The House Always Wins

[reddosmod]

MARCH 2023 EVENT

Due to the UNIQUE NATURE of the Moss King, previous March events are NOT available during this month's event. Please keep that in mind.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Fanged, smiling carnivorous plant from little shop of horrors ]
[Image Two: House overgrown by roots.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Person covered in glistening film that seems to be suffocating.]
[Image Two: Woman's face splattered in blood. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Poker chip with an anime girl's face on it. ]
[Image Two: Dogs Gambling Painting, but it's famous horror monster villains instead of dogs. ]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

WHEN: March 8-31
WHERE: The City of Trench and surrounding regions
CONTENT WARNINGS: Plant-Based Peril, Isolation, Entrapment, Carnivorous Plants, possible but unlikely death.

---

The plentiful and bountiful harvest of plants that started to blossom towards the beginning of the month has continued, and if anything? It's getting more and more troublesome. The old saying goes that too much of a good thing is too much, and this is definitely the proof of that pudding. Plants are literally growing everywhere. Trenchies can be seen cutting branches out of impossible locations, and vegetation is beginning to grow inside of established businesses and homes. There is an ever increasing market for vileblood based defoliation options that are being offered by entrepreneurial Trenchies, but the fact that more than a few of those selling the stuff have gone missing under strange circumstances calls into question their efficacy.

For Sleepers, this means that the possibility of encountering enlarged and potentially dangerous plants such as those seen in the earliest parts of the months grows ever more real. A human-sized venus flytrap might very well try to snatch one up, with all of the peril that entails. However, while it is possible for any exotic plant to carry with it potentially lethal threat, most of these are able to be dealt with by even the untrained with a machete. The real problem is the root systems and the plants that ones that talk. The former are the most likely to be encountered. Root systems grow over entire buildings during the mid to late month, choking over light sources and blocking windows to dim houses. They clench their grip over doors, making getting out of one's house an act of willpower and muscle that may have to be repeaated over and over again. Worst of all is the fact that many of these root systems almost seem to be intentionally creating barriers around the Lantern Network! The little moaners are safe, but their sphere of protection becomes a dome of wood, shielding and keeping them away from those naughty sleepers trying to hack their way to a teleport.

The talking ones, though, are downright disturbing. They're not very large, at first they do indeed seem to whisper and beg to be fed. Naturally, only blood will do, and the longer that they're fed the larger and more dangerous that they can become. But, so long as one doesn't feed them, they're harmless, right? Wrong. True, they can bite and it's easy enough to avoid them. However, it's what they start to say when they're denied their food that becomes disturbing. “There is a consequence of your actions, you know.” “Do not think that you are immune.” “Saving the Moss Brat seems wise now, but have a long memory.” Things like that. The voices they take on are eerie, unnatural and do not match the plants' normal begging voices. They never clear up who is speaking or what they're speaking about, but surely it's not a big issue, right?

By the end of the month, the plants wither away and break off of the various homes and businesses, leaving no visible damage behind, as if whatever caused them has faded entirely.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

THE LEECH

WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Anywhere in Trench, but not the Outpost.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Magically Cursed Ailment, Severe weakness, Anemia

---

You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? From the moment that the first talking plants appeared in Trench, there has been another ominous presence. Unbeknownst to the people of Trench, but the Moss King is recovering from Riteior's attack and, while they are safe and slowly getting back to their normal self, this has allowed for Riteior to offer a little payback in an effort to cause trouble to those seeking to stop his attacks on the Pthumerians of Trench. In the night, while characters are sleeping, the plants strike. They wake to find a thin film over them, but otherwise it appears harmless. The next full day, there's nothing wrong and they feel hail and hearty. In fact, those pesky little talking plants are gone from their house. Of course, the next day the horror begins to settle in.

Within 48 hours, Sleepers will find themselves weak and lethargic in the extreme. The condition is not fatal, but it is problematic and irritating. They will find that no amount of food, water and rest quite gets rid of the malaise that they are experiencing, a strange drowsiness and lack of energy plaguing their every moment. The longer it persists, the more dangerous it becomes. However, there appears to be no obvious cause, at least until they visit someone capable of treating their condition, be they a Blood Minister or trained physician. Victims of this curse appear to be suffering from a severe, but not life-threatening anemia. There is no obvious cause, but the Ministers are certain that it is not natural and is likely a result of a curse of some kind. They can offer stimulants and high energy food, which will help the person experiencing the condition, but the real danger comes if they try to use their blood for a blood ritual of any kind. The insidious reason becomes obvious. Someone is attempting to stop them from safely having enough blood to perform the rituals to seal them away!

