Considering the relevance of company in Shirogane’s life, most to one only remained fixated in his memories as someone who’d stayed. Most of his time in leisure and work had been spent in his lonesome. And, it was defined by how close he’s truly gotten to those and, given his occupations, most were last minute and infrequent tourists who wanted to experience the calmer side of the Danon Beach. Had they truly wanted a spectacle, Shirogane would’ve thought they would’ve spent their time and money on the Ouvara side. Yet, no complaints will be heard as his wallet is thankfully with some weight because of it.
On the Ouvara-Danon dock, and his back hunched, the lonesome fisherman waits for any sign of life on the end of his string. Or, even any tug at this point. As he adjusts the cape around his shoulders, keeping his fishing pole tucked between his thighs, the beeping of trucks’ back lights and distant yells of dock workers were all invested in…And what he thought was only nearby him. Turning to investigate the latest catches in the small cooler aside him, the man’s back grows rigid, straightening upon a new sight. Brown hair, excitable eyes, and with a fishing rod.
“….”
Shirogane immediately grips the fish pole’s handle and glances to and fro him the placid ocean top and to the stranger. The pale man lifts his chin from behind his scarf and mutters, “Good morning.”
Kyouhei wasn’t much of an anything. For as long as he’d remembered, all his activities were put together just so, and he had no time to be anything but the model student and active participant in family history.
So now that he was “free” it made sense that he’d give everything a try!
Ouvara-Danon was a city of the sea and had a lot to offer, so as soon as Kyouhei learned that nothing was stopping him from fishing at the docks (which took up a rather large portion of the shoreline) he was eager to try it out.
Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who thought the docks would be a nice place to try fishing at. He found he didn’t mind at all. The more the merrier - and maybe this person could give him some tips!
“Good morning to you, too.” He set his rather small collection of materials down next to the strangers, cautiously, and plopped down, already unraveling his fishing line. It was wonderful how easy things were to learn online.
“I hope you don’t mind me joining you? I could leave, if you aren’t, I don’t mind!”
Frankly, aside from him coming across as vaguely familiar,
Avery was quick to assume that this person was a rather strange one. He can’t
say he’d ever been approached to be offered some candy after all – and the
almost nervous sounding laughter the other trailed off with only made him raise
a brow in mild confusion.
Offering a (what he assumed would be) final polite smile,
the photographer was quick to turn his attention back to the screen of his
laptop… before he heard the name this ‘stranger’ introduced himself with.
Kyouhei.
Kyouhei?
Sitting up much straighter in his seat, Avery turned to
stare at the brunet with large blue eyes, practically studying his features as
he turned to face him a little more. Clearly now the other had Avery’s undivided attention.
“You’re not… Are
you?”
Of course he was. And as surprise faded into recognition,
Avery knew it was. But that didn’t mean he was so ready to believe an old
friend from so long ago would just waltz back into his life wielding a bag of
caramels.
“No. It’s not. It can’t be.”
Avery, he’s right
there.
Oh, that was a better reaction. Hope bloomed (because the seeping warmth could only be described as something blooming) in his chest and he leaned forward, pointing at himself.
“Kyouhei Allemand. You wouldn’t happen to be Avery Ellswood, would you? It’s just that you look a lot like he did when he was little, and… I know Avery isn’t a super rare name, but….”
Well, he was allowing himself to hope! Wasn’t the brunet allowed hope? Besides, what was that reaction to his name, otherwise? Maybe this guy knew another Kyouhei with brown hair… what if this guy was an alternate version of Avery, and knew an alternate version of him?!?!
No, no, that was just crazy talk. That only happened in stories.
Why was this guy so affected by such a statement? Sure, he
was one of said housemates Ichimatsu had professed to not care about just
moments ago, but they didn’t even know
each other that well. Startled by the sudden appearance of tears, the
fourth-born’s eyes widened slightly as he tensed.
It was easier to reject than be rejected, so Ichimatsu’s
intention had been to keep his distance for the sake of his own well being – not make someone cry.
“W-Wait, what’s with that reaction?”
Ah, looks like that cold facade had melted away a bit in his
confusion.
“N-nothing, it’s a normal reaction to, to unwarranted… unwarranted whatever! Indifference! Unconcern!”
And with this Kyouhei scrubbed furiously at his face with his robes, grimacing at the rough texture where it touched the now tender skin where the salt tears had fallen.
