awashlogs | May Catch-All for Kyrie

The easiest way to get something done is to go out and do it yourself.

Unfortunately, in Kyrie's case, that 'something' happens to be a quest, and that quest happens to require someone who isn't himself. So... the next best thing, when doing it yourself isn't an option?

Go out and drag someone else into doing it with you!

Or at least that's the idea, as Kyrie makes his way through town to find someone for just that purpose. Bluo seems the obvious choice, and by the time he crosses over from Ruga, it isn't terribly long before he catches sight of the poor idiot about to be stuck with him. He doesn't bother waving, but rather just. Sort of approaches Dex, whatever he happens to be doing, and drops a hand on his back like they're old friends.

"Ah, good." This one can't argue. "You aren't busy. Care to come with me?"

Ah, looks like he wasn't putting his hand there to be friendly at all! It's to try and guide Dextera into following him. It's... sort of like the same thing, right?

[ wait, what—

dextera nearly jumps out of his skin when there's a sudden hand on his back, but he actually doesn't seem to be running away. or denying this request. when someone is so bold as to just come up and tell him that they're going somewhere, who is he to say no?

he's not even sure he knows who this person is. ]

...

[ but he's nodding, like a fool, and following kyrie before he even thinks to ask about where they're going. ]

If only Dextera knew he was accompanying his local bully, maybe he wouldn't be quite so willing to follow. Maybe.

As it stands, Kyrie is more or less aware of who Dex is, even if he hasn't met the poor guy in person yet. After all, he wouldn't make for a very good consigliere if he weren't able to identify someone in this small of a town after a good couple of months, now would he?

(The answer is no. No he wouldn't.)

"Wonderful." He nods to himself with a small smile as if he's pleased with the answer, though he doesn't drop his hand quite yet. "Now, tell me. How do you feel about spiders?"

[ dextera would probably follow him anyway. bullies are the type of people that he naturally bends to, and with enough prodding and insulting, kyrie could probably get dextera to do anything! that includes going to fight a giant spider, possibly alone except for a cool observer. ]

...?

[ spiders, yes. he remembers seeing the quest, but it doesn't bode well for him that he's been plucked off the street and asked about this—he doesn't have any negative feelings about spiders, but the town has softened him. he's worried about doing this with just the two of them.

slowly, despite his reservations, he nods. spiders are probably okay. ]

'How do you feel about this thing?' 'Yes.' Communicating with a mute is a fascinating experience.

Still, the message behind the nod gets through all the same. It also allows Dex some more freedom, as Kyrie retrieves his hand with a pleasant grin--he'll entrust him not to run away, for the time being. When he glances back over, there's just a hint of smugness to his eye.

"Good! I like that servile attitude." A soft, bubbly laugh. It... sort of sounds like he's praising a dog for doing a neat trick? Weird... "It makes this all so much easier."

And so off they go, towards the forest, without even so much as a plan revealed. It's largely for him to know and for Dex to find out... but if he somehow happens to ask for it, he might be so kind as to explain.

[ dextera already didn’t love where this was going, but the way kyrie demeans him doesn’t make him feel a whole lot better about where they’re headed and what’s been planned for him. he furrows his brow, but he’s all the more likely to listen now that it’s been pointed out he’s servile. whether he wants that to be true or not, he is.

the archangel has made that clear often enough. ]

...

[ the closer they get to the forest, however, the more concerned dextera grows with the possibility he actually is going to be left to this alone, with kyrie bringing him along only for the fact that he’s easy to push around and can net a reward without much effort on anyone else’s part.

but guren will be super mad if he dies, so? he touches kyrie’s arm as they approach the edge of the forest, to get his attention. ]

It is probably for the best that no one goes and upsets their dear boyfriends, whether they acknowledge them as boyfriends or not. Dying is certainly off limits, here.

Kyrie stays relatively silent until Dex reaches for him, only sparing him a quick, sideward glance as he slows his pace just enough to allow them to keep pace with one another. At the very least, he doesn't seem bothered by the sudden contact... although, it unfortunately opens Dex up to more teasing. Sorry, Dex.

"Yes, what is it?" A brief pause, too short for any sort of input from his less vocal companion, followed by, "If you're asking to hold my hand, I'm going to have to decline. I've no interest in holding hands with another man."

Pretty sure that's not what he wanted to ask! But Kyrie sure is addressing it as though it's a legitimate concern--too bad he'd be a hypocrite even if he were serious.

...!