Victims are “fine” in the sense that they could get through the month safely without risk of death and just be weaker. However, if they attempt any form of blood ritual or blood letting, they risk running out of blood, which would indeed be a life threatening concern. The only solution, then, is a blood transfusion of another type. The Blood Ministers are willing to provide blood from their banks, but caution that it is better if a fresh supply is used. Do you have a friend willing to lend a hand? Or, do you miss one of the deadlines this month for fighting back Riteior?

FAQ:

This condition strikes after the mid-month, when the latest batch of rituals further weakens Riteior, and ensures the Moss King's safety.

This condition is not life threatening, unless a person attempts to use blood for a ritual or other purpose without first receiving a transfusion.

If a person attempts to perform a blood ritual before getting a transfusion, their anemia can become life threatening very quickly.

It is possible to completely avoid this prompt by not being targeted by Riteior. His cursed targeting is not that precise and he is clearly becoming desperate.

When a transfusion is given, both participants will be lightly anemic for another 24 hours, but the condition will fade afterwards completely.

It is suspected strongly by some of the Blood Ministers and Arcane Scholars that this is a curse brought about by a brief moment of control over the Moss King by Riteior. This can be learned easily in conversation with members of the orders in Trench.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

HIGH STAKES

WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Goat Turning in The Cellar Door
CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, Possible Coersion, lowered inhibitions, Risk of Character Death

---

The Moss King appears to be 'on the mend' by the latter part of the month, or at least he seems to be his usual self. A flyer advertising a special for all Sleepers and residents of Trench at the Goat Turning, his personal gambling hall, circulates throughout town. The doors of the Goat Turning will be open to absolutely everyone, and nobody will be turned away for an event that will last the last two weeks of the month! Anyone who comes will be given a complementary set of chips for free, along with a very special commemorative poker chip embossed with their own face on it which they are assured they can keep afterwards, assuming they don't lose it betting! In fact, that commemorative chip is the only way that a person can return to the Goat Turning during this period, and has to be shown to get admittance, though you don't need to bet it even if it appears to be worth quite a lot! Every night, a new allotment of chips is offered to gamblers. It isn't much, and if they're willing to trade a few goods to get more, they can supplement their stash. What could be more fun than a friendly game?

The drinks and food are free for those attending, and even better? They don't seem to have a lot of strange effects. The drinks seem to ease the symptoms of corruption, in fact, and make a person more relaxed and at ease, along with lessening their inhibitions. The food is filling and pleasant, but salty, making one crave the drinks more. But, honestly, compared to Generosity's botched and spoiled food in January it's almost heavenly, even if it does make it easier to want to keep gambling and gambling. After all, those prizes for the big winners of the night are certainly something to behold, and the kinds of luxuries that Trenchies drool over.

The Big Prizes: (Maximum 1 big prize per character for the month)

A Lunar Orb

A Vial of Pthumerian Blood that can leave a person feeling sickly and weak if they come in contact with it

A Genuine Lantern, enabling a second teleportation location to be placed!

A Blood Enchanted Weapon or Armor.

An Item from Home that a character might not normally find washing up on shore

The Lesser Prizes:
Players are encouraged to use their imagination on lesser prizes that could be won. Food. Supplies. Furnishings. Weapons. Tools. Clothing. Any number of valuable could be won throughout the month.

So, what's the catch? There's always a catch. Well, like any gambling hall, the saying goes that the House Always Wins. This isn't true universally. You could have a hot streak at the Craps table, or you might just win on your lucky number in Roulette. It is very possible to walk away with enough chips to win a big prize all in one night, or build up over time to claim such a lofty goal. But the trick is that commemorative chip. It's the admission, and it's also the only way you can leave the gambling den each night. The chip must be presented both at entry and leaving, and only then does the reality become clear. That chip is so valuable because it represents your life! You might literally be betting with your life here! Should you lose your chip and not have it at the end of the night, the impressive and powerful bouncers at the door will bar you from exit, and once the hall closes there is nowhere to go but the basement. Anyone who enters the basement after hours will find that their life is indeed forfeit, and their debt is called. They will die down below. How will they die? Well, considering the fighting pits down below, any of a thousand deaths, some more gruesome than others, are possible. And, if another player holds their chip, they will be given a special pass to remain below, to demand their price themselves.

So, if you lose your chip is it still possible to get it back? Absolutely! It is a gambling hall, after all. Someone just has to be willing to give it back, or to win it back from another player or the house. What could be simpler? Of course, because there are no compulsions in the commemorative chip, and no rules about how it is to be used or transferred other than that it must be won from the house in a fair game, it is almost as if the Moss King is testing his own guests to see just how far they will go, and what they will do if their life or the life of a friend is on the line.

FAQ:

Players are limited to one grand prize per character. Please record this prize on the prompt below.

