thefoundation | WEEK 4 - VENUS FLYTRAP

[He perks up immediately at the grin, because expressions like that promise good things, but he's still not quite prepared for that next move -- Anon blink-blinks at him in an almost-parody of the way Natsuno tends to react to his odder moments, head tilting inquisitively half in surprise and half in instinctive response to the contact. Natsuno's really getting a knack for catching him off-guard; it's no mean feat.

After a moment he reaches up to poke at the flower, a half-grin on his face that looks almost exactly like his other grins when he's responding to challenges. There's something brighter in it than usual.]

Right! As long as you don't mind a bunch of flowers being all used up, I think I'm definitely getting better at this.

[It's idle chatter while he starts sweeping together the flowers on the floor, because there's no sense in wasting them when you can just reuse them, especially if they're cleaned up before anyone tramples them.]

I'll accept the payment. ☆

[ He's on too much of a roll right now to stop, even with all the cues that his bravado has crossed into something more. It's just easier to keep going once you've started, at least until his mind catches up with his impulses. There's something enjoyable too about catching Anon off-guard, that much he catches in the now, which is all the more reason to keep going. ]

Mhmm. [ It's only natural to help (even if it's not natural to Natsuno), and he helps sweep any stray flowers Anon might have missed. There's probably a moment or two when they brush each other hands doing so, both the budding beginnings of romantic cliches and happenstance. ]

I guess I've already given you payment for the third one too. [ Looking at the two charms woven into the long pink braid. There's care given to their placement, even if the two words human and eat are bombs of their own given their conversations. ]

[Anon is definitely enjoying himself, even if he has no idea what they're doing now other than leaping from one challenge to the next; pushing and pulling each other along the way they always seem to do, even though none of it actually seems like any effort at all.

It's a good thing he has no fear of the unknown, and a complete commitment to living in the present. The present is where he's currently piling a bunch of flowers in his lap and tucking away the vague impression that he's never actually had this much contact with Natsuno before between the braiding and the cleaning up and everything. He'll remember it for later.]

... Hmm? Is this what you were plotting earlier?

[There's a teasing note to his voice, though it's drowned in a sudden laugh when he reaches for his braid and spots the familiar glints of charm metal in there -- they're easy enough to recognize, and he taps at them to hear the soft clinks, looking really very amused.]

Ah, so it was this promise. I totally don't think this is how this game is meant to be played.

[From the sound of it, he isn't complaining at all.]

[ Overall Natsuno just looks pretty satisfied, even if he can't help but feel like he's missing something. ]

I like this way better. I'd rather play the way I want or not at all. [ There's something firm in those words, as flippantly as they're spoken. Standing up and dusting any remaining petals off his pants, he plays with his newly acquired boa with energy that seems to have sprung up out of nowhere. ]

Hmn, I'd be impressed if you could braid my hair though. [ He has no idea why he's still talking. Or kinda smiling. That being said it would be an impressive feat given his hair is unruly on a good day, and it's not particularly long (though probably still braid-able with considerable effort). ]

Heheh. That's a good way of doing things. I was always planning to do that, you know -- change the rules of the tournament. They didn't do me any good the way they were.

If you don't like the Game, then you need to change the way it's played.

[It's also mostly flippant, considering he's (ostensibly) comparing it to a minigame they're in the process of totally messing up for kicks, but there's something just as bright and sharp in it as Natsuno's conviction. It softens just a little bit as he responds to the prompt to look over Natsuno's hair in turn, considering the messy flyaway locks and the unique purple shade.

It probably wouldn't do him any good to try matching colors, anyway. He'll just have to play it by ear. Speaking of which--]

That sounds like something I could do? I don't know if any of these flowers would stay in it, and it might pull a bit, but I could definitely make a braid. I could even make more than one.

[There's a sparkle in his eye now, rising to a real challenge. Once again: it's debatable what Natsuno's just gotten himself into, but maybe his tutorial will help and Anon will be merciful. Probably.]

That sounds like something you would do.

[ Nodding it's clear Natsuno approves even though the intricacies of the tournament are beyond him. He pauses in his boa readjustment to look at Anon, narrowly avoiding the deer in the headlights look. Just barely. ]

Now? [ Either way he continues on despite the entire situation he's walked himself into. ] You could do a few I guess since my hair's shorter. Not my whole head though.

Doesn't it?

[Anon seems to be pleased by the approval, or just the agreement, or maybe it's that he can sense the deer despite its escape from the headlights -- he lets out a peal of laughter at Natsuno trying to add caveats (or maybe just at the image of him with like, a ball of braids) but doesn't seem to have any issue with it. He's getting his way, after all, or rather Natsuno's getting his way.

