[ He corrects, without anything more than a hum in his throat at first. He's still watching her draw patterns, leaning in with the same comfortable ease he has with all the people he cares about, but especially with Shi Qingxuan. Easy intimacy with her is just that--easy. ]
I don't mind. They just have a lot of rules and all the rest... less military than a military, at least. Makes it easier to mostly follow.
[ He considers his answer before responding to her. ]
... If I don't, I won't get to be as involved with the people we bring in through the Iris center.
[ He did before he joined, but he has more reason to be there and access to the moon now that he is. The rest, the fighting for the city against all manner of things which are unreasonably strong, that... that isn't fixed if he ignores it, either, so he'd rather face it head on.
Then at least he's doing something. ]
We don't have a lot of depth of knowledge of the things we're facing, but the Moon Knights try to adapt and keep putting themselves between people with no fighting skills and those who'd want to hurt them. It's... not what I might have made of myself back home, but it feels like something I have to try while here.
Shino is a noble and caring person. [ Is Shi Qingxuan's comment to that, because it is true. Shino's choices come from a place she can understand completely. With his answer, she feels like she understands why his first response was so tepid, too. ] Wanting to be part of something that protects people is only natural. Even if it's not something you would have chosen in your own world, circumstances are different here.
[ And now she is drawing the outline of a dog on his skin. ]
Do you like working with the people who just arrived on Iris?
[ He makes a somewhat scoffing noise at noble, but not caring. Noble is a tangled concept anyway, and sure, he's been motivated by noble reasons before, but that hasn't always gone well, has it? Life is a constantly learning curve. He's most keeping up with the learning. ]
Mm, they're as confused as any of the rest of us were when we first got here. Helping like people had helped me is nice, yeah.
[ But he's really there always watching for family or friends showing up. They haven't yet, but still.
Shaking off those thoughts, he stares down at the dog being drawn on his arm. ]
A dog?
[ Hah, and a smile to go along with it. ]
Never knew you were an artist.
[ Lies, but he's shifting away from talking about work. This whole event, it ties into some good and some not great related to it, but overall, he's happy to be here. Particularly with her. ]
[ Scoff all you want, Shino, it's still true! He is a kind and noble person who cares deeply and sympathizes easily. A good man!
That said, he doesn't need to say he wants to look out for his family for Shi Qingxuan to know, or at least unconsciously understand, that he wants that. Regardless, she's also fine changing topics - especially if he's going to compliment her!
She chuckles proudly. ] This is nothing much! Really, Shino...
[ Please feel free to compliment me more! ]
If I had more space, I could draw more, though.
[ But sadly, Shino always seems to prefer these tight-sleeved styles, and with a coat over top, he really won't be able to roll them up... ]
What, like a bathhouse? I'm not stripping down in anywhere inappropriate!
[ He's also finally... starting to blush, now that he's standing. What the heck!? What is she even suggesting?! None of this is helped by having to look up at her. ]
[ He objects, flustered, but then he's moving forward and now tugging her along as he winds through the crowd. Closing doors and public indecency with Shi Qingxuan has a very fluid and loose definition in his experience, but he can get a hint once it weasels into his awareness. They can at least head out the doors and onward to—sure, Shi Qingxuan's apartment. ]
[ She says so very matter-of-factly. Her sense of public decency is...well, a little handholding isn't even bad by this world's standards! She wasn't going to take him to a side closet and mess around with him there!
(She was totally going to do that.)
They start their walk to the QingLian apartment, and— ]
Hm? Why wouldn't he be? Ah, I'll let him know that we left ahead, but Xie-xiong is more than capable of looking after himself. He's not a child; he's even older than me.
[ He says, still red across his cheeks but also sounding a bit dry as he looks over at her. They make it out into the night air, refreshingly cool compared to the heat inside the building. Overhead, the moons are bright in the sky, three spheres covering different parts of a dark expanse littered with hints of starlight at the far fringes.
He settles into stride with her, annoyed he's always shorter, but... not as much right now as when Shi Qingxuan is in his birth form. His free hand rubs at the back of his neck while they walk down the sidewalk, heading toward the teleporter nearby. ]
It's not that he's not capable, it's just that it's the three moons... And people were getting intense in there. Did you smell it?
Mostly I want to go to my apartment... But our bath there is nice, don't you think? Public baths are nice, but there's no comparison to your own private bath.
[ And we have soaps and bath oils that smell like ripe fruits and fresh flowers...
As they walk, Shi Qingxuan interlaces her fingers with Shino's, feeling some small degree of pride and a larger sense of contentment just from walking beside him. Just a walk under the moons with him would be nice, too... But right now, they're heading back to the residential district. ]
I didn't smell anything? [ ???? ] Do you think he'll be affected by another person's scent? He has a strong will and a strong body. He isn't someone that can be taken advantage of so easily.
