguard]

as he listened, keigo couldn't help but feel pangs of guilt over his own inconsideration. whatever the case was it was very obvious that this creature had circumstances. he, of all people, should know that being involved with witches wasn't necessarily a good thing. it was only because he'd been blessed enough to meet people like nico and nemu that he could live the life he had now. a light blush spread to his cheeks thinking of the black haired witch.

then, he immediately shook his head to shove his feelings aside. in place he offered an understanding nod.

"got it. i can't promise i won't mess up, but i'll definitely be trying my best. i'm magami keigo. it's really nice to meet you, erm, pure vanilla?"

here he was. bonding with a cookie. that was a new one.

Pure Vanilla tilts his head slightly at the other's answer. Well it was more of a non-answer with how vague it was. He wouldn't press however, letting the topic drop for the comfort of the other.

Even if the other topic wasn't much of a comfort for himself, he still didn't know just how much he wanted to share of himself with this world. He did enjoy always seeking the truth but he had learned deeply that not all truths should be given so freely.

"I don't have any master, I'm very much my own person." His life was his own, and just the thought of always having a master reminded him too much of a recent past before he came here. "Please see me as just another person, if you can... but yes the witches from my home are very powerful. I've never met any of them however so I lack any answers to how any of them are."

For the best, a voice in the back of his mind whispers but he tries to not focus on it now. He knew it was his own worries, but this was not the time to unpack them.

[lupineguard]

dragon poop was definitely not what he had in mind when he had made the comparison to his own dragon friend. thankfully so. while the bottles of alcohol and all the food wrappings littering the house were also not favourable, he definitely preferred that to this suggested alternative.

"uh... i guess?" how was he supposed to know what kind of dragons this hiccup guy had met before? "i mean, i can't say i really know any other dragons, so..."

heck. the fact that he did know a dragon was probably more than most could say. then again, at this rate he probably wouldn't be surprised no matter what kind of creature showed up at his doorstep. not even an apparently time-lost viking guy. his attempts at playing cool weren't going to do him much good here. but without that he was just an introverted loser who was bad at talking to people.

"..." crap. now he was all self conscious. "well. er. yeah, you just go ahead and make sure your familiar is comfortable. i'll be right here i guess?"

"Uh-huh, You don't want to smell this room like dragon poop trust me but it's nice to meet you Keigo." Hiccup knows perfectly well what happened back home. For a medium-sized dragon, these creatures can do make a mess. Stoick allowed Toothless to stay unless he knows how to properly discipline himself.

"Uh, wait. Who's Bam? Is she a type of dragon species that I haven't meet yet? She reminds me of Stormfly- in terms of her personality."

Hiccup guessed he doesn't need those fancy vehicles he saw around on the island since he's used to flying on Toothless a lot. He heard a lot of these things on screen called movies, but he has a bad feeling Toothless will mess it up chaotically.

"If by cafes, you mean those strong smell of drinks called coffee that I saw in some streets? For once I thought they're mead but it's different." Hiccup would remember vikings drink mead back home but it's always a good idea to try something new. "Yeah, I get that.It's similar to reading a book with no known author either."

[lupineguard]

the suddenness of the yell made the teen shrink in surprise. honestly the complaint wasn't unexpected at all with how much keigo was reminded of that one certain scene from bambi. he offered a slightly pitying chuckle, acknowledging that if there was no talking him out of it, keigo might as well give him some pointers.

"well, first thing you wanna do is fix your posture. i know it feels natural to want to see where your feet are going, but your balance will be way better if you bend your knees and stop looking down all the time." as he spoke, keigo positioned himself in the basic skating position to give an example.

"see? just like this. it takes a lot of time to get comfortable enough to do all the fancy tricks, but we don't really have that. i'll teach you a beginner trick if you can take a full round without wobbling or falling."

To Badou, Keigo is at least being sincere to himself. And trying to help a dumbass not do something stupid-- that can be appreciated.

