[Yoojin snickers, then opens it up into a full laugh.]
No way. You're all kinds of sharp, Leona. Still, that's a lousy way to have to live. I mean, for starters, the back pain from hunching over all those books!
[Leona looks at Yoojin's hand, and then into his face, quiet with an unmoving expression like a cat. It's clear he's thinking something, but he doesn't speak for a moment, until;]
[He yanks both hands back to the fishing rod and sits up on one knee, tugging back on the line to try to firmly hook the fish. With excitement, he starts to reel.]
Come on, come on, come to papa...!
[But, because I rolled two tails and a heads, the fish slips away before he can pull it from the water.]
[The grin on Leona's face says so. He's about to talk a lot of shit about Jack, but somehow, there's nothing but warmth in his voice.]
See, this guy would be right on your radar. Brand new baby frosh, huge as a motherfucker.
Wolf beastman about as tall as he is wide. Real brick house kinda guy, right?
Except he's nosy as all get out. Jack Howl can't keep that puppydog nose of his out of anyone's business if he thinks they're up to somethin' that ain't befittin' of his high and mighty standards.
He's a real ace at spelldrive, too. Fast.
But the man runs everywhere he goes like some kind of freak, so spelldrive just ain't enough for 'im, and he's only competin' in the inter-dorm lineups.
[Leona can see Jack liking Yoojin, too, is the thing. That boy would eat up all the praise Yoojin would give him. And man, would it be something to see what Yoojin's unique magic (as Leona thinks of it) could do to one like Jack's...]
Yeah, we do trips. Survival training, other shit like that. Gone mining, before, too.
[That's something he knows about extensively, though not for actually doing it himself. Pointing out where the most magestones would have formed during the natural process and directing others to recognize those signs so they'll get out of the god damn cave and let him sleep? Hell yeah.]
Spelldrive is a mage's sport that combines multiple methods of play between two teams. You've got two goals at each end, a Spelldrive disk propelled by the defense team's magic, some ground based defense, and aerial-based offense. Points are scored by getting the Spelldrive disk past the goalkeeper.
[Leona isn't what most people would call excited about Spelldrive, but he's very obviously more awake and attentive than he was before.
Congratulations! Yoojin has unlocked: Leona's Genuine Interest #1!]
[Leona notes that repetition. He also notes that Yoojin apparently wants to move on.]
Goalkeeper, obviously. Takes a real monster to get past me.
[God damn Malleus. A monster so formidable, he makes Leona slinging a magic frisbee halfway across a field and straight into a tiny hoop look like child's play. The only goal keeper who's a match for Leona.]
Things aren't so stationary, though. A goalkeeper can be tasked with makin' a scoring shot in an instant, if the tides turn.
[Leona doesn't seem any more excited than before, but his tail sure does keep twitching at the end.]
Not sure how well we'll be able to do it here, but if you want to know the rules...
[He starts to draw in the dirt, describing the rules of spelldrive, which are never really fully described in canon, but Leona sure seems to know the deal. He even runs Yoojin through some of his go-to plays, and while the severity of the crease in his brow never fades, it's so very clear this is something he's serious about.]
That's really all takes to taste the sweet reward of victory.
The explanation of spelldrive sucks Yoojin in, though, as he imagines how he'd deploy his crew as a team. The clarifying questions he asks are sometimes silly, but go miles towards helping him construct the game in his mind. Yoohyun, Yerim, and Noah as strikers in the air, Song Taewon and Kim Sunghan on defense, the infuriatingly versatile and capable Sung Hyunje as goalkeeper... he can picture it as clearly as he can see Leona's face now.
That's his team.
So when Leona pronounces his statement, Yoojin beams with whole-hearted agreement.]
Yeah!
[It doesn't even matter that the fish have eaten the bait off his hook. Fish aren't the point of this exercise; this is. Having a good time.]
[Yoojin smiles like the sun, and Leona leans back on his palms again to bask in it. But like any cat, it's a bit bright, so he turns his face away and stares out at the pond instead. Still, the corners of his mouth stay upturned, an ear pointed Yoojin's way.]
Anyway, we should quit yappin'.
All this noise is keepin' the fish away.
[Read: too much enjoyment for one day, but maybe he's not too terribly mad about it.]
[Surprisingly, Yoojin does manage to keep himself mostly quiet after that. He hums a little here and there, re-baits and -casts his line, and occasionally wiggles the rod to interest the fishies--but he lets Leona have his space, figuratively speaking. He smiles to himself all the while.
When they don't catch dinner (the flipped coins have spoken), that's okay.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monsterdaddy) wrote2025-04-29 12:06 pm
no subject
[Did he pause there? Nah, 'course not. He shifts in his seat, like he has to get comfortable again.]
It wasn't always easy, but it's hard to keep someone like me down.
[He nudges Leona's elbow with his own.]
What about you? What do baby princes do for fun? Not fishing, apparently.
[Noctis would cry.]
no subject
I studied magic. And then for work, I studied more magic.
And then after that— you wanna guess?
no subject
no subject
no subject
No way. You're all kinds of sharp, Leona. Still, that's a lousy way to have to live. I mean, for starters, the back pain from hunching over all those books!
no subject
I relax plenty. And I'm an athlete, too.
Just so happens my sport benefits from having players that are at least half-decent mages.
[He looks down at his hand, though, flexing and un-flexing.]
Guess that puts me off the team, for now.
no subject
When Leona looks at his hand, though, Yoojin reaches over and puts his own on Leona's shoulder.]
