theafflicted | 06

06 - week six

WEEK SIX

Sunday starts with more aches and pains than you might be used to. Florence patched people up after Saturday’s lesson, sure, but it’s not a complete cure - not to mention it doesn’t ease the sting of betrayal. Some classmates that you thought would cooperate wound up breaking your trust in the end, and this week will be interesting with the fallout.

It’s hard to say what this week will have in store otherwise. Things are changing, and it’s not clear what this means for all of you. On the bright side, however, the creatures and places you once knew from home have suddenly disappeared, so that's less that you need to worry about. There are new areas for you to look at as well.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

FLORENCE / LORELEI

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[ They sure are!

Gentaro's got a couple of books tucked under his arm, and when he steps inside, he looks somewhat alarmed. Mostly, he's confused for several reasons. Chief of which being-- ]

How in the world did you get in here?

I used the door.

[Obviously? How else would he get in, geez.]

[ Can you blame him for asking when he's so bewildered? Gentaro composes himself and shuts the door, then places the books on his bed as he crosses over. ]

I see. [ .......... ] I suppose a better question is why are you in here?

So I could make tea.

[He motions to the boxes.]

And deliver this.

[Could he offer more explanation than none at all? Yes. Will he? Ehhhh.]

[ ??????????????? ]

Oh, my. Are you finally attempting to woo me, Owen?

[ This is weird! But he's also far from opposed to... whatever's going on here. He sits across from Owen.

He pulls the boxes toward him. ]

You even brought presents. I'm touched.

Are you, now? You don't even know what's in those boxes. It could be something horrible and vile, that only your very nightmares could conjure up.

[He says, while he busies himself pouring the heated water in the kettle into a tea pot, not even looking up at Gentaro while he does this.]

Ah, that would truly be a tragedy... Giving me a false sense of security with tea? Horribly dastardly. Have you no shame?

[ He's really not used to getting gifts, so he's a little flustered. He hides it well, though, even as he opens the boxes. He's definitely stunned, and it takes him a moment before he looks at him. ]

... You know, this is far from horrible and vile.

Of course I don't. Nothing shameful about any of that.

[Does Gentaro really think Owen's ever felt shame in his life? smh

But then the boxes are open, and the cat is out of the metaphorical bag.]

Maybe they're poisoned. You don't know.

[The response is immediate, almost defensive, as if Owen is offended Gentaro would think the cookies are nice.]

[ Gentaro severely doubts that they're poisoned. Rather, without hesitation, he tries one of the cookies. It doesn't escape him that Owen went to all this trouble. Part of him wonders if Owen wants something, but he sweeps that thought away.

Once he's done with the cookie, he chuckles softly. ]

Well, if they are poisoned, I suppose I'm doomed. I do doubt you'd desecrate sweets in such a way, though.

[Owen glances up at him, as if he's actually surprised Gentaro actually at the cookie.

He turns back to the tea pottle, gauging whether or not the tea is ready before deciding on one more minutes.]

...They're not poisoned, but it's not just because I wouldn't eat poisoned cookies.

[He did eat a cursed candy apple once, after all.]

Oh?

[ Well, now he's curious. He tries very hard to not think about why Owen is here, brewing tea, with gifts that he'd spent time on. Even the mug is surprising as he lifts it out of the box and turns it over in his hands. ]

Now I must ask what your reason is.

[ Not just the cookies, of course. Gentaro can't fathom what would prompt Owen to do all of this for him. ]

[Don't overthink it, Gentaro, even if Owen is now pouring the tea and seems to have even brought along milk and sugar for it if Gentaro is so inclined...]

Do I need one? I do what I want to do whenever I want to do it. That's all there is to it.

[That... probably doesn't actually make this any easier to digest, but. That's how it is!]

[ Oh, he's definitely inclined. He also looks lightly amused, because.... yeah, that sounds about right. ]

Keeping me in a state of anticipation? I hope you'll make it up to me.

[ He adds a bit of milk and sugar into his tea, and he can't help but think that he really has thought of everything. ]

I do appreciate this, teasing aside. I'm not quite used to something like this.

What would make it worth your while?

[Which is more sarcastic, but. Hm.

Owen pours his own cup of tea, adding sugar but forgoing milk. As long as it's sweet enough, it's okay.]

You seem like the sort of man who has people tripping all over themselves to please you.

Revealing that would ruin the fun of you trying to find out, hm?

[ But, ah. Gentaro sips his tea. He's not stalling, per se.... ]

In some ways. My fans--I don't doubt their sincerity, and they've been nothing but kind in their letters and at signings. I appreciate it, of course, but they know only "Yumeno Gentaro, the author" and not who I truly am.

As for Dice and Ramuda, there's never been a need for that sort of thing. I'm grateful for it. It's far more genuine and meaningful that way.

