shslrhythmthief

[shslrhythmthief]

Playing cops and Robbers

The fact of so many thefts of late from the rooms that had been left behind by old students had certainly not gone unnoticed by a certain red-haired boy. Heh, looked like more and more folk were finding a thrill or use for his own profession, huh? Not that he could blame them: empty rooms left behind were a literal goldmine of useful items and possibly handy belongings. However, as tempting as going along with the spree was, he was a fussy thief, to be honest - there was really only one thing he wanted to steal.

The other thing - person, really - that warranted preciousness and thus should be grabbed by him and safeguarded was already quite happily kept as safe as he could keep it, after all. Still, it didn't hurt to just check out those empty rooms, asking Fondue to keep behind you just in case things turned sour. Though it was doubtful any of the particular paintings he stole were here, there was a minor chance, and therefore this made the empty rooms worth investigating despite the fact the other thieves would have cleared out other things of value.

Slinking through the shadows, the fedora-clad lad was in one of said 'empty' rooms soon enough, humming as he took relaxed, dance-like steps to observe. Huh. Just as thought, none of the paintings he sought were here, but the door behind him creaking open made him aware very quickly that though paintings were not here...someone else WAS, now.

Going into hiding, the thief waited for the unknown person to enter, before speaking in his usual bemused French tones from the shadows of the room, his black suit making him blend in quite well in those shadows...until he stepped back out of them in a relaxed manner.

"Well, well, well...Bonjour! Come to have a look-see at what treasures might have been passed up? Or have you come to see what's going on? If you've come to lock criminals away...the only crime I have committed here is stealing a fair mademoiselle's heart, haha! Other thieves have already swept THIS room over well, evidently!"

He had no objections just outright saying he was a thief - it WAS his SHSL 'talent', after all, so he couldn't really hide it anyway! Yet, it was also clear he'd lost none of his smooth-talker nature as 'Phantom R' in his time here.

[shslrhythmthief]

Though the ending of the potion event was quite a while ago, Raphael still found himself confined to his room, drinking plenty of water but feeling rather uneasy. As if having those pesky appendages appear hadn't been painful enough, when they finally vanished, things happened. It started out innocent enough - the feathers falling from the wings, and that didn't hurt at all.

He'd picked up one of the stray feathers, even. However, then, the bones and muscles of the wings themselves began to snap and break into nothingness, he barely even had enough time to slam the door shut (he couldn't let Asahina see, or any of the few friends he had, for that matter) before collapsing to his knees at the indescribable pain. It was like that time early in his thieving career where he'd broken a leg on the job, with being unused to it, only much, much worse.

It was so painful he had to practically fight down tears down, fight down the urge to start sobbing uncontrollably because it just wouldn't stop - he wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of blood there because that's how intense it was. Thankfully, because the wings were small, the utter pain soon finished, and he shakily stood - not feeling unbalanced any more.

Ugh. Well, that was something he really didn't want to experience ever again, and so he had sat down with the water he had now to recover as best he could. Oh, and also, use the stray feather he had to make...something while sitting.

He'd worry about cleaning the feathers all over the floor later, when he felt better. At least the feather would be good for making a charm for his cherie, non?

(Could have done without all that pain, though. Not that he would tell anyone of this. They'd worry too much.)

[shslrhythmthief]

"Oh, really? Well, if you're sure, ma cherie...but if you do change your mind, I'm happy to try taking you anywhere. I feel like our dances could almost reach the stars and back, even if we can't see them - it's a shame that the power of rhythm can't help find a way out of this place, but I digress." His usual charming self aside - (and as usual, he spoke his feelings in such a timid way, despite the alien appendages flapping fast to match his heartbeat again.) Raphael nodded along with Asahina's words. "Oui, very true - it would have been very worrying if you couldn't even still breathe air, so we should be thankful! As well as that, at least I'm not an actual angel...apparently they're really scary, so..."