The gaze he fixes Keigo on is intense, unwavering as he takes a breath and says, voice breaking with fear:

"Please help me NOT FALL ON MY FUCKING FACE!"

[lupineguard]

"nah. ain't nothin' there. your face just annoys me, ya know? i was just imagining how it'd look with my fist on it."

@lupineguard

❛    Do   I   have   somethin'   on   my   face   or    somethin'   why   do   you   keep   lookin'   at   me   like   that   ?    ❜

[lupineguard]

in a sense the man was right, but keigo also knew that he was the one who wasn't putting forth the full picture. the one really trying to put up walls was himself.

"well... i guess... haha..." how he hated that cowardly self of his.

"anyway!" how he hated that self trying to play tough and cool.

"if you're really serious about this skating thing, i could teach you a few pointers!"

He is absolutely, irreparably, not cool. He is a huge loser. This is not hard boiled, it's dumb.

"How the hell do you know unless you give it a try? And keep trying your best? And who the hell also cares what your dumbass peers thing?? They ain't your friends if you're measuring dicks."

[lupineguard]

one should think that after spending his daily life housing with a witch, an ogre, a tengu, a vampire and a dragon, keigo was immune to peculiar house mates. and, well, that was the truth to some degree. but admittedly he did lift a brow when a viking boy presented himself after ringing the door. a viking boy with a dragon in tow. well, that was certainly a possibility too, he guessed. why not.

"oh, you're going to keep yours outside?" was the question his brain finally managed to form in the end. "pretty sure ban would commit mutiny or something if we made her sleep outside... although it would definitely help on the mess."

the last part was mainly muttered to himself as an addendum in memory of his own dragon friend. guess everyone had their own ways and preferences, huh. maybe viking dragons were different. viking naming sense definitely already seemed different.

"i'm keigo. and well, people like to chill and hang out together, you know, stuff like that. go to trendy cafés and post fancy sns pictues and whatnot. i'm not really like that though. i've got more of an indoor-sy vibe, i guess? like, you know, when you watch this really good unknown film, and you just have to sit down and take in the mood. and you want to discuss it, but people don't really get your taste? maaan, it's so rough to be a fan of the obscure media sometimes."

🐉 and they were room mates

"Hm, I didn't expect someone to crash in the room with us. but I'm sort of planning to make a temporary home for my buddy outside of the apartment." Hiccup seems to be overwhelmed of the artichecture of the building he's in. If he's going to stay here for a long time , he'll get used to this.

The moment Hiccup steps into his room, it's very different from what he has on the New Berk. Whatever, Hiccup was impressed by the amazing architecture and wondered who provided all of this. If New Berk is like this then the living conditions of both dragons and viking would be much easier.

"Uh, hi I'm Hiccup. Pleased to meet you, room mate. And the scaly beast-ow! Okay, fine- dragon- Beside me is Toothless." The viking yelped at Toothless's snarky response. Toothless whipped his tail in annoyance, he doesn't mind being called dragon for instance. He rolled his eyes as if to say stupid humans.

Usually dragons like Toothless was feared by a lot of his tribe back home. In general really, he's like a cat in a scaly body. The dragon made rumbling noises in agreement with his owner. "What do you all do on the island? There's a lot of stuff to do but it's my first night here."

@lupineguard/ Keigo gets a free starter!

[lupineguard]

witch watch | episode 17

an ogre, a tengu, a werewolf and a student council president walk into a bar

[lupineguard]

despite having been here for a little while already, keigo couldn't exactly say he had many friends. some years ago he would convince himself he was fine without and take pride in the path of the loner as an addendum to his pretentious persona, but after truly experiencing what it meant to have fun with friends every single day, he couldn't help but realise how much loneliness hurt.

yes, he had people he talked with in the new school. yes, he had acquaintances. but to an introvert like him -- and one who desperately wanted to act cool towards strangers at that -- it was hard to establish any true meaningful bonds.

so when spoken to, at first he didn't realise the words were directed at him.