Once he was sure his voice wouldn’t crumble under the weight of his voice, he turned to look at the other Hufflepuff, smiling sadly.
“No one is making you hang out with me, Ichimatsu. If you… if you want to hang out with someone from another house I’m sure you’d have no trouble. You’re easy to be around. M’sorry for taking up your time.”
Dongmin raised
a hand with an apologetic expression on his face. He was indeed teasing the
shorter male, but it wasn’t as though he was doing it maliciously. He was just
being playful with the other. Honestly, Dongmin was also a bit amused by the
sounds that Kyouhei was making. Those high-pitched whining sounds made him
think of a puppy crying because it was being left alone and it felt lonely.
Perhaps Kyouhei was feeling lonely, or maybe Dongmin was horrendously
misunderstanding the situation here?
“Hm? Well maybe? I
always considered things like playdates and the like, you know? I mean, did you
want it to be a date that’s exclusive to romantic partners?” Dongmin questioned
him, wondering if he was asking this because he wanted to better understand
their situation, or maybe he was just asking for some other reason. Was he not
happy with the idea that they could go on the date?
Maybe he just didn’t swing that way. Dongmin simply shrugged
to himself when the thought crossed his mind. He didn’t particularly think too
much of it himself. He was fine going out and hanging out with friends.
“Well, regardless we
can go and hang out as friends then, right?” He slung an arm around Kyouhei’s
shoulders, smiling brightly. Kyouhei was an interesting guy and it wasn’t too
often when Dongmin would laugh so carefree like this, so he was quite fond of
the other male to be truthful. Hanging out with him for the day sounded pretty
fun! Maybe if they just had fun with it, he will forget about the whole ‘my
life belongs to you’ kind of thing.
Ah. Though… if you think about it in a different context—it almost
sounds like a proposal, doesn’t it? Could be why he mentioned something about
romantic partners afterwards. Oh. Maybe he was completely missing the mark just
then and Kyouhei was getting upset? Releasing the hold he had on Kyouhei, “Hey, what you said earlier isn’t some
complicated confession to me, is it?” Excuse Dongmin as he can have his
slow moments.
Before Kyouhei had the chance to reveal the fact that he’d never heard of the term “playdate” in his life, Dongmin added the last bit and his phrase, which was going to start with a matter-of-fact “actually”, evolved into, well.
“A-aaaaaahhh?!” He, realizing that he was still holding his phone, took the opportunity to turn around and shove it into his coat pocket while letting his surprised shout fade into the background, his face practically glowing red now.
How was he supposed to face Dongmin as a friend when he kept dropping lines like that?!?! It wasn’t fair! It was totally unfair! He can’t even remember what they’d originally gone out together for at this point.
“If! If you keep saying things like that people are gonna think you like me…!” He warned, relaxing into Dongmin’s side. It was fine if the other initiated the contact, right? Yeah. An arm around the shoulder was about as much as he could take at this point, though. “But we can hang, yeah….”
Was it? Oh god, now Kyouhei had to be wary of his subconscious confessing for him, how awful and embarrassing. He reached up and recovered his face with his hands, sure that if it was physically possible for human being to steam he would be doing so right now, he was so flustered.
“Th-that would be a pretty sucky confession on my part!” He avoided answering directly and instead began delving into why that couldn’t have been a confession, allowing Dongmin his space while also avoiding even looking at him. “For one, aren’t confessions only supposed to be for the ears of the person they’re being confessed to? At least, that’s how I’d prefer it.
“And if I was going to confess my, my love or feelings or whatever wouldn’t it be better to just say it? Indirect stuff like commitments of life are easily misunderstood - so it would be best to say something direct like “I love you, would you like to go out with me” right?”
Yaguchi practically sighed when the day was finally over. Not that he was bad at this in any way, on the contrary, he was quick learning how to use the register and take orders, and he seemed to be a natural when it came to customer service.
Seemed, because nothing could be farther from the truth. Behind all those smiles, playful jokes and adorable apologies, Yacchan had just barely kept his real self from taking control. How close he was to spit insults to inconsiderate customers and throw the register machine to each and every guy that somehow thought flirting with him was an ok behavior.
At least now it was over… The job was convenient considering how close to college it was… and he sure needed the money, so it wasn’t as if he was going to quit anytime soon… but the temptation was there.
