Bliss Williams (perfectbliss) wrote in the_cirque, @ 2024-04-23 21:47:00 |
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Bliss was not the best with animals. She’d been okay at the Usagi Café because the establishment had a full menu including curry and specialty desserts and themed drinks. The bunnies had been in cages, were approachable, or you could just sit in their presence and eat your food - which had been Bliss’ approach as her Uni friends giggled over and fed the little fluff balls. It wasn’t that she didn’t like animals, she just didn’t know the last time they’d been washed or ate something foul. It made her skin itchy and want to consistently wash her hands. It wasn’t something she ever had to really talk about because she just wasn’t around animals very often and Hiroki didn’t count. She’d gotten used to him and since he’d stopped bringing her dead things she was much happier with him. Still. When Reggie brought up the Capybara Café, Bliss was sort of intrigued. At least until they got there. It wasn’t really like any café she’d even been to. The menu consisted of snacks for animals and coffee. The room was set up for the comfort of the animals, which was nice, she just hadn’t expected them to be so big? At least she felt like she’d chosen a decent outfit for the occasion. ‘I think they’re closing soon, so take some of my carrots,” she offered Reggie her cup of capybara snacks. It was the sad thing about needing to go out after sunset, most animal cafés closed early. While Reggie did not seek animals out—his own indifferent tolerance of her cat might have been a previous clue—Reggie had been looking forward to visiting the capybara. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he felt like the giant rodents were relatable. They defied expectations of what someone would think a giant hamster looked and acted. They were adaptable. Generally unbothered by any of the out of pocket shit going on around them, just like him. And their fur felt like paintbrushes, which had been a delightful surprise. He’d been privately marveling at this when Bliss offered him her carrots. Reggie looked up from the animal he was bent to pet, smiling, and took the cup. “You’re sure?” Bliss hadn’t seemed as taken with the animals as he’d been, but then she lived with one full time. Or maybe they just weren’t her sort of thing. Too calm? The difference in age between her and Reggie seemed painfully obvious today, what with her midriff and his boring sweater. She’d also mentioned being restless, he remembered. Perhaps a quiet cafe with animals who were the model of zen had been a misstep on his part after all. “I suppose they aren’t terribly exciting,” he offered as he held out his carrot-filled hand towards the nearest capybara. “We can go somewhere else when these are done, if you like. Though,” he angled another look up at her, smile lopsided, “could you imagine Hiroki being this big? How would you cope?” Reggie couldn’t see how amused Bliss was with the way he had fallen head over heels for these creatures. It was a side of him she’d never seen - or she had, sort of. He took care of her when she was sick and he was gentle with her. There wasn’t a fascination when he took care of her, but that was the part she liked watching most right now. Standing at his back, a little off to the side but out of view unless he looked towards her. There was a small smile curving her lips as she watched, crossing her arms under her chest now that her hands were free of the carrots. At his comment she started to chew her inner cheek, she didn’t want him to think she wasn’t enjoying her time with him - which was her whole point of being around him. “They’re not supposed to be exciting,” she responded gently as she moved to stand more at his side, she touched Reggie’s shoulder with her hand before using the back of her index finger to pet over his jaw lightly when he looked up at her. A smirk of her own slipping across her lips as she pulled her hand away, “He’s a handful since the changes. He’s already at least six foot tall, I can’t imagine what the equation for that growth would be.” A short laugh given. Hiroki…she didn’t know what to think about him anymore. He was still who he had always been, he could just express how much he disliked her to her face now. Or pretend like he hadn’t spoken crossly at her and flop into her space to watch television leaving her confused all the more. “Where do you want to go after this?” She asked - nothing in her voice made it seem like she was rushing him. “We can stay until closing, you know?” He tilted his head into the simple touch, corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile spread. Bliss was a physical person, and he knew none of it was specifically for him, but it was endearing all the same. Her question about what to do after was momentarily shoved aside, too distracted by the talk of Hiroki. What did she mean, changes? Six feet tall? Confusion settled over his features, only breaking when the tickle of a capybara snout investigating his now-empty palm drew his attention. “What do you mean? About Hiroki?” Reggie gave the animal one last affectionate pat and stood, reaching for a napkin to clean his hands. “I know there’s your cat, and we’ve recently got someone named the same, but…?” Normal people might have stepped back when someone around them stood, but she remained exactly where