CATCHALL ✧ NEWLY INITIATED.

[unsync]

WHO Ryuki (& Tama!) & You... unless?

WHAT General & Catch-All

WHEN Through January at least

WHERE Anywhere

WARNINGS Largely TBA, possibly him Going Through It if triggers come up in conversation. Probably alcohol. Mentions of NSFW topics, mentions / implications of child abuse.

BINGO INFO TOPLEVELS

Comments

OPEN POSTS ✧ JANUARY.

[unsync]

I. NEEDING INNOVATION

[ Things are still fine, except perhaps when you're traversing in front of one of the rural farms, you'll see Ryuki very much struggling with an array of farm tools around him and a plot of land. He has finally ditched his suit, sweater, shirt combo for something more appropriate, aka just the shirt with the sleeve rolled a little, and he sits down and sighs with a gardening hoe in hand -- just hunched over his tilled plot as he contemplates both the death of his farm and of himself. ]

This is hard...

[ There is an alpaca eating grass, staring at this pathetic scenario. ]

II. NUTCASE INVESTIGATION

[ Or, alternatively, he's somewhere private and away from the shade of people, and seeming to be talking to someone. ]

...Still no shot at a signal? I mean... it'd at least be nice if I could ask someone to check up on the house. And at least put in a request for a vacation properly, even if Boss might've organised it, but just in case, because some of the others... just how remote are we...?

...Right.

[ Except if you look around him, there is nobody else. Huh. ]

III. WILDCARD

[ My brain is flat if you'd like to fastball me anything please hmu! My plotting is here for January. Also, ask him about bondage. Go on. ]

I

[graftage]

Heya.

[Don't look now, Ryuki, but you have a cheerful fellow, hands in his overall pockets, just chilling out nearby. He lets out a whistle as he looks at Ryuki's....lack of work.]

It's harder than it looks, right?

[unsync]

[ Welcome to the farm my sweet grape boy, one day you will grow big and grape. Ryuki looks up weakly, squinting against John's silhouette in the sun, and glances down. ]

Yeah. I guess it must be easier if you grow up learning it, or once you get the hang of things, but the learning curve is... really hard.

[ Especially when considering this is farming on easy mode, because magic shenanigans will do most of it for you. He really just has no green thumb. He's working his brain. ]

...Sorry, have we met?

[graftage]

It sure is.

[And a shake of the head at the question, gesturing down the road.]

I just popped up here. Was given a piece of land here. And what do I find, but neighbors! So howdy, neighbor.

[unsync]

Oh!

[ This damned place never stops getting more lively. Ryuki scrambles up from the ground and juts out a hand, embarrassed enough to not greet him proper off the bat. ]

W-well! Welcome then, I'm Ryuki. I don't think I can be of help farming, but maybe I can help show you around? If you want.

II omg tama...!!

[punnyshment]

I'm afraid no one here was given the chance to put in a request for vacation.

[ Cyno's been observing this boyman talking to himself for a while. Nothing wrong with that, especially since he seems to be worried about his work back home, something Cyno can sympathize with. ]

Is there someone else with you?

[ That sounds better than "Why are you talking to yourself?", all things considereed. ]

Tama is here...!!

[unsync]

[ Ryuki startles when he's spoken to, head snapping around -- and, ouch. That was probably unwise, the slight, permanent headache straining him. Also stop he's 29 going on 17, forever. ]

Oh, er -- no. I was just thinking to myself... out loud.

[ In... a conversational manner. That being said, he's trying not to stare at Cyno's getup.

He's failing. ]

[punnyshment]

I see.

[ That is a bit weird, but just a bit. Mostly because he's thinking to himself out loud sometimes when trying to make a decision. The only difference might be the fact that he doesn't do that out in the open.

Speaking of being out in the open... he notices Ryuki's gaze. ]

Does it bother you? Unfortunately, I don't have any other attire.

[unsync]

[ Ryuki has never been particularly good at spinning lies, and it shows. It's really a matter of how much Cyno is willing to pursue this and see how far this clown car rides.