“Oh, we can eat the pastries? Lucky~” he was tired, but not enough to forget his part of cutesy boy who loves sweets
“Thanks for everything today~ I would have been so discouraged if I were by my own” cute to a slightly apologetic and completely adorable face.
Kyouhei smiled widely - why did it feel like he had competition even though they weren’t competing at anything? - and slipped behind the counter to open the stands of baked goods.
“It’s not a problem! Once you get used to how the regulars act and want things will get much easier!” He chatted offhandedly while reaching in with the tongs to grab each individual snack.
There weren’t too many left, but still, food was food. He turned and jabbed the tongs at his coworker, still grinning.
“I’m not picky at all, and since you did so well on one of your first days, you can pick out whatever you want! I’ll help you wrap them up and you can set them aside before we clean.”
Oh boy he sure was getting close! Really close! Too close! His personal space was ignored. He didn’t know what to do. This is really the first time a stranger ever approached him like this. This was also the first time someone was touching him like this too. He usually is met with violence and being avoided, now tonight was the exact opposite!
Oh heavenly beings above, thank you!
He tilts his head back a bit when the other forced him to. He gulped, his cheeks soon turning red ❝O-oh..❞ He was speechless. Usually he’d be able to say things like that, but the fact someone else is saying it to him. Oh how the tables have turned!
Wow, this one was easy to fluster. Kyouhei let out an airy laugh (unnecessary in the long run but sometimes he liked to indulge) and took one step back, giving the cutie room to breathe.
“Oh is right.” He tilted his head and smiled widely, attempting to look more friendly.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to lend one of the nightfolk your name? Mine would be Kyouhei Allemand.”
Normally harsh eyes softened slightly at his newly acquired sibling or rather, the sibling he had always had but only recently discovered. He was momentarily concerned that the other may try to bolt but was relieved to see that it would not be the case. Kyouya was perhaps wondering if he should have suggested they have this discussion another time after the other had had an opportunity to mentally process the information.
It was too late to retract his offer now however, not to mention it might be better to get everything out in the open now so that Kyouhei had the full set of facts at his disposal.
“Not at all, thank you for agreeing to talk with me.”
Kyouya may have felt slightly guilty at forcing this revelation on the other since it was his selfishness of wanting to get to know Kyouhei that prompted this encounter more than anything else. It wasn’t something to be thanked for, not when it was obviously causing distress and turmoil. Nevertheless, he appreciated the effort at civility his companion was showing.
He had come prepared with answers and with proof but all that could wait until they reached the cafe.
“Follow me then.”
There wasn’t much Kyouhei could do aside from following Kyouya to whatever their destination was. Again, denial reared its ugly head in his mind but it was quickly debunked by the fact that Kyouya Ootori had nothing to gain from lying, which meant that….
Wait, was it really his… whatever the people had raised him were, was it really their fault? Kyouhei did look like them and adoption was never raised, so…! What did that mean for his childhood?
Kyouhei gripped the hem of his shirt in his hands as they moved along, just the barest hint of a frown in place.
Speaking of ‘looking alike’, now that he wasn’t stunned by the revelation of his sibling, he could see some similarities in how they were built. Nothing extremely shocking, but the subtle things that couldn’t be ignored….
“Ah, mind me asking how you found me, before anything else?” Kyouhei raised his first question with trepidation. “Did you find a picture of me or find me on social media and just walk around until you thought you’d found me?”
River Guardian!au /w mer!au Kyouhei @qtpie-kyouhei Let me know if you want anything changed!
How unfortunate it was that humans would begin by worshiping you and revering you as some God, to then completely forgetting about your existence and treading onto your territory. With humans’ desire to gain more territory, he was losing land that he looked over. Parts of the river were being damned. It was affecting not only his health but also his power. Mizumachi was the Guardian Spirit of the River and he had been watching over many generations come and go during his time, and was now unsure of how much longer he’d be able to do so.
As of right now the only ones who knew of his existence were a sparse number of humans who still had ‘the sight’ but also Ayakashi. To most, he looked like an odd visage of some silver fish– one almost too large for the river it occupied. To others with the sight, he looked to be a giant human wearing a silver Kimono adorned with golden and blue decorations.
With long, polished nails, glassy blue eyes, a pale complexion complete with delicate shimmering scales that were dotted all along his skin. In between his fingers were webs which likely served the purpose of helping him swim through the water. His feet? Well, he had no feet, but he had fins. A beautiful dark blue fin that shone in the water– if you could even bare witness to such a sight and see him as anything more than a simple oversized-fish.
