[Ah... That stare is so judging, it's making his composure crack. He rubs the back of his head now with the hand that had been waving everything off.]
...I've been raising him for four years. [What!!!] He was an orphan to start with, after all, so he had nowhere to go. Yuuichirou Hyakuya. He was with the vampires for four years as livestock, but all the other orphans were killed during a failed escape, as far as he knew, and only he got away. That's when I met him and took him in.
Now, I'm his superior. We're fighting together. Make sense? [Stop looking at him!! And his definite parental feelings...]
[ four years! that’s incredible, even if the origin story is a little tragic. it seems, however, that this yuuichirou is no longer an “orphan” under guren’s guidance and care—no matter how the military hierarchy may change the way they interact with each other.
dextera doesn’t say any of this, however, and he instead simply nods, content with that answer.
the look on his face suggests that he’s quite heartwarmed by guren’s explanation here, no matter how business-like guren tries to make it seem. it was kind of him, to take an orphan in. ]
[That expression is too much. Guren's own fades into something emptier at seeing it, and he flicks his eyes down to look at the chicken, instead.]
Don't think it's anything kind. I was only thinking about what could be of use to me.
[He'd known about Yuu long before then. He'd known he'd come out of that city, what he was, that he was a seraph of the end. That has him in a lot of trouble now, too. Yuu is in danger too often. Yuu continues to trust him, he saved him without a second thought— his heart was crushed, and he came back, just like that, even if Guren could only look on sadly and keep telling him that he needed to continue to use his power.
He can't ruin this nice little evening. He lifts a hand and runs it lightly over Leliel's feathers.]
[ dextera can understand that, too—guren doesn’t like to think of himself as kind, and it’s moments like this where dextera’s necessary silence is an asset, rather than a burden. he can’t say anything, and guren’s interpretations of his expressions and his wordlessness all say a lot more than dextera could get from questions.
hmm. another day, though. there are things dextera doesn’t want to talk about, either. he fluffs leliel in his arms, and the chicken clucks in surprise. ]
...
[ he looks up, since it seems like relaxing in dextera’s room seems like the nicest thing to do right now. there are blankets, and his laptop, and a chess board—and even if they do none of that, it feels more private than having this conversation in the front of the house.
leliel pecks at guren’s fingers, but it’s curiosity, rather than trying to injure him. ]
[The question was more to fill space than anything else. Of course they were going to Dextera's room. He blinks at him, holding out his hand flatter so Leliel can peck at him however she wants, and then walks with him that way with a hum.
He wonders, briefly, if the chicken ever sleeps next to Dextera, and decides that she must. The image is such a sweet one in his mind, he kind of wants to see it happen?? Thoughts like these are enough to make the rest fade to the background.]
[ when guren holds his hand flat, it becomes obvious that she’s looking for treats?! guren is offering her nothing, however, and if she looks a little fluffier than she did the last time guren was over here, then it’s totally not because dextera spoils this beautiful lady with all the snacks her chicken heart could ever desire.
when they reach his room, dextera sets her down, and she pecks her way over to the pile of blankets that has become her little nest. ]
...
[ dextera pulls his laptop away from her side, since it’ll be easier to talk if he’s got that rather than his hands or his notebook. ]
[ dextera quickly shakes his head anyway, when guren voices that she must be mad at him—! she just wants snacks. he’s learned that particular kind of stride, and the sounds she makes when she expects something.
but... maybe he should be letting her run around outside a little more. he’s just deeply affectionate. he regards her size as he opens up his laptop, automatically refreshing the forum. ]
[Guren is watching Dextera's face more than anything else, so once he refreshes the forum, Guren leans over to try to see what he's looking at.]
Something went up?
[He was thinking like, a person saying something interesting, but... it's that mysterious user with the quests instead, huh? He can read them from over Dextera's shoulder if he scoots a little closer, so he does.]
[ dextera moves, too, to offer guren a better angle on the laptop, even though he hasn’t looked at the quests entirely yet, either.
a jorogumo, some geese, a wish, a skill... there’s a kind of poem at the top, too, which dextera is silently gratified to see. it’s the wish that catches his attention, though, and he taps his finger to the screen and glances back at guren.
[It takes a few rereads of the same simple quest to understand, because he's surprised about it, honestly. Yeah, he came over here to help Dextera with his wish, pretty openly, but... seeing it in writing like that, with the word wish... It's almost sheepish, the way he scratches at the side of his face.]
You think that's how you got those tulips?
[He's less aware of how Dextera's smile had granted a wish for him, but that's just denial, it's fine.]
[ but why him? the quest wasn’t to have a wish granted. it was to fulfill someone else’s wish, and dextera doesn’t know what he could have done to earn those tulips when guren was the one who did the heavy lifting. ]
...
[ so it’s denial in his own way that leads to him shrugging, but it’s with less nonchalance than a shrug requires. it just gives away that he’s not really sure, but definitely flustered at the idea of having this put in writing. ]
[The longer he thinks about it, the more that sets it. He thinks back on it— these didn't go up too long ago at all, considering when he last looked. So, all it could have been was that conversation.