He might have ended up scaring Asahina, or worse, ending up as the next murder victim (again) due to accidentally scaring someone, like in THAT case. Nooo thank you, he'd rather this, even if...it felt alien and wrong, no matter what positives there were in the scenario. "Ah, but...it's normal for people to worry about those they care for, those they adore even more so. Especially given the potions could have done bad stuff to other people. I don't want to go leaving you...erm. A fish out of water to be targeted, to excuse the bad pun. That ginger friend of yours is rubbing off on me, sigh."

Shaking his head to shake the puns and such a serious topic aside at the valid question, he hummed. "I was thinking just wearing my Phantom R jacket over the wings, but I'm not sure if my hat would cover this...thing." With that, he attempted to tap the ring of light with a hand idly, only to jerk his hand back at it glowing brighter when he put his hand near it. Whoa okay let's not do that again.

Taking things too literally (closed)

[shslrhythmthief]

With a musical snap of his fingers and a turn of the heel so he could actually see the stranger who was speaking to him properly, Phantom R had to smile a little in his usual bemused manner regarding how his words to Fondue had been taken as talking to the stranger - no wonder, given she was a canine, too. Well, canine-like, anyway. Due to having experience a lot of odd or peculiar things in the school by this point, the thief hardly batted an eye at the fact he was talking to a mythical creature. Fondue turned and wagged his tail at the girl.

Fellow canine! Friend!

"Woeuf!"

Thankful for his dog being distracted from drooling regarding the sweets, Phantom R adjusted his fedora. "Oui, it was meant to be a secret, but oh well! No skin off my nose, as long as there's enough left for who I'm making them for! Hey, I'll take the fact they smelled good enough for two canines to like the smell of them as a compliment - this is my first time making this particular recipe, as you may have guessed from the mess." 

Holding back a snort of laughter regarding the mess on the floor and sticking to the pages of the book, he grinned and took the other's offered hand in a shake. "Sure, why not? You help me out, and I'll give you some of them. I probably cooked way too much anyway." Then again, knowing how much Asahina loved doughnuts, she probably would have eaten the whole lot. (That didn't mean he wanted to risk her getting sick given this was his first try at the recipe!)

"Phantom R's the name - SHSL Rhythm Thief. Don't see much point in hiding my talent here - if Fondue's friendly towards you, I'm chill too." He trusted his canine companion, after all.

catty? i'll show you catty! ;; riza & raphael

At first, she assumed that the first question had been pointed at her, being so focused on food and all. She’d also been offended by the remark. She was more than a dog, thanks. “Uh, yeah, I can eat…” About then, she happened to aim her amber eyes downwards at a fellow canine there. Oh, how hadn’t she noticed him? Maybe she’d been too wrapped up in the scent of sweets. Hey, you can’t blame her. Riza aimed a toothy grin at the little guy. She wasn’t even aware pets were allowed in this place.

Her attention turns back towards the godsend stranger occupying the kitchen. He seemed to be talking in some kind of fancy speak, some of which she didn’t understand. Still, doughnuts… It had been forever and a day since she last had doughnuts. Doesn’t get the chance often, y’know? She’d treat them like they were a delicacy should she get her hands on them again. The question remaining would be if she were allowed to snatch some.

"Eh, well if you were trying to be secretive about it, don’t be so hard on yourself." She flicks her nose with her thumb then points at those weird as heck wolf ear-things of hers, signaling at her heightened senses. "It’s pretty easy for me to sniff something out when it smells this good."  She goes ahead and pulls her full body into the kitchen, standing in a very relaxed pose, arms crossed. Say, maybe a little bit of labor might work in her favor. It didn’t guarantee anything, but it was worth a shot! This wolfy girl would do anything for food. Good food was one of the seven wonders of the world, right?

Well, she wasn’t a genius, but she sure was something.

"Makin’ those for somebody or somethin’? Since I’m here, I can help out, if you want." She holds her hand out, as she doesn’t feel that a formal greeting is necessary with someone who isn’t another werewolf or an opponent.

