Here, kitty kitty kitty

[monsterdaddy]

Comments

Graveyard | Week 1 | Tuesday

[monsterdaddy]

Leonaaaa! Look what I found!

[Or rather, look what fell out of a suddenly-opening closet after Eui got tired of his calling questions at the walls for an hour. Yoojin runs up to Leona with a couple of fishing rods, a tackle box, and a big grin.]

Who wants fish for dinner?

[effortaverse]

[Leona wasn't going to answer at first, because whatever, but 'fish' and 'dinner' are put together and fish is pretty close to meat. Close enough, anyway. Sea meat.]

...I'm comin', I'm comin'.

You don't need to yell. I can hear you all over the damn place.

[monsterdaddy]

I'm not yelling.

[He was yelling.]

Have you ever gone fishing before?

[effortaverse]

Not once.

[Crossing his arms behind his head as he walks over;]

Looks like you'll have to show me the ropes.

[Read: do everything while I ignore you.]

[monsterdaddy]

Heh, no problem. Leave it to me!

[Seriously, if Leona did leave it all up to him, it'd be fine. It's a refreshing change from everyone telling him YOOJIN, NO! YOOJIN, STAY ON BED REST! YOOJIN, IT'S DANGEROUS! all the ding-dang time.

He heads towards the edge of the pond with a bounce in his step. Amazing, what semi-decent rest can do for a man.]

I think you'll like it. Fishing's a pretty relaxing way to pass time.

[effortaverse]

Oh, I'm sure I'll be plenty relaxed.

[Seeing as how he plans on doing jack shit. And yet, here he is, following Yoojin along.

Cat.

Speaking of being a cat, though, his eyes are instantly on the bright shapes he sees moving in the water, and his tail swings about behind him.]

You do this often, or something?

[Some kind of hobby? He can't imagine Yoojin as a real fisherman— and that's not the kind of fishing he'd be doing were he like the workers in the industry on the Savanna coast.]

[monsterdaddy]

Haha, nah. At least, not since I was super little, probably. Never really had a lot of time.

[Yoojin came prepared; he already dug up worms and grubs and other creepy crawlies to put on the fish hooks. He picks a likely spot and starts setting them both up.]

But there's not a lot to it. You bait the hook like this, cast the line into the water, and watch the floater until something bites. Then you reel it in-- [He mimes the motion for Leona, moving his hand around the reel without touching it.] --and boom! Fish. The only fiddly part's learning how to cast.

[effortaverse]

Alright, so go ahead and demonstrate.

Show us how it's done.

[He himself starts to sit down, and to his credit doesn't immediately find a reason to lay back. No, there's a chance this is gonna be good to watch, actually, so he doesn't want to miss it.]

[monsterdaddy]

You got it.

[It does take a moment. He looks over all the parts of the rod, reminding himself aloud what each doohickey is and does, for both their sakes.]

Right, so you hold this down like this, and...!

[Yoojin lets it fly. It's not a bad cast, really. He doesn't hook himself or fling the hook into the garden; he's not always a Looney Toon. The line simply whizzes out and plunks into the water. Yoojin smiles, happy enough, and offers the rod to Leona.]

Here, you use this one.

Graveyard | Week 1 | Thursday

[monsterdaddy]

[It's clear by now that, even when he's not having bad dreams, Yoojin isn't the quietest sleeper. He snores. He mutters stuff sometimes in his sleep, usually nonsense about breaking up fights and time out. Having a slumber buddy nearby seems to curb the worst of his restlessness, though. He does, in fact, catch some Z's out there on the ground with Leona.

Tonight, though, he wakes up with a smothered gasp, cold with sweat.

He can still smell it. The venom. The fire. Blood spilled across stone.

Trying his damned best not to disturb Leona, Yoojin rolls silently over, curls up on his side, and covers his mouth with a shaking hand. It's okay. He'll ride the rest of this out on his own.]

[effortaverse]

[Try as he might, Leona is no regular human. Yoojin probably wouldn't have woken someone else up, but Leona isn't having his deepest sleeps here, either.

When Yoojin awakens, Leona's back is already to him. It's a sign of trust, not disregard— or perhaps it's just the acknowledgement that Yoojin is too pathetic to stab him in the back or anything like that. It's how Leona would explain it, at least.

Leona sighs. His ears flick back, jarring him from the vague image of his lazy overthinking.

