cerealia | 「ɢᴀᴍᴇ」

「ɢᴀᴍᴇ」

[ Because

SOME ASSHOLE is currently blowing through her prana pool for some reason, Rin decides to entertain herself by tinkering around on the network. That and she's been so bored lately without Shirou slaving around her apartment that she has to make an attempt to reach out to others one way or the other. ]

I'm bored. (⑅ ‘﹃’ )
You're bored.
I have an idea.

There was a website launched a few decades back where people would post a photo of themselves on the Internet.
Actually there were a number of sites of that nature, but the purpose of this one was different !!
People would vote on a scale of 1 to 10 on how HOT they were based on the photo chosen.
So if you've got the balls, you should post a pic and have people vote !!
BTW since I'm such a cool person, I made it so you could reply to people who vote.
I guess you could also post anonymously if you're afraid of the repercussions, but I'll know who you are ♡

[ TL;DR this is an in-character rating meme. Link a picture or post one, then have characters vote on a scale of 1 (ugly) to 10 (SUPAH HOT FIRE) and deal with repercussions. Spam away all you like. Rin can't actually tell who posts anonymously, but it's fun to threaten people. EDIT: Also if your character wouldn't post, feel free to say a NPC or Rin did it while making it look as if they posted it themselves. ALL THE MORE FUN. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You should talk to her more then.

I think she'd be a good friend.

[...?????]

I'm not trying to make friends, Tenka.

[and we're back to the clear difference between the two of them]

Why not?

It's not necessary.

[sousei is still bad at relationships]

Why would I?

[Still so bad.

But Tenka just blinks at that. He's clearly confused. Sousei has grown a lot and included more people into his life, but could it be that they're still not his friends?

Still though, Tenka's response is probably more telling about himself than anything else-]

Don't... you get lonely?

[A serious question now, as opposed to when he normally just openly calls Sousei a lonely person.]

[That...is a remarkably serious question and it surprises Sousei. He blinks, and then shakes his head.]

No, I am not lonely. [...]

I am not alone here [he has Tenka], and back in our world, there are the Yamainu.

That is enough for me.

[Well... he understands, he supposes. The Yamainu all live together and their numbers even added one more. Sousei never asked for much as a kid anyway. If he has his squad, they are likely more than enough.

Tenka's always wanted more. So he hums softly at that before laughing a bit.]

It still couldn't hurt to make more friends, though.

[It's easier to keep talking about what they were discussing before than addressing his own difficulty being alone.]

For me, it is enough.

[He feels the need to emphasize that, because he knows Tenka well enough to know that it isn't the case for Tenka. But for Sousei, who spent his first years without basically any human contact, who grew up alone until the Kumou family gave him his first taste of family, even the bare minimum is enough.

Even that still feels like quite a lot sometimes.

Especially having Tenka--that feels like enough to him. For Tenka, on the other hand...]

Are you not making friends yourself?

I'm not you, Sousei. [Which answers... both of those statements. But he continues on with a bit of a laugh.] Of course I am.

[He thrives off of human interaction. He wants to know about everyone that he meets, he wants to keep them safe, and he wants them to be happy. A lot of the people here, he treats them like the villagers of Otsu who he watches over.

Then there are a couple that he genuinely considers his friends and peers - Sano and Shinpachi and Nesso.

But if he wasn't - if he wasn't getting so attached to these people and learning about them - he's not sure if it would be able to distract him from the lack of Soramaru and Chuutarou in his life.]

[He was just checking...from the way Tenka was talking--]

Then you aren't lonely?

[Or are you.

That's what he really cares about.]

[ . . . . . Tenka seems thoughtful at that. Eventually, he settles on:] No, I'm not.

[Except as he breathes a soft sigh, he thinks about how quiet this apartment is. Sure, it's probably because they're about to head to sleep, but... there aren't the sounds of Soramaru and Chuutarou fighting amongst themselves.

(And even though he knows he shouldn't expect it, he doesn't hear Shirasu's almost inaudible footsteps as he prepares for bed as well.)]

I guess I was just wondering if you ever got lonely.

[Do you ever listen for the Yamainu like he listens for his brothers?]

[...He supposes he has to honor Tenka's thoughtful response with a thoughtful response of his own. He's quiet for a moment, thinking as well. He'd like to believe that he doesn't get lonely--that he doesn't require anyone else to do his job, or to exist.

But he does.

He does listen for the Yamainu. He does miss Takamine's gruff loudness and Takeda's confused chatter and Sasaki smoothing it all over neatly. He misses the quiet that came of Inukai and Shi both sitting with him--there hadn't been a need for words, then, to know the companionship was there.