[ no! his shadow pointed it out to enough people, but he's pretty sure that kyrie wasn't around for that. it embarrasses him, to have the necessity of his habit called out like this, and even though he wasn't going to touch kyrie's hand, he really isn't going to now. he almost considers dismissing the thought entirely, but it is still somewhat important that he asks about his fate here.

so, using some of that fingerspelling that caramia has been so diligently teaching him, he signs out one simple word without actually meeting kyrie's eyes. ]

Teamwork?

Kyrie sure wasn't around for that, and he isn't aware of how badly he would wish he was--and really, isn't that the biggest shame yet? It just happens to be something he can pick on, but the response it gets is well worth it.

Still, he's got to be at least somewhat cooperative here, so he does pay attention to his hand movements.

"Is that meant to be a question?" He somehow manages to sound both amused and vaguely insulted at once. "Our success does hinge on teamwork of some sort, doesn't it? I have no intention of letting you take all the credit."

Hm. Still no mention of a plan, but at least Dex has some assurance that Kyrie won't be leaving him out here to die? Baby steps.

[ dextera doesn't want the credit for killing a spider, since he has enough murders under his belt, so he'd be happy to let kyrie do it if he weren't pretty sure that his own involvement is the crux of the quest. one blue, was it? that's him. he's the one. ]

...

[ that's a satisfying enough answer that he nods, and since they're already here so close to the forest, he takes his sword in hand.

can kyrie fight? he doesn't know. it doesn't look like it, but looks can be deceiving. ]

If it's any consolation, Kyrie would also be happy to do it himself if not for the fact that Dex is a necessary component here. If it seems like he's having any trouble, he'll gladly take things over as best he can.

Turns out, not even a spider seductress can deal with being swarmed with angry crows very well. Few things can, really.

Kyrie's relatively quiet as they make their way through the beginnings of the forest, all too happy to lead the way with a confident stride despite having no visible weapon whatsoever. His pistol is on him, of course, but without any bullets it's basically just a fancy paperweight.

It isn't until he spots a bit of webbing along the ground some ways in that he slows his stride, gesturing for Dex to do the same.

"As entertaining as it would be to watch you trip, do your best not to just this once." Does he have to phrase it like that? "I don't have anything to get you out, and you'll be as good as bait there otherwise, understood?"

Please don't get seduced by the jorogumo, Dextera.

[ dextera can’t make any promises, since he’s only a man, and a weak one at that when it comes to pleasures of the flesh—all a hot woman really has to do is flash him a slip of her shoulder and he’s down for the count unless someone wiser than him is nearby to snap him out of it.

but he’ll do his best, since kyrie is a stranger. he needs to make a decent impression, if not a good one. ]

...

[ feeling a little insulted, but not enough to make a big deal out of it, he nods. the whore-spider... that’s what guren called it, and dextera doesn’t think that’s a very nice name.

but then, she is not a very nice lady. he looks to kyrie, and gestures to himself. he’ll go ahead and try to lure her out, if kyrie can provide backup. ]

Listen. Kyrie knows all about these fleshy pleasures. But at least he's got some self-restraint!

He keeps his attention primarily on the forest around them, but he isn't so distracted that Dex's gestures go unnoticed. He's quick enough on the uptake that understanding what he means doesn't have to turn into some painful game of charades, but it is a bit of a nuisance to have to rely on visual communication... A miscalculation on his own part, really. Nothing to be done about it now.

"I can separate her, should you need it." Should either of them for that matter, but given his personal lack of... uhh, survivability against the more physical attacks... he'd much rather it be Dex. He offers a small smile with just a hint of a taunt behind it. "At that point, it shouldn't be hard for you to finish things quickly, right?"

He waves for Dex to go ahead, but quickly tosses one last warning out before communication will probably go silent--or at least turn very one-sided.

"It's fine if you kill the crows. They won't be around long after this anyway, so don't waste time sparing any that get in your way."

...?

[ dextera does not want to kill the crows.

he hasn't seen them, but the idea of slaying animals that are perfectly normal doesn't sit well with him. doctor angelicus carries those birds on her shoulders, and the idea of hurting one of them scares him. regardless of kyrie's permission, he's going to avoid the crows as much as possible! hopefully they won't get in his way too much.

but he's not interested in arguing, so he nods, and he's careful to step around the webs that seem to be increasing in frequency the further in they head. in one of them, the skeleton of a small animal seems to be entangled, and dextera doesn't want to think of what it might have been. he presses forward, until something crunches underneath his foot and he realizes it was a spider.

not the jorogumo, but close enough. she's around here somewhere, and—yes, there she is, peering out from behind a tree. her thick black hair spills over a milk-white shoulder, exposed by the loose top of a kimono, and dextera swallows. ]

The webs are a nuisance, really, but picking the most careful path does afford Kyrie the time to drop back to a safer distance. He'll stay close enough to be considered a reasonable Assist! Just, you know. Far enough that their lovely visitor won't catch sight of him, whenever she happens to appear.

