"Heeey, you've reached Yang! Well, actually, you didn't reach far enough, 'cause I'm not here right now! But don't yang up! Just leave a message on this baby, and I'll get back to you soon enough, okay?"
[Naoki goes blank-faced and puzzled as he sorts that one through. Wait, 'cause they're meeting up? Is that jumping to conclusions? Nnngh don't say nice things to him, Yang.
He turns quickly to one side and indicates with a thumb.] It'll be even better when we're out of this crowd. C'mon, let's walk.
[Naoki nods slowly, rubbing his hand against the side of his head.]
It could be that. I mean, with all of the time I spend in ViViD... I've never noticed any people in it who looked lost in the last couple of weeks. If there were a ton of people lost in there somewhere, they'd probably be feeling panicked...
[He trails off with a thoughtful look, like the words hold some significant meaning to him.]
[ It's because he trails off, and because of how he words it that has Yang's steps slow as she considers the statement. Not "I would have seen them", or "I would have heard panicked noises", but... ]
[He pauses before slowly elaborating. He almost steps past her, too, reacting to her slowed pace too late, but slows himself to walk next to her:] I can sense emotions to a degree. I pick up on negative ones better, though, like fear or panic.
[He laughs, in fact, surprisingly.] So your monsters and my demons really are a lot alike. Demons in my world sense negative emotions and feed off of the energy made from them. Because my body is a demon's, I sense them too.
[And he's certain... even while he might not draw energy directly from someone... he still gets strength from it. That's why he doesn't need to eat that much. He doesn't look forward as he asks, seemingly as though it doesn't bother him:] Does it creep you out?
[ Yang's got no sense of fondness for the creatures of Grimm, and the fact that they were drawn to negative emotions hadn't really surprised her.
But she's also not close-minded. There was a lot of discrimination against the Faunus, still, the reason Blake had felt it necessary to hide what she was. Naoki may have the body of a demon, but he and his rainbow snake hadn't been bad.
It's only a few seconds, before she reaches out and ruffles his hair. ]
Why would it? Didn't I say when I met you that the most important thing was that you were Naoki? If that's just something you can do, that's fine with me.
[ He should be able to tell if she was unsettled or uneasy or disgusted, if he can sense those emotions-- and none of that is present. ]
[Naoki's still not looking over-- even if he can't sense unease, fear, or distrust, there're other ways one can think. So when he sees her hand moving out of his periphery he stops mid-step and then he's blinking owlishly at her as she ruffles his hair.
He's not used to this. Isamu and Chiaki had readily leapt to calling him a demon, a demi-fiend while dismissing who and what he'd always thought he'd been. Who had acknowledged him as a human? Futomimi. Anyone else... He felt as though, by the end, Isamu and Chiaki had forgotten Naoki had ever been their friend.
You're really weird, he thinks fondly, and reaches up to smooth his palm over the hair she ruffled.]
I'll run out of abilities to surprise you with eventually, [is what he says at last, though what he wants to say is thank you.]
[ Yang snorts at that, hand falling back to her side as she commences walking again. Good, it looks like he's not letting this weigh too heavily on him. ]
Then you'll have to find other ways to surprise me. Should be fun, right?
[There's only one reason for that: and that's Yang's easy acceptance. How could he let it weigh on him heavily when she treats him like... well, like himself? Like a person? Like a friend, like how he wishes Isamu and Chiaki would've treated him.
He watches her get a few steps ahead before following.]
Challenging is what it sounds like. I'm guessing you don't make it easy.
[He smiles and raises an eyebrow at her when she looks back at him. A quick step or two brings him up to walk next to her, his hands in his pockets.] Just tough. I don't back down just 'cause something's challenging.
[Well where we don't have a Shoujou Protag, we have Naoki, who actually does blush because sincere things get him every time. And he turns his head to the side again so she doesn't see.]
I think that's just your fighting spirit or something talking.
[That's a good question... Naoki's taking his sweet time thinking, too. He doesn't really go by places often and think "oh hey that'd be a good place to get some alone time". Barring the apartments--] There's the gardens in the residential district.
