Of Sea and Storm

Takeru Totsuka | Kamigami no Asobi Affiliated with Antirrhineae Housing: B-1, Discordant Den Rank: Bronze Wing Vassal

[lokiingfortrouble-blog-blog]

“No problem. I only give the coolest presents, after all.”

“But hey,” Loki whispered, “you should look under the wrapper, when you’re done.” And with that he skipped off into the living room and sprawled on the couch, letting Takeru enjoy his ridiculous cupcake and flipping through the channels. “Ahhh, there’s nothing good on… where’s the game show where they dump slime on someone’s head? That was a good one.”

Once the sparkler fizzles out and he goes for it, Takeru might find a few nice, tiny, sandalwood-scented surprises at the bottom of the cupcake, with a certain girlfriend’s name written in pretty script on them. It might take a second to notice exactly what they are of course, but…

At least he got a head start to the living room.

[susanoope-blog]

Naturally, this means Takeru ignores the cupcake entirely and looks under the treat...

Nor does it take him long to figure out what this little surprise actually is. Loki, you motherfucker. Instead of yelling, however, he very calmly followed him to the living room, more specifically, to stand behind where Loki was seated on the couch.

Lifting the cupcake over his head, in one smooth motion, he slammed it onto Loki’s head, frosting first.

“Here, have your damn slime!”

[lokiingfortrouble-blog-blog]

“Aww, alright.” Loki let him have it, but he still lit a tiny fire on his index finger, then blew it out. “Next time, it’s my turn. ♪”

As soon as Takeru lit it up, the candle started shooting sparks. It was more of a sparkler than it was a candle – and for something that pretty and delicious, Loki couldn’t help but have a little fun with it himself.

At least they were blue. And matched.

“Haha!”

“Cool, right? ☆”

[susanoope-blog]

Well, it wasn’t an explosion, but it didn’t stop Takeru from almost flinching in anticipation. When instead it was a bit of flashy sparks, he actually smiled, despite himself.

Dammit Loki.

“...yeah, actually.” Was that a pout? Not quite, but close. “Thanks, Loki.”

[slxinetr-blog-blog-blog]

        {T}he entire moment, he was expecting to get hit. He didn’t entirely know better— the blond was used to it. Slaine had his eyes closed and everything… He was ready for it. What he didn’t expect was that the stranger forgave him? The young male immediately straightened back up with a slightly bewildered expression on his face. This was strange— in his point of view. “I… I assure you that it wont happen again.” It was actually quite… Nice.

       {S}ilent for a moment, the blond thought about a reponse to the question. However, he couldn’t really come up with an answer right away. “I… I was just walking around… I still do not quite understand this environment yet…”

[susanoope-blog]

Takeru finally withdrew the blade when he had an answer, head very slowly nodding. He could relate, since he had been new there not so long ago himself. As far as this stranger, well, he had no real reason to stay. Yet... no real reason to go, either.

At least, he didn’t look half bad for a human.

“This place has a way of doing that to people.” He sighed, but he couldn’t fault it. Exploration was kind of a natural tendency--it was too easy to get restless otherwise. “Not that I really get it all myself, but... take it you’re new around here?”

[lokiingfortrouble-blog-blog]

“Come oooon, it’s not a joke this time. Don’tcha trust me?” No.

“Just wait a sec, okay? ☆”

Loki was back just as soon he’d vanished into the kitchen, reappearing with a snap of his fingers right in front of Takeru. His braid whipped at his back from the force. “Ta-da!”

It was not, in fact, a bomb that Loki put on the plate in front of Takeru. It was a cupcake maybe half the size of his head with blue frosting and white sprinkles, ones that looked… kind of like seashells. Loki probably had to have gone to the store to get these. The best part, though, was a big candle stuck right in the middle that looked like a sword in shape and color, with a wick up top at the handle. The blade was stabbing the sweet cupcakey goodness inside.

“Happy birthday!”

