onibeauty

[onibeauty]

❝  that's  the  great  part;  we  don't  !  ❞  mai  cheers:  that  was  a  lot,  &  though  mai  got  the  picture  for  sure,  they  feared  any  advice  they  could,  would,  or  should  give  might  backfire  or  make  things  worse,  at  least  about  the  relationship  part.  ❝  a  super,  super  old  man  once  told  me  the  reasons  why  relationships  hurt  so  much  is  because  you're  putting  parts  of  yourself  into  it  as  a  whole,  &  when  its  over,  you  realize  those  pieces  still  lie  with  the  other.  but  maybe  you  should  think  about  finding  another  guy  or  girl  ?  or  you  could  be  like  seth  and  bang  all  your  troubles  away  into  some  mysterious  fairy  twink  or  something.  pretty  sure  they'd  keep  you  nice  &  warm,  lavaboy.  ❞  seemed  to  be  working  for  the  soothsayer,  maybe  a  good  bang  was  what  aleki  needs.  hell  they  needed  a  good  bang  and  they  weren't  lovelorn  or  recently  resurrected,  which  brings  them  to  the  next  part.

❝  sounds  like  you're  stuck.  like  you're  hanging  onto  the  old  aleki  instead  of  embracing  the  new.  think  of  it  like,  you  got  a  massive  reset  button  hit,  &  now  you  get  a  second  try  at  this  whole  life  spiel.  do  things  that  you  might  not  have  had  the  strength,  desire,  or  will  to  do.  climb  mount  everest;  bring  world  peace;  fuck  a  nun.  all  that  fun  stuff.  ❞ 

...             there were times when aleki thought it would be very easy to become jaded after everything they had been through. people died, answers only led to more question, and bodies always bloody and bruised. but he was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who kept him grounded, by people he wanted to protect, by people he wanted to see a better tomorrow for ──────     reid, forest, waaiz, mai, everyone. he would die for them again if that was what fate wanted. but for now, he just wanted waaiz and reid to be safe from the siphoner. levin, too. maybe they should come back to the mirrored lake sooner than later. though, he shouldn't probably be making any plans with alcohol in his system, no matter how little. ❝ what's on my mind ? i mean, aside from your tits now that you've put the image in my head ... ? ❞ aleki wasn't entirely sure how to answer the question. and he had made it easy for people to think that there was barely any brain activity in his head, there always seemed to be hundred things at once on his mind these days. and if he started talking about all of it now, they'd still be here well after closing time. ❝ i could talk to you about reid ... always leaving, always there, like a ghost that flickers in and out of existence. i could talk to you about forest ... casual but still stifling how emotionally inhibited he can be. i could also talk about how ever since dying, i can barely really stand being alone ... i'm getting better at it, but i still feel this constant need for warmth and to feel good. ❞ and that wouldn't even be half of it. but he had definitely given mai enough idea of what going on in his head. and he might as well just write a tell-all book if he gave anything more. ❝ where do we even start with all of that ? ❞

[onibeauty]

Ambera Wellmann (Canadian, 1982) - Frieda Gives Herself a Tornado (2020)

[onibeauty]

❝  as  long  as  it  doesn't  involve  you  gazing  into  the  great  beyond  again,  then  have  at  it.  ❞  though  they  were  mostly  joking,  mai  wasn't  above  tackling  and  tying  waaiz  up  if  that's  what  he  planned  on  attempting,  and  they  got  a  feeling  that  the  spider  demi  would  still  try  it.  out  of  a  good  but  foolish  heart:  they  understood  it.  still,  a  part  of  mai  couldn't  help  but  worry  too  many  treks  to  seeing  the  unforeseeable  would  cost  something  not  easy  to  pay.  they  were  all  probably  selfless  when  it  came  to  their  own  lives  (  though  there  were  a  few  who  seemed  otherwise  around  here  ),  but  very  selfish  with  each  others  as  mai  was  learning.  something  about  possibly  losing  waaiz  was  …  not  pleasant,  hence  why  they  were  still  keeping  a  close  eye  on  the  kemetic  demigod. 

