Day 74 | Action | Open

[individuates]

Who: Kaoru Hitachiin, Bon (kyotoprincess ), Rin (hellpyre ), Kuro (silvervine ). 
Open: Open
When: Day 74
Where: Somewhere nice and grassy near the Monument.
What: Kaoru is sketching. Come and say hello. Perhaps he can design you something?
Format: Action
Warnings: None.

[Kaoru can be found settled on the ground with his knees drawn up. Nestled in the space between his thighs and his chest, there is the large black egg with purple splotches that he "rescued" from the chicken coop at the farm a couple of days before. Adjusting to life with an egg in it is almost as strange as adjusting to Bastion Life itself, but thanks to some pep talks from Seimei, he's managing both. Having the egg has certainly helped - in lieu of settling on a proper name, he has decided to call it Tama-chan for the time being. Sure, it reminds him of home, but what other cute name could he come up with for a giant egg?

He has a few sheets of paper, creased in half and resting on top his knees, and is sketching what seem to be ways of attaching a number of bags to the body for storage, without sacrificing balance and freedom of movement to the shifting of the bags. Tapping the pencil against his upper lip... his current plan is for clothing to which the pieces can attach, but surely some sort of harness or strap system would be more adaptable? And waste less materials as well. Having come from a world where there is always more, he is terrible at conserving things and settling for less. Even his tools today, he has had to remind himself, may be meagre, but they do the job.

He tucks the pencil behind his ear and leans back, rubbing Tama-chan a little. He really ought to chat with someone who actually fights and find out from them what's needed.]

Comments

[individuates]

And if I thought for a second you'd meant to do it Tama-chan and I would be out of here like a shot!

...though I'm still within my rights to sulk with you a bit.

[hellpyre]

[While she's relieved to hear he's not afraid of her, the bit about sulking does make her do the same, head dropping a little.]

I'm still sorry... I don't really know how to control my strength very well...

[individuates]

[he laughs softly and reaches up to ruffle her hair a bit] Rin-chan. I'm joking.

[he won't say the "H" word, or the "P" word, but let him have this. Please?]

[hellpyre]

Mmf...

[Okay, okay, he can have it. It's better than princess, at least. She grumbles under her breath, shoulders hunched and tail twitching, but that's the worst reaction he's going to get out of her.]

[individuates]

[chuckling again] You look like an angry cat when you do that.

[hellpyre]

Tch! Do not!

[Yes you do, Rin.]

[individuates]

Seriously. It's taking all my restraint not to tug on it, but I won't. I don't want to get hit again.

[hellpyre]

Good. Tuggin' on it hurts like hell! Plus that's just mean. I mean really... you wouldn't do that to a cat, wouldya?

[individuates]

...all the cats I've done it to have closed their eyes and purred at me.

So do you need special adaptations in your clothing for your tail, or...?

[hellpyre]

... wait you mean like pettin' it? That's ok. Just don't like... yank on it hard or anythin'. It's kinda attached to my spine y'know?

[Rin shakes her head to the question]

I either wrap it around my stomach to hide it, or just wear my skirt or pants kinda low. I didn't wanna bother with fixin' everything I wear.

[individuates]

Oh, you work around it? That`s cool. [he`s never designed clothes for tails before, though he supposes he could work around it if necessary] Makes things a bit easier for me.

[hellpyre]

Mhm. I... had to keep it hidden when I started at True Cross Academy, so I had to figure out hidin' it under my shirt pretty quick.

[blink]

... easier?

[individuates]

Well yes, easier. If you needed a hole for you tail or something - which you ought to, ideally, so that your clothes have a decent fit [what is with all this wearing-them-low business?] - it`s not about poking a hole and hoping for the best! You have to fit and finish these things properly!

[hellpyre]

... decent fit? Does that actually matter? I mean...

[look at where they are, Kaoru.]

[individuates]

[trying so hard not to facepalm here, Rin do you even hear what you're saying?!] ...of course it matters! There have to be standards! Nobody wants to wander around in clothes that don't fit them properly! [well, some people do, but we don't talk about those people, okay? We just quietly adjust their wardrobes when they're not looking]

[hellpyre]

[No, no she does not.]

... but... it's fine. I like it that way.

[Rin shakes her head, motioning to the Bastion]

'sides, it's not like we're settin' a standard here.

[individuates]

So you just want to cover yourself then? If that's the case fig leaves work perfectly well.

[hellpyre]

What?! No! Th-that's not what I'm sayin'! Ugh! C-c'mon I ain't even got anythin' impressive to show off...

[totally pushing her arms together to push her chest out.

... she's right on that point though.]

It's just... people feel comfortable in what they feel comfortable in, right?

[individuates]

Yes. And in the end fashion is supposed to make you look good and feel good. It's not all narcissistic prancing and preening. There're no need to sacrifice fashion for comfort!



And it's not as if you have nothing to work with. But the right clothes will definitely help enhance what you've got.

[hellpyre]

. . . what color is the sky in your world, Kaoru?

[Sorry, Kaoru, she doesn't understand.]

[individuates]

It's blue. But what does that have to do with it?

[Are you just trying to get him to stop talking about your chest? ._.]

[hellpyre]

[Actually no she doesn't give a crap about her chest 90% of the time. The other 10% is when her sister is around.]

... never mind.

My point is, we're kinda at the end of the world here. Well. Worlds. I'm just wonderin' why fashion matters so much? I mean I know we're not goin' all zombie invasion, grungy clothes and duct-tape protection over here, but we're still not livin' the high life here either.

I ain't tryin' to make fun of you or anythin', I'm just tryin' to understand.

[individuates]

I guess it matters so much to me because it was what my family does. My mother is a designer. My grandmother practices ikebana. Aesthetics are important to our family; it's been drilled into us since we were kids. If I'm picky about this stuff, it's because I've been taught to be.

If - if - all that I have left of my family is the talent in my hands and my creative vision... I want to use that, not squander it. Since they're the only skills I have that I can employ, really, I want to make good use of them. I'm not exactly going to start up a whole new world famous fashion line, but at least I can represent my family well.

[hellpyre]

... oh.

[Rin fidgets slightly, tail dropping across her knees.]

The old man-- ... I mean my adopted dad was an exorcist, and even though I'm a half-demon I wanted to be one, too. Bon and I were both trainin' at an exorcist cram school back home. I can't fight demons here, but I can still use what I've learned...

... c-can I ask you somethin'?

[individuates]

[his hand has fallen to rubbing Tama-chan again, as he has tended to whenever he feels... well, he can't quite ascribe words to how he feels. Like something is trying to gnaw through his stomach. But holding the egg helps and he closes his eyes while he listens.]

Mmm? What is it?