[kushtibokt]

@curiouskinetic replied to your post “　His current Doctor of Chaos gave him a suggestion...”:

sora is unable to make any suggestions because she is crying at how cute the duck is

　...Huh? Did he make her cry? There is a very visible confusion spread across his face, and also in the way his hand reaches and pats her back gently.

　"I can draw you something else, if that would make you happy." He grabs another piece of paper and begins to doodle another weird bird, this time in a different set of colors, sometimes peeking over to look at her tail, as if assessing what details to add.

　"Here, kitten. How about this one?"

　He pauses, though, and considers for a second before retrieving it and adding a couple of details. Then, offering it in her direction again.

　"Ok, now that's more like it." He forgot she's not a bird.

[curiouskinetic]

Sora didn't cry all that often, though you might not think that seeing as how she'd started tearing up over a duck doodle. It was just so damn cute! And so was he for making it! As she was standing there trying to pull herself together he started drawing something else, something that almost made her burst into tears all over again when he showed it to her.

Luckily the last minute addition of ears caused laughter to bubble up out of her instead, and she accepted the gift and stared at it for a bit, then sighed and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hehe... I love you."

"It's perfect, by the way."

[curiouskinetic]

big things coming............. very slowly dfkhjfdhj

[curiouskinetic]

"That's the most beautiful picture I've ever seen I think."

[pinchofdeceit]

@curiouskinetic &&. said... sniffing him

he  smells  of  blueberries  and  melted  brown  sugar  —  something  decadent  and  sweet  and  warm  like  a  freshly  baked  dessert.  (  or  an  overpriced  scented  candle  taking  up  real  estate  on  your  grandmother's  coffee  table.  )  the  beast  blinks  up  with  big  old  eyes  that  would  put  even  the  most  marketable  plushies  to  shame.  a  little  befuddled  —  buuut  not  the  weirdest  substitute  for  a  handshake  he's  ever  come  across.

❝  you're  not  doing  that  just  because  you're  hungry,  are  ya?  ❞ asking the important questions here.

[curiouskinetic]

While being fond of sweets, the overwhelming sugary scent that Shadow Milk gave off was a bit much for Sora at times. Granted her nose was a tad better than most so this was really just a problem for her, and thankfully she was gradually getting used to it.

A yawn escaped her as he spoke, an unintentional flashing of sharp fangs as she rested her head in her hands and blinked tiredly down at him.

"Nah." She mumbled. "I am hungry, though." And sleepy, evidently. Well, at least her little friend didn't have anything to worry about. Despite smelling like a delicious baked treat she wouldn't ever to try and take a bite out of him— that wouldn't be a very friendly thing to do now would it?

".... you got any snacks?"

[curiouskinetic]

@ioronta said: more   and   more   did   he   come   to   appreciate   his   decision   to   limit   the   classes   he   offered   for   eager   students,   as   ratio's   free   time   appeared   to   be   taken   up   more   and   more   by   either   his   own   projects   or   those   wishing   to   further   their   knowledge   in   spite   of   the   challenges   posed   by   ignorance.   he   would   not   turn   away   those   earnestly   seeking   to   push   past   their   intellect's   current   limits,   and   sora   was   no   exception.   that   said,   he   never   had   and   never   would   be   in   a   habit   of   simply   handing   wisdom   to   the   masses   ;   there   was   nothing   to   be   gained   without   the   necessary   amount   of   thinking   done   along   the   way.   that   said,   he   was,   however,   always   willing   to   offer   reading   recommendations   when   he   thought   it   beneficial.   that   day,   he   handed   sora   two   pages   worth   of   a   list,   for   one,   as   well   as   a   set   of   suggested   appointments   for   a   physical   examination.   ❛    these   should   be   adequate   reading   material   for   your   level   —   i   encourage   you   to   choose   one   of   the   dates   listed   at   the   bottom   for   a   medical   check-up,   too.   one's   health   is   a   matter   that   cannot   be   neglected,   after   all.   ❜

Though Sora was certainly a fan of learning new things, and often sought out such things in her free time, the main reason she liked spending time around Veritas was simply because she enjoyed his company. She had plenty of fun hanging out and just reading in the same room— and his book recommendations were always interesting!

So naturally her ears perked up as she accepted the new list of books, already skimming through them when he started speaking, and abruptly stopping when the words "medical check-up" pierced through her concentration.