the  bar's  traffic  was  actually  slow  tonight,  not  too  many  people  coming  in  and  such.  mai  gazes  at  the  clock  and  see  that  closing  time's  just  about  to  hit.  ❝  so  much  for  a  busy  shift.  could  have  worn  an  actual  t-shirt  tonight.  ❞  the  busty  little  crop  tee  helped  in  getting  tips  to  say  the  least.  but  at  least  the  work  night  was  over.  drying  up  glasses  and  doing  a  quick  inventory  check  for  spirits  and  liquor,  their  job  was  basically  done  outside  of  cleaning  tables  and  whatnot.  ❝  guess  that's  it  for  the  night:  you  wanna  grab  something  to  eat  after  this  man  ?  I'm  buying  ~  ❞  a  bit  of  incentive  to  entice  them,  though  their  figure  was  probably  doing  that  as  is. 

even  if  waaiz  would've  known  the  outcome  of  looking  into  what  happened  to  seth,  he  would've  done  it  anyway.  the  same  way  that  he  did  it  with  levin.  the  mentors  were  risking  their  lives  for  them.  it  was  crazy  to  think  that  they  shouldn't  risk  their  lives  in  return.  he'd  die  if  it  meant  helping  the  camp  live  on  one  extra  day.  having  mai  &  aleki  there  with  him  also  wasn't  a  bad  way  to  bounce  back  to  the  land  of  the  stable  and  living.  while  he  wasn't  used  to  the  extra  attention,  it  didn't  hurt.  especially  when  they  were  both  so  easy  to  look  at.  that  wasn't  the  point  right  now  that…

“  don't  worry,  i  don't  think  anything  can  put  that  man  out  of  service  for  too  long.  he'll  be  getting  blown  right  behind  the  bar  while  we're  both  working  in  no  time.  maybe  the  anito  twink  is  just  what  the  doctor  ordered.  ”  he  laughed  right  alongside  mai.  he  wasn't  offending  seth.  he  was  actually  happy  that  the  man  seemed  to  have  found  something  that  worked  for  him.  a  way  to  find  some  normalcy  in  the  midst  of  all  of  this  crazy.  “  i  think  seth  has  a  mission  for  some  of  us  so  i  want  to  make  sure  i  help  out  that  way.  aside  from  that  just  doing  a  couple  of  research.  into  persephone,  what's  impacting  levin,  and  dragons.  y'know,  the  usual  in  the  day  in  a  life  of  a  half  god.  ”

[onibeauty]

things  had  kind  of  went  back  to  normal,  though  with  a  few  costs.  their  spider-man  waaiz  had  gotten  pretty  messed  up  from  looking  into  the  dark  future,  &  it  didn't  help  that  aleki's  former-ongoing-however  you  wanna  deem  it  partner  had  gotten  sucked  into  it,  leaving  the  sons  of  pele  and  fujin  to  make  sure  the  seers  and  spiritualist  were  doing  better.  after  at  least  a  week  or  so,  it  seemed  like  the  affected  had  weathered  out  the  dark  vision's  side  effects.  still  mai  was,  for  once,  cautious,  as  the  threats  that  lied  beyond  mortal  eyes  were  growing  to  terrible  proportions.  luckily,  waaiz  seemed  eager  to  get  back  to  work,  meaning  they'd  be  able  to  keep  a  close  eye  on  their  silk-slinging  co-worker  throughout  their  shift,  though  their  attention  was  also  on  their  newfound  ginger  friend.