And appear she does, just as Kyrie himself decides to disappear behind some of the thicker foliage around. He's mindful of his steps to avoid both noise and webbing, and ultimately he ends up watching from the sidelines as Dex goes and puts himself into harm's way, which... is probably a dick move? Especially considering this was his idea and all, but hey. Details.

Regardless, the youkai is very beautiful. She seems particularly interested in Dextera, which ought to be convenient enough... Provided he doesn't abandon all rational thought the second he thinks he might see a bit of skin, of course. That kimono seems like it's as keen to be rid of its wearer as the two men are.

Kyrie's mindful of the sway of her movements as she approaches him, watching for any indication she might know of the danger she's in. If she can just get a biiit closer...

[ dextera realizes that kyrie has... abandoned him? or something like it, but he's not so worried about it. he's prepared, he thinks. he knows that beautiful creatures can sometimes be the deadliest for the way they strike at his guard, but he's determined not to let himself be eaten no matter how much he may want to stare. ]

...

[ stare he does though as she circles him, and he's very aware that she's leaving a trail of silk behind her that wraps around his feet. it'll only get thicker the longer he waits and lets her try to ensnare him, but he's not sure of the best way to attack. plus, his brain does unfortunately short-circuit when she drags one neat finger across his cheek.

the touch. it compels him. ]

So maybe Kyrie waits a bit longer than he strictly has to. He could easily have acted at any moment from the point the creature comes within arm's reach of Dex, to when she first began her predatory circling. But who is he to deny himself some indulgences? It's not like Dex is in any immediate danger, and while watching even a non-demon woman flirt with another man isn't high on his list of favored pastimes, it's still entertaining to see how he handles himself. So sue him.

But the moment her hand makes contact with skin, it's punctuated with a soft, habitual snap, followed directly by a burst of what's effectively a writhing mass of birds that quickly disperse into a functional swarm as Kyrie steps partially back into the open. The green of his hair has darkened to black, as well--like a magic trick! But like, a magic trick that sends an unreasonably large murder of crows flying directly towards the pair having so much fun without him.

She hears the commotion before she sees it, but once she's seen it, it's too late--it becomes rather hard to see anything for that matter, when one is surrounded fully by the black of feathers, the slashing of claws, and the heat of a hundred bodies. The birds seem awfully fond of pecking at her face in particular, their angry croaks only muted by her shrieks of anger as she attempts to shift into a far more inhuman form.

Fortunately, none of the birds seem at all interested in Dex! In fact, they seem rather keen on grouping particularly densely between him and the creature, as if they intend to form a sort of barrier. But should he move towards them at all, they'll all too easily make way, very obviously acting under a will that isn't their own. At least it's convenient!

—?!

[ that gets his attention like no other. dextera stumbles in his haste to get away from the crows, with her webbing still around his feet, but he doesn't plan on simply leaving them all behind and running for cover. he retrieves his sword and slaps his cheek with the other hand, willing himself back to awareness. she's a monster, dextera. get yourself together.

by the time he tries to throw himself back into the fray, the jorogumo has completely shifted to another form, her kimono ripped to shreds and hanging sadly over her bright yellow-and-black abdomen. it's easy to find her, at least, amidst the pure black of the crows. they do move out of the way for him, the way angelicus' birds seem to be an extension of herself and nothing more, and dextera burns a hole through her still-human heart with the light of his sword.

he would probably have just eaten it, if he didn't think it could be poisonous, so kyrie is spared that sight at least. she crumples soon enough, and dextera winces at the corpse.

he doesn't really like to kill things that look almost-human. ]

Thank goodness Dex had all that handled! A few crows still fall to the ground, the life so temporarily granted to them bleeding out onto the ground along with that of the jorogumo's. At least it wasn't his sword that killed them. Just the deadly poison and sharp, stabbing legs. They're probably fine.

It's only after she's completely down that Kyrie decides to rejoin Dextera out in the open, stride just as confident now as it had been going in. The remaining crows disperse over the area for the moment. Some even settle on the corpse and... begin picking at it with some fair amount of delight? Gross. That's probably still poisonous...