"Thanks, I'll— eh?" A few moments of silence follow as she attempts to piece together what he meant by that, clearly having a bit of a hard time.

"Like... see a doctor..?" She mumbled, brows furrowed. Why would she do that if she wasn't hurt? Wait— that was something normal people did. Go and see doctors every now and then to make sure they were doing alright, even if they were perfectly healthy at the time.

I don't.. have the same kinds of problems as humans, though. What is there to check up on if I don't have some kind of immediate injury? I can't remember ever being sick, either... is there something else? ...... am I the weird one here?

Her expression was gradually growing more vacant as she internally argued with herself, trying very hard to come up with an adequate response as more and more time passed.

[curiouskinetic]

Caelus is here and he’s decided to powder Sora’s tail a hot pink. A dastardly, bright, ridiculous pink that unfortunately does not hinder the softness of her tail but it DOES stain it most severely

"CAELUS!!!" Apparently it was ill advised to take a nap around here, as you might wake up with an obnoxiously pink tail courtesy of a friend. A friend that may or may not be remaining among the living after Sora gets her hands on them.

Shaking off the last bits of grogginess she gave chase, aiming to give him the ass kicking of a lifetime.

[curiouskinetic]

im still on vacation rn but when i get home sora's getting on the path of the trailblaze babyyyyyy

[curiouskinetic]

"Mmm... I'm not sure why, but I think I'm going to kick Caelus' ass tomorrow."

[curiouskinetic]

rare   days   off   were   not   quite   so   bad,   although   moze   still   usually   found   himself   falling   into   the   same   old   compulsions.   messy,   unsightly   corners   called   for   his   attention,   rendering   him   incapable   of   finding   rest   amidst   a   world   filled   with   so   much   to   clean.   he   had   made   his   way   to   the   astral   express   for   the   express   purpose   of   inquiring   about   cleaning   utensils   with   the   conductor,   but   somehow   seemed   incapable   of   finding   them.   though   the   assassin   had   skulked   about   the   carts   for   a   small   while,   he   did   end   up   deciding   that   that   wild   goose   chase   of   his   was   of   no   further   use,   and   instead   walked   up   to   the   nearest   traveller   aboard,   much   as   he   would   have   preferred   to   avoid   it.   ❛    sorry   for   the   intrusion,   ❜   he   droned,   though   the   apology   did   ring   sincere.   ❛    could   you   point   me   towards   the   conductor   ?   ❜

Alright, so, while we're stopped here I should probably pick up a few things.... ah— better to make a list this time, I think. A quick trip to pick up some spices and some of that tea she couldn't find anywhere else. Sora gazed down at the sheet of paper in front of her, brows furrowed in thought. Now what was it called again? Oh, right, it was—

Her thoughts abruptly cut off as a voice sounded nearby, causing a slight flinch as she looked up to see who was there. A relatively subtle sign she'd been startled by the stranger's appearance— in contrast to her puffed up tail that signaled exactly how she was feeling.

"Huh!? Oh! Oh uh, it's— that's okay." She paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "Right, uh, you're looking for Pom-pom?" She glanced around the room, wondering about the last time she'd seen them. "Uh... you know I'm.. not sure where they are, actually." Sometimes they seemed to simply vanish, probably off working on some remote area of the express... but she'd never asked, so she wouldn't know.

"What did you need them for? I uhm, maybe I could help?"

[curiouskinetic]

Sexual Preference

"I mean... I guess...?" She wasn't too sure about this one, actually.

[spurhill]

He wondered, briefly, if she had considered the fact that her actions reflect on the Nameless, whether good or bad, as they are the ones taking responsibility for her. From what he knew, since she herself wasn't a Nameless, being a guest of the Express, she couldn't use their resources as her own... but any trouble she did or didn't cause would eventually come back to them. Planarcadia was never a planet that cared for the truth in it's entirety—embellishments, lies, grudges and scandals, these were the things that the people here loved. Whether she was in the right or not at the time would never matter. And yet, the fact remains that in the end he knew nothing about this young lady and it would likely remain that way; a mutual wall built between them so that neither knew anything of the other. So he would accept anything she says about herself with a grain of salt.

"We've got three decent choices for now. The gang, the lover, and the considered new place of employment. It'd be a good idea to talk with his girlfriend first; she could have a lot to say that she didn't want on paper. Thoughts, opinions?" Posing this request on paper was already risky of her. This would be a good chance to check if she was alright.