mai's  been  bartending  long  enough  to  tell  who  the  real  drinkers  were  and  who  the  sulkers  were,  with  aleki  seemingly  fitting  into  the  latter.  the  traffic  of  the  bar  had  kind  of  slowed  down,  with  mai  having  finished  circling  their  rounds  at  the  moment  aleki  asks  their  grim  question.  ❝  can't  say  I  haven't  thought  about  that  happening,  ‘leki.  but  if  they  didn't  do  it  then,  don't  think  they'll  do  it  now  …  ❞  there  was  an  unspoken  ‘I  hope’  at  the  end  of  that.   their  lips  upturn  as  the  pele  hunk  pleads  for  them  to  join  them,  a  giggle  of  small  delight  coming  out.  ❝  wanna  know  why  my  tits  are  so  big  ?  because  they  hold  the  secrets  of  dead  men  ~  ❞  the  were  teasing  …  kind  of.  ❝  besides,  it  looks  like  you've  got  more  to  say  to  me  than  the  other  way  around.  to  lay  it  on  me:  what's  on  that  pretty  mind  in  your  shaved  head  ?  ❞  mai  propositions  as  they  lean  against  the  edge  of  the  bar  counter. 

...             alcohol was one of those things that aleki reserved for shitty days. he never liked not being in control ... and even more so becoming just like the drunken man in the house he grew up in. anything mind-altering would just have to be a last resort for a quick burst of dopamine. but despite his restrain and moderation, aleki still found seth's tiki bar to be a cool hangout place ──────     he might sip on a single glass for beer for hours and still not finish it by closing time, but the place still offered other great things. a pool table. a couple of arcade cabinets. great bar food. and being here allowed him to watch over waaiz, too. it was just the least he could do. especially after the demigod of neith nearly drove himself mad twice just to figure out what was happening with seth and levin. though, he was sure mai was probably doing the same thing.         ❝         you don't think waaiz and reid are going to get possessed by that guy they saw in the vision, do you ?         ❞ how grim. but it was aleki's attempt at small talk as mai delivered yet another plate of calamari. he took a moment to glance around the bar, and all the other patrons looked settled in : laughing and mingling in their own groups or quietly nursing their drinks. and with everything seemingly under control, aleki thought it would be fine to ask.          ❝         wanna take a breather ? c'mon, you can sit with me while you've got nothing to do. you can even tell me all about your secrets ... promise i'm a good listener.         ❞ @onibeauty

[onibeauty]

the  mention  of  shortened  ranks  did  hit  a  part  of  mai's  heart,  because  boy,  did  they  understand.  back  when  camps  were  separate  entities  dedicated  to  the  purpose  of  their  own  pantheon,  when  the  lines  weren't  so  blurred  and  they  existed  in  abundance.  now  it  was  all  they  could  compile  from  every  camp,  which  in  the  grand  scheme  of  things,  was  pretty  freaking  small.  and  while  there  seemed  to  be  another  for  when  one  falls,  the  question  remained  of  how  long  could  they  keep  that  up  ?  ❝  yeah,  no  kidding.  our  parents  love  to  fuck.  says  a  lot  about  how  there's  only  so  many  of  us  there  are  …  say  does  this  hot  pot  got  any  shrimp  in  it  ?  ❞  what  could  they  say  ?  mai  had  a  thing  for  shrimp  real  bad. 

forest was rather adept at feigning his emotions. he had a remarkable control over how he presented himself. he came from an affluent family who valued appearances. he was lucky enough that his hobbies were never stifled, but everything he did had to be performed with honor and perfection.

even if he was unhappy, he wouldn't let it affect the others.

"few would deny how good you look today." or any day, for that matter. smiling, he motions toward the table nearby. there were various raw meats prepared to be grilled, some side dishes and appetizers. "please, help yourself, it's why i planned this."

resting hands on his hips, he nods. "it's an old tradition from the old days. an end of summer get-together as a show of unity. sadly, our ranks are much thinner than they were in years past."

