[While Ren would like some answers to that question himself, honestly he's not sure how the minutiae of it works here either. So he just has to shrug, holding their hands up a little as he does out of habit in making the motion.]
I'm not sure, but it seems to work like that for anyone who has anything above "normal" human ability back home...even if that power is normal for their world, I think. So if it's any kind of power you tap into that's stronger than what a human could do without anything fancy, it seems to burn through Chroma.
[He's definitely making it sound like he's experienced this more through other people than in his own right, since he doesn't tend to offer the fact that he has powers himself very easily. Though it's probably accurate to say that he's seen it happening with others more often than he's used his powers enough to run into it himself.]
[ Okay, that makes no sense, but it sounds like it's consistent, not targeted. Murasame consumes a lot of this whatever that they make by holding hands and the rest? It gives him a headache, trying to keep any of this straight! Enough so that he's lifting both his hands (and one of Ren's) to try and hold his head as he groans. Congratulations to the back of your hand, Ren, it's now pressed to Shino's forehead. ]
How is this stuff so involved with everything...? It's money too, isn't it? Money, which is energy, but not electricity, and we need it just to let ourselves be as normal as we can?
[ Just what is normal about a bird in your arm, Shino? One that makes another noise and issues a: ]
Normal!
[ Like he's supporting this point about being normal with an eye that opens on the back of Shino's palm. The eyeball rotates to examine Ren, then blinks closed again and recedes into Shino's hand, leaving it nothing but flesh and tattoo again. ]
[Ren steps a bit closer so his arm isn't just stretched out while Shino has his moment about this, though he looks remarkably casual about the fact that his hand is being appropriated otherwise.
Also, he's just going to give that hand eyeball a cheerful wave before it rotates itself away again, because why not.]
The money and energy thing is kind of confusing, but that's just how it works here. There's probably reasons it developed like this, but you'd have to go looking for information about that kind of stuff.
[Ren does do his reading on this stuff on occasion, but if he bothers to put that kind of effort into something, he's going to make other people put in that same amount of effort to find it out as well. Unless it's vitally important somehow or something he can leverage with a larger audience, but that's fairly rare.]
Anyway, it's not too bad. Just get into the habit of holding some hands and you should be fine.
[ He's grousing and he knows it, but come on, dealing with all of this is pretty ridiculous, right? Ren, who continues to be way too cool with Murasame, isn't even bothering Shino so much about it now. Largely because he allowed Shino to borrow his hand in order to hold his head. Thanks, Ren.
He drops their hands back down, turning to look up at Ren. ]
Is there any faster way of making chroma?
[ You'd think with the questions asked on intake he should have this answer. Instead, Shino stopped answering and tuned out things that got into invasive territory, and hasn't hugged anyone since he left the moon.
Frick, he left the moon. That's a thing here. They visit the moons. ]
[Ren shrugs a bit at the mention of it being annoying, which looks like he's doing it in the sense that he can't do much about it being annoying, but is more like in the sense of him just thinking that's in the eye of the beholder. It's not all that difficult for him, really, since he does a lot of that sort of thing by force of habit.
The question that follows gets a brief blink, like Ren doesn't usually get it (because a lot of people do have that much information by the time they get to him), but he answers it promptly enough.]
You get more Chroma the more intimate the act is...so holding hands gets you the lowest amount, and then it progresses up through hugging and kissing and so on.
[Ren makes an upwards slanting motion with his hand, which continues for a pointed few moments after that "so on". Though the oblivious sort of look he's wearing doesn't really lend itself to making it look like he knows what he's implying.]
[ Shino, once again, brain glosses past "and so on" like he has no idea what Ren's talking about, though he does, if he cares to think about it. It's not something he applies to himself, but yes, okay, he'd get it if it was going to be helpful. ]
Huh.
[ There he is, using his free hand to hold his chin as he considers, then looks at Ren, totally dead serious. ]
Can I get a half hug?
[ They're holding hands so there's no way they can do proper hugs, he's Very Knowledgeable about this, okay. (He's not, but he doesn't want to logistic how you do this while holding hands. ]
[A "half-hug" sounds a little odd to Ren, but that might just be because he does have enough experience with hugging to logistics his way around this issue. So he tilts his head a bit at the suggestion before turning to face Shino.]
If you want a hug, couldn't we just do it this way? [With the held hands on one side and the free ones on the other, Ren steps forward and moves to wrap that free hand around Shino, then tests how far he can get his other arm around him without bending Shino's in an unpleasant way. It's not perfect, but he figures he should at least be able to get his other arm a tiny bit around his back or at least past his hip without the positioning of Shino's arm attached to it becoming uncomfortable.]