Or maybe they're just gatecrashing this way together? What the hell is even going on anymore. He picks up two flowers -- both of the slightly squashed variety, one blue and one red -- and looks between them and his current companion-slash-victim.]

Now seems like a good time. It would take a while to do your whole head, anyway, but -- which color?

[There are also other colors in his lap! (Purple and black, since these are from Operation: Boa Bomb.)]

[ Gatecrashing together for sure but he offers another yeah before the laughter cuts him off. Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhh. He looks at the flowers, first the ones in Anon's hands and then the ones in his lap, then back again. There's more blinking going on, as the whole situation sinks in; so much for avoiding the whole deer thing. ]

Red. Red and black. [ Edgelord colors because he's grasping at whatever he can at this point. Another blink, and he should sit? He should probably sit for this. ]

I've never even put my hair up before. [ Just gonna keep talking like this didn't get him in this situation in the first place. ]

[Anon waits patiently through the blinking, though his expression just grows gradually more amused all the time -- this tends to happen a lot if they spend too much time together, huh, which is pretty much all the time anyway. You'd think Natsuno was the cool-headed one but at this point Anon just spends a lot of time watching him crash into holes he personally dug.

He's pretty okay with that. He is an easily entertained gremlin who is also fine with escalating everything. ☆]

Okay. Red and black and... [he contemplates the flowers he picked out and then goes searching for smaller ones, buds and barely opened blossoms since Natsuno's hair is just that much shorter] Hm-hmm.

[Are they doing this face-to-face? They're totally doing this face-to-face, and he reaches out ostensibly to eyeball the aesthetic and size of the flower versus Natsuno's bedhead, fingers brushing bangs and sidelocks.]

There's a first time for everything, right?

[ It's the Natsuno way, being self-destructive even if it's in less dangerous ways. Probably. He's handling it pretty well all things considered, or as well as you can reasonably expect someone who's like a cactus that suddenly agreed to become a christmas tree.

The funny mixture of a scowl and pout on his face just adds to the hilarity of everything here, as he tries to find some place neutral to look. That's impossible given the situation so he alternates between closing his eyes and focusing on simple things like the stripes on Anon's face. Mainly the one on his nose, because making eye contact is too dangerous right now. ]

Yeah. Live your life without regrets including stealing shovels from an obaasan and getting your hair braided by an infernal. [ Selling this whole grumpy thing doesn't work well when he sounds fond while complaining. ]

[At least he'll be a very metal Christmas tree. ☆

Anon is discovering right now that it's very, very hard to do handicrafts and laugh at the same time, even if he's trying to muffle himself with flowers right now -- the expression on Natsuno's face is just that hilarious, please help him. He's terrible and always full of mischief so he very sneakily tries to catch Natsuno's eye even as he shifts his focus and finally starts sorting through purple hair.

Despite his dire warnings, there's only a few faint tugs as he works out the fluff and minor tangles, running his fingers through the locks he's separating out next to an ear. He really hasn't helped anyone with their hair before, but he's at least experienced in this with himself. It's just a bit backwards from this end.]

I don't know if getting hair braided by an Infernal is the same?? Did she come at your head with the shovel or something?

[There's definitely still a hint of laughter in his voice, a touch softer and more distracted.]

[ At some point Anon succeeds in catching his eye which means faintly blushing is being added to this disastrous mix. He tries to cover it with more grumbling, but it's a useless measure. ]

She did, actually. I had to steal from her twice and the second time she caught me. It was when I was human too, so it was a huge pain. [ Daring to actually look at Anon here for reasons he's not sure of himself. ] This is better than that, cause I don't think you'd try to kill me.

[ He didn't intend to sound so soft, but it kinda just happens. ]

[He's started plaiting at this point but once he gets going there's less of a need to look until he has to add flowers to the mix, so Anon has a moment to appreciate the effects of the flustering -- it's something he's enjoying, too, tugging Natsuno out of his comfort zone when he can. The smile on his face is one part mischief and two parts indulgence.]

Those old hags really can be scary when they put their minds to it sometimes! Especially if you're a human and all.

[And a noodle human, at that, going by build and not by jinrou moments. There's a brief pause in his movements -- part of it is needing to retrieve the flower bud to braid it in, part of it is meeting Natsuno's gaze a little curiously.]

... I don't think I'd try to kill you either. [he probably should have picked more certain words for that, but there's plenty going on here already; his voice goes really quiet in the middle, like he's realizing what he's saying but can't quite keep himself from saying it anyway, and he looks away first for once] I want to win this Game and stop being a Piece already. I want to see where we can go.

