week two | dates

[marriagebroker]

Kiss the girl~!

Or guy.

Or person.

Or Messmer's snake.

Comments

[ordimame]

[DEAD SILENCE. . . . . .]

[but when he gently swings in her direction, the rope twisting just enough so that he is facing her, she will find. . . . . . . . the icon face]

W. . . was that exciting enough for you, Ringo-san. . .

[hexensabbat]

[oh god help.

She stares at him with a mixture of disgust and concern.]

Uh. Yep. It was pretty fun.

...

... Er, you've. Got a little... something. There.

1/2

[ordimame]

[. . . . . ]

[LIFTS A HAND TO SCRUB WILDLY AT HIS FACE. embarrassing!!!]

I'm fine! I survived!!

[. . . . . .]

[ordimame]

[a sharp exhale, and despite everything, he does pull up a small smile]

. . . I suppose that wasn't too bad.

[the bungee jumping workers are beginning to lower them to the ground by the river now]

[hexensabbat]

Right! It was fun!

[She grins, and once they're lowered properly to the ground, she offers him a fist for a fistbump.]

Nice job out there!

[ordimame]

[he stumbles a bit when they eventually get to the rocky shore, but catches his footing quickly nevertheless. her little fistbump earns a perplexed look, but bemused as it may be, his smile doesn't falter even as he lifts his own hand to return it. BOOP]

Thanks! It was terrifying! [HA HA. . .] But I think I did pretty well.






But don't tell anyone; it might ruin their image of me.

[what image, Edamura. . .]

[hexensabbat]

Awww, why not?

[WHAT IMAGE, EDAMURA.]

I'll just tell them we went bungee jumping! Nobody will hear from me that you screamed the whole way down--

[ordimame]

[A BREATHLESS LAUGH--]

Great! Thanks for preserving my dignity. [what. . . dignity] Well, what pieces I have of it that are left, anyway.

[hexensabbat]

Heyyy, I think you still have some dignity! I mean, you've been yourself this whole time despite everything.

That counts for something as far as I'm concerned.

[She'll start to lead the way over to the, idk, bungee jumping rest area now.]

[ordimame]

[oh my god]

Who else would I be but myself? Television fame changes people, but not me!

[following her to the rest area. there's a tent set up to protect them from the shade! and some nice coolers filled with water. there's another pathway that snakes through the trees and back up the cliffside, should they wish to jump again. . . but for now, Edamura is content with a single try]

[hexensabbat]

I don't know! People have all sorts of reasons to pretend to be other people.

At least, that's how I understand it. It's pretty complicated.

[She digs out two water bottles, tossing him one in a loose lob.]

[ordimame]

[haha. . . ha. . . something flickers in his expression at that, but it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment as he catches the water]

It can be, I guess. Humans do like to overcomplicate things.

[hexensabbat]

You're telling me!

[She opens her own water to take a satisfying chug of it.]

Every time I think I'm starting to get it, they get confusing all over again! But, well. That's part of what makes humanity so interesting, too.

[ordimame]

[. . . huh. is it? he supposes that is a perspective he can't quite comprehend, as someone who is-- and always has been-- human]

[but he does give her a curious glance as he screws the cap off of his bottle]

I'm a little surprised you like us so much. . . [he has no particular love or hate for his species. but he has seen people at their worst, and. . . well. that kind of sticks with a guy] We're capable of some pretty. . . bad stuf.

[. . .]

But I suppose that also applies to non-human people. . .?

[hexensabbat]

... Well. Yeah.

[Demons, obviously, but she winces a little when she thinks about Figue's, uh. [spoilers].]

But that's not why. Or, well, it's complicated, right? The things that drive humans to do bad things, the things that drive conflicts and struggles.

But you guys are also the best at striving to improve and fix things, too.

[ordimame]

[laughs in Figue's spoilers]

[but that's one thing he can't argue with. it is complicated. even the most monstrous of humans can seem warm and kind and inviting to the right person in the wrong circumstances]

[. . .]

. . . yeah, I guess we are.

[a bit wry, but. he doesn't disagree]

Is that what draws you towards us? Potential?

[hexensabbat]

Well. My directive was to preserve humanity, so that played a part in it, but.

[Hmmm...]

Now, it's just because I have friends!

[ordimame]

[. . . once again her answer is so DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE he finds himself thinking he didn't even need to ask the question in the first place. she wasn't wrong when she said he tended to overthink!!]

Why did I think there'd be more to it than that. . .? [a bit exasperated, but not unkindly so] Were they a part of your whole. . . [. . . SIGHS] Devil summoning thing?

[hexensabbat]

[Oh my god.

She cracks up, solely because of how he says it.]

Y-yeah, yeah! They were part of my whole... Sigh Devil Summoning thing.

[ordimame]

[DON'T MAKE FUN OF HIM!!!]

[jabs a finger at her]

Tell me about that! Let's find out exactly how badly it blows my mind. No better time than while sitting next to a scenic riverbank, right?

[perfect backdrop for him to lose his shit again]

[hexensabbat]

Yeah, okay.

[She takes her water bottle over to sit by the edge of the river, sprawling comfortably, and waits for him to join her before:]

So. Demons. Familiar with 'em?

[ordimame]

[he trots after her, plopping himself onto the rocky ground with one leg outstretched. not quite in the water, but close!]

Like.





Fictionally, or. . .?

[hexensabbat]

Given the topic of conversation, what do you think?

[Just so amused. She's grinning at him. Keep up, Edamura.]

[ordimame]

[TOUCHE]

Then nope! Not even a little bit. Educate me?

[hexensabbat]

[Right, right.]

So! They're super real. Most people don't know about it and can't see them, though. Only people with a particular sort of wavelength.

Everyone else thinks they're fictional.

But people like me and my team can contract with them and use their powers to fight other demons.