[onibeauty]

if  mai  had  the  ability  of  clairvoyance  like  their  coworker  and  boss  had,  they'd  have  never  agreed  to  waaiz's  attempt  of  seeing  where  seth  was.  after  learning  that  the  path  to  foresight  had  been  corrupted  from  the  beyond,  mai  felt  like  they  had  bitched  about  their  job  when  it  was  all  tied  to  something  bigger,  hence  why  they  basically  cared  for  their  spider-friend  as  they  eased  their  way  back  into  reality  along  with  aleki.  thank  the  gods  their  boss  was  back,  safe  &  sound,  though  mai  could  have  bashed  the  soothsayer's  head  in  for  disappearing  with  no  warning,  but  they  were  just  glad  seth  came  back  in  a  better  state  of  mind. 

❝  as  grateful  as  I  am  for  that,  that  was  kind  of  the  least  of  my  worries  in  retrospect.  just  glad  you  &  seth  are  back  to  normal,  though  I  do  think  the  visions  might  have  put  seth  off  his  usual  freelancer  charm,  I'm  sure  he'll  get  it  back  on  his  next  visit  to  their  mysterious  anito  twink.  ❞  mai  chuckles  as  they  clean  some  leftover  glasses,  grateful  to  once  again  be  in  the  bar  where  they  belonged.  popping  one  of  those  delicious  sushi  rolls  into  their  mouth,  mai  sets  the  glass  down.  ❝  surprisingly,  no.  normally  I'd  go  to  a  club  or  to  the  roller  rink  but  this  week's  been  quite  a  bit.  from  the  markupo  to  the  amalfi  trip  down  to  the  seer's  curse,  I  think  I'll  call  a  rain  check  this  go  round.  how  about  you,  peter  parker  ?  doing  anything  now  that  your  head's  alright  ?  ❞

fast  forward  to  after  waaiz's  vision  &  seth  coming  back  ! 

now  that  seth  is  back,  there's  still  a  lot  that's  weighing  on  waaiz's  mind.  mai  was  a  great  source  of  comfort  after  that  vision.  as  was  aleki.  the  two  of  them  were  probably  the  main  reason  that  he  still  had  a  semblance  of  sanity  left.  “  i  guess  this  is  what  a  little  hope  does.  you  don't  have  to  go  back  to  stripping  anymore.  ”  he  greeted  them  after  leaving  the  kitchen  and  going  over  to  the  bar.  he  finished  making  quite  a  few  of  the  seer's  sushi  rolls.  ironic  since  being  a  seer  was  part  of  the  reason  why  he  got  into  that  mess  a  week  ago.  “  you  notice  anything  different  with  the  big  boss?  i  don't  want  to  risk  looking  into  the  future  again  for  him,  but  i  don't  know.  he  seems  more…  ”  then  waaiz  realized  that  the  word  he  was  looking  for  was  normal.  at  least  in  his  terms.  “  anyway,  any  plans  for  the  weekend?  ” 

[onibeauty]

what  a  lovely  day  for  a  grill;  when  mai  heard  of  that  their  shinto  mate  was  having  an  event,  well  of  course  they  were  gonna  pop  up  for  a  spell.  ❝  well  aren't  you  chipper  today,  hon  ?  totally  get  it  though;  all  the  boys  get  happy  when  I  wear  this.  ❞  mai  teases  as  they  return  the  hug,  though  their  attire  for  the  amaterasu  heir's  event  would  definitely  make  someone  happy.  ❝  and  salutations  to  you  too,  lady  keiko:  you  gonna  take  my  ice  cream  again  ?  ❞  the  busty  whirlwind  lightheartedly  jokes  as  they  look  around.  oh  it  smelled  heavenly  for  sure,  and  mai  brought  their  appetite,  as  well  as  some  kakigōri  to  share.  mai  was  a  lot  of  things,  but  a  bad  guest  wasn't  one  of  them. 