[They've come a long, long way since that day at the docks and it weighs in his words, all the places and silly dreams and promises they've linked together like charms or like hair or like so many of the other things they've done here.

Gently, somehow steadily, he weaves the flower in.]

Edited 2019-05-24 18:57 (UTC)

It was better me then them. [ What "them", but it's lost somewhere in the next moment. ]

Yeah. [ Some of the tension in his body loosens then, which hopefully doesn't affect the braid too much as he leans back a bit. ] I don't like thinking like that. I did it back home to get me through the endless slog of day after day, but I always felt like I was never going to make it out of Sotoba alive. Thinking like that is dangerous but... I want to see where we can go too.

[He's most of the way through this braid anyway; he really does have a rhythm down now, and Anon allows a slight pause to adjust positions again -- the flower stem woven in helps to hold the braid together until he can take it up again. Smaller braids are certainly easier, and his movements slow a little as he works his way towards the more uneven ends of the hair, smoother and more contemplative.

He's absolutely considering the next braid already. Natsuno did request at least two colors, after all, and the braids are too short to hold more than one flower each. He's looking forward to it.]

Hmm. You're here now, though. [it's a soft hum of a reminder, like the faint tugs at the end of the braid and the brush of flower petals] I really didn't think there was anywhere to go unless I made it myself. But I didn't want to stay where I was at all. It's way better to make bad moves than to do that.

[There's something a little bit wry there. After coming all the way here, hindsight really is something.]

So I'm totally down for doing something dangerous.

[That one sounds more like his usual self, and the half-smile he gives Natsuno is all silliness and intrepid willingness to fling himself over the next cliff just to see what the landing looks like.]

Only because I'm not good at staying dead. [ Morbidly quipped, but light and almost playful. He hums a bit, turning over his thoughts with Anon's words until they're one giant mix of recklessness and teenage rebellion. ]

Mmhmm, it's always better to go out on your own than submit. It would've been something to see, though. [ Just a note of longing in his voice, because hindsight really is something, but it wouldn't have changed anything for Natsuno in the end. And watching all of Sotoba burn even as he literally self destructed was something he wouldn't trade for the world even if it is, in any way you frame it, an awful decision. Sometimes bad decisions work out though, like his bet with Riku that started this whole flower crown extravaganza. This isn't something he would give up either, and he's somehow settled into this rhythm of flowers and braiding like it was natural. Maybe it is in a way, because somehow things always feel natural in present company. ]

Got any ideas? [ Said both brightly and darkly; he'll likely always carry iconoclastic tendencies despite the consequences. ]

You aren't! You're really, really bad at it.

[It's playful back, somehow just as much of a compliment as it was the first time.

And there's something about Natsuno's tone that makes Anon's smile a little sillier still and he takes a moment to finish off that first braid before sitting back a little to survey things and... scratch a little at one of the marks on his cheeks. There's something mock-embarrassed about the motion this time. He's somewhat pleased and not trying too hard to hide it.]

Maybe it happened after all, though, in some Fragment out there. It would have been something; I think I can definitely say that.

[Because apart from knowing the measure of himself -- he can also be kind of a showman when he really puts his mind to it, when he has an audience to perform for or when the circumstances demand it. The present audience is one he really wouldn't mind doing it for, even if for the most part he adds only flourishes and embellishments, letting the rest of him speak for itself anytime they're together.

It's sometimes so easy to forget that he ever did anything else, even if the majority of his life has been spent doing something very different. He picks up the braiding again, but spends a little longer this time just running his hands through hair, getting a little lost in thought.]

Hmm. I think I'd want to get stronger than a Witch, at least. That's the best way of making sure I can make my own path in all these worlds.

Edited 2019-05-25 03:27 (UTC)

I guess it's not the worst thing to be bad at. [ More morbid humor, but there's a small smile here too that turns a shade darker at Anon's confidence. Natsuno likes watching Anon no matter the situation, though he'd be hard pressed to put why into words. He might have tried to sort through his thoughts anyway because at this point even he's got this nagging feeling that something about them is different but—the sensation of fingers in his hair short circuits his thoughts.

A faint blush spreads across his cheeks, and he ostensibly looks to the side to provide better access to his hair. So what if that's not the real reason, it's really hard to hide your face when you're well, face to face. ]

Y-Yeah. I can see that. [ A beat. ] See you doing that, I mean. [ He says while doing his best not to look at Anon. Give him a moment or two to recover and he might say something not dumb. ]

[And Anon likes watching him back, because of course he does; he's always liked watching people, studying their mannerisms and motives and what makes them tick, what makes them grow and thrive and become more and more interesting. Normally, he likes to take them apart, sometimes metaphorically and sometimes literally. That's what he was made for.