Characters that die because of this event may die in any reasonable fashion in the basement. Tools are provided. This may be handwaved.

Because this event involves the potential of players bargaining for their lives and death, we remind players to be mindful and communicative with others regarding permissions and preferences during this event. Do not break permissions.

Lesser prizes can be won in quantity, but we ask that you be reasonable about this.

The Commemorative Chip is non-magical and there is no compulsion to gamble with it. It is simply worth a lot more.

The Event is not age restricted, so underage gambling is possible.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

[toguchi]

In the weeks since Chozen arrived, he has found it nearly as easy to slip into the rhythm of Daniel's life here as he did in those early days in California. He puzzles over it occasionally, when he is not busy with the many other matters that request his attention. The foreignness of America is nothing compared to the foreignness of this world, where plants beg for magical blood and gods wage war in the eddies of reality all around them, and yet he has not found himself more lost here than there. He has (save for a few humbling exceptions) hardly found himself lost at all.

There is a simple explanation he could offer himself, he knows. After all, there are only two points of commonality. One of them is himself, and the assurance that comes with having few surprises left in him. The other has come bearing tea.

An old friend is like an anchor, he thinks. They can hold you in place wherever you are.

"I think you are right," he agrees, solemnness teetering between sincere and playful, and he pulls a slightly exaggerated face as he makes the short journey over to Daniel. "It is only fair to my opponents."

He breathes deeply when close enough to catch the steam of the tea, the smell alone enough to lighten his fatigue slightly.

"Thank you, Daniel-san." Chozen begins to pull off his gloves, flexing his hands one at a time as he frees them.

[miyagimagic]

"No problem," Daniel easily says, moving to sit on the back steps of the building, putting down the tray next to him but leaving enough room for Chozen to sit down as well on the other side of said tray. Really, making some tea for the other is the least he can do when Chozen is currently keeping the dojo danger-free for the kids' sakes.

He grabs his own cup, holding it between his hands, even though it's been months upon months since the last time he's actually been able to properly sense heat of any kind. Maybe it's habit, more than anything else.

"So how are those plants? Nothing too bad to deal with, right?"

It had been Daniel's first assessment upon spotting them. After all, if they had seemed any more dangerous, there's no way he would have let Chozen deal with them by himself. It's the sort of thing that has nothing to do with how capable Chozen is - since Daniel wouldn't doubt that at this point - and much more with how fussy Daniel is.

There's a faint pause, and then his lips twitch with something faintly awkward as he adds: ".. by this place's standards, anyway."

B-Before Chozen assumes Daniel thinks it's normal to deal with flesheating plants. He's still trying to retain his normalcy even in this odd, odd place, okay.

[toguchi]

Chozen takes up his place on the other side of the tray with a soft exhale, like a dog settling into a basket. He holds his tea much like Daniel does, but doesn't drink it right away, savouring the moments of anticipation and peace first. That, and the mild quirk of his mouth at Daniel's self-correction.

"Nothing too bad to deal with," he echoes, first, in reassurance, before he sips his tea. He makes a little show of his enjoyment, his sigh of satisfaction nearly good enough for casting in a colourful beverage commercial. Daniel makes good tea. He makes tea that tastes like the kind Chozen grew up with, and he reflects on the funny accident of fate and distance and time that lets him still drink that tea, all the way in another world, next to a man who grew up across an ocean from him.

"They are not very good neighbours by anywhere's standards," he says, mildly, "Very rude. No respect."

Two men in the dignified latter halves of their lives sitting on a stoop in spring sunshine, drinking tea, and grousing about the young new transplants in their local area is surely about as normal as things can be. He doesn't mind going along with Daniel's efforts to keep things orderly and understandable in the world; if anything, he admires it. Someone needs to keep things rooted.

[miyagimagic]

When Chozen opts to voice it that way, it does sound like they're just two normal people discussing lawn care, huh. The sort of thing people may have voiced back home at the country club, except the plants wouldn't be snapping at people like something out of a movie, and they probably would have let their automatic lawn care machines take care of it, rather than their karate-rival-turned-co-sensei.

But maybe those details are what Daniel likes. Not so much the plants hungering for flesh, sure, but the part where it's Chozen helping him out rather than some fancy lawn equipment? Daniel does like that, when it gives him moments like these. Sitting down with a face that's slowly getting a bit more familiar, having a calm moment.

"You fit in here like it's natural," he can't help but remark, smiling a little over the edge of his cup.

It's not a bad thing, especially when Daniel's fussing over other people's wellbeing in this place certainly isn't just limited to the gaggle of children he's trying to teach and protect.

"When you talk like that, it's as if I've already been here with you for half a year of weed-whacking."

