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

[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?

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?

...wait, you think that's scary?

[no he is not currently registering the hypocrisy here]

I mean! Unnerving, I guess? Not normal, definitely. Some people would find it weird, right? [Manabu is just grasping at straws now; appearances and things are definitely not a thing he's really ever given much thought other than, say, 'that uniform looks cool,' or...'that uniform hat looks cool.']

[Michael shrugs.]

I mean, everyone's turning into weird monsters left and right. I think you might be worrying a little too much about it.

[WAR FLASHBACKS TO WU ASKING ABOUT BEING HIT ON BY MONSTERS AND MONSTERFUCKERS.]

...Y...yeah... May-maybe you're right? Sorry.

It's fine. You know you apologize a lot? There's really no reason.

[he frowns, ducking his head and turning to put away the grooming things.]

It's just...being polite, I guess. Either way, what...what're you doing around here, actually? Is the shop closed?

Oh, yeah. Not too busy right now.

[He tends to keep slightly odd hours anyway.]

I brought chicken to eat with Eleanor.

[blink.]

You cook Eleanor's food?

Not usually, but I wanted to eat some this time. And raw meat's kinda got a gross texture.

[Like, he's not gonna get sick from it, but he's got some standards.]

[honestly? part of Manabu expected Michael to just straight-up eat raw chicken with his omen.

...and since he knows the texture, he assumes he's already done that. oy.

oh:] Auh, I have some seasonings I picked up the other week. Do you know Miss Airy? She has an herb shop. You can use some, if you like.

[Well, he never said he'd eaten raw chicken.]

Oh, yeah, we've met. Thanks, man. I'm trying to learn how to sort of...cook a little better. Or at all.

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

.......chicken?

[how much more specific does it get]

[...]

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

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

[He was not, clearly.]

[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.

...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]

[Manabu tries to huff out a laugh, but it's more of a withered sound than anything.]

Aa, no, no! Don't...don't worry about that. It's stupid. Cooking's more important.

[and a nice avenue to shift his focus and not be all flustered! he'll gladly teach a wee bit of seasoning and baking.

...geez. what would his mom think of her soldier son falling back on her old restaurant lessons? hopefully she's proud.]

Is it, though?

[Michael doesn't think so! Though, granted, he also doesn't eat.]

[CERTAINLY:] It is right now!

[editor fade to black with assumed cooking montage thanks]

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

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