[shslrhythmthief]

"Hm, come to think of it, I brought a drink after some failed cooking earlier. Perhaps the bear deliberately made the normal drinks and the potions look similar so things like this would happen? I wouldn't put it past him, at least." Scratching his chin about the matter, the fish-like tail caught his attention once again. It was beautiful, fitting to his cherie of course, but it still seemed so odd to see it there and for it not to be part of a costume or something. He probably looked just as strange...hopefully, she didn't worry too much about the bits of blood still on the feathers.

"Well, I hardly doubt that - Halloween doesn't last forever, so maybe this'll wear off after Halloween? I hope so, anyway. I don't exactly want to go around being seen like this...It feels unnatural enough already, I really don't want anyone being scared!" Sure, he shared the name OF a guardian angel, but that didn't mean he entirely liked how strange this felt! However, it was fact that it could have been much worse. "Phew...not here? That's a relief, at least. I'm glad Monsieur dork and monsieur Kirby were able to help...if I'd have known, maybe I could have helped too. As for moving, maybe I could pick you up and carry you, like in our waltzes?"

Though he kept a straight face, the way those wings fluttered like a quickened heartbeat there probably gave him away, and he frowned at that. Darn  weird body parts! Well, who could blame him for liking dancing with her? "I'm glad you're not in pain, at least! That's a positive...and neither of us have gotten something really bad out of those potions, so...as easy as it is to get unnerved by it, I suppose we should stay positive like that?"

Easier said than done though, he supposed! He couldn't help but wince at Asahina's audible wince, himself. "It's...pretty bad, huh? Let's just agree this isn't exactly the sort of thing either of us expected or needed and leave it at that."

He cringed again at another lance of pain shooting through the wings...they still felt rather sore, and he wished he could just rub the soreness away, but...how was he supposed to reach his back?

"But on the bright side, at least maybe I can protect you all the better now with the irony of my name being more fitting than usual."

Taking things too literally (closed)

[shslrhythmthief]

When he had slunk in through the door, the boy had instinctively (despite the shooting pains of obvious protest from those alien appendages) hunched over to make himself look as small as possible, forcing the...things to fold behind his back in the process: the last thing he wanted was for Asahina to see this, but the ring of light...ugh, he hadn't even thought about how to hide that. However, to walk in and see Asahina in the room so early was odd - the small pool and dripping water on the carpet wasn't all too hidden, and his eyes widened behind his spectacles because he swore he saw a fin poking out of the blanket.

Such was his surprise that the foreign appendages flared outwards to match his alarm, he utterly unable to control that. Asahina must have been equally as surprised as him, as the blanket dropped completely, revealing...ah. It seemed irony had chosen to be specifically attacking towards them both today, he managing an apologetic expression before nodding. "O-oui. It seems so. Was your drink spiked like mine was, ma cherie?"

Well, in retrospect, his worries about the whole thing had been silly, seeing that Asahina had been affected too. "It seems pretty unbelievable we both got the same sort of irony, yet here we are. I suppose it wouldn't be truly 'ironic' unless we both got it, given how low the chances are."

Unsteadily moving closer, he moved to sit next to the other. At least sitting, he didn't need to worry about being unbalanced, though that ring of light's glow was....quite distracting, to say the least. "Do you feel alright? I mean, I still feel sore around where these pesky things are, so if there's any pain at all for you...has our roomie seen anything yet?"

It was somewhat atypical that he'd be concerned for her first.

Taking things too literally (closed)

[shslrhythmthief]

Taking things too literally (closed)

Though the ending of the cooking of donuts had resulted in a disaster - the glaze had gone too hard when he had iced them and rendered the majority of them inedible, despite the wolf-like stranger and Fondue appreciating them a lot - Raphael , having taken off his 'Phantom R' guise earlier, was not daunted by this. Perhaps he'd just used the wrong ingredient? He'd written down what was wrong, so he could try again later: right now, though, he was thirsty. 

