* LUCKLESS !

carrying LIGHT in the palms of both hands, he stands to face ADVERSITY. ISOLA  affiliated.

[existentialismee]

a very, very soft commission drawn by blackpaopu,,,,, i simply,,,, cannot exist on this mortal plane anymore goodbye everyone

[feistyvampire]

“I ended up with too much leftover fruits… well, if anyone wants some they’re free to have it.” No point letting it go to waste or throwing it out when it was still perfectly good and could feed someone.

[leafslash]

      ❝ What kind of fruits? Depending on what you have, we might be able to make something with it. Like some tarts or a pie. ❞

[leafslash]

      ❝ Now that it's getting cooler, I should knit Gyoro a new scarf. I wonder which yarn I should pick this time... ❞

[leafslash]

      ❝ Sorry, um... He's staring at you, right? ❞ Dumb question, Ashton immediately chastises himself with. Of course Gyoro is staring, that's why this person seems alarmed. Rewind. ❝ He's not going to do anything—promise. ❞

      ❝ He says he's just curious. We haven't seen many people with horns like theirs. ❞ @softspokenlibrarian — cool horns bro.

[manaemic-deactivated20240615]

"Oh! Those dragons--"

She's practically buzzing with excitement: the sight is hardly so strange to her, given the way mages can do and have done similar (or more intense) things to their bodies, be it by accident or by intention -- the stranger's appearance is no different to her than that of some of her coworkers, if perhaps more vibrant.

Chiemi's face is lit up nonetheless -- after all, it's rather rare to see something even remotely similar to a true dragon, much less two of them, in her day and age -- eyes sparkling, smile wide (not caring, yet slightly hoping, that her pointed teeth don't unnerve her companion).

"They're very cute! And they seem very well-cared for, too...it's rather nice to see that."

She steps back a bit, having realized she was perhaps slightly too close to someone who doesn't know her for the other's comfort -- it isn't so odd for her to display such tendencies, but her rather...eccentric...enthusiasm could, and often had, caused plenty of problems back home. (Her wife was the one skilled in smoothing things over, not her.)

"Ah. My apologies, I didn't mean to get in your face like that! I suppose I still get childishly excited when encountering something new."

@leafslash

[leafslash]

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒𝐍'𝐓      anything unusual for Mr. Anchors. When one's appearance is akin to a walking, flashy 'Hey, check it out! Look at me!' sign, they tend to anticipate being stopped or gawked at. And anticipate it Ashton does, so far in advance that he senses her interest before she leans in. It was in the air as they stood at the crosswalk together, her eyes double-taking once they'd peered sideways, but he doesn't mind it—much, anyway. She seems well-meaning, and he's in no particular hurry to get to his assigned residence now that he's been dropped unceremoniously back in the center of the city. He'd rather get his mind off the whole locked-out-of-the-house-I-own-again situation, anyhow.       ❝ Oh, don't praise them too much, ❞ lightly sighs the host, the real objects of her attention proudly raising their long, serpentine necks to gloat. Gyoro, the more prideful of the two, even gives something of a pleased chirr to her compliment. ❝ It'll go straight to their heads... ❞ The cool colored of the twins bumps his snout to Ashton's temple, protesting. We deserve attention. How could she not look upon the Great Demon Dragons with awe? We are cute. And like he's heard a piece of the conversation she's not privy to, Ashton raises a complaint to whatever notion his companion has rumbled.

      ❝ You guys already hog all of the attention! Any more and I'll be as good as the plain wooden post to a big, bright signboard. ❞ The pair roll their eyes. However, Ashton puts his theatrics aside to politely dismiss her apology with a shy wave of his hand.       ❝ Anyway... No, it's fine. You don't need to apologize or anything. I've had plenty of time to get used to it. ❞ Several years, in fact. Strange to think he has that much time spent fused to them under his belt.

