late bloomer jokes [feb catchall - open & closed prompts]

[siriusly]

Who: Manabu & others
What: Misc hijinks
When: February
Where: Misc locations

Content Warnings: Will be marked in tls/comments as needed

February is weird. Manabu feels...weird. He's always an impatient kind of person, needing to always be moving somewhere or doing something, but this is a different kind of impatience. More and more, he's noticing the way couples interact, double-taking at public displays of affection which he'd typically fluster and look the other way at. He pines for a lot of things here in Trench: his family, his coworkers, his job... but he's not used to pining for things like...y'know, hand-holding.

So goes Manabu Yuuki's 24-year old awakening to romantic pining; it's going to be coloring a lot of the month for him! And that's weird and confusing for him, so you bet this'll be coloring the way he interacts with folks he runs into! Lots of word spaghetti, lots of hair frizzing with static, and some apple-red cheeks...at least he has the cold weather to blame for that.

...Even if he's a coldblood.

Shut up. It's nothing!!!

---

open prompts

o1. Willful Machine: Errands and Odd Jobs
[regardless of these roiling, blood-based feelings throwing him off his game, Manabu still throws himself into work of all sorts. he does errands and handiwork around the Roost for Diluc, but also picks up the occasional odd job for locals - Sleepers and natives alike. he's a jack of many trades and definitely master of none, but what he lacks in expertise he makes up with patience and determination.

perhaps you see him replacing tiles on a store's roof, or maybe he's hauling a wagon full of winter supplies, or part of a small squad lifting some heavy furniture by pulley up to a second floor, or simply carrying someone's groceries! either way, prime encounter opportunity.

also, Magnet is always there: that little mutt's noisy, but friendly, and always apt to bounding away from Manabu to sniff out a friend or potential friend...or at least some pets.]

---

o2.The Gate: Gunswordplay
[maybe it's too much to bank on, but smacking around the unsnake last month's given Manabu a boost of combat confidence (never mind the concussions)! that said, he definitely needs to get better at this gravity saber business; swords are really archaic, but seem to be quite a common thing here! and look, he wouldn't admit it, but he wants to be cool with the swords, too.

here Manabu can be found a couple hours before sundown after busy workdays, stretching and then trying to master balanced, repeated strikes on dummies with slashes or sparks of flame...boring stuff, but he knows it builds results. still, if anyone's itching to spar, he'll jump at that.]

---

o3. Gaze: Research
[if things are too slow as far as work goes, Manabu will veer off and go to the Archives - a place he actually hasn't made a point to visit much before! he's not a big studying kind of guy, but he knows the plans he has in mind require a lot more research and thought than just running on hunches and rumors.

also? he wants maps. an atlas feels like a reach, but if he can cobble together some maps...

so that's what he's up to: cringing and veering away from ickier aisles of oddities, picking at the spines of assorted books in increasingly lessening hope.

what's it take to find a map of the world around this place...!?]

Comments

[laminae]

[Bless Luz, they need her in their lives.

Fern opens his mouth to argue that pfft, he can handle some basic cooking on the stove, buuuut... yeah, he's a plant. There has been more than one incident where he wasn't being attentive enough and scorched himself. So he promptly shuts his mouth and nods, because none of them need him being irresponsible and setting himself on fire.]

Alriiight, I'm on seasoning duty, then. [He lifts his hands and makes a show of cracking his knuckles, even though he doesn't actually have bones to crack.]

[monoceroscaeli]

Ha, no, we simply spar together.

[He hates to disappoint Manabu here, but-]

I'm simply regarding him with the respect he deserves, as head of the Ragnvindr family. It's no different than anyone else addressing me as Lord Harbinger or Master Childe. I just don't require it of anyone who isn't Fatui, hahaha.

[He grins dangerously now, eyes flashing.]

Besides, I'm sure there's a thing or two I could teach Master Diluc yet. I wouldn't get our roles confused here, now.

[onerthes]

In truth? One of the sleepers serving as a minister is your best bet. There are a few, and some would be fascinated by the research opportunities. You might inquire with Dr. Winters. He has several research projects at any time, but the possibility of exotic samples would enthrall him.

[spiritwalks]

[Gently:]

It's not stupid.

[Vyng steps through the threshold, gesturing to the bag at his side.]

How's about we talk about it over some tea? I won't laugh. Promise.

[phaseflex]

Come oooon! Your static hair is giving me palpitations! I'm totally sure! What could go wrong?

[siriusly]

[gesturing:] Yeah, to check that I'm not...not covered in dirt or blood! That, that makes sense, right? But I don't spend forever in here worrying about what he--what...what other people may think about...my face! You know?

[siriusly]

[Manabu peers between his hands, and the dubiousness is plain.]

Why?

[siriusly]

...

[famous last words, he thinks, hearing that in Bruce's voice.

even so, he pulls the door open further to give Amara room to step in if she chooses...or drag him out, if that's her game. either way, he picks up the scissors and holds them out, pouting all the while.]

[siriusly]

[the idea that folks like them was up to the same weird stuff that was going on before they washed up is...

...okay, it's not that weird? but it's still weird. weird to him. Manabu Yuuki: never stop being weirded out by weird things.

he hesitates before asking:] This Dr. Winters guy...can he fight, too? Like, the kinds of horrible stuff the Hunters are out nightly dealing with.