❝  you  have  no  idea  how  hungry  I  am  for  some  meat.  I  really  should  learn  how  to  do  more  than  just  quick  stuff  in  the  kitchen.  ❞  but  that  would  have  to  be  for  a  later  time,  with  mai  already  wandering  over  to  that  delicious  smelling  hotpot.  ❝  so  what  made  you  decide  to  be  chef  forest  today  ?  not  that  I'm  complaining  by  a  longshot.  ❞

"there they are." forest flashes a warm, wide smile as he spots mai approaching. nearby, kiko chirps at his side, curious as she follows his gaze. "my favorite whirlwind." chuckling softly, he embraces his fellow shinto god with a brief hug. it's quite uncharacteristic for the son of amateratsu, but more and more he found himself breaking from traditional norms.

"i'm glad you made it, you're just in time for the first grilling." he motions for the other to follow him toward the array of tables they had set up. "we have hotpot as well, and a few bowls of samgyetang for the heat." he was proud that they had others show, even those outside of his pantheon.

@onibeauty

[onibeauty]

mano  had  an  interesting  way  of  doing  things:  it  seemed  like  at  the  bar,  they  were  ready  to  tackle  mai  right  then  and  there,  now  they  were  more  inclined  on  courting  them  in  a  sense.  did  mai  mind  ?  they  weren't  sure.  not  that  they  minded  a  little  bit  of  wining  and  dining,  but  admittedly  it  wasn't  their  usual  pace,  which  probably  said  more  about  how  their  past  experiences  have  always  been.  maybe  mano  wasn't  interested,  or  just  like  he  said,  he  liked  to  take  things  slow  the  first  time.  so  for  now,  mai  would  see  based  on  how  these  next  30  minutes  go,  for  as  much  as  they  liked  the  other,  they  didn't  want  to  push  for  something  that  just  wasn't  in  the  cards.  ❝  fair  enough,  I'll  be  a  good  boy  for  now.  ❞  mai  chuckles  as  they  pour  another  glass  to  drink.  ❝  so  …  what  do  you  like  to  do  for  fun  ?  and  don't  say  fishing  if  it's  an  actual  choice,  I  wanna  know  the  daddy  part  of  shark  daddy.  ❞  a.k.a,  they  wanted  to  know  more  about  mano,  like  his  passions,  his  dislikes,  favorite  color,  all  of  that  good  stuff. 

He chuckles with Mai at his comment. "You wouldn't be paying any attention, but maybe as a reward," he pointed out. He wasn't a stranger to quick hookups but never had he hurried anyone up or kicked anyone out. It was mostly them who wanted to leave quickly or get to the action quickly, which he wasn't against either. "Hey, we can do whatever you want. If you want to get straight to the action, I don't mind. These are just suggestions." he was used to leaving the choice to the other party, but he truly didn't mind either way.

He chuckled again at his words. "They are not an altar, they are just to show off what my father represents to the guests. Though, maybe I should make a small altar for him outside. Thought for later." He smiled as he was half way done with his food. "I do like to take it slow sometimes, especially the first time around." He warned him.

[onibeauty]

Roller Boogie (1979)

[onibeauty]

Behind the scenes of Booboo’s new photoshoot

[onibeauty]

what  made  them  decide  to  swing  by  the  temple  with  offerings,  they  had  no  idea.  wasn't  like  they  were  just  buddy  buddy  with  their  godly  father,  and  for  somewhat  good  reason.  but  they  were  kind  of  mai's  connection  to  all  of  this  amazing  power,  so  you  pay  your  dues  when  they're  due.  perhaps  they  could  get  a  bit  more  for  the  future.  with  a  scroll  of  what  to  say,  mai  lights  three  dark  green  candles  and  scribes  out  the  kanji  for  wind,  kneeling  and  reading  a  prayer  from  within  …  until  they  realized  how  stuffy  and  so  ingenuine  everything  in  this  tome  sounded,  scrapping  it  before  going  rogue.  ❝  hey  old  man  it's  mai;  I'm  not  the  holy  type  …  neither  are  you  from  what  I  know  but  that  just  saves  from  the  mucky  stuff,  you  know  ?  anyways,  just  coming  to  see  if  you  got  any  like,  wisdom  or  powers  you  wanna  bestow  on  me  from  the  beyond  the  beyond,  you  know  ?  anything  you  got  in  your  big  ol'  goodie  bag,  I'll  gladly  take.  ❞