The thief had heard things about some apparent potions causing panic already, however - well, he should be alright as long as he brought an ordinary drink. Of course, nothing was ever that easy, for as the redhead sipped from the glass, he dropped it with a start, feeling a great sense of unease and pain wave through him...could it have been that the 'normal' looking drink was spiked?

Knowing the bear, it wouldn't surprise him, yet the pain was so severe he couldn't even mentally smack himself for not realizing the 'normal' drinks may have been the potions all along, for the bear to trick more people.

Eventually, the pain died down, yet there was an unsteadiness about him as he pulled himself shakily to his feet: catching his reflection in one of the cafeteria steel plates, it was easy to see why: there were a pair of small, white, feathered wings sprouting from his back, brand-new and a little bloody from suddenly forcing their way through skin and muscle.

This had to be a bad dream - he was just imagining things, right?

No, he wasn't in some dream or hallucination, though, because he could move the foreign, alien appendages when he thought about it, and those weren't the only new things. There was a golden ring of light hovering over his head, too. Raphael, despite still feeling sick, had to laugh at the irony. Oh, so now the spiked drink had taken his name a bit too literally. How was he going to tell Aoi this?

Taking his now ripped blue school jumper off and putting it back on over his shirt did little to hide the wings - they fluffed stubbornly right back out of the holes again, and so he walked back to the room he and his cherie shared (albeit unsteadily) without being able to hide a thing. Maybe if he was lucky, he could sneak in through the door and she'd be somewhere else? Raphael knew he should be able to hide the wings with his Phantom R jacket which had no holes, at least.

Opening the door, the red-haired boy attempted to slink in - but had no idea the room was already occupied in his prior worry. Just his luck, really.

[shslrhythmthief]

Having previously scoped out in the shadows what seemed to be the best times for there to be less people in the kitchen, Phantom R was humming a musical tune to himself (as usual, and he was still pretty good even when merely humming) as he waited for the things he had attempted to cook in the oven to get ready. My, they did smell quite delicious already, so he'd guess they were pretty close to being done. Alright, so actually making the items so that he COULD cook them in the oven was a hassle. First, actually getting all the ingredients from the storage room without being noticed, that had been hard enough on it's own.

Then, finding a good cooking book. Speaking of said book, in the process of cooking, the pages had gotten slightly...stuck together from batter and flour. He might have to wait for it to dry before trying to fix it and take it back, because that library bird there all the time would sure yell a whole lot if his books came back damaged, mon dieu. Hey, not like he could help it. He'd never cooked these kinds of oven doughnuts in his life, so he'd kind of had to look at that book every moment when preparing the recipe.

As such, the book had become a helpless bystander in the onslaught of cooking. Maybe he should have just stuck to macarons. Then again, hey, it'd be a nice surprise for his cherie. Fondue wagged his tail harder as the doughnuts came out of the oven and were placed carefully on the rack to cool.

"Mon ami...can dogs even eat doguhnuts without getting sick? I really don't know..." Though, him talking to the canine sitting next to him was cut short at an unfamillar voice asking him what he was cooking. "Ah, dougnuts...but they still need to be iced. ...Colour me surprised someone caught me in the act, though! I suppose it wasn't as secret as I might have liked, oui?"

catty? i'll show you catty! ;; open

"What a smug little bastard! I swear if I didn’t…" Her irritated rambling cut short, suddenly exhausted of ranting to herself. What she’d meant… That stupid talking bear that called himself a ‘headmaster’ had the nerve to call her catty. Tch, she was the furthest thing from it! If she hadn’t been subjected to the rules beforehand, she might have tried to rip that thing’s stuffing out, but apparently whatever or whoever was making it tick had a trick up their sleeve. Better not.

A school where people kill each other, huh? It’s not like Riza hasn’t been subjected to enough death in her lifetime. After all, she had a lot of avenging to do. Still, killing for such petty reasons as escape lacks honor, and she’d never stoop that low. That could be the greatest shame a werewolf warrior would ever face. However, she’d remain on her guard. Even if she wasn’t as clever as many of these other students with their freaky intellects, she had common sense.

