September Catch-All | OPEN

[onethirdthesoul]

Characters: Ryou and YOU!
Date: September 10th~30th (after he and Yami Bakura clear things up)
Location: Around Keeliai, Mu-Hao
Situation: Many
Warnings/Rating: None yet.

[part a]
[In spite of some warnings from the Spirit himself, Ryou didn't wait to see if everyone heard their message. It's possible someone might still mistake them, but he decided to simply tie his hair up and tuck it into a hat instead of worrying himself sick. It doesn't do much, but it's a start.

Properly "disguised", he can be seen around the less shady looking parts of Keeliai, a sketchpad and colored pencils in hand. Even with the maps Solomon provided him, making a diorama of the turtle was going to need some personal experience. The map gave him layouts, but it didn't really provide that glimmer of insight that distinguished each sector. Even if he didn't have to toll away on the details like he would a game of Monster World, he feels the context of color, at the very least, will help.]

[part b]
He also stops at several food stands along the way, so passersby might notice him snacking as he diligently colors in little sketches of the more fantastical parts of each Sector. Is he still researching, or is he just gathering ideas for his next tabletop at this point?]

This would make a really cool final boss arena...! [Well, that answers that.]

((ooc: Prose or brackets is fine! If you want to do anything specific and would like to set something up outside of these prompts, feel free to PP/PM me! I'll add it to the top-level prompts.))

Comments

[denyamenti]

In case you missed the memo, the turtle is the good guy here, iqedaw.

[onethirdthesoul]

Well, it might be a bad idea if I make it that one person. He-who-must-not-be-named. [Ryou says it with an appropriately spooky voice.]

Just making it a normal person is boring anyway.

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura rolls his eyes and finishes his coffee, putting the empty mug in the sink. ]

I don't think you'll find "boring" to be much of a problem here.

[onethirdthesoul]

I guess not. Everything here is pretty interesting...well, I don't mean to say the war is interesting, just the city and a lot of the people.

[Ryou knows this isn't all fun and games, even if he may act like it sometimes. Like right now...]

But I still think the final boss should always be a really big, grotesque monster! ...With multiple forms, each one more creepy than the last! That way when the adventurers think they've won, it turns out the battle has just begun.

[denyamenti]

[ with a wicked smile: ] Careful, host. You'll give me new ideas.

[onethirdthesoul]

[That was a mood killer. Ryou's excitement seemed to be put out like a candlewick between a thumb and forefinger.]

I thought you were going to stop calling me that, and...you better not use any of my ideas to hurt people! [He had enough of that with the Monster World fiasco. Ryou doesn't want to inspire anything that might be used to hurt someone.]

[denyamenti]

Did you? You're still calling me by a name that's not mine, so I thought that was the current standard.

[onethirdthesoul]

It's a nickname... That should still count. [A bad pun nickname, but it was still a nickname.

Ryou's pretty sure this isn't going to fly.] It feels weird to call you Bakura-san...

[Not that he's ever tried it, but it's weird in his head.]

[denyamenti]

"Landlord" is a nickname too.

[ How clever is that pun of yours feeling now, Ryou? ]

[onethirdthesoul]

No it's not... That's a title. [He's quickly beginning to realize that there's no winning here.

Ryou let out a small groan, weighing his options. What mattered more? His comfort levels when it came to what he called the spirit, or how used and worthless the nickname "landlord" made him feel?]

Don't you have a first name?

[denyamenti]

It is my first name. Rather, I only have a given name and not a family name. That wasn't the way it was done back then.

[ The thief is a little annoyed about how much consternation this is causing Ryou, though in truth it actually doesn't have as much as to do with the teen as he might think. For better or worse the interactions he'd had, until Ryou's arrival, Bakura had been able to be viewed as an individual. Now, with his host's presence in the city, Bakura felt like he was being regulated back to "the spirit" or "that voice" or "the evil copy" and he was pushing back against that. ]

Call me whatever you wish then, but don't say a word when I choose to do the same.

[onethirdthesoul]

[Ryou is having his own problems with individuality here; he arrived after Bakura, and a lot of people had already made it clear that they see him in relation to Bakura. Even if it was only at first for many, there was still that lingering uncertainty. The way some people looked at him, and the way he'd been asked what they should call him. As if his name wasn't enough, because Bakura had used it first.

The problem wasn't really the name, it was the name combined with the fact they looked nearly identical, and that Bakura had pretended to be him at some point. It was hard enough to convince Korra that he wasn't some puppet.

The last thing he wants is the spirit going around to others and calling him "host" and "landlord". Out of the two choices he has here, he really feels like he only was one.]

N-no... I'll call you Bakura-san. But then, you have to call me by my name too, and not just to my face. It was hard enough to convince some people I'm my own person, but if you start calling me "host" and "landlord" they might go back to thinking I'm not...

[denyamenti]

[ He felt he'd sufficiently discharged that debt by making the post and making it as blatantly obvious in that message that they were very different. Beyond that, he could hardly go around to each individual and ply his truth on them. ]

Family or given?

[ He's not entirely thrilled about offering the first, but even he's not hypocritical enough not to at least ask the preference given this conversation. ]

[onethirdthesoul]

Ah... [He has to think a moment. Of course he prefers people call him by his family name, but conversations between the two of them might be kind of weird if they both use "Bakura". It also might be a good idea to start using his given name, if only to differentiate the two of them...]

Given. With the honorific, please. [It would be too much if he dropped that too.]

[denyamenti]

[ A few seconds of silence at the demand for the honorific -- he's not Japanese, after all -- but he'll take his victories where he can get them at the moment. ]

Fine. Ryou-san.

[ It's said with a degree of stiffness, but he supposes he'll get used to it. They are, after all, both compromising at this point. ]

[onethirdthesoul]

...Then I guess that's it.

[He sighs and tilts his head, looking back towards the door.]

It's kind of weird, but I'll just have to get used to it.

[denyamenti]

So you will.

[ He follows Ryou's gaze to the door. ]

Am I keeping you from something?

[onethirdthesoul]

[The mood had taken a bit of a nose-dive, that was part of it. But that wasn't the only reason.]

I was thinking I should probably finish up my sketches, since I need to meet Wreath-san today. But I'm glad we were able to talk.

[denyamenti]

[ The thief shrugged, unconcerned. ]

Leave, if you want? You're not required to stay.

[onethirdthesoul]

Um...okay. [He's obviously not sure what to do with such a casual, yet still optional dismissal.]

We should talk another time. [Ryou still has more questions, and things certainly could have gone worse today...not that he's going to be cherishing any happy memories here. The most fun he had was talking to the turtle, but the whole trip had been more about gathering information anyway.] Okay?

[denyamenti]

For the moment I have no reason to tell you no.

[ Which is probably as close to agreement as Ryou is likely to get. ]

Besides, the sheneyat seems to like you.

[onethirdthesoul]

... [Which means he might in the future. Ryou will just have to play his cards carefully.]

"The sheneyat"? [The pronunciation is terrible. There's just enough context clues here for him to make a guess.] Do you mean Emily-Helen-chan?

[denyamenti]

[ He just might, at that. ]

Yes, that's her.

[ Obviously not going to explain it proactively. ]

[onethirdthesoul]

She does? [He smiles at that.]

I'll bring her back something next time I'm here, then. Anyway, you have a good afternoon. [Polite as always, Ryou heads for the door. He pats Emily-Helen on the head on the way out, giving her a proper goodbye as well as a promise of future goodies.]