None of that is here now.]

... It is quieter than I am used to, admittedly.

[Yes...sometimes he gets lonely too, but it's not a void he thinks can be filled by making friends with the people here.]

[ . . . . so even the fierce Yamainu get a little rowdy -- is what he wants to say, but Tenka knows. They were such a loud and fun group in their youth. He remembers how quiet the house was after they had left the shrine, never to come back.

He knows what the lack of Yamainu sounds like too, if not as accurately.]

.... it is quiet.

[And after a minute pause:] We should invite more people for tea.

[It's not a matter of replacing people - Tenka's never believed in that. When Sousei left, Shirasu was never his replacement. But Tenka does believe in the power of distraction and trying to make up for whatever he's lost.]

[He doesn't quite understand it, and it shows on his face. He doesn't understand Tenka's reasoning. To him, it has always been an attempt at "replacing", not trying for a distraction. Perhaps that is where his misunderstandings about Shirasu stemmed as well (until Shirasu proved each misgiving to be true).

He blinks.]

...If you want to, that is your right.

[He's not going to tell Tenka he can't--but he's also not going to invite people for tea by himself.

WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP HOW DOES IT WORK]

[Well, if Tenka hasn't mastered reading Sousei's lineface by now, it'd be pretty sad. So when he doesn't seem to understand, Tenka just shakes his head faintly and a bit fondly.]

Then yeah, I will.

Not like I'm ever going to stop missing the people who don't have here. [Soramaru, Chuutarou, Kiiko, the rest of the Yamainu] But I think meeting new people is still important. I don't want to miss out on new opportunities by being caught up in myself.

Didn't our old man always tell us to keep going, no matter what?

[Well....Tenka's not wrong, that's for sure. Sousei nods slowly, though he's still a little bemused as to how ~friendship~ fits into all of this. He has Tenka here. He doesn't really need more.]

That's right. I don't intend to stop moving forward.

[...and Tenka will continue to meet new people, as he does. That works fine.]

You will not miss out on any opportunities this way.

[look he's trying really hard to keep up with this conversation but it's just a little confusing.]

[ . . . . . and Tenka can't help it. He breaks the serious atmosphere by laughing a bit and then admitting:]

Not really me I'm worried about, Sousei.

[haha what when is tenka ever worried about himself anyway]

[......?????

???]

I'm not concerned about missing any opportunities myself.

[ . . . . . . yep.

That's so Sousei.

and Tenka just shrugs.]

It took you forever to admit that we were friends and we lived together and shared a room-

But you're my best friend and I'm probably yours. I don't really know what I'd do without you... and it's not like you were looking for friends when we met.

That's all I'm saying.

[Maybe right now Sousei thinks that what he has is enough but-

That's what he thought when they were kids too. How can letting people into your life be bad?

(Says the guy who got betrayed by his own ninja and is still reeling from it.)]

[okay your argument isn't wrong per se but--]

It has been ten years, but we are partners again.

Is that not supposed to be enough?

[Because it's more than he ever expected to get back as well.]

[Tenka looks surprised.

How can he ever be enough?]

Huh?

[ . . . . . . ah, it takes him a second but he tries to come up with a response-]

Uh - .... Well, obviously it is. But.... I'm just one guy?

[Sousei blinks again at that, and then tilts his head. Really, Tenka. You're really going to make him do this now after you just posted his picture to the network for everyone to comment on....

He sighs.]

I have told you before. You are Kumou Tenka, and you are my partner. Therefore, you are enough.

["You are enough."

He hasn't felt like enough since the day that his parents died. He wasn't leader enough to keep the Yamainu going. He wasn't parent enough for his younger brothers. He wasn't strong enough to keep going on his own without relying on the Orochi medicine.

Sousei can say so, but he still doesn't feel like enough.

Though at the very least, the vote of confidence helps so he manages a small smile.]

.... I'm not going anywhere- but you can't just stick to me, Sousei.

[And so he tries to leave being the center of this conversation.]

There are people here who want to get to know you... what's the downside with trying to get to know them too?

[...for now, he'll let Tenka shift the attention, because he doesn't know what else to say anyway. He doesn't really know how to make this less awkward or strange.

... Though that topic is also awkward and strange.

People who want to get to know him...?]

...Then they probably want something. [kendo training like Edgeworth, or help organizing like Mitsuru, or.............soup...tips??? what did Milla even want--]

That is fine. I will help how I can.

[ . . . . . does Sousei think that people just

want things from him

wow

dryly:]

No, you're not that useful.

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