"huh?" and it wasn't even someone he knew. why would a stranger be talking to him of all people? why did she want to know where he lived? unless this was some sort of scam. he didn't see many other reasons people would want to randomly hit him up like that. "sorry, i'm not interested in buying anything." better to just reject and move on.

@lupineguard

The Central District was an area to behold. Although at one point Chise had been partially used to a city's center through necessity for commuting and the rare business, becoming acquainted to an entirely new 'central' area was going to wear down on her mental and physical states. Especially since she was without the one she considered her teacher.

Nothing had seemed recognizable thus far in the vast littleness the young mage had explored. She had just about readied herself to move along elsewhere when she had spotted another person with a familiar feeling to them but she couldn't quite place it.

Chise drew closer, giving the other a short study, still trying to connect the dots in her head, then speaking up, "Excuse me... do you live around here?"

[lupineguard]

fair point. keigo hadn't considered the fact that the cookie might be capable of showing concern too, and he did kind of just scream it in its face. he fiddled a bit awkwardly with his bangs to cover the embarrassment that was spreading across his face.

"no harm done. i just realised i forgot something very important." not exactly a lie, but not very informative either.

instead, the werewolf would much rather focus on this dough-creature's origins. it actually made sense that it wasn't nico's work. it was way too refined to be one of her spells. perhaps the creator specialised in this kind of magic, especially considering there were apparently multiple of them. this... pure vanilla? was that it?

"yeah, i guess i shouldn't expect nico and them to be around... haha." his voice went slightly sad for a moment, before picking up the usual forced indifference. "did you come here with your master? they must be quite an experienced witch to make something like you." and hopefully not an evil one.

Oh did he really scare the other? The yelp made him back up slightly, trying to understand just what he said wrong in his greeting. Perhaps he had walked too quietly? He opens his eyes finally, the crescent the other had seen leaving as he watches the other's face with worry.

"Are you alright?" He asks carefully, before tilting his head slightly at the question posed his way. Just how much truth should he give to someone he just met? Much less someone he just spooked a bit, but he decides to give most of the truth.

"While, witches did make my kind, I don't know one of the name Nico?" Are there witches here though? He never had a chance to meet the ones from his world but from what happened to one of his dear friends... he almost would rather not meet any real witches.

[lupineguard]

this whole thing was a rollercoaster of emotions, and keigo was not sure if he was being pulled along for the hell of it, or if it was completely unintentional. was this man cool or was he not cool? he simply couldn't tell any longer.

instead he opted for self doubt -- a complete turn from the initial intention he had approached with.

"but is there really a point in trying so hard when you know you're completely out of your league and will never be as cool and strong as your peers?"

IT IS GRAND!! He better stop looking so disappointed-- or maybe shocked-and-dismayed by such conviction! Badou is incredibly serious about this.

"The kind who wants to toughen himself up," the info broker huffs, lighting a cigarette like he isn't a hazard on the ice.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to make yourself hard boiled."

[lupineguard]

wait, was he being made fun of? or was the other confirming his question? this whole situation was making keigo's brain churn in ways he didn't particularly enjoy. he wasn't necessarily an idiot, but the main reason he'd struggled with studying thus far in his high school life was because of his desperation for upholding his persona. granted the demotivation to do anything stemming from depression wasn't helping either. but when facing actual smart people, he couldn't help but feel inferior in the obvious gap.

"wait!" he said despite himself upon seeing the figure preparing to recede. he had advanced a few paces in his outburst. but unfortunately, his body and mouth had reacted without him really knowing how to follow up. there wasn't really any reason not to let this pompous spirit with the big words leave.

keigo bit down on his lip. he might not fully follow the conversation, but something deep inside him was telling him that this man was both incredible and potentially dangerous. although not necessarily in the way he had initially feared. perhaps it was some animal instincts deeply buried within him that reacted, or perhaps he was just overthinking things. perhaps wolf would be able to tell better...

no. he wasn't going to switch.

instead, keigo's gaze sharpened as he let go of the wristband.