I'm not saying I think public ones are better, just some can be private, I've been in those!
[ Once or twice, enough to know they exist. He squeezes her hand once their fingers are laced together, leaning in toward her without thinking about it. The night air continues to be a welcome respite... though the longer they're in contact out here, without distraction, the more he's feeling warm in a different but familiar way. He glances around, confirming the part of the street they're on has no particularly prying eyes looking their way, and goes up on tip-toe to press a chaste kiss to her temple, in pace with their walking speed. ]
Mm, your nose isn't as sensitive as mine, huh? Don't worry about it, it was all a headache. Just we're Iris, and some things definitely don't help make that easier, that's all.
[ The kiss to her temple is equal parts amusing and surprising, and she laughs easily. This sort of open affection is so easy with Shino, she hugs his arm closer to herself in place of embracing him. Shino is the one with the touch-reactive skin today, but Shi Qingxuan's face still warms up from these touches. ]
The scents in the air would make anyone's brain addled. [ She knows this to be true, and she also knows that those scents aren't easy to control. ] But Xie-xiong never told me the details of what he experiences with Iris. He always wants to be closer during Iris, so I can see how having scents that make anyone want that would wear down an Iris-blessed person's resolve...
Mm, I wonder how much it changes for him... it's annoying.
[ Is his (rather grumpy) assessment as he continues to lean into Shi Qingxuan, like her words about wanting to be closer were true for not just Xie Lian. (They're not, but Shino's always like that anyway, really, so what's the difference?) His arm is a series of reactive and slow to fade colours where they touch, renewing in brightness the longer the contact lingers. ]
Is how bad Cordis messes with you different each time, or is it usually the same?
[ Shi Qingxuan has no desire to break their contact, so she keeps holding him close, their shadows linked together as they enter the transporter. ]
It's hard to say... He changes animals sometimes, and sometimes he has more animalistic traits than others, but I don't know what might be going on for him that I can't see...
[ Anxieties and wants he's keeping hidden away beyond cuddling against his side with a flushed face... ]
Ah, for me, it's fairly consistent. You've seen some of the worst that can happen to me, but the mental changes aren't any easier to deal with. Wanting to have everything is dangerous here.
[ It's a fair assessment of a reality Shino likewise understands, and he doesn't speculate on how Xie Lian feels in any given Iris or Triple Moons; he might ask, but for now, he lets it lay quiet between all of them.
His focus is on Shi Qingxuan, and her words: how wanting everything is dangerous, and he understands, or thinks he does. (He doesn't in specifics; he doesn't know about her brush with chroma deprivation.) ]
Isn't that true everywhere?
[ He says, patting down his pocket to pull out his comm for payment at the transporter, now that they're on the platform properly. ]
You can want everything I have, and that's fine, since you're—
[ The transporter chooses that moment to activate, thus swallowing his ending words: ]
[ Since she's...what? Ah, these machines are so noisy! She should have just flown him back home...
She swings their hands back and forth between them and waits for it to quiet down before she leans over and kisses the shell of his ear. ]
Since I'll give everything I have to you?
[ She finishes for him, knowing perfectly well Shino wouldn't say something like that, but she can't help but to tease him.
And, she is delicately choosing to let Shino draw his own conclusions about the dangers of "wanting everything." That's not a current fear either of them need to have, and it's not something she wants to break the mood with now. ]
[ It's a tease, and not what either of them meant, though he doesn't correct her. He does blush again, leaning his head away, like her kiss tickled. He has to shake off the feeling lingering from transportation, even now, so many months later, thrown off by the sensation. ]
Sure, sure, whatever you say, Lord Wind Master.
[ Shino, not inclined to chase after what she means in particular, simply lets it go. Pressing is only important when he pings to wanting an answer when he sees an evasion, which is not the case here.
Instead, he picks up their pace a little, walking off lingering effects of teleportation and knowing these streets after months of walking them, to where he's not even vaguely concerned about getting lost.
In some parts of the city, he still does. Just not this part. It feels more like home. ]
[ Her pleased giggles are cut off just as quickly as they start with the transport taking no time at all.
She really wishes she just carried him home now... Her eyes close for a moment as they step outside, willing her stomach to settle down. It's been nearly a year, and she still isn't used to that!
Admittedly, she can count the number of time she's used one of those things sober on one hand, and when she's drunk, it isn't like feeling sick or dizzy is strange. She lets Shino guide them out, trusting him even if she hasn't tried to focus her eyes yet.
Maybe it's abrupt to ask after several minutes of silence, but once she gets her bearings again, she circles back to that dropped topic. ]
But what were you going to say? I couldn't hear you in there, so I didn't catch it.
