#I'm just very busy with studying brains and radiation and stuff

[radley-rambles]

AHHHHH following a fabulous Beta round, a shiny and improved draft of Voxalion Ilsair: Grave of Gods is ready to go to My Lovely Agent (MLA)

Liesmyth is with MLA and almost ready to go on subs

Somnus Sancti: The Sandman School for Insomniac Youth is well underway with 30K+ words of a first draft, and counting! My goal is to get it through a Beta round and off to MLA within the year.

Is this.... progress?????

[shimmeringclouds]

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"Uh... hey..?" You glued your eyes to the ground, internally smacking yourself for such an awkward greeting. What was he even doing here? His presence had thrown you off entirely! It didn't seem to bother Ozo, though, as he chuckled lightly.

"Are you nervous?" You could practically hear the grin in his tone. "C'mon, it's just me! There's nothin' to be nervous about! Although..." he leaned down close, catching your gaze with his own half-lidded eyes. "..You do look cute when you get all shy and flustered."

Your whole body felt like it was on fire as you quickly turned away from him, crossing your arms defensively against your chest. He laughed loudly, and you missed the way he ran a hand through his tousled hair, and the way his dark eyes trailed along your clothing before he snapped his gaze away.

"I'm just teasing!" His tone didn't seem to match his words, but you acknowledged it no further. "Hm? Where's Dayoko?" He asked, looking up and down the hallway. "Wasn't she supposed to take you to your room, or somethin'?"

"I-I thought so, too.." you frowned at your stutter, "But I'm not sure where she is, so I tried to find my room myself."

"Well I hate to say it princess, but all the guest bedrooms are on the other side of the house."

You froze. How did you end up at the opposite end of the house? You glared at the ground in confusion, racking your brain for an answer on just how you had managed to get so badly lost. You were so caught up in your swirling thoughts, you didn't notice Ozo move from his spot to stand in front of you.

"It's a good thing I'm here, huh?" He rubbed a finger under his nose with a smug grin. "C'mon, I'll take you back."

He didn't wait for an answer as he swiftly took a gentle hold of your wrist, tugging you along behind him. You stumbled slightly in surprise, eyes watching the way his fingers wrapped comfortably around your skin. His touch radiated a warmth you hadn't felt before.

"I know this place like the back of my hand," he glanced back at you, "Us taxi drivers just have a good sense of direction like that." You blinked.

"Y-You're a taxi driver?" tilting your head curiously, brushing away the hair that fell over your eyes.

"Yup! I'm the only one in this area, too, so we'll definitely be seeing more of each other," as you turned a corner, he pulled you slightly closer to his side so that you were walking beside him, "I told you didn't I? I'm always at your service."

You only hummed in response, too busy trying to fight the thoughts of just how smooth his voice sounded. Was it even okay to have thoughts like that? You didn't know why you didn't feel any sense of danger being near Ozo, even though he had mostly been perverted and weird half the time he was around you.

"Man, you're so lucky!" Ozo threw his head back as he whined. "Chorosuke's actually letting you stay here! He doesn't even let me stay here anymore.. You'd think he'd have more respect for his older brother.." he grumbled. The word 'cute' ran through your mind as you peered up at his pouting cheeks, but you quickly waved it away.

"I-I wanted to ask about that, actually..." you started timidly, playing with the hem of your shirt as he snapped his eyes towards you, giving his full attention. "It's just, you and Toshi- I mean -- Jyushimatsu, look very similar. I thought he was Chorosuke when he first came into the room before. Are you.. related?"

"You're really smart, [Y/N], y'know that?" Ozo sighed dreamily. He rested his free arm behind his head as he made a left turn, taking a quick glance out the window as you passed by. "Yeah, apparently we're brothers! All six of us sextuplets!"

"..Sextuplets?" You didn't remember seeing the same face six separate times. Ozo chuckled.

"There's another one of us who live here in Akashika, but he stays over at Iriabi, since he's got a little cafe gig over there. We should go sometime!" He nudged your shoulder gently, a sparkle in his eyes. "He's always giving us free food!"

"Why do I have a feeling that he doesn't have a choice in doing that?" you smiled lightly.

"What can I say? I have a certain persuasive aura about me," Ozo shrugged, raising a brow at you jokingly. You huffed a laugh, shaking your head with a teasing roll of your eyes.

"And, what about your other two brothers?" you continued.

"They live in the big city. One of 'em studies history, all that boring stuff.." he shuddered at the thought of being surrounded with mountain high piles of dusty old books, "And the other painful one is a rookie reporter for some paper."

You nodded along, certainly intrigued by this information. Sextuplets were rare to come across. You wondered just how identical each of them actually were.

"Wait, 'painful'"? You backtracked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll see," Ozo rubbed a hand absentmindedly over his ribs, a slight grimace on his face. "They're actually all coming down for a visit here this weekend. So Chorosuke has to let me stay over!" he chuckled darkly, a sleazy grin crossing his lips. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you felt bad for Chorosuke. Although maybe you should be more concerned for Dayoko than anyone else...

"Anyway, that's enough about me!" Ozo came to a halt, surprising you. "Here's your stop!" He gestured grandly to the door beside him, sliding the door open to reveal the same bedroom you had been escorted to earlier that day.

"How did you know this was my room?" you looked at him incredulously. He rubbed a finger under his nose again, something you began to think was a habit of his.

"I may or may not have seen Dayoko leave this room with those clothes you're wearing," he looked down at your clothing again. You shuffled in your spot, moving closer to the door with a tint spreading over your cheeks.

"Just as I thought..." Ozo mumbled. "Red does look good on you."

You tensed, trying not to notice the way he smirked at your flushed skin and jittery movements. You had to get away from him before you ended up exploding. You felt him release his hold on you, his fingers leaving a feathery touch on your skin as he moved away, the warmth he radiated fading all too quickly.

"W-Well.."you cleared your throat, beginning to slide your door shut, stopping when your eyes could peek out the small opening at his taller frame. "Goodnight...?" Another awkward farewell. You needed to stop doing those. Ozo laughed softly, bringing his half-lidded gaze back to yours for the last time that night.

"Night, [Y/N]. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow!" he sang, turning away and heading back down the way he came. You carefully slid your door shut, turning around in the dim room to find your futon already lain out for you. You hurriedly rushed over to it, flopping down onto the fluffed covers and burying your face into the cool pillow, hoping it would remove the burn from your face.

You lay restlessly, tossing and turning as so many thoughts ran circles in your mind. Some from the past, some from the present, and many for the upcoming future.

The butterflies in your stomach seemed to multiply tenfold as you wondered if he would actually be waiting for you tomorrow.

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