But Guren knows that Dextera helps him every day, and now he's thinking of all the ways he could have granted a simple wish, and that's getting to him. He looks away from the laptop, away from Dextera, and focuses on the chicken instead.]
Well... At least you got some nice flowers out of it.
[He has no idea what it was!! What a mystery!!! Don't look at him]
[ guren is lucky that dextera has nary a clue as to what he might have done for guren, and maybe he’ll never put it all together—the color of the flowers, the plot in front of his house—but it’s just as well. he would be embarrassed, if he knew. ]
...hm.
[ a quiet, confused noise, but a final one, too. there’s no sense in asking guren questions he probably can’t answer. he scrolls down to the next quest, noting the requirements of a skill, and he tries to get guren’s attention back with a shy little humor on his face.
[Chess... It's easy to see the screen from this close, at least, and he is curious about the quests, so he's not looking away from this right now.]
I guess you did. Chess probably counts as a skill, I guess... [In those vague terms of the network.] What, you can't think of anything else you could teach?
[ dextera pauses at that, but then plainly shakes his head without typing anything else.
the thing is, he has a lot of weird skills, like throwing or being able to whistle for his beloved chicken, but he doesn't realize he has them until he's actively using them. how can he teach someone something he doesn't know why he knows?
[He responds with that so instantly, so easily, answering that shrug with a small lean. It's a nudge, light as it is— his weight pressing against Dextera's just enough to wiggle him a bit before he pulls back to his own space.]
But I knew that already. It's why I asked you to crack at Fushimi, even if he's been hiding in Yata's room this whole time.
[ dextera breathes out an amused sigh, at that—and luckily for guren, he doesn’t seem especially embarrassed at the mention of fushimi, so it’s safe to say that he didn’t see that little forum post! all he knows is that he tried, and whether or not it’s been working, who knows? ]
[ that reaction makes him quite sure that he’s got the right guy, since fushimi definitely isn’t easy, but he was civil. that’s more than dextera expects from any interaction, really. ]
[Dextera probably thinks Ryo is nice, too, Guren thinks, and that's enough to make his frown a little more sour. It bothers him... But he doesn't have a right to say anything. He wants to help, but what's he supposed to do? He can't even get his own world straight, let alone whatever is going on in Dextera's.]
[ dextera thinks ryo is something—not nice, not cruel, but a mix of the two that carries with it shades of the archangel in a much more palatable form. there are no politics or guilt involved with ryo, but there's something there that he just can't place his finger on. ]
I'm just quiet. Sometimes that works in my favor. [ he's nice as long as people read niceness into his silence! ] Sometimes you can tell.
[This is so funny to him, Dextera admitting it, but he waves his hand between them to brush it off.]
Just because you're a little shit sometimes doesn't mean you're not nice. You give way too much lip for a mute guy. [GUREN] But you're patient with others. That's not done without kindness.
[ dextera trusts guren enough to know he doesn't mean anything in particular when he calls him a little shit, not least of all because dextera kind of set himself up for it. ]
Ha ha. [ written without laughing aloud, though he does smile a bit. ] Thank you, Guren. I'm sorry for mouthing off.
[ this too is typed with some amusement—it's not a real apology. ]
[Guren does laugh, shaking his head as he leans back just to rest his weight on his palm. He's still close enough to read the laptop.]
Sure you are. [Punk!! He loves the attitude, and that much is clear. He's got attitude himself— way more of it. The smart mouthing to superiors kind of attitude that risks punishment. It's no wonder his kid turned out the same way, too... And he certainly won't stop his friends.]
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...I've been raising him for four years. [What!!!] He was an orphan to start with, after all, so he had nowhere to go. Yuuichirou Hyakuya. He was with the vampires for four years as livestock, but all the other orphans were killed during a failed escape, as far as he knew, and only he got away. That's when I met him and took him in.
Now, I'm his superior. We're fighting together. Make sense? [Stop looking at him!! And his definite parental feelings...]
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dextera doesn’t say any of this, however, and he instead simply nods, content with that answer.
the look on his face suggests that he’s quite heartwarmed by guren’s explanation here, no matter how business-like guren tries to make it seem. it was kind of him, to take an orphan in. ]
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Don't think it's anything kind. I was only thinking about what could be of use to me.
[He'd known about Yuu long before then. He'd known he'd come out of that city, what he was, that he was a seraph of the end. That has him in a lot of trouble now, too. Yuu is in danger too often. Yuu continues to trust him, he saved him without a second thought— his heart was crushed, and he came back, just like that, even if Guren could only look on sadly and keep telling him that he needed to continue to use his power.
He can't ruin this nice little evening. He lifts a hand and runs it lightly over Leliel's feathers.]
...Anyway, where do you want to take her?
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hmm. another day, though. there are things dextera doesn’t want to talk about, either. he fluffs leliel in his arms, and the chicken clucks in surprise. ]
...
