video. (backdated to mid-afternoon)

Everything has turned out kind of funny, strange— well, in a really good way, I mean.

[ alois trancy, too feminine, baby-face with springtime sky giant daydream crumb eyes, is resting his chin against the edge of a desk. familiar to some, and not to others, pretty and light voiced. he isn't looking directly at the camera, he seems half preoccupied with watching something else not far off screen.

there are crayons, watercolors, paintbrushes, and pastel covered pieces of paper close by, even under chin. ]

I think I might be a little scared, [ understatement, ] by how wonderful things have gotten so quickly. What if I waste too much time blinking and everything good flies away? Only the best of the best, the things really worth having, like to fly off or drop dead. It always happens, and I keep expecting it not to happen at all, even though I know it will. I'm not so sure I'm not only just sleeping right now. It's so strange, things are so strange. [ there's a pitch in his voice here; his own reality is shaking him. when you go from being locked up without anything for four years, expect being beaten, and a quiet house, to have the things you desire most drop into your lap in rapid succession—isn't that cause for constant panic?

don't you want to cling tighter?

this is alois, now.

too long lashes lower half-way (they can't see it, but he's gazing at unprofessionally painted swans and adonis blues), ] I might be falling in love with Marina. Sometimes I have to close my eyes and make sure my heart hasn't stopped beating, run out of steam, from all the things pouring into it. I'm really—

Ah! [ suddenly, he's sitting up very straight, looking much more attentive than he had. ] That's right. An order of business: Ciel Phantomhive, just how long do you intend to avoid me?

( (optional) action. )

[He'd spent a good bit of the day watching it wherever he could. Windows, still water, mirrors, anything that would work. Currently, Conrad finds himself standing before the koi pond with a soft smile. The ocean would have been more fitting, but the very waves that made it so also made it a poor surface for a reflection.]

[His wish is simple enough. And though different each time, there's only one thing that matters: Yuuri. Seeing him smile in that unfettered way of his, not a worry to be had. This particular time they're in the dome still, throwing a baseball around and chatting easily, Wolfram off to the side with an easel and palate.]

[And Diva -- she's nowhere in the water's surface. But she is back at the tower, waiting for him. Just another moment and he'll go. He'll risk her punishment if he can have a few more glimpses of this.]

[After the end of her shift, PM spent some time setting up the break room of the post office into a dinner space for this evening. this seems familiar, somehow She promised Eridan a meal together and this is the best night for it where something didn't come up and her personal life wasn't a ridiculous mess. Only after setting up does she realize that it's more likely to be Eridan's breakfast than a dinner, but hopefully he won't mind a heavy meal to start his night.]

[It will be nice to get to know the little troll better. They've had a number of pleasant conversations, and weird-but-still-okay conversations. What better a way to spend an evening than to make friends? Absolutely nothing can possibly go wrong. No way.]

[Coffee brewed and table set, PM heads to the front to wait for Eridan.]