He watched over all of the river’s inhabitants and sometimes he’d come across some of them such as Merpeople. They were quite rare now a days as many lived in seclusion or were hunted by humans for their blood or their meat. Apparently humans believed those to grant them eternal life? What a grand fallacy.
Feeling a small disturbance in the water near him, he looked over to see one such merperson swimming up towards him. Perhaps he had a guest who wished to greet him?
While many might think traveling or migration to be a waste of time, Kyouhei would often revel in his ability to traverse wherever his home (the water) touched, from the great blue seas to the freshwater rivers… It was worth the danger, most of the time.
Of course, it was only good manners to ask permission from the local deity before traveling in and through unknown territory. That and it was safer, to have the most powerful thing in the water aware of you.
Good thing they weren’t too difficult to find, especially not when the area was smaller. Which was actually a little worrying. Maybe he should help out before moving on through?
The basic-appearing Mer, with dark brown pupils and sclera the color of volcanic sand, skin pale as the water reflected most of the suns rays and he spent only the least amount of time out of the water, fluttered his navy blue tail at an easy pace until he was settled close to where the river guardian sat, scratching absently at a patch of scales that decorated his lower-left abdomen.
“Ah, Master of the River… I’ll be lingering about your territory and came to you for guidance, as well as to introduce myself.” Kyouhei dipped his head, hands clasped in front of him nervously.
“I am Kyouhei, originally from the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Seas. I pray you’ll allow me short residence here!”
Leo was confused. He had been through the Forbidden Forest may times before and he was very much alive. This guy was really interesting indeed, with their reaction being all over the place. A bright childish laughter erupted from him as he patted the others shoulder.
“You’re not gonna die in there, Hufflepuff kid! It’s the place of greatest inspirations and all the magical creatures there are pretty nice, ya know~” He waved his arms in the air to exaggerate his words a little. He had lots of experience with the magical folks the resided in the forest, but maybe daring the other to go in alone would be a little cruel.
Spreading his Ravenclaw cape in the air, he dramatically whipped out his wand and whispered ‘Lumos’, creating a bright orb of light at the end. Right at the entrance of the dangerous forest they were warned about, he gave the other an innocent smile and an offer.
“I’ll go in with you! It’ll become a great song of memories that will be sung until you’re old~ And when you look back, you can say you were one of the brave souls that made it outta the Forbidden Forest! Wahahaha☆”
Ah, this guy was… he was crazy. An absolutely crazy (cocoa for cocoa-puffs) Ravenclaw - wait, that wasn’t too strange. He knew quite a few askew people from that house, maybe it was just… one of those things.
“It’s not ‘Hufflepuff kid’ - why’d you dare me to do something if you didn’t even know my name?” Kyouhei at least recognized this guy - the term was ‘a friend of a friend’ if he was remembering correctly - which was why he didn’t just turn around and leave.
Still, against his better judgment, he took out his own wand and mimicked the light-giving spell.
“The only thing people will be singing for me is a funeral dirge.” The brunet put in his two cents, crossing his free hand over his torso, his only source of comfort in these confusing times.
@qtpie-kyouhei said:
“I really don’t want to take Herbology this year.”
Lazily, Avery glanced over the top of the morning’s
newspaper to glance at the Hufflepuff sitting directly across him. Usually the
school’s houses were separated with one overly lengthy table each, but
breakfast seemed to be a more informal affair; students of each and every house
colour mingling with each other as they prepared for the day.
“Hm? Why’s that?”
The Gryffindor couldn’t really imagine why the other seemed
so reluctant. Personally, herbology was one of his favourite subjects.
Interesting, practical, and with a fairly laid-back attitude about the class,
it was hard to think of what was so unlikeable.
Unless…
“Ah… It’s not a Mandrake problem is it?”
Kyouhei leaned over the table, hands over his head, and pouted as if resenting the fact that he had to even think about the class he apparently despised.
“It’s not a Mandrake problem, whatever that is. I know it’s weird - with the professor being the head of Hufflepuff and all - but… there’s just something in the atmosphere that I….” He grimaced and sat up, looking just a tad sheepish.
“I kinda feel like I’m being watched? By something. Or maybe someone. It’s also kinda uncomfortable because I have hands of death, as opposed to a green thumb, and most Hufflepuffs are really good with Herbology.”