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xj9xj9xj9 · 1 year

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Jade + Rook, 🦷, platonic

Jade and Rook need more canon interactions and no, I won’t ever shut up about that 😂 They’re very similar in that they know so much about others, but they hate having their own privacy violated, so I think that could lead to some interesting dynamics.

I do have to say that I relate to Rook a lot here. I, too, would like to stare for an uncomfortably long and probably socially unacceptable time at J word..................... Writing this actually reminded me of the time I argued with a friend about how many teeth Jade had in his Halloween groovy art—

Order Up!

“... May I ask why it is that you have been so intently staring at me?” Jade asked the question without turning around. He didn’t have to; he could sense the heat of eyes on him since leaving Octavinelle and striding into the classroom, and all throughout the lectures and lessons.

“Oh la la~ So it appears that I have been caught red-handed!” Rook stepped out into the open, his hands up in defeat. “I commend you for your brilliant detection skills, Monsieur Mastermind! It is not every day that I come across an individual as perceptive as yourself.”

“With all due respect, Rook-san, I would much prefer it if you avoided dancing around the issue.” Jade chuckled faintly—but his eyes held no such laughter. No, they were as frigid as a tundra winter. “Allow me to repeat myself: for what reason have you been following me today?”

“Well, you see... I have become quite enamored with merfolk as of late. I am aware that you take on a human form while on land, but that you also maintain a few of your merfolk traits, depending on the subspecies. For example, Roi de Fort, an octopus, is still able to exert an extraordinary amount of strength in his grip, much like the tentacles of his merman form!”

Rook was positively glowing as he rambled, eyes sparkling and his speech peppered with longing sighs. Passionate and unadulterated in a near perverse manner.

Frankly, it made Jade’s skin crawl.

Disgusting, invasive pest.

But he remained tight-lipped and smiling, patiently listening to his upperclassman.

“As for you, Jade-kun... You are an eel merman, non? I see that the jagged teeth of your original form carried over to your human one! So pointed! They are ideal for sinking into the flesh of vulnerable, unsuspecting prey.” Rook tipped his hat, the feather set in it bobbing. “I wished to observe you in your natural habitat! Perhaps then, I might be witness to you baring your teeth, both in a literal and in a figurative sense!”

“I’m afraid that you will be gravely disappointed, then.” Jade shook his head, his black stripe of hair swinging—like a pendulum, and like his own thoughts. Methodically. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed through your keen observations, I am not one prone to violence. You would have better chances with my brother, Floyd. He would make for a fine specimen for your... eel watching.”

“Ah, but that is part of the thrill of the hunt—catching the most elusive of glimpses! Each animal is able to provide their own unique charm. What is a rarity for one may be a common occurrence for another. There can be no true comparison between yourself and Monsieur Kills for Thrills!”

Rook drew closer (almost uncomfortably so), but Jade met the huntsman’s gaze head-on. He put on his most pleasant smile and voice.

“Have you perhaps considered that your ceaseless prattling and constant invasion of privacy are why the beastmen deem you to be such an insufferable nuisance?”

“Oh?”

“... Of course, I am merely paraphrasing what I have heard of schoolyard gossip. They are in no way, shape, or form my own thoughts.”

Rook didn’t miss a beat—he didn’t even hesitate or blink at the underhanded insults. “Fufu. Your tongue can be just as sharp as your teeth if you will it to be, Monsieur Mastermind! And what sharp teeth you have.”

Quick as a flash of lighting, Rook’s hand shot out, thumb lifting up a corner of Jade’s mouth to reveal a flash of pink gums. A row of angular teeth jutted out like stalactites along a cavernous ceiling. Thick at the points where they were embedded into the gums, and tapering off into dagger-like ends.

“Oui, so very, very sharp!” Rook chirped—just as he felt a hand close firmly around his wrist and pry him off.

“... Rook-san. Would you care to step outside of the classroom to continue our discussion?” Jade’s invitation was not one at all, given his vicegrip, and the sinister shadow that had fallen upon his face. “If you have questions regarding merfolk, I would be more than happy to... ‘enlighten’ you.”

“Mon dieu, how generous of you to lend me your time. I will have to take you up on your offer!”

The two shared a fake cordial laugh—and all the other students in the room tensed.

“I-Is it just me, or... uh, do you guys feel like we just saw something we shouldn’t have?”

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