networkinthenight | action and text; @bacura

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action and text; @bacura

[It's late on the seventh when Masaomi wakes up on a church pew. At first, he can't bring himself to do anything other than stare at his hands. Slowly he raises them above his head, takes in the palms, flips them over, hesitantly touches the backs, slides his fingers down his own arms.

He's whole.

Suddenly, he digs his nails in. It hurts, and he pulls back, leaving harsh red marks. Masaomi sits up then, still staring like he can't believe his own senses.

He's not crying. You're crying.]

[It's not until the eighth that he sends out another text. No ominous snapshots this time.]

Didn't cut it as a carny.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ~~Two brooos, chillin' on a church flooooor~~

Sora will nod! ]

Yeah, maybe three. There's not much to update you on, to be honest. People were just really worried about you the whole time. [ He laughs. ] Boy, is Jason gonna be glad to see you!

[Damn, that's right. Jason. He and Stone may be the only ones in Beacon Masaomi genuinely believes would worry over him. Jason especially... Masaomi remembers the agonizing anxiety of wondering whether M.K. could really come back, of asking himself again and again whether it was all his fault.

Jason doesn't deserve that.

Masaomi ducks his head, scratches at the back of his neck.]

Yeah, he's a pretty great guy. If anybody gave him trouble over this, I'll have to punch 'em a few times.

Gave him trouble? Over you making a mistake? [ Sora frowns. ] That's kinda backwards to me. Like, if anyone gave him trouble over this, you'd have to beat me to them. What is he, your babysitter?

[ For real, though, Sora's going to look at Masaomi intently, the little keyholes in his eyes slowly widening in the low light. ]

No one gave anyone trouble over this. [ He shrugs. ] 'Cept for Vanitas, but he doesn't say anything worth listening to. [ Sure, he listens to the things Vanitas says, but he's different! He deserves whatever Vanitas says to him. ]

[He bites his lip to muffle the amused snort erupting from his throat. So Vanitas did say something then.]

Oh, you know him, huh? Real charming, that guy. A laugh and a half.

[How the sarcasm oozes.]

[ Sora will close his eyes and huff a laugh. ]

Sort of. I wish he'd lighten up a little. World's more than darkness. I mean, like not here. Just like, you know. [ Sigh. ] Metaphors are hard here, bro.

... I hope you don't let him get to you? I mean, I'm not your babysitter either, but if he's messing with you... [ ... He's not sure what he can do, but at the very least he doesn't want other people to get hurt by him while he figures him out. ]

Yeah, that's not going to happen. [A playful roll of his eyes hopefully downplays just how much Vanitas does get under his skin.] He's everyone's emo phase come to life as an angry internet troll. He wishes he was a real boy, but he can't seem to master anything beyond the dick and asshole.

[ tfw the u mad evolves into yes mad actually

Sora's going to lean back, hiding a huge grin behind his fist and sucking a breath in between his teeth. ]

Yo, you gotta warn a guy. I'm weak. [ His shoulders shake as he tries not to laugh. ] I mean, it's true, but you don't have to come for his life like that.

[Just your average evil recolor clone twin problems.]

There's a cure for that, you know. [The lopsided curve of Masaomi's lips could almost be construed as a smirk.] It's called exposure.

[ Sora's going to look at Masaomi, eyes wide and perfectly serious. Eventually, he puts a hand over his heart. Thump. This is mock-serious, totally amused, but he is smiling a little for real. ]

You got jokes. You're gonna give me jokes. I think that means we're friends now, right?

Well, you did go out of your way to try and help me out....

[He trails off like he actually has to think about this, even turns his head away from Sora like he feels bad about it.]

I guess I've got a few extra jokes tucked away in my arsenal. I could dust them off for a new buddy or two.

Yeah? Yeah....?

[ Is Sora playing along with the act or is he fidgeting out of a genuine anxiety about getting rejected? A little of column a, and if there's a bit of column b, well. Let's not talk about that!

Anyway, playing at being a little softer than he is is fun. It's something he's missed, letting people tease him without always needing to defend himself. He doesn't want to take himself too seriously. ]

C'mon. I'll be a good friend. I can cook? And I know magic. I'm not funny or smart, but I can bench like 200 pounds, and that's almost the same thing. [ That's a lie, it's 400, but Sora wants this to be a normal conversation, thanks. ]

[Despite his would-be act, Masaomi can't help but snicker under his breath. It's never fun to be reminded of how outclassed he is in this crazy world, but the way Sora spins it, both insecure and over the top at the same time... It's cute.