[curiouskinetic]

Sora tilted her head to the side as he spoke, then nodded. It seemed they were of the same mind on what to do next. "Uhm, that sounds good to me." Any extra information they could get from the woman would be helpful, and as Sora previously thought, so would learning the scent of the man they were looking for.

Still not entirely sure where they were going, she stuck close to Ashveil as he led the way through the maze of streets. A few people gave her odd looks along the way, which she attributed to her scuffed appearance, and by the time they arrived she was feeling a fair bit more self conscious.

Sora waited a few steps back while Ashveil knocked on the door, wondering if she should have taken more time to look presentable before agreeing to do this. The silence that followed his knock was tense, with each of them likely expecting the worst— and then she answered.

"Y-yes? Oh!" The door that had been only open a crack suddenly swung in fully as the woman stepped into full view. "You're the detective! Is there something I can— hm?" She broke off, having peered around him to spot Sora. "Oh, did you bring an assistant?"

"Uh..." Sora exchanged looks with Ashveil, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm— I'm helping out today."

"I see... well, you're both welcome to come in." She stepped aside to allow them through, and Sora regarded her carefully as she passed. She seemed quite nervous, but hopeful at the same time.

Wish we actually had something to tell her... Sora mused. She's really gotten her hopes up already.

[curiouskinetic]

Lately, Sora has felt that her frustrations are getting the better of her, and so decided to take a day for herself to simply try and relax a little. She'd started by attempting to meditate, but she was woefully out of practice and was mostly just sitting there and.... falling asleep. Very slowly.

[spurhill]

It seemed like she wasn't lacking in the deduction department, but that was a fairly easy guess. In fact, that was the most direct assumption one could make of the situation and while it may be correct in the end, it was important not to focus too heavily on it at first. But it was a good, and the only, real lead the had for the time being, so there was no harm in following it. Ashveil rises from the seat he'd perched himself in with a tired groan.

"Not a bad guess. Well, then, let's pay a visit to some people and see if we can piece some things together. Just remember: the goal is to find out what happened, and if we can, where he went. Don't point any fingers, alright?" Doing that would absolutely make the job far more difficult than it needed to be, and might even land them in a fight or two. Three, if the day's going slow enough.

"Come on." He makes for the door, dodging the various furbos and stopping to talk to Mister N on the way out, who nods and seems to understand the situation.

[curiouskinetic]

His insistence on treating her like some kind of child was already wearing Sora's patience thin, but she refrained from snapping. For now. He'd caught her at a bad moment once before, sure, but seeing someone get in one scrap was hardly enough to make a sweeping judgement on their personality.

"Wasn't planning on it." She muttered, reluctantly following along behind him. As they left the office Sora got another good look at the fries she'd lost thanks to him, and sighed. Well, maybe some dog would come along and eat them or something— she hated seeing food go to waste like this.

Stepping out on to the street Sora paused to run her fingers through her hair a couple times, attempting to make herself a little more presentable if they were going to be going around talking to people.

"Alright. So. Where to?" Sora didn't have a clue where to start, being new to the place and all. She wondered about paying a visit to the client's house, if only to learn more about the man they were searching for. Perhaps she could even pick up a scent if she knew what she was looking for. It may have been days since he'd last been seen, but scents could linger for a long time in the right spots.

[spurhill]

Whatever she thought of him made little difference. In the end, her opinion regarding his actions would not change them, regardless of how she really felt about it. Despite his retirement from a leading position, his habit of taking command and deciding what was best for those younger than him remained. Knowing that she were traveling with the nameless only affirmed his decision; it meant that she knew precious little about the world she was on now and how terrifying it could be.

And she... looked like the type that was sure of her strength. It wasn't a good mix.

Still, she seemed to take to the job, if reluctantly, and looked through the papers with care—eventually bringing him one that she thought was suitable enough. Ashveil looks it over curiously.

"This one stood out to you, huh?" All thing considered, it seemed a decent job, and one he was willing to do. He just hoped this one wasn't just some guy playing a prank on his lover again. "Alright, I'll bite. Tell me: from what you've read here, what do you thinks happened?"

[curiouskinetic]

Though she agreed to do some work for him, there was a small amount of reluctance in her movements and weariness in her gaze. This planet was proving to be a lot for her. But with nothing better to do, and no leads of her own to follow...