[toguchi]

Chozen furrows his brow in mild thought as he sets his tea aside and picks up one of the dango skewers, snagging one of the chewy treats and pulling it free with shamelessly childlike gusto. He chews the remark and the dango over with the same deliberateness, looking out over the too lush garden.

"Perhaps it is easier for me." He shrugs, rolling his skewer slightly and absently between his fingers. "This place is difficult. I was a difficult boy. For a long time, a difficult man."

He says it as matter of fact as he might say that he used to be able to stay awake until three in the morning and still wake up fresh at dawn. Another of those little foibles of youth, but of course, it was more than that. They both know how much difficulty is held at a gentle remove by the euphemism.

"Or perhaps," he says, with a small, mildly mischievous smile, "I am lucky to have a friend here to help me, so it is not so difficult after all."

Daniel thinks he can come out to give Chozen snacks and come out unscathed by complimentary teasing? If he did, he should know better, and Chozen is happy to teach him another lesson.

[miyagimagic]

P-Please, Chozen, a critical hit right in the middle of the praise kink? In broad daylight? It's a good thing there aren't any students around right now..!

It's effective as all hell though, just hearing those words. Other people might see them as simple, but for a guy who's been notoriously bad at making actual friends wherever he went? Just hearing the friend word feels like something precious to Daniel, and he has to duck his head a little to try and hide his fluster. No, that isn't a very faint coldblood flush on his cheeks, clearly it's just very hot out here. Even though he's a coldblood who can't feel temperature. Obviously.

"Yeah, well," Daniel manages to continue after recovering for a moment, raising his head again. "I guess you were lucky with your welcoming reception here."

Not that Chozen ever asked to be taken into Daniel's house or anything before Daniel himself already decided the other could stay. No, that's not the point, it's just--

"When I first showed up here, I only had Johnny Lawrence kicking one of the locals into the sea right in front of me and then proceed to get angry at me and threaten me just for showing up." There's no true anger in that statement though - just the kind of bothered feeling that's shugged off with a near-roll of his eyes.

[toguchi]

What does Chozen know about Coldbloods? Practically nothing, even if he is one. It would be rude to go around speculating to yourself about what a little colour in someone's cheeks might mean when they're going out of their way to conceal it, anyway.

There is also the help of an immediate distraction in the form of the one and only fabled Johnny Lawrence. Chozen frowns slightly, brows beetling together. He takes his cue from Daniel not to be angry, but he does borrow some of that bothered feeling - something between exasperated, concerned, and baffled.

"Everything you say about this man..." He shakes his head. "...I think I would make joke shorter in Okinawa, if I could go back."

It's a sidelong comparison, but he thinks the meaning will not be very hard for Daniel to pick up. If Chozen sees the similarity between his own welcoming reception and Johnny's, so too will Daniel. He examines a patch of dirt with an interesting divot, popping another dango into his mouth and chewing slowly.

[miyagimagic]

Daniel also can't help but be quiet for a moment in the light of that answer. It's a little heavier than his own words were, but it's not like he doesn't understand why Chozen is saying it, and it leaves silence hanging in the air between them, Daniel also grabbing one of the dango skewers, but only holding it in his hand, bouncing it back and forth idly like he's directing an invisible mini-orchestra.

"It's fine," he finally settles on, looking back over at the other man with a smile on his face - regardless of whether or not Chozen actually looks back over at him to see it. Sure, Daniel still can't say he liked that prank, but it feels truly difficult to harbor any hard feelings over it in the light of Chozen being willing to fly to the other side of the world for him just to help him out. "You and him-- You're different. You apologized to me right after the joke. .. for everything."

Not even just for the joke itself.

"I.. uh." Daniel's voice trails off before he lets out that tiny awkward noise, shrugging his shoulders. Like he's trying to downplay what he's about to say before the words even leave his mouth, trying to sound less pathetic even as he's confessing to the truth. "I didn't really expect anyone to apologize to me."

Chozen wasn't the only person that conversation had meant a great deal to.

"And it's not--" Daniel quickly starts again, like he's realising some implication in his words only after they've already left his mouth. Which means, in true Daniel LaRusso fashion, that all he can do is immediately blabber on. "It's not like it's exactly Johnny's fault. Sato was a good man who was just misguided for a while. Johnny's teacher-- he wasn't like that. He never taught Johnny better."

[toguchi]

This is one of the challenges of friendship, to balance what is serious with what is painful to speak of. It is one of the challenges Chozen has not excelled at in the past.

Sometimes, it is as if life is split into two sides, separated by a porous veil. There are the things that are troublesome, the difficult times, the hurt that people have caused one another. There are the pleasant things, sitting in the sunshine with a friendly companion, easy conversation, light-hearted jokes. The veil between them is the distinction between acquaintance and friend, those who know of your best and those who have shared in your worst.