Sort of like how Mikado would scramble for witty rejoinders whenever Masaomi joked about him and Anri.]

That is pretty funny.

[He raises a fist. Bump it, new buddy.]

How could I resist?

[ Sora has to slap a hand over his mouth before removing his hand and smiling. Why? Perhaps a case of the giggles. We'll never know. ]

Nice. [ And Sora will bump that. ] Name's Sora. Nice to meet you, Masaomi.

Yeah, you too. Y'know, apart from why and where and how and all that.

[He shakes his head before pushing himself back to his feet with the seat of a pew.]

Still, not the worst wake up call I've ever gotten. Thanks, Sora.

Haha, yeah. I've had worse first impressions, though. [ He's going to have to tell him about the time a panicking magical girl punched him into a brick wall. ]

Hey, no problem. Let's get you back to your place. C'mon. [ And Sora will get up himself, brush himself off briskly, then head to the door with him! Will probably at least walk him to the Invincible before heading home himself. Yeah!! Friendship!! ]

Oh, there's a story behind that. Don't tell me there isn't.

[In fact, just tell him the story as they walk to the Invincible. That would be a wonderful distraction right now.

New friend get!]

Aah, I dunno. It's not that interesting. I was sort of a different person back then, too.

[ That goes for the time his gang cell leader entered a blood pact with him and the time a space action figure kept thinking he was very sus. (For what it's worth, the action figure was right.) ]

It's just, you know. I was either too nosy or trying too hard to mind my own business, you know? I don't think anyone's ever made a bad impression on me. [ Kind of a part of his whole problem, actually. ]

[If Masaomi's snort sounds a bit dry and bitter, that's because, well... He's only being escorted to the Invincible now because he'd been nosy enough to die before Sora could reach him. If Sora doesn't consider that to be a bad impression, then he's got some painfully low standards.

For now, at least, Masaomi decides to be quietly grateful and accept that charity.]

You must be a contortionist because that is a fantastic stretch, but I'll take it.

[Okay, maybe not quietly grateful.]

Let's hope that never changes.

[ Sora grins. Good, more jokes. This friendship is already paying off. ]

It's hard for me to change. Nothing to worry about. [ Someone told him a long, long time ago not to change. Sora intends to try, even if he isn't quite himself anymore. ]

The Invincible, huh... You must've been here a while. [ Just an assumption Sora makes about people who live at the Invincible or in one of the cottages. Granted, not many people live at the Landmark, but he feels like he knows most everyone there because they're all new. People who live in Beacon proper are veterans as far as Sora's concerned. ]

Almost five months.

[He's counting. He doesn't know why, when he has nowhere else to go now anyway, but he's still counting. Call it a vain hope.

His hands slide into his pockets as he tries to banish the thought.]

And I still don't miss school.

[A lie. But it sounds funnier than the truth.]

[ Sora puffs out his cheeks and laughs. Yeah, it is funny. Not the five months here - jeez, it's unbearable to think that he might be here for that long too - but. ]

Man, for like, one second I thought you were like, I don't miss school, like attendance? Don't scare me like that. I graduated years ago, I did my time.

[Masaomi can't help but snort. Oh man, even during the year he was playing good student, he still skipped classes like rocks on the water. Perfect attendance has never been on his radar.]

Excuse me, good sir, you seem to have me confused with someone who learns.

[He chuckles dryly.]

I get the feeling a class in this backwards world wouldn't make much sense anyway though.

[ Sora's attendance hadn't been bad! He just slept the entire time. Hey, warm body in a seat counts for a lot, apparently. ]

Ay, think about it this way. If I go to regular school on Earth and I suck at everything, if I go to school here, there's a chance that I'd suck even worse or kill it. [ He laughs. ] Spirit school, learning how to wear a mask and which weird holiday traditions are important. Maybe I'd even figure out how to sing.

Nobody can teach you how to sing.

[I mean, they can. There's an entire profession based on doing just that. According to Masaomi, however, they're wasting their time.]

You just gotta go for it.

Go for it, huh. [ Sora nods very seriously! That sounds right up his alley. ] What, like now? Right now?

action and text; @bacura

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