deercountry | late bloomer jokes [feb catchall

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...!?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Do you know how?

[...]

...I guess it's not that difficult if it's just using scissors, but...

Nope! It'll grow back, though. [easy for her to say when she isn't cutting her own hair.] No, I'm kidding. I used to have to cut my brother's hair when we were kids. I can give you some very cool styles.

[trust her!]

...

[he nudges the door open a bit more with his toe, sullenly peering at her.]

Are you sure?

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

...

[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.]

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?

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...

Your face won't look weird even if I shave you bald! [she says with a laugh, though she does slow down a bit and take a moment to try and hold the hair out gently to see that it's even.] You are very handsome. You don't have to worry about any of that.

[embarrassed, he huffs a bit of vapor out, struggling to stand still and making an effort to keep still by planting his hands on the edge of the counter.]

I don't...really...I mean. It's dumb thinking about it at all in the first place, but-- [aghhghhhghghh]

Whatever. As...as long as it's fine, it's fine. [???????]

Just be glad I'm not getting out the bowl. Ugh, my mother had me with a bowl cut until I was five! It was a nightmare, I assume. I don't actually remember how I felt about it, because I was five.

[she keeps snipping away, taking small pieces of hair every time.]

How long were you trying yourself?

Uh, not that long. Just the back.

[that's why there's some stray lengths just...dangling all on their own, a whole mess. it's like a rattail farm over here.

but...bowl? Amara with a bowl cut? unfathomable.]

Is it okay? I couldn't really...see what I was doing, so.

[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.

[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.

There are some things I will not do for you, jaan but believe me, I will say no immediately if I am asked.

[she stops cutting, carefully placing the scissors on the counter to wet her hands and get his hair properly straight. then... probably immediately regrets this...]

Gih!!

[static sparks out and bites at her fingers, causing him to flinch and nearly headbutt the mirror.]

Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry! Aaa- [he sucks a breath through his teeth, drawing his shoulders up and covering the back of his neck with his hands.] Are you okay?!

Fuck, dude! Shit! I sh-- Ow! [she yelps out of surprise more than pain, yanking her hand back and cursing.] I should've expected that! Little bastard.

[she takes the scissors back (silently grateful the handles aren't just bare metal) to continue after making sure her hands aren't wet.]

Oof! I don't remember it being like this earlier!

[hearing her react that intensely is a bit of a gut-punch, prompting Manabu to make an effort to distance himself. given that this is a bathroom, though, so best he can do is...uh.

step into the bathtub and press up against the wall behind him, looking a bit like a struck animal.]

I, I had it under control before! I'm sorry, I'm--something's up. I need to...go deal with this. Somewhere.

[she looks mildly disturbed at this reaction, feeling like she's actually struck him.]

Uh. What-- no, it's fine! Manabu, don't run off! It's fine!

[while ducking his head:] Sorry...! That--[he huffs, rubbing at his face and groaning against his hands.] Ough...why am I so...strung out?! This is stupid!

Hey, look, when I first used my zappy, I made someone explode. So you're doing pretty well, all things considered.

[she leans against the counter, watching him fidgeting.]

It's fine. Just take a moment, yeah?

[while smearing hair out of his face:] That--that's probably different, Amara. I mean... I had this all under control. [he exhales, hugging his arms to himself.]

Blood stuff. Probably...stupid blood-stuff. [he looks up at her with something of a pout on his face.] You heard about all that, right?

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

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