His eyes widen, and he shakes his head. ]

S-sorry! It's just, uh, I don't usually see people in... I see people in different clothes.

[ "Cosplay, much? I like putting on ears every now and then, and obviously I don't mind baring skin, but this is real commitment."

He ignores this in favour of the more practical elements. ]

You weren't provided with other outfits?

ii

[sluice]

[ Huh, interesting. Childe waits until there's a lapse in this """monologue""" to speak up. ]

Riveting conversation?

[ This doesn't bother him. It doesn't even faze him. His coworkers are kind of eccentric, too. ]

[unsync]

[ Ah -- a person. He turns around, a bit surprised, a bit embarrassed to be caught like this. ]

Oh -- uh, not that riveting, just wondering. Aloud, I guess...

[sluice]

You weren't talking to someone just now?

[ Neat of him. This also sounds a lot like evasiveness. ]

I wanted to take a quick breather after my run, so I won't be here long. You can continue your conversation if you want. [ With yourself.............. ] I don't mind.

[unsync]

Yeah, I was.

[ ...........Huh. ]

Oh, no. Don't let me bother you, uh -- I can go.

✦ MISHKA.

[unsync]

[ It's a lovely summer day innit. Ryuki is here, staring at the task board while tugging at the collar of his button-down, still in his classic outfit of layers, because he's not used to the seasons changing so quickly. ]

There's so much all the time...

[ Who is he even talking to? It's not important. It could be you soon. ]

[yourlenore]

( Mishka never considered himself one for umbrellas, them being too dainty and posh for his taste, but he does quite not expiring on the spot. Very suddenly Ryuki will find himself enveloped by shade, a breezily-dressed, tall man leaning a little bit over him.

He's got sunglasses tucked into his belt, and his hair up in a ponytail, leaving some markings along the back visible. All wind, no heat, baby. )

I quite like all the activity, myself. Feels very lively. ( Things being alive is a nice change of pace! ) Can't settle on, perhaps, what you're feeling up to?

[unsync]

Oh. Oh?

[ It just got darker. He glances up, expecting to see sudden clouds, because if the seasons can change so quickly, surely so can the weather. Instead, he sees an umbrella brim, and his head snaps to the side to see Mishka, surprised. ]

Er -- hi. [ Yikes, he really needs to get his head screwed on right, because he did not notice being approached at all. ] Yeah, I think you could say that...

There's the whole farm thing, the bingo, the harvest, the task board... and a lot of them reward. It's just a lot to do.

[yourlenore]

( He smiles, straightening up now that he's gotten this gentleman's attention. It's strangely idyllic, how the biggest concerns for a person here was what order to take on the cute little tasks asked of them. Now, they are running around for this Goddess's amusement, and he doesn't quite find himself fond of that fact - but of all whimsies, these tasks are thus far comparably less miserable. )

Well, if it's all the same to you, would you mind lending me a hand? I myself am a fresh face to these lands.

( It sounds like this guy needs help prioritizing, so here's someone handing him a priority! He's helping. )

My little sheet, this "bingo" one, suggests I locate an "ice cream," but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the concept. If you know much about it, might you guide me to one of these?

( He assumes "ice cream," and how it can involve another person, makes much more sense in context, so here's hoping this guy is an ice cream knower. )

✦ AMBER.

[unsync]

[ I am assuming there is an ice rink on this island somewhere even though it is the MIDST OF SUMMER. That's why Ryuki is here, letting the cool ice soothe him a bit. Just because he's used to sweltering summers doesn't mean they get any easier.

He's just standing besides the ice, staring out at it. He's pretty sure he had ice skating on his bingo card somewhere, but the fact that he can barely do it himself, and needs a second to tango, made this prompt rather hard for him to broach. ]

I wonder if I should at least practice...

