InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "overthrow the bourgeoisie"

Rainbow Bridge Mod (prismatic_mod) wrote in prismaticrpg,
@ 2024-01-04 10:27:00

Current mood:	productive
Entry tags:	! event, ! mistletoe, cirilla of cintra, eliot 'eli' ever, eliot waugh, frieren, geralt of rivia, goro akechi, himmel the hero, lestat de lioncourt, louis de pointe du lac, quentin coldwater, vanitas, victor vale

by the port || por el puerto
['Tis the season.

The season for arrivals.

Such as snow, for example. Well, it's technically not the season, given it's summer, but at the same time it's the holiday season, and so it's definitely the season for it. It doesn't matter if you try to argue against this perfect logic, because in any case the snow will arrive - a subtle frost first, then a solid white blanket covering it all. From the mountains in the Crimson Woods to the prairies near Sunset Village, but particularly around the south, at Tourmaline City and the port areas; roofs, pathways, parks, ponds and gardens will turn into a winter fantasyland, ideal for snow angels, sliding on sleighs, skating.... or simply staying home, cursing the weather from within a blanket coccoon. In fact, if you were lacking winter clothes in your closet, it's a great time to go stock up in stores, which will temporarily carry coats and scarves. Or you could just grab hot chocolate that will be sold around every corner. Or maybe join in on the holiday cheer and hang fairy lights or garlands, set up a colorful tree in your home, even buy some last-minute gifts.

But that's not all that will be arriving, although this other visit might not be as obvious. It will start sneakily creeping up some tree branches, hanging from unaware lintels, even showing up floating above the heads of careless victims, until it achieves its goal. This tenacious invader of green leaves and red fruits won't disappear until those underneath it do the traditional kiss, so you better watch your surroundings. It's mistletoe season too, afterall, and these are as magical as they are capricious.

Will that be all that arrives? Maybe. Christmas and New Year are coming up, so these days will have many different things approaching at high speed.

Perhaps somewhere out there, there's a boat, approaching slowly but surely across the sea, and some music that can be heard stronger and stronger at a distance... What is it?

Well, you'll know when it arrives. But most likely it's nothing short of all your dreams come true.]

[[Snow & Mistletoe log! Backdated to around xmas time. Feel free to be creative with mistletoe - maybe it's asking for a long hug, or hand-holding, or a slap to the face!

EN ESPAÑOL. Post de nieve y muérdagos! Backdatteado a alrededor de la navidad. Pueden ser creativos con los muérdagos, quizá les pidan un abrazo largo, o que se tomen la mano, ¡o un cachetazo!]

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

juste
2024-01-31 12:13 pm UTC (link)

[If it were about logic, then the normal person thing to do would probably be to keep walking and never mind you and your window-shopping. As it is, he really does consider it, his mood not the best either in the present weather and what it all reminds him off.

So, of course, he operates in hard reverse from the norm as ever - stopping at the door of the shop rather than continuing on his way.]

Coming in?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-02-04 02:16 am UTC (link)
	[Your voice makes him blink, somewhat surprised, before he turns to you, and-- oh. Yes, it is surprising, indeed.] Still considering. [Takes a better look at you, before nodding.] Akechi. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-02-06 11:38 am UTC (link)

Victor.

[He returns the greeting casually enough, matching him somewhat in energy, outwardly more subdued a bit in comparison to the tense undercurrent in their first encounter. As he often does, Akechi absently readjusts his gloves while speaking, looking on at the things on display more closely.]

Well - the timing certainly couldn't be more apt. To consider, that is. [Unless you like to be cold, whatever man.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

consumedinpain
2024-02-06 11:29 pm UTC (link)

[His stance is casual too, relaxed in his own way-- the way of a man that knows when it comes about danger, he usually is the most dangerous person around.

But that doesn't mean he is less observant, and he looks down briefly at what you do with your gloves, taking note of the gesture. Then he looks away to the storefront again.]

Of course. But not every store fits the criteria I look for. [Aka-- black clothes and accesories of good quality.] Thus the consideration.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-02-07 11:03 am UTC (link)

[He easily catches the drift about your style choices without the outright words, holding back a snort - and that's when he decides to simply walk up the rest of the way to the door of the shop and push it open, giving a tilt of his head at Vic as though as an invitation to follow.]

Commendable to hold to your standards... Seems like all the more reason to inspect closer than this, if that's the case.

[Shall we? Either way he'll step inside, whether you take him up on it or not.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

consumedinpain
2024-02-13 10:34 pm UTC (link)

[It's not like he's keeping it a secret, frankly, the way he invariably wears black, no matter the occasion.