"Well, there isn't enough information to be entirely sure what's going on, but if I had to guess..." She paused, relaying the details of the case in her head. It was unusual for the boyfriend not to give advanced notice before being gone for more than a couple days, and the last thing the girlfriend said they did together was celebrate a new job he'd gotten. Tied together by the mention of a gang the guy used to be in "a long time ago", and Sora could guess what had happened.

"I think he was part of a gang and wanted out, and they weren't happy about it." Based on the timing, Sora wagered he'd met his girlfriend and after going steady for a while decided to get a job and take a chance at a better life for the two of them. Even if the woman wasn't aware of any obvious gang activity he was involved in it wasn't impossible to keep these things a secret from loved ones.

"In which case... time is probably of the essence, yeah?"

[curiouskinetic]

"Hey, psst." A familiar voice calls to Sora from an alley, a suspiciously placed trash can lurking in the center, something anyone would call a trap really... until the lid pops up and a hand beckons her over.

"Hey, lets go visit that coffee shop, you know, the one that's got a lifetime of free coffee or something?" Dan Heng had vehemently stopped him from going back to it earlier, hence his hiding away, but Sora didn't seem like a stick in the mud, so maybe she'd join him.

But her phone pings, a message from March asking if she knew where Caelus was. "Ignore it, it's probably not important."

Having had a relatively quiet and uneventful day so far, Sora knew something was bound to change any minute now. That just seemed to be the pattern of her days on this planet, and as she rounded a corner and was confronted with a whispering trash can, she couldn't find it in her to be truly surprised.

That voice was familiar, though. As was the faint scent she was picking up. She knew who it was a second before he popped out of the trash can, acting as though this was a completely normal way to start a conversation.

"I—" She broke off as her phone pinged, glancing down at the message that flashed on her screen before turning back to Caelus. "Uh, I... sure? I'm— I don't drink that much coffee, but I wouldn't mind going with you." Clearly he really wanted to go, and the others would be fine without him for a while, right?

".... why are you hiding in a trash can, also??"

[curiouskinetic]

@spurhill continued from x

Staring down at him, Sora could guess what he was so happy about moments before he said it. "Heh... even when I win, I lose, huh?" He'd certainly given her a run for her money though. It had been ages since she'd last had to try so hard to track someone.

And now, seeing him like this— it was well worth the effort. Even if he could stand to be a smidge less smug about his predicament. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you wanted to be caught." She mused, leaning in. She debated leaving it at that and rolling off him, but... he was just so cute like this. And besides, he deserved a little reward for keeping her at bay for so long.

Letting up on her stance a bit she closed the gap between them and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his lips. She lingered there a beat, relishing the moment, then pulled away and sat back, straddling his waist.

"You know, you almost had me a few times there. Felt like I was running around in circles for a bit."

[spurhill]

Ashveil simply chooses to ignore the happenings, the way she fights him on what she was and wasn't doing. All he cared about was keeping tabs on her for now, considering all that's been happening recently. He'd rather not have another variable tossed into the mix of it all.

"Well, normally I would. But since you've clearly got nothin' going on right now, that's your job. Consider it a change of pace—if you can find anything good, and you can carry your own weight, I'll split the profits with you." At the very least, it would give her something to do and help her get to know some of the residents around the area. Not that there was no danger involved, but it wasn't anything he felt she couldn't handle. Probably, anyway.

"Besides, you're in good hands. You know that kid from earlier, right? He'd got a good heart. You think he'd leave you here with someone he doesn't trust?"

[curiouskinetic]

So in other words you're just being lazy. Sora thought to herself, begrudgingly turning her attention back to the files. Why he thought someone he'd never met with no experience would be good at picking something out was beyond her, but she was already tired of arguing about it.

"You mean Caelus?" She didn't look up from what she was doing, brows furrowed in concentration. "Yeah, we're friends. I've been traveling with the Nameless for a while now, actually." Ashveil was right, too, in assuming that Caelus wouldn't leave her with someone he thought was dangerous. So, annoyed as she was, she knew she wasn't in any actual danger here.

It took some time, but eventually Sora was able to pick out a job she thought was doable. It was the one she had the most interest in personally, at least. Striding over to him she handed back the stack of papers with her choice placed on top. "Here, this one."

The job was from a young woman, wondering about the whereabouts of her boyfriend after he up and disappeared a few days ago. From what information the file included it was pretty clear to Sora the guy was tangled up in some gang— and thus it was probably the most urgent one out of the bunch.