sparklingscarlet

[sparklingscarlet]

"Yeah, this place is packed, and huuuge!" Yumoto agrees, nodding. Binan was pretty big for an onsen town, but Spirale dwarfed it in density and more than tripped its population. This must be a little like what Tokyo was like. The real big city that never sleeps, or however the saying goes.

"You're welcome! Its the least I can do." He beamed easily.

His face falls in confusion shortly after. "Huh?" He blinks, reclining his head as if to knock out whatever already forgotten memory was hiding within. "Goal? Uh, I don't know? I'm pretty new myself. I don't think the pamphlet said anything about one..."

Yumoto shrugged. He clearly paid little to no thought to it. The less he thought about it the better: It made him feel worried, lonely, and sad, all without an outlet.

"I guess that's it? It's got a lot of cool stuff in it, like Pixies and weird-looking animals! And, I think I saw some floating islands outside the city, like really, really big rocks in the sky! I wanna go there some time!"

Accidents do happen all the time, especially to you. But it's nice to know that even here, there are some people who are kind enough to help you up when you stumble. Although, it does make you miss your friends even more.

His name sounds Japanese, which is another thing you didn't know Caine knew about. This place keeps finding new ways to surprise you. Being addressed with honorifics like that does scratch some secret itch you've had ever since middle school, but you'll ignore that for now.

"Yeah, there's a lot of people, too. The places I've been too before were never so... lively. Though they're usually a bit more colorful, and the theming here is kind of weak... Oh, b-but that doesn't really matter right now."

You tuck the pieces of your broken mask away. Where, exactly? Just away. Another thing not to think about.

"Thanks again, Yumoto," you say, pronunciation honed by years of watching anime. "I, uh... I just appreciate the help."

He's nice, so this seems like a decent opportunity to understand this place a little better. The goal still isn't clear to you, but maybe this NPC knows?

"Um, if you don't mind, I'm kind of new here, so... What's the, uh... the goal? Like, what's there to do? Are people really just living here? it just seems... uninspired."

[sparklingscarlet]

"Oh! Yeah, soda is really bubbly. It makes it taste good! -I think? It tastes bad without it." He shares his 'wisdom'. A place without soda? He was still adjusting to this city, but he guesses everyone really does come from different worlds. Wow...

"Yeah you could do that! Sharing new experiences together makes the experience more special! You can also get them in those bigger bottles to share more too!"

He bounces on his heel exuberantly. He turns on his heels, pointing at a vending machine ten feet away, flanked by similar machines in the alley. "I got it from a vending machine! You can get them in stores too, but they mostly come in big packs. Oh, but you can get single bottles instead!"

"Oh no, did you swallow wrong? I hate when that happens." He observed, smile faltering in the face of empathetic pain. The biggest danger of all sweet bubbly drinks: the irritation of the fizz! The smile returns shortly after.

"It is, it is, isn't it?" Yumoto beamed, "Eh? Were they strict? Yeah, you can! And lots of other flavors too! Like Melon soda, or orange, or plain cola."

He rattled on and on, allowing each random train of thought to pass through his mouth with little regard. "Oh! But my brother told me not to have too many since they're super sugary. So make sure to pace yourself I guess."

[sparklingscarlet]

🔗 防衛部シリーズ10周年 おめでとうございます！！

happy binanshi! a celebratory 10 year anniversary art of the battle lovers posted by Murakami Ayaka on twitter! ˙˚ʚ ♥ ɞ˚˙

[sparklingscarlet]

"You do a great job! Soft soft soft" The petting continues for a moment longer. When asked about Spinsta he stops. He blinks and then shakes his head in answer.

"Uh-uh. I never heard of it. But I'll sign up! What's it called, what's it called? " Bloody Mary is free. Yumoto withdrew his hand, pulling out his phone. How exciting, he gets to exchange information with someone! No more empty sad phone!

"Eeeh, you think so?" He scratches his cheek bashfully. "I don't really do art stuff much. But drawing, singing and stuff like that is pretty fun! I can make really good paper airplanes!"

Not usually something that someone brags about.