He considers you for a moment, and thinks he catches the barest hint of challenge in the way you say that. He is proud and doesn't like to let challenges pass (a weakness, there), but he's also rational enough to know to pick his battles. So, what moves him now is mere curiosity about you. Why not.]

[So he simply smiles, an almost bored gesture, before walking into the store after you.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-02-14 07:07 am UTC (link)

[Subtle (okay, sometimes not-so-subtle) and unspoken challenges are very much Akechi's nature, especially so when the other person is like Victor - intelligent enough to catch onto it without having to be told a word. Maybe it doesn't come necessarily out of a planned or specific purpose, not even really as direct as he might have done with someone like Ren. That's a whole other can of worms. Still, perhaps today it's just the bad mood that has him playing with fire, in his own calculated way.

And it is a measured move - walking into a shop like this with a decent variety of apparel is like home turf for Akechi, with his keen eyes for well-crafted items and fabrics. He's been hand-picking his own wardrobe to maintain a certain image for enough years that it comes so easy to glance around and appraise,.]

So. One condition is color. [Obviously.] What of style? A preference on patterns?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

consumedinpain
2024-02-15 04:42 am UTC (link)

[As it has been stated before, he's pretty good at reading people beyond their facades to their true motivations. And you still remind him of a younger Eli, so it's not too hard for him to see that what you say or do is much more than just that.

He already knows you suspect him, and should keep more distance to expose himself as little possible, but then again he'd like to gatheer more information about you, and in his opinion there's no better way to do that than through observation. Call it a calculated risk, and he is very good at calculations.]

Plain black. [No patterns, thanks.] And good fabric. In this case, warm. [He's looking for gloves and scarfs, maybe a thicker coat than the one he's already wearing.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-02-15 10:10 am UTC (link)

[Doomed pretty much the moment his similarities to Eli became apparent to Victor, Akechi just doesn't know that extent yet rip.

He seems to accept these specifications of yours without much question, save for a trace of a raised brow and a casual hum in contemplation. Passing a display with several neatly folded scarves, there's a few darker shades sure, but - Ahh.]

Try this one.

[An elegant deep black shade, finely woven, and thick without being overly bulky or scratchy. He doesn't even have to touch the scarf to see it's a high quality yarn and honestly quite above what most modern stores back home would manufacture. Things here aren't exactly city fashion, but in a way that's not so bad.]

Interesting, isn't it? Until now, the weather hardly called for these items in stock. Seems as though they've prepared rather quickly.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-02-15 11:22 pm UTC (link)
	[He blinks when you offer him the garment, pleasantly surprised to see that yes, it's the kind of scarf he would wear. He takes it, then, inspecting it closer, but there's isn't much to pick on-- it's perfect.] ... It may work. [:'\|][And about what you said after:] It's interesting, but not very surprising. These worlds tend to be unpredictable with the climate. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	juste 2024-02-16 08:13 am UTC (link)
	[If the words bother him, he keeps it to himself, keeping to a casual shrug and continuing to examine the scarves himself absently.] Just as unpredictable with most other things. [Yes, right.] I suppose we ought to thank them for being gracious with their wares today. [Warm brown and dark green plaid, versus a solid muted red... Choices choices.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-02-16 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	Don't take that for granted. Graciousness hardly lasts. [If the forces at play here are anything like the "Management" in the previous world.] [...] The red one would suit you better. [Than the plaid you are also looking at.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-02-28 10:02 am UTC (link)

Oh, I'm aware.

[He says in a light unbothered tone but hardly devoid of meaning even so - just the casual words of someone very much used to navigating with little to no grace from the world at large. That's life, and then some.

At the suggestion, though, he lifts his gaze to look back at you, then at the scarf again, letting out a slow hum. Funny. Sometimes the color red is so ironic to look at it used to make him feel sick. He picks up the scarf, holds it laid out between both his hands as if displaying it against himself.]

Well? Does it match my eyes? [Hah.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a hundred years later... consumedinpain 2024-03-11 09:55 pm UTC (link)
	[Coming from a privileged background, one would expect he wouldn't be familiar with hardships... but negligent parents and then a trial for murder and ten years in jail can do wonders for that sense of self-sufficiency, really.] [He doesn't even pretend to smile at the comment, and just looks intently at you.] It makes you stand out. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

nooo time is an illusion ♥

juste
2024-03-12 08:23 am UTC (link)

[He takes few moments to meet your gaze back - his own expression a quiet neutral, looking back as if searching for something. Whether he sees something there or not, he eventually lowers his gaze again, folding the scarf back up neatly, breathing out what might have been a chuckle but isn't quite.]

An evocative color would do that. [Red, bright, eye-catching. Bloody. He shrugs, sets the scarf down again now. Hmmm.]

