[ open ] Quest Catch-all!

[swordfucker]

Who: Guren Ichinose & Various
Where: All around town
When: The month of September!
What: QUEST RELATED CATCH ALL. There's an open bee prompt since Guren is a red, so anyone is welcome even if you didn't plot with me! Newbies too, once they get in!
Warnings: None. Will add if necessary!

A. Bees to see - OPEN

[Guren feels as though he's been going a little easy on the quests lately. It's time to fix that. He's antsy, he's got an empty jar in one hand and his other on his sword, and he holds it up to anyone who might pass him by.]

Have you bothered getting any honey yet? You can come with me.

[And with that simple line, they're off! Unless your character has any resistance, of course, but assuming they don't, Guren leads them right into the forest.]

I wouldn't be surprised if these things were huge and mutated, so let's be prepared for that.

B. Wildcard - OPEN

[If you want to hit Guren up for a different quest, even if he's a red, feel free! Try to ruin his day? Just see what he's up to? This is my generic space to say anyone can tag me even if I didn't plot things with them, so feel free, or hit me up at zeloser to work something out, if you want!]

Closed prompts in the comments!

Comments

[passio]

[ for everything that guren pulls, though, dextera never thinks it’s hard or unfair to love guren. he worries himself sick at times, but it feels like a small price to pay for how completely happy guren makes him. even worrying, when it’s quietly resolved like this, feels like it makes the tougher times worth it. ]

…

[ he just wants to know why guren still won’t take dextera with him. is it the lingering fear of what happened with the bogeyman?

dextera hooks his pinky around guren’s anyway, willing to accept a walk as an offering of peace. ]

Will you stop for today?

[swordfucker]

[He doesn't want to stop. It'll put him behind on what he's trying to do... but he can stop, if only for today. For Dextera. Pushing himself at this point might be dangerous after everything, anyway. He took a lot of venom.]

Yeah. [He curls his pinky in this little link, looking to Dextera as they walk.] I'll stop for today.

[It doesn't take long to get out of the forest, and it's even clearer how messy Guren is. He's got dirt all over his face, his clothes are all disheveled, his hair is falling in his face when before he'd had it slicked back... A disaster. But he's all healed.]

[passio]

[ if dextera has the power to make guren stop, he always will. as long as it feels like something only he can do, like it’s a duty, he’ll do what he can to protect guren from his own harried thoughts. ]

…

[ dextera nods, and he keeps quiet until they’re out of the forest and he can get a better look at guren’s face. he’s a mess. reaching up with his free hand, dextera wipes some of the dirt off his cheek with his thumb, and sighs.

he doesn’t need to say anything, really. ]

[swordfucker]

...I didn't want you to have to see me like this.

[He says it with a sigh, gently taking Dextera's hand and moving it away from his face. He's fine, the dirt is fine.]

[passio]

[ he’s not fine!

or at least, this isn’t fine, the way that guren casually brushes his concern off—he’s not offended, but worried, and he frowns. his hand rests against guren’s chest. ]

…

[ but that only lasts for a moment, before he leans forward to lay his head on the slope between guren’s neck and shoulder. ]

[swordfucker]

[Guren places a hand over Dextera's head, fondly. Maybe he can help fix this.]

I'm going to have to carry you back if you keep stopping us like this. [Gentle, teasing...] I feel like I need a bath. Think we can get away with taking one together, somewhere?

[passio]

…?

[ guren is so smooth. he always knows just what to say—and honestly, they’re close enough to the forest edge that they could pick a spring to bathe in just as easily as they could bother filling a bath in guren’s home.

hook, line, and sinker. dextera nods. ]

You smell… like dirt.

[swordfucker]

Thanks a lot.

[He ruffles his hair a little rougher, for that, then drops his hand away. He was wondering about the forest, too... But then he can't have any soap. At the same time, less chances of company... Decisions.]

Where do you feel like going? A natural spring, maybe?

[passio]

[ people lived for a long time without soap. it’s probably fine for them to skip a soapy bath—it’s not like dextera doesn’t do that exact thing every single day of his life. he nods, even though it’ll be cooler in a spring. ]

I’ll help.

[ he’s not sure he can get dirt off, but he can maybe purify parts of guren. ]

[swordfucker]

Thanks.

[Guren likes soap... But it's okay, he'll use some later. He's all out of his reward-shampoo, but he's sure Clark can help with some things. Anyway, this is much better than Dextera seeming so worried, so he'll take it.

So, he links their hands more fully and tugs him back towards the forest, at a different angle. He's not sure it matters, as long as he thinks of wanting to find a spring, but it's habit, anyway.]

[passio]

[ dextera is still worried—it’s impossible not to be, when he can still see the evidence of guren’s paralysis on his clothes and skin and hair. maybe his body is fine now, after all that venom, but it doesn’t change the fact that something could have gotten him while he was down.

what if dextera hadn’t found him? ]

…

[ luckily, a spring isn’t far off, but before they can even think about getting into the water, dextera… pulls guren’s arm, just a little. he wants something. ]

[swordfucker]

[Guren was about to head right in, already reaching to unbutton his jacket, but he pauses at the tug, dropping his hand back to his side.]