He's still not sure what he wants to do with Natsuno, other than to keep watching -- his expressions and the matching red of his eyes and everything else. The way red looks on him, whether it's in his face or in his hair. There's still mischief in his expression as he prepares the next flower: black.

Slowly, unhurriedly, his fingers continue running and untangling. He probably doesn't need to take this long, but it's fine.]

There's so much I've learned here, and way more I've seen. Even at the Foundation, they couldn't contain all the knowledge they were trying to lock away from me or anyone else. The multiverse is inconvenient, but the more I see, the more I think I can definitely get stronger.

[There's something indefinable in the way he says that, slow and almost wondering. It's hard to tell exactly what he thinks of it even if his words are straightforward and unadorned, but there's still that smile on his face, a little quieter now.]

[ Recovery might be a bit, because the gentle touches in his hair are really, really distracting. Unlike the braiding, there's something more intimate about them but Natsuno is doing his best not to think about it. Probably because he can't think through much at the moment, but details. ]

...Mmn. [ Affirmatively, because he agrees with everything that's been said. He should say more than that though. Ah—closing his eyes actually helps? It might just be the temporary shift in his senses which improves his focus, or it could just be that it's more relaxing like this. ]

The multiuniverse is a pain but maybe that's not a bad thing. If it was too easy, it would be easy to get lazy too. And you don't want to be stuck in one place, so you will get stronger. I'm sure of it. [ Opening his eyes again at the end, his conviction can be both seen and heard. He got out what he needed to say, and he maybe wants to see more of Anon's face too. Just maybe. He's still embarrassed and therefore still a touch pink, but that moment of respite brought him some courage (or a momentary lack of self awareness it's honestly debatable.) ]

Edited 2019-05-28 05:37 (UTC)

[He'll get to see the expression on Anon's face brighten just a little in response to his words -- it's subtle, but immediate, like Natsuno's words themselves are a piece of the puzzle. There's no overall shape to it yet; whatever is being built, that is. But Anon does turn his smile on him, and there's something satisfied in it as he finally moves towards the actual braiding part of the equation.

(He might have run out of tangles, but it was worth it for the expressions on Natsuno's face, he'd say. More practically, it makes the braiding smoother, but the braids are short enough that it's a minor problem.)]

Right. No matter what happens, no matter where you want to go... if you work hard, then there has to be a way. That goes for you, too! If we keep training, we'll have you super strong too before you know it.

[ ...yeah it was worth it for Natsuno too even if he has no idea why at this point. That's fine, because it's enough just to enjoy this good mood. It might be why he laughs at Anon's faith in his training prowess too. ]

I guess I should have fought Masao after all. [ His smile is wry. ] I'm sure he would have picked a fight with me if he saw any of this. Probably would have said something about how I was doing it for attention...

[There's something truly inexplicable about this mood, this atmosphere -- it hasn't quite changed since the gentle rhythm they established when Anon was still braiding flowers and Natsuno was braiding all kinds of things; or perhaps it's more accurate to say it shifted, but Anon still wants to stay in it.

He perks up a little at the mention of fighting whoever-that-is, because of course he does, hands pausing for the briefest moment to readjust before resuming. He's really getting good at this somehow.]

Oh. Is this Masao guy fun to fight? Does he really like it? Or does he just really not like flowers?

[He's not sure why else you'd have an issue with flower crowns or whatever, but Natsuno knows some weird people.]

[ Natsuno can't really see what's going on, but the whole braiding process does feel smoother. Not that he would have noticed at this point, but it's pretty nice anyway. ]

No, he was annoying and a moron. He used to pick fights with me all the time because he didn't like me. Said I had emotional problems or whatever when I wouldn't put up with him like everyone else did. [ A half shrug here that he stops because he doesn't wanna mess up the braiding. ]

He turned into a shiki too, but no one even noticed he was dead for a while. It was pathetic. [ His lips curl into an insidious smile with a fair measure of scorn. ]

Hmm, sounds like he's the one who really wanted attention.

[Is it time to be terrible people together again, even as Anon starts threading the black flower into Natsuno's hair, even as he laughs back with a merciless sort of condescension towards this fellow he's never met nor heard of before in his life.

He always enjoys hearing about fights and those who pick them, but--]

So you never bothered fighting him because he wasn't worth fighting. If it's that bad, then you can tell pretty easy so you don't waste your time. By the time I entered the tournament back home, most people like that had been crushed already.

They never were meant to get very far, anyway.

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