[ He doesn't fight Ren's lead, though it's a bit like a strange dance step that ends in an odd... arm... twist? What does he even call this? If Ren could properly see his face, he'd see how unconvinced Shino was that this had anything to do with being better than a side hug that maybe could have worked looping joined arms over one head. Alas, now here's here, feeling the difference immediately.
Sighs, that's just so warm and comfortable even if his hand is oddly at his side and it looks like they're both incapable of figuring out a normal hug. Thanks, Amegahara foxes! ]
I'm not sure this is a better idea.
[ He states, but he's also subtly leaning in. For a few beats of his heart, at least, he can soak up a stranger's presence like it's a reassurance, before shifting back and saying, ]
I'll need our arms for a moment.
[ He's planning on summoning Murasame to see what kind of energy hit he takes for leaving him summoned instead of riding along in his body alone. ]
I'm sure it's fine~ [Ren sounds gently unconvinced by that particular protest, considering the way Shino leans in briefly, but he at least doesn't outright point it out. Yet. He might save that one for later.
Still, they can't exactly walk around while they're like this, so Ren steps back at the request, tilting his head slightly.]
Are you testing something out...?
[If it's specifically their arms he needs, he's going to assume it's not just him being weird about the hugs. Even if he's met way too many people here who get weird about hugs. He prefers not to make that assumption about people, because it really makes things here a lot harder than they need to be.]
[ Hey! ... Shut-up! A hug is still a hug, and that's probably nice in most circumstances!
Either way, Shino hums an acknowledgement to Ren's question, waiting until he has enough room to partly turn and hold their joined arms straight out away from them. He's testing the whole chroma hypothesis, which means when he calls out: ]
Murasame!
[ They both get hit with the not so metaphorical wind of Murasame's summoning out of Shino's body, the air around them both stirred up and tugging their hair every which way, pulling at the fabric of their clothes. The tattoo on his arm seems to burn from within its black lines, and the call of a crow accompanies the appearance of skeletal finger-like wings that thrust out (telling, because no wings have bone structures like this, but it's how Murasame's built) and a crow lifts himself from the restraints of flesh pulling him down into Shino's forearm.
Just as suddenly, and brilliantly, as this happens, the wind dies down, Murasame takes flight with another rallying cry, and Shino's arm looks undisturbed, and tattoo free. Murasame circles over both their heads, tilting his head to the side and coming in to land on Shino's free shoulder.
For his part, Shino figures Ren has either already been way too cool about all of this, or is only now going to be uncool, so he simply reaches up with his free hand while their joined hands fall back between them, scratching the feathers of Murasame's head. ]
How are you feeling?
[ The bird considers this, answering with: ]
Beef?
[ Which if the blink and look of minor disgust on Shino's face means anything, it's that his demon is more food brained than helpful right now. He presses his head down and scoffs, since it also means that Murasame is feeling more energetic if he's stomach motivated and not doing something unpleasant like demanding blood. Even if he starts to lean forward to stare at Ren, like he's contemplating if Ren qualifies as beef. ]
[Ren is still completely fine with the presence of this weird arm-spewed bird demon, so the only thing that really throws him about it is being in range to get swept up in the wind a little this time. In fact, he's unerringly attentive to the horrific details of the transformation in a way that might be a bit creepy. Still, he recovers from the windsweeping rather quickly (once he shakes his hair out of his face), and offers Murasame another cheerful wave when the bird lands.
Ren's manner does not get in any way less cheerful when the bird starts eying him as if it might be considering his edibility.] I don't think there's any food shops near this tree that sell beef, but it probably wouldn't take more than a few minutes to find one, either. Do both of you get hungry when you get summoned or just one of you...?
[Which is a very odd way to phrase the question of whether Shino wants to spend some of this however long they're going to be linked together getting lunch for themselves and a demon bird, but hey, everything else about this conversation has been weird. It's not like Ren's general oddball nature is going to top the whole bony arm summoning business.]
[ Ren is strikingly normal when compared to Shino, who staunchly defends himself as Normal. Very Normal. Thanks.
Weird as it was at first, the continued calm with Murasame's entrance is... okay, still weird, but not the bad weird. More the, what the heck has this guy gotten used to in his life kind of weird, especially with that repeated wave. Murasame eyes Ren, seems to squint and stare at him for a moment, then clacks his beak. ]
Little darkness.
[ He announces, which has no context for Shino, who looks at Ren and raises an eyebrow. Does he know what the crow's talking about?
Oh, but that question! He blinks and finds himself starting to smile. Ugh, food sounds so good. ]
I'm usually the only one feeling real hunger, he just likes eating.
[ Unsaid, and likely to remain that way: when Murasame is hungry, it's Bad News. The fact Murasame likes to try eating things is more a personality facet than a necessity, because when he needs to eat, people die or end up getting their blood bitten out of their bodies. #joyousdemondays ]
This means we're making some kind of money, right? [ He squeezes Ren's hand, eyes brightening. Why? Because he can afford to eat more than conservatively, if he's right! ] Let's find a beef place! Or anyplace, as long as liver's not involved!
