#v. unspecified.

[revengesworn]

Keisuke doesn't get nervous. Hell, the thought of it makes him bristle in irritation, instinctively racing to deny the idea that something like anxiety could ever get the best of him.

The number of times he's ever truly been afraid are small enough to count on one hand... although it's true that those times have cut deep enough to leave impressions and scars that will never fade away. What he's experiencing now is nothing like what he felt back then - yet he still hesitates to speak up, pressing his nails into his hands in frustration at his own pointless silence.

In the end, there was never a decision to be made here. He was never gonna leave Kazutora alone to suffer - so that's that.

"...You look like you've seen a ghost." Keisuke says, in a way that might sound amused if it wasn't tinged with something more melancholy, too. But even that feeling vanishes as he speaks again, lips curling upward into the ghost of a smile-

"Come on, Kazutora. You know I wouldn't leave you be that easily."

@smol-sirens-garden ( starter for kazutora! )

[wisheswagered]

"It's not quite traditional art, but..."

Amanda seems like she's quite used to explaining the details of her craft to others. She talks as if she's done it a hundred times before, not sounding disinterested, exactly - but each word is clearly practiced; rehearsed, making it difficult to spot any passion underneath it all.

Difficult, but not impossible. Something has clearly drawn her to the creation of these displays, this interplay of light and shadow that's almost magical in the dreary atmosphere it creates. And somehow, when she talks to Edgar again, this time - her words suddenly seem to lose that practiced edge, becoming less routine and more genuine. Something about him intrigues her more than the others.

"Well, I think it can bring something that a simple drawing cannot. You're a creator yourself, aren't you? Do you have any thoughts?"

@whispering-brushes ( starter! )

[bioeviled]

"I'm sorry... you came all this way and here I am complaining."

Sherry smiles apologetically at Leon, but while her words are sincere, there's no real shame in her voice - maybe because she feels sure that Leon probably doesn't mind her rambling. It's a bit embarrassing that she felt the need to unload on him at all, but... he's never been someone who's judged her, and she's confident enough that she would've picked up on it if this was a bad time.

Still, even just being able to sit here and talk to him makes her feel better. It feels like there's less of weight on her now, and not for the first time, she finds herself feeling glad - moments like these make it easier to deal with everything, and more than that, make everything feel worth it - a feeling she values more than anything else.

"Have you been doing alright? It's been a while since we could last talk."

@evilresiidents ( starter for leon! )

[herostoried]

Mirai's glare has been known to intimidate both heroes and villains alike. But right now, in the condition he's in... he somehow doubts his gaze, sharp as it is, is particularly intimidating to anyone right now.

Then again; the both of them here are in this room are in quite the state as it is. Beat-up and bruised, with scuffed clothing and bodies worn to the bone... it's not just Mirai who's in a bad way here, though he's probably got the worst of it overall. After all, Mirai... should undeniably be dead right now.

How and why he isn't is a question he's quite desperate for answers to - but it might have to wait until he's made sure to take care of the dangerous situation he's in. Still, it feels wrong... this place, himself, all of it - and it's only his training and instincts as a hero that are keeping him composed, even just barely.

"Overhaul... you're a stubborn man, aren't you...?" Just as much as the one talking, perhaps. "But somehow... I don't think you anticipated this."

@umbreerie ( starter for overhaul! )

[vieaccorde]

As he watches the expression on Chuuya's face change, Verlaine smiles. It's only a slight smile, but while it's difficult to spot any warmth in it on the surface, his eyes shine with the kind of fondness that's reserved by most only for family - or those like them.

Whether or not Chuuya feels the same way about him... is ultimately irrelevant, at least in part. After all, that's his own decision to make - and Verlaine mustn't make the mistake of trying to take choice from him again. But the final words Verlaine had heard on the day when he had "died" for the first time... are ones he holds dear, whether Chuuya has forgotten them or not.

Still, though. Today is a day that's different to the rest.

"It seems to me like you're troubled by something." -little brother. Though he doesn't speak those words aloud, they echo in Verlaine's mind all the same. "It's lucky that I happen to be in a listening mood. Well? ...Don't hold back on me now."

@frost-eyed-autumn ( starter! )

[hellsark]

"You're-"

No matter when or where, there's no way that Ryouga wouldn't recognize that face. And as he meets their gaze, the surprised, almost vulnerable expression that comes over Ryouga lasts only for a few seconds before it's replaced by a more guarded expression - with his hands quickly shoved in his pockets so they won't betray their tension.

What he says next, though, is perhaps a little odd.

"...Should you be here?"

@duelheld ( starter for any of the arclight siblings! )

[aletheialed]

"What do you think, Daddy?"

Trucy's voice sounds so innocent and earnest, but if you look closely, there's strong hint of mischief hidden behind her smile as she shows Phoenix the letter she's holding in her hand. To be precise, it's a love letter, signed anonymously, one that Trucy found mysteriously addressed to her only this morning.

And what would be a better idea than showing Phoenix? Honestly, Trucy doesn't know how he might react at all, but she's sure it'll be well worth seeing his reaction. She is his darling daughter, after all. Though maybe there's a part of her... that's genuinely curious as to his thoughts on it all, too.

"To be honest, I'm not very impressed... but don't you think the effort they put in is worth responding to? I wonder who the writer might be?"

@lawbnd ( starter! )

[sandcrafted]

"You're not honest with yourself at all, are you?"

It pisses her off. It's not like Annie's the only one to do so, and in some ways, the other girl is remarkably honest - her blunt nature and cynicism have always seemed genuine enough, and Ymir gets the impression that she's not the type to lie to herself a lot.

Yet there's still something there... an impression Ymir gets - telling her there's something that Annie won't admit to herself. Just like Ymir. And just like everyone else on this planet everyone calls home... humans just can't escape their own natures, huh?

"Eh, forget it." It's not like Ymir to dismiss her own criticism like that, but for whatever reason, today she lets it go. "I just wish I could figure out what you're thinking..."

@worldhell