Chozen's difficulty has always been at the veil. He has said too much of what is painful, and rent it, contaminating the side of happiness and ease. He has said too little, and never reached across it at all, no connection made between him and others. Either way, people drift to the periphery. Not enemies, not even indifferent - but not close.

Kumiko was the exception, and now, perhaps Daniel. People who he did not have to share the worst with, because they had seen it, and he did not need to find a way to explain.

"You do not need to make excuses for my uncle to me," Chozen says, quietly, "I made enough excuses for him a long time ago."

The wind stirs the grass and the leaves.

"If I am different from Johnny, it is not because I am better person." He sighs, faintly, not upset, but - he feels his age, in moments like this one. "It is because when I was lost, I was not lost alone. Kumiko. My uncle. You, Daniel-san. Miyagi-san himself. So many people, all different, all necessary."

"And I let apology wait a long time." He has only looked at Daniel sidelong for some time, but now, at this, he must be direct. "Too long."

cw: mentions of terry silver being terry silver i guess

[miyagimagic]

Daniel was so caught up in his own clarifying rambles that he never saw this reply coming. It stuns him into complete silence for a few moments, just listening to the other as he speaks. Even when Chozen doesn't directly look at him, Daniel is looking at him the entire time, making their gazes meet by the time the other man turns his head to actually properly look over at Daniel.

There's a complicated look in Daniel's eyes - but it's soft, too. It's just such an odd thing. Listening to Johnny, and sometimes wishing the guy would blame himself a little more for everything in the past, even if it makes Daniel feel a touch selfish to wish for that, a bad person. But now he's listening to Chozen, and he finds himself wishing the guy would blame himself a little less.

Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side. (Maybe what Daniel wanted from any of them wasn't even necessarily any apology, or compensation, or revenge, but just-- connection.)

"Chozen," Daniel starts, only able to instinctively let out the other's name. It'd be easy to tell him the logical things here. That it's easy for him to look kindly upon Chozen's uncle when Kreese and Silver have been such infinitely worse people that it made Sato's final redemption make him look like an angel in comparison. That Chozen's apology was so much more important than the time it took to get there. That Daniel doesn't want the other to blame himself.

But none of it feels right. Maybe what's more important than that burdensome past--

"I gave you one call and you flew literally to the other side of the world for a fight that wasn't even your own. You showed up here on the beach, completely frozen up, and the first thing you did right after was ask me if I was okay."

-- is the living present, and Chozen's actions in that.

Even if some parts of that present are hard to speak of. Even if Daniel has hardly told anyone - basically no one - here about these things, out of a sense of shame. Even now, as he's on the verge of mentioning it, he second guesses himself, fingers idly digging hard enough into one of the dango to accidentally squish it between them without Daniel fully realising it.

"I.. was scared here. For months." It's even audible in his voice, in the way he speaks, that this is hard for Daniel. Admitting to this feels awful when he's used to shoving it down, when he has done so for the same amount of time. "Even though Silver is gone now, back when he was around, he-- he broke into this house at night. He also forced one of those blood bonds this place has on me. The constant threat of him left me unable to sleep at night, and when I did, I only had nightmares."

He's no longer looking at Chozen. He can't. Even though he's saying this for the other guy's sake, to make him realise that Daniel doesn't harbour even a single bad thought towards him anymore, it's impossible to look at anyone while talking about these things.

And yet, as he sucks in a breath, he forces himself to do so when he says the next part. At least that much. To show him he means this.

"I haven't been scared anymore since you showed up. Because I know-- I know I can rely on you."

[toguchi]

If Chozen had taken time to think of what he would expect to see in Daniel's eyes when he met them, he would have of course expected compassion. Daniel is a good man, a kind man. It was his compassion that altered the course of Chozen's life, a choice he made that Chozen would not understand until long after Daniel was gone.

Chozen did not take the time to anticipate what he would see in Daniel. It shoots directly to his heart, that weary muscle, and constricts it in his chest. Even if he wished to speak, he does not think he would be able to. There is something about forgiveness that still has the power to stop his tongue in his mouth, his thoughts in their tracks.

He does not wish to speak. Daniel wants him to listen. So listen he does, attentive, unflinching, his turn to hold his gaze on the other man as he confesses his truths in turn.

It starts gently. It does not remain gentle. When Daniel crushes the dango between his fingers, some wild, childish impulse surges in Chozen to cover up his hands with his own, to protect Daniel from some imagined observation and censure. There is no one else there. There is no reason for the dryness of his mouth or the prickling discomfort that comes over him when he sees someone in distress.

(It is easier with students, who are young, of another time. He is not afraid for them when they are frightened. He will not let - he will not let, and that is the difference.)

