yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

[faceblocks]

Who: vi and various people
What: a catchall for october feat. vileblood anxiety things, animal shenanigans, facepainting things, non-event things. starters will be in the comments. ping me at eisdamme or eisdamme#7495 if you would like one.
When: throughout the month of october
Where: the rookery kitchen, ursulas, cellar door, willful machine, the outpost, the entertainment feed, other places.

Content Warnings: tba

Comments

[faceblocks]

[she reaches for her paints, deciding the grey she has is too dark for what she wants to do, and that mixing her own is the best shot at making this happen. if she's using lady for inspiration, so be it.]

The wolves here are super chill, and very sweet. Lady's Sansa's wolf, and well, S'mores was adopted when a friend of hers ...went back to the ocean. They're both really smart and like getting ear scritches, but they're good protectors, too. Lady saved my ass a while back.

[okay, this color seems good. she'll dip her brush in and ...no, maybe a thinner brush. she holds her finger up in a 'wait a sec' gesture, deliberates on which thinner brush, and after finally selecting one, she starts to create the grey areas.]

You thinking of getting a wolf?

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru just makes sure to sit as still as she can, not wanting to be the cause of Vi screwing anything up here. Thankfully she's pretty good at that - even resisting the instinctive urge to shake her head when Vi asks her that question. ]

No, I.. don't think I'd be really good with them.. [ Even if they can be as friendly as Vi is describing, wolves still seem like pretty headstrong animals, right? A little too tough for a girl like Chizuru, whose Omen is just the tiniest little thing. ]

Maybe they seem so.. um, 'chill' [ Chizuru's eternal quest to try and use the hip new slang without sounding like a grandma.. ] to you since they respect you, miss Vi. I could imagine that. You're really someone worth respecting.

[faceblocks]

[vi has made the grey parts grey. after a long look, she decides it's fine. she can do the white now, although she stops to mix the tiniest amount of grey in it. there. now it's better. she talks as she paints, sometimes pausing overlong, or selecting a different brush, or a sponge to fade the edge.]

Nah. It's not me. It's cause they're special wolves. Lady's a direwolf, so she's bigger, but she's um ...bonded to Sansa in a way that's kind of like---

---no, it is family. [she thinks she got that right.] And S'mores is a [headtilt] ...clinic dog. For mental wellness and stuff. So they're better behaved than some Sleepers I know.

[she smiles at that until she realizes it might be taken wrongly. she would hate to imply chizuru of all people is badly behaved.]

Not you, though! O-other Sleepers. Me included!

[tealeafs]

[ Hopefully Vi isn't touching Chizuru's face with the paint at the exact moment she says that last part, because it sure makes the girl - involuntarily, even, she can't help it! - burst out into laughter.

It's not laughter that seems to make fun of Vi though. No, the laughter is very bright and genuine. It's innocent. ]

I don't think you're included in that!

[ She manages to say that as she slowly gets her laughter back under control, now just a fond smile on her face. ]

I mean, I suppose I can't speak for other people.. but you have been very kind to me every single time we've spoken so far. You're helping me out this time as well!

[ So there's no way she could think of Vi as being someone who doesn't behave. ]

[faceblocks]

[pulling the brush back just in time but now she's checking to make sure she didn't make a mistake - which is hard to do when chizuru's laughing.]

No, I'm definitely included. Ask ...a lot of people. Ask my Omen, even. She's a wolf, too, kinda.

[there's a smile now, and she's relieved that there's no mistake, and that chizuru's smiling. a spill of smoke slips out of vi's chest and settles into a regular sized wolfdog with golden eyes. they sparkle with mischief as she speaks.]

ᴠɪᴏʟᴇᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇᴅ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ.

[vi doesn't quite know what face to make. she knows she's being trolled, but it's not like she can argue. she can, but it won't be in her interests.]

Thanks, Fang. Thanks. Fang, this is Chizuru. Chizuru, this is Fang.

[the omen will give a polite little bending bow, and return to her seated, smiling position while vi switches to the black paint.]

[tealeafs]

Nice to meet you. [ Chizuru says to the Omen - even bowing her head a little in return, wanting to be respectful. It helps that Vi is busy grabbing the black paint, so Chizuru can move her head this much without messing everything up..

Though she does look back at the other right after, just so Vi can continue without Chizuru still staring at the other's Omen. It's kind of excited though-- it's the first time she's seeing Fang, after all! ]

See, though? She agrees with me!