she was and tried to bite back a smile as she forced proximity with Reggie as he stood. He was right. She was a physical person, but he was so very wrong about how it wasn’t specifically for him - she was a different form of intimacy to individual people. That was part of her gift. So she assumed. Her head tipped like a feline finding something interesting that needed exploring. Even her eyes slitted slightly as her smile slid into something that made her look coyish and playful instead of outright confused. “We did?” She asked, “When did we get another Hiroki? Because…I mean I didn’t create the word itself, but that’s not a common name. For anyone.” As if she suddenly understood she reached out to Reggie, reaching up and gripping just above his elbow as she leaned forward enough that her hair fell over her shoulders and added shadows to hide her face. Her free hand sliding over her mouth to cover her smile and light laughter. “No, Reggie,” she spoke through the giggle and amusement. It was just a couple of beats before she stood up and gave him soft puppy-like eyes, “Oh, Reggie, no. They are one in the same. Hiroki, my cat, has a human form now. He’s the same as the guy you were talking to on socials - I was wondering what you’d meant by you were talking about the cat and not him, because they’re the same entity.” She bit her lower lip trying to reign in her amusement. Her hand moving from his arm to pat him lightly on the chest. “I tried telling you all that he’s not just a cat.” When Bliss leaned in, so did Reggie, brows lifting with curiosity at what she was about to say. The more she spoke the higher they climbed, eventually knotting as he tilted his head, eyes narrowed. “You’re joking?” But no, she didn’t seem to be joking. His eyes widened as the connection finally dawned on him with that little pat to the chest. Hiroki was Hiroki the cat. That’s why he’d said he wasn’t a domestic cat. It wasn’t a case of mistaken identity—or not in the way he’d thought originally. Reggie gasped and reached for Bliss’ arm this time, cupping her elbow much like she’d done. “It’s really one and the same? I thought—” Well, no, it didn’t matter what he thought now. He looked sheepish as he laughed lowly, thumb brushing her bicep. Dropping his voice, he angled his chin further down towards her. “Wait, this whole time? Did you know? Oh, no,” another laugh bubbled out of him, thinking of all the things the poor feline must have seen in his time, “he must think I’m a giant prat.” A little shake of her head was given when asked if she was joking - of course not. Her jokes were far more flirty than this. Bliss was, for a second, shocked when Reggie reached out to embrace her arm as he did. The look on his face and the tone to his voice had her in an internal tug of war. Was she supposed to comfort him or keep laughing? What was the better in this situation? Then he laughed and she felt something loosen in her chest she hadn’t realized had tightened. She smiled sweetly, “I didn’t know. Apparently he’s been stuck in his cat form all this time, he was only able to shift after we landed in Japan. He’s from here, I met him when I was going to uni. I’d bring him fish at a local shrine and eventually he started following me around and I adopted him. My running theory is he wasn’t supposed to leave Japan. I think coming to Spain, the US, and then around with the circus might have crossed some wires.” She sighed a little, her smile long faded at this point. She reached out with her free arm and slid her fingers into Reggie’s hair so she could caress over his ear lightly before gliding her fingertips down his neck so her hand could then rest near his shoulder. “Yeah, even though he didn’t have his human shape - he had his human brain. So…yeah. He’s heard and seen a lot. I think he thinks we’re all dumbasses.” Well, he called her a dummy so probably close enough. After a second she squeezed his shoulder area lightly, not that she could physically hurt him, “You going to be okay?” She laughed a little, “I know it is a shock.” “No, no, I’m alright. Embarrassed, maybe. I don’t know how I missed it if you all were talking about it—don’t get me wrong, I know you always said he wasn’t a normal cat, but…” For years, Hiroki had just been a normal cat. Familiars were something he’d grown up with peripheral knowledge of, and at best he’d expected Bliss’ cat to be something of a magical conduit or agony aunt. Not a whole person…creature…creature person? “Are you alright?” He leaned back to take her in fully, dark gaze scanning from forehead on down. Her comforting touch was a welcome one, and he’d had to hold back a pleasant shiver and remind himself that she was likely much more distraught than him about this. “Is he going to stay with you? And if he is, do we, erm, should we bring him fish?” Oh. She hadn’t expected him to show concern for her. Everyone just seemed happy that Hiroki was back, she was too, but no one had stopped to ponder if the changes would have any negative impact on her. The way he looked her over as if able to discern any emotional damage from the physical made her smile, almost sadly, but not quite. He was so sweet to her and she didn’t know why. She didn’t try to dissect it, never had, but in this one moment she did feel her heart give a little quake - she knew she’d lose him eventually. “I…I don’t know if I am alright.” It was probably the