[ Ren's lucky Shino has no idea where to go, or he would have started leading the way with enthusiasm. As it is, he gets Shino and Murasame looking up at him in tandem, though only Shino looks eager. Murasame at least doesn't look like he's thinking about eating Ren anymore. ]
[Murasame could honestly be referencing one of at least two things in saying "little darkness", and neither of them is anything Ren particularly wants to explain to someone he just met, so he shrugs with a look of confusion when Shino raises a brow at him. He's perfectly aware that if the demon can read energies, Ren probably reads as dark even disregarding that tiny whisper of a fragment of nothing deep in his heart, but it's not something he generally broaches freely.
Thankfully, the topic of food gives him an easy out to change the subject, as does the question about Chroma. It's weird to understand even for someone economy-minded like him, so Ren gives a light hum of assent at the question.]
Holding hands doesn't usually generate that much, but since we've been doing it for such a long time, it's going to keep doing it...so we should be able to get something good.
[He turns briefly on the spot before starting to lead them off in some direction.]
I think there might be a teppanyaki place near here... [Might. Maybe. If Ren's sense of direction isn't on the fritz again.]
[ The bright side is Shino is less sensitive to these things when Murasame's outside of him as it is, or you know, someone isn't dying (death is a smell that he always picks up on), and whatever energy Ren does have isn't the same as what he feels back home... so he sure doesn't linger on it past making a mental note that Murasame noticed something was up.
Food is a more immediate and important topic than anyone pegged as little darkness, particularly when the guy in question is holding hands with what might as well be freaking giant darkness through no particular fault of his own. ]
A little adds up, it adds up! Plus, did the hug count for anything?
[ As someone who has not eaten much, and not eaten well, since he woke up on the moon, he's much more food oriented as a way of dealing with the rest of everything going on, including his increasing frustration over finding no sign of anyone from home here, and hearing how long the Moonblessed are going on being in this place without a sure-fire way home. Hearing people randomly disappear, and people think they return home, doesn't help!
So while he's bound to someone willing to go find a meal with him, he's taking advantage of it. Maybe they can skip along the way some smaller, caustic part of him thinks, but he lets the thought go.
He goes along easily enough, more at ease than maybe he should be, but trusting in this guy's sense of direction.
As the one who would just send Murasame to find Sousuke whenever he was lost in a new place, Shino's not exactly the type to overly worry about knowing exactly where he is. (Though really, without Sousuke here, maybe he should be.)
However... what is Ren talking about? ]
Teppanyaki? What kind of food is that?
[ Forgive someone from being pre WWII, but while he can break the word down into its parts, he doesn't know specifically what it means. Thus Ren gets a curious look that isn't asking after why he's a little bit of darkness, but instead, what in the world grilled plates is referring to, and if it's just as literal as it sounds. ]
It does...only a bit more than hand holding, but that's still something. [And, as Shino said, it adds up. Ren isn't concerned for Chroma himself, but when it comes to the newcomers, he tends to take more of a "teach a man to fish" attitude, in the sense of illustrating exactly how important it is that they get used to physical contact being a necessity here by not just buying things for them.
At the very least, the direction Ren's going in is taking them back in the direction of shops, so there's probably something over there even if it turns out he's gone the wrong way for the specific thing he's thinking of. Ren tilts his head a bit at the question, though, glancing back to look at Shino.]
Oh, are you one of those people who's from an older time...? [His tone says this isn't an uncommon conversation to be having here, but at least Shino doesn't seem quite as ancient as some of the people he's run into. As they walk, Ren gestures with his hand to indicate the shape of some kind of large, flat surface.]
It's more the way of cooking the food. It's done on a really big iron surface, and usually part of the fun is watching the chefs play around a bit with the food as they cook it. You can get a lot of things there, though - meat or vegetables or egg, basically anything you can cook on a big metal plate.
[Which is...most things, really. Big metal plates are a flexible cooking surface.]
[ A large, flat, metal plate sounds interesting, and different enough from the grills he's used to that he's instantly curious. The scents of foods waft from some of the shops they're heading toward, enough to goad his hunger and also his appreciation for learning about new styles of cooking that sound like...
Wait. ]
You're from a future time than mine. But still from the Empire of the Rising Sun?
[ Look, it's called the Imperial Capitol back in his time, going by longform older call-outs (or he supposes going with Nippon) is more because he's had it pointed out by now not everyone does. ]
This is making me hungrier... so the chefs cook it all right there for you, like at the street stalls in the Imperial Capitol?