[ Thanks for proving Chizuru's point, Fang, it helps. It also makes it very hard for Chizuru to not smile as she's sitting there and allowing her face to get painted further. ]

You're such a nice person, and you're helping other people out.. What isn't well-behaved about that?

[faceblocks]

[fang watches the next bit with interest - she likes the look of the glitter that's selected (she likes the look of any glitter, really) and it's an iridescent one with bits of silver in it that tops the cheeks, nose bridge and forehead. the omen doesn't have any commentary for this part.]

Nothing, I guess. You just keep catching me on good days. But I guess you got me there.

[is this a good day? well, no ...not for her brain, which she will now attempt to soothe with a deep breath, and another. oh, shit. she's forgotten to tell chizuru she's finished. she hopes she wasn't doing breathing exercises for too long.]

Sorry about that, Chizuru. You're all done.

[fang has fetched a mirror to hold up. see? she how helpful and well behaved she is, vi?]

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru moves over so she can look into the mirror.. and then lets out a content sound. ]

Miss Vi.. It's so pretty!

[ Judging by her tone, the girl genuinely seems to think that. It doesn't seem fake in the slightest - and neither does her smile, by the time Chizuru turns to face the other. She's definitely smiling from ear to ear. ]

Thank you so much for your help! If anyone asks me who did my face paint, I'll make sure to give you proper credit! [ Free advertising that Vi didn't even want in the first place.. Look at that..

She pauses for a moment though, the fingers of both of her hands interlacing as Chizuru seems to think. ]

You know though.. I'm not sure if the 'good days' thing is an excuse or not. [ A LITTLE BLUNT THERE.. But she means well, and there's an embarrassed edge at her tone, like Chizuru also feels a little guilty for calling it out like that, even though it's necessary for the next point she wants to make. ] But if it's not, then.. I hope to catch you on many more good days. I really enjoy being around you or talking to you, you know?

[ She shakes her head. ]

Besides, I need to make up for you helping me like this..!

[faceblocks]

You like it?

[her usual confidence is a little absent - normally she wouldn't ask this - and if she did, it wouldn't be phrased this way, or have such obvious hesitance in her voice.]

Wow, okay. Yeah, just send 'em my way. I'll make sure I ...do a great job just like this? [god. why did that come out like a question? whoops. get it together, vi.]

Maybe it's just a terrible excuse, and I'm the best behaved person in Trench. [a sly look at fang, who is still smiling.] I hope I have a whole bunch of good days. Who knows, maybe you've just willed it into being. Wouldn't that be something?

I like talking with you, too. You have a good face for painting.

[...]

...it's also perfectly fine without paint.

[now she is just going to laugh through her nerves. what is conversation.]

[tealeafs]

[ See, usually Chizuru wouldn't question the uncertainty on the other's part too much. Maybe it's since she doesn't know Vi well enough yet to know just how uncharacteristic it is on the other's part, or maybe she just figures that everyone has something they can get a little insecure about.

But the current display on the other's part.. It's a little bit much, and it leaves Chizuru staring at the other for a moment. Blinking, starting to look more curious, and then just outright asking-- ]

Is.. something wrong, miss Vi? You seem a little worried..

[ You could leave out that 'a little' part, Chizuru. Honestly. But she wants to be nice here! ]

Does the paint look strange to you..?

[faceblocks]

[does it? well, now she has to inspect it again. fang, who is sick of seeing this dance for what must be the tenth time, offers:]

ᴠɪʟᴇʙʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ. ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴜᴍʙʟɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ʜᴇʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ? ɪᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘꜱ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴊᴏʙꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ.

[is fang giving vi shit for doing to much or is she trying to help? likely it's both, but she could have said nothing and she ...didn't. you can thank her later, vi.]

It looks really good. I-I like it. You pull it off, you know? Not too scary but it's got a little edge.

[tealeafs]

[ Regardless of Fang's intentions, what the Omen says is helping here. Because there's no way on Earth Chizuru would have been able to put together the signs herself and then conclude as much.

With what Fang says, though, it's unmistakable. Even as Vi continues to talk, it's hard to not see the nerves underlying those words.

So Chizuru smiles, and then moves to grab both of the other's hands, gently holding them in her own. She may even be giving them a reassuring smile as she looks up at Vi's face. ]

It's fine, miss Vi. I know you can't help it right now, but.. um, I still want to reassure you that you have nothing to be worried about here. I'm really glad with how it turned out, and I'm very happy that you were kind enough to help me! I only see good outcomes here.