      ❝ If anything, I'm kind of glad. Sometimes people get real startled when they glance over at the guy next to them and see... uh, us, you know? ❞

[leafslash]

( OOC.) jumpin right into a starter call, y'all!! we're gonna be cappin this at a modestly reasonable three for now, but i might bump up the limit depending on the muse! ( bc i got Plenty of it )

[leafslash]

         ASHTON ANCHORS  ——  star ocean: the second story !

a 20 22 year old mercenary with a heart of gold.

went to slay a twin-headed dragon, wound up possessed. now it’s buy one swordsman, get two dragons free. wowzers, what a steal!

no, really. it’s a packaged deal. the dragons are non-detachable. ( and also non-refundable. it’s in the fine print. )

technically an alien! from a distant planet by the name of expel that's sort of the equivalent of fantasy jrpg middle ages.

traveled with his friends to investigate a spooky magical meteorite, went on to help save the universe. it’s a long story.

the kind of guy that always seems to have his picnics rained on when he plans them. or steps in dog poop on afternoon walks. or has literally anything else that could possibly go wrong happen to him.

dreads nothing more than bad horoscopes and fortune tellers.

so woefully unlucky that even his luck stat is permanently the worst in the game.

[dos equis voice] he is...... the Unluckiest Man in the World™

canon backstory whomst?? don’t know her.

barrels.

just wants to sleep on his back again.

[schleckermaul]

   there's very much a conversation happening here that break isn't privy to. he listens intently as the dragons make noises as though they were communication much more in depth, his head and emily's head moving to follow the sounds.

   he doesn't realize that the conversation seems to be over until ashton talks to him directly once more. break has been staring, unabashedly, though perhaps quite weirded out. not that the idea of that is weird in the first place— perhaps only the fact that somebody else is doing what break does a lot, right in front of him.

   he swirls the tea in his cup, holding it by the edges, still blankly looking at ashton as he thinks about the entire ordeal.

   ' ... they talk to you? ' no, that's not it ... ' or ... you can hear them, in your mind? that's how you communicate? '

[leafslash]

... HM. Well, Break is staring at him, that much is indisputable, though as it turns out it's not for the reason Ashton assumed. ❝ They talk to m...? Ah, it's— ❞ The mercenary cuts himself off with a thoughtful breath sucked through the teeth and thumbs at his chin, his eyes panning upwards at the pair of heads looming over his shoulders. Ururun peers back, but Gyoro merely snorts, too stubborn to give so much as a glare. ❝ No, no, it's... a little of both. ❞ How does he explain this? Most people, they... Suffice it to say, they find it pretty bizarre whenever he does explain, even if they've asked him to. ❝ They make noises and talk to me out loud, but understanding them is different than the way I can you. It's a little like... the way you hear your own voice in your head as you go about your day. You know, not 'solid' to anyone but yourself. Except it's not my voice, it's theirs. Or I guess all of ours at once, on second thought... ❞ Ururun croons an affirmative noise, nodding in agreement. ❝ They talk over me a lot, actually. ❞ It gets very noisy, very fast. In the beginning, Ashton used to suffer headaches from it. Now, being possessed is such a normal part of life he's no longer sure how he would exist in his own head were there not two others in it to occupy it.

❝ I sort of forget no one else can hear them the way I do... So I'll get swept up in a conversation or an argument before I realize it, and start talking back like I did just now. ❞

[leafslash]

❝ C'mon, Gyoro... You can't sulk forever. ❞ The crimson dragon turns cheek to his host, snorting hotly through the nose. ' I do not sulk, ' rumbles stubbornly through the swordsman's mind, low and gravelly. ' Why would I ever sulk? It is beneath me. ' His cobalt twin narrows at the eyes, clearly unamused. ' Because you are childish. Look at you, great demon dragon, licking your own wounds at being denied a fight. ' Gyoro snarls, his scaly nostrils flaring in indignation. ' I do no such thing! ' ' Are you not bloodthirsty and hot-headed, to insist on sparring when Ashton desires coexistence with this human? ' ' He has let go too easily. There is still much to settle. ' ' Over cake? Unbelievable. ' ❝ Alright, alright. Enough. ❞ With that, Ashton nudges their heads apart lest they begin squabbling. He then turns to Break, who looks... Well, he's looking at him like he's pretty weird.