Already figuring out where her dorm was and getting settled in, her ravenous nature was leading her to food. Ah, animal instincts sure were something. Our friendly neighborhood werewolf girl was able to guide herself to the cafeteria doors by sense of smell alone. Shoving one of the doors open with her shoulder, she realized there wasn’t much activity in the place. Well, it was pretty damn early, but she’d always been early to rise. All of a sudden, her wolf-like ears perk up from the top of her head. Apparently there was someone in the kitchen, and whatever they were cooking had her nearly drooling. Ah, just maybe she could mooch from whatever they were making. Saves her the trouble.

Creaking the kitchen door slightly, she opens it up just wide enough to fit her head and shoulders in to peek. Something smelled really freaking good, wow. Riza couldn’t help but ask aloud,

"Hey… whatcha making?"

[shslrhythmthief]

Now, with not exactly being the kind of person who appeared where there was a lot of people all the time, the rhythm thief didn't, as a rule, frequent the cafeteria all too much: however, he still had to actually eat things and what-not, not to mention he was scoping the place out. What purpose did he have in that? Well, to see what times the kitchen seemed unoccupied or less busy, because he had decided to try his hand at cooking a recipe he hadn't cooked as often as his mother's favoured macarons. Standing in the shadows, the thief found his hand slipping away from the brim of his fedora periodically to snap his fingers in some imaginary beat he was making up, despite the noise probably alerting more people to his location. Fondue sniffing around the tables nearby didn't probably help, either.

Well, he couldn't help that, with his talent and all! Chuckling to himself, his bemused smile turned curious at a rather nervous-looking stranger trying his best to not be noticed, and standing out seemingly all the more for his efforts. Probably yet another newbie, huh? Now, the fellow looked nervous enough as was, and Phantom R knew he probably should not approach him and make the matter worse.

However, as a thief, he felt like he should probably give the new guy some pointers on how to actually NOT be noticed so easily, and so he casually spoke up to the other, choosing to not get closer at this point. (Hey, the guy was nervous, so he'd just talk.) 

"Monsieur. My apologies if my opinion startles you, but...trying to huddle up and zip by quickly here only makes more people notice you! Act more casual if you don't want to be noticed, because, trust me, I've learnt the hard way sneaking about only gets folk suspicious!"

The phantom gave a laugh after stating this, but his laugh was not mean-spirited, merely amused at his own joke as usual.

Sitting in his room found himself to be anxious and worried.  He had never roomed with someone else before.  Perhaps he could find a way to get a room by himself, or was it a thing he needed to have no matter what?

Slowly, he took to the halls, gripping the wall gently as he moved past door after door.  Some were broken, some had words carved on them.  What kind of place is this?  He wanted to go home.  Go back to his open fields and pokemon.

He found himself in front of the cafeteria and kitchen.  Good!  Food, something he hadn’t had in ages it felt like.  Walking in, he tried to not catch anyone’s eyes.  Had there been people in there, he hoped that they ignored him much like he ignored them.

Go fast and get food and leave.  Go fast, get food, leave.

Go.  Get.  Leave.

[shslrhythmthief]

The loud beeping emitting from his Monomessenger roused him from his sleep, Raphael yawning and replacng his glasses  while Fondue barked at the hpone. Alright, alright, he was getting up, what kind of message was this?

...Ah? Oh. Well, this just reeked of a set-up. As a thief, Raphael had seen the Inspectors who had wanted him in chains make set ups similar to this all the time, and back when he was still learning the ropes of thievery, it had almost worked. Not to mention the bear could read every single message that went out on a Monomessenger...would he really let something like this slide? Honestly? Non.

But given how long some had been in the school, that even a false hope might be better than nothing - he knew full well not everyone would be sensible enough to ignore this obvious 'bait trap'. If people were going to go...he'd go along too, in hopes that his skills in slipping out of traps could help them in case things went sour!

He wasn't just going to sit here and do nothing.

[shslrhythmthief]

Ghost

Do you have any theories on how people are able to come back alive here? What are they?