most honest thing she could have said in response. “He’s not my familiar. He told me, he’s a different sort of creature, but he said I could still call him my familiar.” She didn’t sound pleased by that offering. “I promised I’d keep taking care of him. He’s been a cat for a long time so he’s acclimating to having his human shape again.” Her thumb started to slowly rub against the fabric of his sweater as if she needed to soothe herself without looking fidgety. She wanted a hug or some physical something - the way she always had gotten with Hiroki and no longer had. If she really thought about it, he’d started avoiding her nearly a month ago and now he was in and out the house with little regard to her. She was just the caregiver now. No magical anything between them. Just years of…something. I chose you, dummy. His voice slid through her mind and it wasn’t comforting. Her eyes dropped to the floor as her hand slid away from Reggie’s neck/shoulder area and over his chest before falling away. “He does like fish, still. If you’d like to bring him some. He seems pretty concerned about other people liking him.” Not her. But others. After a second she laughed, low and not mirthful. She looked up, not at Reggie, but up, and away, “Anyway…” It was clear that Reggie had stepped into a conversation neither of them had been expecting. Nor was it appropriate to have in the presence of giant hamsters. He glanced down at the slow, unbothered beast sniffing his shoe and made a decision. “Let’s head out of here, yeah?” Reggie nodded towards the door and used his loose grip on her arm to angle her towards it, hand slipping down to the small of her back to guide her. Asking Bliss how she felt about the Hiroki Development made sense to Reggie. They were friends (ones who might undress each other sometimes, sure) and he cared about her well being. “Are you in the mood to stab me a little, perhaps? The last piece is gone now.” Once they were out on the street, Reggie slid his hands into his pockets and nudged her with an elbow. Physical touch had always been give-and-take between them. Where Bliss stopped Reggie took over, most of the time not quite even realising he did it. “And we don’t have to talk about it, but if you’d like to, we can.” A hand popped out of his pocket to brush the hair back from one side of her face, tucking it behind her ear and letting the rest trail over her shoulder. “I won’t bring him any fish if he’s not going to be kind to you.” Easily she was led out of the cafe. She hardly ever tensed or paused when Reggie touched her, even if it was to guide her one way or another. He’d earned her trust over the years as she hoped she’d earned his. He could take blood from her when he wanted, sometimes they undressed the other, and all of that made sense to Bliss. It was the emotional care he took with her that always, always, without question had her confused and pondering things she didn’t want to ponder. A look given to him with a quirked brow at the stabbing comment before she relaxed with a huff of laughter. “I can stab you if you’d like,” she nodded a little.She had been working on a piece for him after all. Her mind seemed to go blank when he touched her, the gentle brush of her hair and the gentle expression of care had her coming undone in a way she wasn’t sure was appropriate between them. She was too sensitive right now. Weeks of being spoken to crossly and practically made fun of on socials. She hadn’t realized how much she needed…the total opposite. Hell, Dante had gotten under her skin by saying she blathered. Of course someone that meant so much to her, like Hiroki, was going to burrow even deeper and upset her. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it. It was Reggie’s last comment that had Bliss stopping mid-step, turning into him so that it was like a mini collision of their bodies. She allowed her hands to rest against his chest before balling into his sweater for balance as she lifted herself up on the balls of her feet to kiss him. It wasn’t full of passion or heat, but her desire to touch him was there in the way she pressed her body flush against his and her lips parted for a brief kiss. As she pulled from the kiss, looking down so she wouldn't ‘have to see his expression, she whispered against his mouth, “Thank you.” She lingered there in that pose for a few seconds before lowering herself and uncurling her fingers to smooth out his sweater. If he didn’t try to stop her, she’d pivot and start walking again. Though blessed with supernatural reflexes and speed, Reggie was taken surprise enough that he didn’t move when he collided with Bliss aside from steadying her in reaction. The kiss was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one; a feeling that gave way to confusion once she started on again. “For what?” he asked, finally remembering to trail after her. For offering his skin as a canvas? For saying they could talk about Hiroki? For making her spend time with unexciting, giant rodents? Reggie paused a step before he’d caught up with her completely, only then realising that maybe she was walking off to be by herself. “Are you…? Do you want to be alone?” He adjusted his glasses and scratched his cheek, fidgeting in his insecurity. What in the world had just happened? It wasn’t often that Bliss felt she was able to take people aback outside of certain things she randomly would say