❝ Er, sorry... These guys never know when to quit. ❞ @schleckermaul —— oh yeah. my back demons talk to me, too.

[leafslash]

❝ Back here again, huh... Well, I guess it's not all bad, right, you two? ❞ His dragons nod as Ashton sticks a bronze housekey into the knob of his front door. After a long trek across the city, all he wants to do is sink straight into bed. ❝ At least we still have a roof over our heads— ❞ Click. Rustle. Rustle, rustle.

❝ Eh? ❞ Hold on. The door— ❝ The door won't budge! ❞ He squats, sticking a dismayed eye into the keyhole. No way...

❝ Who changed the locks?! ❞

[schleckermaul]

' YOU DON'T NEED TO COWER, YOU KNOW. ' sighing wearily into his glass of wine, break doesn't even look into the direction of ashton as he speaks up. they're relatively close to the table where he originally got the glass from in the first place, so it makes sense for the man to stumble across him without meaning to— is he squatting behind the table?

   taking another sip, he crosses one arm over the other, tips the heel of one shoe into the ground a couple of times. ' i'm not going to beat you up again ... as long as you don't give me any reason to. wouldn't want to make a scene unnecessarily, hm? '

@leafslash / (peace emoji)

[leafslash]

❝ I- I...! Me? I'm not cowering, I just—dropped something on the floor... ❞ Only there's... nothing on the floor. Oops. Play it off, Ashton. Patting his suit pockets like there's actually something in them, the swordsman rises to his feet, his dragons sighing and rolling their eyes. It's unclear if it's directed at their host's cowardly display or the reappearance of their prior foe. It might be a bit of both: they've yet to forget the jailtime they endured as a result of their last encounter. Anyway. How about some of that wine? There's a glass taken from the table, with Ashton giving it a tentative sip— That he nearly chokes on out of relief. ❝ You're not? ❞ Oh, thank Tria for that.

❝ I-I mean, not that... there's any real reason to, anyway. I already paid for these guys' troublemaking with the jail time... ❞ ... Deflates. Swirls his glass. ❝ And the property damage fines... ❞ ... Deflates a little more. ❝ And the... criminal record. Uh, I'd say we're even. ❞

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Blood oozed out of the new wound on his wrist. Aurelius glanced at it in interest, then waved at it before white light encompassed the injury and the skin began to mend. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket in the meantime to clean himself up.

"Why would I do that?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"This is far more entertaining."

Questions were answered at the discretion of the other party. He would much rather find out the answers himself, especially when he'd yet to determine whether the subject was even fit to be called human. For a second Aurelius eyed the dragon on the left. Then he changed his mind and raised a gloved hand over Ashton's head instead, preparing to pet him.

"Though I don't mind wondering aloud if you'll bite me on touch too."

[leafslash]

ASHTON is no stranger to being treated as 'other.' Whether it's the judgmental gawking he's regularly subjected to or the frequent experience of being the object of someone's fear, there are few instances in which Ashton Anchors does not feel subhuman. If one were to ask him, he would dismiss these struggles as nothing out of the ordinary—he's used to them, they are simply apart of his everyday life. But that doesn't mean it gets any better, especially when it's this obvious his value as a person is being calculated. In a rare show of frustration, Ashton moves his head out of the man's range, shooing his hand back with a flap of his own. ❝ Wha— ❞

❝ Of course I don't bite! When I said you shouldn't just grab people, I was included in that, too! ❞ He hops the canvas tote bag on his shoulder once, just so it's back in place. There's nothing in it yet, but he's kiiiiind of been rudely derailed from his grocery shopping! ❝ S- So... If you're not injured or anything, could you let me pass? I'm trying to buy some vegetables! ❞

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 He didn't think this was one of the native creatures here. But how else to describe the monstrous, snake-like dragons growing from this man's back? They stared at him while he stared back, practically cornering their host in a corner of Opalarian Market Town. Even among the other colorful residents, he stood out.