[ he looks up, since it seems like relaxing in dextera’s room seems like the nicest thing to do right now. there are blankets, and his laptop, and a chess board—and even if they do none of that, it feels more private than having this conversation in the front of the house.
leliel pecks at guren’s fingers, but it’s curiosity, rather than trying to injure him. ]
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He wonders, briefly, if the chicken ever sleeps next to Dextera, and decides that she must. The image is such a sweet one in his mind, he kind of wants to see it happen?? Thoughts like these are enough to make the rest fade to the background.]
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when they reach his room, dextera sets her down, and she pecks her way over to the pile of blankets that has become her little nest. ]
...
[ dextera pulls his laptop away from her side, since it’ll be easier to talk if he’s got that rather than his hands or his notebook. ]
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[Guren says it with clear amusement as he finds a spot to sit, himself.] You're going to make her fat if all you do is feed her.
[But it's a playful scolding, and he doubts a fat chicken would have such a bad life, anyway.]
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but... maybe he should be letting her run around outside a little more. he’s just deeply affectionate. he regards her size as he opens up his laptop, automatically refreshing the forum. ]
...
[ there are new quests. ]
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Something went up?
[He was thinking like, a person saying something interesting, but... it's that mysterious user with the quests instead, huh? He can read them from over Dextera's shoulder if he scoots a little closer, so he does.]
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a jorogumo, some geese, a wish, a skill... there’s a kind of poem at the top, too, which dextera is silently gratified to see. it’s the wish that catches his attention, though, and he taps his finger to the screen and glances back at guren.
was this...? ]
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[It takes a few rereads of the same simple quest to understand, because he's surprised about it, honestly. Yeah, he came over here to help Dextera with his wish, pretty openly, but... seeing it in writing like that, with the word wish... It's almost sheepish, the way he scratches at the side of his face.]
You think that's how you got those tulips?
[He's less aware of how Dextera's smile had granted a wish for him, but that's just denial, it's fine.]
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...
[ so it’s denial in his own way that leads to him shrugging, but it’s with less nonchalance than a shrug requires. it just gives away that he’s not really sure, but definitely flustered at the idea of having this put in writing. ]
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But Guren knows that Dextera helps him every day, and now he's thinking of all the ways he could have granted a simple wish, and that's getting to him. He looks away from the laptop, away from Dextera, and focuses on the chicken instead.]
Well... At least you got some nice flowers out of it.
[He has no idea what it was!! What a mystery!!! Don't look at him]
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...hm.
[ a quiet, confused noise, but a final one, too. there’s no sense in asking guren questions he probably can’t answer. he scrolls down to the next quest, noting the requirements of a skill, and he tries to get guren’s attention back with a shy little humor on his face.
in the nearest text box, he types this message: ]
I taught you chess too early.
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[Chess... It's easy to see the screen from this close, at least, and he is curious about the quests, so he's not looking away from this right now.]
I guess you did. Chess probably counts as a skill, I guess... [In those vague terms of the network.] What, you can't think of anything else you could teach?
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the thing is, he has a lot of weird skills, like throwing or being able to whistle for his beloved chicken, but he doesn't realize he has them until he's actively using them. how can he teach someone something he doesn't know why he knows?
another shrug, playfully apologetic. ]
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[He responds with that so instantly, so easily, answering that shrug with a small lean. It's a nudge, light as it is— his weight pressing against Dextera's just enough to wiggle him a bit before he pulls back to his own space.]
But I knew that already. It's why I asked you to crack at Fushimi, even if he's been hiding in Yata's room this whole time.
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He seems nice.
[ does... does he??? ]
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[ Spoken with a blank face. He’s not nice at all!! He’s got a heart, Guren knows, but god he was Work to deal with. Still, he’s mostly joking. ]
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[ that reaction makes him quite sure that he’s got the right guy, since fushimi definitely isn’t easy, but he was civil. that’s more than dextera expects from any interaction, really. ]
He was nice enough to me.
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[Dextera probably thinks Ryo is nice, too, Guren thinks, and that's enough to make his frown a little more sour. It bothers him... But he doesn't have a right to say anything. He wants to help, but what's he supposed to do? He can't even get his own world straight, let alone whatever is going on in Dextera's.]
You're the one who's nice.
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I'm just quiet. Sometimes that works in my favor. [ he's nice as long as people read niceness into his silence! ] Sometimes you can tell.
[ when he's being sassy. ]
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[This is so funny to him, Dextera admitting it, but he waves his hand between them to brush it off.]
Just because you're a little shit sometimes doesn't mean you're not nice. You give way too much lip for a mute guy. [GUREN] But you're patient with others. That's not done without kindness.
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Ha ha. [ written without laughing aloud, though he does smile a bit. ] Thank you, Guren. I'm sorry for mouthing off.
[ this too is typed with some amusement—it's not a real apology. ]
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Sure you are. [Punk!! He loves the attitude, and that much is clear. He's got attitude himself— way more of it. The smart mouthing to superiors kind of attitude that risks punishment. It's no wonder his kid turned out the same way, too... And he certainly won't stop his friends.]
Speaking of chess, do you want to play a game?
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