that seemed unfiltered and too bold. The confusion in Reggie’s voice made her pause, she looked over her shoulder while he was still moving to close the gap that had formed between them. Biting her lower lip while simultaneously smiling in a more caring way than teasing or making fun of him. The smile faded and her eyes softened, “I’m alone enough, I’d much rather be with you,” she stated softly as she pivoted to close the gap between them. “I just thought you’d catch up to me, I didn’t mean to be confusing.” She admitted as she slid her arm around Reggie’s waist and leaned into him - there was no warmth from him that called her to want to stay near him. It was the solidness of him that calmed some ache she liked to ignore. She didn’t bother telling him why she was thanking him. It didn’t matter. He was kind, caring, and let her be her weird self around him. “Still want me to stab you or do you want to stab me?” Like now, saying weird things that could mean so many different things. Bliss looked up to him as she made her offer, her smile gentle and unassuming. With the awkwardness settled, Reggie looped his arm around her shoulders and continued walking. Bliss’ aura did some heavy lifting where his interpersonal skills were concerned, and he wasn’t always sure of social cues after decades of convincing himself they meant nothing. “No, no need to stab you.” He shook his head, smiling softly. “I have an appointment with Arden soon.” Though Reggie did take from others now and then, his ghoul was his primary source of sustenance. She was practical and punctual and always available. Bliss’ offer didn’t go unappreciated however, and he squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you, though. Did you actually have something in mind for me? We talked awhile ago about sigils, but I’m not sure if you’ve had time to do anything else with it.” There was a sting as Reggie brought up Arden, she let her eyes fall away from him as they continued to walk and hoped he didn’t see the flash of uncertainty that had come and gone. “There are other ways to stab me,” she mumbled under her breath knowing he could still hear her, it didn’t matter. At the mention of sigils she slid her hand up his back to rest her hand more comfortably instead of reaching around as she had been. “Yeah, I’ve been working on something for you,” her voice far more pleasant and detached emotionally - her normal tone. “I can do the sun shield sigil I’ve been working on and you can come by when the tattoo starts to breakdown - I think that’s the best way to know that the sigil has been activated.” She became more animated as she talked about her work and the sigil design she’d created for him. How it should allow him to brave indirect sunlight without the sizzling and possibilities of death. They’d have to test the extent and she’d probably have to make adjustments, but she hadn’t forgotten their conversation and was excited to test new reaches of her magic. As she’d talked she’d slipped her arm free of him so she could use her hands while talking - still she stayed close to him obviously enjoying their closeness. “I have a fire retardant blanket just in case, too.” “That makes me feel better, truly,” Reggie drawled at the addendum of a fire blanket. He’d experienced burns here and there throughout his undead life, but never anything extensive. The whole idea of being able to creep around a little more during the daytime when it was cloudy or shortly after dawn was appealing—though the idea of them conducting scientific trials a little ridiculous in his mind’s eye. The Benny Hill Theme may or may not have been involved. Bliss’ excitement and interest was encouraging though, and Reggie felt confident he wouldn’t be hurt much at all. He trusted her magic and artistic ability. “What does it look like, the sigil? Or is that a surprise?” His hands had slipped back into his pockets, having separated naturally from her when she began to use her hands and become more animated. He liked seeing her brighten up after veering into such heavy territory. “What about where it’s going? Does it need to be anywhere specific?” She shook her head, “No, it doesn’t have to be anywhere specific. I was thinking it should be somewhere you can see it so you can keep track of the breakdown. Technically, once it is totally absorbed it should still work - then once a month I can reapply and you’ll be good to go.” She slid her arms behind her, clasping a hand over a wrist - she never knew what to do with her hands when she wasn’t talking and since he wasn’t holding her - she felt untethered. “As for the look, I chose a secondary sigil design procedure so it looks sort of like a constellation rather than a solid figure. It’ll challenge me on thin lines without bleeding instead of filling in lines and such. Simple.” “It sounds so impressive. All of it,” Reggie said earnestly. He’d grown up with magic all around him, but at no time had he ever known his family to do anything helpful with it. Not really, not when it wasn’t for their own means. It meant something that Bliss was trying for him, even if she’d be able to go on and offer it as a service to others. “And I’d trust no other witch to do it.” Flashing a grin, Reggie swept his arm in the direction they were already walking. “Lead the way. I look forward to being your guinea pig, albeit a large one. Capybara-sized in scale, if you will.” |