[ Teasing is all well and good, but she really does want to know Shino's true intentions back there. ]
[ He says, borrowing some of her sing song way of speaking, with a knowing, goading half-grin to go along with it. The silence has been peaceful, but the truth in the thought he'd had is not. It begs the question of why that's a known truth, and why it remains so.
He prefers when they don't linger overlong on such things as that. They're too heavy, in the end. ]
Maybe you can make me remember if you try. Let's see, it was about wanting this or that--
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ He corrects, without anything more than a hum in his throat at first. He's still watching her draw patterns, leaning in with the same comfortable ease he has with all the people he cares about, but especially with Shi Qingxuan. Easy intimacy with her is just that--easy. ]
I don't mind. They just have a lot of rules and all the rest... less military than a military, at least. Makes it easier to mostly follow.
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You don't mind it?
[ That whole answer is so lukewarm. Maybe it's how relaxed he is, his body leaning against hers as she enjoys reactive quality his skin now has. ]
Do you think you'll continue to work with them?
[ There's nothing accusatory in her soft voice; whatever Shino is feeling, Shi Qingxuan wants to know. And she knows Shino has plenty of feelings. ]
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... If I don't, I won't get to be as involved with the people we bring in through the Iris center.
[ He did before he joined, but he has more reason to be there and access to the moon now that he is. The rest, the fighting for the city against all manner of things which are unreasonably strong, that... that isn't fixed if he ignores it, either, so he'd rather face it head on.
Then at least he's doing something. ]
We don't have a lot of depth of knowledge of the things we're facing, but the Moon Knights try to adapt and keep putting themselves between people with no fighting skills and those who'd want to hurt them. It's... not what I might have made of myself back home, but it feels like something I have to try while here.
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[ And now she is drawing the outline of a dog on his skin. ]
Do you like working with the people who just arrived on Iris?
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Mm, they're as confused as any of the rest of us were when we first got here. Helping like people had helped me is nice, yeah.
[ But he's really there always watching for family or friends showing up. They haven't yet, but still.
Shaking off those thoughts, he stares down at the dog being drawn on his arm. ]
A dog?
[ Hah, and a smile to go along with it. ]
Never knew you were an artist.
[ Lies, but he's shifting away from talking about work. This whole event, it ties into some good and some not great related to it, but overall, he's happy to be here. Particularly with her. ]
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That said, he doesn't need to say he wants to look out for his family for Shi Qingxuan to know, or at least unconsciously understand, that he wants that. Regardless, she's also fine changing topics - especially if he's going to compliment her!
She chuckles proudly. ] This is nothing much! Really, Shino...
[ Please feel free to compliment me more! ]
If I had more space, I could draw more, though.
[ But sadly, Shino always seems to prefer these tight-sleeved styles, and with a coat over top, he really won't be able to roll them up... ]
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[ He says, giving him a bit of an odd look. ]
Not here, I guess, but anytime you wanted, really. It's fine.
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Even if I wanted to now?
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Not here, but sure, if you want. No one said we had to stay all night.
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Then let's go together. Shall we go to your apartment or mine? Or just somewhere private enough?
[ Cordis is a menace on decency. ]
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What, like a bathhouse? I'm not stripping down in anywhere inappropriate!
[ He's also finally... starting to blush, now that he's standing. What the heck!? What is she even suggesting?! None of this is helped by having to look up at her. ]
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[ Shino! You're blushing, so you must have an idea what she's implying! ]
Maybe we should go home... We can go to my place.
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[ He objects, flustered, but then he's moving forward and now tugging her along as he winds through the crowd. Closing doors and public indecency with Shi Qingxuan has a very fluid and loose definition in his experience, but he can get a hint once it weasels into his awareness. They can at least head out the doors and onward to—sure, Shi Qingxuan's apartment. ]
Is Xie Lian going to be okay?
[ Heading home on his own? ]
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[ She says so very matter-of-factly. Her sense of public decency is...well, a little handholding isn't even bad by this world's standards! She wasn't going to take him to a side closet and mess around with him there!
(She was totally going to do that.)
They start their walk to the QingLian apartment, and— ]
Hm? Why wouldn't he be? Ah, I'll let him know that we left ahead, but Xie-xiong is more than capable of looking after himself. He's not a child; he's even older than me.
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[ He says, still red across his cheeks but also sounding a bit dry as he looks over at her. They make it out into the night air, refreshingly cool compared to the heat inside the building. Overhead, the moons are bright in the sky, three spheres covering different parts of a dark expanse littered with hints of starlight at the far fringes.
He settles into stride with her, annoyed he's always shorter, but... not as much right now as when Shi Qingxuan is in his birth form. His free hand rubs at the back of his neck while they walk down the sidewalk, heading toward the teleporter nearby. ]
It's not that he's not capable, it's just that it's the three moons... And people were getting intense in there. Did you smell it?
