action and text; @bacura

[mellowyellow]

[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.

Comments

[mindofathief]

[Duster takes his oil-stained wooden spoon to stir the cornmeal until it doesn't look like it's going to burn.]

Yeah...I think I might've gone overboard.

[One egg onto each plate.]

I figured it's better to eat a lot in case we have an emergency. [Wait. Don't remind him of the parade.] Like if something washes up or people need help building something.

[mellowyellow]

[Eating a lot is not something Masaomi is keen on doing in theory, but the smell of bacon is still strong in his nostrils. He wants to eat something at least. Not even Duster's little slip up can change his mind on that.

He backs away so that Duster can do his thing, finds a bar stool to plop down on. Then he decides it's time to stop dancing around the elephant in the room.]

Or someone dies, right?

[He snorts. It's not amused.]

I'm not gonna scream at you if you dare to mention my screw up, you know. Not this time anyway.

[mindofathief]

Why would I-

[Right. Maybe Masaomi is used to people screaming at him. It never made sense to Duster to treat someone badly for a mistake, but even he never questioned why it happened to him.]

We didn't know what the forest parade really did. It's not your fault that they went after you.

[mellowyellow]

[Masaomi is less used to getting screamed at as he is to getting punched. He's actually referring to when he shouted at Duster for trying to be helpful when the lantern malfunctions first appeared. The poor guy had backed off immediately then. Masaomi assumes he's being handled with kid gloves after that mess, and that doesn't sit well with him. He just wants to assure Duster that he's not going to throw a tantrum.

He's not that pathetic.]

Wow... [He shakes his head in disbelief.] When you say it like that, I almost sound like a martyr.

[mindofathief]

That does make it sound more impressive, doesn't it?

[Now that he's finished with the protein, he turns off his burner and leans back against the counter.]

At least you're back. That's what's more important.

[He's genuinely relieved that death by Parade isn't permanent. Three years ago, Tazmily had lost 2 people in one day, and that was enough for Duster to think over how he would have greeted them had they shown up after their deaths. Maybe it would be like these, chatting like nothing had happened. Maybe it should be more comforting.]

You sure you don't want anything else to eat?

[mellowyellow]

[It's anything but impressive. It's terrifying and disgusting, and maybe he is too. He'd been the one to join with the parade, and he'd been the one to end his own life. Maybe the reason they didn't know what the parade did is because the parade doesn't have to do anything at all.

Masaomi slumps over the counter. If he keeps thinking like this, he's going to lose his appetite altogether. Then what would Duster think?]

Dude, let me take it easy. [He forces a chuckle.] One fried bird fetus at a time, okay?

[mindofathief]

[For some reason, Duster didn’t feel as hungry as before he started cooking.]

Have as much cornmeal as you want.

[He thinks he can still eat the egg. Maybe. If he mixes it with the rest of his plate.

He stirs the final pot a few more times and turns off the heat, slowly mixing it until it cools down enough.] I don’t have many plans for the week otherwise. Let me know if you want to hang out anytime. [So that he doesn’t have to deal with the aftermath alone.]

[mellowyellow]

Yeah, thanks.

[He’s not sure what else to say as he perks up enough to plop an egg and some bacon onto his plate to start. It’s not until after he nibbles his way through his first bacon slab that he realizes exactly why he’s so at a loss for words.]

Do you usually cook breakfast for guys who tell you to fuck off?”

[mindofathief]

I don't always have a choice who I live with. [Wait.] But here its more like...I know who you are. You could use something nice after what happened. I'm not trying to get you on my good side.

[He scoops out some of the warm mush and plops it onto his own plate.] How much do you want?

[mellowyellow]

[That's definitely not a compliment, but it's not an insult either. He'll take it.

Masaomi holds out his plate for the next helping.]

The rest. I've never tried it before, so if you're gonna be this determined to give me something nice, I've gotta go all out.

[Wink!]

[mindofathief]

[Might as well let Masaomi try all of it. Duster scoops out all but one helping of meal. Any more would make the it spill off the plate.]

Eat up.

[mellowyellow]

Aye, aye, captain.

[He'll certainly try and wind up decently proud when he manages to clear a good three-fourths of his plate. The rest he'll take back up with him, a snack to shove down his throat the next time he wakes from a nightmare.]