Oh, a very serious question indeed - one that has him rubbing the fur of the (snoring) Fondue on his bed in thought, fighting the subconscious urge to scratch at the concealer he's had to wear almost every day now, from the time when...he himself died. 

"Mon ami, I don't have a clue how I got back, to be honest. Many people say it is part of that bear's want to make us despair, to make not even death an escape from here. Or maybe it is the force of another, who wants us to keep living and working towards escape! Despite having the name of an 'angel', I do not know about life and death!"

"...Despite myself being well-acquainted with it. If there were more clues to go on, I could give you a better answer, but the hints, if any, are as hidden as flute music with an overly loud steel drum on the bass line. To tell the truth, I'm glad I didn't die for good - I get to be a better 'guardian angel' this way, non?"

[shslrhythmthief]

☢Grass

 What are your thoughts on people who cause trouble in the school?

"Oui, the trouble-makers in the school...don't I technically count as one of them, myself? I stole a precious mademoiselle's heart away, and I'm a thief, so who am I to judge? Hah hah!"

Shrugging in a bemused manner, he then says:

"But, seriously.  The best thing you can do is just go with the flow of a rhythm in life - so with people that cause trouble, the same rule applies!"

[shslrhythmthief]

☢Dragon

 If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

"Well, mon ami...for one thing, I'd like to actually be able to read fine text without these glasses. Good thing I could tell fabricated art without them on, honestly, but it can be a hassle at times. 

Good thing I know as a thief how to spot things easily in the dark or I might have lost them in the power outage!."

[shslrhythmthief]

☣ AOD MEME SUNDAY! ☣

☢Headcanons - Send a word and the mun will write our a response of how it relates to their character. ☢Truth or Dare - We all know how this one works, don’t just overrun it with dares! There’s a truth part to it y’know! ☢Ask My Character/Mun - Ask the character anything, they are even allowed to break the fourth wall. Even send questions to the mun, this can help to know them better! ☢Drabbles - Give the muse a prompt and they may write a short drabble on it. ☢Fire - What is/would be your dream team on Monomon? What would you name them, if anything? ☢Water - How do you feel about the dark? ☢Grass - What are your thoughts on people who cause trouble in the school? ☢Ghost - Do you have any theories on how people are able to come back alive here? What are they? ☢Psychic - If you could see into the future do you imagine you would see a bright or dark one for HPA’s students? ☢Steel - What helps you make it through each day here in the school? ☢Dragon - If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? ☢Types - Free Question

[shslrhythmthief]

Forgotten Nightmares and Remembered Allies

Ah - so the nightmares and hallucinations had stopped two days ago? To tell the truth, the phantom thief had found it odd that those rare moments he had nearly fallen asleep, the hallucinations had failed to creep up, but he had brushed it off as something of a mere hopefulness or the fact his mind was so tired at the time, that is might be a ploy to lull him into a false security as he tried to keep himself and his 'cherie' awake. He certainly wouldn't have put it past the bear, however, regrettably, he had drank too much coffee to just fall asleep right now.

Perhaps this time could be used more effectively than just standing around, though...before he left the room, he made sure to leave 'Raphaels' school jacket over the top of his cherie so she could stay warm, if she was indeed still asleep. Slinking back out of the room, the famed 'Rhythm Thief' took the stage once more. It had been a while since he dressed up in the costume...after all, with all his father's...works no longer around to steal, he had no reason to be this form.

However, seeing as he wanted to confirm something and do it 'quickly' - of course, the thief was perfect for this. A quick sneaking through the halls confirmed it - the nightmares had indeed stopped, for said hallways seemed incredibly empty right now, likely due to those people all sleeping and taking much-needed rest. He'd spent the majority of the day the bear had announced the event's end sleeping, too, but he didn't want to sleep the whole week! 

Yet, as he approached the newly-repaired storage room - it was clear he was not alone, by any means. He had never noticed it before, but the storage room - some of the boxes seemed like they had been deliberately opened. Like something had opened said boxes to hide into if they needed to. Was that...a barking coming from one of the boxes? Wait - barking? Why did that echo oddly in his mind?