[onibeauty]

❝  if  you're  gonna  fuck  me  during  cooking  lessons  then  you  can  consider  me  your  apprentice  in  training  ~  ❞  mai  chuckles  as  they  lend  their  ears  to  mano.  he  was  different,  preferring  to  take  things  nice  and  slow.  almost  of  it  this  were  a  kind  of  date  of  sorts.  not  mai's  usual  speed,  but  it  was  kind  of  nice  actually;  to  be  wined  and  dined  without  necessary  push  for  the  goodies.  ❝  take  things  slow,  I  suppose  I  can  pump  my  brakes  and  indulge  with  you  for  a  bit  if  you  wanna  talk.  ❞  guess  it  all  boiled  down  to  what  the  sharkly  warrior  wished  to  talk  about,  just  as  long  as  there  were  a  few  things  that  were  off  the  table,  but  mai  would  note  that  if  they  ever  go  to  it.

❝  got  it,  so  the  living  area  and  kitchen  are  off  limits  is  what  you're  kind  of  saying  ?  feels  a  bit  too  close  to  sacrilege  ?  ❞  mai  could  understand:  they  were  wild  at  times,  but  even  they  had  enough  sense  to  never  fuck  in  a  tempt  or  anything  in  proximity  to  one  (  well,  there  was  that  one  time  …  but  that  was  for  a  festival  so  it  was  kind  of  worship  in  a  sense  !  )  ❝  I'll  be  sure  to  keep  my  advances  to  the  bedroom,  scouts  honor.  ❞  the  gunsen  combatant  feigns  a  pledge  before  going  back  to  their  food. 

Mano laughed at his words and winked at him. "That you are," he went on with his food as he listened to his proposal. "Mmm. I can picture you trying to cook something while I'm fucking you," he smiles wickedly. "I bet I can make you lose your mind too." He roared with laughter at his last words though. "Yeah, I know, but I figured I might try to impress you anyway. We can do some foreplay after we eat," he suggests. "I like to take things slow," sometimes anyway "and it will give our bodies time to digest the food while pleasuring each other and getting to know what we both like."

He ate a little bit more as he planned things out in his head. "We can also just relax together, talk some more, let digestion happen. I would suggest my bedroom for that, it feels a lot more like home to me anyway. The living room and kitchen were designed to honor my father, but my bathroom and bedroom are home to me." He wasn't sure why he was telling him all this, but he was.

[onibeauty]

[onibeauty]

❝  are  we  though  ?  what  if  seth's  found  a  twink  that's  more  than  just  a  good  blowjob  and  wants  to  close  the  shop  forever  for  eternal  cock-sucking  ?  ❞  for  mai,  this  was  a  crisis  of  sorts.  ridiculous  notion  of  career-derailing  fellatio  aside,  mai  had  something  of  point:  what  if  things  were  forever  changed  ?  what  if  the  bar  never  opened  back  up  ?  what  if  seth  never  returned  ?  what  if  everything  had  stopped  forever  ?  ❝  something's  gotta  change  I  can't  go  back  to  stripping  dude  I  won't  !  ❞  crazily  enough,  swinging  on  the  poles  was  not  something  mai  had  interest  in  going  back  to,  too  close  to  some  very  unsorted  issues.  in  their  brief  crumble,  waaiz's  suggestion  of  finding  the  soothsaying  oracle  gave  them  some  hope,  snapping  them  out  of  their  spiral  as  they  take  another  cup  of  lemonade.  ❝  that's  not  a  bad  idea,  but  we  kind  of  don't  have  any  leads  as  to  where  he  went,  not  to  mention  he's  kind  of  our  only  dude  who  can  see  into  the  future.  how  do  we  find  a  guy  who's  always  a  step  ahead  ?  ❞ 