"It's a shame she was a maneater," he remarks, drawing near to Dextera's shoulder and considering the creature before them with one finger held lightly to his chin. "She might have been quite beautiful otherwise, wouldn't you agree?"

[ yeah, they're probably fine.

dextera regards the poor birds with a sadness that wasn't given to the jorogumo, but it doesn't seem like he's going to act on that sadness in any way. minato taught him to pay respect to the dead by burying them, but he's not sure kyrie is going to let him stop here in the middle of the forest and bury each of the several, several crows that he summoned from somewhere. ]

...

[ is kyrie teasing him? baiting him? dextera nods after a moment of hesitation. she was beautiful, maneater or not. maybe that's dextera's type. ]

From the corner of his eye, Kyrie watches Dex as he mulls over the question. Is it fair to tease him like this after he did all the work here? Absolutely not. Will he continue doing so despite that?

Absolutely yes.

And speaking of Dextera's type...

"So you think so, then?" He sounds dangerously amused, and far too interested for anyone's good. "You did seem fairly captivated for a moment there... Are you perhaps one of those guys who can be drawn in with just a look?"

What a wonderful choice of topic. It can only get worse from here.

[ what... oh no... dextera thinks he knows where this is going, and this suddenly seems extremely familiar. that conversation about a maid café comes to mind, but dextera still hasn't learned to navigate these rhetorical traps. ]

Ah—

[ he can't defend himself. he has no speech, which is beneficial for the fact that he can't talk himself into a hole, but it also means that kyrie can read absolutely whatever he wants to into dextera's flustered gestures. he shakes his head, quickly. ]

Oh no, it's almost too easy. Kyrie giggles, delighted by the response.

"No? So it wasn't her eyes then, hm?" A conspiratory look. "Then what does draw your eye, I wonder? If not her eyes... her lips?" Here we go... Despite the humor in his tone, he still manages to sound almost innocent, if too invested in the topic. It's as if they're just two friends discussing their favorite flavor of ice cream. "Or perhaps it wasn't her face at all...?"

He looks... probably a bit too casual as he continues:

"Ah, I see. That must be it then. You're the type to look first at a woman's curves. How bold. Tell me," why should he?? "What size breasts do you prefer?"

[ the problem with all of that is that, in truth, dextera was absolutely looking at her curves. he's a weak man, helplessly drawn in by exposed skin and that form-fitting kimono, her cleavage threatening to spill out at a moment's notice. even now, he's thinking about it, even while completely mortified by kyrie's question. ]

N—!

[ no!! he doesn't want to answer this question!! but he gave himself away by taking too long to think about it, and then belatedly snapping himself out of his imagination. his face is all too easy to read, and it's obvious that he was remembering her bazongas. ]

Hey! Who's the best team to gather when you need to capture twelve angry, mutant geese? Probably not these three! Probably anyone but these three, actually. But really, yellow is on a tight budget here, and they can't afford to bring in any big guns.

How the three housemates ended up agreeing upon this literal wild goose chase is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure: it was on Kyrie's suggestion. Maybe that's why he's ended up waiting on the two of them outside their shared cottage in Flavo, in case they need time to gather themselves before they head out... or if they happen to have any second thoughts, of course.

But really, what's the worst that could happen here?

[They couldn't afford to bring in the metaphorical big guns but as Yuuya exits the house there is a... literal big gun.]

[Yuuya kept a degree of secrecy about his own personal quarters and apparently it was because he needed some space to store what appears to be a large-pigeon-sized rifle. And he looks comfortable with it, too, like this isn't in the slightest bit unusual for him to do.]

Salutations! All ready on this front. [Is this a terrible idea? Probably. Still, the resulting rewards of the quests have been good enough to justify the means used to complete them. And, at a certain point, they entered some sort of three-way codependency where none of them trusted the other two to be able to do it alone.]

I didn't peek in on Shiho, since I value my feathers, but she should be out soon, I assume.

[Shiho liked that term "three-way codependency" much better than "worry". Geese did not sound safe, and despite Yuuya being a bird and Kyrie being sarcastic, it didn't seem right to leave it just to the two of them.

So here she is, gun tucked into her pocket and prepared (as always) to set a forest or a gaggle of geese on fire.]

What do you mean because you value your feathers? [Probably exactly that. Shiho hates being woken up before she's ready to be awake, but admitting that will never happen.]

Alright, so yellow does have some big guns. But it's just a singular gun, and it's with Yuuya. Good to know.