It was a true test of willpower and manners, his glittering eyes refusing to leave the dog as he awaited the verdict. With it, what restraint he had left held him from outright breaking out into a cheer. VICTORY!!!!!!!!

"Right!" His hand jerked a bit faster then intended, paused, then continued its slow, clumsy approach to her head. 'mushumushumushu' He mumbled with each stroke, before concluding with "She's soft."

[sparklingscarlet]

"Eeeh? How can a door be one way? Is it one of those trick doors in games? Yeah it wouldn't be very fair if he was behind one of those." Yumoto thought aloud. Maybe he shouldn't use video game logic for not video game things.

"Yeah?  If it doesn't have salt, I think that makes it a lake. But anyway, I was told it's not safe to drink because of germs." No judgements at the initial act itself, however. "You can get yummy water in vending machines though! Or water fountains!"

Not very nice... But true. He had literally no idea what she was talking about. Still didn't. At all.

"Blood sea? That sounds ominous." He remarks, "Mmmmmmm, Nope. It doesn't." He hums, rubbing both temples with his hands to get some thinking going. Come on come on...! It'll be kinda embarrassing to talk big talk only to be totally useless.

"It sounds like a riddle... But 'Bed Door' makes me think of Inns, cause they have lots of beds!"

[sparklingscarlet]

Yumoto cringed, reclining his back to protect his poor little ears. Too loud. Too painful. What did he even do to make this woman think she could push him around? It really... Pissed him off, honestly!

To bad being angry was also a massive pain. Ugh.

"I don't work in any department. What the heck are you even talking about?" He takes a defiant bite of his onigiri. "I've never seen you in my life."

"...Why are you staring?"

Yumoto had tried his best to ignore Ena, eating his lunch with a sloth's enthusiasm. What a pain... If only the food could just teleport into his stomach... and if only this lady could teleport away from him so he could eat in some peace.

"I'm not sharing, if that's what you're wondering. Go home or. Whatever." His voice is monotonous and flat, devoid of anything aside from the annoyance of putting thought into words.

@bbq-dreamer Subterfuge Part 1

[sparklingscarlet]

It had become a regular occurrence for Yumoto, to frolic among the pixies and join in their games. They were the few who would give him the time of day, every day, with little to no question. Playing tag, the blond stumbled upon something utterly disturbing: a corpse. Pixies were digging through its clothes like a jungle gym without a single care. All merriment halted at the sight. He'd never seen a real skeleton before. Wait, was it even a real skeleton? Yeah, of course, it was probably just a decoration! He takes a cautious step forward, then another, then-

"AAH!" Yumoto yelps, springing backwards to his behind. After the terror passed, Yumoto couldn't help but laugh in relief. For some reason, a moving skeleton was far less terrifying than a still one. Real dead bodies don't move, obviously!

"You really surprised me! I thought you were dead," Yumoto confesses, bouncing back to his feet. "Thank goodness you're not, now that would be scary. Were you waiting for someone to come by?"

[ @sparklingscarlet ;; <3 for a starter! ]

Out of everywhere in the Cotes ward, the place Sans has gravitated towards the most is that tiny village somewhere down south of the area. A little bit of a hike from his apartment, but easy as anything to get back to after he'd found out it was there the first time. He's got a pretty peaceful arrangement going�� he gets a cozy spot to lounge around at and some conveniently distracting buddies, and they get a new oddity to oogle and marvel at. The saturation of live magic in the air almost feels like being back in the underground, dense and heavy.

He'd been relaxing up against the sturdy face of a tree, but it can be a little hard to actually chill when someone's crunching their way through the bushes somewhere nearby. He can hear the stranger creep a little closer…

A small pixie waves from where it'd perched itself on his collarbone, the sort that's more of a light mote than anything. He's pretty much covered in them with the way they flicker about his head and tug at the fabric of his coat. One of them worms its way up under his sleeve— Sans doesn't even twitch. Honestly, he kind of looks like an actual dead person from this angle.

"boo." He cracks his eyes open and halfheartedly wiggles his gloves at the new guy— yet another human, all blonde and light reds. Maybe it would've been more scary if he put even an ounce of energy into the motion.