even  though  they  had  only  worked  together  for  a  short  amount  of  time,  waaiz  wasn't  surprised  by  the  way  that  mai  was  reacting.  they  always  were  theatrical.  that  was  something  that  he  could  admire,  sometimes  from  far  away.  “we're  going  to  get  everything  back.  this  is  only  temporary.  the  job,  seth,  all  of  that  being  gone  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past  soon.”  for  some  reason,  he  seemed  determined  by  that.  even  though  he  had  no  logical  reasoning  or  proof  for  his  assurance,  he  was  still  going  to  continue  to  say  that.  “i  do,  but  people  are  going  to  grow  restless  if  seth  doesn't  come  back  soon.”  he  smiled  when  mai  seemed  to  at  least  enjoy  the  drink.  hopefully  that  was  enough  to  prevent  that  cyclone  from  coming  to  the  island.  they  didn't  need  to  add  vandalism  on  top  of  everything  else.  “i  have  an  idea  if  you're  open  to  getting  our  job  back  faster.  why  don't  we  look  for  seth  ourselves?”

[onibeauty]

well,  that  would  explain  why  mai  never  knew  of  forest,  though  before  their  numbers  were  horridly  dwindled,  the  shinto  camp  used  to  be  fairly  numerous.  their  brows  at  the  mention  of  unfortunate  circumstances  for  the  kitsune  in  reincarnation,  feeling  as  if  they've  heard  little  bits  and  pieces  of  the  tale  given  the  context.  but  mai  decides  it's  best  not  to  reopen  what  could  be  a  chest  of  tragedy  if  not  necessary.  ❝  oh  life's  been  like,  totally  grand  and  stuff.  I  mean,  it's  not  too  much  different  from  how  it  used  to  be  at  camp,  but  I  guess  a  lot  more  expansive  and  broad  now  since  we're  not  just  dealing  with  our  native  pantheon  but  every  single  godly  world  and  rule  ever.  it's  a  little  mind-boggling  but  overall  I  wouldn't  be  anywhere  else  !  ❞  what  could  they  say  ?  mai  enjoyed  their  duties  in  terms  of  slaying  evil  and  protecting  the  innocent,  a  privilege  they  weren't  spared  when  they  were  growing  up.  who  cared  if  they  got  a  thrill  from  chopping  dark  beings  and  foolish  enemies  into  itty  bitty  pieces  with  little  to  no  remorse  ?  it  was  all  in  the  name  of  good,  right  ?  ❝  but  yeah,  everything  is  easy,  breeze,  beautiful  for  me,  especially  now  that  I'm  the  new  bartender  at  seth's  tiki  bar  !  ❞  if  only  they  knew  how  long  that  current  would  last  … 

forest raises a brow, but doesn't press mai much further to elaborate. they seemed friendly enough for now, so he'd take it face value as a light-hearted joke. after all, they were peers within this pantheon, he needed all the help from the shinto he could get. their numbers are dwindling, they needed to save as many as they could.

"glad to see we're still recruiting, i was worried." hands are stuffed into his pockets, humming as he motions for them to return to the mall. "i joined before the merging, i can't remember a lot from my time then." strange, but he didn't question much of it. "kiko came into my life under unfortunate circumstances, she's the best thing to come of that situation." smiling down at her, he glances back toward mai.

"how have you been settling in here?"