[ ................. so anyway, he's from an older time. Just not that much older, but prior to the second world war. ]
[Well, if he's calling it that then Ren's definitely from a future time than him, and it's not just some weird coincidence that this guy doesn't know teppanyaki. Ren waves a hand rather casually at the question.]
We don't really use that name anymore other than when we feel like being fancy, but yes. It's not really an empire anymore, either.
[They do still have an emperor, but it's pretty much entirely a symbolic position, which turns it into more of a democratic monarchy type business. Ren's not really one to dig deep into politics when he doesn't have to.]
Right, they cook it in front of you. You can get things like that at food stalls as well - it's pretty common in Caihong too, actually - but it's more of a multi-course thing with teppanyaki.
[There's only so long you can hang around outside a street stall most of the time, unless they're specifically set up for people to sit down and stay a while. He finds that much less common with stalls than restaurants, though.]
[ He looks politely puzzled, but Shino as never all that invested in if Japan was an Empire or not; he's more curious what it is now because he has no guess, and it's such an odd thought for him out of the blue. ]
All your courses are cooked like that? This sounds amazing!
[ And the tantalising scent of food smells amazing, regardless of its origins. Shino's fairly enthused by this, tugging on their joined hands as he smiles at one of the Prismals waiting for a bus. He has no idea about these shelters or their function, but the older might-be-a-lady blinks her pretty, doe-like eyes up at them, her delicate ears flicking forward and her nose giving a rabbit-like twitch. She asks if she can help them, and Shino asks about the teppanyaki—not out of a lack of belief in Ren's navigation (he has no idea Ren is the worst navigator, about as bad as he is, only without it being because he grew up in the country and has never much had to navigate cities for himself) but more because he wants the best deal.
Which is how they're referred to a restaurant five streets away, through a zig-zag of names that Shino remembers, already flashing Ren a grin like, aren't you excited for this?! and restraining himself from anything like running and dragging him along.
Not that he's fully stopped himself from pulling Ren forward, but it's only so much that the woman laughs and makes a comment about young lovers and lunch dates that Shino doesn't hear (or care about, if he did), and waves them on their way. ]
No, we still have an emperor but they're not in charge anymore, I guess is the easiest way to say it... [Without having to explain actual politics things and the kinds of topics that Ren finds extremely dry.
Thankfully, the topic of food is an easy save, and Ren gives a little nod at his summation.] Right, it's like that. I'm sure you'll enjoy it~
[It certainly sounds like he's enthusiastic about the prospect of food in general, especially with how ready he is to ask for a pointer from the locals. Ren offers the woman a polite smile and wave as they depart, seemingly unfazed by the "young lovers" comment even if he looks more amused by it than anything else.
He'll be fine enough to let Shino tow them along if he wants to, though, since his own pace is relatively calm.] Well, that was easier than trying to remember the way myself.
[ He accepts that an Emperor isn't in charge anymore, since he doesn't care so much about those politics, too far divorced from his life. The Church has more presence, and who knows what to say or think about that? He doesn't even know much about them, either.
Though he probably should, all things considered. ]
What, you didn't actually remember?
[ He asks, definitely towing them along but having to stop at one of those Crosswalks he's learned about. It's still weird it's not legal to just... cross the street. Why this. When is it allowed? When is it not? What kind of law is this anyway?! ]
[Ren waves a hand like it's not important, naturally stopping at the crosswalk because when you live in a city as busy as Tokyo, that's just ingrained into you from the word go.]
Sometimes my sense of direction is a bit weird and I forget where things are, so it's good to get a second opinion. I might've remembered it, but I might not have.
[That's...unhelpfully vague, but since they know where they're going now, it's probably not important. As soon as the crosswalk light turns green, Ren gets them going again, because he's also used to having to get across roads pretty quickly to avoid five taxis unloading their horns at you for daring to exist on a road.]
[ Sensible for his time, less so for when Shino was walking the alternate Earth he's from. He capitulates to crosswalks, reluctantly and because in busier intersections he sees the merit, but regardless, it's a capitulation.
He has no room to judge, but he still levels Ren with a look of disbelief. ]
Doesn't that just mean you have a terrible sense of direction?
[ Shino: apathetic to directions. Ren: bad at them. Bless that he's not forgotten what they've been told, and while he's moving as soon as the light indicates they can, he's still shaking his head like the fact someone still tries navigating without asking his demon-crow to go find help is the weird one here.
(They're both weird.) ]
I got lost all the time in the Imperial Capitol, but I'd only been there for what, a few weeks? My biggest danger on the mountain was losing track of time.
[ Murasame's been sitting pretty on his shoulder, and he echoes what Shino says: ]
Losing track.