“You can light it up yourself, if you want.” He spun a lighter around on one finger. “Or you can let me. ♪”

[susanoope-blog]

Takeru, against his better judgment, waited to let Loki get this over with. Initially, the idea of him whipping out sweets wasn’t exactly surprisingly, it was the detail that made him slowly blink. Oh. He’d put a lot more effort into this than he’d expected.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad. ...maybe.

“I... can do it.” Because letting Loki play with fire was a major no. Carefully, he snatched the lighter from him, and oh-so slowly brought it closer to the candle to give it a light.

[susanoope-blog]

WHO SAID SWORDS!?

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

this is a bad idea and i shouldnt be doing this [does it anyway]

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

The Seraph frowned at the taunting dragonelle, just having a little bit urge to shoot water at it just to get back at it. Luckily for the dragonelle, though, his owner immediately caught up to them, yelling. Mikleo’s whole attention moved from the dragonelle to him, and—

Ah.

He leapt towards Mikleo.

“W-Wait—!”

There was a whoom, a whoosh, then a whack, and Mikleo stumbled back, his summoned staff in hand. He blinked several times before realising what had happened.

Oh. Well, he didn’t mean for that to happen.

“That wasn’t intentional!”

Mikleo immediately followed up, and he hovered over his, well, poor victim—maybe—in panic while his own dragonelle had long left the scene to go somewhere, like what Mikleo had instructed.

[susanoope-blog]

Ow--

Takeru hadn’t seen the staff coming at all (how was he supposed to know the guy could summon a weapon like that?), and before he could realize what had happened, he was pushing himself up off the ground. Rubbing at his head, it took him a moment to finally pause and look up at his prior target. “What did..”

Oh. There was the staff, and he did vaguely hear the comment. An accident? Well, even someone as rash as Takeru could believe that. Self-defense and all. Not that it made him any more thrilled about it.

“If you had that the whole time, why run in the first place?” Because obviously it had to be that simple, apparently. Sighing, he glanced to his own weapon, fallen nearby, just out of reach. “...” To reach for it or not, that was the question.

[hisaugustness]

“…that is the first birthday present I have ever given to you.”

“I am sorry for the ones that I have missed until now.”

[susanoope-blog]

“...” Blink. A quick shake of his head, and Takeru reaches his free hand to rest on Tsukito’s shoulder, giving him a small smile. “Don’t apologize, Anii. I never needed any presents--I mean...”

“...Ihadyoualready.” Okay maybe that came out a bit too quickly, and quietly.

[susanoope-blog]

Birthday present

Even if there were three distinct cities, there was no place like home. You just couldn’t get some of the unique things…

But, good thing they weren’t alone. Sure there wasn’t a club fair to show off Japanese culture with, but they had each other.

Wrapped precisely and neatly, Takeru would find a brand spankin’ new kendo outfit, complete with a wooden sword to train with.

Happy birthday, Takeru!

I hope it fits well enough… I guessed around a little. If you need me to make adjustments, let me know. We wouldn’t want it to fall off while you’re training!

I don’t want to rush you, but be sure to try it on soon so we can practice kendo again! I’ll be waiting for you.

— 草薙 結衣

P.S.,

This isn’t the last of your gifts. I’m coming over later to bring you a cake. And…well… some other things. ♥

A lady who’ll fight you and bandage you up afterwards. You’re a lucky god, Takeru, happy birthday!

Takeru had thought, you know, maybe he was done with all the birthday stuff when he headed home. When he found this waiting for him, however, it was pretty clear he had been mistaken. Coming from Yui, though, he couldn’t help but let it slide. He could deal with a bit more, if it was her.

The note made him smile on his own, in part to the promise of seeing her later, cake or not. Once he was done reading it, though, his gaze drifted to the wrapped package nearby.

Give him a few minutes, and he stood in front of the mirror in his room, admiring the new clothing, and tugging a bit at it here and there to make sure it did fit as well as it seemed to. Still a little long... otherwise, she seemed to have guessed pretty well.

“Heh...” He chuckled a little when he lifted the blade she had included, giving it a better looking over. “Sounds like you and me are in for a workout later.”