... I can't say it's all that appealing a prospect.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-03-14 02:11 am UTC (link)
	[He can manage quite a good poker face, so that might be a stare down for a second. And that reaction is revealing to him in itself-- if his interpretation is right, he can't know for sure yet, though.] To stand out? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-03-14 09:18 am UTC (link)

[Whatever tension runs in the undercurrent of their stares, Akechi's demeanor still settles on casual and conversational - moving on to examine other items on display. As if not particularly invested one way or another but engaging in a discussion of a general concept rather than his personal feelings.]

You don't think so? It's not so hard to see the benefits of a less conspicuous color palette in public spaces. [Pointedly, he nods a little in your direction.] Although...

I suppose all black also attracts some level of attention in its own way. [Right?]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-03-24 12:26 am UTC (link)
	[As for Victor, he seems unbothered by the conversation, even when you very clearly call him out.] It's practical. And it goes with everything, specially with more black. [He smiles again, briefly, a gesture that intends to be playful but that doesn't quite reach his eyes.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-04-08 09:19 am UTC (link)

[Huffs a laugh, half shrugging and shaking his head in the same breath. You do you, buddy.]

More black it is.

[Seeing as he seemed satisfied with the scarf, Akechi's gaze sweeps the little shop again, already with the next target in mind - his specialty if anything here is. He walks over to a pair of fine leather gloves, takes the pair in his own gloved hands and extends them out to you for another appraisal.]

Here, these. — Ah, not to seem as though a gauntlet's been thrown down, of course. An old tradition to call for a duel by using gloves, wasn't it?

[A harmless little nerdy anecdote, purposely wrong details he definitely does remember, as if he somehow wouldn't know intimately well what it means to remove his own glove and throw it at his opponent in challenge. As opposed to the perfectly normal gesture of simply handing over a pair like he does to you now.

Truthfully what Akechi says isn't exactly a veiled threat outright anyway, he doesn't see himself using this for anyone not his specific chosen rival... but the amusement of allusion is there anyhow. This is just How He Is.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

consumedinpain
2024-04-14 12:05 am UTC (link)

[He wonders why you seem so eager to help him with this. Are you searching for his approval, to "smooth edges" between them? Which would be funny, being that the only edges there are the ones not spoken about-- merely assumptions, from both sides, he thinks.

He raises is eyebrows at that comment. It seems to him a little out of place, like a far stretch just for the sake of making it. He wonders if it could mean something else, but of course he doesn't know about Akechi's shenanigans with gloves, so he simply reads it as another subtle provocation.]

Good thing old traditions do die. We wouldn't want unfortunate misunderstandings, would we? [He does take the gloves, and giving them a better look he realises they are in his tastes. How irritating.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

juste
2024-04-23 11:11 am UTC (link)

[Akechi is truly the epitome of people-pleaser + people-hater in one messed up package. The confusion is inevitable for anyone who is unfortunate enough to notice this contradiction about him. Anyhow - he does find it relatively satisfying to notice he chose correctly again.]

... Of course. Rest assured, there won't be.

[:) Nothing to misunderstand. (His threats would be overtly direct, if it came to that.) Less obvious is also just the fact that Akechi genuinely does like to yap about weird "the more you know" facts in perhaps hamfisted or awkward ways. So maybe it's a bit of both. He shrugs.]

Call it just a thought of a custom that lost its practice. That's all.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-05-02 10:24 pm UTC (link)
	[Yet again another thing you share with Eli, although nowadays Eli leans much more into the 'people-hater' side of the spectrum (thanks to Victor's influence, for the most part).] [Also... sure, Jan. That definitely was just a casual comment without ulterior intention, uh-huh.] You tend to have a lot of thoughts of that kind? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	juste 2024-05-05 12:28 pm UTC (link)
	[He shrugs, non-committal.] Why not? Can't be so unusual to consider the things people did centuries back, what their reasons might have been... I find it lends a fresh perspective to how one might choose to act in the here and now. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	consumedinpain 2024-05-16 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	[Right. He tries the gloves on, focusing on that as he speaks.] Just try to not get too caught up in the past. Next thing you know, you'll be challenging others to a duel yourself. [He flexes his fingers and notices they fit him well.] These will do. Thanks. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	juste 2024-05-24 05:39 pm UTC (link)
	[Smirks just the barest bit, very much the knowing face of someone who already been there done that.] Oh, I'll have to sort some pending affairs first before that happens. [Casual as ever. He observes your hand in the process, regardless, seeming satisfied enough with the fit as well.] Don't mention it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

(no subject) -

consumedinpain, 2024-05-24 06:20 pm UTC

(no subject) -

juste, 2024-05-28 09:33 am UTC

(Read comments) -