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

[siriusly]

Really? [slight headtilt.] I...I can help, maybe. Depending on what it is you're trying to make, anyway.

[siriusly]

...

[are they? sometimes Manabu isn't sure. he's a bit oblivious to nuance as it is, but even the obvious things like...facts stated to his face...seem to not fully click depending on what it's about.

hesitating, uncertain:] A...um...okay. S-sure...

[siriusly]

[his mouth twitches, tilting his head.]

Aa, I don't mind... But don't think I'm at a hundred percent right now! Since I was at this for a while before you showed up, okay?

[siriusly]

[Manabu bristles and recoils a step, bumping his shoulder against the nearby shelf. he was not expecting an actual, magical demonstration! just like...a drawing? a wordy description? dang, Diluc!

he gulps and double-blinks, plainly unnerved, but he's no coward! he'll stand there and gawk a few beats before words hit in and explain that this is the explanation. his expression grows more grim and concerned as Diluc's words shift from talking about 'them' and to himself.]

...

[...]

So...even before they got here...things were already turning bad for them...

[siriusly]

[BIG FROWN... that's not a great thought either!!]

I, I hope that's not the case... [he pauses, then turns back to unstacking chairs.] I don't think...there'd be any way to know.

I'm the only one from where I'm from, anyway. No one would be able to tell for sure, I guess? So. So...thinking about it's probably not...a great idea.

[eudaimonikos]

.......chicken?

[how much more specific does it get]

[onerthes]

And it would help them to maintain the monopoly on their information they learned before they lost their minds. I don't know what, if anything, they've sealed away. But I strongly suspect we may be rebuilding pieces they took away.

And... no, I don't recommend dealing with them. I trust the maps you'll make far more than any they have.

[siriusly]

[...]

Just...just the meat? Not in a soup or...baked with anything?

[siriusly]

[Manabu sighs.]

Right... That just means...getting out there is even more important. [he nods, expression hardening with resolve.] I gotta do this right. Or at least...get us a good head start for other, better people to see through.

[phaseflex]

[she's quiet for a moment, her face reflected in the mirror with a heavy frown of concentration, tongue sticking out the side. manabu can probably hear the cuts as she carefully shapes it.

it's a little uneven, but amara is confident she'll be good at this as she is at everything else. just gotta keep cutting...]

It looks fine! You actually did a good job blind.

[eudaimonikos]

...oh, yeah, sure. I was gonna bake it with... [think fast think fast think fast] ...herbs...?

[He was not, clearly.]

[searingwing]

[Diluc shakes his head. The ice melts away and fades to nothing as he says,] The ships that came to the shore were different. They lacked an armory and the holding rooms that the pirates had. Everything was stored carefully.

No. I think those ships were merchant ships. I couldn't find any manifests but the layout of the cargo was like any I'd personally overseen. Whatever attacked them left barely any traces of itself. I'll look into local reports because I know the hunters said something about it at the time.

I don't recall if that's one of the months things were...complicated for us Coldbloods.

[droptheious]

We can definitely handle this- and we do appreciate the lesson.

[Despite them being shitty teenage boys, he is glad for this, and he DOES pay attention as Manabu goes through the steps needed. He does follow Manabu's instructions, carefully to try and not spill any. ]

Oh wow, so it's like soup! But yeah...obviously a broth, that's great!

[pabugotmoves]

[Oh. Maybe.. maybe not so helpful. Sorry, man.]

Yeah, no.. well. You know people here. They would have told you if that had happened. So you're probably fine, don't worry about it. I didn't mean to go there.

[siriusly]

[oh, dear.

Manabu glances to the feeble grooming efforts left strewn about on the sink for a beat before looking back up at Michael.]

...How about we go see to that, then.

[siriusly]

[he peeks up to see that expression, feeling a beat of old familiarity from it. his mom used to cut his hair like this... well, not exactly like this! but add a kitchen chair and maybe some tv playing in the background and it tracks pretty closely! there's a nice feeling to that, but with the way his blood is acting up, he can't stand comfortably with it, and it causes him to start shifting foot to foot.]

Y-you sure? I mean, I guess...you are. You wouldn't say otherwise. Sorry. Aa...sorry. [he exhales, involuntarily ducking his head.] Thanks. Amara. For the, the help with this.

[siriusly]

[with Diluc looking more himself again, Manabu's posture relaxes, and he exhales a bit. still, a frown pulls on his mouth and his brow creases as he hears Diluc's account; he folds his arms.

with a bit of a scoff:] One of the months? [he squints.] You mean you're skating by easily now?

[siriusly]

[hastily:] It's fine! It-it's fine. [he plops a chair down and sighs.] And I guess...I don't know what I don't know, so I can't really...spend a lot of time...worrying about all that, right? There's better things to do besides.

[frogiturgy]

Yeah. I mean, having hair is a little inconvenient when you think about it.

[Says... the bald man.]

So maybe just doing your best and not worrying about it will be enough. What are you so worked up about, anyway?

[searingwing]

I consider not having to fight myself to keep from attacking vile and Warm bloods an easier time, yes. [He glances to the side at the shelves. Then he takes out his journal and leafs back through the pages. He taps the page.]

But, talk to me about what’s going on with you. I haven’t noticed anything strange this month. I could be missing it and that’s likely. I imagine anyone who has anxiety would miss a month we were influenced to be so.

That’s just an example.

[siriusly]

...

[he frowns back at his reflection. why is he so worked up? all because of--]

I just--didn't want to look stupid. For when I went to, uh...ask...someone...something.

[siriusly]

[he rubs the back of his head, looking down at the journal in Diluc's hands.]

I dunno, it...feels more like something's been messing with my head lately. Getting me stirred up over dumb stuff. Not--not like starting punch-outs in the street, at least! But just...

[...,]

Weird stuff.

[eudaimonikos]

...okay, sure.

[Let's? Go cook? On the way there, Michael adds:]

You know, you can use some of my product if you want. [he absolutely has hair care products]

[pabugotmoves]

Yeah, yeah that is totally true.

[He pops up another lantern. So many! Lantern mountain!]

I mean there are so many other things to be depressed about, right?

O-or good. Lots of good things. Cool magic, lots of friends to make, hey maybe a date or two? Is there a special someone?

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng can be pretty thick in that area too, so he doesn't blame the man's uncertain silence. Instead, he grins and tilts his head toward Manabu in a playful way.]

Pine needle tea?