"are you... going to bring danger to this city and its people?" his dark eyes were locked on the impressive figure to gauge any and all small hint in expression or body language.

if there is one thing anaxagoras truly loathes, it is the unprepared. so sure was this one mere moments prior, treading ever so heedlessly into the scholar's lair, only to greet him with a profound ignorance. he watches the fool fumble over himself and his own words, a flickering hint of disapproval cutting as every lesson steeled upon his students that once attended the grove in all of his grandest undertaking-surely the people of this world weren't all so clueless?

the scholars arms drop with the heaviness of a loud sigh that follows. so it seems that teachings do not aid in this so called "real world" where one fails to put their knowledge into practice. what a boring question. truly void of thought and anything beyond the logic box. and it was such a wonder why he entered self imposed seclusion to pursue ancient alchemy. tsk, so naive. this is precisely why he does not entertain the masses, for all he receives is the unpleasantly expected.

he cannot suffer watching the other fiddle with his wrist and glance about like a brainless buffoon for any longer, and so he makes for the doorknob without glancing back.

❝ of all things you could have asked. preposterous. if that is what you wish to believe then so be it. who am i, the great blasphemer and apparent vengeful spirit of the observatory to stop you? i'll just have to haunt you for the rest of my days. that is all. next! ❞

[lupineguard]

oh crap. not only was he being listened to without being disregarded as a pretentious loser like usual, but she was even engaging in the topic as well. keigo could feel his heart beat faster in excitement. it was a struggle to not let it show.

"if... if you want to try watch it, i wouldn't mind lending it to you. i mean, i guess you might have a reason to not watch movies, but if you think the topic is interesting, i think you should watch it. the topic isn't so much creating robots for making things easier, but rather the way their benefits to the world ended up causing humans to become complacent. I'm a bit of a weird guy, so i enjoy stuff like that that shows the weakness of the human race. how easily the original intentions of the creator can be twisted. doesn't it just make you feel like you're swimming in a void sea of estrangement?"

damn, that sounded pretty cool if he had to say so himself. this was obviously a clever conversational partner, so he desperately wanted to impress.

but unfortunately, it seemed she was showing respect towards his supposed mathematical prowess. was this actually a really complicated thing in the first place and not just him being an idiot? was that why he felt he didn't stand a chance at understanding it?

"... i'm not sure i fully grasp all of this, to be honest. i wanted to be better at studying, but i think this is a bit above my level." shameful acknowledgement, how bittersweet the taste.

−−− ꧁ it isn't so often that zelda is met and challenged by a talker like herself : evenly matched and bumbling with all the words and little room left for interjection . half coherent . the connection between his math text and his movie is . . . entirely frazzled and difficult to track , be it by design or not . and he downplays it all : his choice of reading , his own choice of movie , and worst of all . . . her knowledge and interest of either .

it made his nature all the more telling . gentle squint of her gaze and pinched smile spoke : you think you're brighter than me . a misread of his intent born of his deflection .

zelda cleared her throat . she's not particularly interested in this ' movie ' ; its plot struck far to close to home . nevertheless , she had opinions .

" obscure , maybe . i couldn't say . i haven't seen any movie before . but i don't agree that robotics can be considered an easy way out . behind every robot is a team of minds working together on their project with plenty of conviction . but those are simply my thoughts on the matter . i am unfamiliar with the plot otherwise . "

her words are strung together tight , flipping back over her own book to resume her studies . but letting things sit never came naturally to the princess , and before she's realized zelda returns to her response :

" i don't know too much about arithmetic either -- well , actually , i studied the basics . it has served me well to be able to perform some of my own calculations ( despite what others might think . ) but you've quite the mind if you consider this study to be a simple brush up of your skills . well done . "

lips kneaded between her teeth , all while her gaze peaked from her book curious as to what he might say now .