That's fine. He'd rather focus on this than on trying, on trying, on trying to remember the feeling of his prey beneath his hand, inside his mouth. What was that like? Was he really that monster? Was he really always as dangerous, as ruinous as he'd always been told?

It's easier to focus on Yoojin than on that. Maybe it's some sick guilt thing. A necessary penance, that Yoojin keeps remaining so close, that Leona feels obligated to protect him.

His tail swings, batting Yoojin's legs— crossing over Yoojin's hip and tapping, tapping.]

[monsterdaddy]

[He jumps a little at the first touch, then exhales at the familiar use of rhythm. Leona's awake. Yoojin drags his hand down his face, then scrubs his knuckles beneath his jawline, where more of the sweat has gathered uncomfortably. He makes his voice sound normal. He's had years and years of practice.]

Ah, sorry, bud. Did I wake you up?

[Yoojin shifts onto his back again and reaches across himself to give Leona's upper arm a reassuring rub. His face, however, he keeps angled away.]

Think I'll go take a walk real quick. I'll be right back.

[effortaverse]

[Leona doesn't answer immediately, instead slowly rolling onto his back and propping himself up on his elbows. His tail practically smacks Yoojin again, after which comes the brutish question;]

The hell you gonna walk to around here?

[monsterdaddy]

[Bratty brother mode auto-activates, and he swats blindly at Leona's tail with the arm he isn't using to hide his face.]

Nowhere? Just, around.

[effortaverse]

[THWACK. THWACK. now it's pretty obviously deliberate.]

You're gonna make way more noise walkin' around.

[and then, unafraid to be the asshole, Leona asks;]

What, you need a lullaby?

[monsterdaddy]

Ugh, no, of course not. How old do you think I am?

[...

Peeks just a little bit over his arm.]

You sing, Leona?

[effortaverse]

Enh.

[And there goes any eye contact they were making. Yes, he does, but admitting to enjoying anything ever is for people who aren't walking danger bombs.]

Practically everyone in the world knows a lullaby or two. I'm no different.

Graveyard | Week 3 | IDK, Tuesday?

[monsterdaddy]

[A couple days out from it, the excitement of finally reaching the others has receded, at least for Yoojin, to a vaguely frustrated simmer. Trapped here, his energy only has so many outlets. Ranma and Yuri are as settled as they're likely going to get, and while Eui teaches herself how to type, it doesn't seem like there's much for any of them to do besides somehow endless house chores and watching the master's side suffer.

Winding down with Leona at the end of each day is a godsend. Yoojin can yap away until he finally reaches a quieter place within himself, where sleep is even possible--and Leona's solid weight is proof and promise against nightmares. He can't know how grateful Yoojin is for that.

Yoojin's starting to get to that calmer, relaxed place when he turns to his buddy, musing.]

Hey, Leona. Do you get headaches?

[effortaverse]

Got a new one every day by a new name,

[Grumbles Leona, prickly by default, but ultimately not terribly bothered. And as his curiosity gets the better of him, he abandons his snarkier comment to add;]

What, do you mean since we died?

[monsterdaddy]

Yeah, and just in general. I see you go like this...

[He copies a motion he's seen Leona make probably at least a dozen times by now, the hand brought to the temple. It could practically be sign language for "migraine."]

And I was wondering, that's all.

[effortaverse]

[Leona watches Yoojin mimic him for a moment, speechless. He closes his eyes and lets out a huff;]

Yeah, that's right. I get 'em real easy.

Especially when dealing with others.

[monsterdaddy]

I was just asking, yeesh.

[He laces his hands behind his head and flops back, not quite sleepy yet, one knee raised.]

That's good, anyway. Dunno if we've got painkillers available on this side.

[effortaverse]

Ehn.

[Leona's tail smacks against the ground a few times as he considers, lifting his arm to look at the scratches left by Jade on his arm.]

Oh well.

[He lets his arm fall to his chest again.]

Stay out of trouble, then.

[monsterdaddy]

[Yoojin volleys back easily:] You stay out of trouble.

[Turns his head towards Leona without getting up.]

Does that still hurt?

[He makes a vague gesture at Leona's arm.]

[effortaverse]

Didn't hurt much in the first place.

[He lies, very easily. It actually stung like shit while it happened, but it was worth getting Jade to at least consider they may not be dead.]

My hide's thicker than yours.