#c. mikey.

[revengesworn]

"Something's off about you."

Mikey looks at Jiji - well, it's more of a stare - one that doesn't match his tone of voice at all. While he speaks as casually as can be, so much nonchalance in his tone that it's almost at-odds with what he's saying... there's something dark about the look in his eyes. Or maybe dark isn't the right word, but empty - even though he's smiling, the air around him feels thin and stretched out with tension, as if there's no-one there behind that gaze of his. It's the kind of look that makes your skin feel colder.

Or it would do, if it was allowed to settle. But that heavy atmosphere is gone as quickly as it appeared, so fast that it's jarring. Mikey's smile becomes more playful, and he suddenly appears like a kid, clearly satisfied with whatever he's seen in Jiji, whatever suspicion that had taken over him vanished in an instant.

"I kind of like that. Hey, what did you say your name was? You're a fun guy, y'know!"

@enjojijiis ( starter! )

[revengesworn]

"...You were right."

When Mikey finally speaks... they're more like the words of a ghost than of a person. Even though he's physically present, and his expression isn't even really all that different from how it usually is, there's something not quite there about his presence. It's like he's looking somewhere far away without seeing what's in front of him - gone to a place that no-one can touch, somewhere impossibly distant.

It's hard to hear anything unusual in his tone of voice, too. Even when he looks at Kazutora and speaks again, any emotion he might be feeling seems to be buried behind a sense of nothing - making it hard to discern how he really feels. But maybe some hints of it have already become present... because even without being able to pinpoint a concrete reason, somehow, it couldn't be more obvious that something is wrong.

"You were right, Kazutora. It's all my fault."

@oiyuri ( starter! )

[revengesworn]

Mikey's been thinking about Chifuyu more often, lately.

It's not like he never did before. Chifuyu is a member of Toman, after all, and that means he belongs to Mikey just like everyone else. But he'd always thought of him more as Baji's friend, especially since they were so often together. And while Mikey hadn't known Chifuyu super well, he'd been glad that Baji had someone he was so obviously close to.

Now, though... Baji is gone. For a while, it seemed as though Chifuyu was going to leave, too, but Mikey had eventually persuaded him to stay as a member of Toman - though he gets the impression that his own words weren't the true catalyst in Chifuyu making that decision. Still, he's glad. He's grateful that Chifuyu decided to stay, yet sometimes it's difficult to look at him - to be reminded so starkly of Baji's absence, and the way Mikey let him down completely.

...Chifuyu's been spending a lot of time with Takemitchy as of late, and Mikey has to admit he does feel a little jealous about that, too. Normally, he'd have no hesitation in making those feelings known, and loudly at that, but the guilt he still feels about Baji has had him holding his tongue for once, this time around. Besides, Takemictchy wouldn't be happy if he saw Mikey laying into Chifuyu for no good reason...

It's not like he's giving Takemitchy away, though. He's still Mikey's best friend, after all!

"Chifuyu... you look super serious all of a sudden." Today, Mikey speaks up first, as nonchalantly as always - but somehow, it feels like there's a layer of something buried underneath that casual tone. "Has it got something to do with Takemitchy?"

@storieswoven ( starter for chifuyu! )

[curseweight]

Well, obviously Ken-chin had missed him too. That goes without saying. But... somehow, it's still a relief to hear those words.

"...It'll be difficult in Toman for a while." After flashing a brief smile back at Draken, Mikey suddenly takes on a more serious tone, the change in his attitude seemingly having come completely out of nowhere. But that's not unusual for Mikey, who's always been able to shift moods in the blink of an eye.

As he speaks, his face expression betrays none of his emotions. But the fact that he's being serious at all is enough to show that this is something important to him.

"...I didn't realize how much everyone was fighting because of us. And everyone's still torn up about Pah-chin." Suddenly, his gaze lowers, and Mikey seems almost sorrowful for a moment.

"I'm worried about Peh-yan, too... If we are giving up on saving Pah, I don't think he'll take it well."

@galaxythixf ( continued from here! )

[revengesworn]

"Hey, Koko?"

When Mikey speaks up, it's in such a nonchalant tone that you'd be forgiven for thinking he was going to ask about the weather, or something equally as mundane. His gaze is distant, as if he's seeing something far away that no-one else can, and the speck of blood on his face is the only clue that something's wrong about the picture... But when that gaze snaps back to Koko, the intensity of it is almost enough to drown in, and he's sure neither of them are fooled into thinking there's anything ordinary about this situation.

"When you were still with Inui... did you tell him everything? It must've been hard, to let someone like him go."

@troublehq ( starter for koko! )

[revengesworn]

"...What's with that look?"

It's not an accusatory question... but somehow, there's something melancholic in Mikey's expression as he speaks, even if he does follow it up with a smile. Lately, he thinks, there's been something different about Chifuyu. It's not like Mikey knows him as well as... as well as Baji did, but maybe it's precisely because of that that it's caught his attention at all.

After all, if even Mikey's noticed something strange, it's not likely to be his imagination, right? Of course, there might be another reason he wants to dig deeper, beyond just mere curiosity, but... that's something he doesn't want to think about right now.

Then, like a switch has been flipped, Mikey grins. The darkness lurking behind his eyes has vanished as if it were never there.

"Haha. You're a weird guy, Chifuyu! Are you thinking too hard about something?"

@neverwilted ( starter for chifuyu! )

[revengesworn]

"Heeeeey, Ken-chin!"

Once he's finished calling out Draken's name in the most obnoxious manner possible, Mikey grins. It's the grin of someone who's all in all very pleased with themselves, or maybe someone who's looking to stir up trouble - either way, Mikey's sure that Draken can tell exactly what kind of mood he's in... but also that it's much too late for him to do anything about it.

"You know, I was lonely all on my own today. Now that everything's sorted, we should do something fun, don't you think?"

'Everything's sorted' is of course an overly simplistic perspective and a way of pushing the topic of their recent fight to the side, now that Mikey's decided that Draken was in the right after all. They won't do anything about Pah. It hurts more than anything to make that decision, but in the end... it's true that Pah himself wouldn't want them getting involved in his arrest. In the end, Draken's always right when it comes to these things...

But on a more selfish level, Mikey's just glad to be on friendly terms with Ken-chin again. He really did miss him, as much as he stubbornly told himself otherwise over the past few days.

"I'm feeling hungry... Aren't you, too? Come on!"

@galaxythixf ( starter for draken! )

[revengesworn]

"I don't get you, you know."

Mikey's wearing a childish kind of annoyance on his face as he looks at Hanma as if he's a puzzle he's trying to figure out - staring intensely and furrowing his brows in frustration in a way that makes him look like a kid. It's an expression that those around Mikey have seen hundreds of times before... but maybe it's out of place here, directed at Hanma; the one who'd made life a living hell for Toman on so many occasions before.

That doesn't seem to be stopping Mikey today, though. It's hard to tell what he's thinking just from looking at his face, of course, but...

"I know you're hiding something from me." It should be a serious accusation, but the impact is ruined by the whine in Mikey's tone. "What's your deal, anyway? There's gotta be something that makes you tick."

@deathfavor ( starter for hanma! )