Then, as the source of the barking barrelled out of one of said boxes and almost knocked it over, the thief remembered. He hadn't been alone in stealing things - he'd had a partner, and it seemed as if that partner had - despite being a massive chicken and scaredy cat - willingly found a way to track him down and give assistance here at the school, and Phantom R gave a rare smile.

"Ah...Fondue! I'm sorry I forgot about you, boy...you must've been worried sick. Don't worry, mon ami, I won't forget now."

Thus, he bent down to pat...no, hug the dog, trying hard not to start looking like a sentimental mess here. Only, he and the canine were not as alone as he had first assumed, he spotting someone nearby. Had they seen the whole thing. Hm. Oh well.

"Bonjour...before you ask, pets are indeed allowed in this establishment, mon ami! Mademoiselle Panne and Monsieur Gareki have Samson the bunny, after all!"

Meanwhile, Fondue - the Phantom's 'dog sidekick' - backed away behind his master, as big of a chicken as ever.

"Woeuf..."

[shslrhythmthief]

"I guess a lot of things we do and react to in life can show our true natures, even if you have to keep them hidden for a job like I do. Your tenacity to stick to things is something that shows how willing to stick by friends you are, too, in the same way that my caring for my Papa shows this side I'm in now..." That almost philosophical bit of musing aside, the red-haired boy shrugged. "A song requires balance on both ends. If you grow too selfish, you push others away, but if you don't put yourself first - yes, as you said, it's hard to help others. A perfect harmony of such a song is no easy task...but...if you think I can do it, then..."

Even if getting a perfect score on that kind of song was hard...he just had to have more faith...but not just in his mon amis or his cherie this time. Himself, too...even if the dreams seemed determined to destroy that possibility. And have faith he wouldn't become selfish...and...push....everyone away. He didn't want that, hence the reason he was understandably antsy about taking time for 'him'.  In the end, the biggest fact was...he didn't want to be alone again. Raphael felt like his cherie could understand that even better now.

The ruffles of his hair were a thankful distraction from the almost pensive thoughts. "You're...not alone either, ma cherie, with what you know about me being here put into perspective. If I'm always here to help, then...you don't need to worry about that either. Even if bad dreams or stuff happens...I'll be there." His face turned slightly shy and reddish at the statement about being a family, but it was true,and he cuddled up to the other to provide a better support as she leant on him. The rhythm seemed to slow, but yet, despite the horrid nightmares before..it only made the slow rhythm now seem more precious and more worth protecting. 

He shyly moved his hands to hold the other's. " I...it's always been an honour to be part of this family, ma cherie!" He was timid in saying it, but it was true.

Oranges and Lemons (closed)

[shslrhythmthief]

Raphael's worried frown returned at Asahina's words - though she claimed she wasn't putting it off like it was nothing, to say she was completely fine when that dream was horrid...just seemed like she WAS putting it off like it was nothing, but he could be just over worrying himself. Not that he could be blamed for it at the current moment, with the nightmares and his mind still somewhat reeling from the dream he'd experienced: anyone would worry. Yet, he trusted her words. If things did get bad and she asked for his help, he could step in then. Worrying himself would not make the nightmares or illusions any better.

Sighing, he sat down, and gave a half-hearted laugh at Asahina saying his father wouldn't do it. "Even if he left me to fend for myself...you have a point, he wouldn't do that. Despite what he did, I can't help but still care for him...that probably sounds dumb, but my own Mama's long gone. He's the only family I have left at this point. Maybe that's why I'm so worried about bad things happening to you." That quiet admission made, he laughed. "That's why I worry too much, too, but...if it means I help you better, worry is a good thing."

The kiss helped too, and he returned the gentle kiss with a trademark kiss to the hand. "Oui, that's...probably a good idea, huh? But...I think if we can save each other's lives, then...we can get through this, too. I'll help you every step of the way."

Oranges and Lemons (closed)