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[flaredo]

"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?"

[ Please specify VOICEMAIL, TEXT or CALL. ]

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[masakados]

[That fierce light is something else, he's thought not for the first time--]

Ah, yeah, I know in a second you're gonna try to get me off. But. Now we're even. [In pinning and he's also claiming this as a victory!! And then... He's going to release her wrist, flick a piece of her hair out of her face, and stand quickly, hopping back a step or two.]

[flaredo]

[ Yang's up quickly, dusting herself off as she takes a longer, deeper breath.

... And then she's moving towards him, hands loose at her sides. ]

[masakados]

... [Naoki, meanwhile, is tensed up like he's anticipating that she's going to try to flip him to the ground or something...]

[flaredo]

[ Understandable, but Yang only reaches up, letting her fingers graze his forehead, the mark over one eye as she nudges some of his hair away.

And then, smiling at him, she lowers her hand. ]

Now we're even.

[masakados]

[...

His heart lurched, and he doesn't know if it's because her fingers grazed one of his marks or not. The light of that mark flared a little in the wake of her touch and Naoki represses an urge to rub at it.]

And, like I thought, you didn't make it easy for me.

[flaredo]

[ Weird, did it just get brighter-- but she laughs now, taking a step back. ]

You like me because I give you a challenge, right?

[masakados]

Mmm-- Among other reasons.

[There're just a lot of things to like about Yang, all right?]

[flaredo]

Well, yeah, there's my charm, my energy, my sass, the fact that I give great shoulder massages--

[masakados]

Well, it looks like I don't even need to compliment you.

--though I can't say anything on the shoulder massages.

[flaredo]

Oh, you will. [ lightly cracking her knuckles. ]

Have a seat, Naoki.

[masakados]

[Just like that...] You know, cracking your knuckles like that doesn't really put me at ease.

[But he will actually sit.]

[flaredo]

Relaaaax, your body can take it. [ But she'll move behind him to settle on her knees, resting her hands on his shoulders and starting to apply firm pressure with circular motions of her thumbs. ]

[masakados]

[Enjoy probably the most tense muscles you've ever gotten to press your thumbs against, Yang-- Naoki makes a small nngh sound, going all quiet.

Well, he's never gotten a shoulder massage before.]

[flaredo]

[ HOLY CRAP-- ]

Since when did you have boulders instead of muscles?? Geez, you're all knotted up! You're worse than Dad!

[ This is serious, and she's going to have to give each muscle some proper attention, poking and pressing and kneading and massaging the tension out. ]

[masakados]

Ooh-- ow-- haha... am I really that bad?

[He's really not used to this, though, and her hands aren't exactly far from the broad tattoos on his back, nor the ones that frame his horn. He tries to forget about it, his hands occasionally pressing on his knees and curling into fists when she presses in her fingers.

...actually, it feels nice once the initial tension's been worked out, and he occasionally exhales a quiet sigh.]

[flaredo]

You're terrible. [ She says this emphatically, focusing on a knot as she moves over to his shoulder blades. She's quiet after that, concentrating on each point of tension, until she chooses to speak up a few minutes later. ]

Feel any better? Ready to sing my praises?

[masakados]

Mmmm.

[...Was that an answer? Affirmation to both? Maybe. Naoki's head has inclined forward, his eyes closed, though the light of his marks keeps flaring especially if she happens to brush one. He can ignore it, though, staunchly focusing on his shoulders feeling looser, less tight.]

Feels nice... I doubt you'd wanna hear me sing anything, though.

[Teasing, but there's not much behind it because he's distracted...]

[flaredo]

What, are you tone-deaf? That's hard to imagine.

[ She's still wondering about his marks, trailing her fingers curiously across one of the broader ones-- before she returns to simply kneading. If nothing else, he feels a lot better now. ]

[masakados]

[When she does, Naoki'll fall completely quiet and his back tenses slightly... before he forces himself to relax, don't want to ruin all her hard work. His face feels hot, though.]

True, though. There's, ah, a reason why karaoke was never a thing me and my friends used to do.

[flaredo]

Kind of a shame... [ But then Yang sighs, and Naoki will feel an additional weight as she drapes her arms over his shoulders and flops a little. ]

But there you go, all set!

[masakados]

Mmph-- [Naoki blinks, dipping down a bit (he wasn't expecting flopping), before he turns his head to look at her with a smile.]

Thanks, O shoulder massage master.

[flaredo]

Relax a little more next time, Demon Lord. [ And she jokingly wriggles her fingers. ] I feel like my hands are about to fall off!

[masakados]

[Naoki laughs.] I'll try.

I get a next time, though? I should promise to give you a hand massage in turn. [He nudges back against her playfully.]

[flaredo]

I won't say no, if you're offering! And as long as you're tense, I'll promise I'll knock it out of you somehow.

[masakados]

Knock it out of me, huh... [Yang, your phrasing. But he's laughing again, twisting one of his hands to find a piece of her hair to absently toy with.]

Sure, I'll take you up on that.