So you want me to work hard to please you?

[Owen!!!]

…So what does it mean to you that I’m doing this? It’s just tea.

[As Gentaro has said himself that Owen doesn’t know anything about him.]

[ To the first, all he does is laugh quietly. And to his next question...

He doesn't answer at first. He visibly hesitates, like he's not quite sure of himself. It's a complicated question, or maybe he's just overthinking things.

Then again, it's a bit of both. He looks into his teacup, as if it holds the answers. ]

Hmm. [ He looks at Owen, tilting his head just slightly. ] It may just be tea, but it's also the other things you've brought me. Weeks ago, this wouldn't have happened. Neither of us would have allowed it. I doubt then you would have showed me such thoughtfulness.

[ A pause, and Gentaro still levels his gaze at him. ]

On the surface, it's just tea. In my memory, that was just tea and cake, but it represented a turning point for us. This all holds a deeper meaning, wouldn't you agree? In other words... it means more than I could ever convey.

[Owen meets his gaze for just a moment, before he looks away, down at the tea in his hands.]

...

[He takes a sip.]

...You saw a part of me that I wasn't even aware existed. That... was a gap in my memory I didn't understand, that I couldn't place, but you...

[He's not very good at things like this - vulnerability like this is a weakness that would get you killed, and Owen has never gotten close to anyone. He has always been a person who was alone no matter how close he was to other people. Even at the manor, with all the other wizards, there was a distance. There were wizards there who detested him or feared him because of who - and what - he is.

This place has been... refreshing, in a way, though Owen will take that thought to the grave over and over again. Nobody here has had those same prejudices against wizards - especially Northern wizards - as the humans from his world, and while it's frustrating when it means people don't take him seriously or see him as a threat... It's even stranger when people don't immediately assume the worst of him. Sometimes it feels like a bad things, but sometimes...

It feels like Owen is adrift. Lost and searching for something he cannot place, which is equal parts frustrating, terrifying, and exhilirating.]

It doesn't matter. Just drink the tea. This doesn't mean anything more than that.

[But he's not as convincing of a liar as Gentaro is.]

But I'm still here.

[ That's all. It's just simply said, because sometimes, you need someone to say they're here. He wonders if Owen will catch onto the deeper meaning of that--that Gentaro, who's loyal when he cares (cares-- and yet, that sounds about right) about someone, will never abandon or leave them alone as long as he can help it. Even if he can't, he'd tear down the sky to make it happen.

... Anyway.

A liar knows a liar, especially one as unconvincing as Owen. He doesn't stop looking at him, too. As if it's an act of open defiance--though he doesn't see it as such--Gentaro sets his cup down and folds his hands in his lap.

It's strange to be seen, and to see someone else in return. Gentaro had thought maybe they'd never even get along or have a civil conversation. This, though... it's something else completely. It feels as if the very air is charged with something that, maybe, Gentaro is too hesitant to put a name to. ]

If this doesn't mean anything more, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't have even done any of this, would you?

[ It's not an accusation. His voice is soft, because he knows what it feels like to feel backed into a corner. And-- Strangely, Gentaro doesn't want to do that. He isn't sure when things shifted, but they have, and all he can do is follow this path and see where it takes him. ]

...

[There's a lot of things he could say - he could point out that, well. Gentaro doesn't know any better. Or maybe Gentaro only actually stayed because he wanted to see Owen at his weakest, that maybe he'll hold it against Owen some day.

But for everything Owen is, he can read people. He might not always know the intricacies or why people do the things they do, but it's hard to draw the reactions you want out of people if you can't read them, if you can't look at them and see what they're like. Gentaro... does seem like the sort of person who would harbor someone's secrets and weaknesses and use them against them, but the way he's treated Owen - and the way he's treating him now - this... is not one of those things he will hold over Owen.

It kind of pisses him off - it's not a feeling of being looked down on. That's a feeling Owen is more than used to, between knowing Mithra and Oz and the twins for so many centuries, and it's not pity. Understanding is a foreign thing - it's not like there have been many people who tried to understand him, and it's not like he understands himself, and being so vulnerable is infuriating anyways. So it pisses him off, but not in a way where Owen wants to tear Gentaro apart or make him miserable or anything like that.

He doesn't want to talk about what things mean. He doesn't want to think about it. It makes his skin crawl and his stomach twist.]

Shut up. You talk too much.

[This experiment, course, whatever, has just proven that there will always be things outside of his control no matter how powerful he gets or where he ends up in the world. There are some things he just cannot do or cannot guarantee, and there will always be too many questions.

