axilium | week 5; sunday ( hikage & steph )

You got my wha--

[ she's actually in the process of taking the leggy off so she just kind of. blinks in surprise at them. ]

Uh. Hi.

Edited 2018-07-15 22:16 (UTC)

[ this is the only time Hikage has ever made anyone's day better.

Also, Belph is absolutely receiving a smack to the head for his troubles here. ]

Shut up.

[ that's it. his ears are red again, though. ]

[he just laughs as he walks into the room like he owns the place.]

I told him, and he's not pissed. Probably.

[ steph almost asks if he's not pissed at both of them or if he's only not pissed at belph, because there's an important distinction between those two options. she manages not to say it though. ]

Oh. [ ... ] Surprise we're all friends?

[ please don't be mad ]

[ he still doesn't understand why they're this concerned over him. It's annoying that Steph had yet another thing she wasn't telling him, as her partner, to be sure - but he's used to that. Keeping secrets is how the game works. Especially keeping them from someone unpredictable like himself. They must know he knows that...

Or maybe their concern is more personal - they don't want him to be mad they kept a secret from him as his friends. It's seeming more and more likely. Hikage bites his lip. ]

... Am I that scary?

[ the dry comment is the best he can currently offer in the face of this caring he's still processing. ]

[for once, belph will be nice and not take the bed, instead leaning against a wall somewhere, arms crossed. he smiles.]

Well, if you were mad at us, then there'd be no more sleepovers, right?

That was a lot of fun.

[ for some people more than others. ]

And of course you're scary, do you have any idea how much I hate lectures?

[ a lot. please stop lecturing her. ]

[ but if he stops nagging he'll die!! ]

That's really what you were worried about?

[ It's absurd, that they were hiding it from him because they didn't want him to be mad. But the excuses he can usually make to himself don't work anymore - they both know full well who he is and what he's done. They both know his role in this game, too. There's no strategic value in sharing any of this information with him. It's clear enough from their attitudes - Belph's triumphant smile, Steph's light sheepishness. They just... trust him. They want him to know. They want him to be on their side. His heart hurts. ]

... I'm not mad. I'm... [ he glances off to the side, scratching his head; the expression on his face is far closer to emotional than angry. ]

[honestly, this is a bit of a new side to hikage that belph hasn't seen.]

You might want to finish that sentence, 'cause I don't think you want me finishing it for you!

[ hold on, she's just going to toss a pillow at belph. shut up, troll. ]

I'm just glad he was finally able to tell you. I was getting worried that he was going to resort to smoke signals.

[ she grew more and more tired every time belph came back with a "uh i didn't tell him." ]

You're the only person who knows that I'm a Vizier, by the way. Well... besides Belph, obviously, but he doesn't count there.

[ thank you, Steph, for not choosing to side with the "embarrass Hikage" faction this time. Still, he finds he's not even mad about Belph's teasing, either. He's happy. That's the teasing of a friend. He didn't think he could feel this way again... ]

I won't say anything. There's nothing for me to gain from that.

[ That's not a lie. This is all real. They came to him with this. Hikage looks a little flustered, still, by all of this, but he smiles, and it's warmer and more alive than any of his others have been. ]

... I wish I could have met you two while I was alive. [ it's impossible, of course. still, he's sure things would have gone differently. ] Thank you. For believing in me.

I'm pretty sure Hikage would miss smoke signals too.

[don't tease him, steph!!

anyway, that's... honestly a pretty heavy statement, and belph is touched but also not sure how to respond.]

Well, as miserable as this shi—I mean, as somewhat undesirable as our current situation is, glad to know we can make your pseudo-afterlife a little more bearable.

... Actually, I guess Steph still makes it pretty insufferable, what with her recklessness...

I haven't gotten injured in weeks.

[ it's said with a huff, because how dare they ignore her valiant efforts at not losing another limb?

still, hikage's words make her... happy. for weeks she had been struggling to figure out some sort of way to get him to accept that she does actually genuinely like him as a person and not just as her partner. ]

I'm thankful that I've gotten to meet you.

[ she's lucky she has 3 spare limbs, frankly...

As usual, Belph doesn't offer much in the way of his own feelings, but for once, he feels like he can actually believe what Steph's telling him. Heart-to-hearts like this are foreign to him, by this point - it's been decades since he had one - and, feeling embarrassed, he ducks his head. ]

... If you're really grateful, then don't make me worry about you.

[ it's a response to Steph, but it applies to both of them, really... and it's more of a deflection than anything. He's not good at being honest with his feelings. The fact that he thanked them took most of his effort already. ]

Pretty sure that's impossible for her!

[belph, the peanut gallery. still, he's glad for the two of them. hikage, in particular, seems like he needs this.]

[ TOSES ANOTHER PILLOW AT BELPH. ]

I don't do it on purpose.

[ how was she supposed to know that her getting maimed would make people worry about her? ]

[ WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED... ]

Whatever. You're a lost cause. [ he waves a hand - but it's in good spirits, as harsh as his words may be. ]

I don't know if I can help you. But if there's an item you need for Saturday, I can try and get it.

What the heck have you been using your role for, anyway? I'm actually still not completely sure what you even do.

Yeah, speaking of role... I haven't smelled anything bad in a while.

[ she still thinks the sulfur incident was hilarious. ]

Ah... The items don't have anything to do with my role.

[ he looks mildly annoyed at the stinky comment, but he lets it go, putting his hands on his hips and lowering his head in thought. ]

The Alchemist is offered a set of 5 words every week. I pick one, and it has a random effect on the palace... They won't tell me what it is, though. Last week, it was those memory pearls.

[............]

Hikage, you officially owe me a drink.

Hikage, I am pretty sure I traumatized a fourteen year old over that?

[ listen she knows he doesn't know what they do when he picks them. but why. ]

It's not my fault. I have no idea what they do. I've been trying to get clues out of them every week, and they won't tell me anything! [ ... ] The one time I asked for a recommendation, everyone got stab wounds. So I just go with my gut.

Well, good to know your gut wasn't what got us injured...?

[STILL. UGGGGGH.]

So how exactly does your title ability work, then?

[ she just nods her head. answer, binch. ]

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