[siriusly]

[Manabu breathes out a slow, dubious sound. Lord Harbinger? Master Childe? no disrespect, but...man, that sounds weird when attached to that youthful, smiley face.

...even when he does that weird, wicked grin of his. that's just the curse of being a fancy anime boy.]

So it's just a nod from one kind of soldier to another. [a captain of one platoon regarding another. that makes sense in his military head.] Alright, that's fair enough.

What do you got today, then?

[siriusly]

Hmh?

[he catches the question in the midst of pulling a table out further from the side of the room he's in charge of for now, glancing over his shoulder. distantly, there's some chittering and a couple barks - omens doing omen things.]

Aa, the, the dream. [he finishes moving the table and rolls his shoulder, speaking up to be heard as he moves to grab the next one.] He stepped up to help me investigate the campus when it was still there, and since Wu wanted help transporting goods around for the safe houses when things got worse...I just...wound up being around more often, I guess.

Just not--often-often. [he shrugs, shooting an apologetic glance Bolin's way.] I was kind of...tangled up in stuff, back then. That's why you and I, we didn't really...y'know. [do more than say "hey."]

[pabugotmoves]

Ohh, no that makes sense.

[Does it? He pops up another lantern and sets it aside. It's starting to feel like a giant ball pit over here. That would be fun..]

No offense taken, my man. Those were some crazy days. I only came in at the very end of that whole thing. I think maybe I was there before? People have said that a few times. I don't remember it, though.

If we were friends and I don't remember.. no hard feelings?

[siriusly]

Let's do it, then!

[EDITOR, CUE THE MONTAGE!

behold: Manabu having Varian break a couple eggs and dip strips of meat in it, roll it in some seasonings, and sear. he entrusts the kid to that before going over to help grasslad mix up the remaining spices and chopped-up greens (is that offensive? Manabu doesn't think about this, and he sure isn't thinking about it now) before checking on the broth.

he grabs hold of the pot bare-handed (coldblood has made him stupid about this, but also coldblood has seen fit to not punish him for it, either), moving the boiling contents over to a clear spot on the cutting board, having Varian sprinkle in and stir in his spice piles, and it's not long at all before the kitchen's smelling really, really good.]

[siriusly]

Eh?

[he hesitates, turning partway back in Bolin's direction.]

You...don't remember it? At all?

[onerthes]

[Could Albert Wesker handle himself in a fight... hahaha. Yeah, "Doctor Winters" could absolutely throw down.]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. He comes from quite the rough and tumble reality. He's always been able to handle himself. He might relish the challenge.

[siriusly]

[he breathes out a thoughtful sound.] I'll have to make note of it...

[...]

If I can even...get this off the ground in a meaningful way. [he scowls around the shelves.] Seriously, not a single atlas?!

[pabugotmoves]

Nothin', nadda, full sweep!

[He slices his hand through the air for emphasis.]

You know how like.. sometimes people here appear and then disappear? And sometimes appear again but they're different? Like they've been reset? It just happened to a friend of mine... [Which he is definitely not mourning, no siree! Not cried about that at all.]

Anyway- I think that.. maybe happened to me?

[monoceroscaeli]

Well, if you're asking...

[He brings one of his own swords out, holding it and striking the dummy in a similar fashion to how Manabu was trying to, but with the mastery of a man who's been practicing this for years.]

Try swinging your saber like that. You'll find that that particular movement will be more consistent in striking a vital point, since you're going for quick kills here. I don't think that's quite as fun, but you've got to start somewhere, right?

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael's a demon who's spent a long while fine-tuning himself to notice the slightest slip-ups and vulnerabilities in humans. He notices the word we're pretending Manabu did not say. But, you know, things change, he can pretend now too.]

Sure, I guess. But are you cool with how your face looks?

[phaseflex]

I'll be careful.

[she takes the scissors, starting slow. snipping the long parts that get in his face first.]

You don't have a buzzer, do you?

[siriusly]

I mean! I, I don't really care? It's-- [he huffs, rubbing at the face in question.] It'd be nice to be able to see out of this eye, but nobody's...run away in terror so I, I guess that's okay?

[siriusly]

No.

[he closes his good eye, shoulders shrugging up as she snips away before a worried thought hits, hair fluffing again and sending a lil bit of static her way through the scissors.]

N-not! Not too much! I--I mean...In case...that side of my face...looks weird...

[siriusly]

[but...i was doing that, he thinks, frowning as looks over at the slice left behind by Childe's swing. he almost misses that mention of fun--

almost.

he side-eyes Childe:] This is about trying to survive, you know. Having to fight for your life against blood-crazed zealots isn't fun.

[right Childe??]

[siriusly]

Wait, what? That...can happen? [this is entirely news to him.] That...that's a thing that happens?

[monoceroscaeli]

It's not fun if they've tied you up and you can't fight anymore, [he admits, not having enjoyed hanging from the ceiling like a cow up for slaughter. Plus that zealot snuck up on him anyway...cowards.]

But, facing off against one man to man has loads of enjoyment. Really, it doesn't hurt to see the fun side of this. You might even begin to like it.

[He steps away from the dummy, gesturing towards it.]

Go ahead, see if you can polish up your swing. It was looking pretty good, I bet you can get it with just a little more practice. You'll be severing heads off in no time, hahaha.