He has no idea what the hell to do about any of this. About everything, but mostly about... all of the people here. There are people like Riku who are so far away from who he is, and then people like Madara and Cater who are entertaining and interesting, and people like Hien and Fai who are familiar and remind him of home.

And then there's Gentaro, who is somehow all three of those things at once, and... He doesn't know what to make of the man, or even what's drawn him here and has compelled him to do all of this. So he does what he always does, which is follow his impulses.

He sets his cup down on the floor, which might become a problem for future Gentaro and Grimnir, but then he's crossing the room and putting his hands on Gentaro's shoulders and pushing him backwards, down onto the mattress.]

You think too much, too. You're tying us up into knots in your mind, aren't you? Thinking about what I mean to you, figuring out what you think about me, trying to decide if you hate me or if you don't, and trying to figure out what I'm thinking, too. Are you tearing yourself up? Does it make you sick to realize you might not hate me, you might not loathe me, you might not find my disgusting and vile anymore? Or have you realized you never thought that to begin with?

[His face is getting very, very close now.

Also, the hypocrisy of him saying Gentaro talks too much smh...]

It could mean nothing or it could mean everything. That will depend on what you want.

[And... Owen has no idea what Gentaro wants. At all.]

[ Instinctively, he stiffens just a touch when Owen grasps his shoulders and pushes him back. It's not the person doing it, but rather-- it's just the act itself. It lasts only a moment, and he's gazing up at him, somewhat hesitant and uncertain.

Just a bit. Then again, this is new territory. And new territory means trying something new and different, too, so Gentaro doesn't look away as he touches a hand to Owen's wrist. It's the gentlest touch, not meant to push away or harm. He's not entirely sure what its purpose is. Maybe it's the very human urge to connect to someone. ]

I may talk too much, but you assume too much. [ He's never been this close to someone, not like this. ] I won't deny that I did dislike you initially, but when you find someone who reminds you of yourself, perhaps it isn't so abnormal.

[ He pauses, as if he's trying to decide on something. What he wants... Gentaro thinks he knows, but no one has ever asked him so bluntly and directly. With Dice and Ramuda, it's an instinctual thing--Gentaro sees no need for them to ask, because they know him so very well. They're an outlier, though. But this--it's something else. Here's Owen, asking so directly, so close, and Gentaro isn't sure how to sift through those feelings and land on a way to convey it. ]

You've brought up what I want. I can't help but wonder if anyone has asked you the same. So, Owen: What do you want?

[The hesitation and uncertainty aren't much of a deterrence for Owen - even if he's surprised that's all there is. He was half-expecting that Gentaro would shove him away, appalled, not just... accept what's happening. It just makes it harder to sort through the jumble of thoughts in his head, to sort out what it is he's feeling right now.

Harder still to figure out what he wants. Owen isn't typically one to shy away from his desires when it comes to things like power, sweets - but he's usually the sort to take what he wants. Being asked, being given things, is... He's too prideful and stubborn to just accept things being given to him, but it's either this place or Gentaro himself that has him feeling like it wouldn't be a slight for once.

Maybe it's made him even more selfish to the point that it doesn't matter how he gets what he wants.]

Right now, at this moment? I guess I could say I want you.

[Which is the closest thing he's going to get to a warning before Owen kisses him.]

[ He'd known that something had shifted between them, but this is something else entirely. Shockingly, Gentaro's experience with physical intimacy is nonexistent, and especially with someone he's known for less than two months. Despite that, Gentaro doesn't mind at all.

It's nice, actually, the feeling of being close to someone like this. So. He wraps an arm around him while he slides one hand into his hair. Gentaro kisses him back, following his lead. If his lack of experience is notable, then that's fine with him.

But he doesn't let Owen go, nor does he push him away. He does just the opposite: The arm around him tightens just a touch so he can hold him close. ]

[The lack of experience is... incredibly apparent, but it's almost cute. Almost. Not completely. Totally not actually cute.

It means Owen will have to do all of the work - will actually have to work to please Gentaro, his words from earlier already coming back to haunt him - but just this once, that's fine. He can just have Gentaro make it up to him later, because Owen is treating him so well right now.

He pulls back enough to speak - which might be the last thing Gentaro wants, considering - but the first thing he does is laugh.]

Is this not something you do often? I can tell.

[i will not add more action to this thread to preserve the sanctity of this wholesome christian painshare game even if this thread is not long for the comm]

You're lucky to have someone like me to take care of things.

[ He lets out a quiet huff, and not just because of the laughter. It's not the kind of laughter that sets him on edge, though. Strange, that.

But this is a very strange place with very strange people, and Gentaro takes it as it is. He's pretty strange himself, after all. ]

You sound so certain of yourself. [ He is very deliberately ignoring Owen's first quip. ] I hope you can back it up. I'd be disappointed otherwise.

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06 - week six

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