Daniel was afraid. Daniel was attacked in his own home, in the night, and had a bond he did not want forced upon him, and was left to fight nightmares and shadows alone. Hearing the struggle in Daniel's voice, a place in Chozen's mind goes white, then black. His teeth ache in his jaw, gritted hard against one another, and his eyes shine dark and feral.

Then, Daniel finishes, and the blind, futile fury in Chozen cannot continue to spiral.

Silver is not here. There is nothing of him that Chozen might touch, might break, in answer to this. There is no purpose to his hate, not now, not here, when the only other person in sight is Daniel. Daniel, his friend. Daniel, who is not scared anymore, because Chozen is here, and he can rely on him.

"Daniel-san," he says, a name for a name. His skewer is discarded at his side, left in the dust of their seat at some point he does not recall. His hands go out. They hover over Daniel's. Not close enough to touch, but close enough for their warmth to be felt.

"I am sorry," that you were afraid, that you were alone, that I was not here to protect you as I promised, "I am sorry I- did not know."

Which makes no sense, the swirling, sick guilt of not-knowing. How could he have imagined such a thing? And yet, now - so much is clearer, in hindsight.

"And I am - I am honoured," there is fierceness in him still, but it is not the same - a fire that wards off the dark, not that which burns down the home, "To have your trust. To be a person you rely on. I -"

He does not have the words in this language. He barely knows if he has them in his own, but here, at least, he may try, slipping into the liquid flow of his native tongue.

"I spent so long as a man no one could trust. Not even I could trust me. I was a man who only knew how to cause pain, and fear, because those were the only things that I knew in myself. I was afraid for a very long time before I met you, Daniel-san. My whole life, I was afraid. I did not know what it meant to be brave before you showed me." He stares at the back of his hands, still hovering. He wills them not to tremble. "That is why I came when you called. That is why - that is why I am very glad that I have helped you not be afraid."

[miyagimagic]

Daniel lingers in that awkward aftermath that always follows being a little too open about something. He's not used to it, and there's always the worry that saying too much is a bad thing, because it has so often been in the past. There's a reason - a multitude of reasons - why he hadn't really told anyone in Trench about any of this. And despite having made the tough first step of throwing it all out there now, it still feels hard even after he's done it.

It's a feeling that hovers over him, even as Chozen starts speaking. The man looking at him, his hands hovering over Daniel's own, so close yet not touching. The words crash like a wave right over Daniel's antsy awkwardness. It's a little embarrassing at the edges, since a guy like Daniel certainly can't imagine him having made such a big change in another person's life, even with all the things Chozen has already admitted to him before and continues to admit now.

But it's also-- surprisingly warm. It's a lot for Daniel to admit he basically feels safe with someone when mister Miyagi was the only person he ever felt that feeling so strongly with, but being met with something similar in return makes up for it, makes it feel less awkward. Like maybe imagining Chozen means a lot to him in some ways, or that he might mean a lot to Chozen in other ways, is a little easier to process when it's both of those things.

When it's balance.

"Well.. I trust you." A fact that was obvious, given everything Daniel said just now - it's the thing that allowed him to no longer feel so scared here -, but Daniel thinks it can't hurt to repeat it when Chozen is saying something like this. A man no one could trust, turned into a trusted friend. "With anything. The dojo, the kids-- with my life, if needed." They may have been relatively lucky so far, after all, but this is Trench. It's pretty much inevitable that they'll end up in a situation at some point during which their lives will be at stake. A sucky reality-- but a reality all the same.

There's still the matter of Chozen's hands though. Daniel keeps thinking about them, about how they're so close, yet not touching. There's something so tempting to the idea of grabbing them, rather than allowing them to continue to hover awkwardly, though there's something to be said for the idea that it might be a little awkward. It's not like they've known each other for long - but does the length of a bond really matter as much as the intensity of it? The fact of the matter is that they shared some memories and parts of themselves that decidedly only belong to the two of them now, especially with so many of its witnesses having died already.

And Daniel is just touchy enough of a person that a thought like that is enough for him to decide screw it and take those hands into his own. It's not like they've never had physical contact before, but a whole lot of it was just violence, hands and feet connecting with muscle and bone. Even their meeting started with something similar to this - just a handshake - but so different in nature from the connection now. Daniel holds the other man's hands so much more tenderly in comparison to the crushing handshake from all those decades ago.

"Out of all of the people who could've come out of the sea.. I'm glad it was you."

After all, the only people Daniel would have wanted to see more are his family - but there's the decisive downside there of the fact that he'd feel terrified over their safety in a place like this.

But with Chozen.. there's an equal. It might lack some of the closeness he has with his family, but it allows him to lean a little bit on the other man more easily in return.