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Except no, not really, and she slows to a stop as she clasps her hands together behind her back and shoots him a grin. ]
Now it's a good day!
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[Naoki goes blank-faced and puzzled as he sorts that one through. Wait, 'cause they're meeting up? Is that jumping to conclusions? Nnngh don't say nice things to him, Yang.
He turns quickly to one side and indicates with a thumb.] It'll be even better when we're out of this crowd. C'mon, let's walk.
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So, did I miss anything exciting?
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Nothing that I can think of. ViViD was the same as usual.
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I mean, I figured it wouldn't be that simple... maybe they just didn't have any luck pulling people here this time.
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It could be that. I mean, with all of the time I spend in ViViD... I've never noticed any people in it who looked lost in the last couple of weeks. If there were a ton of people lost in there somewhere, they'd probably be feeling panicked...
[He trails off with a thoughtful look, like the words hold some significant meaning to him.]
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Feeling... huh?
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[He pauses before slowly elaborating. He almost steps past her, too, reacting to her slowed pace too late, but slows himself to walk next to her:] I can sense emotions to a degree. I pick up on negative ones better, though, like fear or panic.
[Which is just kind of a part of who he is.]
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Don't... take this the wrong way or anything, but you kind of just described the monsters in my world.
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[He laughs, in fact, surprisingly.] So your monsters and my demons really are a lot alike. Demons in my world sense negative emotions and feed off of the energy made from them. Because my body is a demon's, I sense them too.
[And he's certain... even while he might not draw energy directly from someone... he still gets strength from it. That's why he doesn't need to eat that much. He doesn't look forward as he asks, seemingly as though it doesn't bother him:] Does it creep you out?
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But she's also not close-minded. There was a lot of discrimination against the Faunus, still, the reason Blake had felt it necessary to hide what she was. Naoki may have the body of a demon, but he and his rainbow snake hadn't been bad.
It's only a few seconds, before she reaches out and ruffles his hair. ]
Why would it? Didn't I say when I met you that the most important thing was that you were Naoki? If that's just something you can do, that's fine with me.
[ He should be able to tell if she was unsettled or uneasy or disgusted, if he can sense those emotions-- and none of that is present. ]
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He's not used to this. Isamu and Chiaki had readily leapt to calling him a demon, a demi-fiend while dismissing who and what he'd always thought he'd been. Who had acknowledged him as a human? Futomimi. Anyone else... He felt as though, by the end, Isamu and Chiaki had forgotten Naoki had ever been their friend.
You're really weird, he thinks fondly, and reaches up to smooth his palm over the hair she ruffled.]
I'll run out of abilities to surprise you with eventually, [is what he says at last, though what he wants to say is thank you.]
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Then you'll have to find other ways to surprise me. Should be fun, right?
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He watches her get a few steps ahead before following.]
Challenging is what it sounds like. I'm guessing you don't make it easy.
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[He smiles and raises an eyebrow at her when she looks back at him. A quick step or two brings him up to walk next to her, his hands in his pockets.] Just tough. I don't back down just 'cause something's challenging.
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[ Things Yang Xiao Long Says that every Shoujou Protag would at least blush over. ]
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I think that's just your fighting spirit or something talking.
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Also, you're blushing.
[ YES, SHE WILL POINT IT OUT. ]
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[IMMEDIATE DENIAL... And in a desperate bid to change the subject:] Where are we going, anyway, Yang?
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[ Yang, behave. ]
I didn't really have a place in mind, you just said we should walk.
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[HOW MANY IS THIS NOW. He sighs and shakes his head.]
Let's figure out something to do, or we're just going to make loops of the whole colony.
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That's no good-- what's a good spot for some alone time?
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[That's a good question... Naoki's taking his sweet time thinking, too. He doesn't really go by places often and think "oh hey that'd be a good place to get some alone time". Barring the apartments--] There's the gardens in the residential district.
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[ Mostly because she's running around somewhere else. But she'll adjust her course accordingly. ]
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