[ He says, to himself, but probably well within earshot of Amber. ]

[outride]

( Amber has had her eyes fixed to the ice ever since she came across it! although she's never properly ice skated before, she's always wanted to. she's played around in dragonspine (and likely bumped herself more than once), but it's never too safe to play there for long. this, on the other hand, looks completely safe! ... at least, if no one slips and breaks anything! but does that thought scare her? absolutely not!

seems she wasn't the first one who had their eyes on the ice, either - Amber peers over to Ryuki with a grin when she hears him murmur to himself. )

You're looking to practise? Does that mean you can ice skate!?

[unsync]

[ No... Amber your Dragonspine fall damage. I have an awful story about this actually, I got to Dragonspine when I was still under level 20 and ran into that big boss Hilichurl right away by the tree right. So instead of being sane, I literally solo whittled that guy down with just Amber and spent like, 15 minutes doing this... the worst part was that he didn't drop anything...........

Ryuki startles when he's addressed, blinking wide. Oh -- he was talking aloud. He has sense to look a little sheepish. ]

Oh, uh -- not really. I never had the opportunity to go out and try, but it's on my squares.

...Do you?

[outride]

( DRAGONSPINE IS AN AREA OF NIGHTMARES TBH )

Can't say I do! But I love trying new things. So, how about it? We could try skating together! That way, if someone's about to fall, we're a lot less likely to get hurt!

( don't ask her to elaborate, it's a solid plan in her eyes. )

✦ ADELIS.

[unsync]

[ It has been such a wild time of a season. Maybe today, he will finally... just finally... get a break.

It starts with the most simple morning an average city boy can have -- and so, at eight am, the kitchen will be wafting with the smell of black coffee, a tired Ryuki staring at the pot filling. Yes, he is literally just watching coffee drip. To be fair, he is actually having a conversation in his head with Tama and therefore zoning out a little bit in the real world, but for all it's worth on the outside, that's what it looks like.

He does eventually get a mug from his designated cupboard, but today, he hesitates a bit. And then looks towards his roomie, the one he's been somewhat emotionally walking around. ]

...Hey, do you want one?

[ Peace offering? ]

[for8000amonth]

[ There is something deeply wrong with his roommate.

Now, it's not as if he's a stranger to such things. Mental health is not exactly Ostoya's strong point, and he's seen a fair share of lunatics and people on the edge of insanity. Adelis can't really claim to be all there himself, but he will anyway, since he's doing better than most. He's also not...staring blankly at the contraption on the counter, eyes glazed over and unmoving.

Hells.

He was going to ignore him and go about his business, but apparently this time he seems interested in chatting...or offering, which makes Adelis' gaze flit down suspiciously to the dark liquid inside the pot. ]

...And what, pray-tell, is that supposed to be.

[ He's seen him guzzling it nigh every other morning, but the smell is unfamiliar. ]

[unsync]

[ Sometimes, you are just a tired boy and zone out watching water boil, or something like that.

Ryuki holds out the pot of off-black liquid. ]

It's drip coffee. [ At this point, he's gotten the grasp that Adelis is not privy to a lot of things Ryuki himself takes for granted, he's met Mishka. ] It's a bitter drink with caffeine in it, helps to give an energy boost and wake up a bit better in the morning.

It's bitter, though -- more than it smells, so if you wanted any milk or sugar to go with it, I have that around too.

[for8000amonth]

[ Has he considered therapy, which is something Adelis has also never heard of before because Ostoyans don't have medical care that isn't herbs and leeches-

He stares at the offered pot with all it's ominous liquid inside. ]

...Like a black tea, then.

[ That's, well, the closest thing he can think of. That does, after all, have the benefit of making one feel a bit more alert...it certainly doesn't smell the same, however. Far less herbal. At the description, he seems to be weighing the pros and cons, before he finally settles with a few steps closer. ]

...I don't care much for sweet. [ Sugar, no. Milk...? Well, he'll reserve his opinion for after. He's not a coward, unlike a certain someone else with an ant farm in his chest cavity. ] I'll take it as is, if you wouldn't mind.