Kyrie doesn't seem bothered by it, because rooming with a giant pigeon for so long has sort of implemented the 'yeah, of course' response in regards to most things related to said giant pigeon. If anything, it comes as a vague relief--his own pistol is out of bullets thanks to a certain hunt for a certain idiot's pendant, and while he might not trust Yuuya to be anything of a decent shot, he can at least trust that he'll have the opportunity to take the gun from him in a pinch. How hard can it be to wrestle a rifle from a bird?

"It means he's considered peeping on you, Miss Shiho. Perhaps we should leave him out in the forest, lest we continue to share our home with an admitted pervert." Surely the fact he didn't peek would prove that he wasn't a pervert? But hey, nevermind logic here. It's probably fine.

And speaking of probably fine, it's also probably fine that Kyrie decides to lead their walk towards the forest, without so much as a gesture for the others to follow. They'll get the hint.

[Everyone deserves to be praised for something, but Caramia deserves to be praised for everything. ...Well, that's Ochako's opinion, anyway! She has yet to meet anyone as cheerful—as sweet!—as he is, and that's why normal compliments simply won't do; she is determined to give him the best, most meaningful compliment that she possibly can.

And surely Kyrie will help her with this goal! He's rude, she knows, but he also seems to genuinely care for his friend. That's why he's agreed to help her learn a few Italian words, right? That's why his response to her message seemed a bit more enthusiastic than his previous responses?

Ochako seems to believe so, because here she is, loitering in the library as she waits for him to arrive. At least there are plenty of new things to look at...]

Edited 2018-05-08 07:43 (UTC)

Who would want to praise Caramia? It's not like he's some bright, charming, confident, intelligent, sweet and all around amazing guy or something. And, anyway, even if he was it's not like Kyrie's going to acknowledge it. Caramia's just an idiot wrapped in a moron wrapped in a shitty lion who doesn't bathe properly. What's there to compliment, honestly?

So why Ochako believed him when he said he would help her with such a silly endeavor is a mystery to anyone. The people in this town are really just too trusting, aren't they?

At least he bothers to show up, strolling confidently into the library he's come to spend a fair bit of time in recently. He offers a bow of his head as he nears, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Have you found any interesting stories, Miss Ochako? I hope you weren't waiting long."

Alright, so there are already a few things wrong with this scenario.

First off, the fact that there's already a dead spideer ready and waiting in the house? Probably concerning. Second, the fact that Kyrie is so willing to teach something so gruesome? Also concerning. And last but not least, a still-courageless Caramia is still wandering somewhere around the house... but hey, it's all probably fine.

Kyrie, of course, is busy straightening what knives and tools they have available that they might need. Without a proper mold, they won't be able to properly mount the hide of the creature, but it's not as if they have the tools to make a flawless cape either. Besides, he's sure Henry won't mind that so much... Especially if he can keep the bones afterwards as well. The kid really likes bones, he's noticed.

"Henry," he calls, finally turning away from everything to catch the boy's attention from... wherever he may be. "Why don't you come make yourself useful?"

[ a wish to fulfill - the one thing zelda has wanted since she arrived was to learn archery. she had been gifted the bow of light, but has no skill in how to properly use it. and without her trusted knight, there is no one she can count on to protect her. if the princess of the zoras could wield a spear, and the chief of the gerudos a sword, why can't the princess of hyrule learn to use a bow?

though her and kyrie had not met before, she solicited help and he obliged her. now they meet together at the edge of where the forest begins, an easy location and a simple space away from populated areas. she walks with her slate holstered to her belt, and the bow held firmly in both hands, nervous but ready. ]

The hows and the whys aren't quite so important at this point. What's important is that Zelda apparently hasn't heard about Kyrie's... questionable teaching methods, or questionable personality, or... really just Kyrie in general. Isn't that nice? It's like having a perfectly clean slate!

...Or something. It's not like it'll last terribly long.

But hey, at least he doesn't plan to be too difficult this go around. He even shows up fairly on time, greeting her with a light tip of his hat.

"Shall we skip on pleasantries and get right down to it, then?"

[ skip pleasantries? absolutely -- not. ]

We can go ahead, but I would like to introduce myself: I am Zelda. [ she brings her hands down together and bows her head. ] It is a pleasure to meet you. I will endeavor to be a good student to your teachings.

May Catch-All for Kyrie

Quest 6: Dextera

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I'm so sorry, Dex

DESTROY HIM

Quest 7: Shiho and Yuuya

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Quest 9: That Annoying Girl (Ochako)

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Quest 9: Henry

quest!!

I have no excuse for taking this long I'm sorry!!

no prob!