"How inconvenient for you," Aurelius spoke after a while.

"They hardly seem like they belong."

And so, a hand darted forward to grab the one on the right around its body to give a mighty yank.

@leafslash ໒꒱

[leafslash]

DOES this guy mind? Ashton just wants to buy his groceries in peace... Can't he at least have that? The stare denies him this basic right, and how he's been crowded into a corner even more so. The twin swordsman would almost wonder if the stranger was perhaps looking for a fight or to mug him, though he thinks he doesn't look like a very good target for either. But he supposes it wouldn't be surprising were that the case: people have picked on him for less, after all. ❝ Um... Do you, ❞ Mind? He wants to say. Instead, he swallows it down, deeming it too confrontational. ❝ Do you need somethi—— ❞ Ashton doesn't get to finish the question. The man reaches out, jerking Gyoro by the middle. The crimson dragon snarls immediately, snapping at his wrist and succeeding. Oh jeez, that had to have drawn blood. Skittishly, the host to these dragons of interest shoos his companion back.

❝ Wh- whoa, hey! You can't just go around grabbing people like that! ❞

Grwaor!, Gyoro growls as agreement. He snaps his fangs about the air angrily; Ashton reaches up and easily clamps his snout shut without so much as a glance. ❝ If you have questions, you can just ask...! I'm right here, y'know! ❞

[leafslash]

THERE is a peculiar scene playing out in one of the many trendy cafes of Cotes Ward this afternoon… Amidst a shop full of gawking patrons, one rather unusual man stands at odds with the cashier. It's unclear whether his fellow customers stare at him with the reason for the monstrously bizarre serpents jutting out of his back, or if they gaze with contempt for the disturbance he causes. But honestly, it very well could be both. ❝ Nonsense! We care little for this so-called 'Dust' you insist upon. Our proposal is a perfectly fair transition—this small confectionary should cost no more than a 100 Fol, generously speaking. A bounty carried out by us is worth one thousand fold. You would be foolish to refuse it. ❞ ❝ Sir, I'm a cashier… I don't need a hit on someone, I need to see your payment method or I'm going to have to ask you to leave. ❞ ❝ Payment method? ❞ Another worker behind the sweets displays pipes up cautiously. ❝ Look, Sir. You're disrupting our patrons. I'm calling security. ❞ ❝ Feh! Your half-hearted threats hold no weight against us. We will leave of our own accord, for clearly you lot are fools. ❞ The man turns with an air of arrogance, the creatures on his back warding away the displeased staff like a torch waved in their faces as they come in direct proximity with them. Very well… He'll take his leave. Though first, his eyes fall on a loudly dressed fellow sitting at a table, a cake laying delectably on a plate in front of him like a sitting duck. There's a moment of sizing up their opponent until he is ultimately branded an 'easy target'. Like stealing candy from a baby, the sweet is yoinked away from him by the dish. The man, delighted, only guffaws. ❝ Hah! But we said nothing of leaving empty-handed. ❞

❝ We're beyond the point of bartering. You have your fellow humans to thank. ❞ @schleckermaul — (wrestling emoji)

[leafslash]

World, cold and hard...

But Kimihiro, warm and soft... Maybe he'll go seek him out. Is he near the fireplace? Or is he in the kitchen? His dragons perk up to listen for him through the house. Perhaps making their bed for the night can wait.

[existentialismee]

don't have to do taxes when the government literally doesn't know u exist lmao

[leafslash]

couple goals: (not) doing your taxes together!

[leafslash]

❝ Taxes? ❞

❝ Um... Don't you just pay for what you buy, and that's it? ❞