[toguchi]

Daniel's words are already more than Chozen is certain he can take. When Daniel says he trusts him with his life, a feeling of terrible fullness stretches his chest, crowding out the tumult of emotions from before. He does not have the word for it in any language.

And then Daniel takes his hands, and a wave crashes over Chozen. He startles as if Daniel is the one with electricity trapped within his fingers, the hair on the back of his neck rising all at once with static. It is only by a miracle he suppresses the nascent new reflex of lightning, tamping it down with control he will be shocked by when he recalls it.

(His first instinct is protection, not withdrawal. He would be surprised by this as well, if he were to think of it.)

Doing that distracts him from being able to control certain other responses. Chozen blinks hard against the abruptly blurring sunlight, wondering absently if the dangerous plants have, perhaps, developed some new and insidious brand of pollen they are releasing into the air. He clears his throat roughly, swallowing down a slight thickening in his mouth, and the air seems to clear.

Daniel's hands are soft. Absurdly, Chozen wonders if he uses moisturizer, and if he does, what sort it might be. There are callouses there, the signs of wear, but even those are smooth. His hands have always been very gentle seeming. Chozen does not know why he is surprised by this; he has touched Daniel's hands before.

But this is different. This is a new kind of closeness. Very tentatively, still afraid that he might forget himself, send sharp crackles of pain into Daniel's slender fingers, Chozen squeezes. It seems like what a person should do.

"And I am glad I found my way to you again," he says, switching back into English. He feels fortunate he has never been prone to showing colour in his face when it flushes, the vague sense of embarrassment settling over him like a blanket.

"After all - what would you do without free gardener?" And just like that, some aspect of the moment changes. It is not a retreat, he tells himself. It is - a redirection. A step onto firmer ground. A way for Daniel to save face, if he might find the moment awkward. "Labour these days, very expensive."

A pause, then, his gaze dropping to their hands.

"Thank you, Daniel-san." Perhaps - there is room for one more instant of sincerity.

[miyagimagic]

He may have worried about the sudden redirection in the words, were it not for the fact that Chozen immediately becomes more genuine again right after. Even if the redirection is so light, not seeming serious at all, Daniel still can't help but fuss over it a little, worrying that he may have pushed a little too far - especially with how new everything between them is. How odd it technically is, to have been at each other's throats (or, well, mostly Daniel's throat) decades ago, and to now be living together in a house as if it's normal.

It seems it wasn't too far at all though, if Chozen can thank him like that after, a sincere look in the other's eyes. Daniel doesn't respond to the thanks, but the look in his own eyes is probably enough, meeting Chozen's with the same sincerity and gratitude.

The breath he lets out, however, is a little lighter, and he slowly releases Chozen's hands to wipe off the remains of the squished dango on his fingers, giving the other a faint sheepish look at the realisation he probably just got that all over Chozen's own hands as well.

"I don't think not having a gardener was the only thing I'd have to worry about," he says, his tone a little lighter too. "I'm fairly sure that if I had been living by myself for even a little bit longer Robby would have set up a reality TV show to find me a roommate."

See, Chozen. You are preventing teenagers from worrying about their old men being lonely!

[toguchi]

Fortunately, Chozen is the sort of older man who carries a handkerchief in his pocket for occasions like this. He produces a pale cornflower blue cloth from his pocket and cleans off his fingers in parallel to Daniel's, seizing the opportunity to studiously consider something other than Daniel's face or sticky fingers.

He laughs with slightly less than his usual exuberance at Daniel's joke. It isn't that he isn't amused, or even that he isn't happy. He certainly doesn't regret the moment that's slowly receding into less intensity, it's only...quite a lot to think about. He is peculiarly shaky, but in the way he feels after a long run or vigorous training session.

"Daniel-san, The Bachelor," he supplies, along with an offer of his handkerchief in case Daniel has any residual dango to wipe off himself. "Or maybe - Ninety Day Roommate?"

It's an entertaining image. Daniel could wear his finest gi for the rose ceremony, or challenge his prospective roommates to various feats of karate and friendship to test their compatibility.

"...that is not so bad an idea." Oh, no. Daniel will recognize this brand of thoughtfulness. "Did you know, I always wanted to be on show like that? I think I would defeat any challenger. Not many people bring their own weapons to reality TV show."

[miyagimagic]

"No, because I'm fairly sure it isn't allowed."

There's no lack of amusement in Daniel's tone as he says it. He contemplates rejecting the offer of the handkerchief to say he's fine, but on the other hand, he did just hold the other guy's hands. Kind of weird to worry about inconveniencing someone by getting dango squish all over their handkerchief a moment later then.

So he takes the cloth, starting to wipe his own hands clean.

"Maybe you should be on one of those shows about obstacle runs instead." .. god, why can Daniel actually imagine that? Maybe it's since they always sure find Characters for those kinds of shows, and Daniel can't think of a bigger type like that in his life than Chozen himself.