[ Which is more a reminder of the fact he... does in fact lose track of where he is and of time depending on his mood or level of distraction. Shino opts to ignore Murasame, taking them down another block toward their destination, closer to swinging their joined hands by now. His head's back in the good mood, going to eat soon place, and the rest of the tedious details are one's he's going along with for now. ]
this just reminds me of the dumb SMILES VS FOOD argument that was in another ccg anime
[Ren pouts a bit dramatically at the straightforwardness of that question, because as always, it's only fine to be straightforward when it's him pointing out everyone else's problems.]
You don't have to put it like that...I just forget where things are sometimes. [Like a door that was about three feet to his left that one time. Usually it's when he's focused on something else, but as aware as he might be of the people around him and what they're doing, that sometimes comes at the cost of maybe walking into a post or two.
Murasame's remark doesn't go ignored by Ren, though, and he points accusingly with his free hand towards Shino.] See, even your spooky crow says you lose track of things too.
[At least they're keeping moving, which lessens the chance that anyone's going to forget where they're going before they get there.]
... dare i even ask what this argument was/what that means
[ He says in return, lifting an eyebrow archly like this helps him make a point that losing track of time is not the same as losing track of his way.
Even though he does both, in unfamiliar places. ]
I said the only reason I got lost in the Imperial Capitol was because I was new.
[ Frankly, that means he should get lost here too, but unless someone else points it out, he's ignoring that particular logic. He doesn't contest his crow being creepy, since... creepy is definitely a valid assessment, and isn't something like "abnormal." He'll take creepy for the moment. ]
You at least stop to ask for directions when you're lost, right?
it was basically about which is more important to people who are downtrodden, it was very silly
How is that so different...? [Ren sounds rather doubtful about the fact that losing track of time is even remotely any better than losing track of direction, though he also does both. Often intentionally, with losing track of time, but also unintentionally when he's doing things like napping with his cat.]
I mean, if I get lost enough usually people can tell anyway, but of course I ask for directions. Or ask my phone for directions.
[The joys of map software for people who have absolutely no sense of personal orientation. A city like this which doesn't have a lot around it that can normally be accessed isn't exactly a difficult one to find those kinds of maps for, though he figures that kind of option wouldn't occur to someone who's from as long ago as this guy seems to be. Well before smartphones were a thing, at least.]
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I'm not sure, but it seems to work like that for anyone who has anything above "normal" human ability back home...even if that power is normal for their world, I think. So if it's any kind of power you tap into that's stronger than what a human could do without anything fancy, it seems to burn through Chroma.
[He's definitely making it sound like he's experienced this more through other people than in his own right, since he doesn't tend to offer the fact that he has powers himself very easily. Though it's probably accurate to say that he's seen it happening with others more often than he's used his powers enough to run into it himself.]
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How is this stuff so involved with everything...? It's money too, isn't it? Money, which is energy, but not electricity, and we need it just to let ourselves be as normal as we can?
[ Just what is normal about a bird in your arm, Shino? One that makes another noise and issues a: ]
Normal!
[ Like he's supporting this point about being normal with an eye that opens on the back of Shino's palm. The eyeball rotates to examine Ren, then blinks closed again and recedes into Shino's hand, leaving it nothing but flesh and tattoo again. ]
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Also, he's just going to give that hand eyeball a cheerful wave before it rotates itself away again, because why not.]
The money and energy thing is kind of confusing, but that's just how it works here. There's probably reasons it developed like this, but you'd have to go looking for information about that kind of stuff.
[Ren does do his reading on this stuff on occasion, but if he bothers to put that kind of effort into something, he's going to make other people put in that same amount of effort to find it out as well. Unless it's vitally important somehow or something he can leverage with a larger audience, but that's fairly rare.]
Anyway, it's not too bad. Just get into the habit of holding some hands and you should be fine.
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[ He's grousing and he knows it, but come on, dealing with all of this is pretty ridiculous, right? Ren, who continues to be way too cool with Murasame, isn't even bothering Shino so much about it now. Largely because he allowed Shino to borrow his hand in order to hold his head. Thanks, Ren.
He drops their hands back down, turning to look up at Ren. ]
Is there any faster way of making chroma?
[ You'd think with the questions asked on intake he should have this answer. Instead, Shino stopped answering and tuned out things that got into invasive territory, and hasn't hugged anyone since he left the moon.
Frick, he left the moon. That's a thing here. They visit the moons. ]
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The question that follows gets a brief blink, like Ren doesn't usually get it (because a lot of people do have that much information by the time they get to him), but he answers it promptly enough.]
You get more Chroma the more intimate the act is...so holding hands gets you the lowest amount, and then it progresses up through hugging and kissing and so on.
[Ren makes an upwards slanting motion with his hand, which continues for a pointed few moments after that "so on". Though the oblivious sort of look he's wearing doesn't really lend itself to making it look like he knows what he's implying.]
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Huh.