[susanoope-blog]

Quick apology for all the birthday minis cropping up. We barely remembered yesterday was his birthday and thus... y eah.

[propheticphoebus]

“It is a big deal, though!” Apollon reaches into his pocket without breaking from their hug, rummaging around dutifully. The fidgeting continues until he eventually hits upon his goal with a triumphant cheer. “— Aha! Here, look, I got you something!”

With an over-dramatic flourish, he bounds over to Takeru’s front and presents his gift: A circular beaded necklace carved from abalone shell.

“It’s a little small, but it made me think of you when I saw it. It’s nice, right?”

[susanoope-blog]

As soon as the b-word comes out, naturally, Takeru figures there’s a gift involved. He waits the moment it takes Apollon to dig it out, and despite his initial protest, can’t help but wear a crooked smile when he finally holds out the present. It’s small, but he can already tell Apollon had put some thought into it.

Sigh. Oh Sunshine.

“You really didn’t have to, Sunshine. But... you’re right, it’s nice.” With a little nod, he carefully lifts the necklace, and doesn’t wait to put it on. Might as well let him see his handiwork. “How’s it look?”

[lokiingfortrouble-blog-blog]

“Hey, Ta-tan…”

Loki leaned on the table. “Wanna see something cool?”

[susanoope-blog]

This, coming from Loki, only had one appropriate response.

“Like Hell.”

[hisaugustness]

“Takeru Totsuka. Please accept this. I am not sure if it would please you, but I was reminded of you when I saw it.”

After he gently grabbed his brother’s wrist, he pressed something into his hand—a small crystal pendant, shaped like a spiral seashell.

“Happy birthday, Brother.”

[susanoope-blog]

Takeru certainly didn’t mind letting Tsukito take his hand, though his brow furrowed curiously. How he didn’t realize what this was about before it came out of his mouth, honestly, was a mystery.

But there he stood, blinking down at the pendant for a long moment or two.

“Anii...” He looked up finally, still clearly surprised. Still, his fingers slowly closed around the gift, just as he remembered how to smile. “Thanks, it’s... I’ll treasure it.”

[propheticphoebus]

“Take-Take!”

He flings his arms around Takeru’s torso and squeezes, his cheek nuzzling against the other god’s hair.

“Happy birthday, happy birthday!”

[susanoope-blog]

“What do you wan--” Oof.

What’s he all clingy about now... Oh. Oh.

“It’s... no big deal, really.” Huff puff. Not that he does anything to push him off. After a moment he even looks to the ground and mutters, “...thanks.”

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

this is a bad idea and i shouldnt be doing this [does it anyway]

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

“Get back here!”

No way. Duh.

Tourist time was over; time to haul ass, and by that Mikleo had to really stop screwing around and take this Trial thing seriously. He basically signed up for it when he entered Central during Trial period, after all. Running, for one, wouldn’t really get him anywhere, and as much as Mikleo was a seasoned fighter, basically being involved with the Shepherd’s duties and helping defeat the Lord of Calamity, he couldn’t really run to save his life.

Dear… it was too early to get into a fight. Could the Seraph think of a way to avoid that while not losing his flag at the same time?

Mikleo looked back just in time, and seeing that trail of water coming at him, immediately backed up and moved out of the way. Frowning at the puddle, he looked up and saw the dragonelle hovering above him.

“Huh, that’s no fair,” was the first thing the Seraph muttered under his breath before looking over at the white dragonelle perched on his shoulder. “Looks like I got ourselves in some sort of trouble; sorry, but you better run off for now.”

Obviously, Mikleo was aware of what dragonelles were capable of once their players climbed up the ranks, and his dragonelle was capable of, well, nothing. Now that Mikleo thought about it, that was sort of the first time he talked to his dragonelle.

[susanoope-blog]

The dragonelle in question made a noise in response, almost as though laughing. Unfortunately, he was all-too familiar with unfair tactics, though normally they were being used against him and his charge.

The puddle did what Takeru needed it to, though. It had made the man he was pursuing stop to avoid the splash. Rounding a corner, it only took him a second to first spot Shiori overhead, then the speck of blue and white that had been fleeing before.