Just for now. Your magic'll come back, I'm positive.
no subject
Your line's pullin'.
no subject
[He yanks both hands back to the fishing rod and sits up on one knee, tugging back on the line to try to firmly hook the fish. With excitement, he starts to reel.]
Come on, come on, come to papa...!
[But, because I rolled two tails and a heads, the fish slips away before he can pull it from the water.]
Aw, man...
[Sighing, he reaches for another worm.]
no subject
Tough break.
[It feels like a metaphor, really. Something just out of their grasp....but maybe this isn't as futile as it feels.]
no subject
Well, plenty of fish in the pond. Not like dinner really depends on this, either.
[There's food in the pantry and refrigerator every time he checks. They'll be fine. They're not out here to slake that literal kind of hunger.]
You were saying, about your team?
[Was Leona saying anything? Yoojin prompts him anyway as if he were.]
no subject
[Leona points out, but carries on regardless.]
Depends on which team you wanna know about, though.
See, I manage both the dorm team and the spelldrive club.
Which you might think would be the same set of guys, but some little puppydogs are traitors and wanted to run around in circles all day instead.
no subject
[He gives Leona his full attention, eyebrows lifted high.]
That sounds juicy, I wanna know about that.
no subject
[The grin on Leona's face says so. He's about to talk a lot of shit about Jack, but somehow, there's nothing but warmth in his voice.]
See, this guy would be right on your radar. Brand new baby frosh, huge as a motherfucker.
Wolf beastman about as tall as he is wide. Real brick house kinda guy, right?
Except he's nosy as all get out. Jack Howl can't keep that puppydog nose of his out of anyone's business if he thinks they're up to somethin' that ain't befittin' of his high and mighty standards.
He's a real ace at spelldrive, too. Fast.
But the man runs everywhere he goes like some kind of freak, so spelldrive just ain't enough for 'im, and he's only competin' in the inter-dorm lineups.
More like jack-ass.
no subject
[BIG WOLF MAN FAST BOY. Yoojin's eyes shine. What he's imagining is a young Song Taewon with wolf ears, Naruto running all over the place.
He hasn't even met Jack Howl, and he loves him.]
Honestly, I'd love to take your whole school dungeon raiding. Do you guys do field trips? Happy to provide snacks and chaperones.
[The chaperones might even include responsible adults. Like Song Taewon.]
Then we could all go watch one of your games or something! I have no idea what spelldrive is, but it sounds fun.
no subject
Yeah, we do trips. Survival training, other shit like that. Gone mining, before, too.
[That's something he knows about extensively, though not for actually doing it himself. Pointing out where the most magestones would have formed during the natural process and directing others to recognize those signs so they'll get out of the god damn cave and let him sleep? Hell yeah.]
Spelldrive is a mage's sport that combines multiple methods of play between two teams. You've got two goals at each end, a Spelldrive disk propelled by the defense team's magic, some ground based defense, and aerial-based offense. Points are scored by getting the Spelldrive disk past the goalkeeper.
[Leona isn't what most people would call excited about Spelldrive, but he's very obviously more awake and attentive than he was before.
Congratulations! Yoojin has unlocked: Leona's Genuine Interest #1!]
no subject
[Yoojin repeats that absently to himself, but spelldrive is inherently more interesting--and reminds him of fewer things he'd like to forget.]
Are there different positions, like in soccer? Which do you play?
no subject
Goalkeeper, obviously. Takes a real monster to get past me.
[God damn Malleus. A monster so formidable, he makes Leona slinging a magic frisbee halfway across a field and straight into a tiny hoop look like child's play. The only goal keeper who's a match for Leona.]
Things aren't so stationary, though. A goalkeeper can be tasked with makin' a scoring shot in an instant, if the tides turn.
no subject
[He loses himself somewhat in those thoughts, bobbing his fishing rod idly up and down.]
Think we could recreate a version of it here? Then I can learn it and bring it back to them.
no subject
Not sure how well we'll be able to do it here, but if you want to know the rules...
[He starts to draw in the dirt, describing the rules of spelldrive, which are never really fully described in canon, but Leona sure seems to know the deal. He even runs Yoojin through some of his go-to plays, and while the severity of the crease in his brow never fades, it's so very clear this is something he's serious about.]
That's really all takes to taste the sweet reward of victory.
Quick thinking, solid planning and a loyal team.
no subject
The explanation of spelldrive sucks Yoojin in, though, as he imagines how he'd deploy his crew as a team. The clarifying questions he asks are sometimes silly, but go miles towards helping him construct the game in his mind. Yoohyun, Yerim, and Noah as strikers in the air, Song Taewon and Kim Sunghan on defense, the infuriatingly versatile and capable Sung Hyunje as goalkeeper... he can picture it as clearly as he can see Leona's face now.
That's his team.
So when Leona pronounces his statement, Yoojin beams with whole-hearted agreement.]
Yeah!
[It doesn't even matter that the fish have eaten the bait off his hook. Fish aren't the point of this exercise; this is. Having a good time.]
no subject
Anyway, we should quit yappin'.
All this noise is keepin' the fish away.
[Read: too much enjoyment for one day, but maybe he's not too terribly mad about it.]
no subject
[Surprisingly, Yoojin does manage to keep himself mostly quiet after that. He hums a little here and there, re-baits and -casts his line, and occasionally wiggles the rod to interest the fishies--but he lets Leona have his space, figuratively speaking. He smiles to himself all the while.
When they don't catch dinner (the flipped coins have spoken), that's okay.
Yoojin got what he was fishing for.]
no subject
He'll manage to catch dinner the next time, probably, when that's what actually counts.]