[ There he is, using his free hand to hold his chin as he considers, then looks at Ren, totally dead serious. ]
Can I get a half hug?
[ They're holding hands so there's no way they can do proper hugs, he's Very Knowledgeable about this, okay. (He's not, but he doesn't want to logistic how you do this while holding hands. ]
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If you want a hug, couldn't we just do it this way? [With the held hands on one side and the free ones on the other, Ren steps forward and moves to wrap that free hand around Shino, then tests how far he can get his other arm around him without bending Shino's in an unpleasant way. It's not perfect, but he figures he should at least be able to get his other arm a tiny bit around his back or at least past his hip without the positioning of Shino's arm attached to it becoming uncomfortable.]
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Sighs, that's just so warm and comfortable even if his hand is oddly at his side and it looks like they're both incapable of figuring out a normal hug. Thanks, Amegahara foxes! ]
I'm not sure this is a better idea.
[ He states, but he's also subtly leaning in. For a few beats of his heart, at least, he can soak up a stranger's presence like it's a reassurance, before shifting back and saying, ]
I'll need our arms for a moment.
[ He's planning on summoning Murasame to see what kind of energy hit he takes for leaving him summoned instead of riding along in his body alone. ]
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Still, they can't exactly walk around while they're like this, so Ren steps back at the request, tilting his head slightly.]
Are you testing something out...?
[If it's specifically their arms he needs, he's going to assume it's not just him being weird about the hugs. Even if he's met way too many people here who get weird about hugs. He prefers not to make that assumption about people, because it really makes things here a lot harder than they need to be.]
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Either way, Shino hums an acknowledgement to Ren's question, waiting until he has enough room to partly turn and hold their joined arms straight out away from them. He's testing the whole chroma hypothesis, which means when he calls out: ]
Murasame!
[ They both get hit with the not so metaphorical wind of Murasame's summoning out of Shino's body, the air around them both stirred up and tugging their hair every which way, pulling at the fabric of their clothes. The tattoo on his arm seems to burn from within its black lines, and the call of a crow accompanies the appearance of skeletal finger-like wings that thrust out (telling, because no wings have bone structures like this, but it's how Murasame's built) and a crow lifts himself from the restraints of flesh pulling him down into Shino's forearm.
Just as suddenly, and brilliantly, as this happens, the wind dies down, Murasame takes flight with another rallying cry, and Shino's arm looks undisturbed, and tattoo free. Murasame circles over both their heads, tilting his head to the side and coming in to land on Shino's free shoulder.
For his part, Shino figures Ren has either already been way too cool about all of this, or is only now going to be uncool, so he simply reaches up with his free hand while their joined hands fall back between them, scratching the feathers of Murasame's head. ]
How are you feeling?
[ The bird considers this, answering with: ]
Beef?
[ Which if the blink and look of minor disgust on Shino's face means anything, it's that his demon is more food brained than helpful right now. He presses his head down and scoffs, since it also means that Murasame is feeling more energetic if he's stomach motivated and not doing something unpleasant like demanding blood. Even if he starts to lean forward to stare at Ren, like he's contemplating if Ren qualifies as beef. ]
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Ren's manner does not get in any way less cheerful when the bird starts eying him as if it might be considering his edibility.] I don't think there's any food shops near this tree that sell beef, but it probably wouldn't take more than a few minutes to find one, either. Do both of you get hungry when you get summoned or just one of you...?
[Which is a very odd way to phrase the question of whether Shino wants to spend some of this however long they're going to be linked together getting lunch for themselves and a demon bird, but hey, everything else about this conversation has been weird. It's not like Ren's general oddball nature is going to top the whole bony arm summoning business.]
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Weird as it was at first, the continued calm with Murasame's entrance is... okay, still weird, but not the bad weird. More the, what the heck has this guy gotten used to in his life kind of weird, especially with that repeated wave. Murasame eyes Ren, seems to squint and stare at him for a moment, then clacks his beak. ]
Little darkness.
[ He announces, which has no context for Shino, who looks at Ren and raises an eyebrow. Does he know what the crow's talking about?
Oh, but that question! He blinks and finds himself starting to smile. Ugh, food sounds so good. ]
I'm usually the only one feeling real hunger, he just likes eating.
[ Unsaid, and likely to remain that way: when Murasame is hungry, it's Bad News. The fact Murasame likes to try eating things is more a personality facet than a necessity, because when he needs to eat, people die or end up getting their blood bitten out of their bodies. #joyousdemondays ]
This means we're making some kind of money, right? [ He squeezes Ren's hand, eyes brightening. Why? Because he can afford to eat more than conservatively, if he's right! ] Let's find a beef place! Or anyplace, as long as liver's not involved!