“Gotcha!” Maybe he would have been better off not yelling to announce himself when he made the leap to try and tackle him. But it was a bit late to reconsider it now.

[slxinetr-blog-blog-blog]

susanoope

[slxinetr-blog-blog-blog]

      {A}djusting to a new place wasn’t easy. Especially since he was being treated differently compared to how people were usually treating him over there. Yes, he somehow managed to get a higher status in society (well, the highest status possible) but people were still looking down on him and not taking him seriously. This caused that whenever people weren’t acting like that towards him over here, it never ceased to surprise him. However, this time he really felt certain of it that he messed up.

        {H}e really didn’t mean to bump into the stranger. He really didn’t mean to end up thinking so much while walking around. It was a stupid mistake that he most likely would never be able to properly apologize for. But he could try at least. Without hesitating, Slaine bowed. “My apologies. I did not mean to do that.”

[susanoope-blog]

When a bump made him nearly stumble, Takeru had been ready to wheel on the offender, wooden blade drawn and all. A violent reaction, sure, but his temper never had been a very predictable thing. The only thing that stopped him from lifting the weapon, in the end, was how quickly the young man was already uttering an apology when he had turned around.

Instead, he blinked for a moment, obviously surprised. Once it had passed, he very slowly relaxed his stance, then shrugged. “It’s fine. Just try and pay better attention next time.”

“...” By all rights, he probably could have just walked away. But for whatever reason, he didn’t feel inclined to. “... Where you headed, anyway?”

[lokiingfortrouble-blog-blog]

"Haha, ready, set—"

Blink. Loki stared ahead. Wet egg was dripping down his bangs. Sticky. Nasty. He tsked, shaking his head a little.

"You didn’t let me say ‘go’, Ta-tan…"

"So I get more eggs, now!” True to his made-up rule Loki snatched two eggs from the carton, hurling them at Takeru, grabbing the rest of the carton and leaping to duck behind the couch nearby. “Better find some other ammo!”

[susanoope-blog]

“Loki!”

Of course, having forgotten that he was the bigger man (figuratively), Takeru chased after him into the living room. When he saw Loki dive, though, he made for the space behind a chair across the room. The problem, though, being that he didn’t have any ammo. Dammit.

“If you think you’re getting out of this in one piece, I swear...”

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

this is a bad idea and i shouldnt be doing this [does it anyway]

[lefayete-archive-deactivated201]

Mikleo gave the stranger a look, short of ideas on what he meant, until ah, of course. The flag. Suddenly conscious of his flag, though securely tied underneath his sleeves, Mikleo crossed his arms and put on a relaxed stance, which wasn’t really hard. He had always done this.

The problem, though, was that he didn’t really expect to run into someone who wanted his flag this fast, but then again, it was idiotic of Mikleo to even think that he could walk into this place’s battlefield and not expect anything to come out of it.

There was a reason he thought this was a bad idea, after all.

Mikleo shrugged at the stranger and smiled. For some reason, he found the other’s remark kind of funny. His small dragonelle perched on his shoulder, still unnamed, eyed the stranger uneasily. It was a fight or flight situation, considering this stranger’s weapon was at the ready. Mikleo, for one, should probably go and make a run for it.

“Well, wouldn’t it be great if that were the case,” Mikleo remarked, unhooking his arms and putting a foot behind him. Oh boy. “But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, so maybe…” Another step backwards. “I’ll just go.”

And off the Seraph ran to the direction opposite of the stranger.

[susanoope-blog]

“Wh--wait! Get back here!”

Takeru actually blinked in surprise for a moment. For someone so eager to call out being followed, he was also way too eager to run, apparently? Uhh...

Once he regained himself, though, he was quickly on the run as well. True, in theory he could have switched to use his powers, but with a time limit, there was no point when he was sure he could catch up even in a human body. All that training had done him at least some good, right?

His own dragonelle, in the meantime, flew ahead of him. As soon as their target was in range, he let the water fly. Not much, no, but maybe it’d make him slip up or something...