Hm? [What is it dear]

[passio]

[ a couple things, but he has the decency not to look terribly sad about it. ]

I’m glad you’re OK. [ it’s signed slowly, like he’s embarrassed about going over this again—but he’s never going to be used to this feeling of distress when guren gets into trouble. he doesn’t want to be used to it. ] And… I’m sorry. For being difficult.

[ it was such a small moment that guren may not even remember when dextera kept the stingers out of his hand, but he feels the need to apologize anyway. ]

[swordfucker]

What? No, you...

[Guren is so surprised every time Dextera is like this. He frowns, placing his hand to the side of Dextera's arm.]

You have nothing to apologize for. I already told you, I'm not an easy person to care about.

[passio]

I want to.

[ that’s all. he gets in guren’s way when guren has business, and he’s dragged guren all the way out here to take a bath even though he knows guren doesn’t think of himself as having free time.

he moves to help guren’s clothes off, lingering slightly on the buttons of his jacket. ]

[swordfucker]

You're not allowed.

[Not in this case, and even if it's a light joke, he says it kind of seriously. He doesn't want him to think of it that way. He wants him to understand... This moment feels intimate all at once, and he doesn't want Dextera to be wound up with worry.

His hand slides down his arm, and he ducks his head closer, against the top of Dextera's forehead.]

I'm the one who's sorry.

[passio]

…

[ it made dextera feel a little better to apologize, but hearing it from guren, so sincerely, is something he didn’t know he wanted or needed. it’s not that he wants them to be in situations where they have to apologize—but dextera isn’t used to receiving such a feeling.

he takes guren’s hand loosely, gesturing between them. ]

Both?

[ a compromise. ]

[swordfucker]

...Hn.

[Guren doesn't think he likes leaving it at both of them, still, but he's stubborn, and it's light how he fights it. A little hum, like he's grumpy, a glance away and down...

But when he slips his hand out of Dextera's, it's only to keep undoing his jacket.]

[passio]

[ dextera won’t let guren take all the blame. it’s just natural for dextera to shoulder burdens he doesn’t need to, no matter the size.

he seems satisfied that guren gives in, at least verbally, and he reaches to quickly tilt guren’s face back toward him for a kiss. some gratitude, for the apology, and for letting dextera say sorry too. ]

…

[ it’s small, but he smiles after that, and helps guren get undressed first. ]

[swordfucker]

[It's a nice kiss. It's short, but it's enough to pull him out of his head even slightly, and he lets Dextera slip his jacket off his arms. He helps with his shirt, too, and then makes sure Dextera is undressing all the same, tugging at his clothes.

It's all pretty intimate for a Real Bath to fix how dirty he is, but he can't help it. He feels drawn to him like this. Eventually, they're both naked and they can leave their clothes to the side and step towards the spring.]

[passio]

[ dextera feels beyond lucky to be able to kiss guren whenever he wants, even if they haven’t—might never—worked up to being able to kiss each other with other people around.

holding hands is already a lot. ]

…

[ carefully, but with a little more bravery than the last time they did this, dextera slips into the water. it’s simultaneously warmer and colder than he was expecting, so it’s a tolerably mild temperature in the end.

he scoops up some water and drops it over guren’s head. he’s helping! ]

[swordfucker]

Guh—

[It doesn't surprise him too much, but it's enough to make him shiver, and then he's laughing, splashing some water right back at Dextera in revenge before he slips, dunking his whole body beneath.

He pops right back out, smoothing his hand through his hair and smiling over at him. He'd scrubbed his face under the water, so he already looks considerably better.]

Did I get it all?

[passio]

[ it’s nice to see guren’s clean face.

dextera can almost forget the way he found guren on the forest floor, paralyzed and completely unable to even speak, breath slow… almost. it’s going to take a bit to shake the image, but seeing him now like this is a comfort. ]

Hm…

[ he moves the bangs that got wet from guren’s splash out of his own face, and then he reaches out to thread his fingers through guren’s hair, combing through.

oh! a little twig. he produces it, and nods. that’s probably everything. ]

[swordfucker]

[Ah, cute. He really is trying to help him forget that image, about how he's going to go back, about all of it. Those fingers in his hair are so good, and he relaxes into it until a twig is pulled out. That's enough to have him reaching to touch his hair, like he's surprised anything was left.

But with a laugh, he moves closer, taking Dextera's hip and pressing his own close enough that they touch.]

Your hands feel nice.

[passio]

…

[ is guren flirting with him? it’s nice. dextera gets less embarrassed about his body every time they’re together like this, and he can almost forget the scar on his side when guren touches his hips. ]

You… feel nice.

[ smooth!

dextera takes another handful of water and drips it over guren’s arm, washing him the best that he can when they have no soap. ]