[onibeauty]

❝  is  love  ever  supposed  to  be  easy,  young  hugo  ?  ❞  maybe  that's  why  mai  didn't  have  such  a  caliber  for  it,  at  least  not  in  the  capacity  that  hugo  was  feeling  it,  but  that  topic  was  for  a  different  day  and  for  a  well-versed  therapist.  .  ❝  I  promise  to  play  nice  if  he  does  ~  ❞  the  wind  summoner  flutters  their  fan  in  a  signal  of  scouts  honor.  for  all  their  jovial  ways  and  teasing,  they  weren't  so  dense  to  see  that  dio  meant  quite  a  bit  to  hugo,  and  with  good  reason  given  that  mai  knew  hugo  long  before  they  were  the  person  they  had  become,  and  suffice  to  say,  finding  love  was  nothing  short  of  a  miracle.  so  they'd  be  a  good  little  oni  son  and  be  corteous  and  welcoming  of  their  love  interest.  ❝  I'll  leave  you  to  your  planning  and  chopping,  my  electric  love  bird  you;  try  not  to  burn  down  the  dojo  with  that  thing,  kay  ?  ❞  mai  winks  with  a  laugh  as  they  flutter  theirselves  out.

Hugo was reminded of another reason he stayed single; other people and their input. He felt a tightness in his chest as Mai went on, but reminded himself that his ally was only trying to help--and that Mai could help, if he needed it. Hugo tried not to physically flinch at the vivid imagery Mai painted, that sounded insulting at times, but there were slip ups.

"I have options." Hugo replied. "Away from the Ark. I don't want this to be a spectacle, but it's already sounding like it could turn into that."

After hearing Mai's excitement and finally sentiment and understanding, Hugo tried his best to relax. He did appreciate Mai's care and, yes, even his opinion. Romance didn't come so naturally to the son of Raijin. Especially after closing off this long.

"I didn't expect this either." Hugo explained, overcoming the cringe-iness he felt in doing so. But how was Mai to understand the nature of their relationship or his feelings if he kept him out? He never kept his Shinto brothers out. Not entirely, anyway. They were all he had these last ten years, through thick or thin, and nothing would come between.

"It's personal, and not easy for me, but... I'm open to you or Forest." Talking like this, involving the sacredness of Dio, was much harder than battle. Hugo wanted to live his life without such discomfort. He knew there was only one way through to achieve that peace. "Just... speak kindly about him. Please. ... You're all important to me."

[onibeauty]

❝  I'm  feeling  suicidal.  ❞  mai  deadpans  as  they  take  the  glass  of  lemonade  from  their  now  former  coworker.  were  they  exaggerating  a  bit  much  ?  absolutely,  but  the  sentiment  was  kind  of  there.  ❝  The  first  job  I  actually  liked  working  for  since  that  one  sushi  bar  and  it's  literally  gone  in  less  than  2  weeks  !  &  on  top  of  that,  seth  kind  of  goes  missing  with  no  real  rhyme  or  reason  to  shutting  the  tiki  bar  down  !  it  makes  me  so  mad  I  could  just  tear  a  building  in  half  with  a  cyclone  !  ❞  mai's  voice  comically  exclaims  in  exasperation  which  causes  a  few  onlookers  to  look  with  concern  or  worry  as  they  walk  by.  sighing  in  no  point  of  getting  so  riled  up  with  nothing  to  aim  it  at,  mai  looks  to  waaiz,  curious  as  to  what  he's  now  doing.  ❝  so  like,  are  you  working  for  a  lemonade  shop  or  something  ?  I  thought  you  hated  being  out  on  the  front  lines  of  a  shop  …  ❞  sip,  sip,  sip.  at  least  it  was  good  lemonade  though.

location:  on  the  shopping  strip

with  the  tiki  bar  being  closed,  waaiz  felt  like  he  had  to  work  overtime.  make  sure  he  had  what  he  needed  from  seth  to  get  the  last  ingredient,  but  also  make  sure  the  patrons  weren't  getting  restless.  he  didn't  want  to  take  over  anyone's  business  either.  that's  why  he  just  helped  serve  regular  drinks.  “are  you  feeling  parched?”  brows  perked  up  as  he  stopped  dead  in  his  tract.  a  tray  of  lemonade,  sweet  tea,  water,  and  soda  rested  on  his  hands.  “while  it's  not  as  creative  as  what  seth  whips  up,  this  should  have  most  of  the  basics  for  you.”