[sparklingscarlet]

"Huh...' He tilts his head, "Right, okay!"

He immediately accepts her idea and allows it to pass from his mind. Wasn't important! Sometimes things are just really weird and don't make sense. Sounds like she won't run out, which is a relief!

"You're not a bother! Accidents happen all the time," Especially when an excitable young idiot gets a little too reckless. "Also, it's my fault it happened. The least I can do is help you clean up."

Yumoto follows, bouncing quickly to his feet easily.

"I'm Yumoto! Yumoto Hakone, It's nice to meet you Gangle-san!" He offers a smile. Few people, and they weren't very nice? How lonely... He keeps his pity and thoughts to himself, focusing just on improving her mood.

"There are a lotta people here, and I think they've all been pretty nice too! That means there's a lot of people to meet!"

"Um, no, they just kind of... stick to each other. I don't really know how to explain it. There probably isn't a good reason for it, honestly. It's just... best not to question things like that," you say, holding one of the mask fragments to your face.

There's no point in questioning Caine's designs. Most of the things in the Digital Circus exist just because, and your fun little design quirk is just one of those things. Questions like 'How do they attach?' and 'Why doesn't the tragedy mask break too?' are better off unasked.

"I-I don't know if it'd really work with just tape," you say, forcing a smile. "Usually Caine fixes them, so it'll probably be the same here. I'll just... wake up, and there'll be more if I need them. That's how it's always worked..."

You take the broken pieces of your mask with a more genuine smile, wrapping your ribbon arms around the stack.

"I appreciate the help. Even if it's not really useful anymore, I don't want people stepping on the pieces or something like that. The last thing I want is to be a bother..."

Part of you would be okay just throwing the shards away, but that feels a little... odd. It's part of you, after all. Or, was part of you. You'll hold onto them for now, and decide what to do with it later.

"I'm Gangle," you say, rising to your feet. "I'm not really used to so many people being so kind... Where I came from, there was only a few of us, and... Well, I guess it's not really important anymore..."

[sparklingscarlet]

He was certainly carefree, a perfectly normal high schooler. Aside from the parts that were different. Of course, nothing about this city struck him as a threat just yet. Just the dangers of gravity.

"Oh." He frowns, some odd mix of confusion and disappointment. A practice sword then? Wait, did those not count as swords? Was there some sort of semantics he wasn't aware of?... The boy was giving such a short answer much too much thought.

"D.O.C..?" Yumoto tilts his head, "Swords? Nope! I've seen kendo swords, but I have never used one before. And a real one..."

He pauses. Did he see one on a school trip maybe? "Mmm, nope. I've never even seen one before."

Yumoto can't help but tilt his head at the sword. A sword? Did she do Kendo or something? The danger he avoided did not click whatsoever within his mind. What danger could there be in this city?

He shakes his head no, chuckling at his own recklessness. "No, I just got really excited."

"My town's pretty straightforward, so having all these paths and spiraling stairs is super duper exciting! It's like a hedgemaze! Only on a huge scale, with stairs." "Also, skipping kinda gives that doki-doki zippy-dippy feeling, right? It's fun!" he adds. You know, the doki-doki zippy-dippy feeling. Everyone knows about that. Or, it made sense to Yumoto when he said it. "Combine them together and it's double the fun! "

However, indeed dangerous. Yumoto scratches his head bashfully. Gora wouldn't be happy to hear he's been running around like that.

"Um, so... Is that a sword?"

[sparklingscarlet]

"That'd be a weird thing to ask!" he remarked. Who'd even want that? How weird!

He smiled, tilting his head slightly at the name. 'She had a horse-like name too'! At least he had the sense to not say that thought aloud. Yumoto nodded.

"Nice to meet you too, Tamamo-san! It is, it is! It's something you only see in stuff like anime. So it's really, really cool to see someone like that in person!"

"Oh yeah, don't wanna get kicked! Horses got super-strong kicks!"

...Yumoto pauses, the logic of the situation finally catching up with him. Wait, there was a conflict here.

"Wait, does that still apply when you're a person too?" he asks.

He moves on quickly though, giving a nod. Kicks or no kicks, important to show respect, the sight alone was sufficient to appease him. (Unlike how he treats a certain wombat.)