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[ And we have soaps and bath oils that smell like ripe fruits and fresh flowers...
As they walk, Shi Qingxuan interlaces her fingers with Shino's, feeling some small degree of pride and a larger sense of contentment just from walking beside him. Just a walk under the moons with him would be nice, too... But right now, they're heading back to the residential district. ]
I didn't smell anything? [ ???? ] Do you think he'll be affected by another person's scent? He has a strong will and a strong body. He isn't someone that can be taken advantage of so easily.
Did you see something while we were in there...?
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[ Once or twice, enough to know they exist. He squeezes her hand once their fingers are laced together, leaning in toward her without thinking about it. The night air continues to be a welcome respite... though the longer they're in contact out here, without distraction, the more he's feeling warm in a different but familiar way. He glances around, confirming the part of the street they're on has no particularly prying eyes looking their way, and goes up on tip-toe to press a chaste kiss to her temple, in pace with their walking speed. ]
Mm, your nose isn't as sensitive as mine, huh? Don't worry about it, it was all a headache. Just we're Iris, and some things definitely don't help make that easier, that's all.
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The scents in the air would make anyone's brain addled. [ She knows this to be true, and she also knows that those scents aren't easy to control. ] But Xie-xiong never told me the details of what he experiences with Iris. He always wants to be closer during Iris, so I can see how having scents that make anyone want that would wear down an Iris-blessed person's resolve...
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[ Is his (rather grumpy) assessment as he continues to lean into Shi Qingxuan, like her words about wanting to be closer were true for not just Xie Lian. (They're not, but Shino's always like that anyway, really, so what's the difference?) His arm is a series of reactive and slow to fade colours where they touch, renewing in brightness the longer the contact lingers. ]
Is how bad Cordis messes with you different each time, or is it usually the same?
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It's hard to say... He changes animals sometimes, and sometimes he has more animalistic traits than others, but I don't know what might be going on for him that I can't see...
[ Anxieties and wants he's keeping hidden away beyond cuddling against his side with a flushed face... ]
Ah, for me, it's fairly consistent. You've seen some of the worst that can happen to me, but the mental changes aren't any easier to deal with. Wanting to have everything is dangerous here.
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His focus is on Shi Qingxuan, and her words: how wanting everything is dangerous, and he understands, or thinks he does. (He doesn't in specifics; he doesn't know about her brush with chroma deprivation.) ]
Isn't that true everywhere?
[ He says, patting down his pocket to pull out his comm for payment at the transporter, now that they're on the platform properly. ]
You can want everything I have, and that's fine, since you're—
[ The transporter chooses that moment to activate, thus swallowing his ending words: ]
—not trying to kill me.
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She swings their hands back and forth between them and waits for it to quiet down before she leans over and kisses the shell of his ear. ]
Since I'll give everything I have to you?
[ She finishes for him, knowing perfectly well Shino wouldn't say something like that, but she can't help but to tease him.
And, she is delicately choosing to let Shino draw his own conclusions about the dangers of "wanting everything." That's not a current fear either of them need to have, and it's not something she wants to break the mood with now. ]
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Sure, sure, whatever you say, Lord Wind Master.
[ Shino, not inclined to chase after what she means in particular, simply lets it go. Pressing is only important when he pings to wanting an answer when he sees an evasion, which is not the case here.
Instead, he picks up their pace a little, walking off lingering effects of teleportation and knowing these streets after months of walking them, to where he's not even vaguely concerned about getting lost.
In some parts of the city, he still does. Just not this part. It feels more like home. ]
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[ Her pleased giggles are cut off just as quickly as they start with the transport taking no time at all.
She really wishes she just carried him home now... Her eyes close for a moment as they step outside, willing her stomach to settle down. It's been nearly a year, and she still isn't used to that!
Admittedly, she can count the number of time she's used one of those things sober on one hand, and when she's drunk, it isn't like feeling sick or dizzy is strange. She lets Shino guide them out, trusting him even if she hasn't tried to focus her eyes yet.
Maybe it's abrupt to ask after several minutes of silence, but once she gets her bearings again, she circles back to that dropped topic. ]
But what were you going to say? I couldn't hear you in there, so I didn't catch it.
[ Teasing is all well and good, but she really does want to know Shino's true intentions back there. ]
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[ He says, borrowing some of her sing song way of speaking, with a knowing, goading half-grin to go along with it. The silence has been peaceful, but the truth in the thought he'd had is not. It begs the question of why that's a known truth, and why it remains so.
He prefers when they don't linger overlong on such things as that. They're too heavy, in the end. ]
Maybe you can make me remember if you try. Let's see, it was about wanting this or that--
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