[ Ren's lucky Shino has no idea where to go, or he would have started leading the way with enthusiasm. As it is, he gets Shino and Murasame looking up at him in tandem, though only Shino looks eager. Murasame at least doesn't look like he's thinking about eating Ren anymore. ]
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Thankfully, the topic of food gives him an easy out to change the subject, as does the question about Chroma. It's weird to understand even for someone economy-minded like him, so Ren gives a light hum of assent at the question.]
Holding hands doesn't usually generate that much, but since we've been doing it for such a long time, it's going to keep doing it...so we should be able to get something good.
[He turns briefly on the spot before starting to lead them off in some direction.]
I think there might be a teppanyaki place near here... [Might. Maybe. If Ren's sense of direction isn't on the fritz again.]
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Food is a more immediate and important topic than anyone pegged as little darkness, particularly when the guy in question is holding hands with what might as well be freaking giant darkness through no particular fault of his own. ]
A little adds up, it adds up! Plus, did the hug count for anything?
[ As someone who has not eaten much, and not eaten well, since he woke up on the moon, he's much more food oriented as a way of dealing with the rest of everything going on, including his increasing frustration over finding no sign of anyone from home here, and hearing how long the Moonblessed are going on being in this place without a sure-fire way home. Hearing people randomly disappear, and people think they return home, doesn't help!
So while he's bound to someone willing to go find a meal with him, he's taking advantage of it. Maybe they can skip along the way some smaller, caustic part of him thinks, but he lets the thought go.
He goes along easily enough, more at ease than maybe he should be, but trusting in this guy's sense of direction.
As the one who would just send Murasame to find Sousuke whenever he was lost in a new place, Shino's not exactly the type to overly worry about knowing exactly where he is. (Though really, without Sousuke here, maybe he should be.)
However... what is Ren talking about? ]
Teppanyaki? What kind of food is that?
[ Forgive someone from being pre WWII, but while he can break the word down into its parts, he doesn't know specifically what it means. Thus Ren gets a curious look that isn't asking after why he's a little bit of darkness, but instead, what in the world grilled plates is referring to, and if it's just as literal as it sounds. ]
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At the very least, the direction Ren's going in is taking them back in the direction of shops, so there's probably something over there even if it turns out he's gone the wrong way for the specific thing he's thinking of. Ren tilts his head a bit at the question, though, glancing back to look at Shino.]
Oh, are you one of those people who's from an older time...? [His tone says this isn't an uncommon conversation to be having here, but at least Shino doesn't seem quite as ancient as some of the people he's run into. As they walk, Ren gestures with his hand to indicate the shape of some kind of large, flat surface.]
It's more the way of cooking the food. It's done on a really big iron surface, and usually part of the fun is watching the chefs play around a bit with the food as they cook it. You can get a lot of things there, though - meat or vegetables or egg, basically anything you can cook on a big metal plate.
[Which is...most things, really. Big metal plates are a flexible cooking surface.]
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Wait. ]
You're from a future time than mine. But still from the Empire of the Rising Sun?
[ Look, it's called the Imperial Capitol back in his time, going by longform older call-outs (or he supposes going with Nippon) is more because he's had it pointed out by now not everyone does. ]
This is making me hungrier... so the chefs cook it all right there for you, like at the street stalls in the Imperial Capitol?
[ ................. so anyway, he's from an older time. Just not that much older, but prior to the second world war. ]
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We don't really use that name anymore other than when we feel like being fancy, but yes. It's not really an empire anymore, either.
[They do still have an emperor, but it's pretty much entirely a symbolic position, which turns it into more of a democratic monarchy type business. Ren's not really one to dig deep into politics when he doesn't have to.]
Right, they cook it in front of you. You can get things like that at food stalls as well - it's pretty common in Caihong too, actually - but it's more of a multi-course thing with teppanyaki.
[There's only so long you can hang around outside a street stall most of the time, unless they're specifically set up for people to sit down and stay a while. He finds that much less common with stalls than restaurants, though.]
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[ He looks politely puzzled, but Shino as never all that invested in if Japan was an Empire or not; he's more curious what it is now because he has no guess, and it's such an odd thought for him out of the blue. ]
All your courses are cooked like that? This sounds amazing!
[ And the tantalising scent of food smells amazing, regardless of its origins. Shino's fairly enthused by this, tugging on their joined hands as he smiles at one of the Prismals waiting for a bus. He has no idea about these shelters or their function, but the older might-be-a-lady blinks her pretty, doe-like eyes up at them, her delicate ears flicking forward and her nose giving a rabbit-like twitch. She asks if she can help them, and Shino asks about the teppanyaki—not out of a lack of belief in Ren's navigation (he has no idea Ren is the worst navigator, about as bad as he is, only without it being because he grew up in the country and has never much had to navigate cities for himself) but more because he wants the best deal.