It's not really an insult though, since Daniel easily adds, like he doesn't even have to think about it: "I bet you'd win."

And maybe they'd even let him bring his weapons along! Imagine that.

[toguchi]

"Exactly why they would not expect it..." Chozen mutters, in answer to what is and is not allowed on television.

This may be why Chozen was never selected for any such reality show, if one does not account for the fact he also never actually auditioned for any. In Okinawa, he valued the relative quiet of his life. The call to join Daniel in California was a different sort of excitement, and a matter - as he has said before, and will again - of honour.

"I would also win obstacle competition show." If Daniel has no doubt, Chozen somehow manages to have even less. "I am not as spry as younger athletes - but you and I, we know value of experience, determination. Spirit!"

They've strayed from the topic of Daniel's fear, the intrusion he faced at Silver's hands, but it is far from forgotten. Perhaps Daniel will not draw a line from that topic to Chozen's ebullient inclusion of him in the category of the spirited, but Chozen hopes he will remember it. He is, after all, one of the strongest people Chozen has ever known, and he has met many people since the first time he met Daniel.

[miyagimagic]

Daniel chuckles, trying to fold up Chozen's handkerchief at least somewhat neatly despite the dango mush now sticking to it before handing it back to the other.

"Please, Chozen. I don't think you ever need to doubt whether I know what you're capable of."

.. yes, that just went ten miles straight over Daniel's head, didn't it. Or at least, Chozen's main intention behind what he was saying there seems to do just that. Not that it has any negative effect on Daniel. He's still smiling, well-intentioned enough, and he means every word he's saying here.

Being able to take pride in a friend is a nice thing, after all, especially for someone relatively unused to it.

(But Daniel realising someone is trying to compliment him without them having to be obvious about it? Doubtful.)

"You are absolutely the best fighter I know, so that means you're athletic enough for that kind of thing. Age doesn't even matter anymore at that point."

[toguchi]

If that's how Daniel chooses to play it...Chozen takes back the folded handkerchief and tucks it into his pocket once more. All these clothes will need washing after gardening anyway.

"That is why I would choose you as my partner," he says, lightly, "We would 'scrub the floor' with arrogant young people."

He may be using the wrong phrase on purpose as part of the joke. It's never easy to tell with him when he gets into this sort of mood, slyly dancing through registers of honesty and play without ever letting himself be caught still on one or the other.

"And you are always good at making me feel better." Another interesting patch of the world to look at that isn't Daniel's face, but this time, it is the lovely, lightly cloudy sky. "...even if you do not always need to. I..."

He clears his throat, then scrubs at his face with his rough, dry fingertips.

"You are very generous." Perhaps that is enough to say, for now, after the rest. "Thank you for the tea, Daniel-san. I appreciate it very much."

[miyagimagic]

It's an interesting distinction to make - that Daniel doesn't always need to. In a sense, it's true. If Daniel were to tell the person he was ten years ago that one day he'd be sitting side by side with one of the many guys who tried to absolutely murder him when he was a teenager and actually have something amicable going on, he would have declared his future self to be insane.

But making Chozen feel better-- it doesn't feel like such a wild idea to his current self. Daniel has always thrived in every single love language there is out there, finding joy in bringing joy to the people around him. And with Chozen there is still a mutual back and forth of finding out a lot, of discovering this new ground. But if Chozen's very presence makes Daniel feel more at ease, like he explained, then he thinks making sure Chozen is comfortable and knows he's appreciated is the least he can do.

.. well, that, and gathering the teacups back onto the tray so he can clean up.

"Let's see if you can still say I'm generous after you're done weeding the entire dojo." It's a light joke, but if Chozen dares to meet Daniel's gaze at all, even for a moment, he'll see a look that seems to say Daniel has gotten the message loud and clear this time around, despite his words. "I'll go bring these back inside-- but you'll let me know if you end up needing help with all of it, right?"

[toguchi]

Daring is a quality and a flaw, that Chozen has carried throughout his life. Even in this area where he is so uncertain, he can never truly leave behind his occasional recklessness.

Strange, maybe, that meeting Daniel's steady, meaningful glance feels reckless. Nothing occurs when he does. No crisis reveals itself, no storm opens up in the sky. He simply sees that he has been understood, and that the things that just passed between them are settling gently like smooth stones dropped into a still pool. What is so reckless in that?

"I will yell if I throw out my back, young Daniel-san," Chozen says, very seriously, "Until then...we will see if you think you are getting better end of the deal when you are finished cooking dinner for starving old man."

Daniel is barely younger than Chozen at all. Maybe the bullying is making its long awaited return, right on the cusp of true friendship.