"Anyways, got it! Super super cool! What's your name? Mine is Yumoto Hakone!"

[sparklingscarlet]

It was a true test of willpower and manners, his glittering eyes refusing to leave the dog as he awaited the verdict. With it, what restraint he had left held him from outright breaking out into a cheer. VICTORY!!!!!!!!

"Right!" His hand jerked a bit faster then intended, paused, then continued its slow, clumsy approach to her head. 'mushumushumushu' He mumbled with each stroke, before concluding with "She's soft."

"Nice to meet you both! So cool!" The latter reserved for Bloody Mary's name- though of course, Hiyori was also quite cool. Just the cuteness and fluffiness of any animal grabbed his attention far more than any human on earth could.

His smile does drop slightly, disappointed at the lack of outright 'yes'. Oh well, he'll just have to earn that approval!

"Got it! Here here here." He lowers his hand, staring with expectant, barely contained excitement. Surely he wasn't scary, right? Right?

[sparklingscarlet]

"Oh no, did you swallow wrong? I hate when that happens." He observed, smile faltering in the face of empathetic pain. The biggest danger of all sweet bubbly drinks: the irritation of the fizz! The smile returns shortly after.

"It is, it is, isn't it?" Yumoto beamed, "Eh? Were they strict? Yeah, you can! And lots of other flavors too! Like Melon soda, or orange, or plain cola."

He rattled on and on, allowing each random train of thought to pass through his mouth with little regard. "Oh! But my brother told me not to have too many since they're super sugary. So make sure to pace yourself I guess."

"Cherry Cola." He answers simply with a nod. He wasn't sure what other elaboration was needed, the variance of worlds still so new to the teen. The hesitancy, and unfamiliarity, earns a small tilt of his head.

"Really? Ah, my senpai did say they have a short season," Yumoto mused, "Anyway, they're sweet and yummy! They give the cola a kinda... Tangy sweet flavor? It's good!"

To demonstrate, he opened and enjoyed a sip of his own, punctuated with a satisfied sigh.

[sparklingscarlet]

"...Why are you staring?"

Yumoto had tried his best to ignore Ena, eating his lunch with a sloth's enthusiasm. What a pain... If only the food could just teleport into his stomach... and if only this lady could teleport away from him so he could eat in some peace.

"I'm not sharing, if that's what you're wondering. Go home or. Whatever." His voice is monotonous and flat, devoid of anything aside from the annoyance of putting thought into words.

@bbq-dreamer Subterfuge Part 1

[sparklingscarlet]

Not very nice... But true. He had literally no idea what she was talking about. Still didn't. At all.

"Blood sea? That sounds ominous." He remarks, "Mmmmmmm, Nope. It doesn't." He hums, rubbing both temples with his hands to get some thinking going. Come on come on...! It'll be kinda embarrassing to talk big talk only to be totally useless.

"It sounds like a riddle... But 'Bed Door' makes me think of Inns, cause they have lots of beds!"

"Of course you have a say in it! Its your life!" He throws it right back, punctuating by pointing directly at her.

No venting allowed, just unsolicited advice from a 16 year old who flunks most of his classes! Yumoto drops his arm, allowing his face to soften. He... Really didn't know what the heck she was talking about honestly. Like at all. Boss? Like... A mayor? The city's boss? What does that have to do with dreams and love? But he did know she needed help.

"If that's what it takes to leave, let's look for him together." Yumoto offers with a smile.

[sparklingscarlet]

He ho!

[sparklingscarlet]

paper doll monster

[sparklingscarlet]

Tell me, are you lonely in this place without your friends from home?

Send “Tell me” along with whatever you or your muse wants to know regarding my muse and they have to answer truthfully.

"Yeah..." The answer is immediate, not a hint of hesitation. "I miss my senpai and my brother really, really bad. So much It hurts. My chest hasn't hurt this bad since I was really little."

He squeezes at his chest, at his lonely heart, before putting on a weak smile.

"There's a lot of nice, cool people here though! So it doesn't hurt as much as it could... and it's not like I won't ever see them again, right? So I just have to be strong."