Which is how they're referred to a restaurant five streets away, through a zig-zag of names that Shino remembers, already flashing Ren a grin like, aren't you excited for this?! and restraining himself from anything like running and dragging him along.
Not that he's fully stopped himself from pulling Ren forward, but it's only so much that the woman laughs and makes a comment about young lovers and lunch dates that Shino doesn't hear (or care about, if he did), and waves them on their way. ]
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Thankfully, the topic of food is an easy save, and Ren gives a little nod at his summation.] Right, it's like that. I'm sure you'll enjoy it~
[It certainly sounds like he's enthusiastic about the prospect of food in general, especially with how ready he is to ask for a pointer from the locals. Ren offers the woman a polite smile and wave as they depart, seemingly unfazed by the "young lovers" comment even if he looks more amused by it than anything else.
He'll be fine enough to let Shino tow them along if he wants to, though, since his own pace is relatively calm.] Well, that was easier than trying to remember the way myself.
n_n at each other in icons and i laughed
Though he probably should, all things considered. ]
What, you didn't actually remember?
[ He asks, definitely towing them along but having to stop at one of those Crosswalks he's learned about. It's still weird it's not legal to just... cross the street. Why this. When is it allowed? When is it not? What kind of law is this anyway?! ]
smile for the camera, or maybe just the food
Sometimes my sense of direction is a bit weird and I forget where things are, so it's good to get a second opinion. I might've remembered it, but I might not have.
[That's...unhelpfully vague, but since they know where they're going now, it's probably not important. As soon as the crosswalk light turns green, Ren gets them going again, because he's also used to having to get across roads pretty quickly to avoid five taxis unloading their horns at you for daring to exist on a road.]
why not both, both is good
He has no room to judge, but he still levels Ren with a look of disbelief. ]
Doesn't that just mean you have a terrible sense of direction?
[ Shino: apathetic to directions. Ren: bad at them. Bless that he's not forgotten what they've been told, and while he's moving as soon as the light indicates they can, he's still shaking his head like the fact someone still tries navigating without asking his demon-crow to go find help is the weird one here.
(They're both weird.) ]
I got lost all the time in the Imperial Capitol, but I'd only been there for what, a few weeks? My biggest danger on the mountain was losing track of time.
[ Murasame's been sitting pretty on his shoulder, and he echoes what Shino says: ]
Losing track.
[ Which is more a reminder of the fact he... does in fact lose track of where he is and of time depending on his mood or level of distraction. Shino opts to ignore Murasame, taking them down another block toward their destination, closer to swinging their joined hands by now. His head's back in the good mood, going to eat soon place, and the rest of the tedious details are one's he's going along with for now. ]
this just reminds me of the dumb SMILES VS FOOD argument that was in another ccg anime
You don't have to put it like that...I just forget where things are sometimes. [Like a door that was about three feet to his left that one time. Usually it's when he's focused on something else, but as aware as he might be of the people around him and what they're doing, that sometimes comes at the cost of maybe walking into a post or two.
Murasame's remark doesn't go ignored by Ren, though, and he points accusingly with his free hand towards Shino.] See, even your spooky crow says you lose track of things too.
[At least they're keeping moving, which lessens the chance that anyone's going to forget where they're going before they get there.]
... dare i even ask what this argument was/what that means
[ He says in return, lifting an eyebrow archly like this helps him make a point that losing track of time is not the same as losing track of his way.
Even though he does both, in unfamiliar places. ]
I said the only reason I got lost in the Imperial Capitol was because I was new.
[ Frankly, that means he should get lost here too, but unless someone else points it out, he's ignoring that particular logic. He doesn't contest his crow being creepy, since... creepy is definitely a valid assessment, and isn't something like "abnormal." He'll take creepy for the moment. ]
You at least stop to ask for directions when you're lost, right?
it was basically about which is more important to people who are downtrodden, it was very silly
I mean, if I get lost enough usually people can tell anyway, but of course I ask for directions. Or ask my phone for directions.
[The joys of map software for people who have absolutely no sense of personal orientation. A city like this which doesn't have a lot around it that can normally be accessed isn't exactly a difficult one to find those kinds of maps for, though he figures that kind of option wouldn't occur to someone who's from as long ago as this guy seems to be. Well before smartphones were a thing, at least.]
klajsdflkjasdf oh goodness, it sounds like it
thx yugioh arc-v for handling card games and interdimensional warfare at the same time
... wow
my first main rp muse was from it and it was delightful to try and explain
alskdfj that's........ kudos that you managed it laskdjf
he was my longest run in a game so i had plenty of time at least
down to a science by the time his run was over
it did help that there were actual serious war scenes b/c hard light holograms used as weapons
this sounds appropriately horrifying tbh
it involved building-sized robots levelling a city so yes
city destruction by robot is a valid horror
indeed it is
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